Check Out the Agenda for “I’m a Mediator … Now What?”

Wondering what’s in store for you when you register for this exciting workshop? Check out the agenda for “I’m a Mediator! … Now What?”

Agenda          

Saturday – June 12th

Morning: Introduction and the Basics of Branding and Marketing Your Mediation Practice – Brian Beck, Cynthia Gleason and Jennifer Kostka

Topics: Introductions, overview & ice breaker, Personal branding and messaging brainstorm

In this session we will get to know the group and begin to think about our business focus. Brian will lead an ice breaker session to help participants open discussions with each other and the consultants. Cynthia and Jennifer will help participants begin to think about establishing their personal and business brands. Through this session we will begin to think of our mediation practices as organizations and start to form the foundation of our businesses.

Afternoon: Establishing and Selling Your Mediation Business in Colorado – Brian Beck

Topics: Mediation in Colorado/Running the business, Selling mediation/Ethics

In this session Brian will give an overview of mediation and mediators in Colorado. We will discuss where people go for mediation, who is looking for your services, and how the lessons from this training will give you an edge over other practitioners. Next we will talk about resources for business planning, where to find office space, fee structures, and other basic business strategies. Finally, we will discuss sales strategies including successful programs, examples of practices, and how to bring parties to your mediation table.

Wednesday – June 16th

Expanding Your Message and Brand and Exploring Marketing Tools – Cynthia Gleason , Jennifer Kostka and Angie Lee

Topics: Expanding the message, Marketing tools

This session will focus on how to develop and maintain a professional look across all of your marketing efforts. Cynthia and Jennifer will expand on the previous discussions about personal branding and messaging. Then they will discuss various marketing tools, how to choose the right tools, and how to develop a marketing plan. Angie will discuss the dos and don’ts of graphic design, when to hire a graphic designer and how to work with designers effectively to create products that will help draw clients to your business.

Saturday – June 19th

Morning: Applying Your New Knowledge of Branding to Your Mediation Practice and Discovering Social Media – Cynthia Gleason and Jennifer Kostka

Topics: Branding Review, Social Media/establishing yourself as an expert

This session will help you dig even deeper into developing and refining your brand and messaging. Jennifer will help you to harness the power of the internet and explain how to use it to draw clients to your business through your brand identity. You will leave the session knowing how to showcase your mediation expertise through the use of social media. You will learn how to integrate your website, blog, twitter, facebook and linkedin accounts into one cohesive strategy that will help bring clients to you through the internet.

Afternoon: Choosing a Legal Form for the Business and Identifying Potential Tax Issues – Georgine Kryda; Conclusion —  Brian Beck

Topics: Entity & Taxes, Final Questions & Closing     

In the final session, Georgine will identify potential legal and tax issues for solo practitioners and possible partnerships, as well as guide you toward appropriate resources.  Among the topics that we discuss will be:  How do you form the business? Does incorporation always protect your personal assets? What should you know about a potential partner? Are you going to have employees or independent contractors? Does your home office really qualify for the home office deduction? How should you be tracking mileage and use of your car for business? What types of taxes might you owe? We will conclude the session by discussing what you should know about finding and working with an attorney or an accountant.    

We have put together a comprehensive workshop that will offer you the tools to establish, brand and market your practice. For less than $70/hr you can expand your mediation practice by the end of the year. We hope you will join us! Click here to register now.

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Marketing Your Mediation Practice

If you already realized that marketing skills are what you need to get your mediation practice off of the ground, then you have probably done some research. You may have seen the articles that offer great tips that suggest you use the internet, prepare your elevator speech, narrow your focus, determine your target market, write a business and marketing plan, network, develop your brand, and produce a promotional kit. Here are some examples:

• “Marketing Your ADR Practice, How to Make Conflict Resolution Your Day Job,”ACR Quarterly Magazine, Spring 2006,
• “10 tips to Smart Marketing of your Mediation Services” by Sandra L. Davis
• “A 12 Step Approach to Enhancing Your Alternate Dispute Resolution Practice” by Anju D. Jessani

If you’re like me, you read these articles and said, “That’s a great article, I need to do that!” The problem is that you have been sitting on these articles for at least three years. The good news is that these articles are still as valid today as they were originally. The overarching problem with all of these articles is that they fail to answer, “How?”

“I’m a Mediator … Now What?” will help you answer the “how” questions. We bring the consultants to you. Our consultants will help you determine what marketing materials are worthwhile, what to think about when writing your elevator speech, how to establish your personal and business brands, and how to use the internet and social media to maximize your marketing efforts, including free blog sites such as this.

We’ll discuss the things you can do yourself as well as when you should hire a professional consultant. Also, we’ll give you the tips you need to know before hiring consultants — tips that will save you time and money.

Learn more about “I’m a Mediator … Now What?”

Register Now!

To register for “I’m a Mediator … Now What?“, please fill out the registration form.

Mail the form to:

The Solutions Group

PO Box 19041

Golden, CO 80402

If you would like to pay securely with a credit card, please follow the link below.

Follow this link to register by credit card on or before May 28th.

An Investment in Your Future as a Mediator

As a mediator, I know “I’m a Mediator, Now What?” may look expensive at first glance, especially for those of you just beginning to launch your practice. To add business perspective to your decision about this training, I want to give you some numbers.

If you charge $120/hr for your mediation services and each case takes a minimum of 4 hours, you’ll be billing for $480 on each case. This means that you will only need 3 cases to get complete return on your investment.

