In this article, you’ll learn:

• What being salesy means (and WHY it’s such a bad idea)
• Examples of salesy language
• How to sell effectively

What I’m going to talk about here can be a total game-changer for your sales and growth.

Let’s dive in!

What does salesy mean?

Something a lot of my students say is, “I don’t want to sound salesy!” 

And that’s keeping them back from growing their businesses. 

But before anything else, let’s start with a quick definition of what being salesy means. 

In a nutshell, it refers to high-pressure tactics that some salespeople use to push people to buy from them. 

One problem with this approach? 

It’s not centered around what the client needs. 

So, rather than coming alongside a prospective client and helping them, salesy tactics are centered around the business and what it needs. 

But here’s the thing… 

Aggressively trying to convince people that they should buy from you doesn’t work. 

Instead, focus on finding out if you and a prospective client are a good fit – and how your solution fixes their problem. (And you’ll learn more about this in a bit).

What is salesy language?

Okay, we’ve already established that salesy language isn’t effective. And that’s why it’s important to ask yourself, “Do I use salesy language to attract clients?”

Let’s take a look at some examples.

• Exaggeration and hype – Avoid saying things like, “You’ll never achieve [blank result] without [my product/service].” Instead, focus on explaining what makes your offer special. 
• Superficial language – Be sincere with your prospective clients and don’t sugarcoat what you’re offering to make it sound better.
• Aggressive/pushy techniques – Repeatedly calling or emailing unresponsive prospective clients to try to “convince” them that they’re missing out will make it less likely that they’ll want to buy from you.
• Not focusing on your clients’ needs – What do your clients need from you? That should be your #1 focus. 
• Using industry jargon – Jargon might seem sophisticated, but it dilutes your message. Go straight to the point, and use simple words for maximum impact.
• Unrealistic promises – Saying that you can give people huge results within 24 hours might sound impressive. But if it’s not accurate, avoid it. 
• Pushing clients to commit immediately – Clients buy when they’re ready, and trying to speed up the process will only push them away.

Alright, now let’s dive deeper and talk about some common words and phrases to avoid.

“I”

It can be tempting to talk from your perspective in a sales pitch. But… this is a mistake. 

Avoid talking about yourself. 

Listen: Your prospective clients aren’t interested in what you want. Again, to make sales and win people over, you have to focus on them and their needs. 

“Feature”

Don’t emphasize what features your product/service includes. 

Instead, focus on your clients’ end goals and how you can help them get there. 

The reason? 

Ultimately, people will buy from you if they believe what you offer will give them the results they’re after. 

Remember: Features aren’t nearly as important as a particular outcome. 

“Once in a lifetime”

Stay away from fear-based selling tactics, like “This is an exclusive deal that expires in ten hours!” 

People shouldn’t feel rushed when they’re thinking about buying from you. They should feel that they’re making an informed purchase that makes sense for them based on their goals. 

“Cheap”

Making price a key selling point for why people should buy from you might seem like a good strategy, but it’s not. 

And here’s why: A cheap product/service doesn’t provide much value or isn’t unique enough to be worth more. 

And that’s an issue. 

Why? 

Because again, people who are serious about wanting to reach a goal want to know that you can help them get there. In other words? They’re looking for results, not rock-bottom prices. 

Focus on your offer and don’t be afraid to charge what it’s worth. 

“Trust me” 

If you want your prospective clients to trust you, show them that you’re trustworthy instead of telling them. 

Phrases like “trust me on this” or “to be honest” can actually work against you because they’ll make people wonder, “Wait, aren’t they always honest?” 

“Guarantee”

Here’s the thing with guarantees: You’re essentially promising something that you don’t have control over. In reality, nothing is ever guaranteed. 

And… your clients already know that. 

So, avoid overpromising things. If you’re selling your product/service based on a guarantee alone, it’s time to re-examine the value you’re offering and find ways to increase it.

“The best” 

Instead of saying that your product/service is the best on the market, explain why you think that’s true. Just don’t exaggerate about your offer or the results people can expect. 

“Buy”

Calls-to-action like “buy now” are common, but they can come off as pushy. 

Instead, focus on helping your prospective clients find the right solutions to their problems – NOT on pressuring them into something that might not be right for them.

Okay, now that we’ve covered what salesy language looks like, let’s talk about how to avoid it. 

How do you sell without being salesy? 

What’s the RIGHT way to sell? You’re about to find out.

Understand your client’s needs and challenges 

Here’s the first step to making sales successfully: Understand who your client is and what they’re looking for. 

Because ultimately? 

People will be attracted to your offer if you address their pain points. And because people have different needs, niching down is how you’ll get results. 

For example, if you want to be a successful health coach, think about what target audience you could work with. 

Maybe you could coach women who struggle to maintain a healthy body image or middle-aged men who want to lose weight. 

Since these are two very different niches, the language you use in your sales conversations should be adapted accordingly. 

But what if you’re not sure there’s an audience for what you want to offer? 

That’s where market research comes in. 

Here, you can use relevant online groups (such as Reddit or Facebook) to ask people what they struggle with and how you can support them. 

For example, ask them what they’ve tried and what’s holding them back from success. 

Getting answers to these questions can help you identify patterns and create a comprehensive offer that addresses their specific needs. 

And once you’ve identified those needs? 

Make sure that when you’re describing your solution, you use the kind of language they use themselves. 

You want them to think, “THIS person gets me and what I’m struggling with. I want to work with them.”

Educate your client 

Your offer won’t be for everyone. 

Instead of being pushy, guide your prospective client to understand if your product/service would be an asset to them or not based on their goals.

One great way to do this is to create content that makes it abundantly clear what you offer and who you help. 

Here, you can use social media, blog posts, and email marketing, like I do:

And, of course, be sure to also talk about this during sales calls. 

Remember, though… 

Sales calls aren’t coaching or consulting calls. 

Your objective during calls is to determine if you and a prospective client would benefit from working together in the future, not give them everything they need immediately. 

After all, getting results is a process, not something that happens overnight. 

You don’t want people to come away from your calls thinking they now have all the information they need to move forward. 

Because in reality, your product/service might be the missing link to getting the results they want in the most efficient way possible.

Focus on your client instead of yourself

I mentioned this point briefly already, but it’s so important that it’s worth explaining in more detail here: Fully concentrate on your client and their objectives rather than on what you want. 

