Making the Most Out of Your Meet the Team Day

Meet the Team Days are an important step in the franchising journey. It’s a perfect time for the candidate to get a feel for the brand’s culture, operational support and the most important aspects of the business. It is also a time for the franchisor to better understand your vision for owning and growing its brand. This might feel like a lot of information for one meeting, but don’t panic — to give you a primer on what to expect, here are five tips to help you prepare for your Meet the Team Day.

1. Do your homework. You likely already have a clear understanding of the franchise industry if you’ve made it far enough through the franchise discovery process to reach Meet the Team Day, but demonstrating that you have industry knowledge will show that you’ve studied the franchise opportunity and understand the franchisor’s customer base and competition.
2. Pay attention. Take note of the culture and how people interact, both from corporate and any other prospective franchisees that attend the event. How much respect do they have for one another? Do you feel like a good fit? Don’t forget to observe their leadership style, and take note of how the leadership team defines the company’s vision and future development plans.
3. Be curious. Meet the Team Day is your chance to ask any burning questions before signing a franchise agreement. While many of your general questions have likely been answered earlier in the process, you can use this experience to ask more in-depth questions, such as:
   1. • What differentiates you from your competitors, and how do you plan to maintain an edge in shared markets?
      • Where do you see the franchise five years from now? Do you have any major expected changes in the pipeline?
      • What level of support to you provide to your franchisees at start-up and into the future?
      • Are there any existing franchisees I can speak with about this opportunity?

Bringing the right questions will give you a better grasp on the intricacies of the franchise opportunity, and it will indicate to the corporate team that you’re taking advantage of the opportunity in front of you.

4. Show enthusiasm. Arrive with energy, and make it a priority to participate in the day’s discussion. Present yourself confidently to the group and executive team, and refresh them about your previous experiences and why you want to be a franchisee in their system. Keep in mind that Meet the Team Days are a mutual interview- being actively engaged will make you stand out long after the day concludes.
5. Follow up. After the day wraps, make sure to follow up with each member of the corporate team who hosted you and thank them for their time- the brand’s team likely spent a significant amount of time and effort to put the day together. Not to mention, this extra consideration will set you apart as a prospective asset to the company.

If you have a Meet the Team Day on your calendar, make sure you’re armed with knowledge and as many questions as you need to create a complete picture of the brand. While every brand’s programs will differ, these tips can help fill in some crucial gaps as you work toward making a decision to join the franchise.