You’re interested in buying a franchise. And by this time you’ve spoken to a franchise sales rep and possibly the management team, so what’s next? Discovery Day!

Discovery Day is when a serious franchisee candidate visits the headquarters of the franchisor they are considering. Up to this point all the information you’ve received has either been written or verbal, at Discovery Day, you will be able to visually validate everything you’ve heard. In my opinion Discovery Day is a step that should not be skipped – you surely wouldn’t buy a car sight unseen, why would you invest in a business without seeing the headquarters, operations and people?

Typically Discovery Day is one day only and it’s not meant to be a training session. Franchisors handle the travel expenses in different ways – some will reimburse you costs if/when you purchase a franchise, others cover all expenses or don’t cover any of the expenses. Be sure to clarify the franchisors policy before you make your travel arrangements.

A typical Discovery Day agenda may consist of this:

1. Face to Face Meetings: make sure to meet with the key day-to-day people. It’s important that you feel comfortable and confident they are knowledgeable about the product/service offering and will be able to assist you when you have a question or a problem.
2. 2. A “Day in the Life”: this is your opportunity to see what a typical day might look like out in the field. Of course it may differ if you plan to begin with an executive model vs. an owner/operator model, but never the less, you will have insight into what to expect.
3. Review Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD): many franchisors use this time to review and answer any open questions the potential franchisee still might have.

Every franchise organization has its own version of Discovery Day, but they all should at least cover the three items above. At Sparkle Wash, Professional Pressure Washing candidates are given the opportunity to go out and visit jobs on-site. They believe that on the job visits are invaluable to better understand how their multiple market strategy along with weather-resistant opportunities feeds a year around revenue stream.

At the end of the day, if the concept and people clearly wowed you, it’s time to make your final decision. It’s not uncommon for the franchisor to ask you if you’re ready to sign. This by no means is a “hard sell”. Think about it, at the end of the day, every stone should have been turned over by this time. Make sure before you attend a Discovery Day that you are prepared to make a decision.  If you are of that mindset, then your experience will be worthwhile and productive.

If you would like to learn more about the Sparkle Wash Professional Pressure Washing franchise opportunity please fill out our Contact Us form.