Whether it is to make changes that affect the strategy of your franchise, the organization or the management methods, the contributions of the board are irreplaceable: lucidity, experience, creativity and support for the transformation. To resort to a council is to put all the chances on his side to make succeed his project.
Define precisely your needs and the associated objectives
This reflection or pre-diagnosis is important. They condition the good choice of the consultant. Take the time to write point by point the reasons for your request:
Include contextual elements to help franchise consultants understand why the need exists (creating a new service, competitive pressure, etc.). Explain the constraints on the project (budget, organization…). This gives information on the margin of maneuver left to the professional to carry out his consulting mission. Define the resources available (work group, key user, etc.). Specify the scope of the mission: the processes, services … on which it will be able to intervene, the geographical perimeter… Prepare a general presentation of your company: workforce, markets, history, milestones, etc. The franchise consultant must be able to really enter the skin of your structure to understand the why of how and all interactions. List important projects in progress or not yet launched: to prevent the mission from interfering with another present or future site. Write down the objectives. They must be encrypted. For example: reduce absenteeism by 20% in 1 year.
This formulation of needs can be amended afterwards after your exchanges with the cabinets.
Do you really need a franchise consultant?
After having analyzed and drawn up an inventory of your needs, it is advisable to check if there are no resources in-house (internal consultants, specific skills …) to deal with the subject. If so, analyze if this resource has time to treat the subject. Weigh the pros and cons of the opportunity to work with a consulting firm. Among the positive aspects: external eye, specialized expertise…As for the constraints: risk of dependence, confidentiality issues…
Keep the winning “firm”: the criteria of choice
How to select your future partner? Here are some of the most important criteria for choosing:
Skills in the field, qualifications, and experiences: this is the number one criterion! It is for you the assurance that the franchise consultant is able to provide a credible answer. Do not hesitate to ask the justification of his previous missions or more generally of his experience. Be attentive and ask for clarification if some passages are unclear. References: to complete the first point, ask for clear references related to your field of activity and the problematic dealt with. Understanding of the problem: be attentive to the transcription of the situation in the mission letter submitted by the candidate companies. Relevance of the proposed mission to the question asked: are your needs understood? Perfect ! But what about the proposed answer? Cost of the offer: compare the costs according to the details of the services offered. Prices are fixed by the day or flat rate for a global mission. Beware of very attractive offers. Is it to compensate for less specialized expertise, or to cope with financial difficulties? Relational with you and with those he will meet in the company – This subjective criterion is very important. If you do not have a feeling, if you do not feel comfortable with a consultant, the success of the mission can be affected. Especially if the person does not inspire you confidence. It’s a bit like a doctor-patient relationship. Integrity: it goes without saying! Be careful not to share the same consulting company as one of your competitors. In this regard, do not forget to write and sign a confidentiality agreement! Financial strength of the franchise consultant: imagine a professional who leaves you in the middle of the mission! Or, absorbed by other concerns (for example quickly find new customers to get out of a bad past), which is not fully invested in the work entrusted…
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