Okay, let’s be honest … selling online courses can be a challenge even at the best of times. And right now, when the world seems to be spinning outta control (yet again!), selling online courses can feel like pulling teeth. Without the Novocaine! 😳
And one big reason for slow sales? 👇🏼👇🏼
Objections.
Objections whirl around in a prospective student’s mind — rightfully so. There are plenty of “I’ve been burned” stories to scare away even the grittiest buyers.
So, how do YOU — a committed and thoughtful course creator, overcome objections without being dismissive or tone-deaf?
How do you boost those conversion rates and remove resistance without turning into a human bulldozer?
Let’s look at this with both a critical eye and a tactical one so you can walk away with specific strategies to increase those conversions and sell more online courses without overlooking very real issues.
Strategy 1: Tackle Objections Head On with Transparency
Mayank walks into the kitchen, “What’s that smell?”
“Umm … burnt milk!” 😂
TOTAL sidenote: We have a running joke in our family that if either one of us heats milk on the stove, we’ll forget all about it.
Even though we’re modern humans with cellphones that can be used to set alarms, there’s something about milk, that well, our brains don’t compute! 🤷🏻♀️
Annnyway, the point is … objections can be like an obvious smell in the kitchen. The best way to handle them is to be upfront about them.
❌Do not try to sweep them under that well-worn Persian rug.
❌Definitely do not gloss over them.
(Gloss is for lips. Not brains!)
Instead, tackle them head on. With grace.
For instance, if a common concern is the course’s difficulty level, create a video walkthrough or a detailed blog post explaining how you’ve designed the course for various skill levels, providing concrete examples of the way you’ve scaffolded the content to meet different needs.
Strategy 2: Lean On Your Social Proof When Selling Online Courses
You know how we feel about social proof, right? We love it, but you gotta use it right. (This post on using testimonials to increase credibility will help!)
You can (and should!) use testimonials strategically to overcome objections.
For example, if you know an objection could be that the content is not suitable for beginners, you could showcase a video testimonial from a student who initially struggled with the foundational work but ultimately succeeded.
If a likely objection is concern about whether a program would work for someone who doesn’t live in North America, share case studies of students from other countries who went through the course and saw tangible results.
Go the next step and invite your prospective, on-the-fence students to chat with your current or past alumni. 👏🏼
(In fact, you can do that when you’re considering joining Ready-to-Sell. Simply book a 20-minute call here. I’ll be happy to walk you through the course content and identify the best students for you to speak with!)
Strategy 3: Offer a Safety Net that Reduces and Reverses the Risk
Offering a money-back guarantee can always alleviate concerns about the course not being worth the investment. For instance, provide a 30-day, no-questions-asked refund policy to demonstrate your confidence in the course’s value and your commitment to student satisfaction. (Psst! You get this with Ready-to-Sell!)
Alternatively, you could consider offering other safety nets for your prospective students:
🍪 Free Trial: Give your students a taste of your course by offering a limited-time free trial. This allows them to experience the course content and teaching style before fully committing. For example, provide access to the first module of your course for a week, allowing prospects to engage with the material and determine if it’s a good fit for them.
💰 Payment Plans: Break down the course fee into smaller, manageable payments to make the investment more accessible. By offering flexible payment options, you can address concerns about affordability and demonstrate your commitment to making the course available to a wide range of students.
Did you know we offer interest-free payment plans for both our services and our programs?
🎓 Campus Tours and Open Houses: This is similar to a Free Trial but you’d usually do this LIVE on a Zoom or similar call and walk them through the course content in depth. It goes deeper than a video walkthrough but is less than a completely free trial.
☎️ Right Fit Calls: This is something we’ve been doing for a while for both Ready-to-Sell and Intentionally Profitable.
Even though we do have a 30-day guarantee period in place, we also encourage you to book a 20-minute call with us so we can chat with you and assess whether or not our programs would help you.
We’ve been known to suggest alternatives if we weren’t the best option for them. On that note, if you want to join Ready-to-Sell this year, grab some time to chat with me about it.
Strategy 4: Make it Personal and Use Connection for Online Course Conversions
Sharing your own experiences and challenges in your field can help make your course more appealing and accessible.
Think of it like watching a chef make a meal. It just becomes way more appealing and you can’t wait to dig into it. Yep, that’s one reason Manini and I love LIVE sushi stations! 🍱🍣
A few ways you can do this:
- Provide your real-world expertise in what you teach
- Create behind the scenes stories of ideation and creation
- Answer objections with tailor-made questions in your FAQ section
- Share anecdotes about how you overcame obstacles in your career
- Explain why you created the course to help others succeed in similar situations
Strategy 5: Handle Objections with Behavioral Science and Economics
Objection handling can be a lot like slow-cooking that stew. It takes time, patience, and persistence.
However, you can speed up the process ever so slightly by using behavioral science and economics. #nerdalert 🧠
Loss aversion is a proven bias that can be used ethically to help your prospects see exactly what potential missteps they’d avoid by joining your course.
For instance, highlighting the time it takes to use YouTube videos to learn macrame could help a time-starved mom realize your step-by-step course will be faster.
Or empathizing with the sunk costs of past investments in coaching that didn’t bring results and spotlighting exactly why your coaching program will be different will inspire confidence in prospects who may be feeling a little wary of investing yet again.
ALL of this to say … overcoming objections isn’t just about slapping on a money-back guarantee and calling it a day.
Like nearly everything in the course sales process, these require a thoughtful and nuanced approach.
Be intentional about approaching them.
Be graceful when handling them. 🧡
On that note, share with us … what are the top objections your audience has when investing in your course?
Want to learn how to write objection-melting copy that heats up conversions? Join us inside Ready-to-Sell and get all the strategies AND copywriting recipes you need to sell courses without resorting to fearmongering and guilt-tripping! Or feeling like you’re getting your teeth pulled!