Here’s an example to make this concept clearer:

If you’re on a sales call, you might be tempted to say something like: 

“I think you should buy [my product/service] to get [result].” 

But see how that language makes it about you and not about them?

Instead, you could phrase it like this: 

“Let me know if this sounds right: You’re trying to reach [objective], and you haven’t seen results using [blank]. Here’s how my offer can help you get unstuck in [specific timeframe].”

In the second example, people are much more likely to come away from the call thinking, “THIS person understands what I want and has the experience to help me get it.”

More on this here:

Describe the benefits

What’s the goal you’re helping people achieve? Whatever that is, that’s where your focus should be. 

So, for example, if you’re a health coach who helps people lose weight, you could talk about how they’ll have more energy, feel more confident, and so on. 

Remember: Ultimately, the benefits are what matter to people. HOW you’ll help them get there is secondary. 

Offer a transformation 

This ties into the previous point: Instead of talking about what you’re selling, talk about the transformation people can expect from buying your product/service. 

Are they going to be happier? Richer? Healthier? Whatever it is, sell them on the transformation they’ll get. 

Use testimonials

Testimonials offer social proof that you can actually deliver. 

They encourage your prospective clients to think, “These people achieved their goals using this product/service, so why couldn’t I do the same?”

In fact, 46% of people trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. 

I’ve used testimonials myself to help potential clients see the value in working with me:

Here’s my guide on how to get testimonials.

Build relationships

Want to know what the easiest way to get sales is? 

According to a report by Edelman, 67% of consumers say they need to trust a brand before they buy anything. 

Build relationships with people. You can do this by engaging with your audience through social media posts, emails, and even your blog. 

In other words? 

Don’t just post something and disappear. 

Keep in mind that there are real people behind all those social media accounts and email addresses – and they have problems they might need your help with.

Case in point: Want to know how I sold my first coaching package ever? 

It wasn’t by running a fancy ad campaign. 

In fact, I didn’t even have a website at the time, let alone an offer.

I just started out by helping an entrepreneur I connected with in an online group. 

And I was able to help her so much that after a few weeks, she reached out and asked if she could pay me to work with her even more.

The result?

After doing some research, I told her my price was $5,000 for six months of coaching, and she agreed.

And here’s the thing… 

When I joined that Facebook group, I didn’t go in with a salesy mindset at all. My goal was to offer value and understand my audience and their needs better, NOT make sales. 

Again, that first client came after I had shown what I could do and built a relationship with her. 

So, don’t underestimate the impact of connecting with people before trying to sell anything. 

Not only can you make more sales that way, but if your clients refer you, the people they refer you to will be much more likely to also trust you.

Be in integrity

If you want to build a successful business long-term, integrity is key. And part of that means being completely honest about what your offer can do for people – and what it can’t. 

Listen: It’s much better to offer smaller results and deliver on them 100% than to offer something you can’t deliver on – and end up with disappointed clients.  

For example, I have courses that are designed to help people do things like adopt an entrepreneurial mindset, grow their email lists, or even go from employee to entrepreneur. 

In each case, I’m transparent about what people can expect. 

Why? 

Because I want them to know what they’re buying.

And it works – my clients have gotten exceptional results:

Ultimately, keep in mind that people won’t come back or recommend you if you’re not honest, so it’ll only hurt your business growth moving forward. 

Only sell something you truly believe in.

Next steps

So, there you have it! Now you know how to sell without being salesy – which will ultimately help you get MORE sales, revenue, and satisfied clients.

And… since you’ve made it this far, that probably means you’re serious about growing your business. 

To build a sustainable business, you need the right strategy. 

And that’s what I offer in my blueprint that shows you how to build a six-figure online business: 

Want to Build a 6-Figure Coaching Business So You Can Achieve More Freedom?

Get Instant Access To My FREE Ultimate Guide Below!

GET INSTANT ACCESS

When you sign up, you’ll also receive regular updates on building a successful online business.

Read more:

How to Build an Evergreen Sales Funnel

How to Get Clients Online Using Social Media

How to Hold a Discovery Call

The post Salesy Meaning: Avoid these words + phrases to win clients appeared first on Luisa Zhou.

You’re a business owner, and you’re not sure how to invoice clients professionally. 

Sounds right?

Then you’ve come to the right place.

In this article, we’re going to cover everything you need to know to get started.

Okay, let’s dive in!

How do you invoice your clients? 

First, what’s an invoice, anyway? An invoice is a request for payment that contains the details of your business transaction, like what you’re charging your client for, the amount, the date, and so on. 

Invoicing is a key part of being a business owner – whether you’re a solo freelancer just starting out or have an established business with employees. 

And there are a few different reasons for that. 

For one thing, invoicing your clients gives you (and them) a trace of the transaction that you can refer to later. This is especially useful when tax season rolls around. 

Another benefit? 

When you invoice clients, it instantly makes your business look more professional. 

Okay, but what if you’re not sure HOW to invoice clients in the best way?

That’s what we’ll look at next.

1. Choose a payment method

The first thing to do when you’re setting up invoicing is to decide how you want to get paid. 

These days, you’ve got great options to choose from, like Stripe, PayPal, or bank transfer. 

My take?

If you’re willing to pay fees, using a platform like Stripe or PayPal can make invoicing really easy. Both of these platforms have features for automating invoicing.

Just remember to take any fees into account when you decide on your pricing. While every payment method comes with some type of fee, Stripe charges 2.9% + 30¢ per successful card charge. PayPal charges 2.99% on domestic transactions. 

2. Decide on your payment terms 

Once you’ve chosen a payment method, the next step is to figure out what your payment terms are.

Here, you want to consider a few things, like:

• Invoice date
• Total amount due 
• Your payment due dates
• Late fees and policies
• Your refund policy
• Advance or deposit policies 
• Payment plan information
• Payment methods  

Your terms are a good thing to outline because they’ll help protect you and your clients. 

For example, if your client wants a refund, you’ll have terms to refer back to that can help you decide what to do. (And I’ll talk about this more in a minute.)

Just make sure to include your terms in your contract and talk through them with your clients to ensure you’re both on the same page – BEFORE you start working.

