Certification Program

Training-01:
Wrapping Your Head Around the Astounding Statistics of Our Aging Future

Description: You are at a unique crossroads in history, as a business owner. The global population has NEVER looked like it does, right now. The next 5-10 years in the demographic shift, and your ability to recognize it and capitalize on it, are going to be the key to your company’s success (or failure if you don’t) ACT NOW. The needs, wants, and fears of your ideal client have never been more present and forward-facing. Your IDEAL CLIENT is the wealthiest, by both earnings and inheritance, of any demographic in history. Your ideal client is SEARCHING for answers, right now, to fulfill their dreams for a successful outcome in the New Longevity Forecast. This is our New Longevity. We are forecasted to live to 100 and beyond. The wave of change is here, and your potential for success is UNLIMITED. This is an AWESOME time to be a small business owner!

You will LEARN:

1. Why right now in history, is literally a Once in a Lifetime business opportunity
2. What your IDEAL Client is expressing as their pain... and why it can be solved BY YOU.
3. Who they are, where they are, what they’re looking for (and YES they have $$!)

Training-02:
Running a SWAG – Taking the Pulse of Your Area Market Opportunity.

Description: How do you know if you have a viable idea for a new business? How do you evaluate an opportunity for a new revenue stream or “vertical” offering for your company to grow and scale? Learn how to quickly (and budget consciously) evaluate your market, take the pulse of your geographic and demographic areas, so you can assess and decide if/where/when your new business, or your new product or service solution offering, is viable as a new or additional income opportunity.

You will LEARN:

1. What is a SWAG, and why does it matter for your organization & new marketplace opportunities.
2. Why you should do a SWAG before a SWOT (for timeline and budget purposes).
3. What research is required, and what outcomes you can expect to learn by running a SWAG.

Training-03:
Evaluating your options – Where & How do you want to GET INTO this space?

Description: You see the opportunity and the available space in the market for your solution. But who are YOU specifically, and how do you FIT? This is where we do some of our initial personal deep dive work. Looking at who YOU ARE as a company (and just as importantly, as a person and leader of your organization). We will hone-in on how to align your personal strengths, vision, mission, and core values to coordinate with the structure and marketing of your offer to the 50+ marketplace for Aging in Place. This work will also prepare us for our future training where we dive into networking collaboration with parallel industries in your geographic area, and those “power partners” you can create cross referrals with.

You will LEARN:

1. Who do YOU want to BE in this opportunity space?
2. How you can best enter the New Longevity marketplace with your product or service solution, based on your unique strengths and vision.
3. How to align your offerings with researched market opportunities (& gaps), helping you carve out your niche solution offering in this growing industry.

Training-01:
What you can’t learn in 18 hours with the Major National Certification Programs

Description:Would you let me into your mom’s house to design her future living outcome, with 18 hours of training? Nope. Me either. You have to be BETTER than a 3-day class. Attorneys, Architects, Accountants, Engineers take 5-8 YEARS of schooling, apprenticeships, training, and testing for a “license”. Being an Aging in Place Expert, guide, consultant, and leader in your community requires that you DIG DEEP. A category where you research & disseminate data for others (your clients). It should be something you see as “Getting Your Masters” per se, in a new category, if your goal is to create a new vertical & revenue stream for your business. Build something scalable, sustainable, and enjoyable (as lifelong learning should be)!

You will LEARN:

1. How to DIG DEEP, see Aging in Place from the curb to the couch, the car door to the bathroom floor.
2. How deep knowledge is part of niche expertise, offering clients OPTIONS in every room & at every price point.
3. How, when you are able to provide both EDUCATION + LEADERSHIP, you will be a VALUE ADD to every client, design & construction team and the go-to AIP EXPERT in your community.

Training-02:
What it Really Means to be the Quarterback & Concierge for your Clients

Description:What do you picture when you think of a Quarterback? A trusted leader. Someone who knows the game and calls the shots. Someone who decides on the plan of attack, and the team follows the plan. And for a Concierge? Someone who caters to your wishes, desires, fears, and dreams. Someone who has taken the time to get to know you, your preferences, and your dislikes, and acts for you and with that knowledge to create your best experience. You will learn to be BOTH the Quarterback and the Concierge for your clients. You’ll learn to lead the team. You’ll learn to adapt and adjust to each unique client. You’ll make them feel heard and understood. They will heed your advice, take your recommendations. Then they’ll refer you to their friends and family!

You will LEARN:

1. How your deep knowledge of Aging in Place will lead to collaboration and guiding the design & construction team.
2. How active listening will allow you to gain TRUST and RAPPORT with your clients, and cater your solutions to them.
3. How making a client feel heard & understood will allow you to guide them to a choice & solution for their situation.

