16 creators who have been successful weigh in on making your first sale online
Starting your first online business? Learn how to make your first sale from entrepreneurs who have been there, done that, and are sharing their advice.
We've put their tips into six easy, digestible advice, so whether you're having trouble selling your first product or are already a veteran creator in need of a boost of inspiration This is what folks who've had the experience had to say.
First: Learn to get to know your customers
"Sales come more easily when you are aware of who you're selling your product to.
When I launched my ebook, The Swap , I felt compelled to meet the cleaning needs of each one with a closet however, the terminology was vague, muddy, and for nobody.
When that customer became specific -- someone who conceptually loved KonMari but couldn't practically get on board -- I was able to surpass my secret, it'll-probably-never-happen goal.
What is the point? Know. Your. Customer."
- Kendra Adachi, The Lazy Genius Collective
To make your first sale it is essential to understand what your audience wants.
In order to understand the needs of your target audience it is important to get to know them.
Seventy-six percent of customers believe that companies should be able to meet their requirements and desires However, more than half think that the companies don't keep their interests at the forefront of their the back of their minds.
With so many businesses missing their mark, showing your customers that you understand and care about them will make your business stand out from competitors.
This is where the customer's research can help.
Researching customer needs involves collecting the most information possible about your target market, to create an experience for customers that makes people feel appreciated and respected.
One of our favorite customer research techniques is review mining. Make use of a search engine, or Amazon to locate different products targeted at the people you want to target, and then read the reviews. The reviews provide qualitative insight into the needs of your clients' wants and expectations.
Imagine you want to sell an online course in songwriting for beginners. You can do a search for "songwriting for beginners" on Amazon, then read the reviews for books such as "The Art of Songwriting :
From these reviews it is clear that the aspiring writers appreciate useful, practical tips to songwriting, with a focus on both lyrics and music. These insights can be used in the process of creating and promoting your course to make sure you're meeting the requirements of your intended audience.
If you want to learn from your target audience Surveys are a great method of conducting research on your customers. Here's why:
Your audience will see that you care about their feedback.
These research methods provide direct insights none other type of research will provide.
Surveys allow you to gauge the demand for your product.
Businesses that are investing in getting feedback from their customers have higher customer retention rates .
Gathering feedback directly from potential customers will help you to avoid the number one reason that startup companies do not succeed their products and services aren't innovative or unique to the marketplace.
It's easy to assume that we know the needs of our customers. It was the case for John D Saunders who launched his first course. A new entrepreneur, and course creator the course creator, he figured out that his clients wanted.
Be sure to ask your customers what they want. Tiffany Williams, the founder of Rich Girl Collective , learned what customers and products they would like to see from them simply by asking the audience directly as well as listening to their feedback.
"I simply ask my students to tell me what they would like, what they'd like to know, and if it matches what I've done, and I have had success with, then I teach the subject to them," she explains.
Another thing to consider prior to moving on to the next point: Getting to know your customers shouldn't stop after they make their first purchase.
That is, demonstrate to your customers that you value their loyalty long after the first cent when they shop with you. It can be a significant difference in your bottom line:
52% buyers make it a point to go the extra mile to shop at the brands they trust.
Customers who have been customers for a long time have 9 times higher likely be converted than a first-time shopper.
It could cost as much as seven times more to get an additional customer than it does to retain an existing one.
If you are able to treat them with respect Your first clients will turn into your best advocates and, most importantly, they will be willing to tell others why.
Of course, word-of-mouth (WOM) doesn't have to be the sole tool needed for your first purchase. It is important to improve other tools in your arsenal also.
#2: Make the maximum of your marketing
"Having the largest social network following? Sure, that's cool.
Are you one of the many YouTube viewers? Great.
But the platform I focus upon when it comes to marketing is the email channel. With email funnels and sequences I'm convinced that there's a lot of value because that is just one step closer for them to tell me they're really interested in the stuff that I have to sell or provide."
- Sef Chang House of Royalties
A small-sized business owner has to be responsible for 4.2 roles that you can assume, and when just beginning out, "marketer" is definitely among them.
From Google AdWords to Search engine optimization (SEO) There are a ton of different ways to advertise your business. However, for Sef (and nearly every creator we talk to -- marketing via email is among the most successful ways to get your message out to an customers and increase sales.
