Note: the most current list of what's included in the GSC is located here at http://www.graduateschoolofcoaching.com.  Please use that as the most accurate information after reading this introductory memo.  Thanks!

Tuesday, December 18, 2001 (updated 1/11/02)
Pre Announcement/Feedback Sought 
Graduate School of Coaching
 Dear R&D Team Member:




In April 2002, we are officially launching the Graduate School of Coaching (GSC).  The price point will be $1795 until December 31, 2002 (then $2495), with special pricing of only $895 until April 30, 2002. 

I'm going to explain my thinking on this in the memo below.  And, I would very much like your comments/suggestions/tweaks, positive or negative.  This is the time to speak out.  What you suggest now will have a significant impact on the final product.  We are moving forward with the GSC but there's plenty of time to tweak the components to fit your needs.

Observations/Key Points

1. Just to be crystal clear, we will continue to add resources for our members who are at the $79 membership level.  
Including basic coach training, demos/critiques collection, referral service and more.  Nothing has changed regarding that.  It's just that there are more things we want to offer/create and to afford them, we need an addition package/price point.

2. Those who enroll in the Graduate School of Coaching (GSC) will receive a number of things beyond what the $79 members receive.  
We know what some of these extra items are now, and some we don't know yet but know that we'll be coming up with the, with the help of the GSC members.  Some of things we know we'll be providing, exclusively for GSC members are:

Use/access to the 100 QuickScore client situations/system modules.  These will be available exclusively to the GSC members, not to general members.  Most folks don't realize how powerful these will be until they use them with clients.  We'll include training in each and a license to teach/offer most of these to groups if the coach wants to.

Access/invites to 18 Advanced Coach Training Modules.  These will be offered by live TeleClass, RealAudio and eCourse.  These advanced topics will include modules on both the business and personal side.  Examples...
...How to Craft a Personal Operating System
...How to Coach the CEO of a Billion Dollar Enterprise
...How to Use the 10 SuperAdvanced Coaching Skills

Access/invites to 18 Advanced Corporate Coach Training Modules.  These will be offered by live TeleClass, RealAudio and eCourse.  These advanced topics of interest to executive and corporate coaches.




Access/invites to 12 Full Practice Training Modules.  These will be offered mostly by RealAudio and eCourse and will offer a high end focus.  Examples...
...How to Create and Run a $1mm a Year Coaching Practice
...Turning Your Website Into a Key Source of Your Revenue Stream
...Developing a National Reputation.

Assessment Training covering the most popular assessment tools and systems available.  This will be offered by live TeleClass, RealAudio and eCourse.  

Access to the Best Practice Database of Client Situations.  This is a biggie. A real biggie.  A searchable database of situational solutions that we've created and that you can contribute to.  We were going to include this in our $79 membership but have decided to make it exclusively available to GSC members.

Priority access Help Desk including live telephone support.  

Free access to and use of our Premium eCourse Collection like Certified Cyber, Full Practice, Absence Of, A Perfect Life and more.  And, in some cases, a license to rebroadcast these ecourses at no additional charge. Great for marketing and client service purposes.

And more.  Lots more.  There's tons more we can create/offer to GSC members because we'll be able to afford to develop new services, systems, content and tools.

Questions/Thoughts...

1. Just to underscore, we are keeping our word with all $79 CoachVille members.
It's just that we're adding a lot of new stuff that will appeal to senior coaches.  Currently, there is no real place that senior/experienced coaches can 'go' to access high level courses/tools.  We believe that the GSC will serve that growing need/niche.  Most of the GSC members will be grads of the coaching schools and/or have related certifications.  

2.  There are two certification levels.
First, is the Certified Coach designation from CoachVille.  This certifies that you are skilled in the 10 competencies of Coaching.  Second, is the GSC Certified Coach designation.  This means that you are both skilled in the 10 competencies of coaching and are also skilled with the use of Client Based Solutions.  So, Certified Coach means you know your coaching skills; GSC Certified Coach means that you know your coaching skills and client based solutions.

3.  We're pretty content with the $1795 (until December 31, 2002, then $2495) price point.
We're trying to find a price point that is 'serious' enough yet a price point that will not 'force' a coach who's already paid $5,000 for their training at a coaching school to pay another $5,000 to do the GSC.  $1795 seems right.  But please let me know your thoughts...

4.  Can anyone join the GSC?
Yes.  A significant percentage of folks will NOT be grads of other schools, but folks who have had some experience as a coach and want to train with us. While anyone may enter the GSC, our guidelines will be quite clear as to the skill and experience level they'll need to be at in order to benefit and participate on the live TeleClasses.



5.  The launch.
It's going to be tricky but we have some ideas.  Tricky in the jump from $79 price point to a product at $895/1795/2795  It'll take some doing, and marketing and value added draws to pull this off but I feel that we can.  

First, I'll use myself as part of the draw by leading many of the advanced modules/TeleClasses.

Second, making clear the full set of resources available (making a case for the 100 set of QuickScore tools will be important, so folks know it's training AND tools, not just training).

Work with the 100 best/senior coaches to get them into the GSC.  They'll bring others along.

The $895 super early adapter special pricing will pull somewhat.  

That the first year is beta appeals a good segment of the coaching population, notably the CoachVille R&D Team.  Beta is fun, beta is open, beta is fresh.

I think the inclusion of the Corporate/Executive modules in the GSC curriculum will be appealing. We thought of setting up a Corporate CoachVille or School of Corporate Coaching but we're going to start with GSC for now and weave in some high end corporate coaching resources within.



Whew.  Big news.  Big memo.  

Note:
The GSC officially launches in April 2002 but we've already started accepting registrations as of today.  Should you be a believer in what we're doing and want to show your support and start playing the game early, just click here to join the GSC. Cost is $895 until April 30, 2002; then increasing to $1795. We offer a full one year satisfaction guarantee.  You have entire year to get your $895 or $1795 refunded if you're not satisfied.  But I believe you'll be quite happy.  If we can do what we've done for you for only $79, just imagine what you can do for $895/1795.


Love to hear your comments... 
thomas@thomasleonard.com

Update on 1/11/02.  Already, 91 folks have joined the GSC.  Welcome!

Thomas