3. Create professional invoices 

Alright, now let’s take a look at what a professional invoice looks like. To simplify the process, here’s a quick rundown of the information you should include:

• Your name and contact information 
• Client name and contact information 
• Invoice date and due date
• Invoice number 
• Purchase order number (if provided)
• Description of services/products
• The total due 
• Payment terms
• TaxesPayment instructions
• Additional notes 

You can use this client invoice template to make the process even simpler:

[Your Name or Company Name]
[Your Address]
[City, State, ZIP]
[Phone Number]
[Email Address]
[Website (if applicable)]

Invoice To:
[Client’s Name or Company Name]
[Client’s Address]
[City, State, ZIP]
[Client’s Phone Number]
[Client’s Email Address]

Invoice Date: [Date]
Due Date: [Date]
Invoice Number: [Unique Invoice Number]
Purchase Order Number: [If Provided]

Description of Services/Products:

Payment Terms:
[Specify payment terms]

Taxes:
[Detail applicable taxes, if not included above]

Payment Instructions:
[Provide payment instructions, including preferred payment method(s), account details for bank transfers, payment links for online payments, and so on.]

Additional Notes:
[Include any additional information, such as late payment fees, contact information for billing inquiries, or a thank you note to the client.]

4. Send an invoicing email 

Okay, so you’ve created a professional invoice. Great! The next step is to send an email along with your invoice to let your clients know. 

And here’s the thing… 

With the right software, these emails can be automated. You can even set up automated emails with reminders about upcoming invoices, so this process really doesn’t have to take up a lot of time. We’ll talk more about software later on in this article. 

In fact, here’s an email template you can use:

“Hi [Name],

Please find attached invoice #[number] for [product/service] due on [date]. 

Thanks,

[Your name]”

5. Track your invoices 

Keeping track of invoices will make it a lot easier to retrieve them later.

So, what’s the best way to organize them? 

Depending on the size of your business and your preferences, you can store them on your computer in a digital folder like Google Docs or use a software tool. (We’ll take a look at the best software tools later on.)

6. Get clients to sign up for a package or retainer 

Alright, let’s switch gears for a minute and talk about getting long-term clients so you can build a sustainable business. 

Because here’s the deal…

If you can retain clients, you can streamline your invoicing even more. 

To be successful, you want to have a consistent stream of clients so you never have to wonder where your income is going to come from. 

And… you ALSO want to have a business that gives you the freedom to do other things besides work 24/7.

Okay, but how can you get that?

Here’s how…

If you’re a coach or consultant, I recommend offering a package deal based on your clients’ goals rather than hourly pricing. And if you’re a freelancer or an agency, I recommend a retainer. 

This means that instead of focusing on the time you spend helping a client, you focus on what THEY want. In other words, you focus on results. 

So, ask yourself: “What goals do my clients have that I can help them reach?”

It doesn’t matter if you’re spending ten hours or one hour helping a client as long as you can offer them what they’re after. 

Ultimately, choosing a package or retainer model will give you a much more consistent income stream, and your clients will be happy because they’ll be paying for what they want: Results. 

Want to dive deeper? I talk about this topic a lot more right here. 

When should you invoice a client? 

Some people invoice their clients when a project is 100% done.

But as a multiple 7-figure business owner, here’s my take…

Generally, it’s a good idea to have clients pay you upfront. 

That’s because it’ll help you avoid the risk of having a client disappear after you work for them. 

Also, charging at the beginning can help your client realize the VALUE they’re going to get from their investment. 

Think of it like this: When you buy a new car, you have to pay for it (at least in part) before you drive it off the lot. 

And the same concept applies to billing clients.

With that said…

If you’re working on a big project, it might make more sense to set up milestones, ask for a deposit, and have your client pay you after each approved milestone. 

Here’s the logic behind going this route:

For one thing, the deposit will help ensure you’ll get paid for your work. But the milestones also mean your client will have the chance to leave comments so you can make any revisions as you go. 

And ultimately? That can save you both time.

Should you invoice clients who want to back out of their contracts? 

Sometimes, a client can decide that they want to end their contract – without necessarily giving a clear reason. 

The first course of action is to offer to talk to them on the phone about what’s going on. 

Sometimes, a client will decide to end a contract because of their fears. 

So, by talking on the phone with them, you can get a much better idea of what they’re struggling with. 

And if you can show them that those fears are unfounded, you might be able to help them see the value in continuing to work together.

If they still want to end the contract, that’s okay, you always want to do what makes the most sense given your situation. 

In these situations, you need to decide whether you give no refunds, full refunds, or partial refunds. 

Personally, I don’t recommend offering refunds in most cases. 

And here’s one big reason for that…

If you’re running a service-based business, you’re making a personal investment to help your client. And if they bail on you unexpectedly, that’s not respectful of their commitment or your time.

So, you absolutely CAN have a no-refund policy – it doesn’t make you inflexible. 

Here’s more on what to do when a client backs out: 

This topic is really important, so let’s dive deeper…

Should you offer refunds to clients? 

Whether you decide to offer refunds or not, having a clear contract that states what your refund policy is makes a lot of sense. 

That way, if some issue comes up, you’ll be able to refer to that policy to help you solve it.

So, let’s look at a relevant example you might experience to see what I would recommend doing in that situation. 

Let’s imagine that you’re a coach, and you’ve started working with a new client. 

But… three weeks in, your client announces that they’re not getting the results they expected and they want a full refund.

Would issuing a refund make sense in that situation?

No. (And by the way, I’ll talk about what to do if this happens in a minute.)

Let me explain…

Having a service-based business is unique because, unlike a product-based business, you can’t just sell something to a customer and call it a day. 

For example, if you’re a coach, your job is to offer your guidance and knowledge to help someone reach their goals. Which is great. You can literally change lives as a coach.

But the flip side?

You can’t force people to get results. 

You can show them HOW to succeed, but you can’t do the work for them. 

And that means you can’t guarantee that they’ll get the results they’re after. Ultimately, it’s up to them to put into practice what you share.

And that’s why, again, offering a refund for a service like coaching isn’t a good idea. 

On the other hand, if you’re offering a tangible product and it doesn’t work the way it’s supposed to, that’s a situation where giving people a refund would make sense. 

And that’s because, with products you create, you ARE responsible if they don’t work.