Training-03:
How AIP & UD Can Become a New Income Stream & Revenue Source

Description:Do you know the MBA story of the third hamburger store? Don’t be first. Don’t be last. Be THIRD. And be the BEST. Studying your local market and your competition is key. Looking for the gaps in the market is a must. Aligning the opportunities with your own unique skillsets will be a requirement. Then with your mission, vision, and values, you can start to establish your USP (Unique Sales Position) that will set you apart in your marketplace. Taking that design structure homework, you’ll be able to start working out your WHY story in 90 second, 3-5 minute, and 7-10 minute versions. Then you’ll have a practiced introduction that pulls in your listener, fires their reticular activator, and leaves them wanting to learn more, and not forgetting that you are their answer when the need arises!

You will LEARN:

1. How local market and competition research will help you define and refine the opportunity for you.
2. How to be THIRD. How to be the BEST. How to start establishing yourself with your WHY story.
3. How, where, when, & to whom to tell your story. How to make them remember you and your solution to their pain.

Training-01:
Stats TELL, but STORIES SELL. Making an Emotional Connection with Seniors & Families

Description:Buying is an EMOTIONAL decision. SELLING needs to appeal to your buyer's emotions. You only sell one of two things in life. 1) A dream come true, or 2) A pain avoided. Period. Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you CARE. You need to have (and practice) your anecdotal storytelling. You need to be able to CONNECT to your clients and customers. You need them to FEEL your WHY, your passion, your mission when you speak. When your clients believe IN YOU, then they will BELIEVE YOU when you offer your insights, advice, and direction toward a solution that fits their needs, wishes, fears, dreams and desires.

You will LEARN:

1. How to use your WHY story, to CONNECT with your potential clients
2. How to appeal to your buyer’s EMOTIONS. This is the only way you can get to a client’s choice to BUY from you.
3. How creating an emotional connection will lead your client to TRUSTING you, and then they will trust your advice.

Training-02:
Magic Touches: The 7-12 Touch Points with Your Potential Clients

Description:Buyers are on a JOURNEY. They are finding their PAIN POINT. They are experiencing a path from “noticing” an issue, to “needing” a solution. You want them to first, be aware of you. Then you want them to second, remember you. Then you want them to third, think of you when they’ve decided they’re ready to evaluate their options. Frequency builds familiarity. Have a plan, a schedule, and a calendar. Plan out your “exposures” during a week, month, and quarter. Planning creates consistency, accountability, and persistence through scheduling. “SOMEDAY” is NOT a day of the week on your schedule. Hold yourself accountable to the appointments and time blocks. Set up your social for automation. Put networking lunches in your (and parallel partner-potential referral) industries, into your calendar as appointments. Hold to them as sacred. They are, or you won’t progress your traction with your community.

You will LEARN:

1. How to vary your types and sequences of exposures, to gain sustainable traction w/ your brand name, and solutions.
2. How to understand the buyer’s journey from awareness, to interest, to consideration, to commitment (purchase).
3. How to Plan and Schedule your time blocks to make your touch points work efficiently for you & your business.

Training-03:
The Gift of the Go-Giver: Why Giving Your Advice (away for free) Leads to SALES

Description:Plan your business based on the idea that you MUST GIVE IT AWAY. When you do this correctly, “IT” can be knowledge, experience, “wisdom” (knowledge + experience), and can/will include your SOLUTION via your business offerings. Be counter instinctual. It will allow you to reverse engineer your way into an easy and comfortable selling of your solution. ADD VALUE to every experience that EVERY customer has with your brand, name, and company alike. “You can have everything you want in life, if you give everyone else what they want.” - Zig Ziglar. You won’t always get paid financially on THAT DAY, but that day you DO GET PAID for what and who you know, just got one step closer! Authenticity is the ONLY PATH to gaining trust and rapport with your IDEAL clients. Learn to be 1) Vulnerable, 2) Transparent, 3) Honest and time will take care of the rest. You WILL see it all come together, and come back to you, if you can do this consistently, persistently, and with a selfless approach that others can sense and feel from you.

You will LEARN:

1. The mindset and mind shift required, to show up in the world as a VALUE-ADD at every encounter.
2. How to build your business by “Giving It Away”. IT is your knowledge & experience. IT results in SALES.
3. How Authenticity is the long game (and only) way to gaining sustainable trust and rapport with your IDEAL clients.

Training-01:
Active Listening: Why Keeping Your Mouth Shut Draws Clients TO YOU.

