Have You Performed Your Quarterly Checkup?

With the end of the 2018 first quarter now behind us, it’s the time to pause to see where things stand with recruitment versus your 2018 plan and goals. Completing the recruitment metric review included with this column is a good place to start, followed by the steps below. The quarterly-end review isn’t complicated and doesn’t require a lot of hours. And like just about everything in life, there is always a first step.

Step 1: Get crystal clear on the current state. Whether you’re the CEO, CFO, VP of development managing a team of 15, or a one-person department wearing all the development hats, you need to know the real picture of where things currently are — the metrics that point to what’s happening with lead generation, appointment setting, discovery process, discovery days, signings, budget, team, and more.

Step 2: Identify and verify the gaps. By looking at the data and key areas, you’ll be able to spot some challenges and opportunities very quickly, even if you’re new to recruitment. What’s not working? Where is the trouble showing up? Make a list of these findings.

Step 3: Clarify the root cause. A big mistake we all make too often is identifying and treating symptoms instead of the root causeof a problem or challenge. Imagine a doctor jumping too quickly to a diagnosis and prescription without doing the proper analysis and running the required tests. You wouldn’t be happy about the doc moving forward with open heart surgery when what you really needed was day surgery on a muscle in your shoulder. To make sure you are treating the root cause, you may need to reflect on a challenge a bit longer, reach out to others, and/or have a subject matter expert lift the hood for a look to confirm your conclusion or offer another diagnosis.

Step 4: Document the solution(s). Create a one-page action plan for the next 90 days based on how to address the root cause(s). Keep it simple. Recruitment is not complicated. It is hard work. It does require daily and weekly discipline to consistently perform the winning best practices and achieve brand goals… but it doesn’t require any of us to be rocket scientists.

Step 5: Implement the one-page action plan. Take action! I like “action” over “talk” every day of the week and twice on Sunday. We can attend all the seminars, conferences, webinars, and other industry events, gather up all the knowledge and best practices until the cows come home. But in the end, what counts the most is going to work and improving the performance.

Step 6: Repeat. Every 90 days go back through this exercise.

As franchise executives and leaders, our job is to create the desired outcome the franchise brand needs. A massive component of getting the brand’s future right is recruiting the best-quality new franchisees and getting them on their way to building a top-performing franchise unit. The franchisee wins. The franchisor wins. The shareholders win.

Let’s go to work!