In the same sense, you sometimes can control the outcome as a freelancer or agency. For instance, if you’ve guaranteed results for your paid ads agency, then you might have a clause in place that stipulates refunds in case those results aren’t achieved.

That said, you don’t need to make such guarantees and typically don’t need to offer refunds as a done-for-you service provider. 

No matter what you decide, though, just make sure it’s super clear what your terms are so that people don’t feel they’ve been “tricked” into a contract they didn’t want.

I talk more about offering refunds here: 

Best invoicing software 

Alright, now let’s look at some great software options you can use for your invoicing. 

Quick disclaimer: I haven’t personally used all of these myself, but I do know they have good reviews.

FreshBooks

FreshBooks offers invoicing tools for all types of businesses, from freelancers to businesses with teams. You get access to expense tracking, payment tools, and more. 

Features: 

• Professional invoices
• Automated payment reminders
• Any sized business

Price: $3.40+ per month

Zoho Invoice

Zoho Invoice is a free invoicing tool with a paid version for those who have more complex billing needs. The free version also includes features like time tracking and it can be integrated with several payment getaways. 

Features: 

• Small business friendly
• Tools and reports
• 100% free

Price: Free

QuickBooks

QuickBooks offers an invoicing and bookkeeping platform. A few ways this platform stands out is with tax deduction and chargeback protection tools. 

Features: 

• Fully customizable invoices
• Real-time invoice tracking
• Payment protection

Price: $9+ per month

Ultimately, these tools can make invoicing a lot simpler so you can focus your time and energy elsewhere.

Next steps

Okay, there you have it! Now you know how to invoice clients professionally and the best software that can help.

As you can see, learning how to create invoices is simple if you use the right tools, and it can really improve how your business runs.

But building a sustainable and profitable business comes down to more than just invoicing.Want to learn more?

Get my free blueprint on how to grow a six-figure business online. 

Want to Build a 6-Figure Coaching Business So You Can Achieve More Freedom?

Get Instant Access To My FREE Ultimate Guide Below!

GET INSTANT ACCESS

When you sign up, you’ll also receive regular updates on building a successful online business.

Read more: 

How to Follow Up with Clients

Top Ways to Attract More Clients

How to Ask for Referrals

How to Increase Revenue

The post 6 Steps to Invoice Clients Professionally (+best software)  appeared first on Luisa Zhou.

Today, you’ll learn how to follow up with clients in a non-pushy way that gets clients to say “yes” to working with you.

Plus, I’ve included a proven follow-up email template you can use for your own business.

Ready to dive in?

Let’s go.

Prefer learning in video format? Then check out this video that I put together for you:

Why should you follow up with clients?

In sales, it’s all about following up.

Why?

Just about 2% of sales happen during the first contact. So, without a follow-up, you risk losing out on 98% of potential sales.

Now, when should you follow up?

Here are some specific situations when following up makes a LOT of sense. After:

• A discovery call
• Sending a proposal or a quote
• Sharing a trial or demo
• Networking events
• Someone watched your webinar, attended your workshop, or downloaded a free resource
• A previous client shows interest in renewing or upgrading their service

When it comes to following up, though, it’s good to reframe what it means.

Many think it’s about getting a quick ‘yes,’ but that’s not quite it.

Ultimately, that is the point, but remember that a potential client buys on THEIR schedule, not yours.

They might love your offer, but they’ll only bite when the timing is perfect for THEM.

So, to make a sale, three things must align.

You need the right:

• Offer
• Person
• Timing

I’ve already covered creating the perfect offer and attracting your target audience.

Today, we’ll focus on number three: Timing.

That’s where follow-ups play an important role.

It’s what keeps you top-of-mind when that client is ready for your offer.

I’ll explain this in more detail below. But first, let’s look at how to schedule your follow-ups.

1. Schedule your next follow-up

During a sales call, you’re figuring out if you and a potential client are a match.

Make this conversation count and never leave it open-ended.

If they’re not sure yet, don’t just end the call. Set up a time for your next chat there and then.

The goal is to have them decide by that next call.

The key here is to be specific.

For example, if they need to chat with their team, don’t just say “I’ll call you soon.”

Instead, say something like, “Let’s talk again next Thursday at 10:30 AM, does that work for you?”

This way, you avoid the common mistake of being too vague about follow-ups.

You both know exactly when you’ll talk next, and they have a clear deadline to make up their mind.

This keeps the momentum going.

By scheduling the next call, you’ve got a timeline for a decision. But that’s just the beginning.

Next, let’s talk about why you shouldn’t give up too soon.

2. Don’t give up immediately

Not sure what to do when a client says “I’ll think about it”?

Here’s your next move.

Did you know that at any given time, only 3% of your market is actively buying? Another 56% aren’t ready yet, and 40% are just about to start. 

Plus, about 63% of people who ask about your company today won’t buy for at least three months, and 20% will take over a year.

What does this mean for you?

If now isn’t a good time for a client to commit, don’t just forget about them.

Follow up later.

You see, a study by Brevet found two interesting facts:

• 92% of salespeople give up after four calls
• BUT 80% of prospects say no four times before they say yes

Do you spot the mismatch here?

I know it can be intimidating to follow up. You don’t want to seem pushy or needy.

What can help is to remember that the main reason prospects don’t get back to you isn’t a lack of interest — it’s because they’re simply busy.

Your job isn’t to worry about when they’ll be ready. (This is out of your control and therefore a total waste of time and energy.)

Instead, your focus should be on being top of mind for when they are ready. 

Regular contact every few months builds trust and keeps you on their radar.

And when they’re ready to commit, you’re the first person they think of.

That said, don’t pester people with follow-ups, though.

The strategy here isn’t just to check in, but to engage meaningfully.

Each follow-up should offer value.

That’s what we’ll talk about next…

3. Send useful content to them

Ever read or post something and instantly think of a client?

That’s your cue to send it their way.

Here’s what you could say:

“Hi, I just recently released this. Based on what we talked about, I thought it might be useful for you. Hope you enjoy it. And if you need more help, let me know. I’d love to talk about it.”

It’s a simple call-to-action that lets the client know: When you’re ready, I’m here to help you out.

Now, how do you decide what to send?

Before hitting send, always ask yourself:

How useful is this for the person I’m sending it to?

Note: NOT how useful is this for ME — but how useful is this for THEM.

This means you need to be selective.

