A crucial piece of the due diligence process is determining the extent to which existing franchisees will enthusiastically endorse a given franchise concept.

You can attempt this task by contacting individual franchise owners, but franchisees will rarely offer negative information, out of fear of retaliation. The potential for obtaining falsely positive responses is significant. Leading franchise companies engage the Franchise Research Institute® to independently verify their high validation from franchisees, providing you with the accurate, transparent information you need, before you make your decision.

• Commitment to High Quality Research
  • Ethical, thorough, transparent methods
  • Correct, unbiased interpretation of results
  • Strict confidentiality for respondents
• General Methodology
  • Internet-based, with unique pass codes
  • Email and telephone follow-up as needed
• Contractors
  • All work performed by Franchise Research Institute personnel, or sub-contractors under the direct supervision of FRI staff
• Quality Control
  • Questionnaire’s key questions have been pre-tested by FRI staff and industry professionals for clarity, accuracy, and ease of responses
  • Questionnaire has been field-tested by over 30,000 franchisees
• Sampling
  • Defined population (all franchisees in a specified geographical area, or all franchisees in a defined geographical area owning the franchise for seven years or fewer)
  • FRI attempts to contact every franchisee (including those with “sold, but not opened” status)
  • Each franchisee given equal weight in sampling and analysis (regardless of the number of units owned)
  • With a large population, a random sample may be used
  • Each franchisee contacted initially via Email, fax, or mailing, with up to four additional follow-up reminders
• Accuracy of Estimates and Sample Characteristics
  • 70% response rate required
  • Sample size reduces margin of error to +/- 4%
• Analysis Methods
  • Analysis of percentages and means for each question