How to Become a Certified College Planning Guru

Launch yourself as a college financial and admissions advisor, become a HERO to your stressed out clients and "Do well by doing good"

A real-world, tested and proven step-by step system for jumping into what NBC and other media calls an “explosively growing”, lucrative field - college advising!

Discover how to quickly and easily leverage your current skills, knowledge and desire to help others into a six-figure (or more!), low-to-no-overhead business that attracts a year-round flood of high quality, mass-affluent and high income prospective families...who chase and beg you to take them on as clients, and fork over thousands of dollars unblinkingly because of the VALUE you provide

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This works ESPECIALLY well for financial advisors and CPAs who want more high quality, low maintenance prospective client leads for their existing businesses...as well as for anyone who wants to REINVENT themselves!

Dear Friend

Imagine if you were the only one who possessed the answer to a huge, $250,000 or larger problem shared by thousands of families within an hour or two’s drive of your office...

And picture, further, if you WERE to help just one family solve this massive problem, do you think word would soon spread about your “magical powers?”

Can you see how your ability to solve this problem - how to afford college tuition and navigate the overcomplicated college admissions process - could create a solid, unshakeable bedrock for a business for years to come from referrals and word-of-mouth alone?

Even BEFORE Coronavirus, and for years after (yes, there WILL be an "after")?

Putting aside the monetary compensation you could earn - several hundred or thousands per client -  can you imagine how GREAT and rewarding it would feel when dozens of families thank you profusely, year in, year out, for deciding to take them on as clients and helping them accomplish what they felt was impossible and hopeless - sending their kids to college without taking on massive student and parent debt?

I’m Andy Lockwood.  I’m a college advisor and a best-selling author.  I own a college advisory firm with my wife, Pearl.  We are living proof of exactly what I’m describing.

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If the above seems far-fetched, let me assure you, it’s not.  Especially the part about making a HUGE, meaningful difference to families who were overwhelmed and felt hopeless.

Pearl and I say it all the time:  we LOVE our college advising business so much, not only because of the high income it produces, but, more importantly, because of the “emotional capital” we’re paid by our clients when they thank us every day, and rave about their results.

It makes us feel like we’re making a difference, one family at a time.

In this letter, I want to show you how you can create the same, for yourself.

Steady Stream of Motivated Prospects Begging You to Help

Just imagine how freeing and stress-free it would be to know that, month-in, month-out, you could practically, effortlessly, generate a steady stream of motivated, upper middle class and high income clients, who have nowhere else to turn, and are eager to invest several hundred, or, on most cases, thousands of dollars to convince YOU to take THEM on...

...on YOUR TERMS, meaning not only fees, but also on YOUR schedule and your "rules of engagement," not theirs.  You can choose when, and with whom and how you’ll work.

If you follow my system, you won’t meet with any prospective clients without their APPLYING to work with you first, as if you are the college they’re dying to get into.

These prospective clients will have already been “pre-sold” on your process and the value of your fees, before you sit down with them, virtually eliminating any time-wasters or “lookie-loos” from sucking the energy out of you, for free.  Your time is too valuable.

Your initial meetings will be just as much about YOUR evaluating them - whether they would be a good fit for YOU - not only the other way around.

And, more often than not, if you decide to accept them a clients, and explain your program and fees, they will breathe a sigh of relief and pay you whatever you ask, UP FRONT. No chasing clients around to collect unpaid bills, or waiting for the phone to ring after. "let me think about it" response.

In a nutshell, what I’m about to describe is about making a good living, doing “good” for people you want to help, and FREEDOM, for you. 

It's what Pearl and I have created for ourselves, and what we’d like to invite you to discover for YOURSELF.

Here's everything we got.

The College Advising Industry:  "Exploding"

I don't want to belabor this, because I have a hunch that you’re at least vaguely aware of the reasons to become a college consultant:

College advising is estimated to be a $1.88-2 Billion industry, as reported by Crains/IBIS.

CNBC reports that there are 8,000 college full time advisors, and thousands more who “dabble.”

Yet, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, there are 3.7 Million high school graduates each year,  more than 80% go to college.

Here’s the Problem:  Guidance counselors can’t possibly serve their students the way many parents hope:  The national ratio of student to counselor is 470:1.

On the other hand, Town & Country Magazine reports that 25% of the students admitted to private colleges worked with private independent counselors.  (I suspect the true number is higher, because many families are reluctant to admit they hired help to get an “edge.”)

College Costs have skyrocketed faster than the cost of living and healthcare, with no relief in sight.

Student debt is at 1.6 Trillion, and counting.

Defaults are on the rise each time they're reported.