Description:Active listening allows you to hear OTHER people’s thoughts, instead of your own thoughts in your head and your own preparation of an answers to something you heard in the beginning (causing you to miss the rest). Active listening leads to better understanding, a critical component to creating better outcomes for your clients. The silence is OKAY! Pauses to contemplate, or to create responses only after HEARING your client or colleague, is a GOOD THING. Respond with repeating for clarification and verification of understanding before injecting your own additions to the conversation. This CONFIRMS to your conversationalist partner, that you in fact HEARD THEM. Sometimes people just want to BE HEARD. Be that guy (or gal). It’s so rare that we feel someone is really listening to us, and that they are paying attention (in this world of chaotic handheld distractions). This ALONE can be your bridge to trust and rapport with your clients. Make the time. Take the TIME. It will pay you back in spades!

You will LEARN:

1. The ART of Active Listening, and how to be okay with the silence in your head while you are HEARING your client.
2. How to respond in communication, to show understanding and empathy, so you can gain trust and rapport.
3. How offering someone the TIME required for authentic relationships, will lead to loyalty and customer referrals.

Training-02:
Peeling the Onion: Going THREE Levels Deep, to get to REAL TRUTHS

Description:To be the EXPERT, who is both and simultaneously a “Sage on the Stage” while also being a “Guide on the Side”, you have to be a PROBLEM SEEKER. Real project programming requires that you peel back the layers of protection that people use for safety in the beginning of an interaction and relationship. When you are the “Sage on the Stage” you are leading, based on their real truths / pains / dreams which you’ve heard through active listening, and providing insights and experience that lead them to consider (and ultimately accept) your guidance and direction. This can be done from the front of a room (education) or at the kitchen table, holding hands with a loved one (or your client) with gentle compassion on-on-one. When you are the “Guide on the Side”, you are taking them on their decision-making journey, allowing them to (subconsciously, at times) take the wisdom you’ve provided along the way, and allowing their brain to make it their idea and their solution outcome decision. You’ve given your client options and choices that align with their “project program”, and then empowered the client to choose.

You will LEARN:

1. How creating project programming requires “Problem Seeking” and unveiling a client’s real fears and dreams.
2. How to be the “Sage on the Stage” at times, leading and guiding them to options for solutions.
3. How to be the “Guide on the Side” at times, allowing your client “choice” to be empowered as their own.

Training-03:
Leverage Messaging: Why Speaking to Groups Creates Exponential Awareness

Description:There is power in numbers. Utilizing the skill of sharing your VALUE in a group setting is an efficient and effective use of your time, energy, and resources (all of which are limited for the small business owner). Leveraging your time & resources is critical to creating exponential exposure over time and building awareness in your community as a go-to resource for solutions in your niche. Starting your “reticular activator” TRIBE through group presentation settings, is a streamlined path to creating your FREE SALES FORCE outside of the four walls of your business. Plant these seeds and watch your garden GROW!

You will LEARN:

1. The value of presentations about your value proposition to groups of people B2B for colleagues and B2C for clients.
2. Why group presentations are the quickest & most efficient way to spread the word exponentially in your community.
3. How planting “knowledge awareness seeds” by the handful, begins your community SALES TRIBE by reticular activator!

Training-01:
Colleagues Create Clients: Why Your Adjacent Industries Need to Know Your NICHE.

Description:Understanding where your IDEAL CLIENT lives, works, and plays is a part of dialing in on your marketing plan. Then understanding where ELSE they are, related to other parallel professions they utilize. This is finding your “parallel partners” industries so that you can create cross-referral relationships with other community professionals. Create opportunities & offers to present to groups in those adjacent industries where your clients also go for solutions (based on their age, gender, income, hobbies, etc.). Do so in the vein of “how can we help you” servant leadership. Give freely without the expectation of receiving (that will come naturally with time in reciprocal fashion). This is the beginning of starting to create your own local “Thriving in Place Dream Team”, your clients’ ONE STOP SHOP for solutions to all their needs, and your own professional network and GOLDEN ROLODEX. If you are the one who can get to any answer with 2 phone calls, and get your clients the solutions they need, you are on your way to SCALING your company!

You will LEARN:

1. How your IDEAL CLIENT acts, and where else they seek professionals in your community for solutions.
2. How to build a network of cross-industry professional referrals, creating your position as the “one stop shop” of answers for your clients.
3. How to be your local community leader in breaking down silos via collaboration, which creates a sales tribe looking for your next IDEAL CLIENT FOR YOU!

Training-02:
6 Degrees of Separation: Everyone Knows Someone Who NEEDS Your SOLUTION.

