Passive is Passe: Making Online Courses requires Active Participation
Most service-based enterprises, passive and leveraged income-generating products sound like a great idea, but there are a lot of emotional and mindset concerns that may arise while making the leap into this area. First, there's the misconception that it's the only source of income. Sure, you get to make money in your sleep and go on a trip to the ocean. I get it, you don't have to sell it to me.
But what if you ACTUALLY are concerned about the customers that are buying your product? What if heaven forbid, you weren't adamant about going out to the ocean, but rather, you'd prefer to stick around, hold a few hands, respond to concerns, and really support your customers through the program?
Does that make you an unprofessional businessperson?
Does that mean you're onlyleveraging however you're making no passive income, so it's a failure?
NOT AT ALL.
This is what I'm going to say that leveraged is the new black.
In addition the passive income, it is also a huge part of this year.
The most successful online course creators remain in touch with their clients
Beautiful, heart-centered entrepreneurs are putting together BRILLIANT leveraged programmes, while keeping in touch with their tribe which is loving them for it.
In a world where your customers have ALREADY registered for numerous online courses, never to complete their studies, a self-study programme can be considered a an empty sound.
We live in a time where we have a pity on being pushed through automated channels, lead generators and generally forced to leap through hoops in order to find out how much money you want, and how to pay the amount Online buyers are pushed against. They are refusing. Delaying the decision until they have the opportunity to collaborate on a one-on-one basis or participate in the high-touch group programs which requires a lot of face time.
Connected course creators for connected course creators, this is GREAT news.
Personally, I don't think it's in my DNA to create truly passive income. The first real passive income item was a year-long planner designed for entrepreneurs, and it cost just $19.98. At the time of my first launch it I was able to sell 170 copies, which was stunning. I started communicating with people who had bought it to make sure they'd been filling it in, to find out if they found it helpful, to provide suggestions on how to maintain it all year long.
This was not an investment product with a passive income. Actually, I spent over 10 hours CHASING the people who bought it to find out what they thought about it and then assist them in using it!
One year later, I launched the Heart and Soul planner again in the latter half of 2015. It was this time with two live group workshops one in which I led everyone through the planner page by page, answering questions and giving suggestions, and a second workshop in which I assisted participants come up with their own strategies for implementation to ensure the planner didn't be a mere dust collector.
In transforming my product that was passive into leveraged product I realized a variety of benefits for seller and buyer alike:
- I felt more CONNECTED with the customers who bought I was able to make sure that people got great value - felt good to me, and also good for them.
- I came up with a TRIBE. we were all on the live call together, and members were communicating with each other, cheering each other on and providing thoughts and suggestions. It was not a battle to take over - the focus was to unite and connect.
- People were able to KNOW me, and consequently, my KLT (know that, love, and trust) rating soared.
- The conversion to higher-end quality products was amazing - out of the 256 women who purchased at this point, three are now VIP clients fourteen of them have enrolled in one of my programs, and at least twenty have signed up to my business academy only in six short months. The conversion will continue to happen all through the year, I am certain.
When you're planning and scheming the next course, program or product, you should give thought to designing something that's more connected and more active. You might need to show up to work a bit more consistently.
However that you may find that you like the idea.
Tash Corbin is an expert business coach and mentor to soul-driven, heart-centered entrepreneurs. She is a lean start-up expert and assists women in establishing their own businesses in creating the passive income and leveraged earnings. Her Facebook community, Heart-Centred Soul-Driven Entrepreneurs, is currently over 10,000 active members and growing rapidly.