50% of college graduates are UNDERemployed - TWO YEARS after graduating college, and long before Coronavirus entered the picture.  They're working in jobs that don't require a college degree.

And, it’s harder than ever to get into a competitive college, rates have plummeted and continue to drop each year.

 Admissions Rates

  • Stanford University: 4.4%

  • Harvard University:  4.7%

  • Columbia University: 5.5%

  • Princeton University: 5.5%

  • Yale University: 6.3%

  • California Institute of Technology: 6.6%

  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology: 6.8%

  • University of Chicago: 7.3%

  • Pomona College: 7.6%

  • Brown University: 7.7%

  • University of Pennsylvania: 8.4%

  • Dartmouth College: 8.7%

  • Duke University: 8.9%

  • Claremont McKenna College: 9.3%

  • Northwestern University: 9.9%

All this proves one thing:  

Each year, the college application process becomes more complicated and stressful, producing hundreds of thousands of unknowing, hapless students who get very little, or zero, financial aid and who often end up at the wrong school. 

Worse, they can go to the “right” college, but major in something useless to employers and end up UNDERemployed - working at Starbucks or driving an Uber - after blowing 250K and saddling themselves with college debt that will take decades to crawl out from under.

This is your opportunity.

Here’s what you need to learn to become a Top 10% college advisor

Assuming, for sake of argument, that there are 8,000 plus qualified, intelligent college advisors out there, only a fraction understand how to command high fees and motivate one  measly prospective client to seek them out, let alone a system to attract dozens, month in, month out. 

What good is it if you're the greatest college advisor since sliced bread, but nobody's heard of you?

Here’s what you need to know to build a successful college advising business, it's MORE than mere technical knowledge:

  • How to compel motivated prospective clients to "magnetize" themselves to you (instead of you chasing them around!)
  • The basics of college financial aid:  who qualifies, who doesn’t, and how you can still help them.  (80% can be learned in four hours including where to turn for expert, experienced help for the rest)
  • The basics of what goes into a perfect college application and the applicant’s body of work from 9th grade forward (75% of which can be learned in a day, including where to turn for expert, experienced help for the rest)
  • How to crush your competition and speak with clarity, confidence and conviction to motivate your prospects to engage with you after they learn the unique value and incomparable expertise you offer
  • How to clearly communicate the impact your expertise will have on your prospects’ lives, so they know that they need you and don't want to risk going it alone
  • How to clearly communicate the cost of NOT moving forward with you / your program (I call this "The Ghost of College Future”)
  • The art of selling and persuasion to groups - live and online - even if you’re terrified of public speaking
  • The art of "selling without selling" over the phone, Zoom, FaceTime or Skype - even if the thought of ‘selling’ makes your stomach turn
  • How to forge a deep, meaningful and lasting relationship with your clients so they talk you up everywhere and refer you like crazy
  • How to generate referrals on auto-pilot...even from non-clients
  • Best practices and how to use “What’s working, now” so you don’t have to struggle with trial and error for years, if you don’t give up sooner

 

You’ll learn how to do all this - AND MORE - in the College Planning Guru Certification Course

 

When you complete your training, you will have learned an indispensable skill that will JUMP START your career in this important, exploding field of college advising.

Or serve as an add-on, different stream of income that fits into your current practice like the key to your front door.

You’ll be able to generate high fee sales each month, month after month, seemingly at will.

You’ll know how to create an audience of parents dying for the relief that only YOU can provide, engage in consultations with them, and have them gladly fork over four and five figure amounts to you, unblinkingly, because of the tremendous VALUE you provide.

Confessions of a College Advisor

Look, I'm doing well now, but it's not because of some natural "gift" or predisposition.

I didn’t come into this world knowing that I wanted to be a college advisor when I grew up.  I’d never heard of the profession until I graduated law school, working as in-house counsel for a publicly-traded brokerage in Miami,  Florida. The guy down the hall’s sign read “College Funding Specialist.”  

I remember talking to him once, superficially, about his business.  I was interested in it not from a business standpoint, rather, mostly because of my own, six-figure college loans that were crushing me and my young family back in the 1990s.

Ironically, I don’t remember anything we spoke about.  It wasn’t until three years later, while at a marketing conference, when a light bulb exploded above my head like a fireworks finale on Independence Day.

I was sitting in a 300+ person hotel ballroom, listening to various people pitch their “get rich in real estate” or "on the Internet" products.  But one presenter was different.

He was out of the San Diego area.  Smart guy, very passionate speaker, a little flamboyant for my taste, but what he said made A LOT of sense to me.

Apparently, he was making a really good living helping parents send their children to college, comfortably, without crushing their kids or themselves with high fee, high rate college debt. 