Because even if all of your content is valuable, you don’t want to bombard them with it.

Instead, stick to what’s relevant.

Focus on their challenges and offer solutions.

For instance, if they mentioned struggling with time management, an article with practical tips is perfect.

It shows you listen and understand their specific needs.

Nobody likes feeling sold to. But when your follow-ups are packed with value, people actually start looking forward to them.

They won’t feel like you’re just trying to sell them something.

They see that you care about building a mutually beneficial relationship, not just making a quick sale.

This makes them more interested in what you have to say (and offer).

Next, let’s see how your clients’ success stories can be a great follow-up tactic.

4. Share how you’ve helped other clients

Your clients’ success stories are powerful marketing tools.

But you can use them for follow-ups too.

Here’s what you can do:

Whenever you achieve a transformation or reach a milestone with one of your existing clients, pop your potential clients an email or message.

The text could be as simple as:

“I’ve helped another client of mine do something similar to your goals. When you’re ready to look at what we can do together, let me know and I’ll set up a call.” 

Notice this message isn’t pushy or salesy.

It’s simply saying:

I helped this person achieve what you want to achieve. So, whenever you’re ready to make the same thing happen for you, I’m the person to help you.

Now, why is this technique so effective?

It taps into the power of social proof.

Social proof is our tendency to imitate the actions of others, especially when we’re unsure.

It’s a form of conformity.

In business, it can be like seeing others succeed and thinking, “If it worked for them, it might work for me too.”

That’s why testimonials are so powerful. They’re not just reviews — they’re real-life success stories that potential clients can relate to.

It’s an indirect way of proving, “I’ve helped others reach their goals, and I can do the same for you.”

This approach shifts your marketing from telling to showing.

More than talking about your skills, you’re showing potential clients what their future could look like with your help.

General testimonials are often less targeted. But here, you share the EXACT results that this prospect wants to achieve.

This makes it super powerful because it’s so relevant and specific.

Another great follow-up tactic is introducing new offers. We’ll go over that one next.

5. Share a new offer

Got a new relevant offer? Use it to reconnect with potential clients.

For my first-ever group program, I reached out but got many ‘maybe later’ responses. 

It was frustrating, but I soon switched gears and tried a softer follow-up approach.

Here’s what I did:

I contacted those who showed interest before but found my one-on-one services weren’t a good fit.

My message was more about informing than selling:

“I’m launching a new group program. It covers a huge part of my one-on-one sessions but it’s in a group setting, so the price is a lot lower. Thought you might be interested.”

This approach led to several additional sales.

It worked because I positioned myself at the forefront of their minds, just at the right time.

In the early stages, following up is quite hands-on because you don’t have a large audience yet.

But as your business evolves, the process becomes less and less manual.

You’ll have more ways in which you stay top of mind naturally. They might join your email list or follow you on social media.

For example, at this stage in my business, I don’t do manual follow-ups anymore, but I do create a lot of content:

• Weekly YouTube videos
• Monthly blogs
• Almost daily emails
• And so on

All these keep me in constant contact with my audience.

So, whenever I put something out, I have people reaching out and becoming new customers — including people who joined my email list several years ago.

This way, my content does the follow-up work for me.

Your job is to put out valuable content, build trust, and let your audience come to you.

I talk more about sharing a new offer here: 

6. Connect with them on social media

Social media is a goldmine for your business.

For one, salespeople who are active on social media get 45% more sales opportunities than those who aren’t.

But you can use it for so much more.

Social media is perfect for:

• Building an audience
• Connecting with potential clients
• Establishing yourself as an expert in your field

It’s a GREAT way to follow up with clients too.

That’s because it feels so personal.

Here’s why social media follow-ups work:

• Informal setting: Social media follow-ups feel more like a friendly check-in.
• Visibility: Regular posts keep you visible to your clients without directly contacting them. They’re reminded of you whenever they scroll through their feed.
• Targeted messaging: You can tailor your follow-ups based on what clients like or share.

Like any follow-up, your approach should never feel salesy.

Rather than pushing your services or products, focus on solving their problems or answering their questions.

For instance, if you’re in fitness, you could share a workout challenge or tips for busy schedules.

That’s how you build trust.

It shows that you understand their challenges AND that you know how to solve them.

Choosing the right platform is crucial here.

Each one has a different audience. LinkedIn is great for networking, for example, while Instagram or TikTok are better for visual content.

Start with the platform where your target audience is most active. You can then expand to other platforms later.

A multiple-platform approach increases your reach and keeps you top of mind. It also lets you follow up on different platforms.

BUT overdoing it can turn clients away…

So, how do you strike the right balance in following up without being annoying? Let’s delve into that next…

7. Follow up often enough

Following up is clearly valuable, but how often should you do it?

That’s really up to you.

Ideally, you make it part of your schedule where you do it every two weeks or every month.

When I started, I had an elaborate spreadsheet and would set aside time for follow-ups every two to three weeks. (I talk more about setting up a system below.)

As a former engineer, I love tracking things. But you don’t NEED that if you don’t want to.

What is important though, is that you’re consistent.

So, rather than overcommitting, find a rhythm that works for you.

Figure out how much time you can dedicate to this — and then make it a habit.

Connections need time to grow. That’s why spacing out your follow-ups is more effective than rushing them.

Now, how often should you follow up?

Remember how 80% of sales need around five follow-ups? Use this as your guide.

At some point, though, no response means “no.”

Before you end all communication, you can send one final email.

This ‘break-up’ email either:

• Encourages a response
• Nicely wraps up your communication

Many entrepreneurs hesitate to follow up because they don’t want to bother clients. 

Yet, not doing so means you lose up to 80% of potential sales. That’s a lot of lost revenue…

Another thing that holds business owners back is the fear of receiving a “no.”

But a clear “no” is actually a gift — it frees you to focus on interested clients.

In both cases, what helps is to reframe how you see follow-ups:

Instead of a sales opportunity, view it as a way to build a relationship.

Being persistent doesn’t mean you’re spamming, it means you have something that could make their life better.

For more on mastering sales, even as an introvert, check out this video:

8. Set up a lead tracking system

Got a growing audience? Great!

But watch out for this common pitfall: Losing track of potential sales.

Let’s say someone’s interested in your future course.

You write it on a Post-It note, but when launch time comes, you’re so busy that you completely forget about it.

