I walked into their store, business plan in hand, ready to follow up on the strategic goals we had set together during our last meeting. But before I could even sit down, the franchisee pulled me aside—eyes filled with tears.
Three master cases of a featured product had arrived with damaged packaging. The item was about to appear on the front page of the flyer. They were convinced it would run out. They didn’t know if they’d have enough inventory to meet the demand—and they were panicking.
I didn’t know how to help them feel better except to show them I took the issue seriously. So the next thing I knew, I was on the phone with our warehouse, trying to track down a solution.
And while there was urgency to the situation, the reality was: the product could have been reordered the next day and still arrived in time. But I didn’t know how to say that without them getting more upset. So I defaulted to solving the problem.
It felt like I had helped—but I walked out of there without talking about their goals, their KPIs, or their plan for local marketing.
Looking back, I know what happened: I hadn’t been trained for that kind of situation. And most field coaches haven’t.
Field support is wired to be reactive
Most franchisors don’t realize they’re building reactive support systems until they notice their field coaches constantly putting out fires. We hire coaches for their people skills. We reward them for being responsive. And we hope they’ll know how to “be strategic” once they’re out in the field. But if we don’t equip them to deal with real-world messiness—like emotional conversations, competing priorities, or misaligned expectations—we shouldn’t be surprised when they fall back into fix-it mode.
In July, I wrote about the shift from consulting to coaching. Here’s what that shift looks like in action: resisting the urge to solve every problem and instead empowering franchisees to think long-term—even in the middle of the chaos.
The mindset shift franchisors need
It’s human nature to want to help someone who’s struggling—especially when they’re emotional or overwhelmed. But here’s the thing:
Helping in the moment isn’t always helping in the long term. When coaches solve problems reactively, they may feel useful—but they leave without advancing the business. Worse, they accidentally create dependency. And that means the next time a challenge comes up, the franchisee won’t know how to move forward without them. If we want field support to drive growth, we have to train for strategic empathy: listening deeply and guiding forward.
How to equip coaches for proactive support
Proactive support isn’t a personality trait—it’s a skill. And like any skill, it needs to be taught and practiced.
1. Train for real-life conversations, not just brand protocols
Roleplay what to say when a franchisee is frustrated. Practice holding the tension. Don’t just train for systems—train for the messy, human parts of the job. Most field coaches know how to update a POS. But can they sit across from someone in tears and lead them back to their goals?
2. Teach them to hold the space, not fill it
Instead of rushing in with answers, train coaches to ask: “That sounds incredibly frustrating. Let’s brainstorm what to do about this.” That one question can change the entire tone of a visit.
3. Redefine what “helpful” looks like
If your KPIs focus solely on responsiveness and speed, you’re teaching reactivity. Start measuring proactive behaviors too—like coaching toward goals, revisiting benchmarks, and co-creating action plans.
4. Give them a playbook for strategic coaching
Your coaches don’t need to guess what “being strategic” means. Equip them with tools:
- A goal-setting framework
- Powerful open-ended questions
- Templates for business planning and marketing collaboration
- Scorecard systems that track the right KPIs
These tools move the conversation from “What’s broken?” to “What’s next?”
Final thought: stop defaulting to fixing
It’s hard to watch someone struggle. I’ve been there. But growth doesn’t happen when we rescue—it happens when we guide. If we want field support to become a true engine for franchisee success, we have to train for it. That means knowing what not to fix, and how to lead franchisees back toward what matters most. Let’s stop defaulting to calling warehouses—and start coaching for what’s possible.
