The franchise, a collective adventure

The success of a brand is also a matter of shared intelligence. If the head of the network brings the tools of animation, the franchisees themselves must be involved.

"The unbeatable". This is the name of the group on Facebook (private) which are actively involved in any of the 470 franchised Guy Hiccups. They discuss the latest trends of the market and exchange in a spontaneous and informal, on the news of the brand, their experiences with such or such initiative... The group was created by the head-network, in 2011, with the objective to facilitate the exchange and sharing of good practices. It is complementary of the highlights that punctuate the life of the franchise, and in particular of the national convention and annual of the "team" (regional meetings monthly).

It also adds to the assistance that might be provided by the association of the franchisees of the group Guy, Hiccup, created in late 1999 to defend the interests of its members and provide them with practical assistance in their lives to entrepreneurs. "The association is, for example, regularly appeal to two lawyers, who answer the questions of the franchisees on all aspects of employment law and the new challenges of HR", says Stéphane Fritz, director of operations and development at Guy Hiccups. The topics about which the franchisor, who should avoid any risk of interference in the way the franchisees run their businesses, cannot intervene. In animation, the action of the franchise often goes crescendo, as the growing size of the network.

Take into account all the voices that speak

"once the know-how provided, the sign shall ensure that franchisees feel well, and it seeks to build loyalty," notes Alain Lagodie, consultant networking and training within the firm Progressium. "There are two levers of action. One is operational. He goes through the recruiting facilitators, who make regular visits to franchisees and issue them with advice to help them develop their businesses. The other is institutional, with the organization of various meetings that allow to federate the network around shared goals."

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The commissions are very widely and bringing together representatives of the head of network and franchisees, are an example of this : 41 % of the franchisees participated in 2017* (this figure rises to 68 % for the meetings sector, and it is 78 % in relation to the conventions and general assemblies). "These are the meeting points where the members share a lot and give their opinion on a variety of topics, such as communication or changes in the products or services," said Caroline Morizot, creator of the cabinet in CM Board. And this meets an essential need today, according to Eric Tv, president of the co-operative Atol : "With the social networks, the word is released, and you can clearly see that there is a trend in the French society in favour of a better consideration of all voices that speak out !"

reciprocity essential

however, with the proliferation of social networks of enterprises (type the Calinosphère to The Mie Câline) and the multiplication of digital tools to organize remote meetings or sessions, e-learning, "some franchisors tend to reduce the costs in relation to the facilitators and their movements on the ground," says Franck Berthouloux, consultant at TGS France. "While they have often been perceived as the controllers, who come to read the meters, the facilitators today see it as their function to evolve", according to this specialist. "We ask them to act like real coaches, that are able to bring the franchisee to ask the right questions and suggest new practices, while continuing to ensure compliance of the concept."

The Small Bilingual, a network of English language learning (33 franchised stores and 17 branches), delegates part of this coaching to its partners the most seasoned. "When we integrate a new franchisee, we mean a godfather or a godmother may accompany her during the whole course of integration, which lasts for a year," stresses Frédéric Ballner, director of the teaches. "The pair must be harmonious, and it is, therefore, formed in full agreement with the two parties, which must enjoy and have temperaments compatible." Sponsor and sponsored discuss all the things that can facilitate the daily activity of the new partner - instructional media, commercial policy of the brand.

according To the experts, the tools of animation purely "descendants" have less of the coast. "There must be reciprocity," stresses Franck Berthouloux. "The truth often comes out of the ground," nods approval for his part Alain Lagodie. It is all about balance... In a descending logic, The School of Tea created by Palais des Thés (51 boutiques in France, of which 17 are franchised) in 1999, using "the franchisees of this brand to improve their skills on the tea," says Jean-Luc Foucher-Créteau, director-general of the teaches. But in daily life, she is also listening to its franchisees, including for the "animation business" to provide in-store. They, many, are strategic : they have to attract and create customer loyalty.

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* Survey people's Bank/ FFF/The Express.