Best of the Best: Secrets to Becoming a Top Revenue Producing Franchise Operations Manager

By Ron Pagliarulo

Whether you are an owner/operator franchisee, a large franchise operation with multiple locations, or you’re just managing a single location, Ron Pagliarulo shares information in this book that will make you a top performer in your field. Each franchise system has many complexities and challenges. Although It’s not an easy business,

• Language: English
• Publisher: GBN Publishing
• Release date: Feb 26, 2018
• ISBN: 9780999895917

Ron Pagliarulo

Ron Pagliarulo is a leading authority on franchise operations. With over a 20 year proven track record of helping companies create dramatic results, he is truly an expert. He's the president of Ron Pagliarulo Systems of Success, Inc. and has helped thousands of franchisees, franchisors, and their employees.

Book preview

INTRODUCTION

The call I was waiting for had just come in. I’d just turned 18 years old and had interviewed for a store manager position at a franchise vitamin company in a mall on Long Island. The owner was calling to tell me that I’d gotten the job. He told me to pack my bags because he wanted to send me to Atlanta, Georgia, for a week of training to prepare me for my new position.

I couldn’t contain my excitement. The car service picked me up and the next thing I knew I was off, starting my career in as a manager.

I had worked for two years as a salesperson for a couple different health and fitness-related retail companies, but this was next level. I was getting my own store. I was going to be the man, the manager.

I didn’t know that this one opportunity would turn into a career of over 20 years in franchise operations. I have worked every position from general manager to regional manager to district manager. I had worked my way up from that first manager job to the Director of Retail Operations for that same national vitamin chain, then to National Director of Training and Development for a 3-billion-dollar retailer, and then Senior VP of Operations and C.O.O. for a national franchisor.

I will tell you more about some of my experiences, my successes (and failures) in a little bit, but I’ve had a vast career in management and consulting working with franchisees and I’ve got to say I love the franchise industry. I don’t know why exactly, but I’m sure it has to do with the entrepreneurial spirit that hovers throughout the franchise system. It’s in my blood. I am an entrepreneur at heart. I love talking with franchisees, franchisors, their employees and any type of entrepreneur, and that’s the reason I am writing this book. Whether you are single operator franchisee with one location, a large franchise operation with multiple locations, or are managing a single location for a franchise owner, I am going to share information that will make you a top performer in your field.

I have had the privilege of living, breathing, and spending countless hours working in multiple locations, with boots on the ground. I’ve not only worked those late nights and weekends running my own store, but also have been able to train other managers and help them become successful.

Each franchise system has many complexities and challenges, but ultimately it is a simple business. It’s not an easy business, but it’s simple, once you know the keys and the secrets. Easy by the way, means no effort, and you can ask anyone who has ever been in franchise operations, that is the farthest thing from any sense of reality.

You will work hard, but it also comes with some great rewards and great memories. These memories will stick with you for the rest of your life.

So, what are these keys or secrets that make a great franchise operations manager? Well I’m glad you asked. Let’s get right into it.

LEARN TO LOVE PEOPLE—BECOMING A PEOPLE PERSON

So I finished my training and I was off to go to work as a manager in the store.

The training I’d received was all about the products, and just watching a seasoned couple run their store. They walked me through ringing up the sale, using the POS system and how to talk about the products. I got a great feel of what I was going to be doing. At least that’s what I thought.

Since I was already somewhat familiar with the vitamin industry, I picked up the product knowledge quickly. This company had their own unique brand and what I was learning that first week was the names of the products, what they did, the ingredients and prices—the basics of store inventory. I also got to hang out and help customers. By the end of the first week, I thought I was a pro and ready to run the store. Whew! I realized how wrong that assumption was when I landed back in the real world.

Since the training I’d received was all about products, with nothing about managing the store. When I arrived at my own store, I realized that the real training was just beginning. I not only had to understand all the complexities of the products, but I had to know about inventory, ordering, scheduling, and calling in payroll. On top of that, I also had to know all the rules of the mall where the store was located, like how to properly dispose of our garbage.

What did I get myself into?

The hardest part was that I hadn’t even really started yet. Along with trying to master all of these operational procedures, I suddenly had to deal with people—customer complaints, angry customers, special orders and returns. I hadn’t seen any of this in the model store. But that wasn’t enough to prepare me for the hardest part: dealing with employees.

Nobody ever told me about how to deal with employees coming in late, not showing up for work, and having bad attitudes. How was I supposed to counsel employees who were being rude to customers, giving away excessive discounts, and even stealing from the company?

This wasn’t in the manual, I said. Those videos I watched during training never showed this. I came to the conclusion that managing my own store would be awesome if it weren’t for the people, customers and employees. Of course that wasn’t the case, but because I hadn’t been prepared, it seemed that way in the beginning.

I handled it the way most new managers do: through trial and error, with many more errors than I wanted. I learned the hard way with old-fashioned on the job training which is another way of saying: We’re going to just going to throw you in the fire, kid, and hope you don’t burn up. One of my best skills is a massive desire to learn all the time. I love learning, even if it is just for learning’s sake. I started with a love for selling at age 16 and read every sales book I could get my hands on. I spent a lot of time in the library, reading all the books by Zig Ziglar, Tom Hopkins, and Brian Tracy. Developing these sales skills helped me become a good salesperson. At first I didn’t realize that maybe these same sales skills might help me be a better manager too. Here’s the thing and it’s a real important thing . . .

If you want to be an effective, successful, top-performing manager, you’ve got to become a people person.

This is what management is all about: the people, the interactions, the conversations, and most importantly, the relationships. If you don’t like people and don’t want to deal with all the bad that comes along with the good and fun stuff, this business is going to be hard. If that is the case, there’s a good chance this business isn’t for you.

Now you might not be a people person in the beginning because you haven’t yet learned the skills required to do it.

Knowing how to calm irate customers and provide awesome customer service is a skill. Knowing how to coach employees while still motivating them is a skill as well. These aren’t built-in skills for most people, especially for new managers. They have to be learned, and then practiced if you want to master them. Hard work, but it’s more than worth it.

This is why I am saying you need to learn to love people. What makes management so special is that it is a transaction between people. There is the human connection aspect to being a franchise operations manager. If you want to be a top-performing manager, you have to develop your people skills.

I’m sure you have been to places before where you have dealt with employees and even managers who just let the world know that they didn’t want to deal with you or any other customer. These employees were grumpy, they were nasty, and they couldn’t give a second thought to whether you as the customer were served and satisfied.

If you don’t like people, and you’re just getting into management, listen to what I’m saying. You are going to hate your job, and do a disservice to not only the company that is paying you, but you’re going to do a disservice to humankind if you don’t like people. This is what this business revolves around. Whether customers continue to come back comes