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Miracle-Ear Certified as a World-Class Franchise By The Franchise Research Institute
LINCOLN, Neb. (July 27, 2012) – Miracle-Ear has received World-Class Franchise® certification from the Franchise Research Institute® and FranSurvey®.

The recognition comes after an independent survey conducted by the Franchise Research Institute, in which 76.3 % of all Miracle-Ear franchisees participated. The survey was designed to determine the level of franchisee satisfaction within the Miracle-Ear franchise system.

“One of the most important means of creating and maintaining a truly successful franchise system is to meet or exceed the expectations of its franchisees,” says Jeff Johnson, founder and CEO of the Franchise Research Institute. A key step in this process is to obtain open, honest feedback from franchisees through confidential, third-party research. Miracle-Ear was not afraid to ask their franchise owners tough questions, and their high marks provide scientific proof that they are consistently meeting franchisees’ needs.”

The survey asked Miracle-Ear franchise owners to rate their franchisor through a series of questions in categories such as overall quality, growth potential, support and communication.

Among the responses received from Miracle-Ear franchisees:
• 91% gave a positive grade to the overall quality of the franchisor.
• 93% responded positively to the ongoing training and support provided by the franchisor.
• 92% gave a positive rating to the quality of products and services received from the franchisor.

According to Johnson, “Miracle-Ear understands the importance of the partnership between franchisor and franchisees, and relies on unbiased data to make decisions which help to maximize franchisee sales and profitability.” Further, their willingness to share this ‘look behind the curtain’ provides a level of transparency in their franchise that is crucial for franchisee candidates.”

“We are very pleased to gain open and honest input from our franchisees. Their candid information provides us the means to make improvements to our franchise system, as well as, provide our franchisee’s the support they need to grow their business,” said Diana Beaufils, Senior Vice President Miracle-Ear.

Miracle-Ear franchise satisfaction results are available at:
www.WorldClassFranchise.com/MiracleEar

About the Franchise Research Institute®:
Franchise Research Institute® and FranSurvey® were founded in 2002 to study and promote franchise excellence. As a full-service research firm focused on franchising, we perform franchisee satisfaction research in the U.S. and internationally. Existing franchisees (as consumers of the franchise system) can evaluate their franchise as a business opportunity. World-Class Franchise® opportunities must demonstrate that they are endorsed by their franchise owners through scientific, confidential, third-party surveys.

<strong>Current World-Class Franchise opportunities include:</strong>

<ul>
<li><strong><strong>Auntie Anne’s</strong></li>
<li><strong><strong>BrightStar</strong></strong></li>
<li><strong>Children’s Lighthouse</strong></li>
<li><strong>City Wide Maintenance</strong></li>
<li><strong>CMIT Solutions</strong></li>
<li><strong>Color Glo</strong></li>
<li><strong>ComForcare Senior Services</strong></li>
<li><strong>Comfort Keepers</strong></li>
<li><strong>Compound Profit</strong></li>
<li><strong>CruiseOne</strong></li>
<li><strong>Express Employment Professionals</strong></li>
<li><strong>Express Oil Change and Service Center</strong></li>
<li><strong>FASTSIGNS</strong></li>
<li><strong>Fibrenew</strong></li>
<li><strong>Focus Brands International</strong></li>
<li><strong>The Goddard School</strong></li>
<li><strong>The Interface Financial Group</strong></li>
<li><strong>Liquid Capital</strong></li>
<li><strong>Miracle-Ear</strong></li>
<li><strong>Money Mailer</strong></li>
<li><strong>Mosquito Squad</strong></li>
<li><strong>Pop-A-Lock</strong></li>
<li><strong>ReBath Corporation</strong></li>
<li><strong>Speedpro Imaging</strong></li>
<li><strong>Spherion Staffing</strong></li>
<li><strong>Spring-Green</strong></li>
</ul>

Part of the Team: Communication Between Franchisees
Like it or not, sometimes a good, old-fashioned sports metaphor is the best way to make a point. While searching for the best way to describe the importance of helpfulness and communication between fellow franchisees, I am inevitably drawn to a football team comparison.

As with a football team (or any sports team, for that matter), actual ownership of the franchise brand lies with the franchisor, not the franchisee. Yet, the brand lives and breathes through the team members. A place on the team must be earned, and a continued position is kept secure through hard work and diligent following of the playbook. And, like a championship team, a truly World-Class franchise has team members who are mutually supportive, and committed to the common good.