And the stats agree -- email marketing has an average ROI of 42 dollars for every dollar spent .
(That ROI could be greater if you utilize an all-in-one solution like .
For the best results from email marketing, you must to create an email list.
As an example, Sef offers subscribers an unrestricted listing of companies who are willing to license inventors' the development of new products. Sef's target audience is inventors who want to know about the licensing process for their product, so that list is an excellent resource.
"I had my first sale from people who follow my work and download my tools for animation. So my advice would be to offer free assistance as well as advice to the people that you're a part of before you begin offering items for sale."
- Sander van Dijk, Regulus
Imagine your lead magnets as a no-cost preview of your digital products or course material. Offer your readers an understanding about who you are as well as what they can gain from you.
Additional tools and methods that you could add to your tools include:
If you've got an investment budget for marketing on influencer relationships, then paying social media advertising can expand your audience.
Building a presence on your audience's favorite social media channels helps you to build a following as well as showcase your knowledge.
This last bit is the way Min Liu drives online course sales.
The first thing I did was create the YouTube channel I have called The Art of Verbal War for the purpose of building an following. I created short video clips on my topic (verbal skills) and connected my videos to my site in order to get subscriber emails.
Now, I have an impressive email list of subscribers to launch my courses to anytime I want, but mostly only to communicate the information with them and to provide worth (which is much more important than merely selling to your customers). To this day, YouTube is my primary marketing platform to promote my courses."
- Min Liu, The Art of Verbal War
In the end Your marketing plan must reflect the best strategy for you, your business as well as the customers you serve. It's possible that you don't succeed on your first go-around -- but it's never good, but it is that's exactly what the following section will cover.
#3: Be open experimenting
"Experiment! It's difficult to figure out the best way to promote your business online and each set of prospective clients is different. So you'll have to experiment to determine what works (and what isn't).
I've discovered that publishing to my blog and getting blog posts repeated and reposted by other bloggers, as well as having an opt-in feature on my blog, is a great method to get started.
I've bought ads on Facebook, Quora, and Reddit however with little results. I've also started a YouTube channel and started posting content there with some good results.
When you're doing anything think about, evaluate and modify the methods you employ to enhance them. There's not a magical solution there!"
- Reuven Lerner, Reuven Lerner's Python Courses
You don't have to do everything perfectly when you first announce a new product- or ever.
However, trying out new ideas and making mistakes and then learn from them is an essential part of the entrepreneurial journey.
In the Startup Curve , created by Y Combinator founder Paul Graham , failure is an inevitable phase. It happens right before your business starts heading upward toward growing and scaling.
"I think that all we have to look at is previous mistakes and failures in addition to the information could be used to feed the current thing we're doing now."
In order to let go of the perfectionist tendencies, you should try to accept the psychology of Carol Dweck calls the "growth mindset". A growing mindset allows you to accept your challenges, learn, and overcome from your challenges through continuous learning rather than achieving perfection.
Also, allow yourself to explore new avenues in the course of growing your businessbut make sure you be accountable for yourself along the way.
#4: Make yourself accountable
"To to be accountable, I told friends I would launch my product in the next 30 days. I received daily emails including D-15, D-14 and D-15 within it.
Peer pressure worked great for me!"
- Alexis Santin
A way to make yourself accountable is by pre-selling your digital products, as marketing expert and creator Val Geisler recommends.
"Sell it prior to building it!
If you think of the outline, sketch the contents, and draw a rough sketch of what's to come, you can likely pre-sell the course to your inner circle prior to creating the course.
It's incredible motivation to actually develop the course. And there's a bit of money at the bank that will help your efforts in making."
- Val Geisler, Your Signature Experience
John's tweet explains how he uses the pre-sales method:
John requests his students to complete a landing page and be willing to pay $7 in enrolling in his new course. Those who invest the $7 get a 50% to 60% discount on the price on the day of launch and John charges the remaining fee.
"I began to investigate this notion that we were making our own businesses prisons in which we set the framework of our lives, where the only possible outcome was exhausted and failure since we'ren't taking care of ourselves."
"Even if you don't realize it, you likely have a whole host of limiting assumptions that cause yourself to do self-defeating and remain at home in your own familiar zone. Invest in yourself(and your self-belief), and everything will change. "
Entrepreneurs who are successful like Becky and Minessa have these insights to impart because they've been in your shoes. This experience is what makes them an excellent resource for new creators to learn from -- which is, not incidentally, what our next tip is on.
