How to Sell Online Courses on Autopilot- Tools_ Techniques_ _ More-1-1

 

How to Sell Online Courses on Autopilot: Tools, Techniques, & More

 

by Todd Parmley

COO, eWebinar

Last updated July 19, 2021

 

So you’ve created an online course that you’re really proud of, but you’ve found yourself in a place where your sales aren’t where you’d like them to be. Maybe it feels like you’ve tried everything, and you’re asking yourself, “How can I sell my online courses better than I have been?

This multi-part guide will help you learn everything you need to answer that question. We’ve included everything from how to effectively sell your course to students, to how to scale your business using automation, and the strategies you can implement to optimize your business practices and gain back the time and energy you’ve been missing.

Here’s what you can look forward to:

 


Chapter 1: How to Build a Course Presentation that Sells Your Course For You

Learn to create a course sales presentation for an automated webinar that will help you automate your sales process.


Chapter 2: Free Course Sales Page Template + How to Build a Page That Sells More

Use this guide, which includes a template and downloadable worksheet, to create the perfect landing page for selling digital courses.


Chapter 3: 26 Best Tools for Course Creators to Market & Sell Your Course Better

Explore a variety of websites and apps that will help you improve how you sell your course online.


Chapter 4: How to Make Money Selling Courses Without Lowering Your Price

Learn helpful methods and sales tactics to avoid, so you can start earning more from your course without lowering the price.


Chapter 5: 5 Successful Online Course Creators: Quotes & Key Strategies

See real-life examples of course creators who have mastered how to sell online learning courses and what they did to find success.


Chapter 6: How to Sell a Course on Facebook Without Plunging Yourself Into Debt

Learn how you can use Facebook to sell courses online without spending a lot of money on ads.


BONUS: The Ultimate Guide for Getting Started as a Course Creator with Automated Webinars

This comprehensive bonus guide lists all the resources you need to get started selling online courses with automated webinars.


 

If you want to start with the basics, keep reading to learn about:

Want to learn how an automated webinar can help you sell your course without you present?  Check out this webinar:

How to Sell Your Course on Autopilot Without You
Hosted by  Melissa Kwan, Haley Burkhead
Do you want to grow your business exponentially by selling your online course 24/7, even in your sleep? Now you can, with eWebinar, an easy-to-use software that turns any video into an automated webinar you can set on a recurring schedule. Learn how you can sell your course on autopilot without ever hosting live.

 

6 things I wish I knew about how to sell online courses from the start

When it comes to how to sell your online course, it can be easy to fall down the wrong path with the wrong information and sales strategies. Here’s some things you should know when trying to sell courses online.

1. Live webinars require more effort than they’re worth

Hosting live webinars has become a popular sales method for course creators, since customers are really able to connect with you through video. However, the biggest problem with live webinars is that even though they are incredibly effective at generating conversions, it’s impossible to scale or sustain them as a strategy because of the amount of work required to host them on a regular basis.

Creating an automated webinar instead, with a platform like eWebinar, will allow you to increase the number of sessions you offer while giving you back the time and energy needed to grow your business.

2. Know your unique value proposition

A unique value proposition (UVP) is the who, what, and why of your course. To successfully sell your course online, your potential students need to clearly see who your course is for, what exactly is being offered, and what transformation it will create in their lives. 

Being able to effectively communicate this on your course sales page, within your automated webinar, and wherever else you promote your course will ensure you attract the right people to enroll.

3. You can automate the sales process

Earning a profit doesn’t have to be time consuming. If your sales have hit a wall and you’re trying to figure out how you can better market and sell your course, there are tools that can help. There are a variety of websites and apps that can help simplify and automate your sales - including CRO and SEO tools, analytics tools, WordPress plugins, email campaign software, affiliate marketing platforms, and webinar platforms like eWebinar.

4. Don’t lower your price to increase sales

When course creators struggle to generate sales for their course, lowering the price of their online course can seem like the best solution. This is usually a bad idea. Not only will you be devaluing your hard work, but you’ll also put yourself in a situation where it will be very difficult for you to profit. By using the right sales strategy and automating your business operations, you’ll be able to start making more money from your course sales.

5. Don't spend all your money on Facebook ads

One of the biggest false beliefs when it comes to how to sell online courses is that the only way to generate leads is through Facebook ads. The truth is this is a huge myth that, when believed, can put you into an endless cycle of spending more money on ads than you bring in. There are actually several free and inexpensive ways to reach new students without needing to purchase Facebook ads.

6. Success is possible

Entrepreneurship in general can be discouraging at times, and even flat out lonely! — especially when you're not generating as many sales as you’d hoped. This doesn’t mean that you will never find success. By using some of the key strategies implemented by successful online course creators, you can improve your business and start generating more sales than before.