That’s a missed sales opportunity.

Here’s the thing:

At a certain point, you need to organize your leads.

But it doesn’t have to be complicated.

In fact, it can be as simple as an Excel sheet with columns for:

• Name
• First contact date
• Notes
• When you’re reaching out

Next, you add intention.

It’s not just about sending a message. How you follow up matters.

What’s the best way to reach out to this person?

It could be a:

• Targeted email campaign
• Soft follow-up
• Free guide
• And so on

If you’re like me and find following up uncomfortable, treat it like any other task on your to-do list.

Because if you do it well, it really helps your business grow.

The good news?

You won’t always need to manually follow up.

Your systems will eventually do the work for you.

Next, let’s look at a follow-up email template to make your process smoother.

Sample follow-up email template

Writing that first follow-up email can seem challenging.

To help you out, I’ve put together a useful template.

Whenever you write a follow-up email, you want to make sure it:

• Is clear and relatively short
• Includes all necessary information
• Reminds client of the benefits
• Includes a CTA

  Get the Ultimate Guide

  for building a
  6-Figure Coaching Business so you can achieve more freedom!

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This template covers the essentials:

“Hi [Name],

I helped [person] get [result] that you want. Thinking of you – when you’re ready, let me know. I’d love to help you do something similar. 

Thanks,

[Your name]”

Or: 

“Hi [Name],

I just recently published [content]. I thought you might find it valuable based on what we talked about. Hope you enjoy it!

If you’d like more help, let me know. I’d love to talk about it. 

Thanks,

[Your name]”

Next steps 

That’s it!

You now know how to follow up with your clients.

But getting the sale comes down to so many more things than your follow ups.

Want to learn how to build a business and create an offer people absolutely want? 

Get my blueprint for building your own six-figure service business – so that you close more clients and grow your business sustainably and profitably. 

Want to Build a 6-Figure Coaching Business So You Can Achieve More Freedom?

Get Instant Access To My FREE Ultimate Guide Below!

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When you sign up, you’ll also receive regular updates on building a successful online business.

Read more:

How to Get Clients

How to Ask for Referrals

Learn How to Sell Anything Online

The post How to Follow Up With Clients Without Being Pushy in 8 Steps appeared first on Luisa Zhou.

You’ll learn:

• What a referral is – and isn’t
• How to ask for referrals from customers (the RIGHT way)
• The different methods for asking for referrals (with templates)

Want to learn more? Read on!

What is a referral email? 

A referral, also known as word-of-mouth marketing, is when a person recommends a service or product to someone in their network. For example, if you’re looking for a new hairdresser, you might ask your friends for a referral.

Referrals aren’t to be confused with testimonials. 

Testimonials are (usually positive) reviews from people who have already worked with you. They also tend to be public.

Referrals can come from people you’ve worked with or not. And they involve the referrer having a relationship with the referee. After all, 92% of customers trust referrals from friends and family over anything else. 

Now, a referral email is an email a business owner, like you, would send to customers and people in your network to ask for referrals.

A good referral email should include a:

• Headline that grabs the reader’s attention
• Reminder of what you do and the result you’ve created together
• Line requesting referrals
• Incentive or offer
• Call to action

Next, let’s talk about how to construct referral emails that help you get you new potential clients.

How do you ask for referrals from customers? 

To ask for the best referrals, you need to ask in the right way.

How? Here are the steps to take:

• Figure out who to ask
• Ask at the right time
• Tailor your message
• Offer a commission
• Use a referral code
• Stay top of mind
• Give referrals
• Follow up on your messages
• Offer free work sessions or samples

Let’s look closer at each of these steps.

1. Ask your network and clients

You probably already know someone who needs what you’re offering.

Or if you don’t, you probably know someone who knows someone who needs what you’re offering.

And people in your network are more likely to be open to hiring you or sending people your way as referrals. 

But here’s a common mistake: 

You don’t want to spam your contact list and say “Hey, I’m starting a new business. You should hire me.”

That can come off as salesy and pushy. Instead, you want to create a shortlist of clients, colleagues, friends, and family members who are likely to help you or need your help.

These people are more likely to be your biggest cheerleaders and refer you to whoever they can.

But you might be wondering, who are the best people to ask for referrals?

Your previous clients.  

After all, they can talk about their experience working with you and the results you helped them achieve.

But when should you ask  for referrals? Let’s talk about it.

2. Ask at the right time 

Most people ask clients for referrals immediately after the contract ends. 

Or worse, a few days, weeks, or even months after. 

That’s a mistake, and here’s why:

Even if you deliver an amazing service and the client is overwhelmed with the results, they’ll never be as excited as they are when they are actively working with you. 

Think about it. 

If you hire a personal trainer and they help you lift your body weight, are you more likely to tell your friends when you hit the goal or a few weeks after? 

Asking for referrals at the right time helps your client feel more confident about recommending you to people in their network.

So the best time to ask for a referral is when your client achieves that win before the project ends.

Note that the results don’t need to be major milestones – you can ask for referrals after smaller results, too. 

Next, let’s look at how to ask for referrals in the right way. 

3. Tailor your message

Exactly how do you ask your clients for referrals?

The most important thing is: 

Tailor your message. 

No one likes receiving a generic mass email that could be for anyone. This is not cold calling. A well-worded referral can strengthen your relationship. A bad, generic referral can make someone feel used. 

So don’t skip this step. 

Now, how exactly do you personalize each referral email? 

Simple. You can include things that relate to the work you did with them.

For example: 

• If it’s a friend or family member, refer to a conversation you had recently.
  Example: “You know that XYZ business I wanted to start? I finally started it and am offering XYZ services. If you know anyone who might need me…”
• If it’s an existing client, mention a recent win they had.
  Example: “I’m so happy that you achieved XYZ result. I want to help other people like you achieve the same. So if you know anyone who might need my services…”
• If it’s a past client, remind them of a win they had working with you.
  Example: “Together, we achieved XYZ. It’s my mission to help others achieve results like yours, so I wondered if you know anyone who might be interested…”
• If it’s someone you don’t know very well, mention how you met.
  Example: “It was great to meet you at the XYZ conference last Friday. You mentioned that you may know someone who would be interested in working with me…”

Tailoring your message makes the person feel valued and appreciated as you ask them for a referral. And so they’ll be more likely to help you.

