How do you benefit if your franchised real estate agent is a member of the Franchise Association of South Africa? By Jan Davel Some franchisors include ‘accreditation’ and ‘award’ symbols in their advertising material, relying on the consumers’ and prospective franchisees’ lack of knowledge with regard to the significance or importance of such symbols. Some of these commonly used symbols offer no benefit to consumers and often its relevance to the franchisor’s industry is dubious. Whether intentional or otherwise, the use of such symbols may also be misleading. It pays for prospective franchisees to be informed about the value such ‘accreditation’ and ‘award’ symbols actually afford a franchisor. In other words, don’t take everything at face value and be sure about the accreditations your future business partner actually enjoys. Take the real estate industry as an example. With the transformation of this highly lucrative, but potentially risky industry into a highly regulated ...