Honestly, the original plan was to ONLY offer self-guided software, and our early users all did precisely that, with great results.
To this day, the vast majority of ApplicantLab users find the software alone to be sufficient (assuming that they go through the modules thoroughly) and many start out using the Lab THINKING they're going to want to book individual sessions but then no longer feel the need for it.
For those that want a little extra help though, we started offering our add-on services to provide an affordable option to get individual feedback. We offer these as add-ons and not as a part of the base price of the Lab to give YOU the choice about how much "help" YOU want.
The great thing about our services is that since our users go through all of the advice in the Lab FIRST, we don't need to waste time during our reviews covering all of the "basics" and can instead jump right into value-add advice. This enables us to provide high-value individual advice at a very reasonable cost!!
This "hybrid" model of providing advice and feedback has been working well for a number of years now.
You can also, of course, use the Lab for the bulk of your advice and work with another consultant, OR use the Lab as an “insurance policy” to double-check the advice you might be getting elsewhere.
If you’re already spending $10,000 for a 4-school package elsewhere, another $349 is a negligible price to get a “second opinion”!