4. Offer a commission  

One of the best ways to get a referral is to offer an incentive. 

And commissions are great incentives for referrals. 

A common commission on services is 10% on the income you receive from the referred client. If you offer retainers, the commission applies to every month you work together with a referred client. 

And if you sell products, then the commission will vary. For instance, software products often have a 10%-30% monthly commission, physical products tend to have a 10% commission, and online products typically have a 50%-75% commission. 

Here’s the thing:

By offering a commission, you make people you reach out to feel valued and incentivize them to keep referring people to you in the future. 

After all, you want something from them – it’s only fair that you offer something back as a thank you. 

Next, let’s look at how to incentivize referrals with referral codes.  

5. Use a referral code 

Make referring you as easy as possible. 

Specifically, referral codes can make referring you incredibly easy – and you might tap into a broader audience of people willing to spread the word about your business. 

Referral codes are short code snippets that let you track a referral back to a referrer. The referrer is incentivized to refer you more because they build their referral income each time, they refer someone to you. 

To create your referral code, you can use a tool like Talon to create the codes for you.

But how do you use your referral codes? 

Include them on your website, in your emails, or send them to people directly. 

Tip: Public referral codes work better for product businesses. Personalized referral codes work best for service or course businesses. 

6. Stay top of mind 

It’s simple: 

People are more likely to refer you if you’re the first person that comes to mind when someone asks them for a referral. 

So you need to make yourself the go-to person for the service you provide.

For example, if you’re a nutrition coach, and a friend of a friend is trying to change their diet, you want to be the first person they think of.

How do you do that?

Easy: Create free content. By sharing content, you build a relationship with potential clients and referrers by sharing your expertise online. They see you in their feeds every day – and stay top of mind. 

Choose a platform where your ideal clients are most likely to hang out, be it LinkedIn, X Instagram, or TikTok. But here’s the tip that really keeps you top of mind. 

If you first and foremost share content to create value, you can create content that really stands out. 

For example, a client of mine is a relationship coach. She had just finished watching a tense scene of one of her favorite shows: “The Bachelor.” 

So she turned that scene into content and explained why shows like “The Bachelor” don’t build lasting relationships. In the caption, she wrote about how her process is different and how she helps people achieve their relationship goals. 

Now that is the type of post that gets read, shared, and remembered by people in your network who could refer you. It makes it fun to consume the advice she shares. 

Want more advice on how to create the right type of content? Here’s a quick video I created: 

7. Give referrals

Studies show that people are more likely to do something for you if you do something for them first. 

It’s called reciprocity. In other words, if you give referrals to others, they are more likely to send you referrals too.  

Reciprocity is the first of psychologist Robert Cialdini’s 6 principles of influence that he mentions in his book “Influence.”

But here’s the interesting thing. You don’t have to do the exact favor you’re asking for to get the result you want. 

In fact, Robert Cialdini mentioned in his co-authored book “The Small Big” that even small favors can get you big results from others. 

That means, if you helped someone out in the past with something small, they are still more likely to help you with a big favor in the future. It doesn’t have to be the same favor to work.

So here’s a strategy business owners don’t use enough:

Connect with other business owners with the same target audience but who don’t compete with you. For example, as a photographer, you could connect with a videographer. 

Then, you can cross-refer each other’s services to your audiences and create a referral program between you. 

Or you could help them out by sharing their content on your platforms or quoting them in your blog posts. 

That small favor, according to Cialdini’s research, makes people more likely to help you in the future.

8. Follow up on your messages 

So you’ve sent a few referral emails and…nothing. 

Should you give up on referrals as a strategy? No. 

The truth is people are busy. So sending a kind follow-up can go a really long way.

A client of mine used this technique and saw great success. 

After climbing the ladder to the executive level in her corporate job, she wanted to build a career coaching business. 

So she followed the steps we talked about before: sent tailored emails to her network asking for referrals. 

But she didn’t stop there. She followed up with people in a very polite but persistent way.

A simple “Hey, I wondered if you had a chance to see this. I’d love to get your thoughts!”

These really casual and personal touches kept her top of mind and eventually, she got some great referral clients.

So don’t just send one email and worry that no one got back to you. Send that follow-up so you’re on the top of everyone’s inboxes.

Here’s more on how to follow up in the right way: 

9. Offer a free session or work sample

If someone hasn’t worked with you before, one of the things that can hold them back from referring you is feeling responsible for your work. To combat that fear, you make a simple offer: 

The person you get referred to receives a free session or work sample from you. No strings attached. 

This takes away the risk for the person referring you and helps you build trust with both the referrer and the client being referred to you. 

However, the offer shouldn’t be a full coaching session. Instead, use a smaller offer with clear terms. 

For example, if you’re a coach or consultant, you could offer a 15–20-minute free coaching session. Or a content writer could offer a free 500-word blog post. 

It should provide value and give the referred client a taste of working with you without taking up too much of your time.

Next up, referral templates.

Ask for referrals via email

So now you know how to ask for referrals. Here are some email templates to help you get started.

Email to people in your network 

Use this template to ask for referrals from friends, family, and coworkers. They may have worked with you before or not; your friends and family want to see you succeed. Asking for a referral lets them know how to help you.

Template: 

Hi [Name],

I’m opening my own business helping people with [results]. If you know someone who would love to get my help with this, please let me know and I would appreciate it if you could connect us. 

Thanks,

[Your name]

Email to your existing clients

This template is for people you’re currently working with. Because, remember, it’s best to ask before the contract is over. That said, if your contract has ended, you can still ask for a referral. 

Hi [Name],

I’m so glad you’re happy with your results! I’m opening up my schedule again to take on new clients. If you know someone who would love to get my help with achieving [results], please let me know and I would appreciate it if you could connect us. 

Thanks,

[Your name]

Ask for referrals on social media

Did you know you can ask for referrals on social media? 

People who have engaged with your content (commented on your posts) or people you have helped in some way (given free advice, or offered a free session, and so on) are great candidates for referrals. Why? Because they enjoy your work and trust your services. 

The key is not to be salesy or pushy in your approach. Here’s a template: 

Hi [Name],

I hope you enjoyed [free session/post]. I’m opening up my schedule for new clients over the next few weeks helping people with [results]. If you know someone who would love to get my help with achieving [results], please let me know and I would appreciate it if you could connect us. 