My first thought was, "Man, I wish my dad had gone to someone like that in the 80’s!"

But what appealed even more was the college planner’s SYSTEM to get clients.  He was an expert marketer, and I had never learned anything about that topic in college or law school, despite intuitively understanding its importance.   

His model seemed so simple: give an informal talk at a local library, sign up parents for a free consult, convince them to work with him.

Rinse, lather, repeat.

I was skeptical, still, but figured the hefty fee he was asking wouldn't change my life if I lost it all. 

Plus, he was such a good marketer and speaker, I figured that, if all else failed, I'd learn THAT from him.

Soon after that conference, circa 2000, I plunked down what felt like a small fortune to be "coached into" the college advising business.

I won’t lie.  There were ups and downs in the first three years.  Turns out the college guy was going through some personal problems, including an expensive divorce, which caused him to drop the ball with his coaching clients.  That included us.

So my then-partner and I terminated our participation in the program, which at the time was costing us close to $20,000 annually.  

The funny thing is that we were nervous to leave his support team, although we weren’t getting anything close to what he promised when we signed up initially.  

In retrospect, that was a great decision, because it forced me to take more responsibility for my own education and success, and develop and tighten my own materials and processes. I realized that I had actually been doing this all along, to compensate for his lack of support.

Since then, I’ve been in and out of three additional, different programs for college advisors and read virtually every book on college finance and admissions.   I’ve attended dozens of industry conferences and educational webinars, built up a network of college admissions officers, college advisors and financial advisors.  I continue to do these things daily to improve.

And I’ve WRITTEN four best selling books myself, appear on local, national and international television frequently, get cited in print by major and minor publications regularly, and speak to groups of parents 25-30 times per year, not including webinars, which I do on my MacBook, without expensive equipment or software, from my basement (that sounds creepy, but I'm merely showing you the easy and low overhead, simple way I create demand for my services, at will).

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The author on Cavuto Coast to Coast, discussing the Lori Loughlin, Felicity Huffman et al scandal

(Not looking particularly outraged)

Our High Income, High Margin College Advisory Business Today

Today, we help 150+ clients per year, both local to the Long Island, New York area, and all over the country and the world, including China, Australia, Serbia and Estonia.  (I don’t keep track of our total historical number of clients because I’m too lazy. But I’m also sensitive to implying in any way that you can purchase a magic wand and instantly do these kind of numbers yourself, or other potentially misleading statements. Results vary - duh.)

90% of the work Pearl and I do is online or on the phone from home (separate floors, to preserve the relationship).

We keep a “real” office to meet with clients and for our SAT and ACT tutoring business. We took this space just three years ago, when we felt ready to expand.

But the office is not a cost - it's a profit center - because it generates income and more than pays for itself. It’s a three minute drive from home, on the water, which is both super-convenient, and kind of pleasant!

We have ZERO full-time employees, we use only part-time contractors, giving them work as-needed. 

In short, we have created a super-low overhead, flexible, high-margin business.

The biggest benefit, naturally, is that it allows us to maximize each dollar we bring in for the benefit of our shareholders - US!  

Besides paying ourselves, our biggest outlays are purely to grow the business:  marketing and self-education. Like our rent, these are investments, not costs, because they provide a huge return, consistently.  The more we invest, the greater our return.

Oh, and we don’t answer the phone, live.  99% of all client interactions with me and Pearl are booked on our calendars, in advance, when convenient for us.  Because of demand, some prospective clients wait two, three weeks or more to speak to us, and when they do, they’re incredibly grateful for the opportunity.

I’m not saying this to show off, or to convince you that our life is some kind of Promised Land.  To be completely transparent: We work our BUTTS off at times, especially Pearl, during financial aid forms “season.”  

But we love what we do, do it on our own terms, and have no doubt that we are making a difference with each and every client we serve.  That freedom and impact is exactly what gets us up in the morning (early!).

Here’s my promise to you: 

I can teach you how to engineer this for yourself, and launch your college advisory business in a matter of weeks, and without investing anywhere near the $200,000+ I personally put into my own education.

