Many franchisors urge prospective franchisees to get in touch with existing franchisees in order to get a feel for the company. This is good, and it's something everyone thinking about buying a franchise should put on the top of their list of priorities.

Before they even get to that point, however, prospective franchisees should educate themselves about franchising in general. This can be done through reading and visiting different franchises to compare them with each other.

At that point, you're ready for more in-depth information. A person who is doing every day what you will be doing every day if you buy this franchise is the most valuable source of information you can find.

Pick franchises at random. All the franchise company's franchisees are listed in the disclosure documents you'll be given when you express serious interest in buying a franchise. Try to call or visit at least a dozen existing franchisees.

If possible, track down some former franchisees and talk to them about why they left the system. It's also a smart move to retain a competent advisor, such as an accountant or an attorney, to help you understand the disclosure documents.

Good franchise companies want you to succeed. That's one of the reasons they encourage you to contact their franchisees. If the life of a franchisee of their company is not right for you, they prefer to find out early and avoid unmet expectations on both sides.

There is another reason franchisors want you to speak to existing franchisees. The way the laws governing franchising are written, it is very difficult for a franchiser to predict what a prospective franchisee's earnings will be.

By being observant and asking the right questions in their interviews with existing franchisees, prospective franchisees can determine what kind of earnings they can expect in their own business.

That's the point of this column-to help prospective franchisees figure out the right questions to ask of existing franchisees. That's not just to find out about earnings, but to find out if that is what they want to do with their lives.

Following are some sample questions that can help in that area. Combine the answers you receive to these questions with your own observations, and then you can make a truly informed choice about any franchise opportunity.

Ask the following questions to get a feel for the franchisor's approach to marketing and advertising, two activities that are crucial to success in today's competitive business environment:

The bottom line for going into any business, franchised or otherwise, is to make money. In that regard, ask the franchisees you interview these questions related to financial issues, sales and earnings:

One of the most sensitive issues in relations between franchisers and prospective franchisees is that of earnings. Few franchisers make hard and fast earnings projections. The documentation required for them to do so is extensive, and many fear it could open them up to legal action later if a franchisee does achieve the projected level of income.

That being the case, existing franchisees are one of the best sources for prospective franchisees to tap about the earnings potential of a franchise company. Here are some questions to ask those franchisees:

While pointed and targeted questions can elicit valuable information, it also makes sense to ask existing franchisees a variety of more general questions. Some examples are:

Of course, there are many other questions you might want to ask existing franchisees during your search for your own franchise business. To some extent, they will be determined by the type of business in which you are interested and the things that are important to you personally.

If there is one cardinal rule to keep in mind, it is this: There is no such thing as a dumb question. The only stupid question is the one that isn't asked. Remember, when it comes to finding out everything you can about your future franchise business, you'll never know if you don't ask.

Kenneth R. Franklin is president of Franchise Developments Inc. in Pittsburgh, PA. He can be reached at 412-521-4988.