I am getting really close to finalizing all the details of the upcoming Outside the Job Box Career Consulting Certification Program. I’d hoped to have everything set by now but with a live training event that covers as much ground as this one will there are a LOT of details to cover.
What I do know is when and where the Certification will occur.
I also have some VERY exciting news for all of you who wrote or called wanting to know what kind of ongoing marketing and client generation support you can expect from the program.
But first things first…
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WHEN: Sunday 9:00 a.m. May 4 –
Thursday 3:00/6:30 p.m. May 8, 2008
WHERE: The historic Hotel Northampton,
Northampton, Massachusetts
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I was able to reserve a fabulous light-filled space for our class sessions. And despite this being prime graduation time in a college town, I got them to hold a small block of overnight accommodations. (Remember your hotel and meals are included in your tuition).
The Certification Program will end at 3:00 on Thursday May 8th followed by a late afternoon BBQ and networking session overlooking the stream and fields at my house in the country.
Northampton is a 90 minute drive from Boston, three hours from New York City. If you plan to fly or take a train it’s 50 minutes from the Hartford, CT airport and 20 minutes from the Amtrak station in Springfield, MA. To make your life easier, door-to-door round-trip ground transportation from either location is also included in your tuition.
Okay now for the BIG news…
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Launching Your Own Business Just Got a Whole Lot Easier
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Right now 124 people have requested to be on this “First in Line” list. With that much interest I’ve been getting bombarded with questions. Not surprisingly, a lot of these are about marketing and getting clients.
For example…
Wendy wanted to know: “How much salesmanship is involved in keeping the business afloat? Do you have to be an extrovert to be successful at this?”
Cheryl asked: “What’s needed in order to get started after the training, i.e. resources, getting clients, etc.?”
Keisha is curious whether “With this type of coaching, is the advice to have a niche still applicable?”
And Karen wants to know, “How do I start finding or getting clients; will you have a referral service or will I need to do all the marketing?”
I’m glad you asked!
Back in my old corporate days I headed up the marketing department. Since going out on my own I have to say I’ve been pretty successful on the marketing front…
I somehow figured out how to get a web site up and running (this was back 1997 and with zero technical skills), publish a newsletter and build a list of 23,000+ subscribers, get the attention of dozens of national and international magazines and newspapers like The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, The Globe & Mail, Glamour (UK), Woman’s Day, Red Book, and Entrepreneur magazine (just to name a few). And just last week I landed a six-figure book deal! (WOO HOO!)
Suffice it to say I’ll be teaching you everything I know about finding clients (plus a lot of other ways to make money including generating passive income). But my real expertise is in helping clients find creative ways to turn their interests into income – and in training you how to do the same. I guarantee you will learn a ton…
But as for marketing and quickly generating a steady stream of clients, I want to give you the absolute fastest running start on success as I possibly can.
So I’m bringing in the “big guns!”
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Meet Marketing And Self-Promotion Guru Ilise Benun
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I am 100 percent committed to your success. So, at my own expense I’m bringing in a internationally-recognized guest speaker who is an expert on self promotion and marketing for freelancers and small business owners. Her name is Ilise Benun of http://www.Marketing-Mentor.com.
Ilise has been teaching people to promote themselves and their services since 1988. When you attend the live training event, she talk to you directly about her proven techniques for getting known and attracting clients. She ought to know… she’s been self-employed for all but 3 years of her working life.
Ilise is also the author of 5 books, including “The Art of Self-Promotion,” “Self Promotion Online,” “Designing Web Sites for Every Audience,” “Public Relations for Dummies,” and “Stop Pushing Me Around.” Ilise also wrote the book (literally) on marketing for introverts.
Her articles have been published in national magazines such as Inc. Magazine, HOW Magazine, Nation’s Business, Self, Essence, Crains New York Business, and Working Woman.
When she’s not working one-on-one mentoring small business clients, Ilise is delivering marketing workshops for international organizations including the International Association of Business Leaders, the HOW Design Conference, NYU Entrepreneurship Summit, the American Marketing Association, the National Association of Women Business Owners, the Family Business Council.
During this live presentation customized specifically for people training to become Outside the Job Box Career Consultants Ilise will teach you “5 Simple Marketing Steps You Can Take to Immediately Begin Generating Income from Clients.” And to make sure you get your individual questions answered you’ll have plenty of time for a live Q&A.
There’s another reason I asked Ilise to travel to Northampton and meet everyone in the program personally…
I know that getting to meet and learn from Ilise in a live workshop setting is going to be amazing. But I also know how easy it is for people to leave a program like this all charged up only to get stuck on the marketing side of running a business.
