Your success in franchising is almost 100% dependent on your ability to identify, hire, & retain “A-Players”.
This is because every franchise is in the people business that happens to ______ (fix cars, cut hair, paint houses, etc.)
We categorize every employee into 1 of 4 categories:
A-Players: the rockstars who set the example for everyone else
B-Players: reliable but need coaching to become an A-Player
C-Players: sometimes do well, sometimes not, living on the edge
D-Players: cause 80% of your problems, purely keeping a seat warm.
A Team Full of A-Players
Picture this: Everyone takes pride in their workplace. They clean up every night. They are friendly to customers and treat everyone like friends.
They identify issues and work together to find solutions. They are driven to set new records. They welcome new teammates to the team & get them up to speed quickly.
There is minimal turnover and minimal customer complaints.
You can go on vacation for one or two weeks, and everything keeps running smoothly. You are focused on expansion—opening new locations or acquiring existing ones. You sleep well at night.
Beautiful.
A Team Full of D-Players:
Picture this: Nobody gives a crap about work. The place is a pig pen. They have zero energy, and customers bother them by asking stupid questions.
There is constant drama and finger-pointing. New teammates get assigned the work nobody else wants to do.
There is constant turnover and customer complaints.
You can’t even think about a vacation, let alone a day off. You are knee-deep in the weeds. You are stressed out since cash flow sucks. It feels like duct tape is holding everything together.
Identifying A-Players
The first step to building a better team is to identify the common core values of A-Players.
Core values are who someone is at their core. You can’t teach core values, but you can teach everything else.
What are the 3 to 5 core values of A-Players in your business?
This list of 230 core values that can help the process. For each one, write out some details of what that core value means to you.
Here are mine:
Next, use Chat GPT to write interview questions around those core values.
Driven: Describe a time when you surpassed your job requirements or expectations. What drove you to go beyond what was expected, and what was the outcome?
Team Player: Share an example of when you went out of your way to help a co-worker or improve a team project. What motivated you, and what was the impact of your contribution?
Do the Right Thing: Recall a time when you faced a work situation that tested your integrity. What was the situation, and how did you handle it?
Do Excellent Work: Describe a project or task that required exceptional organization and follow-through from your end. What strategies did you employ to ensure its success, and what was the result?
A-Players love answering these questions since it proves you share these traits.
From Interviewing to Selling
I start every interview the same way by telling them what’s going to happen:
“Tell me about yourself and your background, and then I’ll tell you about our company and what we’re looking for. Sound good?”
Are they excited to talk to me?
Do they seem sharp?
Do I enjoy talking to them?
If I like them (🚨 A-Player 🚨), then I “turn it on” when it’s my turn. I talk about my background and our company’s fast growth, painting a picture of an exciting future.
I switch it from interviewing them to selling me.
The candidate is now the buyer asking, “What is the next step?”. They are now pulling instead of me trying to push them.
What if I don’t like them after I hear their background? I give them a quick summary of the company and the role, then nicely end the call.
Retaining A-Players
There are three things we do to retain A-players
1) Surround Them With Other A-Players
People want to surround themselves with people who share their core values. As want to be surrounded by other As just like Ds want to be surrounded by other Ds!
It’s tough when dealing with a chicken-and-egg situation: you bring in an A who will be surrounded by a bunch of B/C/Ds.
The best approach is to take action and start making the necessary upgrades. The As recognize that you are making progress. Start by replacing the Ds as soon as possible.
2) Recognition
Publicly recognize achievements based on your company’s core values.
Every month we have a company-wide Zoom call. On that call each District Manager recognizes one of their teammates with a story of living a specific core value (driven, team player, integrity, excellent work).
3) Progress
As Tony Robbins says “Progress = Happiness”
Every person wants to feel like they are making progress in their life.
People feel stuck when they stop making progress. When you are stuck, you look for ways to change things up to get unstuck.
Progress doesn’t always mean promotion. It can mean advancement in knowledge, skills, responsibility, compensation, etc.
Don’t Tolerate Ds
Ds are costing you thousands of dollars.
Don’t tolerate D players who drain your energy.
You will never turn a D into a B, let alone an A.
You are wasting your time.
Good luck!
