The mentor program is six months of unlimited access to me by e-mail, phone, fax, regular mail, etc. (There is also a special guided version explained below.) We can meet in person, as well, if convenient for both of us. I help people strategically (how to set fees, how to gain visibility, how to position, etc.), and tactically (what to say at the meeting tomorrow, critiquing proposals, overcoming objections, etc.). The fee is $3,500, which distinguishes those who are serious about their business, and is easily recouped through increased business and/or higher fees. There are over 525 "graduates," and scores of "post-graduates" (those who signed up for an additional term). Admission is limited. If there are no openings there is a "first come, first served" waiting list.
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"Alan helped me increase my revenue by 40%, just two-thirds of the way through our time together. We corresponded by e-mail from all over the world with great efficiency."
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Ione Dean
Ione Dean Consulting Group
New South Wales, Australia
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You and I reach a mutual decision as to whether the program is right for you. If it is, we begin with my studying your current situation, expectations, and fundamental value propositions. We then establish our mentoring goals. Some people call me daily, some weekly, some monthly. Some visit, others don't. The frequency and style are up to you. I return all phone calls within 90 minutes, and all written correspondence within 24 hours. The fee is required to begin the process or to claim a place on the waiting list. The fee may be paid in installments, but the process doesn't begin until payment is complete. The fee is non-refundable, no exceptions. However, you may call a "freeze" at any point, at which time we stop the calendar until you're ready to begin again. I'm notoriously lax about the six months and readily provide grace periods to take care of any loose ends.
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"Alan helped me to shift my perception of the value I provide to clients and change my business model to boost my firm's profitability. He's very smart and quick, with a well-developed flair for marketing and promotion. He's been an enormous resource, and the value created far exceeds the fees paid and time invested. I've re-enrolled in the program."
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Nick Miller, President
Clarity Advantage Corp.
Acton, MA
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This is a very powerful, personal learning experience. The process is available to small firms for $7,500-$10,000, depending on size.
Click here to register
Guided Mentoring Option
Some individuals who require a highly structured relationship with additional accountability for meeting their goals may qualify for Guided Mentoring. In this version of the program we choose those areas which are of highest priority and create:
- a detailed game plan with specific completion dates, and
- formal, scheduled contact times to discuss accomplishments and any obstacles preventing short-term tasks from being completed. I will enforce completion dates and task accomplishment.
The areas we may deal with include contacting prospects, creating publicity materials, creating a book proposal, writing articles, writing a book, contacting speakers bureaus, creating a web site, following-up on leads, establishing networking events, creating a brand, creating products, etc. We generally choose about four or five, I provide a template with specific tasks and completion dates, and we establish formal schedules for those completion dates. The Guided Program provides for externally-enforced discipline, in that you are accountable for specific completion activities on certain dates for which I follow-up with you.
The Guided Program is recommended for those at any level of their career who feel the need for increased structure, whose intellectual curiosity and talent cause them to wander from task to task prior to completion, and who require more urgency in creating results. Due to its targeted nature, you may not "freeze" the Guided Program during the six months. This version of the Mentor Program is available for $6,500.
Click here to register
Total Immersion Program
For people who want to "jump start" the process, we have begun offering a new version of the Mentor Program called "total immersion." This consists of two days with Alan, at his home/office, to learn how he handles clients, prospects, office management, invoicing, interruptions, writing, etc. We also spend considerable time on your strategy and goals, and create plans to move forward.
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"After generating more than $60,000 alone on Alan's ideas, returning for another six months was an easy decision. And I'll be back for a third time, soon!"
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Vickie Sullivan
President, Sullivan Speaker Services
Scottsdale, AZ
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Spouses and significant others are welcome to attend as much of the discussions as they like. We'll dine together and also have some recreation and "down time."
You then enter the regular Mentor Program for six months. The fee for total immersion including the six-month Mentor Program to follow is $9,500. (All meals are included while you are with us.)
There is a free Mentor Meeting approximately every 8 months which draws between 50 and 100 participants, and a free monthly newsletter which contains the best of my thinking on personal and business growth which is sent continually to participants and graduates. You also become a member of Alansforums.com, an international destination for professionals and entrepreneurs discussing everything from marketing to politics, and fees to life balance. This is a lifetime membership.
