Franchise Development: Are Virtual Discovery Days Here To Stay?

Individuals are not getting on planes to come visit you. That is the current reality, and will be for many more weeks to come.

So how do you get started creating and implementing a virtual discovery day? Implement a Virtual Discovery Day!

Communicate – get it out there

First, communicate! Use your internal database of leads, brokers, your website, press releases, etc. Announce that your franchise is implementing a virtual discovery day (VDD) effective immediately. Publish the dates of at least the next two virtual discovery days with a call to action to learn more. Note: Just doing alone this will generate some interest – and candidates for your recruiters.

Restructure your D-day

Next, pull out your current discovery day agenda and restructure it. This will be a minimum four-hour event for the modules and breaks. The agenda should include the same presenters and topics. You still want to include time for candidate introductions, marketing, onboarding, training, technology, executive team interviews, etc. – or whatever makes sense for your brand. Yes, the physical trip to a location or dinner the night before isn’t possible. But including a virtual “on-site location experience” is. Do a dress rehearsal. Practice! Yes, it will have a different feel, but will become routine very quickly, and people are becoming more accustomed every day to meeting online.

Keep ’em coming!

Finally, remember that your step for discovery day is an important element with recruitment. It’s a time for both parties to better understand each other, learn more, and find if it’s a fit. Dropping the discovery day step because candidates are unable to travel is a big mistake and a missed opportunity. Get it going for your brand today, and keep quality candidates moving through your recruitment process!

Let’s go to work!

 Art Coley leads CGI Franchise, which helps franchise companies with recruitment systems and processes. He is writing a special column focused on recruitment during tough times for Franchise Update that will be published weekly. You can contact him at 281-658-9409 or acoley@cgifranchise.com.