Course Creators Weekly #17 🗓 October 19th, 2020 - How to Sell an Online Course

First things first…

It's best to start with a Beta launch, and have some people go through your teaching process before you do a public launch. Here are 5 reasons why:

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  Helps you refine your process and prove that it works
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  You'll gain experience, learning what works and what doesn't
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  Challenges you to learn how to sell, starting with just a few people
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  Gives you testimonials you can use later
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  Give you confidence in what you're selling

Running your webinar:

Before you set up an evergreen sales funnel, which is covered in this video (I'll summarise it for you next week), a webinar is a great way to build trust with your audience.

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  Be upfront that you'll pitch something at the end
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  Position the webinar as an "open window" into your premium course
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  Promise, and ensure people walk away with actionable tips, even if they don't buy
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  Tackle people's mindset and self-doubts—dispelling myths, building confidence
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  Highlight your student stories—building people's self-confidence + selling you
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  Interact with the audience through polls and questions—keep them engaged
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  Address your viewers as "you", not "you guys", etc—it's more personal

When it's time to pitch:

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  Ask for permission to pitch—no one will say "no", and you only need one "yes"
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  Be very clear about your course outcome/transformation
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  Take people inside the course—show them what it feels like to go through it
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  Use language that makes people feel they're already in your course, meaning…
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  Don't say "IF you buy this course"—say "WHEN you do X, you're going to learn Y"
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  Position your price against alternative learning options, but…
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  Steer clear of claims like "$20,000 value for only $500"
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  If you have a pricing plan, mention that first, e.g. 3x $269, or $699 upfront

First, some terminology:

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  A segment is a subgroup of your audience with similar needs
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  Segmentation is the process of dividing your audience segments and their paths

Should you be doing segmentation?

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  Not yet, if you're just getting started and haven't built a list or sold any products
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  Yes, if you have a profitable business and know how to pitch your product(s)

2 ways to do segmentation:

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  Ask people to click ONE of a few links in an email—easy, but some will click all
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  Set up an online survey—a bit more involved but more reliable

If you want to see how you might set up segmentation in ConvertKit, check out the video starting at 10:48.

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  Practice, and be patient—creating great courses is a learnable craft
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  Invest in quality production—it doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg
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  Engage your student community—help them become part of your course