The best teachers are the best sellers (They just don't know it But)
Most teachers find selling unnatural and uncomfortable. But there's a way to market in a more organic and sustainable manner through instructing.
I interact with creators on a daily basis. I've conducted research on hundreds (maybe hundreds?) of artists at nearly every scale imaginable. Every creator is different. But if there's one big takeaway from getting close with the creators of our world, it's this:
Creators find selling uncomfortable (and think they're terrible at selling).
Offering hampers for sale "course creativity and passion," one told me. "It's not something that we're used to or good in," another says. "I know how important [marketing] does, but how do know how to implement a strategy for it? I don't." Comments like these appear in conversations within 's Facebook group.
I'm determined to make selling natural to those who are. It's my goal to help make selling easy for those that live to teach.
The most significant aspect of this? changing the way we think about "selling" means. Sure, selling can mean creating marketing funnels, paid advertising, and emails. This is the last thing creators want to work on -- and it saps their passion for teaching.
However, here's the amazing thing that I wish everyone in the world of creation were aware of. It's a powerful and simple insight that most people miss. Every creator already possesses the single best tool for selling. And it happens to be what they excel at as well as the one they enjoy the most in instructing. To sell more, creators need to teach more.
Transformational funnels >>> marketing funnels
I'm beginning to see teaching as guiding transformation. Think about it. If you've ever learnt something, a change occurred. Before and after. Maybe someone went from "I can't juggle at all" and then "I can juggle 3 balls." It's quite a change! Then, after a couple lessons, another transformation happens and the person is able to say "I am able to hold FOUR balls!" Soon they begin to notice things that they could juggle everywhere they travel. The world becomes an area of endless potential juggling possibilities. That's transformation.
Think back in your life to an instance when you really learned something. That satisfying, building feeling. It was likely a series of changes that built on each other in a series of steps, to the point where you could not believe that you once didn't know how to accomplish that task. Then it must have felt incredible, right?
For creators, marketing funnels should begin with that first change. It's the reason I imagine them as things that are different. They're called Transformational Funnels. If your marketing funnel takes students through a change and then make money via the teaching.
It is a long time before you really dive deep and understand about something. Knowledge and mastery are a gradual build. In most cases, there's the natural progression of milestones and milestones associated with mastering. (For example, you probably can't juggle chainsaws until you first learn to juggle three balls. Then four, then two chainsaws and so on.) And creators who give that first transformation away to their fans for free increase their audience the fastest.
The best thing about it? The transformative funnel is exactly a marketing funnel. With zero strategizing or marketing admin whatsoever, an intuitive and expertise-based funnel (a transformational one!) is already inside the creator's head.
How do you sell your services like a teacher who is a bestseller
Let's take a look at an example of what this transformational funnel is like. Let's take a look at Brandon from the Thrive Training Institute. Brandon teaches an effective and essential thing is how parents can protect their children during the event of an emergency. He recently created an Instagram post which highlighted the crucial problem that choking is the most common cause of death in children. In the final paragraph of his blog post, he advised people to go to his no-cost information on the topic.
This is a usual lead-generating technique, isn't it? Create a problem and offer the solution. Then, what did you do? It was a disaster. 17 likes, no comments. Why? Brandon was thinking as a marketer. He made a commercial. The commercial presents a challenge however, it doesn't offer a solution. It does not help students in their process of change.
Contrast that post with a more recent one. Brandon is doing something completely different in this post: he shows parents how to act should that their child's choking. So much value! What happened? The post received 153 views as of the writing time -- 10x the first posting, and a ton of comments. In teaching how to solve an issue, Brandon provides a transformation. It's an easy "a ha!" moment that prompts an adventure for the audience. Teaching is powerful!
It is worth noting it is that Brandon gives really great content away in exchange for a free subscription. It could be dangerous. Who would buy the course when they could access it no cost on Instagram? Of course, 60 seconds isn't enough time to study everything you'll need to know to save children in the event of an emergency! After they've begun to learn the skill then they'll finish through his training. And because his audience is thrilled by the transformation, they're sharing the post to others as well. (Think of the time when you were able to learn something new and then enthusedly shared it with someone else. it.)
The guy is building his following by offering an effective (and absolutely free!) transformation -- and creating a powerful lead funnel for his business. Brandon has been selling by training. Brandon is selling in a manner that is natural and genuine. It's easy, it's efficient and is easy for Brandon and his audience -- everyone benefits.
The power of authentically selling
The most dynamic (and successful!) firms are founded on genuine goals and actions. It's the same for teaching -- the best teachers have a deep conviction and a sense of motivation. Consider the top teachers that you've had. Take a pencil and paper, or take out your notebook, and prior to going on to read, you should write down a few words to explain them.
The most powerful and influential teachers were in deepand complete connection with their authentic. (Thank to you Bob and Irfhan!) They were magnetic, inspiring, and engaging. It was because they were genuine.
Through making selling more natural it is possible to unlock the potential of every artist who is willing to share their knowledge. My goal is to empower artists everywhere to share their knowledge and live in complete alignment with their own authenticity. Think, for one moment about the potential effects. A rapidly growing category of people who are able to teach and live authentically, committing their full selves to sharing transformative experiences across the globe. If I contemplate this idea it is when I see one, incredible thing: a changed world.