As a franchise owner, you’re always looking for ways to increase sales and profits.
But with so many competing priorities and metrics to track, it can be tough to know what to focus on.
That’s why, during our recent 8-Figure Franchisee live session, I sat down with Mark Rubin. He and his partners have built a $100M+ business. I wanted to know:
How does he set goals that actually move the needle? What does he focus on daily to drive results?
His answer surprised me.
See, many franchisees make one of two mistakes setting goals. They either:
A) Set vague goals with no clear action plan or
B) Get so caught up in tracking metrics, they lose sight of the big picture
Sound familiar?
The good news is, Mark shared his 4-step process to set the RIGHT kind of goals.
I call it the OGBK Framework, which stands for:
- Outcomes
- Goals
- Behaviors
- KPIs
Here’s how it works:
Step 1: Define Your Desired Outcome
Start by getting crystal clear on the top 1-3 results you want to achieve. Not 15 things – just the critical few that will make everything else easier or unnecessary.
For most franchisees, the key outcomes are:
- Growing revenue
- Increasing profitability
- Improving customer retention
Let’s say you want to focus on growing sales. A good outcome might be to “Increase revenue from $30K to $50K per month.”
Step 2: Set a Specific 90-Day Goal
Now break that outcome into a smaller goal. Make it specific and time-bound.
For our revenue example, a goal could be:
“Generate 50 new leads per week for the next 90 days.”
Notice how measurable this is. You’ll know exactly whether you hit the number or not. Vague goals like “get more leads” don’t cut it.
The key is that your goal is measurable and contributes to your larger outcome.
Step 3: Identify 2-3 Key Behaviors
Once you’re clear on the outcome and goal, the next question is:
“What does someone need to DO to create this result? What are the 2-3 most important daily actions?”
What 2-3 daily behaviors will create this result
These are your key behaviors. For example:
- Make 30 outbound sales calls per day
- Ask every customer for a referral
- Follow up with all leads within 1 hour
The key is to focus on the vital few activities that get disproportionate results. Forget about busywork and focus on the drivers of growth.
Franchisees often get this backwards. They set a big goal… then overwhelm their team with dozens of new tasks.
Less is more here.
Step 4: Measure the Behavior with KPIs
What gets measured gets managed.
The biggest mistake founders make when setting KPIs is measuring lagging outputs.
What do I mean by that?
Well, for example, say your key behavior is to ask every customer for a referral.
Most franchisees would only track total # of referrals (the output). But results can fluctuate due to external factors. Tracking them only paints half the picture.
A smarter approach would be to create KPIs around leading inputs from key behaviors. For example, “% of customers given a referral ask” is a KPI that measures if your team is doing the BEHAVIOR,
Behaviors are 100% in your team’s control.
By measuring behaviors, you can coach your team and make adjustments much faster.
Here’s how to operationalize this:
- Set 1 KPI for each behavior
- Log these in a simple spreadsheet.
- Review daily.
- Share with your team.
Step 5: Coach Your Team to Hit KPIs
Setting the right goals and KPIs is a great start. But the real work is in coaching your team to execute consistently.
Here’s what most franchisees do:
They set a goal, hand their team a scorecard, and say “hit these numbers or else.”
But that’s like throwing someone in the deep end and yelling “SWIM!”
Instead, Mark recommends a different approach.
Sit down with each team member and walk them through the OGBK process:
“Our desired outcome this quarter is to increase revenue 25%. To do that, we’ve set a goal of generating 50 new leads per week.
Your role is critical to hitting that goal. We need you focused on 2 key behaviors:
- Making 30 outbound sales calls per day and
- Asking every customer for a referral.
Here are the KPIs we’ll be tracking for your role…”
See the difference?
You’re showing them how their daily actions plug into the bigger picture. You’re giving meaning to the metrics.
And what happens if they’re hitting the KPIs, but not producing the desired outcomes?
For example, we’ve got a rep making their 30 calls per day and asking for referrals, but they still don’t quite hit the sales goal.
Coach them on HOW they’re executing those desired behaviors:
- Do they have a script?
- Are they using the script?
- Overcoming objections?
- Making the ask with confidence?
Now, if you have a rep who is meeting the behavior KPIs, but still not hitting the quotas then maybe this behavior doesn’t work. Now you know and you can try a different behavior change to get the desired outcome.
And finally, if you have a rep who’s hitting quota but NOT doing the behaviors, that’s fine too. At the end, outcomes matter more than behaviors.
Putting it into practice
Ready to put the OGBK method to work in your business?
Here’s your challenge:
1) Get clear on your 1-year desired outcome. Set a meaningful goal. Write it done.
2) Set a 90-day goal that aligns with that outcome. Make it specific and measurable.
3) Identify 2-3 key behaviors that will create the result. Remember, less is more.
4) Create KPIs to measure the behaviors AND results.
5) Coach your employees on how to properly execute that behavior.
This approach works across all industries and business models. Whether you’re in automotive, food service, retail, or home services, you can use this framework to take your franchise further.
Thanks again to Mark Rubin for sharing this system with me.
By the way –
This talk with Mark happened live within the 8-Figure Franchisee – my exclusive community for driven franchisees. Connect & learn from other owners building an 8-figure business & life.
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Cheers!
Brian
