If I were to go to your website today, could I buy something from you?
If the answer is "no" then here is a harsh reality.
You are not open for business...yet.
I'm always surprised when I hear from people who say, "Jonathan, I'm not making any money in my online business."
It starts by having something for sale.
Here's the fastest way to change that.
I call it: Online Course in a Weekend.
What if in less than 48-72 hours, you could have an online course ready to sell (even without a website)?
Once you learn my 3-step strategy, you'll discover it's not really all that difficult to pull off.
Step 1. Pick a Super Niche Topic
One of the reasons most people never launch their course idea is because the topic they have chosen is too big to cover.
People want transformation, not information.
Instead of a course called "The Ultimate A-Z Facebook Ads Course," choose a smaller topic such as "The $1 Day Facebook Video Ads Course."
ProTip: The more specific you can be in naming your course, the more attractive it becomes.
Not sure where to start?
First, brainstorm ALL the ideas and topics that come to mind on potential courses you could create. Don't be too quick to judge here. Just write down your ideas.
Second, select your top three ideas and come up with three ways you could make it more specific. Once you are done, you will have 9 unique, specific mini-courses you could create.
Step 2. Think Steps, Not Information
An important tip in creating a mini-course over the weekend is to think steps, not information.
Brainstorm the steps a person would need to take to achieve a successful outcome. Each step you come up with will become one video you will create for your course.
I would recommend a minimum of three steps (along with a welcome video and next steps video) and a maximum of 8 steps.
The outline of your course might look something like this:
- Intro Video
- Step 1 Video
- Step 2 Video
- Step 3 Video
- Step 4 Video
- Step 5 Video
- Next Steps Video
Personally, I would make each video to be around 5-15 minutes. Keep the videos short and to the point.
When it comes to recording videos, there are three video styles that are the simplest.
- Talking Head Video - Customers can see you and better connect with you
- Presentation Slides - Customers can see your notes, pictures, and main points (but not you)
- Screenshare Recording - The best option for demos, tutorials, or showing webpages
The below screenshot shows how I break down each video style.
Step 3. Create the Before & After
Once you have your course videos ready to go, you have just two questions left to answer.
- Question 1. Where will you host your online course?
- Question 2. How will you create an attractive sales letter?
My short answer to question one is to use one of the following three course platforms:
- Option 1. GumRoad.com - Free to use, but does charge a 10% fee on any course sales
- Option 2. Kajabi.com - My favorite all-in-one online business tool
- Option 3. Systeme.io - A cheaper alternative to Kajabi that works very well.
Now, let's talk about the sales letter.
I know, you probably hate writing sales letters (I know I do). :)
The easiest method I've ever learned is called the "before & after."
One of the easiest ways to write your sales letter and sell your new course through email or social media is to talk about the before and after transformation.
Most course creators focus on the features. They will say things like, "you'll get five hours of video training, etc."
But here's a sales truth I want you to never forget:
Features tell, but benefits sell.
Stop focusing on selling the features and start talking about the benefits, outcomes, and transformations they will get.
Sell them on the "after" benefits they will receive after going through your course.
Take out a piece of paper and divide it into two columns.
- Column 1 Before - How do they feel before they take your course?
- Column 2 After - How will they feel after they take your course?
Once you take time to fully brainstorm all the ideas of the "before and after," now you can more easily write your sales page.
There you have it!
Those are the three steps you can take to have something up for sale over the weekend.
