In our article, The 3 C’s of Franchisee Selection we discussed franchisee Compatibility, Competencies and Capacity. Today, I’d like to introduce you to the 4th C: Communication.
There are three primary aspects of effective communication including: Values, Communication Style, and Meta Programs. Each assists in building rapport and effectively moving a prospective franchisee through the recruitment and due diligence process.
Values
Values determine what about the self is the meaningful core that governs people’s desires and the expression of these desires. Motives are the psychological drivers of behavior. Motives are the only true predictors of behavior. It’s one’s values which dictate his or her motivations. All decisions are based on one’s Value Sets.
Matching a franchisee’s core values with a company’s core values creates harmony and compatibility. Having shared values provides a solid foundation for a long-term business relationship. Like-minded people have a basis for understanding, communicating and exercising judgment. Values alignment builds strong brand recognition. Our research and that of others, show that there is a strong link between financial performance and values alignment. When the values of an organization are in alignment with the aspirational values of the franchisees, the result is high performance.
Zoracle’s SpotOn! Profile elicits your franchisee candidate’s top seven values. These values will tell you much about them including what they will be attracted to, what’s important to them and what is missing in their lives. Use these values ‘as is’ when communicating with them whether in person, on the phone or through email and you’ll garner great success. For example, if your candidate values challenge, variety and innovation talk to them about how they can have these things within your franchise system.
The Splatter Dots within the SpotOn! Profile are values which are amiss for your candidate. In sales we would consider the splatter dots the pain points which are leading your prospect to search for a way to relieve that pain – hopefully by buying a franchise.
Note: The size of dots are reflective of weight or hierarchy of values; the larger the dot the more important the value. To learn more about Values check out our YouTube Channel.
Communication Styles
There are many factors that affect one’s communication style. Most personality assessments clump people into 4 groups based on a vertical axis (responsiveness) and horizontal axis (assertiveness) as seen here:
While Zoracle agrees these factors do play a role in one’s communication style, we believe it’s a more complicated and even situational. Whether we ask or tell, control or emote depends on many factors including how competitive we are, how quick a decision needs to be made, our level of self-esteem or desire for control. All of these factors are quite situational. As a parent our communication style may be warm and engaging. Whereas, the demands of managing a team of unskilled employees might bring forth a communication style that directs and controls. Further, a new manager who’s confidence does not yet reflect his title will communicate differently than a seasoned manager who has a pending deadline and requires all the ducks in a row.
Personality and communication style tests focus on conflict management and team building through communication. This is useful in the employer-employee relationship where each has a distinct role. But at Zoracle we understand the franchisee is wearing many hats and placed in numerous situations thus their communication style will vary greatly. Our goal instead is to predict franchisee performance; this is best done by using a meta-analysis approach including emotional intelligence, focus preference and work style. We’ll cover these assessment modules another time – but wanted to point out their effect on communication.
Meta Programs
Meta Programs are mental processes which sort, manage, guide and direct other mental processes. They determine which of our perceptions are selected for attention. These are not conscious strategies, but sequences of internal representations made up of visual, auditory, kinesthetic sensory components.
This process of selection is commonly referred to as sorting. That is, in order to select one thing from a group of many, one must sort one out to be selected from all the others. For example, in making a decision, one person might picture several options and say to himself, ‘I like these two’, then pick the one that feels best. Another might prefer to first get a feeling for each of the options, talk to others about the options, then say to himself, “I like this one.”
Meta Program are scarcely conscious, yet enormously influential filters that individuals use to process, make sense of and respond to information from the world around them. Differences in Meta Programs can generate considerable conflict as people consider those with different Meta Programs to be “difficult” or “obstructive” rather than just “different”. Thus, understanding and using the meta programs of your prospective franchisee invaluable in building rapport and getting them through the sales process.
Zoracle’s SpotOn! Profile addresses 5 meta programs: Comfort Zone, Direction Sort Frame of Reference, Relationship Sort and Decision Making Sort. December’s Carrot or the Stick webinar with Rebecca Monet discusses the Comfort Zone and Direction Sort, and January’s Driving Franchise Sales webinar covers Frame of Reference, Relationship and Decision Making Sorts. Be on the lookout for separate articles and more in-depth webinars on each of the Meta Programs and how to use them to do more deals.
Meta Programs should NOT be used to determine franchisee compatibility. How one mentally sorts information is no reflection on their potential as a franchisee. A prospect’s mental filters will help them sort through massive amount of information in their search for a franchise, come to conclusions and make decisions. Suffice it to say they may do so by doing spreadsheets, getting professional advice, jumping into the deep end of the pool or looking at tons of options and/or comparing and contrasting various options but how they sort information (meta programs) will not determine their compatibility.
There are many elements to effective communication including values, communication style and meta programs. The more we know about our prospective franchisees value and how they sort and filter information the easier it is to build rapport and move them through their due diligence process so as to make a decision.