Description:The world of connections is smaller than you think, you just need to get the ball rolling. Get used to attending social & networking events. Find ones that matter for spreading your message with the right tribes. Schedule them into your calendar. Attend them religiously for a pre-set & extended timeline. Control the Narrative. Be practiced at talking about what you do, who you serve, and how you make dreams come true or help clients solve their pain points. Don’t create the “telephone game” where the messaging gets lost in translation. Be clear with your print literature, your website copy, and your verbal communication “sound bites”. Rinse & Repeat. Persistence and tenacity with messaging, over time, is the seed planting that creates exponential exposure, which in turn leads to exponential opportunity. When your community knows A) Who you are, B) What you do, and C) Who you serve & solve problems for… the sky is the limit for your company to GROW and SCALE with the market opportunity!

You will LEARN:

1. How to find the right number and type of social networking opportunities to attend regularly for exposure.
2. How to control the messaging about who you are, who you serve, and how you solve problems for your ideal clients.
3. How to find “time blocks” for the persistence and tenacity to create exponential levels of exposure and awareness.

Training-03:
Holding Hands: Creating Professional Teams and Alliances for Complete Solutions

Description:Leverage your relationships with your professional colleagues. Would you prefer 100% of the revenue on 10 projects, or 50% of the revenue on 100 projects? The quick math says Option B, for at least two reasons. First, it’s more lucrative for your business. Second, and probably more importantly, it’s the path to scaling your business through partnership and teamwork opportunities. The collaboration mindset pencils better in the long run, and it is the real ROI opportunity in your community. “Lunch & Learn” from each other & create space for Mastermind brainstorming together. Take the “More brains, more better” solutions approach for your clients. Build out your parallel industry knowledge in your local professional community. Meet with your potential referral partners. Find those with the same vision, mission, and values that you have. Then market with the idea that you have a bigger solutions team available with your new “Golden Rolodex”. This adds value to your company and your clients, which gives you a competitive advantage in your marketplace. Your IDEAL CLIENTS are interested in, and can afford, the “team approach”. They are willing to pay for the cross-collaborative and solutions-based teamwork model. When you have your own local “Thriving in Place Dream Team” in place, you’ll start seeing the inbound referrals (without marketing expenses) that result in new clients and customers for your business too!

You will LEARN:

1. How to create and leverage professional relationships with your parallel industry colleagues.
2. How to teach / learn and brainstorm with other professionals who can be a part of your professional referral network.
3. Why your IDEAL CLIENT actually wants (and is willing to pay) for the full “Thriving in Place Dream Team” approach.

Training-01:
Closing The DEAL: Why Honesty and Transparency Will Create Contracts

Description:Quickly identifying those inbound leads and opportunities who are your IDEAL CLIENT PROFILE, is the key to honing-in on and getting in front of the decision makers who are ready for solutions and interested in buying NOW (or soon). Honing this craft is a crucial component in creating an efficient lead weeding system that will increase your closed sales percentage per inquiry. Not doing so can cost you 20-30% of your billable time per year. That’s a LOT of $$ down the drain. The tire kickers will come. They always do. This can be very expensive to “not know how to handle” with scripts and systems in place for your business. They wander through the home shows every year, picking up free pens and candy (you know the type). Knowing how to “sniff out the freebie hunters” in 5 minutes or less, is critical. Getting rid of them quickly yet politely, so you A) keep your reputation and the relationship for future referrals, and B) keep the door open for a serious buyer at a later date, is also part science and part art form. Managing expectations is such an important part of being the project manager, and that starts on day one of your interactions with potential customers. When you know your craft, your industry, and have extensive past project experience, you can speak with confidence. You can explain something honestly, openly, and transparently in your initial meeting/s prior to getting under contract. You can give a serious buyer some past client references to check. You can tell them about scope, time, and money truths. If they don’t believe you, that’s okay. You don’t have time to educate for free more than once. They’ll learn you were right, on their own, and come back when they’re ready to accept your wisdom & input.

You will LEARN:

1. How to create SOPs (scripts & systems) to get in front of the RIGHT CLIENTS so you can Close More Sales.
2. How to sniff out and weed out the tire-kickers & freebie-seekers, while not damaging a future client relationship.
3. How to Manage Expectations, from day one, with your potential clients. They will be back when they’re ready.

Training-02:
Expected Value: Understanding Your Business Math, Who to Chase, and When to Let Go.