 

Here’s exactly what you get when you enroll in our College Planning Guru Certification Course:

  • How to establish yourself as an authority on college planning and build unshakable confidence, even if you suffer from “College Guru Imposter Syndrome”
  • Legal and ethical loopholes in the financial aid forms, that can save your clients thousands and make you look like a hero (and charge a fee commensurate with the value you provide, particularly because your clients' return on investment will be multiple of your fee, making the sales process the easiest ever!)
  • How to choose colleges, visit colleges, interview advice, ensure "College Return on Investment"
  • Easy to follow checklists and advice on how to help your families write a killer college essay - which happens to be THE MOST stressful part of the application process - and where to get ridiculously INexpensive help if you don’t want to learn this yourself
  • How to find (offline and online) a flood of motivated, high quality prospects that chase you down, eager to pay you thousands of dollars to fix their problem:  Ads, email blasts, newspaper articles, Facebook and Youtube, to name a few. (Start with one, then slowly build out more)
  • How to get your FIRST client.  Then your second...and beyond!
  • How to systematically generate high quality referrals from clients (and non-clients), month-in, month-out
  • How to pre-qualify and pre-sell your prospects BEFORE you meet or speak with them, so you don’t waste time or energy on low-quality leads who suck the life out of you
  • How to “close the deal” - convince your prospective client to take action now and retain you - up front - without chasing or wasting your precious time...even if you hate “selling”
  • How to multiply streams of income by offering related services that you can cross-sell so that you maximize the value of every lead you generate
  • How I created 16K+ per month “passive” recurring income and locked in repeat business, and how you can too
  • Resources that I personally use in my practice to help it run much of it on auto-pilot

This Certification Has a "Real World Value" of $25,000+

Normal Investment:  $10,000

Special "Scholarship" Price:  $7,495

Training Starts Immediately, On-Demand!

1-PAY: (Best Deal)

Or make 3 monthly, budget-friendly payments of 2,748

EZ PAY

Revealed: How YOU Can Use Your Current Skills and Desire to Meaningfully Help Others to Create a 6 figure (or larger) Business For Yourself

Once you complete your course and pass the exam (70% required, see below), you’ll be armed with specialized knowledge and skill that the marketplace will value tremendously - which will allow you to charge what you’re worth!

Compared to other options, such as franchising, the College Guru Certification program is an unusually effective, quick and cost-effective way to launch your college advising practice within a matter of weeks.

Earlier today, I was noodling around online, contemplating, again,  whether to finally launch my own certification program, when I stumbled upon two college planning franchises.  

One, which I knew of but had forgotten about, based in California, suggested that “the estimated opening costs for a [name withheld] office range from $120,000 to $170,000.”  

Look, I "get" that you have to invest SOMETHING in a new business, but come ON! 

I assume their training and systems have some value, but $120,000-$170,000?  Call me crazy, but those numbers make sense to me only if you’re getting a well-known name like McDonalds or another recognizable brand with value to the public.

And how long would it take to earn back that investment?

Plus, I know the guys behind that franchise.  I seriously doubt that they started their own businesses that way.

Another franchise, Class101, advertises in Entrepreneur Magazine, and estimates the costs of starting up to be up to $63,000.

And Class101 suggests franchisee can make 100K in their “first or second” year.  

$63,000 to do a hundred grand in Year One...or not until your SECOND year in business?  

Really? 

I did more than $100,000 last month.  Ditto the month before that.

And if I spent more than a couple thousand - total - EVENTUALLY - to open my office, I’d be shocked.  Nowhere near $170,000!

I’m not saying this to brag. Rather, I’m pointing out that it’s possible to generate what most people would consider a large amount of income for a mom and pop shop, WITHOUT anywhere near the overhead suggested by those franchises!

And, not to be all "Captain Obvious" here,  gross income is important, but it pales in comparison to NET.  Our margins are somewhere between 70-75%; I can’t fathom how slim the other guys’ profits are, if any, with all the overhead they say is "necessary." 

My Impromptu Case Study

Here’s a little "inside baseball" on how my brain operates.  I’m writing this in December, traditionally a slow month.    We were crazy busy IN the business with November 1 and Nov 15 deadlines, and, candidly, a little burnt out (I know I'm not supposed to say that, but I want you to know everything),  so I took my foot off the marketing accelerator for most of the month. 

Then, last week, once sufficiently recovered, I decided to fill my pipeline. So I set up a webinar, which takes me all of 10 minutes.

I sent a series of four emails to my list. I'll show you the actual results in a minute.

First, I want to point out that I didn’t pay a DIME in advertising. 

And each email took me all of 20 minutes to write.  (I don’t spend too much time on them, like this letter, which will be done in under 60 minutes).  Actually, emails two-four were substantially cut and pasted, which means I’m even lazier than I thought. :)

“Slow Season” my arse!  More than 300 registered for the presentation, and 200+ showed up, between the live and replay versions.

Here’s a screenshot from my webinar dashboard. 

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90 Minutes of "Work": 37+ Appointments Generated

Let’s talk leads, because registrations, "likes," "visits" and other stats don't really matter, do they?  

More than 30 people - approximately 10% of the 300+ registered - took the next step and booked consultations.  And a handful - 7-9, maybe more - emailed to say that they couldn't find a time on my calendar because all slots were taken.

