Transcription
Have you ever heard the saying, “If you build it, they will come”? Well, that does not apply. I don’t know; my course, we’re gonna dig into how you actually sell an online course today, because it’s much more nuanced than people think it is, and it might not be as easy as you thought it was.
So you’re here if you want to create or sell an online program. Maybe you already have one, but it’s not selling consistently well. I’ve been doing this for nearly a decade, working in the online education industry, and I’ve helped thousands of people take their unique genius and expertise and package it into a highly scalable and highly impactful online course businesses, scaling all the way up to several hundred thousands of dollars a month without any ad spend at all. And in my own online course business, we’ve done well over 30 million dollars in course sales and sold a total of over 10,000 online courses since the beginning, which is kind of wild, to people in 47 countries all over the world. The impact is huge. I love what I do, and I love helping people do the same thing, because online courses are one of the most incredible ways to be able to impact more people at scale than what you can do on your own or in a one-on-one setting.
So we’re gonna dig into the details of how to sell an online course, and I want you to grab a notepad and really pay attention, because there’s gold in this video, and it’s coming from a huge wealth of experience. And if you are really serious about packaging your skill set, or if you have a program that just isn’t quite selling the way you wanted it to, I have a free master class that I’ve created for you. And if you go to workwithsunny.com, you can access it right now on demand. So make sure you go and check that out; the link is in the description below.
Now, something I want to mention before we get into the details of this is that selling really is an act of generosity when it’s done right, and that’s what I really want to focus on in this video. We’re not trying to sell to just anybody; we’re selling to actually create an impact and create results. And when you have the offer that somebody really, really needs to create the result that they’re looking for, it truly is an act of generosity and an active service. So let’s do it; let’s dive in.
So first and foremost, you need to understand the structure of an online course that sells. Now, I go into this in depth in another video, which you can check out at the link in the description below. I have a whole playlist up for you with additional resources, but just so you can understand the overall structure of this, because the way that we help our clients create programs is all around creating a transformative program. It’s a program that’s truly based around getting really deep impact and results for your clients, and it allows these people to leverage their expertise in a really meaningful way.
So, number one, creating a sellable course starts with a unique selling proposition. We call this your transformation statement. It really summarizes how you help people and who you want to help and what the outcome is that you’re delivering to them. So, “I help blank go from blank to blank so that they can blank.” So number one, you start with your unique selling proposition. We need to know who the client is and where you’re taking them from and to in order to create a curriculum that actually works. From there, you create a Client List from zero. So we have a signature methodology inside of our program where we help our clients build their first 50 Client List so that they actually have people to sell to, and they’re armed and equipped to never run out of leads because they know how to create a lead gen system without having to have tech or funnels or anything in place, and they know that they can generate new leads without a ton of friction, and also they know exactly where to find them. So you need a Client List first and foremost to sell, but you absolutely can start from zero, and we have lots of clients that do.
The next step is, once you know how you’re going to impact your client, you create the curriculum outline for them. You don’t build the course; okay, you do not build the course. I just made a video on 10 things you need to know before you create a successful online course that sells; you might want to check that out. And this is one of the things: you do not actually create your program before you sell it. What you’re going to do is create the outline so you know what you’ll be teaching, but you won’t actually build it yet. Pre-sell; so you’re going to pre-sell, validate the offer, get cash flow in the door, ensure that you have clients that you can actually serve this to, and that people want to buy it, and confidence in that this offer is something that people are going to need and want from you, and that it’s going to actually work. From there, you deliver it and iterate it. So the value of delivering your program in the way that we teach it, which is a prototype model, is that you can actually iterate it as you go, because there’s no better way to learn how to teach something than to actually get real-world feedback from people. You might think you’re explaining something well; you might think you have their order of the curriculum in the right way. You start doing this with a real test group of people in your offer; you will learn very quickly you don’t, and this will help you make the ultimate program, the final product, so much more impactful.
From there, you want to package it into your actual, what we call, scalable offer. So that means that you are going to take everything that you’ve learned from delivering the prototype version of your program and package it into an actual online program that you can upload into a portal where clients can access it on demand at any time. From there, you need evergreen traffic. So in the beginning, you don’t need to have, you know, a YouTube channel and all these things going; you just need to know how to generate leads in an on-demand way, which is how we describe it. And then once you have a validated program and your messaging is super clear and you know exactly who you’re serving in terms of your ICA, your ideal client, then you can create evergreen traffic with something like a YouTube channel, which is going to bring in leads and sales and clients even when you’re not working, and it is a very powerful tool. I have so many videos about this and how to leverage YouTube to generate clients, and I’ll put that list below as well. And the next piece is consistency; so knowing how to leverage everything you’ve learned in the process thus far to create consistent sales through both on-demand and evergreen client attraction methods, combining those two things allows for consistent sales for the rest of time and for you to never run out of ultimately potential leads and clients.
