Running “stump the chump” job hunt gauntlet
How To Sell Your Online Course With Email
Back in 2009 I was desperately hunting for a job.
At the time I was 2 years into my 6 month contract as a temp.
Every day when I’d swipe my badge to get into the building, I’d half expect to see the little light on the lock flash red.
Sorry, Josh. We just couldn’t get any more funding…
So I was applying for every programming-related position I could find on Monster.
It was brutal. Most companies don’t bother to even acknowledge that they got your resume.
And there was another wrinkle that’s unique to the programming world…
When you’re lucky enough to finally get an interview, the person who screens you usually does their level best to humiliate you.
There’s even a name for this hazing ritual: “stump the chump.”
They hit you with all kinds of technical questions and even make you code your way through random puzzles and challenges.
As tough as that was, I’m glad I went through it.
Right now I’m working on a sales funnel for a course that teaches programmers how to market and promote themselves.
And since I’ve walked through the programming job hunt “valley of the shadow of death” a few times myself…
I understand that the prospect I’m writing for isn’t thinking, “Gee, I wish I knew how to market myself better.”
No, he’s frustrated that the job search process is so time consuming, stressful and even degrading.
When you’re looking to build a sales funnel that keeps chugging away long after the product launch ends…
This is where you start.
You dig into your prospect’s desires, beliefs and emotions and find the question that’s burning in their mind.
Then what I like to do is create a 5-7 day email course that answers that question and shows my subscribers that the product I’m offering is the next logical step toward fixing their problem.
Remember Jesus, the software developer with the “how to program in Ruby” course?
If I were in his shoes, I’d figure out the #1 question that his ideal customer has about leveling up their Ruby skills.
Then I’d create an email course that provides partial answers to that question—and shows subscribers how to really “scratch their itch” by buying the paid course.
There’s a fine line you have to walk here.
Give away too little info and your subscribers will feel cheated—not a good way to start a lasting relationship.
Give away too much and you’ll satisfy their hunger, making them less likely to buy.
The goal is to “build a bridge” from where the prospect is now (“I hate this miserable job search”) to the solution you have to offer (“learn how to market yourself better and the jobs will come to you”).
An email course like this sells your paid course on autopilot…
Which frees you up to focus all of your traffic-getting activities around “feeding the machine” with more email course subscribers.