Sidebar:  we don’t allow anyone and everyone to book.  I require all prospective clients to complete applications to APPLY to speak to me.  They need to put in the time and thought first, to show some commitment (which helps close them as clients, eventually).

Sidebar Deux:  I expect 50% of the attendees of most of my live presentations in libraries and schools to book consults.  Sometimes it's less, sometimes more.

Also, before they learn how to book, I tell them about our fees - I don't hide it, only to spring it on them later.

I'm forthright and say, in no uncertain terms, that I’m not a cut-rate, $100/hour operation: fees “start at $5,000 and can be as high as $20,000 or more.”  (You of course can charge whatever you want.) I do this to qualify - a/k/a "scare off" people who can’t afford me or don’t see the value in investing in my services.

From a psychological, “take away” standpoint, this is simply amazing - I think it makes me and our service MORE attractive.

From a time management perspective, I spend MY time overwhelmingly with qualified and quality prospects who know The Deal ahead of time.   Which is ENERGIZING for me.

Of course that doesn’t mean that they ALL sign up. I can’t help everyone, and I don’t have strong enough Jedi mind trick powers to talk EVERYONE that I can help into paying a small fortune to retain us.  (I’m working on it!)

Here’s some more proof  (which was fun for me to do):  a couple of screenshots to show you the leads (a few more came in after I started drafting this this morning, but you get the point):

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“The fortune is in the follow-up.”

I have no doubt that more inquiries will trickle in as I follow up with my systematized, pre-written emails (included as part of the certification program).  I'll most likely do another follow up webinar next week, which will likely be similarly productive.

Most business owners let leads slip through their fingers because they're "too busy" with day to day stuff, thus sabotaging their results.  I learned long ago to systematize my follow-up on auto-pilot  - because I learned the hard way who the weak link was:

ME!

I can't possibly follow up manually with all 200-300 leads, but my systems can.

Bottom line;  If I talk to 25-30 people, my goal - based on my personal, historical results -  is to close approximately one-third, or approximately 10 clients paying between $1,700-$20,000.

I don’t consider myself to be a natural born salesperson, but I stick to an effective script, that consists mostly of open ended questions.  Over time, my results are pretty much the way I described, above.

Obviously, I can’t guarantee you - or myself  - these numbers. And I don't even know if they're good or bad.  All I care about are the dollars, not "close ratios."

Of course your results could be worse. Then again, they could be better.  

One more thing:  college advising is an extremely word of mouth proposition.  Most of my new clients are referred by current or past clients.  So if I pick up 10 from this week’s promotion, I expect there to be another 20 or more on the “back end.”

I have a system to encourage referrals, too.  (Yes, it’s part of the certification program!)

Our Program vs Other Options

Let’s compare buying a franchise to our certification program.  With the franchise, you have huge start up costs over and above the franchise fee, PLUS ongoing, residual fees paid to your franchisor in perpetuity.  (Another example: Huntington Learning Center, which is in a related but more competitive business, charges a $28,000 fee and estimates your total up front investment to be between $119,201 – $270,304, plus ongoing fees.)

With our certification program, you’ll invest a (lesser) up front fee, but after that, you keep every penny you earn. We’re not in your pocket, like a franchisor, which takes a piece of the action, forever.

Plus, NO WAY do those other guys know how to market as well as I do, specifically, the art of DIRECT marketing.  Meaning, getting your prospects to DO something, so that you can engage with them and. do business together.

I’m sure they’re great at spreadsheets and other MBA-type, pencil-pushing stuff.  I promise, I get it.  I practiced corporate law for five years and spent a LOT of time with those corporate types who spent hours and hours discussing their "models."

I'm not saying you should completely blow that stuff off.  I AM saying that, first, you must be LASER-focused on ringing the cash register!   

If you’re the overly analytical, left-brained type who prefers to spend more time on non-revenue-producing things like building perfect projections, our program is NOT for you.  Plus, it's impossible - there is NO such thing as "perfection."

The College Planning Guru certification program is all about PRODUCING, not shuffling papers around. To quote John Wooden, the all-time winningest men’s basketball coach:

“Don’t confuse activity with achievement.”

When you finish our program, you’ll be an INDEPENDENT college advisor, free to run your business any way you want.  We’re not a franchise, so we don’t supervise or control you in any way. YOU are the name and face of the business, which is your ultimate security, by the way.   

Of course we’ll make “best practices” suggestions that will cover EVERYTHING you need to know to be successful, but you can run your operation out of your house (or executive space) to keep the overhead low, if you choose.

You'll have, at your fingertips, the exact ads, flyers, postcards, email copy, scripts and tools that I use, so that YOU can compel hordes of motivated, high-quality prospects to bang down your door and light up your phones and inboxes, practically at will.