That’s why when you register for the Outside the Job Box Career Consultant Certification Program you will also be entitled to receive…
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One-On-One & Small Group Training & Coaching From
Your Own Personal “Marketing Mentor”
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You see, when I came up with the idea for an in-person, on-site 5-day “laser” version of my Certification program I knew I wanted the program to be extremely “high-touch.” So I’ve contracted with Ilise to be your personal “marketing mentor.” That means you’ll be working closely with Ilise for a full SIX months following the Certification Training.
Here’s how the program will work:
You already know you have a gift for encouraging others to follow their dreams. But like I said, I know how easy it is to get all fired up about a new venture only to let procrastination get in the way. So I’ve asked Ilise to make sure there is plenty of “handholding” before, during, and at the end of the six month Marketing Mentor program.
After filling out the Marketing Mentor Getting Started Questionnaire, the Marketing Mentor program kicks off with a 30-minute one-on-one call between you and Ilise. Together you’ll decide on three 3 realistic goals and choose a market you want to focus on.
Then once a month for the next six months, you’ll join Ilise and three of your fellow Certification participants for a 60 minute group conference call. This is where you’ll learn about such key marketing skills like finding a niche market and building a list of prospective clients, writing an e-newsletter, getting publicity, networking locally, as well as marketing techniques specifically designed for introverts.
In addition to getting additional personal attention, you’ll get to learn from Ilise and everyone on your “marketing team.” The marketing tools you’ll learn here can be used with any market you may want to target in the future.
At the three-month mark you’ll have individual access to Ilise again for a mid-program check-in. And you’ll have another 30 minute one-on-one meeting at the end of the marketing program to make sure you have everything you need to keep going at full speed.
There’s more too. The Marketing-Mentoring segment of the Outside the Job Box Career Consulting Certification Program also includes:
~ A free copy of Ilise’s latest book The Art of Self-Promotion plus an invaluable assortment of other products, e-books and mp3s from the Marketing Mentor Store
~ Email access to Ilise Benun (and guaranteed 24-hour response to your messages)
~ Light editing on newsletter and blog copy
~ Real time feedback for situations that arise
~ Answers to burning marketing questions
~ Advice on marketing opportunities that arise
~ Support to overcome reluctance or resistance
~ Hand-holding, gentle reminders and (if necessary) a little bit of nagging
~ The wisdom of your fellow participants and their years of experience in work and life
~ Access to a recording of each small group conference call for future reference
~ Best of all, you get a personalized plan to follow so you won’t get sidetracked — and if you do, you’ll know exactly how to get yourself back on track.
If you worked with Ilise directly (and you are more than welcome to), this level of coaching and support would cost you $1800. But when you register for the Outside the Job Box Career Consultant Certification Program it’s free.
I honestly don’t know of any other coaching or consulting training program that provides this level of personalized ongoing marketing training and mentoring. It is the kind of support that makes the difference between strolling and galloping toward your ultimate financial freedom.
A few people have asked how many people will be accepted into the program. All I can say right now is that it will is going to be large enough to get the synergy going among participants, but small enough to make sure you get the individual attention you need. Like I said, 124 people have asking to be on this First in Line list. That’s more than 100 people than I have slots for.
I don’t mean to scare you but I know a lot of people on the priority notification list simply won’t be able to take the training right now because of the cost.
The fact of the matter is this kind of high-touch, hands-on training and mentoring does not come cheap. And you haven’t even heard about the other HUGE ways I’ve come up with to totally eliminate the other major start-up hassles other new business owners have to contend with.
Even if you can afford to attend – (and there’s no other way to say this) – you may not be right for this program. The Outside the Job Box Career Consulting Certification Program is for people who are first and foremost, idea people. But you also need to possess some other characteristics of successful entrepreneurs… like vision…persistence… enthusiasm… optimism, and the strong belief that you have every right to making a living doing what you love.
You’ll be receiving a lot more details about this Certification program over the next week to ten days. But I also need to know a little about you and whether you’re a fit for this program.
So early in the week I’ll be sending you a link to an online application form. This is also your opportunity to ask any additional questions you may have about the Certification program – or you can just post them here on the blog using the Post a Comment link below.
To make the application process easier I suggest you take a few minutes this weekend to seriously consider about two things: 1) Why do you want to be an Outside the Job Box Career Consultant, and 2) How do you image your life would be different if you do decide that your calling is to help others find theirs.
To your dreams,
Valerie Young
Dreamer in Residence
www.ChangingCourse.com
P.S. The opportunity to meet, get trained by, and be personally mentored by a master small business marketer like Ilise Benun is only the beginning. I’m in the process of putting together a handout called “13 Ways This Program Will Help You Build a Thriving Creative Career Consulting Practice… Fast.”
I’m pretty confident the handout will answer any question you might have about getting paying clients. I’ll include this when I post the application form.
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