100 Days Summer 2024

Overview  In this lesson, we’re going to look at branding and identity: marketing tactics we use that help individuals identify us and remember us. You probably think you know what a brand is – and if you recognize one then – well – you know PART of the story.  This lesson on branding always surprises students because a brand may NOT be what you think it is! At least not in full. Elevator Pitches and Narratives are additional identity tools, […]

Overview So now you have some basics of marketing, including WHY and the possible results.  Marketing success should produce practice success for you! Lesson 13 will continue with the very basics of marketing. We will focus on developing a niche, choosing your target audiences (which you’ll do for a niche, if you have one) and formulating messages for those audiences (to compel them to contract with you). Tasks and Assignments Please watch the video for this lesson for your lesson

Overview  As mentioned at the beginning of our Client Acquisition work, there are two major steps. We learned the Step 2 first; how to “make the sale” by engaging them in a conversation, and then by developing your assessment, estimate, and contract. So now that we understand that process, it should make the first step – marketing – easier to understand. The first step answers the question: How will this new client even know to reach out to me?   That’s

Overview Once you’ve engaged a potential client on the phone, it’s time to get down to business to deliver what you’ve promised. Your next step will be developing a plan and an assessment, then producing an estimate. Tasks and Assignments Assessments and Estimates:  In the “Converting Callers to Clients” course (Lesson 10), you learned how to propose to a potential client that you do an assessment and estimate, plus getting paid to do them. So in this lesson, we’ll learn how

Overview The client acquisition process is two big steps – first, marketing to entice them to contact you, then second, “selling” them – to convince them to hire you and pay you. We’re going to look at them backwards, because when you understand what works to convince them to hire you (sign your contract), then you’ll better understand why marketing works the way it does. So, this lesson will cover the “sales” of convincing potential clients they should hire you,

Overview There are many legal considerations any business owner, including independent advocacy practice owners, must understand. From contracts to business formation, we’ll do a brief overview of them here. Tasks and Assignments Watch the video below to set the stage for your legal knowledge needs. An important concept in both ethics and legal for advocates is The Allegiance Factor. You can better understand this important tenet by taking the very brief (15 minutes!) course at Practice UP:  Understanding the Allegiance

Overview Professionals of all types know that to protect themselves and their practices, they need to be covered by liability insurance, also sometimes called Errors & Omissions Insurance (E&O). There are specific circumstances you must be aware of, plus terminology, and insurance company practices you’ll need to understand to be sure you get the right insurance for the best price. Tasks and Assignments The video below offers a quick overview of liability / E&O insurance for your practice. (It’s important

Overview Perhaps the question most often asked by potential advocates regards how much money they can expect to make as independent advocates. The answer is, of course, “it depends.” So that’s what we’ll tackle with this lesson… filling in the blanks on those dependencies, and managing your expectations about what kind of living you can make with an independent practice. Important! If you simply jumped to this lesson but have not finished the others in front of it – then

Overview Everyone’s favorite topic – finances! … the tough, probably kinda boring, but essential background you’ll need to set yourself up in a successful business. This is an area many of you have told us you felt unsure about, so I ask you to remember you can post questions and discuss with each other in the Discussion Forum. In your next lesson, we’re going to work on pricing your services, so this is the preparation and foundation you will need

Overview Now, with your early decisions behind you, it’s time to delve into one of the most important aspects of advocacy as a profession – the ethics of advocacy. A clear understanding of our ethics will help you better make the decisions and plans you’ll need as you move forward. Some notes about this lesson: If you are not yet certified, this course will put you in the right frame of mind for what you can, and should, and cannot