You can shoe-string it initially, or, if you have the budget, invest in advertising and marketing (included in the certification course) to accelerate your results.  

But you can wait on those types of investment decisions.  For starters, all you’ll need is a laptop, a phone and not much else.   

At some point, maybe a virtual assistant, and/or a CRM (if you don’t know what that is, you probably don’t need it yet) .  You’ll add tools slowly, as-needed. Most of the software that we use for webinars, calendar scheduling, etc. is extremely low cost - a few hundred bucks per year.  NOT $170,000.

You can get office space and invest more as you grow, as needed, only if it will HELP your bottom line.

That’s the College Planning Guru philosophy, in a nutshell.

Real World Value $25,000

Normal Price: $10,000

Special Launch "Scholarship" Investment:  $7,495

Become a Certified College Planning Guru Today

Reinvent yourself - jump in on this explosive growth opportunity and start making a difference!

Area exclusive. Not available in Long Island or NYC
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1-PAY (Best Deal)
EZ-PAY

3 monthly payments of 2,748

The Opportunity

Every business person I speak with tells me that I’m not charging enough, I’m giving away too much for too little. 

And I get that, I actually agree.  Look, if you’re a financial advisor, you can get JUST ONE client and you’ll be made whole, perhaps several times over.

I read somewhere that the national AVERAGE college advising fee charged to 11th graders is around $4,500. Which makes the investment in our program a glaring, obvious no-brainer.

So why did I make the investment so low? Two reasons, really:

First, this is a special launch promo price, it’s part of my evil scheme/master plan:

I’m looking to get up to 25 licensees, max, into the initial program who will share their successes with me, so I can shamelessly use them for Phase 2, when I roll out bigger and at a higher price, probably $10,000-12,500.

That's why I'm invested in your results - I can’t wait to hear about your success, and brag about you :)

The second reason is personal.  I feel like our industry took a punch to the gut when the college scandal made headlines  (ahem, Lori, Felicity), so I’m doing this to help create standards of professionalism and ethics for a career that’s been so great for me.  

Plus, many families across the country are FLOUNDERING because of the Coronavirus recession, but I cannot personally help them all.  

That's why I need YOU to join the fight!

Here’s your chance to "do well by doing good"

No franchise fee - low to zero startup costs, no perpetual revenue sharing (you keep all income you generate!)

Multiple revenue streams from each client possible (college advising, financial advising, tutoring, possibly more)

YOU decide what to charge, not us:  The range is several hundred dollars to several thousand to (100K plus in NY and CA).  I hope that you ask for AT LEAST the national average for an 11th grader, >$4,000.

Easy /cheap to find quality contractors for test prep, essays, career counseling 

Going international is easy too thanks to Skype and Zoom! (International clients are less price-sensitive, by the way.) 

Build a long-lasting business and reputation for helping families solve a huge financial problem...and kids achieve their college dreams

College Professor Launches Self as "College Guru"

Here is what stood out for me about the course.

Andy is an innovator and knows how to run a successful counseling practice. His insights into effective marketing and how to gain paying clients are worth the price of the course.

But, his guidance into how to actually help students realize their college dreams is even more impressive. Andy will help you become a counselor who understands every aspect of the college admissions and financial aid processes. This not only provides value to clients but an edge compared to other independent counselors.

More than anything this system works. My first client came to me after getting an insufficient offer from their son's dream school. Working with them using Andy's insights and resources, I was able to negotiate a substantial increase in financial aid (Editor's note:  $25,000 per year) which made it possible for their son to attend. They were overjoyed and so was I.

While Andy will be the first to tell you there are no guarantees in this business, his training made this outcome much more probable compared to what my clients could have gotten on their own. I

f you are looking to reinvent yourself or add value to your current work, Andy's College Guru Certification is simply the best choice for becoming an effective professional and successful entrepreneur.

John M. Hintermaier, Ph.D.

President, Hintermaier College Prep

Macon, Georgia

 
 
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Allstate Guy Creates 47 Leads Out of Thin Air for $438

I had a hunch that my system would be extremely valuable for financial advisors looking to recruit new financial services clients.

So, before I put the certification course together, I asked an independent financial advisor to test my materials.  Here's what he reported:

“I had 47 people sign up for a seminar using Andy’s marketing training.   Customers I have pursued for years are now ready to buy Financial Services Products.  Another client who was referred to me showed up at my office with Dec Pages ready to buy Auto and a Condo Policy.  This is our best chance to really make a difference and crush our numbers!”

Dan Tichio

Allstate Exclusive Agent, Rochelle Park, NJ

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Marketing Executive Helps Self to Extra $28K in Scholarships, Helps Friends Too

Having always been intrigued by the college selection process, I was thrilled to start the process with my daughter.

