They Ask, You Answer Certified Coaching Program: What Are the Schedule Details?

Becoming a certified They Ask, You Answer coach requires a big investment of two precious resources: time and money.

As with any smart investment, these will both be paid back to you many times over: The money you invest will bring back more money, and the time you invest will give you more time.

Here's how:

• As a certified coach, you’ll operate with a more profitable business model when you sell They Ask, You Answer coaching services to your clients.
• When your clients produce their own marketing materials under your guidance, you’ll be able to work more efficiently, saving time from labor-intensive implementation tasks.

The upfront investment of time in the Certified Coaching Program is intentional. We’ve designed an immersive learning experience that will deliver an incredible amount of knowledge and skill development in a short amount of time.

Below, you’ll find a detailed description of the time commitment you can expect, broken out into the following categories:

• What to expect during the intensive first two weeks
• Weekly training during months 1-6
• Bi-weekly check-ins with your cohort after you complete your certification

The certification mindset

They Ask, You Answer is a rich field of study, and becoming a certified coach is not easy. You will work directly with IMPACT master coaches — as well as a cohort of other certified coaching candidates — during this intensive learning experience.

Although the program will ask a lot of you, your coaches are fully invested in your growth and success. You will be challenged, but you will be supported every step of the way by master coaches who are completely in tune with your needs.

Now, let’s dive into what you should expect as you start on the path to becoming a certified They Ask, You Answer coach.

Certified Coaching Program overview

Once your application for the Certified Coaching Program has been accepted, you’ll be placed in a cohort of approximately 5-9 other professionals.

This group will become your tight-knit They Ask, You Answer community. Although they might hail from different corners of the world and work in different industries, your shared learning experience will bring and hold you together.

Note: Attendance is highly encouraged and expected at every meeting. Missing sessions will severely hinder your learning experience and the experience of your fellow cohort members. Please speak to the program director if you have specific questions about scheduling and meeting requirements.

The first week: 3 5-hour sessions

Your training begins with an intensive three-day workshop experience. Each day, expect three to five hours of hands-on discussion, role-playing, and seminar-style learning, led by IMPACT master coaches.

Expect to complete:

• A full program overview and deep dive into They Ask, You Answer
• A communication workshop
• A detailed study of a They Ask, You Answer alignment workshop

In between sessions, you may have additional material to read or watch, as well as practice time as you begin to prepare for your role-play in week two.

The second week: 45-minute role-play with Marcus Sheridan

At the conclusion of workshop week, you will bring your learning to life with a special role-play delivered directly to Marcus Sheridan himself. 

What does this role-play entail?  Each candidate will role-play sections of a They Ask, You Answer workshop and get real-time feedback from Marcus Sheridan, founder of They Ask, You Answer.

Having focused heavily on the details of a They Ask, You Answer workshop in the first week, especially the principles of effective communication, candidates will now put that learning into action. Program leaders want to see how well candidates could deliver this workshop on their own.

The experience will generate feedback and focus areas to help direct your growth over the next six months. 

Months 1-6: Weekly 90-minute training and practice sessions (+ homework)

Once you complete the initial workshop and pass the exam, you move into weekly training sessions that will deepen your knowledge and expand your skillset. Each week, you’ll become more knowledgeable about They Ask, You Answer and improve your coaching abilities.

These sessions will be led by an IMPACT master coach. 

Your 24 weekly sessions will be grouped as follows:

• Month 1: Anatomy of They Ask, You Answer Mastery program. The first month is dedicated to learning about the different services and meetings encompassed within the Mastery program at IMPACT. You'll learn about how services are structured and how to facilitate these meetings as a coach.
• Month 2: Delivering IMPACT-level coaching. You'll learn how to hold authority, earn and keep trust with clients, and help them overcome internal challenges that can cause businesses to fail in the adoption of They Ask, You Answer.
• Month 3: Teaching and coaching They Ask, You Answer. A deep dive into the client journey from start to finish. We will walk you through client setup and onboarding, planning sessions and tools, core elements on training for content, video, HubSpot, assignment selling, and more.
• Month 4: Role-play activities. Learn how to facilitate effective role plays for your clients and internal teams.
• Month 5: Sales team coaching. They Ask, You Answer success hinges on the buy-in of the sales team. Learn how to train them to effectively use content and video to improve and shorten the sales cycle.

• • Month 6: Bringing it all together and program graduation. Round out your learning and see how They Ask, You Answer transforms entire organizations.

Each week, anticipate about 3-5 hours of homework outside of the session. This could include readings or video recordings, completing courses in IMPACT+, or various real-world practicum assignments.

Months 7-12 (and beyond): 90-minute cohort meetings, twice per month

At the end of six months, you’ll be a fully certified They Ask, You Answer coach, ready to offer a range of new services to your clients.

After completing your certification, you shift to bi-weekly cohort meetings to tweak, troubleshoot, and perfect your practical knowledge of They Ask, You Answer. 

These cohort meetings continue for as long as you maintain your certification. Every two weeks, you’ll meet for a 90-minute discussion, facilitated by an IMPACT master coach. 

During these sessions you’ll share wins, talk through struggles, and learn from each other.

After program completion

As a certified They Ask, You Answer coach, you’ll be expected to keep up to date with the latest insights and applications of Marcus Sheridan’s framework.

Each year going forward, expect to:

• Attend ongoing cohort meetings. As a certified coach, you will be able to attend ongoing biweekly meetings with your cohort to share successes and work through struggles.
• Stay up to date on new course releases on IMPACT+. Our online learning community is the place where we roll out new courses and lessons to teach They Ask, You Answer. As you sell your coaching services, it’s likely you’ll send your clients to IMPACT+ to learn. Therefore, you should keep up with new releases.
• Attend IMPACT events. At in-person and virtual events, you can hear from Marcus and other IMPACT and marketing experts on a wide range of topics.
• Prepare for recertification. At given intervals in the future, you will seek recertification by exhibiting your familiarity with the They Ask, You Answer workshop curriculum. More details about this process will be provided during your training.

Knowing what to expect before you begin

Becoming a certified They Ask, You Answer coach is a transformative and intensive learning experience that can fundamentally alter the way you run your business and serve your clients. 

This kind of growth and development only takes place because the program is so comprehensive.

It is a big commitment, and it’s important to be clear about what will be expected of you before you begin.

Those who have come before you have found the program to be profoundly valuable — and totally doable. Each session is carefully planned to deliver tangible, specific value to the students.

If you have more questions about the nature or scope of the program, reach out to the IMPACT team to find out more.