Click here to register
Mentor Summit at The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe outside of San Diego (February 2006)
Click picture for larger version
Seventh Mentor Summit, Paradise Island, Nassau, The Bahamas: Atlantis Resort (May 2005)
Click pictures for larger versions
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Dear Alan,
Thank you for the help you have given me through your Mentor Program, and the Consulting College. As a result of the skills I have learned from working with you and attending your programs I have gone from being a trainer to becoming a successful consultant. This has enabled me to expand my business, and work with senior leaders who want to create change throughout their organizations. I used to dread writing articles, and proposals. I can write articles in less than two hours and get them featured in publications throughout the world. It takes me half as much time to write proposals and my success rate has at least doubled. I would also say that attending your mentor summits and participating in your on-line forum has put me in contact with other consultants across the world who are successful in a myriad of areas. We are able to share knowledge, best practices, and give each other concrete advice and support with our businesses that would be impossible to get anywhere else in one place.
The mentor program has helped me stay focussed and move into new areas of business, and the consulting college has helped me take my business to a much higher level than I had ever envisioned before.
Once again, thank you and I look forward to continuing our work together.
Best regards,
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Simma Lieberman
"The Cross-cultural Conversationalist"
Simma Lieberman Associates
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Alan Weiss
President
Summit Consulting Group
85 Las Brisas Circle
East Greenwich, Rhode Island 02818
Dear Alan:
I'm writing to let you know how much I learned from being part of your mentor program for the past six months and how much I appreciate your allowing me to be a part of it.
What I Learned
- I learned to understand the value of the work I do for my clients and how to articulate it. This has helped me win more business as well as identify those clients with whom I don't want to work.
- I learned to understand what clients were really objecting to when they said "you're so expensive!" and how to address those objections.
- Being relatively new to consulting has some tremendous advantages. I talked to several consultants at the mentor meeting who were so stuck on doing things the way they'd always done them that they couldn't hear what you or anyone else at the meeting had to say. Because I'm so new to all this, I'm well aware of how much I don't know plus it costs me very little try a new approach when the current one isn't working.
- Clients always have money for the right person and the right project. I spent 20 minutes (two phone calls) advising the executive director of a small nonprofit on how to avoid a hostile takeover by her board president. Three weeks later, she hired me for two board trainings and insisted that I charge her full fee (this despite the fact that the executive director is a volunteer and the nonprofit has less than $100,000 in its bank account).
- Value-based pricing and working toward client objectives isn't just a way to make more money, it's also the best way to protect your reputation and your integrity. Despite the efforts of a disgruntled client who attempted to slander my reputation and prevent three clients from hiring me, all three clients hired me anyway. It's easy to criticize how someone facilitates a meeting; it's much harder to make the criticism stick when the client's goals are consistently being met.
What I Achieved
- I created all new marketing materials with a professional consulting firm look.
- I re-wrote my marketing pieces to emphasize what I achieve for clients rather than the tasks I perform.
- In July, I booked $50,000 in consulting and training fees, roughly 2/3rds of what I made in total in 2000.
- With your help, I won my first contract with a Fortune 500 company (NEC Electronics) which would have led to further contracts had the company not fallen on tough times because of the economic downturn.
- I won a very large (for me) strategic planning contract with a $55 million nonprofit despite the fact that I had never done work for a nonprofit with a budget larger than $16 million.
- I gave a presentation on what I had learned from the mentor program at the meeting in Las Vegas and realized that I had learned and achieved something that others could benefit from.
What I Appreciated
- Your willingness to share your mistakes because you never learn as much from someone who is "perfect"
- Your sense of humor
- Your directness (even when it hurt)
- Your praise (because when you gave it, I knew I had earned it)
- Your ability to embrace life fully and to avoid dwelling on what didn't work (it reminds me of one of my parent's favorite expressions - "living well is the best revenge")
Please accept the enclosed bottles of California wine as a token of my appreciation and thanks for all you've done for me.
It has been both an honor and a privilege to be a part of the mentor program for these past six months. I look forward to doing a second term in the near future and to attending the next mentor summit meeting.
All the best,
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Margo M. Fowkes
President
OnTarget Consulting, Inc.
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Here is a partial list of books published by past and present members of Alan Weiss's Private Roster Mentor Program:
Private Roster Mentor Program of Alan Weiss
Members' Bibliography
(Books are available through Amazon.com)
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"Alan has helped us become much more strategic, ensuring us a more profitable future. We are far more sensitive to emphasizing our value, thereby better leveraging our strengths-and our fees-in the marketplace."
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Nancy Yahanda
President, Yahanda, Inc.