All of these consultants have spent time with me learning about the field and the struggles that we face so that they can provide the greatest benefit possible. My original hope was that the three primary consultants (Cynthia, Jenn, & Georgine) would spend a few hours teaching specific pieces of the training. The reality is that they are all so excited to help with this project that they have agreed to be present for the majority of the courses.

If you wanted to hire all three of the consultants for 20 hours of services, it would cost you about $9,000. Instead, you are gaining access to these consultants for an hourly rate of less than $70.

As with our clients, there is a learning curve for consultants who can help with your practice. These consultants have already spent a great deal of time studying the problems faced by mediators. They will walk in the door ready to give you the information you need.

I was trained as a mediator in 2003 and have been acting as a volunteer mediator and a support person for mediators and mediation organizations since then. I have helped draft marketing and business plans, represented mediators and mediation as a CCMO board member and president, helped to revamp training programs and have served as a coach and mentor in the mediation community. While completing my master’s degree, I have had amazing opportunities to see the similarities and differences between the theory and practice of mediation.

As mediators, I believe we have so much to offer our clients, but mediation isn’t like teaching or law enforcement or nursing. People aren’t familiar with the profession of mediation, and we need to explain it to them. This training will help us get people through our doors so we can prove our value and help people find solutions to the conflicts that are consuming them.

You won’t find a training like this anywhere else. If you are serious about building your mediation practice, make this investment in your practice so we can elevate the mediation profession together.

Learn more about this training and how you can register.

Don’t Let Your Questions about Setting Up Your Mediation Practice Continue to Go Unanswered

As mediators, we have heard and asked each other the same questions over and over — “How do I make a living doing this?” and “How do I market this?”

Over the last seven years, I have met many amazing mediators who struggle to build their practices because they can’t find the answers to these questions. What I have found is that most of these mediators are lacking some specific business tools and skills. Among these are the abilities to manage finances, market their practices, and be comfortable with sales. I believe that if mediators learn a few basic business skills, they can significantly increase their profits.

Just like with our mediation practices, we can’t guarantee a successful outcome but we can provide people with tools and processes to find a successful outcome. “I’m a Mediator, Now What?” will offer you proven tools that, if you use properly, will help you establish yourself as an expert, define your personal and business brand, market your services, and make the sale.

Yes, this is a significant investment but if being your own boss in a mediation business is what you truly want to do, this training has been developed to give you the tools that you need to move forward. Regardless of the focus, it’s not easy to run your own business. Mediators face especially difficult times because our services and their benefits are not understood. People don’t understand mediation and they don’t immediately think of mediation when they’re in conflict. We have to learn how to establish ourselves and our services as necessary and valuable resources.

Mediation techniques reduce violence

If mediation techniques can be used to help people put down guns, then it shouldn’t be difficult for people to understand that it could help in less violent disputes.

Check out this article about how “Violence Interrupters” are cutting down on violent crimes in Chicago. The last paragraph mentions the use of mediation techniques. These women are finding solutions that work for people who would otherwise seek revenge by shooting each other. If mediation can work for that tough Chicago crowd, it can help neighbors fighting over a barking dog or families disputing the custody of children.

The article is missing a link to the CeaseFire website. You can find them here. Be sure to check out the “data/maps” page and read some of their stats.

“I’m a Mediator, Now What?”

You have taken mediation courses, you believe strongly in your potential to help people work through their conflicts to find resolutions, and now you want to break into the mediation industry with your own practice. But how do you do it?

Right now people are in need of your skills but they don’t know how to find you. This class will help you find them. Learn how to:

• Attract clients to your practice through strategic branding and marketing.
• Navigate the details of setting up a practice.
• Explain your valuable work to clients quickly, succinctly and convincingly.
• Organize your finances responsibly.
• Build upon the networks you have already established.
• Use tools such as social media and the internet to market your practice.
• Work productively and achieve results with consultants in finance, law, marketing and public relations.

This workshop will bring the marketing and public relations experts and financial and legal professionals to you. These consultants have spent time learning the frustrations mediators face and have developed solid strategies for overcoming these challenges. To learn more about the workshop’s featured consultants, read their bios.

This is not a mediator training. This is a business training focused on helping you build your mediation practice. Through three classes, you will gain the tools you need to market your practice and learn what you need to do to attract paying clients. You also will learn what you need to know before hiring consultants in marketing, finance, public relations, web site design and graphic arts.

Saturday, June 12 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Wednesday, June 16 from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 19 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

All classes will be at the Wellshire Inn, 3333 South Colorado Boulevard in Denver.

Early Bird Rate through Friday, May 28 — $1,299 ($1,349 with credit card)

Regular Rate after May 28– $1,449 ($1,499 with credit card)

Make checks payable to Brian Beck. Mail your check and registration form to:

The Solutions Group
P.O. Box 19041
Golden, CO 80402

If you would like to pay by credit card, please indicate that on the registration form and we will send you an invoice with directions for paying securely online.

Questions? Contact Brian Beck at (720) 220-8683 or beck.brian.s@gmail.com.

Mediation named one of best careers 2009

Check out this article … It points out the challenges of mediation as well as the benefits.

US News and World Report named mediation one of the best careers for 2009, commenting about its potential even in an economic downturn (www.usnews.com/articles/business/best-careers/2008/12/11/best-careers-2009-mediator.html)

Welcome to The Solutions Group Blog!

Today, we are launching The Solutions Group Blog — a resource for people looking for information and services related to conflict resolution and mediation. We hope this will become a gathering place where professionals in conflict resolution can share ideas and grow awareness for this exciting industry.

If you have ideas for posts or discussions, just let us know. We look forward to helping you find the solutions you need!