Effective recruitment starts with the end in mind

Effective recruitment starts with the end in mind, according to Steve Lampshire of Franchise Moves

Recruiting the very best people for your franchise is not always easy - but it is essential for any business to maximise its potential.

The successful recruitment of talent, whether that’s franchisees investing in your business or employees working in your business, is paramount for success. Mistakes are costly and time consuming, so therefore must be avoided.

Ask for help

This sounds easy, but in reality it’s not. So don’t be scared to ask for help.

The rapid developments in technology means we all have access to people these days, whether that’s through website traffic, social media interaction or simple internet searches. However, finding the right people for your business cannot simply be done with a few clicks.

A franchise looking for investors must develop the correct recruitment marketing strategy for the business based on a complete understanding of who the franchisees need to be.

Be picky and demanding, as you have to make the right choice. Ensure your messaging targets the right people, in the right place, at the right time.

Not everyone is going to make a great franchisee for your network, so don’t waste your resources trying to appeal to everyone.

People decide to invest in a franchise for many different reasons; a career change, change in lifestyle and redundancy are just some examples.

But not everyone is suitable to be a franchisee. It takes targeted messaging based on a thorough understanding of your business to bring results in today’s noisy marketplace.

According to industry statistics, a franchisor needs to find, on average, 200 prospects to sign up one franchisee, so the task can appear daunting. However, it is best to start with the end in mind.

Build a profile of who your ideal franchisee would be. You are unlikely to find someone who fits that profile 100 per cent, but it is good to have a process in place.

Unless your sector is highly specialised, you can train franchisees in the technical aspects of the business, so focus particularly on their attitude and personal attributes.

Will they need to manage people? Someone who has only managed their own workload might not fit the bill. Will they need to go out and sell products and services? If so, they can’t be a shrinking violet.

Hold franchise discovery days. A well organised, professional discovery day brings well prepared, professional candidates to the next stage. Yes it takes time, but time is essential if you are going to make the right decisions.

Right people

Recruiting someone to come and work in your franchise can also be a time consuming process, but again mistakes are hugely costly.

So again take your time, get expert help and don’t be too hasty in your decision making. The right people are definitely out there - you just may need some help in finding them.

About the author

Steve Lampshire is head of recruitment at Franchise Moves, a recruitment agency dedicated to finding the best staff and franchisees for your brand.