This might be niggling you.

And it wouldn’t surprise me…

It’s such a common worry, I hear it all the time from women who are thinking of creating an online course.

They wonder….

“Why would a complete stranger on the internet pay me a big sum of money for my course?”

I mean, after all….

These internet users don’t know you at all.

You’re not famous.

You’re not part of a big flashy business operation.

You’re not everywhere on Google with your own Wikipedia page.

You may not be the most qualified person in your field.

So why would they happily hand over £79… £150, £1000 even £10,000…?

Well, today I’m going to tell you.

But to help me explain, let me start with an analogy.

The Creep at the Party

Let’s imagine that you’re single and you’re at a party full of people.

A complete stranger sidles up to you and says:

“Would you like to come back to my place?”

What would you do?

I expect you might think, “Get lost, creep!”

You don’t know them, you don’t trust them, and you’ve not had a chance to develop any feelings for them at all.

They just come across as weird.

Scary, even.

Well, this is what can sometimes happen online. Usually – I have to say – in marketing that comes from dodgy, untrustworthy operators.

For instance, you might get an email out of the blue with a big promise of wealth, which expects you to send money.

Or you might see a pop-up advert with a big juicy claim, and when you click, they immediately ask you to buy something.

These marketers are like the creep at the party.

They might make a few sales if they hit enough people with it.

But more likely, they’ll get a negative, irritated, even angry response.

So that’s NOT how I sell courses.

And it’s not how you’re going to sell courses either.

It’s not ethical.

It’s not pleasant.

And it’s actually a very inefficient, wasteful marketing strategy.

Instead, we find customers in the same way as you might start a romance, or embark on a new friendship.

Let’s go back to the analogy of the party…

The Romantic Approach

Imagine that the same stranger comes up to you.

But this time, they engage you in conversation.

You both get on well and realise that you have lots in common.

Eventually, they offer you a drink, which you accept.

When you finish your drinks, they ask if they can be friends with you on Facebook.

Over the following weeks, you like each other’s posts, and exchange some direct messages.

You’re getting along so well that you agree to meet for dinner.

When that goes well, you do it again.

Gradually, you build affection and trust.

Then one night, when the ‘stranger’ (who is not a stranger anymore) asks if you want to go back to their house to listen to some music or watch a film, you’re more likely to say yes.

Certainly, you wouldn’t think it was weird or intimidating.

Most likely, you’ll be expecting the offer.

Well, this is what happens in good marketing.

The aim is to:

• attract a lead (someone who might be interested in what you offer)…
• turn them into a prospect (someone who shows interest in what you offer).
• turn them into a customer (someone who takes up your offer)
• turn them into a loyal customer who will buy more from you in the future or recommend you to their friends

This process happens in a series of steps, each one with increasing levels of trust, commitment, and investment.

In marketing jargon, it’s called a “sales funnel”.

How sales funnels work

It begins with getting noticed online.

So that could be a Facebook ad or YouTube video designed to catch the eye of your target audience.

That’s the TOP of the funnel – the bit with the widest catchment possible.

You might be seen by a few thousand people, many of whom won’t bother to react at all.

That’s fine, because you’re not looking for everyone.

You’re looking for a specific kind of person who might enjoy and benefit from what you have to offer.

Some of those people will be interested. They might hit ‘like’. They might click on the link to a webpage.

That’s the first sign of a commitment.

However, rather than asking these people to immediately buy from you, you need to offer them something of value.

It could be a report, an eBook, a mini-course – something that might solve a specific problem or achieve a certain goal.

It should be simple, free, and not require much time or commitment on their part.

We call this a “lead magnet”.

Think of it like someone accepting your offer of a date and writing down their phone number.

In agreeing to exchange their email address for this gift, the lead has now become a prospect.

Hopefully, they’ll enjoy what you send them, and find it useful.

At this point, you’ve earned a bit of trust – and even gratitude.

You can now get communicate with them through further emails that tell them more about who you are, what you stand for, and how you can help them.

If they’re still reading these emails, you know they’re really interested.

At this point, you can ask for a bit MORE commitment, by getting them to attend a webinar.

In the world of course creation, a webinar is one of the most powerful tools of seduction (in fact you can use webinars as a lead magnet – I’ll do another email about that soon).

It’s a bit like getting to stand in front of someone at a party and talk to them for an hour.

It accelerates the process of gaining trust, because you’re a genuine human right there in front of them, discussing things they care about.

By the end of the hour, they’ll certainly know who you are, and that you’re for real.

At THAT point you can offer them an even deeper commitment by offering your course for a risk-free trial.

The people who take that vital step are now paying customers.

Of course, not everyone will take up your offer.

So you might need to send them some further emails in order to woo them.

They’ll need a little more convincing – but some of them will get there in the end as they get to know you more, and eventually take the plunge.

Others will walk away, and that’s fine. Because you’ve now got a group of customers who are definitely prepared to spend money with you.

So when you create a new course, or a higher level version, these people are likely to buy again.

The beauty is, to get those repeat sales, you don’t need to go out and advertise.

You can message these people and simply “invite them out”.

Can you see how it works?

The secret is this…

When marketing a course, you’re never attempting to get strangers to buy from you.

Never. Ever.

Instead, you’re always asking for payment from somebody who ALREADY KNOWS YOU.

Someone who trusts you.

Someone who is expecting you to make that offer.

Someone who would feel disappointed if you didn’t!

But a very important thing to understand is that unlike a real life relationship it doesn’t take weeks or months to build up this relationship.

Done the right way it can be done in just 7 days.

As part of my Course Creation Academy, I will hand over my complete and proven sales funnel process for you to use, with all the support you need.

I can train you in every step of this process, with templates you can use to make it easy.

To get started just email me at [email protected].