WHAT MAKES A SUCCESSFUL FIELD SERVICE CONSULTANT?

During his review of the habits of successful field service consultants, Greg cross-referenced the findings from several Franchise Relationship Institute (FRI) studies and the feedback received from senior franchisor executives, franchisees, and field managers. It is the field service consultant’s job to help franchisees maximize profits, stay aligned with the brand, and participate constructively in the franchise network.

A field manager’s personal energy impacts their level of credibility and whether franchisees decide to engage with them. The nature of the job, especially the travel and pressure of working with different franchisees, can place additional strain on their energy. Effective field managers know how to look after their physical, mental and emotional energy. They pace themselves when necessary and regularly dip into the best of all sources of vitality — a strong sense of conviction that what they do is important.

Great field managers portray a relaxed confidence that allows them to function in difficult environments. It enables them to defuse tense situations by listening non-defensively and creating a positive climate for open and frank discussions. To be comfortable in your own skin you must be clear on your values and personal philosophy of life, and personal courage is particularly important. Speaking of skin, it also helps to have a thick one as field service consultants regularly face unfair criticism for things outside their control!

Brand alignment means all elements of a franchisee’s business are aligned with the brand’s desired reputation. It only takes one bad customer experience to produce a social media backlash. Effective field managers are clear on how this translates into practical behaviours and standards and use their knowledge to bring franchisees back into alignment when necessary, by explaining how this protects everyone in the network, including the franchisee in question.

Financial anxiety and performance pressures can cause franchisees to slip into a pessimistic mindset. Dwelling on the details of past frustrations and disappointments is seldom useful and research into coaching conversations has consistently found that discussions that are solution- rather than problem-focused deliver the best results. The best field managers know how to flip negative conversations by drawing on the first two habits, and using solution-focused questions that get franchisees thinking about what they want and how they can take action to make it happen.

Sales growth is important for a franchisor’s revenue stream and for protecting their profitability. Franchisees also need to grow as leaders and develop their teams, or they and their businesses will become stale. There are many reasons why franchisees may not want to grow — they may be a victim of burn-out or rust-out, or they may not have the confidence to manage a larger business. Field managers need to understand these barriers and build the skill and will of their franchisees to maintain a growth mindset.

Franchisees can become so embroiled in solving day-to-day operational problems that they neglect their goals, metrics and systems. At FRI they call this ‘mastering what matters’. Field managers must have a definitive grasp of the five key performance indicators (KPIs) in their model and they should be able to offer advice on how to improve these KPIs.

Greg noted that, all the successful franchisees he has met over the years are able to clearly articulate their short- and long-term goals. Specific and meaningful goals focus the mind and provide a path that unifies the energy of everyone in a business. Often the field manager will be the only person in a franchisee’s life who asks them what it is they ultimately want and what is holding them back from achieving their ambitions.

The number of businesses under a field manager’s care can range from ten to 100, so staying organised is essential. Doing what you have committed to and responding to phone calls and emails promptly establishes trust and credibility. Franchisees want to know their field manager is invested in their success and will follow through on commitments — something that is hard to do consistently if you are disorganised and reactive.

Franchisees appreciate it when field managers share ideas that are working well for others. Field managers can also facilitate discussions between franchisees, for instance at regional meetings through panels, case studies and round tables.

Effective field managers also collect franchisees’ ideas and concerns, synthesise them and feed them back to the support office. The ability to share feedback from the field to the head office takes courage and persistence because the feedback is not always welcome.

Greg has always believed that field managers are part of an emerging profession. Professions are usually associated with shared, specialised knowledge that is used to help others. Professionals have an obligation to keep their knowledge and skills up to date and to use their knowledge for the benefit of their clients.

Field managers with a professional mindset maintain a certain formality with their franchisees — they understand the difference between being friendly and being friends. They also understand that while they have a dual obligation to their employer (the franchisor) and their client (the franchisee), their most important obligation is to protect the brand.

As the main link between the franchisor and the franchisee, field service consultants are a significant conduit in the franchise network, yet the focus on this aspect is often lacking in franchisor systems. The main role of field managers is to inform, inspire, inspect and most importantly, add value to franchisees and encourage them to achieve higher levels of performance. Ineffective visits are a result of a lack of planning or the visit not being given the priority it deserves.

Franchise managers who are in the field have a tough job and they often find themselves working alone to protect the franchisor’s brand and boost franchisee performance. Providing field service consultants with high quality, professional development not only promotes loyalty and job satisfaction, but also enables them to better drive the financial performance of the franchise network.