Six Steps to Launching a Successful College Planning Service

Instruction Type: Self-Paced | Instructor: Cyndy McDonald  | Cost: $295 

Course Description

Combine educational knowledge with an entrepreneurial spirit and you get educational consulting. Navigating this confluence is not always easy. Join your instructor and other new entrepreneurs, to take the steps to successfully launching your practice. This course covers the following topics:

• Step 1: Providing Expertise without Being an Expert
• Step 2: Successful marketing ideas
• Step 3: Organizing Your Practice
• Step 4: Managing time commitments
• Step 5: Assigning Value to Your Services
• Step 6: Professionalism and Standards

Course Objectives

The learning objectives for each participants in this course are:

• Help new educational advisors build confidence in their expertise
• Provide marketing ideas to use to bring in more clients
• Learn how to put a value on your services
• Increase revenue potential by decreasing time commitments per student/family
• Evaluate your business revenue model for potential

Course Outcomes

By the end of this course, participants will:

• Create a marketing plan, including an "elevator" speech
• Set personal revenue goals
• Build business intake procedures and closing skills
• Develop best practices for managing student workflow and record keeping

Course Audience

This course is designed just for you: whether you are just starting out, have had your practice for a number of years, or are still considering if being an IEC is right for you. 

Course Content

This is structured in an online format. The format includes:

• Announcements: Special issues, topics of relevance, announcements, and calls to action are posted in Announcements.
• Weekly Modules: All content, discussions, and assignments are organized in a weekly module.
• Required Content: Content required for participation in discussions or assignments.
• Optional Content: Content for your enrichment or enhancement, but not required.
• Subject Matter Expert Interviews: Drawn from GuidedPath interviews and other interviews done by Cyndy McDonald. Learn from other experts in the field.
• GuidedPath Knowledge Base Articles: Knowledge Base articles are used extensively in the class to support learning and use of features.

Course Quizzes and Assignments

Each weeks module will include a number and variety of assignments. You will see the following:

• Course Assessments: To help you set and meet progress goals.
• Comments: At least one per week. The more you participate in the discussions in class, the more you will learn and benefit from this class.
• Core Assignments: Designed to help you in building your practice, these tend to be more general in nature.
• GuidedPath Assignments: Designed to help you use GuidedPath to it's fullest as your online college planning platform.

Course Certificate and Grading

A certificate of completion is provided to each student who completes the course. This class does not qualify toward any college or continuing education credits but will qualify for some programs as continuing education (CEP, NCAG, membership renewals for professional organizations, credential renewals).