Are You Making This Tragic ?? Mistake in Your Online Course?
The tragic mistake many well-intentioned course creators are making and what to do instead.
Once the foundation is laid (a clear vision, concise topic selection, and a step-by-step process), the next step in our Thriving Online Program Accelerator? journey is creating content.
We provide a set of guidelines and decision criteria that experts can use to determine what content should be included in their online course or program.
This is critical because many course creators tend to over-stuff their courses with too much information. This can look like:
?? Content you created for other purposes included in the course without a thoughtful 'why' for it
?? Providing too much background information. Information is there to support action only
?? Taking them on a longer journey than is necessary for the desired result
Why is a bloated course so tragic ???
Aside from poor client experience and less-than-stellar results, we have to remember this important fact:
The most valuable resource our clients have is TIME.
So it is our duty to take up as little of it as possible while helping them get to their desired result.
One of the key principles we teach in the Thriving Online Program Accelerator? is that a good course will take your client down the SHORTEST path from where they are today to where they want to go. This is the way to create the best results in the least amount of time.
Note: Don't confuse 'shortest' with 'short'. It's not about it being rushed, either. The shortest path to result may be six months or even a year long. Totally fine if that's the best journey to that desired destination, especially if integration time is part of the puzzle.
So why would an otherwise well-intentioned course creator over-stuff their course?
In my experience working with hundreds of experts who are scaling beyond 1:1 and adding new streams of revenue from online programs and courses, it's because of one or more of the following:
???♀? Lack of clarity. They just didn't know how to create a path to results in a course. In their 1:1 work, they help many people and get amazing results but they didn't know how to translate it into a course in a streamlined manner. Or they had a big library of content already created so that all got included in the course.
???♀? Cover up insecurities. This is a biggie! If it was their first course and they were feeling insecure about their ability to deliver results in a course format, they likely kept adding and adding and .... adding.
???♀? Pricing it 'by the pound'. Thinking that the more 'stuff' is in there - more modules, longer program length... the more they can charge. That's just false. Pricing is a value-based formula (if you want to learn my Premium Program Pricing Formula - send me a PM or look for the article on our website)
These are well-meaning in-demand professionals who just didn't know better. And it's okay...
Because I'm excited to share the three keys to creating your shortest-path-to-results, create an army-of-raving-fans course:
?? Your course should solve one key problem for one dream client avatar. If you try to solve everything for everyone through your course, it will become a bloated, tragic mess.
?? Determine what the SHORTEST path to that result is for that client and create that. (you can add supplemental information if you'd like; just keep it out of the critical path)
?? Do the mindset work required for you to avoid the tendency to over-stuff your course to 'prove your value' or 'defend the price'. The most valuable thing you can do is to help your clients achieve their desired result using the simplest and shortest path.
When you apply these three principles to your course creation, you will be able to create a course that you feel proud of, that gets great results for your clients, and allows you to make more money without working more hours.
Jane Sagalovich, CFA is a business strategist and scaling mentor.
She is the founder and CEO of Scale Your Genius where she is on a mission to rid the world of Crappy Online Courses. Jane has helped hundreds of experts create their high-quality online courses and programs with clarity, confidence, and ease.
As a result, they get to make more money and serve more clients without working more hours.
With an M.B.A and a CFA under her belt, over 15 years in strategic corporate roles, and 7 years as a business owner and entrepreneur, she brings extensive expertise in various facets of business and strategy. She is gifted in distilling it into precise and transformational client work using a powerful combination of logic, expertise, and intuition.
Originally from Ukraine, she now loves living the American Dream in Colorado where she gets to play in the beautiful Rocky Mountains surrounded by family and friends... while scheming her next international adventure (which will hopefully be allowed to happen soon).
If you’re an in-demand professional looking to scale in a thoughtful and profitable way, apply for a call with Jane at talkwithjane.com