One of the fundamental practices we try to instill in our franchise brokers (whom we also call franchise consultants) is to consult instead of sell. This is not the type of business transaction where a buyer wants to be pushed into or sold on a franchise they are not right for. In this business, franchise brokers need to be more of a coach and friendly mentor as opposed to a salesperson. This can be very natural for some people and incredibly challenging for others. However, it is absolutely vital for franchise brokers who want to experience success in this business and be happy while doing it.

What I mean by consulting is asking a series of discovery questions geared to help the buyer dig deeper into his or her own desires to uncover what they really want. A great book on this topic is SPIN Selling by Neil Rackham. It is all about helping buyers understand their wants through a series of strategic questioning. Much like a doctor diagnoses a patient only after a series of questions that helps them narrow down what the true ailment is, consulting does exactly the same thing.

What is most interesting about this style is that it doesn’t just help in your business. If you can develop this way of communicating, your interactions with people in general and all of your relationship stand to benefit. The reason is simple:  people don’t want to be controlled. They want to be free thinking, self-empowered individuals.

This means we should seek to help them discover their truth instead of trying to push people into what we want for them. Ultimately, they know what is best for them. So, try helping them first. Try putting their needs above your own. Try focusing on educating them and empowering through that discovery process. You will find that you enjoy your work a lot more and your are making more money doing it.