Boston, MA
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- Adamsky, Howard
Hiring and Retaining Top IT Professionals: The guide for savvy hiring managers and job hunters alike (McGraw-Hill: 2001).
- Bane, Michael
All Night Radio (Flying Dragon: 2003).
Over the Edge: A Regular Guy's Odyssey in Extreme Sports (Wilderness Press: 2000).
Shifting Paradigms: Reshaping the Future of Industry (Dogwood: 1990).
Trail Safe: Averting Threatening Human Behavior in the Outdoors (Wilderness Press: 2000).
- Bild, Traci
7 Steps to Successful Selling: Work Smart, Sell Effeciently, Make Money (Perigee/Penguin Putnam: 2001).
- Birol, Andrew
The 5 Catalysts of 7 Figure Growth - Propel your business to the next level (CareerPress: 2006).
- Birkeland, Peter
Franchising Dreams: The Lure of Entrepreneurship in America (University of Chicago Press: 2002).
- Carrad, David Clayton
The Complete QDRO Handbook: Dividing ERISA, Military, and Civil Service Pensions and Collecting Child Support from Employee Benefit Plans (American
Bar Association: 2000).
- Coughlin, Dan
Accelerate: 20 Practical Lessons to Boost Business Momentum (Kaplan Publishing, 2007).
Corporate Catalysts: How To Make Your Company More Successful, Whatever Your Title, Income, or Authority (Career Press, 2007).
- Christian, Ken
Your Own Worst Enemy: Breaking the Habit of Adult Underachievement (Regan Books, HarperCollins: 2002).
"From being mentored by Alan since 1999, here are hard results my business has realized:
I have successfully raised my speaking and consulting fees by more than one thousand percent.
- I attribute 70%-80% of my current net worth directly to his mentoring.
- When I started with Alan, my keynote fee was $1,000, it's now $10,000.
- I didn't know anything about consulting in 99'. Last year, I closed more than a quarter million dollars in consulting alone.
- He instills confidence, discipline, market awareness and a targeted business saavy to your approach. If 'work less, make more' is part of your quest, hire Alan. If you think this is another typical endorsement, call me any time: 708-902-4775."
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Joe Takash
President, Victory Consulting
Chicago, Il
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- Csordos, Mark
Business Lessons for Entrepreneurs: 35 Things I Learned Before the Age of Thirty, (SouthWestern Publishing: 2002).
- DiResta, Diane
Knockout Presentations: How to Deliver our Message with Power, Punch, and Pizzazz (Chandler House Press: 1998).
- Ford, Lynda
Transform Your Workplace: 52 Proven Strategies to Motivate, Energize, and Kick Productivity up to the Next Level (McGraw-Hill; 2005).
- Friedman, Susan
Meeting & Event Planning for Dummies (John Wiley & Sons: 2003).
- Glen, Paul
Leading Geeks (Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer: 2002).
- Gray, Patrick
Breakthrough IT: Supercharging Organizational Value through Technology (John Wiley & Sons: 2007).
- Harkness, Ph.D., Helen
Capitalizing on Career Chaos: Bringing Creativity and Purpose to Your Work and Life (Davies-Black: 2005).
The Career Chase: Taking Creative Control in a Chaotic Age (Davies-Black: 1997).
Don't Stop the Career Clock: Rejecting the Myths of Aging for a New Way to Work in the 21st Century (Davies-Black: 1999).
- Hartnett, Rob
Fast Times Ahead – The internet revolution and you (Information Australia 2000).
What Sales People Know About Marketing (Brolga Publishing 2003).
Small Business, Big Opportunity – Winning the right customers through smart marketing and advertising (Sensis 2006).
- Hick, Michael
Box-Busting Creativity: Enhance Your Life and Career with New Ideas (Power Plug: 2001).
Global Deals: Marketing and Managing Across Cultural Frontiers (Skyward Publishing: 2003).
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"Your mentoring program is a good investment.
You deliver what you promise including returning calls in 90 minutes and giving sound business advice. What I most appreciate is your laser coaching-no psychobabble, just good, practical advice. ("You're not charging enough").
Recently, I was challenged by how to transition from an hourly coaching fee to a retainer model. The two biggest obstacles were ignorance and fear. I didn't know how to structure and price my services and I thought new clients would object.
In literally five minutes you gave me three options with different price points. You made is sound so simple. I'm happy to say that I just booked my first retainer client!
Thanks again."
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Diane DiResta
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- Kutner, Ph.D., Lawrence
Grand Theft Childhood: The Surprising Truth About Violent Video Games and What Parents Can Do. (Simon and Schuster: 2008).