Description:In business, Expected Value (EV) is a statistical concept used to forecast the potential financial outcomes of decisions that have uncertain results. It represents the average return or value anticipated if an action or decision is repeated multiple times. Expected Value is crucial in decision-making processes, especially when weighing the risks and rewards of various choices. The formula for Expected Value is: Expected Value = ? (P(x) × x) Wherein: P(x) is the probability of a particular outcome occurring. x is the payoff (value or return) of that outcome. Practicing probability math in your business is an important skill set, and the “EV” many times will tell you a story that is instinctually counterintuitive. Learning how to apply EV to your business decision making can have everything to do with being profitable and sustainable, vs. struggling with cash flow and survival during your first 5 years and beyond. “You’ve got to Know When to Hold ‘Em, and You’ve got to Know When to Fold Them.” - Willie Nelson, and the mathematics of playing poker are definitely “all in” for this training! EV allows you to review your new business opportunities and apply some quick and emotionless data points to affect your best pragmatic business owner decision making. Then you can choose that long sales cycle big project and “do it for the portfolio” or see the cost & expense vs. the payout, opt to “pass on the one-off home run”, and stick with the bread and butter that pays the bills every time!

You will LEARN:

1. What “EV” (Expected Value) is, and how to use it to evaluate client project opportunities that are new or different.
2. The Data importance of the EV equation for deciding pragmatically if a new or big project makes sense for your firm.
3. How EV can help you understand your sales cycle by project type, timeline, and payout price point, for profitability.

Training-03:
The Art & Science of Sales: You ONLY Sell TWO THINGS in Life. Period. (Dream / Pain)

Description:The ART of Sales. This is the psychology of the brain, the emotions around a buyer’s decision making, and connecting to both in an efficient and sincere way. You help them DREAM about what could be. You help them picture a life without the PAIN they are dealing with. Then you show them how you are the SOLUTION to one, or both. Done with active listening, empathy, & trust & rapport building, you’ll become THE CHOICE for AIP solutions in your community. The Science of Sales. This is the data collection, sales metrics and tracking you set up in your business. Inbound inquiries (leads), source of leads, sales value per transaction, and similar metrics will dial in your process and profitability with the right clients and projects. Tracking potential and active customers through their customer journey from awareness to purchase, along with customer segmentation exercises, will educate your business decisions on where to spend your time and money, marketing budget, and networking efforts. Putting ART and SCIENCE together to work for you. Using research and data to hone-in on your ideal client and their position along the customer buying journey. Close more deals. Make more clients happy. Get more referrals. Have a massive impact in and for your community, as your reputation increases as THE Aging in Place EXPERT in your community.

You will LEARN:

1. How to use the ART of Sales, from initial client awareness to closing the deal with your customer.
2. Why the SCIENCE of Sales matters. Using consumer data tracking, metrics, & funnel sequence to close more sales.
3. The skills to combine ART and SCIENCE so you can close more deals, help more clients, and IMPACT your community! (okay, and YES, make MORE MONEY!)

Training-04 (*BONUS*):
The Walkaway: Why Talking Yourself OUT of One Sale, Leads to Multiple Referrals

Description:You get to your first business goals by saying “YES” to EVERYTHING. Now you need to start understanding when to say “no thank you”. It’s a personal growth challenge that will lead you to your next level of business growth. Knowing when you are NOT the answer for your client, is a critical component. But it’s tough to do, and it takes some practice. Learning how to define “right fit” in a way that aligns with not only your potential client’s needs, but also with your own Ideal Client Profile, is an important step in honing your niche and upping your business game. Once your phone is ringing, you have to start looking at your client & project financials & metrics, so you can begin weeding out those “no thank you” clients who aren’t a match for your mission, vision, core values, along with your profitability (profit margin) information. Then, you must ALWAYS have AN ANSWER. That’s your golden rolodex. Know your competitors, and refer to them when they may be able to help, and you aren’t interested in the client or project. (I know, weird, right? It works.) Know your parallel industries. Do they need a financial planner? A reverse mortgage specialist? An OT? A handyman vs. a contractor? Open your personal phone book for them, and point them in the right direction. Talking yourself OUT of a project or client opportunity, when you are not the right fit for them, returns 3X in referral-based business, over time. Our competitors know what we do. They refer us when we are a better fit for a client inquiry to their business. That’s your expanded sales force and referral team!

You will LEARN:

1. The art of saying “No thank you” to potential clients who aren’t a good fit for you and your business.
2. How to hone in on your ideal client profile. Those who fit your vision, mission, core values, and profitability model.
3. Why you ALWAYS offer alternative solutions & direction to the client, which comes back to you 3x in new referrals.

