10 Steps to Making Your Franchise the Next McDonald's

4. Build in value. In order to be the next McDonald's, you need staying power. And that means building a strong value proposition into the offering. Larger, better-established franchisers will have substantial value in their brand and the years of advertising that went into creating it.

For newer franchisers, however, the brand itself, at least in the short term, is likely to be a lesser part of the value proposition. With this in mind, you need to concentrate on other elements of the value proposition: research and development, purchasing, back-room services and other pieces of "value" that cannot be obtained by an independent businessperson.

5. Add sizzle. Of course, if you want to be the next McDonald's, you are going to have to start by selling a heck of a lot of franchises. And to do so, you are going to need to motivate people to investigate -- and ultimately buy -- your franchise.

Call it what you will -- sizzle, sex appeal or pizzazz -- you'll need it to generate interest in your franchise if you are going to really hit it big as a franchiser.

While sizzle is, at least in part, a function of the concept it surrounds, the best thing you can do is put together a first-rate franchise marketing plan. You'll want to develop state-of-the-art franchise marketing materials, which include brochures, videos and a great Web site.

Since the sizzle factor tends to be viral in nature, you may want to consider hiring a top franchise PR firm as well. McDonald's was always a master of PR, starting with their sign that proclaimed "Over one million sold" -- today, they simply cannot change that sign fast enough to keep up with the count.

6. Select the Right Franchisees. Great franchise systems have great franchisees. Even the best franchise concept will fail if its franchisees are not capable of running a profitable business and delivering a positive experience to their customers. Selecting quality franchisees is most critical as you're seeking to gain traction in the market. Financial capability is clearly a critical component to success, but other characteristics are equally important.

Franchisees must possess a passion for the brand they are representing, have the ability to lead their operations team and be willing to filter their own personal interests through those of the entire franchise system. An excellent franchisee will realize that profits can only be maximized if their interests are aligned with those of both the franchiser and other franchisees in the system.

7. Make controlling quality 'job one'. Once you have found your franchisees, one of the most challenging aspects of hyper-growth is controlling quality. But to maintain your value proposition at the consumer level, protecting brand standards must be at the top of your priority list.