HEY DON, THAT SURE IS A LOT! WHAT IS ALL OF THIS GOING TO COST ME?
Good question! Remember what I said earlier? I have designed the program so it can easily pay for itself. Whether or not it does is up to you. Let me explain what I mean.
There is an initial set up fee which varies depending on whether you have an existing website or want us to build one for you. The fee we charge equates to our out of pocket expenses for creating the web presence, setting up your Administration Center and initial training.
Monthly dues may vary between $250 and $1,500 depending on the number of HR That Works! license you order. This outlay should be easily recouped by products sold and the added audit, training and consulting work obtained.
An increase in your consulting practice will be a major benefit. One new client could be worth $10,000. If you put together just one CRO Forum, with 15 members paying you $500, that's $7,500 in additional revenue. Sell only one HR That Works!™ program every month and pay for all your monthly dues. Market the Building Powerful Employment Relationships! or LAWSUIT FREE! program in your local paper, get a local bank to sponsor you, charge attendees $297 and offer them online access to the HR That Works!. You may end up paying for a whole year's dues in only one day! The endless possibilities are directly related to your commitment to growing your practice.
SOUNDS VERY INTERESTING BUT I STILL HAVE SOME QUESTIONS. . .
I would think so! Let me jot down a couple of the questions I anticipate and my brief answers to them.
Q. Is a program like this available elsewhere on the market?
A. Not as far as I know, and I don't know that anybody has researched this more than I have. I read an extremely interesting article in California Lawyer. It talked about the efforts of Littler Mendelson partner, Gary Mathiason, to further expand his firm's services and marketing exposure. Littler is the country's largest employment law firm. According to this article, each one of the Littler partners put approximately $20,000 into forming a corporation to produce and market training products! Now all they have to do is create a program one time and it is used by their attorneys and clients all across the country. That's what I call leverage!
Many of you reading this letter will be shy about the concept of marketing yourself and product sales. If you don't understand that Gary Mathiason is one of the most insightful law firm marketers in the United States, then you may never see the opportunity the Employer Advisors Network presents. This program should allow you to compete with the very large firms, and completely dominate the small firm market in your area.
Q. Will you be providing licenses on an exclusive territorial basis?
A. After much thought, the answer is "no". In today's "cyber age", the concept of a "territory" is difficult to manage. What I will do is be sensible about not diluting the value of this program. I want to create a nation-wide group of very successful, close-knit professionals who trust each other, are fun to work with and are willing to share in their success. I will make every effort to spread the membership out across the country and not cause undue membership competition.
Q. What limitations do you have on use of your products?
A. Members are not allowed to sub-license or give away the products for use by other consultants, insurance companies, catalog companies, publications, etc. without my written permission. That's the business I'm in. This licensing program was created to help you grow your practice - and only your practice. However, if you think you can strike up a strategic partnership with a company or association that may want to private label the HR That Works!material, we can work on such a project on a joint venture basis. I'll even show you how to earn generous passive overrides referring the products to other vendors such as insurance agencies, local employer groups and PEO's.
The only other restrictions and conditions on use of the products are designed to prevent licensees from cannibalizing each other's marketing efforts. Details can be found in the Licensing and Membership Agreement and Member FAQ, which you can obtain by sending an email to inquiry@employeradvisorsnetwork.com.
Q. Can I use a license with more than one office?
A. The quick answer is "no". Each separate office, containing more than 2 professionals, will be considered a separate licensee for purposes of this program. A number of you are two or three partner firms that have an urban and a suburban location. If the second location has more than 2 professionals practicing in it full-time then a second license is required, otherwise it is not.
Q. Why do I need another web site if I already have one?
A. Two answers. First, the site you have is not as comprehensive as the one you can have us build for you. Second, the more web sites you have the better! I'm not kidding here. Today's lawyer needs to market through various channels. We can link your existing web site(s) to the one you can with membership.
Q. How in the heck am I supposed to sell all these products? I'm not a salesman!
A. Nice question! Yes, we are going to teach you how to be really good at marketing, too. Otherwise you work your butt off and get nowhere. To succeed means you have to spend time marketing yourself and then leveraging those efforts. This program is about working "on" your practice, not just "in" it.