Now, if you want to see how well this process that we have here is laid out and works, you can actually go to our testimonials channel. We have an entirely separate channel where there are hundreds of case studies and testimonials that you can check out from our clients who have used this to create their scalable online course businesses that actually sell. So because we work with experts and people who have skill sets and expertise they want to package into a transformative program, and because the impact that they’re creating is really specific and deep for their clients, the minimum price point that we say to charge is 500. That’s a minimum, but we have clients that are charging all the way up to twenty thousand dollars for their online program. Now, if you want to learn more about how to price an online course in the right way, I do have a whole video on that as well, which again I will link to below.
So how do you actually do this, and what are the options available for you to sell your online course? This is going to break it down, okay? So there’s really two key options that you have available to you. So the first option is direct purchase; we call it a program purchase. This is something that I have tested myself; I’ve done both of these, and I actually no longer offer this option, and I will no longer offer that option. I haven’t done it for years, and I won’t do it again in the future. Reason being, I’m gonna explain a couple things here. So what direct purchase means is that somebody can just see your course somewhere online, go to a website landing page, and buy it without applying, without speaking to somebody, without being qualified.
So here’s why, after years of testing this, I no longer do this, and it doesn’t work as effectively. First and foremost, this really only works with a lower price point option and more of an information-driven course than a transformative course. I’ll explain more so about that in a second. The other reason is that inevitably you’re going to hit some sort of a plateau with this, because with a direct purchase program you are constantly thinking about driving more traffic, driving more traffic, driving more traffic, finding more leads, finding more leads, finding more leads. That is not the case with this option, so I’m going to talk about that in a second. You’re also constantly tweaking your messaging, your funnels, the tech behind everything, because you really don’t know, know why it is selling or why it stops selling and what is broken, because you don’t have any actual human validation or feedback. So it’s kind of a constant guessing game; it can be really frustrating, reduce profit because you’re generally selling at a lower price point with an option like this. It is still a ton of effort, even though it doesn’t seem like it, because you’re like, “Hey, but people can just go and buy.” Okay, but you still have to generate leads; you still have to generate traffic, and you still have to hope that people are gonna get what they need enough to where they’re gonna go, “Okay, I guess I should buy this.” But even then, because it’s selling at a lower price point here, profit margins are teeny tiny, if you have any at all. And the final piece is you have no quality control, and this is probably the biggest lesson for me: when you have a program that anybody can buy on the internet, you’re gonna get any client that is not going to be valuable for you in the long run, because what is the most important factor to scaling an online course business? Results. If you don’t have results, you don’t have anything. And so if you’re attracting any kind of client, they’re probably not all going to be at the right place where they’re actually going to do the work and get results, which leads to unhappy customers, complaints, refunds—all, all these things that create a huge administrative headache on an offer that isn’t even actually generating you enough profit to make it sustainable.
The other option, the second option—so this is what we use, and we will continue to use. So because our program and how we help our clients create their programs is transformative, it allows us to have a higher price point that is based on the value of the outcome, and you want to think about that in terms of, “Okay, what am I actually helping people achieve and do here, and what is it causing them to not have the help that I’m providing to them?” And usually the cost is quite high, and it’s on a variety of things. We have people who have programs around dance, skin care, finances, law—everything in between, baking, you name it, DJing—all the things. But because it’s transformative and it’s very specific who your offer is for, the more niche down you are, the more specific you are, the higher price point you can charge because you are offering a very specific outcome and value to the client. It’s not just information-based; it’s not something people can Google; it’s something they actually have to go through your methodology and process to achieve, which means for less effort you’re actually creating higher profit because you’re charging a higher price point; you only maybe need to sell one person into the program to make the income that you would make for the entire month. Also, because you are getting people to apply and to fill out an application so you can actually qualify the person to make sure that they are the right client for you before they can actually get on a call with you, which we do all of our calls via Zoom, then you’re ensuring that you’re speaking to the right people. So this means your conversion rate goes up, and also you’re only inviting people in who are the right clients. And if the right client is invited in at the right point where they’re ready to do the work and they’re invested mentally, financially, emotionally, you get phenomenal, phenomenal apply results, and that helps the business scale because you have so much validation and proof behind it. And then finally, this option allows you to have a team behind you, because you have more cash flow in the business because you are, you know, you have systems in place, you can then bring somebody on to do these sales calls for you and take that off your plate so you can focus on being the leader and the founder of the business.
