Selecting a franchise consultant.

"May those in need of independent guidance have the courage to seek counsel and the wisdom to distinguish good from bad advice." --Thomas Aquinas

You have a business you want to franchise or you are franchising and require consultation on a problem, issue, or concern. How do you select a franchise consultant? What steps might you take in your investigation and selection?

Here are guidelines and steps that you might follow to help you decide on the appropriate consultant for you.

Step One: List Needs

1 List your needs, focusing on the specifics of the problem, issue, or concern. Are you considering whether or not to franchise your business? Or perhaps you have decided to franchise and need a consultant's expertise on site selection, franchisee recruitment, training, the development of operations manuals, franchise support programs, strategic and financial planning, systems and infrastructure design, fees to charge, among others. Or, if you are franchising, you might require advice on boosting your franchise sales, advertising more effectively, strengthening your operating procedures, or managing financials more economically. Whatever your needs, list them as specifically as possible.

Step Two: Research

2 Research your needs. For example, if you are looking to franchise and know nothing about this method of expansion, read as many publications as possible on the topic. Use the Internet. Go to the International Franchise Association Web site. The more knowledgeable you are about your needs, the more educated you will become, and the more effectively you will select the most appropriate consultant for you.

Step Three: Compile List

3 Compile a list of potential franchise consultants and firms that you might consider interviewing. Resources for names are available on the Internet, IFA publications, and referrals from attorneys, franchisors, and others in the franchise community. Please note that certifications, licenses, and two- or four-year college degrees qualifying people, as franchise consultants do not exist. In fact, acceptable standards that franchise consultants must meet have, to my knowledge, never been published.

Step Four: Web sites

4 Use the Internet to locate the consultants' websites to learn the number of years they have been in business, the number of employees in their firms, the type, industry, and size of the clients they have served, and the services they perform.