Challenge the Pros: Melissa Davis on Developing The Discovery Day Process

How did you develop your discovery day process, and what are its key elements?

Melissa Davis
Managing Director of Franchising
Express Employment Professionals

While there are many noteworthy checkpoints during a person’s investigation into a franchise brand, discovery day is arguably one of the most important. Discovery day allows potential franchise owners an opportunity to gain a comprehensive understanding of the franchise they are interested in while also enabling franchisors to evaluate the suitability of the candidates.

Express Employment Professionals’ discovery day tradition dates back more than 40 years. Hosted at Express Employment International in Oklahoma City, we consider discovery day a central milestone in a candidate’s discovery process. This is the chance for prospective owners to meet face-to-face with members of the Express leadership team while gaining valuable insight into the support and resources offered to franchise owners and their staff members by nearly 500 employees at Express International.

Our time together begins with dinner the night before discovery day. We believe there is true value and learning gained from both sides over a shared meal. This time allows our team to get to know candidates on a more personal level and get a sense of their ability to build relationships. That trait has proven to be a key indicator of a successful franchise owner over the past 40 years.

During discovery day, learning sessions are focused on sales and operational support, initial and ongoing training, and marketing and advertising guidance. We believe discovery day should give candidates a true sense of a company’s culture, core strategies, key strengths, and overall vision for the future. Discovery day also allows our team an opportunity to understand more about a candidate’s background, skill set, and their personal and professional goals to determine if a partnership is a good fit.

While the logistics of discovery day have varied over the years (most recently during the Covid-19 pandemic), the purpose has remained unchanged. This time is intended to make sure Express Employment Professionals is the right path forward for both the franchisor and potential franchisee.