For several years, I religiously attended Lockwood College Prep webinars, devoured their newsletters and books and secretly fantasized about quitting my day job to become a college counselor. 

When Andy Lockwood announced the College Guru Certification program, I was thrilled! 

Beyond the basics of College Planning, Andy generously shares marketing expertise that differentiates his business, recommendations on industry resources and service providers and insight on how to succeed in this business. 

Since the course, I successfully negotiated an additional $28K ($7K/yr) in Merit Aid for my daughter and have been helping friends develop strategies for their children.

-Suzanne Cohen, Philadelphia, PA

 

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How it works:

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Take the course

The course is a comprehensive training on college finance, college admissions and how to get clients!.

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Pass the exam

Minimum grade to pass is 70%.  It's open book, and you get three tries. (If you need more, you can retake the course at no charge.)

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Display your certification

When you display your digital badge and certificate, you will signal your professionalism and trustworthiness to your prospective clients.

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What You'll Get When You Get In On the College Planning Guru Certification System Today

When you say “yes” to getting certified as a College Planning Guru, you’ll receive the following valuable training and benefits, instantly:

  • 5 Comprehensive Modules
  • 6+ hours of information-packed, high-quality, engaging video lessons
  • Templates, slide deck and training material including:

High converting workshop ad template

High converting live presentation step-by-step “how to,” slide decks and checklists

High converting webinar template, step-by-step “how to,” slide decks and checklists

“College Strategy Session” scripts/outlines for meeting / calls with prospects

Promotional emails to attract, persuade and create opportunities to meet with prospective clients

 

ALSO...

The College Planning Guru Certification program includes:

  1. Certification exam (70% to pass, 3 tries)
  2. Certified College Planning Guru digital badge to display on all of your materials
  3. Downloadable College Planning Guru certificate to display at your place of business to signal your professional knowledge and build trust

 

PLUS, You'll Get These “Early Action” Bonuses if You Enroll Before Deadline

  • Bonus #1: A 1:1 coaching call with Andy where we'll work with you to build the framework of your college advisory business  (Value: $497)

  • Bonus #2Done For You Marketing Campaign so you can just plug and play and start generating leads, instead of wasting time and money on "branding" or other dumb, expensive ads. Heck, I'll even RECORD a presentation for you to use for your prospective clients if you like!  (Value:  $497)

  • Bonus #3:  Resources list, so you can see the exact tools Andy uses in his practice to run it and save weeks or months of trial and error.  Updated periodically. (Value:  $27)

  • Bonus #4:  Access to our flagship product, Instant College Funding 2.0a series of punch videos which walks families through the ins and outs of the FAFSA and CSS Profile, trains them how to negotiate offers, gives sample letters to model. (Value:  $997)

  • Bonus $5: Access to our college admissions product, The Incomparable Applicant Master Class,  containing a series of interviews from former college admissions officers from the nation's most elite colleges, including U Chicago and Princeton, which gives you INSIDE INFORMATION on what admissions officers are REALLY looking for on the college essays, applications, activities and more. And includes sample college essays that worked.  (Value:  $297)

Total value of "Early Action Bonuses":  $2,315

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This Is What Happens AFTER You're Certified

First and foremost, you will acquire skills and knowledge that will enable you to make a huge, positive impact in your community or anywhere you choose, because you’ll be helping families solve one of the biggest financial and parenting challenges they’ll ever face, if not THE BIGGEST.

You can earn hefty fees in exchange for the value you’ll provide, but the “emotional capital” you’ll receive is impossible to put a price on.  (There are thousands of ways to make money, but few as rewarding as this.)

Second, you will obtain a critically important marketing SYSTEM that generates - practically effortlessly, once set up -  a steady stream of motivated, high value prospects who can afford your services, like a moth to a flame.  

Third, you will develop presentation and other persuasive skills that will allow you to build authority, gain credibility, possibly achieve the status of a local celebrity or beyond, become a respected leader, and ultimately achieve your dream income.

Andy Lockwood is a well-known author and college advisor who appears in local, national and international television and print media regularly.  Your ability to proudly present your certification will help establish your credibility and signal your dedication to your craft, and allow you to command premium fees.

In summary, this certification is for you if you want to:

Advance your professional career or start a new one in a highly paid, valuable field

Grow your business to 6 or 7 figures  with zero-to-teensy weensy startup costs and overhead

Expand your skill set, and gain an edge over everyone else in a highly-competitive marketing industry

Here’s where to get started!

Reinvent yourself - jump in, get certified and start making a difference TODAY

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YES! START MY TRAINING!

