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College Planning & Funding: Best Referral Sources

Who should be sending you clients, and the rooms they are already sitting in.

Get the networking events worth showing up to

Tell us where you are. We will send you the best rooms for college planning advisors and the next meeting dates. Add a ZIP and this page will also show your local chapters and which seats are open.

Most business owners network where their competitors are, not where their referral partners are.

Your own trade group is for learning. Your partners' groups are where the work comes from. Everything below starts with one question. When something happens that makes people need college planning advisors, who else gets a call that same week?

College planning advisors sell to individuals and households, and most of the work starts when somebody changes jobs or gets relocated. It is planned well ahead, so the introduction has to happen early. Most clients buy once, so the flow of new names is the whole business.

What starts the work
  • Job changewhen somebody changes jobs or gets relocated
  • Divorcewhen a marriage ends
  • Retirementwhen somebody retires
  • Death / probatewhen somebody dies and an estate has to be settled
Block one

Who should be sending you clients

Ranked by what starts the job, not by who sounds close to your trade.

  1. 01

    Financial Advisor

    They send you work
    72

    Trigger: somebody retires

    Financial advisors hear about it when somebody retires, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  2. 02

    Primary Care Physician

    They send you work
    67

    Trigger: somebody changes jobs or gets relocated

    Primary care practices hear about it when somebody changes jobs or gets relocated, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  3. 03

    Mental Health Therapist

    They send you work
    66

    Trigger: a marriage ends

    Therapists and counselors hear about it when a marriage ends, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  4. 04

    Real Estate Agent (Residential)

    They send you work
    64

    Trigger: somebody changes jobs or gets relocated

    Residential real estate agents hear about it when somebody changes jobs or gets relocated, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  5. 05

    Mortgage Broker / Loan Officer

    They send you work
    64

    Trigger: somebody changes jobs or gets relocated

    Mortgage brokers hear about it when somebody changes jobs or gets relocated, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  6. 06

    Attorney Estate Planning & Probate

    They send you work
    64

    Trigger: somebody retires

    Estate planning attorneys hear about it when somebody retires, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  7. 07

    Attorney Real Estate

    They send you work
    63

    Trigger: a marriage ends

    Real estate attorneys hear about it when a marriage ends, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  8. 08

    Title Company

    They send you work
    61

    Trigger: a marriage ends

    Title companies hear about it when a marriage ends, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  9. 09

    Dentist

    They send you work
    61

    Trigger: somebody changes jobs or gets relocated

    Dentists hear about it when somebody changes jobs or gets relocated, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  10. 10

    CPA / Accountant

    They send you work
    60

    Trigger: a marriage ends

    CPAs hear about it when a marriage ends, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

Block two

Where those people actually are

Ranked by how many of your best partners are in the room, and how much work each one can send you.

Start here

Your local Realtor board or association

Your partners are in this room: residential real estate agents, mortgage brokers, and real estate attorneys.

Join as a vendor and you are in front of hundreds of agents. They need people they trust at every closing. Ask about the vendor committee and the classes for new agents, not just the parties.

Your partners' association Monthly Under $500/yr ~4 hrs/month
Find your local chapter →

Give someone nine choices and they pick none. If you do one thing from this page, do this.

  1. 01

    Your local Realtor board or association

    Your partners' association

    Your partners are in this room: residential real estate agents, mortgage brokers, and real estate attorneys.

    Join as a vendor and you are in front of hundreds of agents. They need people they trust at every closing. Ask about the vendor committee and the classes for new agents, not just the parties.

    Monthly Under $500/yr ~4 hrs/month
    Chapter finder →
  2. 02

    Your city or county chamber of commerce

    Chamber of commerce

    Your partners are in this room: financial advisors, primary care practices, and therapists and counselors.

    Too big and too broad on its own. The value is in one committee. Pick one and go every time. The same fifteen people show up, and they get to know you.

    Monthly Under $500/yr ~4 hrs/month
    Chapter finder →
  3. 03

    Your local estate planning council

    Your partners' association

    Your partners are in this room: financial advisors, estate planning attorneys, and CPAs.

    Estate lawyers, CPAs, bankers, and insurance people in one room on purpose. It was built for this kind of referral.

    Monthly Under $500/yr ~3 hrs/month
    Chapter finder →
  4. 04

    State CPA society

    Your partners' association

    Your partners are in this room: financial advisors and CPAs.

    A CPA is the person most business owners trust most. Sponsors can go to chapter meetings and classes.

    Monthly Under $500/yr ~3 hrs/month
    Chapter finder →
  5. 05

    Local mortgage bankers or brokers association

    Your partners' association

    Your partners are in this room: mortgage brokers and title companies.

    Loan officers know a house is selling 30 to 60 days before anyone else does.

    Monthly Under $500/yr ~3 hrs/month
    Chapter finder →
  6. 06

    Land title association

    Your partners' association

    Your partners are in this room: real estate attorneys and title companies.

    Title agents and closing lawyers. They touch every deal on its last day.

    Quarterly Under $500/yr ~2 hrs/month
    Chapter finder →
  7. 07

    BNI

    Structured referral group

    One seat per category, so your competitors are excluded by rule and the seats around you are the partners above.

    The biggest referral group in the world. You meet every week. Only one person per job. They expect you to show up.

    Weekly $500–$2,000/yr ~8 hrs/month One seat per category
    Chapter finder →
  8. 08

    LeTip International

    Structured referral group

    One seat per category, so your competitors are excluded by rule and the seats around you are the partners above.

    Weekly referral chapters. One person per job. Strong with trades and home services.

    Weekly $500–$2,000/yr ~7 hrs/month One seat per category
    Chapter finder →

Let us be straight with you. For college planning advisors, a weekly referral group is not the best pick. Your partners gather in professional groups instead, so spend your time there. We would rather say that than sell you a seat you do not need.

Block three

Is your seat open?

Prime Time takes one college planning & funding per chapter. Put in a South Florida ZIP above and we will show you which seats are open.

Add a ZIP code at the top of the page to see which seats are open.

Get the dates

Have the next meetings sent to you

The rooms above are the answer. This is when they meet. Tell us where to send it and we will email you the next dates for college planning advisors, with the one page plan.

We already know your trade and your area from this page, so there is nothing else to fill in. We do not ask for a phone number. Every email we send has an unsubscribe link.

Take this with you

Your one-page action plan

Five partners, five things to say, three rooms. Print it and keep it in the car.

Networking plan: College Planning & Funding

The five people who should be sending you clients

  1. Financial Advisor (They send you work)
    Shared trigger: somebody retires
  2. Primary Care Physician (They send you work)
    Shared trigger: somebody changes jobs or gets relocated
  3. Mental Health Therapist (They send you work)
    Shared trigger: a marriage ends
  4. Real Estate Agent (Residential) (They send you work)
    Shared trigger: somebody changes jobs or gets relocated
  5. Mortgage Broker / Loan Officer (They send you work)
    Shared trigger: somebody changes jobs or gets relocated

The three rooms to be in

  1. Your local Realtor board or association: Your partners are in this room: residential real estate agents, mortgage brokers, and real estate attorneys.
  2. Your city or county chamber of commerce: Your partners are in this room: financial advisors, primary care practices, and therapists and counselors.
  3. Your local estate planning council: Your partners are in this room: financial advisors, estate planning attorneys, and CPAs.