Sales - Why choose CounselMore?

A customer wrote to our Peer Mentors and asked:

"I'm taking a class and was told I should use another provider but I am confused as to why, because no real reason was presented, can you help me?"

A CounselMore Peer Mentor responded:

"I get it! Let me help you! Here's my link, let's meet up and I can show you how I do it."

It's about breaking the cycle of surface-level perceptions and ensuring new counselors have a genuine, hands-on experience with the platform because they need a process to follow and CounselMore has that built in!

College Planners use spreadsheets and if that's a comfort zone for you too - then you'll be very happy with the flexibilities of CounselMore!

1. Peer Pressure and Being "new":

• Counselors, particularly those who are new or transitioning into independent practice, often rely heavily on recommendations from peers. We all do. They may feel pressured to follow what a mentor, colleague, or a professional group widely endorses. This creates a cycle where less effective platforms are perpetuated simply because of perceived popularity.
• There is a comfort in following what others have chosen, even if it isn’t the best fit. By choosing what’s “standard” in their network, they avoid the anxiety of making an independent decision.

2. Familiarity and Fear of Change:

• Many people have a natural resistance to change and feel overwhelmed by the idea of learning a new platform, even if it’s better. If they’ve invested time and effort in a particular tool, they may be hesitant to switch due to the “sunk cost fallacy,” fearing they will waste what they’ve already put in.
• This fear can lead them to choose familiar or established names, even if those platforms don’t serve them well. Even if over time, it continually proves not to serve them, they will stay.

3. Marketing and Branding Influence:

• Some platforms invest heavily in appearing to be a choice of many by inserting and asserting their brand through referral networks. These are prearranged agreements between programs, associations, influencers, posing as resources or discounts to the customer. Counselors may be swayed by appearances, endorsements, or sheer visibility, without the ability to make a critical assessment of the tool’s effectiveness.
• Counselors who are not well-versed in comparing software based on their specific needs might be drawn to polished marketing pitches, endorsements from “big names,” or inauthentic reputation rather than actual functionality.

4. Lack of Understanding of Features and Benefits:

• Many new counselors may not fully understand what they need from a platform until they’ve struggled with limitations elsewhere. If they don’t know how important certain features are (like streamlined assignments, multi-counselor support, or detailed reporting, collected application requirements, essay prompts, Google Drive...), they might not appreciate what CounselMore offers until they experience the friction and  pain points.
• A new or less tech-savvy user may find a feature-rich platform intimidating and might assume simpler tools are “better” because they seem less complicated at first glance but do not deliver or only partially deliver what is needed.

5. Influence of Mentorship and Established Practitioners:

• The choices of well-known or veteran practitioners can heavily influence newcomers. If established figures in the field use another platform and speak of it as their go-to, new counselors might assume it’s “the best” by default. This can create a network effect where users are drawn to follow their mentors’ footsteps without thorough evaluation.
• Buyer should always take caution when choosing by influence because influencers are paid for their sales. Even when posing in other roles simultaneously. CounselMore does not pay Peer Mentors, they are encouraged to speak authentically. However, other agencies do exchange influence for payment.

6. Initial Learning Curve and Misconceptions:

• Even though CounselMore excels at streamlining processes and delivering value, new users may be intimidated by an initial learning curve or fear it is “too robust” for their needs. Competing platforms might market themselves as “simpler” and therefore appear more approachable. College advising is complicated. A tool that performs one function may seem easy and fool the user into what is called a "false positive" feeling. During demonstration the user experiences a positive feeling but later cannot take action. One simple function results in an expectation repeatedly but the result is not actionable, usually just pretty.
• A tool that performs many functions will seem complicated. Every trade has one sophisticated tool that the pros use and it is always the more complicated of the options.
• Counselors may also mistakenly think they need a “CRM” without fully understanding what comprehensive counseling software like CounselMore provides beyond that scope. CounselMore is not a CRM but many users do push the envelope and use it in that way because college advising is a word-of-mouth referral business mostly, so few employ a true CRM.

7. Assumptions about Cost vs. Value:

• Some people believe “you get what you pay for” and may assume that lower cost means lesser quality, even if the opposite is true. Alternatively, they may think more expensive competitors offer better service or exclusive features, without realizing CounselMore’s exceptional value proposition.

8. Limited Community Exposure to CounselMore:

• Counselors who have not had exposure to peer mentors or community support from CounselMore may not fully appreciate what it offers. Once they attend trainings, work within the community, or start using the platform, they see and feel the difference, but this often requires overcoming inertia or stepping out of their comfort zone. 

9. Promises Made by Competitors:

• Competitors may make enticing promises or offer discounts during onboarding, or long free trials, creating a misleading sense of “value” that fails to materialize in practice. ^ months free leads to 6 months last time. Counselors may feel duped only after investing significant time and effort.

10. Perceived Complexity vs. Simplicity:

• While CounselMore provides comprehensive tools, competitors may market themselves on simplicity, which can initially appeal to new counselors who are overwhelmed by the transition to independent practice. Independent practice is learning educational consulting services norms so the new counselor can break in to the field but it also means learning how to run a solo entrepreneurship company.
• To earn $125,000 per year—the average salary of an Independent Educational Consultant (IEC)—a practitioner must maintain a client list that balances revenue with the time needed to serve clients effectively. Typically, this means taking on an average of 25 students per grade level each year and charging between $5,000 to $7,000 per student. CounselMore members, however, are able to average 35 students per grade, thanks to their increased efficiency and ability to serve more clients in the same amount of time. If you are already serving more than 25 - imagine what CounselMore can help you do.
• The apparatus to do that is built into CounselMore. However, these “simpler” solutions often lack the depth needed, leading users to eventually switch.

Conclusion:

The "weirdness" is often a mix of peer influence, fear of change, marketing power, and lack of understanding. However, once counselors truly experience the comprehensive, supportive, and flexible environment that CounselMore offers, they quickly realize its unmatched value and make the switch—leading to the satisfaction you observe. It's about breaking the cycle of surface-level perceptions and ensuring new counselors have a genuine, hands-on experience with the platform.

One last item:

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CounselMore is a Counselor-Centric company and it shows.

We offer the personalized attention you deserve and a superior product.

If you are feeling pressure to join something else - we hope you feel no pressure to join CounselMore.

We Welcome you to the community first and the software product second.