The Advocate Stage represents individuals who naturally share their success within their authentic spheres of influence. Joshua Oakes highlights the power of internal advocacy: “Once they start advocating for each other, there’s no faster way to get everybody adopting the tool.”
The Human Experience
“I tell others about you!”
People in this stage are:
- Naturally sharing their success
- Recommending to peers
- Helping others discover value
- Contributing to community
- Multiplying value through sharing
The Natural Emergence
Advocacy emerges organically when:
- Value realization is genuine
- Satisfaction is authentic
- Peers ask about transformation
- Natural desire to help others
- Trust in the partnership is deep
This cannot be forced or incentivized—it must be earned.
What They Need
Enablement for Sharing:
- Easy ways to refer and recommend
- Materials for peer conversations
- Community platforms for contribution
- Recognition of their advocacy
Continued Excellence:
- Sustained value delivery
- Ongoing innovation and improvement
- Deepening partnership
- Validation of their advocacy
Amplification Support:
- Platforms for sharing stories
- Opportunities for thought leadership
- Community leadership roles
- Celebration of their impact
What NOT To Do
❌ Create artificial referral programs ❌ Incentivize what should be natural ❌ Exploit their generosity ❌ Take their advocacy for granted ❌ Stop investing in their success
Signal Recognition
Advocates show themselves through:
- Unsolicited referrals and recommendations
- Active community participation
- Peer-to-peer knowledge sharing
- Public testimonials and stories
- Natural promotion of your value
Supporting Their Journey
Honor Their Advocacy:
- Recognize and celebrate their contribution
- Support their sharing efforts
- Provide excellent experiences for their referrals
- Deepen partnership in appreciation
Enable Value Multiplication:
- Create platforms for their voice
- Support their thought leadership
- Enable community contribution
- Amplify their impact
The Progression
Advocates naturally progress to Champion when:
- Advocacy becomes systematic
- They develop recognized expertise
- Industry leadership emerges
- Methodology co-creation begins
Why It Matters
Supporting Advocates effectively:
- Enables trust multiplication
- Creates sustainable growth engine
- Builds authentic community
- Multiplies value exponentially
- Develops true partnerships
Advocacy represents the ultimate validation—people willing to stake their reputation on your value. Honor it through continued excellence and genuine partnership.