So really and truly, when it comes to selling an online program, these are basically two options you have: direct buy, go-to-website purchase, and you have application, qualify the lead, get them on a call, make an offer—don’t make an offer depending on if they’re the right fit.
Now, what do you actually need to sell a course? What are the necessities? Well, simply put, if you break it down, and this is how we break down all of our clients’ businesses and our own, you have to have an offer, so a transformative offer, which is really the program itself; you have to have clear messaging that speaks to the correct ideal client, which brings in leads for the business, which then turns into sales, which then turns into having systems and operations behind all this so you can scale and actually build a team if you choose to, although we have clients who are scaling to multiple six figures a month and maybe have one person on their team, so it’s totally up to you and how you want to do it, but this builds the foundation for you to do just that. But the most important factor to selling a course is you have to have leads; you have to have traffic; you have to have people coming to you that want to work with you. So there’s really two options here: there’s on-demand and there’s evergreen.
So in terms of leads, you always want to start with on-demand, so that means that you’re going onto platforms that are more shorter shelf life and get more of a reactive response, whereas evergreen traffic is traffic, traffic that builds consistently over time and continues to bring in traffic for you when you’re not working, like a YouTube channel. So when it comes to on-demand leads, this is the easiest way to generate leads, and it’s so valuable for you to know how to do this in your business because it arms you and equips you to never run out of leads. So we have a script inside of our program where we help people essentially turn a stranger on the internet into somebody they can build a relationship with, provide value to, who then eventually becomes a client. Now, this can be done through, you know, your own network, the existing network; it can be done through LinkedIn; it can be done through Facebook groups that are topical to the problem you’re solving; it can be done through Instagram hashtags, DMs, stories, polls; be done through TikTok, through any of those platforms. The evergreen option is done through YouTube, or it can be done through other options as well, but YouTube is our platform of choice, and like I said, I have a whole playlist on generating clients from YouTube, so I’ll link to that below. But the common denominator between both of these options is creating profitable content, and this is done by creating content that actually adds value to your ideal client: tutorials, strategies, intel, industry insights—things that are relevant to your ideal client, that means something to them, that make an impact on them, that attract them into your realm and go, “Wow, that person really is the expert.” And that content is what allows them to build a relationship with you and really go to you as the person that they want to work with to then convert into a client. And when you think about any social media platform, the biggest key to generating clients through either of these methods is that your content speaks to two things: the algorithms on any social media platform need to know who you’re speaking to and what you want to be known for. If your content is not touching on those two things, you’re getting lost in the algorithm; you’re making more content than you need to, and it’s ultimately not doing its job for your business, and it’s hurting you because ultimately it’s not attracting the right people that you can have the deepest impact on, which kills your social proof and validation for your offer, which then kills the business.
So I’d love for you to comment below and let me know what is a piece of content that you could create right now, and the topic of it that would attract your ideal client. And when it comes to leads, people get really overwhelmed and think, “I need thousands upon thousands of people to follow me and know about me.” That’s just not the truth. Let’s do some simple math here: if you want two clients a month, that means that you have to speak to times five equals 10 leads. If you convert 20 into clients, that means that if you have 10 leads, you have 10 conversations; 20 of those conversations turn into a client; you’ll have two clients per month. And if you’re charging a price point of, let’s say, five thousand dollars, that’s ten thousand dollars a month. So for the whole, whole entire year, 10 leads times 12 months is 120 leads for the year. You don’t need a lot of leads; you need the right leads. And outside of that, the necessities to actually sell your course, it’s very simple when you do it in the way where you’re actually applying and qualifying folks before you actually enroll them into your program. All you need is a Zoom account, which most people have, and a payment processor, which is very simple to set up. So it doesn’t require a lot for you to sell your course; it requires you to have a course that’s worth selling ultimately, and that’s actually going to get results for it to be a sustainable, long-term business.
Now, like I said, if you’re really serious about this and you want to create an online program that you can scale and make a big impact with, head to workwithsunny.com to check out my free master class with the four steps to do just that right now, so you can grab that in the link in the description and check it out on demand. And let me know where your light bulbs were from this video and what you took away from it, and do let me know what are some ideas around content that you can create that’s for your ideal client that would attract them and actually make them want to buy your online program. Now, in my next video, I’m going to talk about the four most common sales objections that you will get as a course creator and how to overcome them. And in the meantime, check out this video on how to create a course that sells. Give this a like if it was helpful, be sure to subscribe for new videos every week, and thank you so much for watching. I’ll see you in the next one. Bye.