When recruiting franchisees on results, you as a franchisor pay €0 upfront. Costs only arise with a verified introduction to a candidate who has already been checked, and a success fee follows when the franchise agreement is signed. We agree the amounts in writing beforehand, so you know what a signed location costs you before the first candidate sits down at the table.
Which objections do franchisors raise about the traditional franchisee recruitment model?
Anyone who talks to franchisors about recruitment hears the same points again and again. These are common objections in the market, not aimed at any single party. A directory or trade fair can work well to show that your franchise brand exists. The doubt lies in the revenue model: in the traditional model you pay for visibility, regardless of what it delivers. Below we set each objection against how we recruit. If you want to read the trade-off in more detail, including from the candidate's perspective, see franchise portal versus in-house recruitment.
| Objection from the market | What head office notices | Our answer |
|---|---|---|
| Paying for listings, packages and trade fair stands | Costs keep running, even in months without a single serious candidate | €0 upfront, pay per verified introduction |
| Having to keep paying to stay visible | If you stop, your franchise brand drops out of sight | No annual contract; your own findability stays yours |
| Lead pollution | Many sign-ups without own capital or genuine interest | Candidate checked in advance on capital, financeability, region and motivation |
| Candidate is also steered towards other franchise brands | You compete for the same person | A maximum of three suitable franchise brands per candidate, with reasoning |
| Little organic findability | Without a package you disappear among hundreds of franchise brands | SEO, local SEO and GEO on your own recruitment pages |
How does recruiting on results work, step by step?
The route is short and every step has an owner. We do the searching and filtering, you hold the conversations and make the decisions. The model comes from our network: via Franchise-starten.nl for franchisors you can also claim your franchise brand profile free of charge.
Want to know what a signed franchisee currently costs you through trade fairs, directories, print and newsletters? Then fill in the cost per franchisee calculator with your own figures from the past year.
1. Define profile and requirements
You indicate which regions are open, what minimum own capital you expect and what type of entrepreneur suits the franchise brand. That becomes the yardstick for every candidate.
2. Attract candidates
Candidates come in via your own recruitment pages, search engines, AI assistants and targeted campaigns, for example with LinkedIn marketing for franchisors.
3. Checking before you speak to anyone
An intake with a phone call tests capital, financeability, region and motivation. Anyone who is not a fit is told so honestly and is not passed on to you.
4. Consent per franchise brand
The candidate sees a maximum of three suitable franchise brands and chooses for themselves. Only after a yes for your franchise brand do you receive the file.
5. Introduction and follow-up
You hold the conversation and run the process afterwards. Every step is shown in your dashboard, so you can see where candidates drop out. You can read how that route is built in an online franchisee recruitment funnel.
When does an introduction with a candidate count as verified?
The word verified has to mean something, otherwise you are still paying for noise. An introduction only counts if all four points below are met. If one is missing, you pay nothing for that conversation.
| Criterion | How we check it | What you gain |
|---|---|---|
| Own capital | Probing the amount and the source of the money | No conversations with someone who cannot afford the entry investment |
| Financeability | Asking about income, existing loans and previous talks with banks | Fewer processes that fall through at the lender |
| Region | Place of residence and willingness to travel compared with your open territories | Only candidates where you are genuinely looking for a location |
| Motivation | Open questions about why franchising, why now and why this sector | You speak to people who know what they are looking for |
Work together on measurable results, not on an annual contract. Start with the free visibility scan.
What do franchisors pay for, and not pay for, when recruiting franchisees?
Transparency about costs is the whole point of this model. We deliberately do not list amounts here: they differ per franchise brand and we agree them in writing beforehand. What happens to your advertising budget and your other marketing is explained on our pricing page.
| Item | Do you pay? | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Entry fee, subscription or listing | No | €0 upfront |
| Advertising package or spotlight position | No | Does not exist in this model |
| Candidates who drop out at intake | No | That filtering is our job |
| Verified introduction | Yes | Amount agreed in writing beforehand |
| Signing of the franchise agreement | Yes | Success fee, agreed in writing beforehand |
| Leads or address lists | No | We do not sell them |
How many hours does filtering sign-ups cost? A fictional worked example
The biggest difference often lies not in the invoice but in head office's diary. This example is entirely fictional and calculates in hours only. We assume 100 unfiltered sign-ups versus 10 verified introductions, with 5 candidates in both cases going on to an in-depth conversation.
| Activity | 100 unfiltered sign-ups | 10 verified introductions |
|---|---|---|
| Initial screening (calling back, emailing) | 100 x 0.5 hours = 50 hours | Reading the file: 10 x 0.25 hours = 2.5 hours |
| First conversation | 20 x 2 hours = 40 hours | 10 x 2 hours = 20 hours |
| In-depth conversation | 5 x 3 hours = 15 hours | 5 x 3 hours = 15 hours |
| Total head office hours | 105 hours | 37.5 hours |
How to read this example
The numbers are made up to show where the time goes. In the first scenario most of the work goes into people who never get past the initial screening. Check it with your own figures: how many sign-ups did you have last year, and how many of them made it to a first conversation?
How do franchisors find franchisees without a portal, through their own findability?
An aspiring entrepreneur usually starts with a search query: which franchise brand suits my budget, what does a location cost, what does a working week look like. If you answer those questions yourself, you are found without paying for visibility on someone else's platform. With search engine optimisation for chains we build recruitment pages that address those questions. With GEO we make sure AI assistants can name your franchise brand and back it up.
The benefit is lasting: the pages, the sign-ups and the data sit on your own site. If you stop working with us, it stays yours. Combine this with recruiting new franchisees online through campaigns, and you measure per channel what a conversation delivers. For the marketing of your existing locations we work from the same philosophy as Franchise-marketing.nl: fixed prices per location and reporting per location.
What remains the franchisor's responsibility when recruiting prospective franchisees?
We deliver checked introductions, but the process afterwards is yours. The Dutch Franchise Act (Title 16, Book 7 of the Dutch Civil Code) requires the franchisor to give a candidate information in advance, including about fees and required investments. After that, a four-week standstill period applies before anything may be signed. Have your contract reviewed by a franchise lawyer; this is not legal advice.
We are just as clear with candidates. We are not a quality mark and we do not assess your franchise brand. We advise every candidate to use an independent franchise lawyer and accountant, and in the case of a takeover to review the annual accounts and commission a due diligence investigation. That sometimes costs you a quick signature, but it delivers franchisees who know what they are getting into.
How do franchise brands get started with recruiting on results?
We start with a conversation about your open regions and your requirements for candidates. We then agree the amounts per introduction and the success fee in writing and start a pilot in a few regions. That way you see within a fixed period whether the introductions are a genuine fit, from baseline measurement to rollout. Curious why we work this way? Read what makes us faster, more transparent and keenly priced, or take a look at our books and research into how chains perform online.
Questions about recruiting franchisees on results
What does recruiting franchisees on results cost upfront?
Why are the amounts per introduction not shown on the site?
Do I pay for a candidate who drops out during the intake?
Do you sell leads or address files of candidates?
Does a candidate also get to see competing franchise brands?
Am I tied to an annual contract when recruiting on results?
Can I combine recruiting on results with my current recruitment channels?
Does the agency take over my pre-contractual disclosure obligation?
How does my own findability help in recruiting candidates?
How quickly will I have a first verified introduction?
Sources
Gijs Bodenstaff
Franchise marketer, local SEO and GEO specialist, author
Book an introductory call and discuss which regions we will recruit on results first.