#5 5: Take lessons from one another
"Whatever it is that you wish to accomplish -- whether blog, creating products, building a list Begin by following those who have done the job very well. Everything you need to do was done by numerous people before and you can read about the steps they took through their sites.
This may seem obvious, but emulate the success of. Many people waste a great deal of time re-inventing the wheel, thinking we must do things in a unique, epic method.
The beauty of the internet is that abundant instances of all the things you require to make it happen are at your fingertips."
- David Cain, Camp Calm
Whatever you're doing or trying achieve, do,"learn from the top" is an ideal starting point. This is what makes platforms such as MasterClass that are a collection of online classes given by"the top minds of the world" including Neil DeGrasse Tyson to Margaret Atwoodthat they're so well-known.
When it comes to starting and running a business, there's no shortage of advice and resources out there. The best guidance comes from the voices from experience -- those who've been there, been there, and have proven they can help you also.
There are many groups there for new creators and entrepreneurs to meet each other, from no-cost Facebook groups to exclusive mastermind groups.
Brit Kolo, the founder of Marketing Personalities , said that being part of mastermind groups is one of the best decisions she's ever made in her business.
"Business growth is just the start of my amazing effects ... I've also developed in my personal life, a leader, and a CEO. Other business owners from my mastermind group are now lifelong friends, and I do not say that lightly."
A study about remote work by Buffer shows that the top two issues of working from home are communication and collaboration, as well as loneliness. Both are obstacles which joining a reputable online community will help over.
MegaMaker is a social network specifically for designers and developers with a desire to " want more than the typical work schedule ". The community connects individuals with the same goals so that they can form partnerships with each other, get advice from one another, and share knowledge -- just like David Cain recommends.
But, in order to make the best value from the membership community, you need to bring your full self to the table, and also be honest about the challenges and experiences you've faced. If you want to succeed in making your first (and second, and 100th) sales, you have to do the same with your customers, too.
#6: Be yourself
"Be yourself. You can tell if you are a fake.
Find your niche and your distinctive voice within it. No one can say the things that need to be stated exactly in the same way as you."
- Katie Orr, Bible Study Hub Shop
Your customers don't want or want or.
They seek authenticity and quality. 85 percent consumers believe that authenticity is a key factor when deciding what brands they prefer and which ones to support.
The bulk of your value is derived from your own perspective and experiences.
There are few who know this better than Minessa Konecky.
"Stop and try that you are who your customers would like to see you as.
We are drawn to authenticity so when we purchase from a boutique business owner We're not just purchasing a product, we're buying an opinion.
If the people you are promoting to don't understand the person you're talking to or the values you represent There is no way that photoshopped photos and perfectly crafted posts can make them convert. You're free to be yourself regardless of your flaws. They'll love you for it."
- Minessa Konecky direct to success
By bringing her full self for her work Minessa created a business that is successful that helps others.
This is a win-win.
The end of the day, your unique perspective and experiences is what helps to connect with your clients and not just a flashy website or perfectly-crafted text.
Show up just as you -- that's enough.
Make your first sale and then grow your business
No matter if you're just beginning to learn about the world of online business or you're just beginning to market a new service, the process from an idea of a product the first sale is full of bumps and valleys.
Based on the real-life advice of 16 successful creators Here are six suggestions to guide you down this bumpy road
Find out the most possible about the needs of your clients. Research your customer and speak directly with them and, most likely, they'll be happy to share their feedback with you.
Find the marketing channels which work best for your business and follow them. Email marketing is a great place to start as lead magnets are a tried-and-true way to expand your marketing options.
Accept experimentation, iteration and even failure. You don't have to do everything perfect the first time and, in actual fact, it's part the learning process.
Be accountable to yourself, both internally and externally. The process of selling your products ahead of time helps you stay on track to create your course by preventing self-sabotaging behaviors. will set you up for success.
Learn from the leaders and your peers in your field. Find communities that not only provide you with new knowledge, but provide support as well.
Do what you do best. Customers want familiar with you too and your experience will add value and perspective to the work you do.
Now go out there and make that sale. We're rooting for you.