Training-01:
Managing Expectations: How Open (and often) Communication Creates Trust & Referrals

Description:Managing expectations is a critical part of your business plan and model. It protects your reputation by avoiding misunderstanding and disappointment during your project timeline relationship with your clients. Understanding your client goals related to 1) Scope, 2) Time, and 3) Money allows you to walk away from expectations you can’t meet with potential clients (as explained in Module 06 Training 04), while also offering realistic expectations for all three parts of their project. Everyone comes to you with “scope”. Very few have a grasp on “time”. Most are unrealistic on “money” with a pipe dream price in their own heads. Your job is to educate and manage those understanding parameters. You do this on day one before you take the job, and then you do it ongoing during the project and process, to stay on track with expectations. Overcommunicate. It’s better than the other swing of the pendulum. It’s more work, but it creates more results. Results of trust, belief, and faith in your company during the project while you are providing the solution for your client. It’s good for your documentation (legal CYA if needed). It’s good for your emotional rapport with your client. It’s hence in turn good for their future ability to offer you A) Testimonials, B) Referrals, and C) Repeat business.

You will LEARN:

1. Why managing expectations is a crucial component in your business model for long-term success.
2. How to communicate Scope, Time, & Money subjects frequently & effectively with your clients during a project.
3. How overcommunicating is the key to testimonials, referrals, and repeat business for your company.

Training-02:
Project Talk: Teaching Your Client During the Project, So They Advocate FOR YOU After

Description:Educating your clients during your project is one of the most important future business (pipeline feeding) work you can do with your active and current clientele. During a project timeline, educating your clients helps ease their minds, protect them from (unfounded) worries, and offers the client and their family members peace during a tough “bridging” phase from old standard ways to new and better ways of thinking and living in their own homes. By providing them with new (and empowering) knowledge about their own project during your time together, they’re better “sales team” members for you in the future when their project is completed. When they are happy with you and the results you provided them, they’ll also understand better what we accomplished, when telling their own friends and family about your company. A client who’s armed with education will tell more people about their experience with your company, the solutions and outcomes you provided for them successfully. They’ll express their joy and peace of mind with everyone that comes to their home, and whenever the subject matter comes up with friends and family. Your phone will ring as a result, with less (or $0) ad spend and marketing expenses to your company, making you more profitable.

You will LEARN:

1. Why educating your client during the project is a major business key to feeding your project pipeline.
2. How an existing client, empowered with education, will be your best sales tribe for future revenues.
3. What a happy and newly informed client can do FOR YOU, to save you $money$ on advertising & marketing.

Training-03:
It Doesn’t Hurt to ASK: Asking for the Referral While Your Client Is Happy With You

Description:Knowing when and how to approach the “ask” for referrals or other leads you could contact, is a bit of an art form and a gut induced decision. But you can get good at it by working through your fears and reservations around “making the ask”. You won’t get it right the first time. You won’t get it right every time. But every time you ask, the results will grow your business, in reach, influence, and income. How do I “read the room” with my clients, related to asking for referral opportunities (or testimonials)? There are some “tells” that will let you know where in your client’s customer journey during the project, is the right time to lean into “who else do you know” (that needs to be introduced to our company). Learning what that looks like coming from a happy client, will increase your success rate. There’s nothing better than a warm lead via a trusted referral. When your happy client is willing to offer you that list of people, it’s gold. Treasure it. Utilize it wisely, as you enter your happy client’s new list of friends and family into the initial phases of your company’s customer journey (via initial awareness exposure about you). Free & warm leads are an unequaled way to grow your company and your revenues! There’s nothing better!

You will LEARN:

1. When and how to see the opportunity to “make the ask” for a client’s referral ideas and applicable network.
2. Why practicing “the ask” will make you a better networker, and better at “reading the room” for referrals.
3. How getting good at asking, is the key to FREE and WARM LEADS, and there’s nothing better for your revenues!

Training-01:
Hut, Hut… Now What?: Your New Role in the Community as a Known Leader & Expert

Description:As you become the go-to resource and a trusted referral-based business in your community, it will be time to acquire and grow through and into your new role, with some new skills along the way. This growth is both professional and personal, and you’ll want to be paying attention to your own wants, needs, and wishes around your business. You’ll get asked to share your expertise. You’ll start getting requests to present on the subject matter. And you’ll be leaned on for your “free time” as well as your “paid time” inside and outside of the Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm timeline. This is a pivotal point in your professional journey. It is going to require some downtime, reflection, and documentation around what you want NEXT, what you may NOT want, and how you’re going to achieve those goals. This will be a “coaching moment” where some journaling and mastermind or colleague level brainstorming is going to be useful. You’ll want to do some playbook and path route whiteboarding exercises. Be sure your “golden rolodex” is fresh and kept up to date, as you’re now a main community reference point and first point of contact referral source. You’ll want to get ready for accepting presentation opportunities to educate the public about the situation, status of the industry, and your solutions.

