Showhomes Home Staging’s Leadership Strategy Starts with Developing Strong Relationships Between Franchise Owners and the Corporate Team
Creating a family-like culture is a huge part of Showhomes Home Staging’s leadership strategy. “In a franchise system, you need to be able to develop solid relationships,” says Matt Kelton, Showhomes chief operating officer (below, far right).
This year, Kelton and his team fostered those relationships in an epic way at the Showhomes annual convention. The leadership team went all out with a Roaring ’20s theme. Not only did the theme make for a fun time, but it also encouraged the entire franchise system for good times ahead. “The last pandemic (Spanish Flu) led to the Roaring ’20s, and we believe coronavirus will lead to a boom as well,” says Kelton. The beginning of the conference kicked off with a video illustrating similarities with the Roaring ’20s and the current business climate and recent social and scientific changes.
With women dressed as flappers and men in suits and fedoras, Showhomes’ corporate team and franchisees reunited, had fun, and recognized outstanding performance. Awards were given for accomplishments in many areas, including surpassing revenue goals, reaching milestone anniversaries, and general excellence. “Recognition is a huge driver in our culture,” says Kelton.
Leading a Franchise System
With more than 100 years of combined business, real estate and franchise experience, Showhomes team members have been franchisees, franchisor operations support professionals and entrepreneurs. “There are few situations we have not encountered as a group,” Kelton says. The Showhomes leadership team puts a focus on listening to franchisees. “We participate in the Franchise Business Review Employee satisfaction survey every year and take action when we see open issues. As far as recruiting, we invest significant time in the franchise discovery process, making sure we have the right fit. Then we help franchisees ramp up, work through business hurdles, then eventually plan and implement an exit strategy,” Kelton says.
SUPPORT AND TRAINING
Orientation
Franchisees have a six- to eight-week orientation period before they attend classroom training in Nashville. An online Showhomes University curriculum is powered by the Learning Zen LMS. In addition, franchisees take online classes to earn their home staging certifications, which are part of their start-up package.
Classroom Training
Franchisees spend a week with the corporate team at the home office in Nashville and learn about all of Showhomes’ systems, tools and culture. This is where franchisees start building the all-important relationships with the Showhomes’ support team.
52 Week Ramp-Up Program
Showhomes has a structured weekly program for the first year with a checklist that each new franchisee reviews (and is held accountable for) by the company’s franchise operations director.