My First Year as a Franchise Consultant: A Case Study of Brian Frazier with Apex Business Advisors

At the Franchise Brokers Association (FBA) we come across people every day who are interested in becoming a Franchise Consultant. They see the opportunity it can bring them and are interested in taking control over their lives. They are also, oftentimes, very interested and sometimes concerned with what the first year may look like for them and their new business.
Brian's Background & Work Experience
This is the story of Brian Frazier with Apex Business Advisors who is now exactly one year into the business. He is an example of someone who has committed to his business and taken all the right steps to ensure he will succeed. His journey could prove as valuable insight to anyone who is either already in the business as a Franchise Consultant or looking to become one.
Brian comes from a background of owning several service and retail-related businesses. He continues to have a part-time business that he owns, but Franchise Consulting is his key focus. Like most people in this industry, he enjoys being able to use his experience in business to help others find the right opportunity within the proven model of Franchising.
He decided to become a broker when he was originally looking for a franchise. "After owning several business models in different industries, I realized that my time to profit and success was better achieved through a Franchise and not my own model." During his research and due diligence he eventually  started working with a franchise consultant. However, he didn't like how he was being treated. He felt like he was just being "dumped off" onto franchisors he knew little about and didn't match his goals. This got Brian thinking.  He enjoyed learning about all the different franchise concepts and what they had to offer. He also knew he would be able to use his business experience to help others who were in the position of looking for a franchise to find the right opportunity.
This was when he started looking into what it meant to be a Franchise Consultant.
After a few months of conducting his due diligence and speaking to a number of other active franchise consultants from various groups, Brian decided on the FBA. He started out, as most consultants do, with his initial pack of internet leads. Since that time he has closed 8 deals within his first 8 months!
The concepts that he closed were Interim Healthcare, Naturals 2 Go, Canine Dimensions, Tutor Doctor (Empire Builder with 3 units), Commercial Capital Training Group and CleanPro. Out of all of these deals, 7 of them were from Internet Leads. The "non-internet" deal was to a former manager he had worked with in one of his past businesses.
His first deal, which came from his initial pack of leads, was to a US Citizen who had a comfortable corporate job in Dubai. Through his job he was earning in the six-figures and didn't have much motivation to move forward with a franchise. Brian persevered and through his process was able to uncover a key motivator that would prove to be the deciding factor for his client. He wanted his children to grow up and live within the United States. This ideal really meant something to him and being able to transfer from his corporate job to a profitable franchise was a  perfect plan for him.
Franchise Consulting Tips From the Field
When Brian came across a risk adverse client who wasn't moving forward he turned to an FBA trainer for help. The two of them co-brokered the deal and from this experience, Brian gained valuable information that to this day continue to help him. He was exposed to key insights and creative funding options that allowed his client to transition to franchise ownership comfortably and in a direction that he wanted.
Brian says that right from the start he was looking to get optimized and figure out the best way to maximize his business. "I feel confident now and I know how to present concepts. However, at first I needed to work on qualifying and leveraging myself better. I am always looking to grow and learn." He suggests that new Franchise Consultants start by immediately building their pipelines with interested candidates. Although Brian told me that he wasn't the biggest fan of internet leads, he developed an effective system to convert them. At first he was going through around 50 leads a month, but in order to meet his personal goals, he ramped up to around 75-100. At the time of this article his close ratio was 1 deal in 65 leads. From these leads he has two deals he is confident will close soon and a few others that are in the works.
Once he established his pipeline and had strong confidence in the franchise concepts, it all came down to his presentation. Brian focused on his strengths. He's a a likable person who has business experience and is good at using his attention for detail to dive deep into understanding his clients. "I focus on getting to get to know my clients' goals intimately. Once I know what they want, I am able to encourage them to step outside the box and keep things in perspective. It's also important to help them to stay on track and not get overwhelmed by the process."
As a Franchise Consultant, Brian tells us that he has a very candid personality. "I will get the information and resources my clients need so that they are able to make an informed decision. They appreciate that I go above and beyond for them and as a result I've had several clients stop working with other consultants and work exclusively with me."
How would you sum up what your experience has been like as a Franchise Consultant?
When it comes to explaining his experience through his first year of being a Franchise Consultant he says, "I simply enjoy being able to help people. It feels good to be able to help them find that unique opportunity that will impact their lives. Through the process I help them overcome their pain and pursue their personal motivations."
As he works with more and more people Brian tells us that he often times becomes friends with his clients. Even after they have purchased their franchise he likes to check in on them and see how their businesses are doing. He mentions that he just spoke with his first client from Dubai and says, "he's doing great! He has finished moving to the US and has his business up and running with Interim Health Care."
We hope that Brian's story was a valuable insight into what it's like to enter the world of Franchise Consulting. If you'd like to learn about what opportunities could be there for you check out our business opportunity Franchise Training Institute. Once you reach out to us we'd love to get you in touch with other Franchise Consultants and hear their unique stories! Everyone who does this business finds something rewarding about it. In the world of Franchising there are so many opportunities and doors that open up.
----- UPDATE 3-31-2016: Check out Part II on Brains' Experiences in Year 2-----
https://www.franchiseba.com/blog/case-study-franchise-consultant-year-2/