You will LEARN:

1. How to grow into your new role as a community leader and primary resource for Aging in Place Solutions.
2. To take the required down time you’ll need to study and reflect and plan your path forward, including presentations.
3. Why you must keep your resources fresh, your contacts current, and your presentations on file, and at the ready.

Training-02:
The Teamwork Dreamwork Equation: Creating a More Self-Managed Company

Description:It’s time to start “letting go” and empowering others. Grow and train your team. Then (you TYPE-A) get OUT OF THE WAY. And yes, that will be the hardest part. Build your business team just like you built your referral network. It will take longer to do it in-house for yourself in your own company. But it’s your only path to business growth and a future that includes time flexibility & freedom! Building a TEAM will require that you go back and refocus on your VISION, MISSION, and CORE VALUES. What you applied to your marketing and public messaging about who YOU are, now has to be turned inward to discuss with your company and growing staff, who WE ARE. You need to train them to BUY IT, ALL IN, and burn into their brains your brand, messaging, and core values to “live by” if they are going to work for you. Teach and practice (role play) who WE ARE, out there AND in here, on location as a group in the office as well as in the field at our clients & project sites where now other people are representing the company brand in the public sector. Hire slowly (and fire quickly… but that comes later). This is your “type A” personality baby. You gave birth to it. You grew it. You raised it. Now you are offering to hand it to others who will represent it publicly and be in charge of caring for it when you aren’t watching and overseeing it every moment any longer. Do NOT take this lightly. Growing and scaling your team and your company will go slower than you want. It will be more painful than you’d prefer. But you can (and will need to) do it, to serve your community and keep your reputation where you’ve built it up to.

You will LEARN:

1. How to start “letting go”, (just a little bit) so you can begin to train, empower, and grow your small business team.
2. How to get staff BUY-IN: Vision, mission, passion, branding, & messaging for the future of the company.
3. Why its normal, painful, and that you’ll get through it w/ a team.
4. What to expect & how to keep your reputation in-tact during the growth & team scaling process.

Training-03:
The C, E, & O of It All: Growing Personally, to Lead Passionately with Your VISION

Description:“C” is for Clarity: Possibly the toughest part of growing a company is growing the person (YOU) that LEADS the company. Digging deep, gaining new insight, and understanding your own strengths and weaknesses is the work to be done in this phase of company scale & business development. You can no longer “do it all”, or you’re going to burn out. Peeling your own onion of dreams & fears will provide clarity about which roles you keep as you scale your business, and which roles you absolutely must hire out, and focus your attention on aligning the hired personnel with your roadmap. “E” is for Execution: Once you’ve got your SOPs, training manuals, and are underway with your team growth, you have a new phrase to learn and implement. “Expect, but Inspect”. This is a leadership skill you need to practice and perfect. Executing on your business plan, and having your staff do the same when you are there AND when you are not, requires this approach. You have to train them to trust themselves, empower them to test themselves, and be there to check the quality of their work (for your sanity and your reputation). “O” is for Operations: Now you are getting into the cycle of your business. You’ll be looking for tightening up your SOPs and KPIs (more on that later). During this phase, you’ll need to be there to spot check the quality assurance (quality control) of the work you’ve empowered others to do. You’ll need to pick up staff when they fail. Capitalize on the learning opportunity, set the corrective actions, and send them back out to get on the horse and try again. Your leadership at this level is extensive, exhausting. And yet, when you do get it right (with the right people in the right seats on the company’s ORG chart bus, going in the direction of your mission map), it is oh so worth it!

You will LEARN:

1. The “C” Clarity required to lead during the scaling of staff and your business, and the personal growth required for it.
2. The “E” Execution equation, and why it requires an “Expect, but Inspect” approach to training staff in your business.
3. The “O” Operations phase & cycles of running your business. What your staff expects and how to perform for growth.

Training-01:
Let’s Stay In Touch: Did You Mean It? Then You DO IT! (and how to…)

Description:Staying in touch with your past customers who had a joyful experience with your business is a revenue avenue that needs to be nurtured for the long haul. Set up a system for follow up and check-in sequencing beyond the end of the project. Allow your future “post-project” touch points to offer opportunities for testimonials and referrals both. Open the “just checking in” door in a way that leads them to consider who they know. Ask open ended questions in your follow up email or call sequence which exposes their mind to recent conversations they’ve had, people they’ve met since you saw them last, and why those people might need an introduction to your company and their experience with your solution offerings. Touch points beyond the sale and close-of-business can drum up new work via your client’s own network and referrals. A Christmas card, a birthday card, a request for photos or updates on how their new project space is working are all ways you can stay in touch in a meaningful and caring way. This will keep you “top of mind” for years after the project is completed. FREE leads are KEY leads for the sustainability of your business.