This analogy is underscored by hard data; in our 2012 World-Class Compilation Report, 92% of respondents gave a positive grade when asked, “How would you grade the helpfulness and communication between fellow franchisees?” The fact is that healthy franchise systems have franchisees that work well with one another. They don’t look to the franchisor to have all the answers, and they feel comfortable communicating with one another, sharing information, and assisting their fellow franchisees.

In my 28 years in franchising (as a multi-unit franchisee, area developer, and researcher), I have seen this valuable aspect of franchise success made evident time and time again. Franchise systems which enjoy a strong bond between franchisees are strengthened by it on a daily basis, but it is especially visible at gatherings like annual conventions. These ‘zees are not only part of a sum greater than its parts; they actually like each other. This is extrapolated into an atmosphere of cooperation and innovation, which is indeed, a winning formula. To be certified as World-Class, franchise companies must meet the following research requirements:

1. Access to every franchisee is permitted (including franchises “sold but not open”).
2.All survey responses must be confidential (no false positive responses out of a desire to gain favor or fear of retribution).
3. A minimum of 70% of their franchisees must complete the confidential survey.

In the world of franchising there are many, many stories of dissatisfaction, disputes, and litigation between ‘zors and ‘zees. This report provides empirical evidence that these World-Class Franchise® companies are, in the eyes of their franchisees, “doing it right.”

1: The combined score to this question encompasses all “A,” “B” or “C” responses but does not include “D” or “F” ratings. Remember there is no such thing as “above average Franchisee satisfaction”, but there is World-Class.

More details can be found at: www.WorldClassFranchise.com

Franchise Quality Begins at the Top
Mark Siebert, in an article titled “The Quality Control Myth” (Entrepreneur.com) states, “Time and again, prospective franchisors say that the only thing holding them back from franchising their business is the fear that franchisees won’t sustain the quality standards they’ve established. A typical lament is, ‘I’ve worked too long and too hard building this brand to let someone else screw it up.’”

“Frankly, I’m always heartened when I hear these words, because that tells me the prospective franchisor is focusing on the right things. Maintaining quality in your franchise system should be a key focus for a franchisor. This is what differentiates great franchise brands from those that don’t succeed.”

I could not agree more with Mr. Siebert, and would reinforce that high-quality franchising requires high standards throughout the system. Leadership for these standards starts with the senior management team, and plays a key role in the resulting satisfaction levels of the system’s franchisees. In our 2012 World-Class Franchise Compilation Report, 95% of the franchisees surveyed gave a positive response (“Strongly Agree” or “Agree”) to the statement, “My franchisor encourages high standards of quality performance throughout the organization.”

Don Fox, CEO of Firehouse of America, believes that, “Leadership is a fundamental ingredient for the success of a franchise concept. When franchisees invest in a brand, they are casting a vote of confidence in the leadership team. After all, if the franchisees don’t believe in the leadership team, why would they put their financial resources at risk with the brand?” At the Franchise Research Institute and FranSurvey.com, we are fond of saying, “It’s not just about the hamburger.” In other words, anyone considering an investment in a franchise opportunity MUST look beyond the quality of the franchise’s product (or service), and thoroughly investigate the quality of all aspects of the company’s internal performance and relationship with its franchisees, from the top down, from CEO to the newest recruit. Quality counts…not just in end product, but in every aspect of the process that creates it!

More details can be found at: www.WorldClassFranchise.com

To be certified as World-Class, franchise companies must meet the following research requirements:
1. Access to every franchisee is permitted (including franchises “sold but not open”).
2. All survey responses must be confidential (no false positive responses out of a desire to gain favor or fear of retribution).

3. A minimum of 70% of their franchisees must complete the confidential survey.

In the world of franchising there are many, many stories of dissatisfaction, disputes, and litigation between ‘zors and ‘zees. This report provides empirical evidence that these World-Class Franchise® companies are, in the eyes of their franchisees, “doing it right.” 1: The combined score to this question encompasses all “Strongly Agree,” or “Agree” responses but does not include “Disagree” or “Strongly Disagree” ratings. Remember there is no such thing as “above average Franchisee satisfaction”, but there is World-Class.

Franchisors are from Mars and Franchisees are from Venus
In the wildly popular Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus book series, author John Gray explores the fundamental differences between the genders’ perspectives and communication methods. While Gray hasn’t delved into the realm of franchising, there is little doubt that the vantage points of franchisor and franchisee are also distinctly different, which can lead to some, let’s say, interesting issues with communication between the two groups. These issues (as evidenced by negative press ranging from message boards to news stories) run the gamut in severity…. from irritations to litigation.

