How to Know If You Need to Attend Your Annual Franchise Convention

Posted on July 12, 2011 by Melissa Lim

So you're thinking about becoming a franchisee, are you?  The franchisor will invite you to their annual convention, but how do you know if you need to really attend?  If you answer YES to the following question, then you need to attend your annual franchise convention.  Did you pay more than $1 for your franchise? 

Hey, I'm a franchise owner too, and have been for 9 years, but I have been an entrepreneur for 26 years.   I don't always agree with the way my franchisor does things, and yeah, sometimes they tick me off too, but those are not valid reasons for not attending the meetings.  Failure to invest in one's own success should be a felony, and the punishment would be you have to spend 3 hours a day on the phone listening to "whiney" franchisees complain about how bad their business is.  Oh my gosh, can you even imagine how awful that would be?

I have heard my own fellow franchisees use the following excuses for not attending.

1. I can't afford to go
2. I never learn anything new, it's a waste of my time
3. I don't want to hear another "motivational" speaker who knows nothing about my business
4. I don't care what the franchisor has to say, they don't help me anyway

If you are a franchisor, keep reading, you aren't off the hook here, I have some advice for you too…..

Here is an interesting fact:  The franchise owners that need to attend these conventions do not attend, and they use the above excuses.  What I have found is the franchisees that are attending are the most successful franchisees in their systems.

Here are the reasons why you should attend.

1.      Successful franchise owners understand that they can't afford NOT to go.  If you learn nothing else from this article, learn just this: The information you will pick up from the other franchisees is INVALUABLE.  You cannot pay for the education you will get if you just invite the #1 franchise owner out to dinner or sit with them at a meal.  Ask him/her how they got to be the top franchisee.  Ninety-nine out of 100 successful franchisees will be happy to help you, because they already know the "Golden Rule of Business."  The More You Give, The More You Get!  Many franchisees are afraid to approach the top producers. These top franchisees are like the pretty girl who never has a date, because the really nice guys are afraid of being rejected. 

Remember, at one time they wrote a check and signed their franchise agreement just like you did.  You may just find that you also made a new friend who would like to help you.

2.      Successful franchise owners know that if they just pick up one idea it was worth attending.  They also know that they have to implement the idea.  You are 100% guaranteed not to learn anything new if you don't go.

3.      Motivational speakers are there to do a job, and their job is to ignite the spark that you had when you first purchased your franchise.  We all had it and, with all of the day-to-day, mundane tasks we have to perform as business owners, we lose it over time.  It is NOT the speaker's job to teach you something about your franchise.  One of the greatest motivational speakers, Zig Ziglar, said, "People complain that motivation does not last, well neither does bathing, that's why I recommended it daily."

4.      Successful franchisees may not like everything the franchisor has to say, but they are wise enough to know that they aren't really there for the franchisor.  They are there to pick the brains of as many franchisees as they can. They are confident, but not arrogant, and realize they can learn something maybe even from a new franchisee.

So franchisors, you have a responsibility to your franchisees.  One of which is to put on a motivating, informational, fun-filled meeting.  Please talk to us about how we can increase our business. Please show us money saving tips. Please bring in exciting speakers.  Here is a clue, your in-house accountant, is NOT an exciting speaker, the IT guy, NOT an exciting speaker.  If they were, they would be out earning tens of thousands of dollars more than you are paying them to speak professionally.  Please keep in mind, this convention might be the only vacation a franchisee takes this year.  Franchisees need and want to have fun. And finally, give us some time during the meetings to network with our peers.  This is where the real value for attending exists.

Jean Kuhn knows what it takes to own your own business. Jean has been self-employed since 1985 when she left the corporate world to be a stay-at-home-WORKING-mom. In 2002, Jean and her husband bought their first franchise, and in 2006 they purchased their second franchise location. Jean runs both stores, is a small business consultant and a speaker. 

For the past five years Jean has been helping other franchise owners grow their own businesses as she grew hers, and before that, she was part of two different Network Marketing Companies and worked with other distributors to grow their businesses.  Now she would like to share some lessons she learned the hard way to help you grow yours.

Contact:

Jean Kuhn
Jean@Bounce-Solutions.com
630-302-4929