 

Building a sales funnel to sell online courses automatically

Man with laptop and credit card out to make purchase

A sales funnel to sell online courses should be planned carefully in order to lead potential students through the entire sales journey, from the discovery of your course to the actual purchase. 

These are the key tasks needed to build a successful sales funnel:

  • Identify your target audience - Identify specifically who your course is for to help you to establish value and identify the best opportunities for promotion.
  • Establish your UVP - Clearly state the who, what, and why of your course to help you create a course sales page that appeals to new students.
  • Create your course sales page - Use text, images, and/or videos to convince potential students to purchase your course.
  • Create an automated webinar - Use this profitable webinar template to customize an interactive course sales presentation to help market your course and establish your credibility as an instructor.
  • Find ways to generate free leads - Identify ways through organic content and partnerships to promote your course for free to help you to save money early on.
  • Automate your marketing - Use various marketing tools to help you automate your opportunities for sales and nurture relationships with your current audience.
  • Traffic ads to your target audience - Once you’re earning a profitable monthly income, you can begin investing in digital ads to consistently bring more students to your course.

 

The best example sales funnel to sell online courses

For those wondering how to sell online training courses with the best sales funnel possible, you can create one that makes strategic use of an automated webinar

Turning your course sales presentation into an automated webinar gives those considering your course a convenient way to get something of instant value from you while also getting a taste of what you and your course are like before committing to a purchase. The steps below demonstrate the stages your customers will travel through in this type of sales funnel.

1. Drive traffic to you webinar registration page

Leverage the traffic you can get from your own audience using organic content, through partners’ audiences, or with paid ads to help get your webinar registration page discovered by potential students. Your webinar is the key to providing those interested with the opportunity to learn more about you and your course.

It will be tempting to drive traffic through ads when you’re just starting out. It is generally a good idea to stay away from them until three things are in place first. First, you should be earning enough recurring monthly revenue to pay for the ads upfront, so you don’t risk going into debt. Second, you should already have created a steady stream of free leads from your own and partner audiences. And, finally, you should be certain your sales funnel reliably converts leads into paying customers. In other words, make sure the fire is going strong before you pour fuel on it.

2. Build a registration page that gets leads to join your webinar right away

Example of a webinar registration page

Apply the same techniques you use on your course sales page here on your webinar registration page. Make sure the value prop for the webinar is focused on one key outcome, and you make it clear right away what exactly they’ll be getting out of attending the webinar. It is important you offer something of value they will be able to begin using in their lives immediately. (Noone is going to attend a webinar just to be sold a course. They need something in return.)

When scheduling your webinar, make sure you offer replays and just-in-time sessions, so leads can attend the webinar at their convenience or even join immediately if they want — when they’re most interested.

Automated webinars have a much higher attendance rate (people registered vs. people attended) than live webinars because people can register and be in a session within a couple of minutes (or instantly with a replay) — before they change their mind or their schedule changes and they can't attend something they signed up for.

3. Deliver an engaging course sales presentation designed to convert

Once registered, attendees will now be able to watch your course sales presentation. eWebinar’s interactive features create a highly engaging presentation using questions, polls, tips, links, live chat, and more

The presentation is your opportunity to convince attendees you are an expert, and that you can deliver on the outcome you promise. If they come to see your expertise and derive tangible value from your webinar, they will assume you can deliver on everything your course offers.


PRO TIP: If you need help creating your sales presentation, use a webinar template with a tried-and-true sales formula baked right in! Learn more here: Sell Your Online Course on Autopilot with This Profitable Webinar Template


4. Use a clear CTA to get attendees to purchase your course

If you build your sales presentation well, you will be able to demonstrate to attendees why they should learn from you and how your course would provide them with the outcome they are seeking. Your presentation should contain a special offer that appears towards the end — at the point of highest intent — that presents a clear call to action (CTA) to enroll in your course and links them directly to where they can make the purchase.

5. Nurture relationships for future sales

Now that you’ve successfully made a sale, you can build excitement with your new student before they start your course. Think of each sale as the start of what could be a very long relationship. If you are able to make a difference in people’s lives, they will continue to turn to you as a trusted resource and, as such, are potential customers for any new products or courses you decide to launch in the future.

Not everyone who joins your webinar is going to enroll in your course, but since you were able to capture their contact info through registration you can nurture your relationship with them until they are ready to make a purchase. Maintain an active mailing list, automate your social media, and foster a feeling of community to keep these potential students moving through the sales funnel.

Now that you have a high-level understanding of how you can sell courses online in a better way than before, including how to automate your sales using a sales funnel that includes an automated webinar, it’s time to start diving into the details. If you’re ready to learn more about how you to improve your course sales, get started with Chapter 1 of this guide: How to Build a Course Presentation that Sells Your Course For You.

Ready to see how eWebinar can help you automate your sales?  Sign up for a free trial and see all of its great features for yourself.