Making Sense of Your Teenager (New York: William Morrow & Co., Reprinted in trade softcover by Avon books: 1998).
Your School-Age Child (William Morrow & Co., Reprinted in trade softcover by Avon Books: 1997).
Toddlers And Preschoolers (William Morrow & Co., Reprinted in trade softcover by Avon Books: 1995).
Pregnancy And Your Baby's First Year (William Morrow & Co., Reprinted in trade softcover by Avon Books: 1994).
Parent & Child: Getting Through To Each Other (William Morrow & Co., Reprinted in trade softcover by Avon Books: 1992).
- Levy, Mark
Accidental Genius: Revolutionize Your Thinking Through Private Writing (Berrett-Koehler: 2000).
Magic for Dummies (with David Pogue, Hungry Minds: 1998).
Tricks with Your Head: Hilarious Magic Tricks and Stunts to Disgust and Delight (with Mac King, Crown: 2002).
- Lieberman, Simma
Putting Diversity to Work (with George Simons and Kate Berardo, Crisp: 2003).
- Lonier, Terri
The Frugal Entrepreneur: Creative Ways to Save Time, Energy, and Money in Your Business (Portico Press: 1996).
The Small Business Money Guide (with Lisa M. Aldisert, John Wiley & Sons: 1999).
Smart Strategies for Growing Your Business (John Wiley & Sons: 1999).
Working Solo: The Real Guide to Freedom and Financial Success with Your Own Business (second edition, John Wiley & Sons: 1998).
Working Solo Sourcebook: Essential Resources for Independent Entrepreneurs (second edition, John Wiley & Sons: 1998).
- Maurer, Rick
Beyond the Wall of Resistance (Bard Press: 1996).
Why Don't You Want What I Want? (Bard Press: 2002).
- McDermott, Lynda
World Class Teams: Working Across Borders (Wiley: 1998).
Caught in the Middle/How to Survive & Thrive in Today's Management Squeeze (Prentice Hall: 1994).
- Poll, Ed
The Successful Lawyer – Banker Relationship (LawBiz® Management, Co.: 2006).
More Secrets of the Business of Law® (LawBiz® Management, Co.: 2006).
Business Competency for Lawyers: A Lawbiz® Management Special Report (LawBiz® Management, Co.: 2006).
Selling Your Law Practice: The Profitable Exit Strategy (LawBiz® Management Co.: 2005).
Collecting Your Fee: Getting Paid, From Intake to Invoice (American Bar Association: 2003).
Attorney & Law Firm Guide to The Business of Law: Planning and Operating for Survival and Growth, Second Edition (American Bar Association: 2003).
Secrets of the Business of Law®: Successful Practices for Increasing Your Profits! (LawBiz® Management, Co.: 1998).
The Profitable Law Office Handbook: Attorney's Guide to Successful Business Planning (LawBiz® Management, Co.: 1996)
- Post, Karen
Brain Tattoos, Creating Unique Brands That Stick to your Customers' Minds (AMACOM 2004).
- Richards, Kelli
The Art of Digital Music: 56 Visionary Artists & Insiders Reveal Their Creative Secrets -- book/DVD (Backbeat Books: 2005). Co-authored with David Battino.
Create the Business Breakthrough You Want: Secrets and Strategies from the World's Greatest Mentors -- Mission Publishing: 2004). Co-authored with Brian Tracy, Mark Victor Hansen, Robert G. Allen, et al.
- Shapiro, Stephen
Innovation: A Blueprint for Surviving and Thriving in an Age of Change (McGraw-Hill: 2002).
- Silverman, George
The Secrets of Word-of-Mouth Marketing: How to Trigger Exponential Sales through Runaway Word-of-Mouth (Amacom: 2001).
- Sobel, Andrew
Clients for Life: Evolving from an Expert for Hire to an Extraordinary Advisor (with Jagdish Sheth, Simon & Schuster: 2000).
Making Rain: The Secrets of Building Lifelong Client Loyalty (John Wiley & Sons: 2003).
- Thompson, Barbara
Weight Loss Surgery for Dummies (Wiley: 2005).
- Waterhouse, Steve
The Team Selling Solution: Creating and Managing Teams that Win the Complex Sale (McGraw-Hill: 2003).
- Yastrow, Steve
Brand Harmony: Achieving dynamic results by orchestrating your customers’ total experience (Tom Peters Company Press/Select Books: 2003).
Click here to register
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