Now to answer your question, the first place is in "the back of the room" when you speak. Seriously, if you get out and do the presentations, you'll easily sell the programs - and grow your practice at the same time.
I'll say it again: The money you make from selling the HR That Works! program should more than pay for your membership in the Employer Advisors Network. Whether it does, or not, is up to you.
Q. Will you be making any effort to network licensees?
A. Absolutely! In fact, I can't wait! If you click here you will see a book summary I did of "Unleashing the Killer App". This is a must read. In this book the authors discuss the impact of "Metcalfe's Law". Robert Metcalfe was the founder of 3COM and claimed that a network grows exponentially with every new user. Once we have an initial group of licensees I will begin conducting conference calls and bi-annual meetings so we can share best practices, marketing efforts and other powerful insights. I am currently positioning the Employer Advisors Network to insurance companies and other strategic partners I have relationships with for referral programs. I'm excited about the feedback I've been getting to date and it will only get better.
Q. Will you be providing continuing education credits?
A. Eventually, we will work on obtaining CEU's for licensing the program. You can also obtain CEU's in most states by presenting programs. Presenting the Building Powerful Employment Relationships! program, the LAWSUIT FREE! program and Compliance Training Modules should all qualify for this purpose. For now, the focus will be on the education we didn't get in school.
Q. How will you handle technical support issues?
A. We'll maintain the Employer Advisors Network, HR That Works! and CRO Forum web sites. Other than that I don't expect much in the way of technical support issues. I am not a "techie," and don't expect you to be either. You must have the Microsoft 2000 Suite, which includes PowerPoint, Word and Outlook. You will also need access to PageMaker and Adobe Acrobat. You should already have your own techie and graphics guru as part of your business team. If you don't, you can use our team. Having said all that, it remains in my best interest to make sure that all the products, services and marketing material are easy to use and there are no bugs in the system. If you do have a technical issue, you can call or e-mail it to us and we will do our best to get it answered ASAP.
Q. What are my obligations under the program?
A. Once we design and then provide access to your web site, your initial deposit becomes non-refundable. After that you can quit your membership at any time. Simply stop using the program materials and we'll block access to your web site and store. Other than that, there is no other financial commitment. The fact is, I want you to be a licensee with many other fine attorneys for years to come. When you retire, I want you to sell your practice and membership for big bucks. I intend to work with my team to continually develop and support these products and services, and help grow your practice. Hopefully you realize this is only the beginning of a very exciting opportunity for everyone involved!
Q. Why shouldn't I just develop all these materials myself?
A. If that's the business you want to be in, then please, be my guest. It has taken more than five years of time and tons of cash to develop these materials. If you are up to that effort, more power to you. If you follow the marketing program, you can end up with a license to all of these materials for free. So, why bother wasting your time? Get busy getting clients! Make more money! Have more fun! I just ask that you share your best stories and strategies with other members and be a pleasure to work with.
Q. How do I know the products are legally accurate?
A. I have been practicing employment law since 1983. I am the editor for the Employment Practices Liability Consultant (EPLIC) published by International Risk Management, Inc. Each one of the subject matters discussed in the training module, special reports and other documents have been thoroughly researched and analyzed. They have been reviewed by attorneys and other professionals across the country. All have been professionally edited. All of the materials are based on federal law. Where state law is discussed it is only used as an example. When these materials are marketed online they are done with the understanding that you are providing information based on federal legal standards only. We also make it very clear you are not rendering legal advice online. We encourage all users to consult Employer Advisors Network, Inc. attorneys or consultants whenever an issue comes up.
On top of that, we will all get the collective benefit of other members studying and using these materials. If there are any glitches, they won't be around for long. The materials are of very high quality right now and I expect them to get even better over time.
Q. This does sound pretty exciting - where do I go from here?
A. Glad you asked. Call me at (800)234-3304 or e-mail me at don@employeradvisorsnetwork.com. That's all there is to it. I'll get right back to you.
All the best,
Donald A. Phin, Esq.
President,
The Employer Advisors Network, Inc.
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