CollegePlannerPro Blog

Pricing your services is hard and getting it wrong can greatly impact your ability to build a thriving college consulting business. That's why we did some research to bring you the most recommended books, relevant for IECs, on pricing strategy and practice. Whether you are just getting started, or a veteran IEC who feels like they never got the pricing thing right, these resources will give you the tools necessary to evaluate your pricing model and deliver your services with confidence.

Small business owners often struggle with getting and staying organized. The brainpower and time associated with the day’s ever-evolving task list leaves us with just enough energy to stay afloat. And typically, the things that get sacrificed in this commotion are the very processes and projects that are meant to keep us organized and confidently on track.

But, we now have a new year and a fresh start to get organized so that we can be our most productive selves in 2020. Here are some tips for making it happen.

As more and more consultants work with students applying to international schools, Canadian and UK school data has been in high demand. After a thorough search for the best possible sources, we’re happy to announce that CollegePlannerPro has added 49 Canadian and 99 UK school profiles sourced from Maclean’s and The Complete University Guide respectively.

Chances are, especially if your IEC business is in its early stages, most clients will find you through a recommendation from a friend or family member. This is a great way to get your first few clients, but eventually, you’ll want and need more prospective clients coming your way. So, what are some proactive things that you can do to increase the number of word-of-mouth referrals that you receive?

As of 2017, 81% of the US population age 12 and older had at least one social media platform. It is no wonder that many businesses, large and small, are harnessing the popularity and power of social media to promote and strengthen their brand to current and prospective customers. However, for many independent college consultants the use of social media platforms remains an underutilized, or oftentimes nonexistent, piece of their business's marketing strategy.

If you are looking to reach prospective clients, stay in touch with current families, or share industry insights and thought leadership with colleagues, then we strongly suggest you commit to building the social media presence of your business. To help you get started, we've prepared our top 6 social media best practices.

The CollegePlannerPro team was recently joined by ArborBridge's Senior Director of Instruction, Dr. Megan Stubbendeck, for a webinar focused on advising students on the optimal testing timeline. A 10-year test prep veteran, it is Megan's job to know everything there is to know about the college admission tests, including which tests students should take and when. She was gracious enough to share her insights with our members and we've provided a quick recap and link to the full webinar recording below. 

Many individuals who choose to pursue a career in independent college consulting will likely be faced with the reality of working from home for either most or all of their time. While it may seem enticing at first, working from home can also present many unforeseen challenges. In an attempt to provide the novice remote worker with a toolkit for success, we asked Jodie Westerman, ArborBridge’s Instruction Manager, to reflect on her experience working from home. Jodie talks about the good, the bad, and the ugly of remote work and shares tips for how to manage the right work-life balance.

You may already know Susie Wood, MA, MSSW, a senior consultant and trainer at Human eSources. For the past 20 years, Susie has been helping individuals find their best career and education path and has presented to IECA and HECA members on the subject. We recently spoke to Susie about Human eSources’ AchieveWORKS™ assessments and here’s what she had to say:

Search “Web Design Tips” on Google and you’ll get bombarded with hundreds of articles about anything from SEO tips to heated debates on above-the-fold content. If you don’t take a step back from it all, you’re bound to get overwhelmed.

When it comes to your website, just focusing on a few major components can make the design process much more straightforward. Try not to get too bogged down in things like animation or other “nifty” web design trends—oftentimes those are reserved for a particular type of site, such as e-commerce, agencies, or entertainment. The components we’d like to cover today include typography, color, imagery, and layout. So, let’s get started.

College costs have risen exponentially, almost 200% in the last twenty years. This means that most families are unprepared to pay for college. Many turn to costly options such as expensive student loans, or pulling funds early out of retirement accounts, incurring taxes and penalties. Or they limit their school choices to less expensive in-state public schools, thus potentially missing out on a best-fit educational opportunity for their child (or children). Unfortunately, many families, especially middle and upper income families, feel resigned to paying full price. They either put off or give up other personal financial goals, such as retirement, paying off their house, or even taking a vacation. Yet, if these families learn how the financial aid system works, the types of aid available, and what action steps they can take, then they can send their children to their dream schools without sacrificing their retirement or taking unnecessary financial risk.