You will LEARN:

1. Why staying in touch with your past satisfied customers will open doors to new business & warm leads.
2. How to set up and automate a system for contacting your past clients 6, 12, 18+ months after the job is over.
3. How “checking in” with past clients can create “cashing in” on your next client, via their network & FREE leads.

Training-02:
Reticular Activator: The POWER of Being Public & “Top of Mind” in Your Community

Description:The Reticular Activating System (RAS) is a brain filtering system. RAS is a bundle of nerves at the base of our brain that acts as a “gateway” to prioritize our focus. This happens subconsciously, and sorts importance in a “top of mind” format. This is the part of your brain that notices the white Ford truck you just bought everywhere on the road. Becoming (and staying) “top of mind” in your community is an ongoing process of being publicly present, social, and engaging. Be the person who adds value to every situation you are in. Good advice, active listening, and allowing people to feel heard when you speak to them in social settings is how you achieve this status. When you can couple that with your own 90 second “elevator speech” and business card, you’ve set their brain wheels in motion to remember you by correlation at a later date. That’s brand awareness, with the emotional high that they had with you. Accomplishing the drilling into others’ RAS, requires that you A) Provide visibility through consistency, B) Add value in public spaces and social opportunities, and C) Showcase your niche expertise in public forums, using D) Emotional marketing and anecdotal “successes” story telling from your own experiences, aligned with your own WHY you are in this business (to help others).

You will LEARN:

1. How the RAS system in our brains can be utilized to “brain train” your community to be on your sales team
2. Why public presence with value-add exposures, over time, will start to provide an ROI for your time & efforts.
3. How to speak about your niche, technically and emotionally, to build public trust and goodwill that leads to referrals.

Training-03:
The CRM of Cheers: “Where Everybody KNOWS YOUR NAME”

Description:Remember the theme song to the 80’s sitcom CHEERS? This is where you’re heading now with your business. My 15yo hates to go to the grocery store with me, and frequently says “Can’t we go somewhere that you don’t have to stop to talk to someone you know 4 times in 15 minutes?” LOL. It’s okay, he’ll get over it. And you should too, as you gain the notoriety you’ve built in your community. It’s natural, and it’s good for your company longevity and sustainability. You have to know (and remember) THEM, if you want it to be reciprocal. This is where your CRM comes in. Having a system and database structure that allows you to take notes, remember kids’ names, anniversaries, birthdays, etc. is critical as your company outgrows “just you” and into a larger team format. Anyone who is customer and public facing, needs to be able to call up information at the touch of a phone or keyboard. This allows you to collect not just contact information, but important facts and personal information that will help your team with recall, and be ready for that next step and interaction with your clients and the public. You’ve built a lot of personal relationships. Now you’re also likely creating a “Third Place”, the concept that your location & business is one of comfort. It’s warm and inviting. It “feels like home” emotionally. Your business is a safe place to come, share personal information, and get good advice. You are familiar now, and you need to keep up that level of trust. Working with your company is an EXPERIENCE, not just a product or service. One of the ways you’ll do that is to start “giving back” to your community as well, in either time or money via philanthropy and “pro bono” type service projects. At this point you can also create subscription models or loyalty programs to assist with incentivizing repeat business and referrals with a financial or “discount” program associated.

You will LEARN:

1. How to handle and manage your expanding community list of clients, colleagues, friends & families in your database.
2. Why a CRM system database is critical to teaching your forward-facing staff, for personal client relationships.
3. How to create a “Third Place” feeling at your business, so working with your team is an experience vs. a commodity.

1. Flattening Your Fears: Learning to Get Comfortable in Front of an Audience
2. Power Up and Get On Point: Creating Your First Training & Powerpoint Presentation
3. Entertain While You Educate: Hear the Cheers (of Future Referrals)

1. Qualified Leads: Inbound Calls on Auto-Pilot – How to Screen Out the Tire Kickers
2. Biz Builder Beware: Things to Watch Out For on your Way Up (during Scaling your Business)
3. The A.I. of A.I.P: (Guest Training) There’s Nothing Artificial About Setting Up Good Help

1. Your WHYs and your KPIs: Staying on Vision & Tracking Your Metrics
2. O.R.G. It’s not what you think: Team Building & Your ORG Chart Expansion Plan
3. CYA & TMZ: How to Cover Your Axe - Avoiding Bad Press & Reputation Damage