In a current interview, Zoup!’s Director of Development & Real Estate, Richard Zimmer, discussed the company’s one-of-a-kind franchise opportunity and explained how its thorough Franchise Development Process – including phone calls, webinars and in-person meetings – educates prospects and helps the company refer highly eligible candidates.

Q.  What is one-of-a-kind about your franchise that results in satisfied, profitable franchisees?

A. Zoup! Fresh Soup Company – the country’s leading Fast-Casual soup restaurant concept – has been defining the category with its award-winning soups, salads and sandwiches, served in a casual, comfortable setting. Each Zoup! location offers 12 hand-crafted soup varieties apiece day, from its collection of hundreds of proprietary recipes.

Part of what makes the concept one-of-a-kind is a system that grants franchisees to focus on the “front of house” – customer service, store appearance and marketing. Simplified menu items require no cooking and tiny preparation.

At the same time, Zoup!’s offerings appeal to today’s health-conscious,  food-savvy customers who are looking for healthy alternatives to typical fast-food fare.

Q.  How would you describe your saint franchise candidate?

A. The saint Zoup! franchisee is a successful, motivated business manager who works well with systems and processes. An outgoing personality and passion for Zoup!’s culture and products also are key.

Q.  Is a Zoup! franchise candidate required to have restaurant experience?

A. No restaurant experience is required.  We offer an extensive, three-week training program to instruct franchisees everything they need to know to run a successful Zoup! store.

Q.  How does Zoup!’s Franchise Qualification Process work, and how do prospective franchisees begin?

A. The first thing a prospective franchisee should do is establish his or her individualized and financial goals.  From that point on, our leadership team leads candidates through our Franchise Qualification Process:

Candidate participates in a “Founders” webinar that explains the company’s history, foundation and culture.
Candidate completes a request for consideration that includes geographic preference, business background information, desired timeline and financial position.
Candidate attends two webinars, one that covers marketing and training, and one that deals with real estate and build-out.
Candidate receives the Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) to review and schedules a time to review it with a Zoup! representative.
Candidate makes validation calls to current and former franchisees.
A Zoup! representative reviews the business plan with the candidate.
Candidate visits headquarters for “Discovery Day.”
Approval Committee discusses candidate’s qualifications.
Candidate signs Franchise Agreement.

Q.  Why is it necessary to have such an extensive qualification process?

A. We feel that it is extremely important that we get to know a candidate – and that they get to know us – before we honor them a franchise. We do our ideal to wage as much detail as doable so candidates can make an informed decision.  At the same time, we have “systemized” the process to help us see if a candidate can follow a system, a skill that will be critical to his or her eventual success.

Q.  How should a candidate properly prepare for their conversations with you?

A. We advocate that the candidate review his or her individualized goals with close family members. The candidate also should have a clear understanding of his or her financial resources and needs.

Throughout the process, the candidate should carefully review the documents we wage and, at the appropriate time, be sure to make validation calls to current franchisees.  The candidate should move to make a decision until after he or she has received, reviewed and processed all the information, and has had all questions answered.

Q.  How often do you turn down a candidate? What are the reasons?

A. During the initial phone call, we find that more than half of the candidates are not a good fit.  The most common reasons are unfortunate to meet financial requirements, interest in a territory that is either unavailable or inappropriate and individualized goals that are not compatible with the business model.

Of those who continue, most make it through the whole process.  As a candidate approaches the “Discovery Day” step, the Zoup! franchise development team discusses candidates that might not be a good fit.  If we are unsure about a candidate, we extend the invitation to “Discovery Day” so we can meet them. This clarifies whether our initial impressions are right or wrong.

Still, we turn down about 10 percent of candidates after “Discovery Day” because they are not a good fit.

Q. Describe the benefits you and your franchisees have experienced from your qualification process.

A. We recognize that Zoup! needs great people to help it grow. Our process is set up to create a consistent, open and honest flow of information so that our leadership team and candidates can feel absolutely comfortable with their decisions to work together.

About Zoup!

Founded in 1998, Zoup! is the leading fast-casual soup concept restaurant that is defining the category with its premium and proprietary soups and other recipes. A dining experience that features 12 always-rotating soup varieties apiece day in an environment that focuses on comfort, satisfaction and convenience, Zoup! has grown its network of franchises to 25 restaurants throughout Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Connecticut.

About FranchiseSforSale.com

FranchiseSforSale.com is a team of successful franchise development professionals who created the first content-driven website that focuses on the franchise honor process. The interactive site offers aspiring entrepreneurs valuable information they need about buying a franchise. The site aims to connect people who want to own a franchise with the franchise business opportunity that ideal suits them. FranchiseSforSale.com features healthy, growing franchise brands. FranchiseSforSale.com, a division of Ultimate Franchise Company, LLC, is the eventual resource for franchisors and franchisees.

Incoming search terms:

• financial franchise opportunities franchise opportunities inposttitle:franchise
• franchise development process
• profit from zoup
• zoup franchise cost

Related posts:

1. Choosing the Right Franchise Business for You When deciding which franchise business will saint fit your personality...
2. Making The Grant Process Simple Producing The Allow Method Straightforward A report on Generating The...
3. WSI Internet Franchise for industry-based franchising is simple as an alliance of different companies or...
4. Franchises – What Are They? Several years before, if one wanted to begin his own...
5. To answer questions before buying a franchise inquiries prior to a franchise To respond to inquiries prior...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.