Best Single Question to Ask When Buying a Franchise Investment

During the process of buying a franchise potential candidates come up with numerous questions. If they are prudent, they will evaluate all aspects of the selected concept's business model, talk to the potential franchisees and gather information during their visit to the company headquarters. 

In my experience of evaluating franchises I have discovered that one questions, in particular, provides a good general overview of what a particular concept is all about.

This question is directed to the franchisees that are currently part of the system. Talking to them is one of the most important things the candidate can do when planning to buy one. 

I recommend asking that question towards the middle of the general conversation with a specific franchise owner. Primarily, this question has financial implications. Financials should be the centrepiece of any conversations held during the process of buying a franchise.

The question is: "Do you think that the value that you get in this business is worth the fees and royalties paid by you to the franchisor?" It may not seem like much, but I found that this question, more than any other, gets people to open up on their experience of being a franchise owner. 

Most likely, they ask themselves this question ever month they have to make that royalty payment. Thus, you are likely to receive an elaborate answer with some personal reflection built into it.

Some people will say that, regardless of the situation, paying fees and royalties is the deal they agreed to in the beginning and they plan to honour it. 

Some will say "No", and the candidate will have an opportunity to ask them why. Some will state that in the beginning, possibly years ago, it was worth it and that now it is not (or worth much less), providing you with even greater opportunity for the follow up questions. Some will tell you that it is worth every penny.

In the end, asking this question will enable a candidate to get an in-depth look of what the franchisees currently in the system think about the franchisor. 

Too many people interview the current owners and fail to get clear information about the company they are investigating. In my experience, the question listed above provided me with the best opportunity to really dig into the details about the company I was looking at.