Successful Franchisor/Franchisee Relationships

How important is the franchisor/franchisee relationship in the success of a franchise?

Frankly, I believe that the franchise relationship is the most important aspect of either offering or purchasing a franchise opportunity.  And, I am not talking about the initial sales portion of the relationship. I am referring to the long-term quality of actually helping each other to grow.

A company can enlist the help of great sales people and a novice buyer might then be fooled into purchasing a bad franchise, but that does nothing for the long-term viability of either franchisor or franchisee. The proof of a great concept is found in the quality of the relationship between franchisor and franchisee "after" the honeymoon period.