It’s a question a lot of people are asking, including my students…

“Is it okay to sell online courses and products in general during the global pandemic?”

And there are two main reasons they ask that.

The first is a moral one…

Some argue that in a time of crisis, the entire community should abandon the need to profit and pull together to share resources for free, or at least at huge discounts.

The second is a practical one…

Some believe that in a time of economic hardship and uncertainty, they need to offer products and services for free (or super-cheap) because that’s the only way they’ll sell anything.

OK, so I totally understand both these lines of argument…

However (and this opinion might make me unpopular) in the case of sole traders, start-ups and small businesses, I don’t agree.

I think you absolutely SHOULD sell now, and here’s why…

First, let’s look at the moral question.

Ask yourself this…

Are you getting free or discounted gas, water and electricity during the pandemic?

No.

And have the supermarkets slashed all their food prices?

No.

Have all landlords given free accommodation to residential tenants?

No – and if they do it will only be because banks let them off their mortgage payments.

So if corporations are profiting from the basic necessities, why should small businesses… run by people who have families to feed and personally rely on this money… feel guilty for making money?

It’s unfair that you should be made to feel bad for selling, for example, an online course in a practical skill that will help someone improve their life or solve a problem…

While gas and electricity companies continue charging for resources that we need in order to stay alive!

Why should there be one moral rule for you and another for wealthy corporations?

What’s more, you have a crucial part to play in keeping the economy moving, not only now but in the difficult years ahead.

This means keeping your business alive so that you still have that business after the lockdown, and don’t become a burden on the state.

And for your business to stay alive, you need to sell.

This is why, as long as you are not hiking prices to profiteer from the crisis, or somehow using up valuable resources, then you should have no moral problem with selling right now.

Okay, so now let’s look at the practical argument…

“But surely people aren’t going to pay for my products and services?”

Yes, there are people suffering real hardship, and we should do all we can to help but… (and this is an important ‘but’) …it’s a huge generalisation to assume no one wants to spend, or has the money to spend.

After the pandemic hit, online shopping went into overdrive.

By early April, Amazon had announced that it was struggling to keep up with consumer demand.

Only a week ago the Office of National Statistics showed that online sales had jumped to more than 22% of all sales, compared with an average of 18% over the last year.

So more people are buying online – and it’s not just loo paper, hand sanitiser and face masks.

During lockdown we are doing a lot more cooking, baking, health and fitness activities, reading and homeschooling, so sales are good for tools, ingredients and information.

On 8th of April, retail intelligence firm Stackline analysed US online sales and reported that sales of bread machines were up by 652% and weight training products up 307%.

In the first weeks of lockdown the BBC reported on a surge in guitar and ukelele sales as people sought to fill their time by learning an instrument.

There was also a surge in sales of webcams and monitors as people began to use Zoom, Skype and House Party for work meetings and online parties.

Think about yourself, for example, have you done any online shopping?

If the answer is yes, then you know for sure that the need and the desire to buy hasn’t vanished just because we’re in lockdown.

People are willing to pay for things that help them get through this lockdown (which is why alcohol sales have soared 31.4%!)

Demand for online educational courses related to health and fitness, online business and marketing, crafting, art, music, education, food, languages, gardening, technology and social media are all going through the roof right now…

Of course, there are products, services and businesses that just don’t work during the pandemic.

According to online sales figures a few weeks ago, the fastest declining categories include luggage, swimwear, cameras, wedding outfits and accessories.

In terms of online courses, anything related to travel, Airbnb, hospitality, house sales, weddings and photography, is going to struggle.

But unless your course falls into these categories, then please don’t use Covid 19 as an excuse because it could actually be an incredible time for you to reach your audience.

People are still paying for what they want so you shouldn’t be afraid to sell.

You just need to do it in the right way.

That might mean making some adjustments or tweaks in what you sell, or the way you sell it.

Here are some suggestions…

• Check your messaging

Firstly, check your messages (emails/social media posts) to make sure they aren’t tone-deaf to the current situation.Take out anything that’s insensitive or not relevant at the moment.

I had a few emails that were going out in automation series which I hadn’t adjusted to take the pandemic into account, so I needed to tweak them to acknowledge what was going on in the world.

It’s not only sales messages you need to adjust but any editorial (welcome emails, autoresponders and website copy) that you created before the pandemic.

Go and check them to make sure they at least nod to what is going on.

Next, take another look at your product…

• Can you make it more suited to the times?

Does it need any tweaks, additions or changes to match up with the experience of your customer during the pandemic?If your course includes a lot of advice about an activity that’s not possible during a time of social distancing, can you perhaps give advice on an online version or alternative?

Perhaps you can add more options for direct contact through email, social media, webinars, live streaming and Facebook?

Or you allow for a more accelerated path through your course for people who have more time.

For instance, in my Course Creation Academy, I offer a 12 month online video training which is spaced out evenly over the year.

However, because of lockdown, some students are racing through creating their course more quickly and getting ready to launch, so I’m giving them access to the training when they need it, rather than making them wait for the monthly training to be released.

I am also developing a new bonus that I will be adding to the course free of charge as I know it’s really going to help my course creator students to make a great sales (if you are already a student watch out for this one – it’ll be landing in a few weeks and it’s amazing!)

• Offer something for free

While you shouldn’t worry about selling your products, you should show that you’re genuinely looking out for your customers.So try and find some ways to offer great value for free.

Is there something you can give your customers, subscribers, and enquirers that might help them during the coronavirus pandemic, even if it’s just to make them smile?

For example, as someone who has worked from home and run an online business for many years, I felt that I had good advice to impart on this subject.

So I gave away some free reports to help people who were new to home working, including a planning guide and useful tools (if you haven’t got them already just email me at [email protected] and I’ll be happy to send you a copy free).

• Adjust your payment options

Again, while I absolutely believe you should be charging for your services, you might want to add an alternative payment option to give people more flexibility.That might mean breaking the payment down into smaller chunks to make it easier.

See how you get on with these small pivots to your course materials and sales copy.

If you have any questions, let me know!