Still on the fence?  Here's the full description

In this 6+ hour course you'll learn everything you need to know to become a college finance and admissions consultant - or, to many - how to become a HERO to families who are confused, overwhelmed and STRESSED out about paying for college and getting in

Module 1a - Marketing 

Direct marketing vs branding. Getting $5 for every $1 you spend. Live workshops. Webinars. Local libraries, PTAs and other groups. High converting slide deck. High converting free report  List building. Social media pros and cons. Effective public speaking for the introverted and non-attention-seeking. How to “enter the conversation in your prospective client’s head.” More.

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Module 1b:  Sales

Getting your first client without feeling pushy or yucky.  How to “pre-sell” (sell without selling).  Key open-ended questions / scripts/ outlines. Follow up, positioning. Whom you should NOT work with (red flag prospects). The referral system that generates qualified prospects while you sleep (even from non-clients).

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Module 2:  Financial Aid Nuts & Bolts

Assessing financial need via the Financial Aid formulas, FAFSA, CSS Profile and other forms. Components of a financial aid award. How to legally and ethically "shelter" assets from the financial aid formulas to improve eligibility for need-based aid.  Net cost of college.  Loans, merit aid, “outside” scholarships, “Tax Scholarship” strategies for high income business owners, how to negotiate with a college (case studies), how to help your clients avoid scholarship and other scams.

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Module 3:  College Advising

What goes into an admissions decision.  The college essay,  Ethics and best practices. Visiting colleges, college interviews. How to build a strategic and balanced list. SAT, ACT and other tests. Common Application and other applications, key resources.

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Module 4:  Business Plan

Create a business plan for your practice. Business structures. Schedule of services and fees. Vision for your consulting practice. How to manage your brand. Low-cost and free resources. 

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Module 5: Taking Flight! Putting it All Together. The Mental Game. More

"Imposter Syndrome" and how to overcome it for good.  Dealing with adversity.  Putting it all together and building a business that lasts, and  that supports the  lifestyle you want.

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The author on CBS describing how to negotiate with colleges for more money. (Training included in course.)

Become a Certified College Planning Guru Today

REAL WORLD VALUE:  $25,000+

Regular Price: $10,000

SPECIAL SCHOLARSHIP PRICING: 

Only $7,495

Not available in Long Island or NYC

1-PAY (Best Deal)
3 MONTH EZ-PAYMENT PLAN

2,748 per month

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Who Should Get Certified?

Anyone who wants to help families solve a BIG problem that isn’t being solved by financial advisors, CPAs. guidance counselors or anyone else.

Anyone who wants to be known as the “Go To” guy or gal in their community, who seemingly makes magic happen.  (Corny? Yes. Factual: Also yes!)

Financial advisors and CPAs who are looking for more prospective, mass affluent and affluent and high income families to serve and ways to start meaningful conversations about their entire financial picture, that *could* lead to more opportunities. 

SAT/ ACT tutors who currently have clients for their test prep services and want to offer more (“cross-sell”) valuable help

Guidance counselors who want to deepen their own knowledge, or hang out a shingle to take advantage of today’s “Gig Economy”

Current college advisors who do a great job, but are having difficulty attracting a steady stream of business and want to get off the income roller coaster

Moms (or dads) who went through the college process with their kids and now want to help others who have not yet gone through that rite of passage!

Frequently Asked Questions / Should Ask Questions

If this opportunity feels right to you, I advise you to grab it and jump on in, before we fill our special launch promo spots, and bump up the investment required so it reflects the true value of this training!

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me, personally. My contact info is below.

Hope to see you inside the College Guru Certification course!

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Andrew Lockwood, JD.

Founder, Lockwood College Prep

 

 Real World Value: $25,000 +

Normal Investment:  $10,000

Special Launch Price:  $7,495

Training Starts IMMEDIATELY - On Demand!

1-PAY (Best Deal)
EZ-Pay Option

Not available in Long Island or NYC 

If you have any questions at all, email or call me and I will personally answer them:  [email protected] / 516-882-5464.  -Andy

 

EARNINGS DISCLAIMER

This page and program is meant to serve as education and training for business owners and entrepreneurs. Your individual results may vary, we cannot guarantee or promise success. Our training will give you the online and offline tools and education to help kick start your business, but the effort you put in will make or break your results. There is no guarantee or implication that you will earn any income at all, especially if you don’t put in the requisite effort. That's why I went out of my way to NOT get specific about what you could earn.  There is no magic wand, this is not a get rich quick scheme.  Success requires determination, hard work and the ability to follow directions; i.e. IMPLEMENT the advice you’re paying for. (By the way, you should tell your clients this too, before they hire you :)