GROUP CHAIRS

A Group Chair is Excell's licensee in developing and managing an executive peer group in a specific geographic area. Selected individuals will receive a license to operate under Excell’s name, consistent with our standards and operating processes, establishing their position in a growing business. After training at our home office in Portland, Oregon, Group Chairs develop business and marketing plans specific to their areas.

Chairs organize and facilitate Excell group meetings, conduct one-to-one consultations with members, and spearhead the member recruitment process. From Excell, or through their Area Manager, they receive training and consultation. Specific duties include:

Lead and facilitate monthly meetings of a specific Excell group

Conduct monthly consultations with individual members

Plan and prepare for all meetings

Acquire or assist in the acquisition of new members

Coordinate closely with Excell or their Area Manager

Attend once-a-year, no-host Chair meetings in Portland, Oregon

Chairing an Excell group is a part-time position generally requiring one to two weeks per month after a more intense start-up period. Some Chairs lead more than one group and develop their Excell experience into full-time work. Most Chairs lead groups of “growth" firms – those doing from $3 to $100 million in gross sales; these groups meet monthly for a full day. Based on their success, they may lead more than one such group, they may be encouraged to lead different program groups such as Excell100, or ExPo. Their success might also lead to becoming an Area Manager, responsible for and profiting from multiple groups in an area.

SELECTION

Chairs are selected through a two-step process.

We ask candidates to work with a private evaluator to determine their suitability for this kind of work. We see this as a critical step. For the benefit of both parties, we feel obligated to make a professional assessment of a candidate’s aptitude and probability of success.

The candidate will work with an individual Chair, based on that Chair’s liberty to do so. Confidentiality requirements of particular groups at particular meetings may limit flexibility, but to the extent possible, the candidate will observe most or all of an Excell meeting. Feedback from that experience and that Chair is figured into the selection process.

Candidates pay a non-refundable fee of $1,000 to offset the expenses of to these two steps, plus their travel expenses to the necessary location.

LICENSING

What does a licensed Chair receive?

An established program and reputation, tested over twenty years

Proven processes and written manuals in operations, marketing and sales, and administration

Three days training in Portland, Oregon.

Outstanding image to market materials at cost – notebooks, business cards, brochures, marketing materials

Established web site with data base support to augment member communications and information sharing

Generic business plan to guide licensees to launch and operate a group most consistent to their market and key competencies

On-call 800-line assistance in all phases of building and operating a group

FEES AND COMPENSATION

An Excell group can have up to fourteen members, with most groups hovering around twelve at most times. Dues charged to members may vary from city to city, but are typically about $1,000 per month. So a mature group may generate a gross income of $12,000 per month, or $144,000 per year. Members are also charged a one-time initiation fee when they join, usually between $1,000 and $1,500.

Excell has a straightforward license fee structure for operating a group. There are three fees:

A one-time initial license fee of $10,000

A monthly fee of $1,000 per group operated, which remains the same regardless of the number of members in the group. This avoids complex and ever-changing percentage-based fees, and rewards Chairs for running fuller groups by increasing their profit margin.

A one-time initiation fee of $500 for each new member.

There are no added charges for training or consultation, except the licensee’s own travel and living expenses.

It is interesting to compare Excell’s fee structure to those of other CEO peer group programs looking for group leaders. Some charge up-front franchise fees, ranging around $50,000, and expect large investments. While their groups produce income levels similar to Excell’s, the additional monthly fees they charge Chairs typically range between 35% and 66% of that income. They may provide additional training and support to justify these fees, but they may also require Chairs to recruit and operate multiple groups. Excell believes that well-selected and trained licensees can, and would prefer to, run their programs more independently, and that they should be well rewarded for their work and experience.

To further explore your suitability for an Excell position, try our self-evaluator page. Click HERE .

To contact Excell for additional information, click HERE .