We have found that the franchise companies who “get it right” in the area of communication have franchisees which are satisfied on a number of levels. In our 2012 World-Class Franchise Compilation Report, 94% of the ‘zees surveyed gave high marks to the overall communication between home office personnel and franchisees. On a similar note, when asked whether their franchisor responds in a timely way to their questions and minor problems, 92% answered with “Strongly Agree” or “Agree.”

In their article “Talk to Me: Good Communication as a Business Strategy” for www.ifa.org, Joe Schumacher and Robin Posey state, “As a franchise grows, communication, especially with geographically distant franchisees, can make or break the relationship.” I agree completely, and based on our research, so do franchisees which are happy they chose the system they did. 94% and 92%…..these numbers speak volumes, no matter what planet you’re from.

To be certified as World-Class, franchise companies must meet the following research requirements:

1. Access to every franchisee is permitted (including franchises “sold but not open”).
2. All survey responses must be confidential (no false positive responses out of a desire to gain favor or fear of retribution).
3. A minimum of 70% of their franchisees must complete the confidential survey.

In the world of franchising there are many, many stories of dissatisfaction, disputes, and litigation between ‘zors and ‘zees. This report provides empirical evidence that these World-Class Franchise® companies are, in the eyes of their franchisees, “doing it right.” More details can be found at:
www.WorldClassFranchise.com

1. The combined score to this question encompasses all “Excellent,” “Very Good,” or “Good” responses but does not include “Average” or “Poor” ratings. Remember there is no such thing as “above average Franchisee satisfaction”, but there is World-Class.

2. The combined score to this question encompasses all “Strongly,” or “Agree” responses but does not include “Disagree” or “Strongly Disagree” ratings. Remember there is no such thing as “above average Franchisee satisfaction”, but there is World-Class.

Field Representatives Coach Franchisees to Victory
A good coach will make his players see what they can be rather than what they are.
-Ara Parasheghian

Whether on the playing field, in franchising, or in life, effective coaching can be the difference between an outcome which is mediocre and one which is exceptional. In the world of franchising, the field representative acts as the franchisees’ coach and mentor, and plays a key role in the success of the franchisee as well as the franchise company.

As stated by Catherine Monson, CEO of FASTSIGNS, “The field representative is the primary point of contact, support and service for franchisees. Outstanding support is delivered by outstanding field representatives. Critical to the success of the franchisee and the franchise system is the ability for the franchise company to hire, train, develop and motivate outstanding field representatives to assist and support the franchisees. This begins by hiring the right people; providing outstanding initial and ongoing training; offering thorough and open two-way communication; providing resources and tools needed for representatives to excel; and executing thoughtful management.”

The fact that the relationship between effective Field Representative support and franchisee satisfaction is a strong one is supported by independent research. In the Franchise Research Institute’s recently completed 2012 World-Class Compilation Report, franchisees were asked, “How would you grade the helpfulness of the Franchisor’s Field Representatives?” 90% of the respondents answered positively, with 48% giving an “A” grade.

A field representative’s purpose is to guide and support franchisees through the various stages of their business development, from opening to final sale. This entails wearing numerous “hats,” including consultant, mentor, authority figure, facilitator, trainer and, when necessary, compliance officer or brand enforcer. Whether the specific role played requires commanding leadership, parental encouragement, or communicating as a peer, the field “rep’s” effectiveness depends heavily on their communication skills and a strong level of trust.

Clearly, the franchise coaching equation reads: Effective Communication + Helpfulness + Trust = A Winning Team!

1. The combined score to this question encompasses all “A,” “B” and “C” responses but does not include “D” or “F” ratings. Remember there is no such thing as “above average Franchisee satisfaction”, but there is World-Class.

*Methodology for the series of articles: Franchise Excellence The questions highlighted in this series of articles are taken from the 2012 World-Class Franchise Compilation Report, conducted by the Franchise Research Institute.

To be certified as World-Class, franchise companies must meet the following research requirements:

1. Access to every franchisee is required (including newly open and those who have yet to open).
2. A minimum of 70% of their franchisees must complete the survey (this reduces survey bias). 3. All franchisee responses are confidential (reduces false positive responses).
4. They must have a minimum of 20 franchisees that have been in business for two years or longer.

More details can be found at www.WorldClassFranchise.com

Auntie Anne’s Problem Solving Franchise
Read about franchise problem solving at its best in this article about World-Class Franchise Auntie Anne’s!

http://www.principlesofexecution.com/principles-of-execution/2012/03/how-to-solve-problems-like-auntie-annes-pretzels-and-build-a-world-class-franchise.html