Thanks,

[Your name]

Ask for referrals in person

So how do you ask for a referral in person? 

Maybe you’ve just delivered a service for a client or you’re at a networking conference and someone has connections that may be interested in your work. 

You can ask politely for a referral during your conversation.

Note: If you don’t know the person very well, it’s best to keep your request short and sweet. 

For example, you could say:

“If you know anyone who needs a (your profession), you can send them my way. Here are my contact details.”

But don’t forget to follow up! 

A kind follow-up over email and a reminder of your offer will help an in-person request be more successful. 

Ask for referrals on the phone 

You can also ask people for referrals on the phone. 

For example, you could be on a call with a client who is sharing some success as a result of your work. 

That’s a great time to say, “I’m so glad you’re seeing results! If you know anyone else who might benefit from my services, feel free to connect us. I offer (commission) for referrals.”

Bottom line: As long as you approach referrals politely and casually, you can see great results.

Next steps 

And there you have it! That’s how to ask for referrals to get more clients.

If you want to grow an online business that gives you flexibility and freedom, referrals are just the beginning. 

I’ve helped thousands of entrepreneurs leave their day jobs and build sustainable, thriving businesses with my course, Employee o Entrepreneur. 

In this course, I teach you my step-by-step system for creating a six-figure online business.

Want to learn more? Get my free blueprint on how to build a six-figure online business. 

Want to Build a 6-Figure Coaching Business So You Can Achieve More Freedom?

Get Instant Access To My FREE Ultimate Guide Below!

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Read more:

How to Get Clients Online

Top Ways to Attract More Customers

How to Invoice Clients

The post How to Ask for Referrals in 9 Proven Ways + email templates appeared first on Luisa Zhou.

Today’s customers are smart, so marketing and sales techniques have evolved to keep up. People don’t want to be sold to. They’re looking for valuable information and solutions, so webinars are a great way to position a brand or service as just that.

But, how effective are webinars? What is their typical attendance rate? How much do webinars cost?

If you are curious to learn how webinars are used in marketing and other webinar statistics, you’re in the right place. Read on for the top research-backed webinar statistics.

Top Webinar Statistics in 2024

• 95% of marketers see webinars as important for their marketing efforts 
• 57% of marketers host up to 50 webinars a year 
• 73% of B2B marketers and sales leaders say that webinars are the best way to generate quality leads 
• 60% of webinars are created for the entire customer lifecycle, from unaware prospect to loyal customer
• Marketing webinars typically have an average attendee score of 44% 
• 54% of B2B professionals engage with a webinar on a weekly basis 
• A webinar landing page conversion rate can be as high as 51%
• 17% of attendees sign up the day of the webinar

How are webinars used in marketing? 

Firstly, what is a webinar? Webinars are simply online events that an organization or company hosts. They are broadcasted live to a select group of individuals and are often recorded so that more people may view the presentation at a later date. Webinars can also be referred to as webcasts, online events, or online seminars.

Most webinars have a host who provides audio and visual presentations like a PowerPoint or video. This is often broadcasted through a web conference software that allows interactions with the host or other attendees. People can ask questions, take polls, type in a chat box, and more.

Webinars are a powerful marketing tactic. Because webinars are generally positioned as educational events, a brand can position themselves and partners as solutions or seamlessly sneak in product placements. Plus, webinars require signups and invitations so this curated audience delivers contact information upfront for a brand to leverage later.

Are webinars still effective in 2024? 

In order to determine this, one must answer: How do you measure the effectiveness of a webinar? Here are some statistics that help prove the success of today’s webinar market.

1. 95% say that webinars are a key part of their marketing efforts

(On24)

Nearly all marketers surveyed admitted that webinars are crucial to their marketing strategies and results. Almost three-fourths (74%) say that they can tie this marketing activity directly to revenue. Meanwhile, 38% consider webinars to be “critical” to digital communications.

2. 64% of B2B marketers hosted a webinar in the last 12 months

(Content Marketing Institute)

In the world of content marketing, most B2B professionals created short articles or posts (90%). However, a notable 64% created webinar content or hosted a virtual event. It proves that more brands are shifting their content marketing efforts online, considering only 17% used print magazines and 19% hosted in-person events.

3. Over half consider the quality of leads from webinars to be “above average”

(On24)

On a five-point scale, over half of the marketers within a survey said webinar leads rank a 4 or 5. Of respondents, 95% use webinars to generate leads and 76% say that webinars do in fact empower them to attract more leads overall.

4. 73% of B2B marketers and sales leaders say that webinars are the best way to generate quality leads

(GoToWebinar) 

57% of the surveyed marketers said that they would create more webinars in the following year. 

5. 57% of marketers host up to 50 marketing webinars a year 

(On24) 

86% of the survey respondents reported running up to 150 marketing webinars a year. Over half (57%) say they run up to 50 webinars a year. 

6. 52% of brands share webinar leads with their sales teams

(On24)

Over half of webinar users share webinar leads directly with their sales team. Further proving their quality, 55% say that sales teams prioritize leads gathered from webinars. However, webinars aren’t only used for selling. 86% use webinars to host training programs designed to collect feedback data from participants.

7. 62% of webinar attendees request a demo from sales

(BrightTALK )

Now that we know webinars are great for gathering leads, are they effective at converting them? YES. A whopping 89% of webinar attendees continue on to the brand’s website for additional content. Meanwhile, 62% feel prepared to request pricing, 86% download additional resources/attachments, and 83% share the content with colleagues.

8. 92% of professionals think a webinar is the best way to engage a large remote audience

(GoToWebinar)

GoToWebinar analyzed over 250,000 webinars and the statistics prove that webinars are effective. Of marketers in their survey, 95% say that webinars improve their marketing performance. Another 95% say that it improves training and learning retention.

9. 54% of B2B professionals engage with a webinar on a weekly basis

(Search Engine Journal)

Based on a survey, over half of B2B professionals attend or engage with a webinar on a weekly or even daily basis. Why so frequently? Well, 84% said they want to stay up to date on their industries. If they can’t sign up for a webinar, they reference video content regularly.

General webinar statistics

10. 60% of webinars are created for the entire customer lifecycle

(GoToWebinar) 

24% of all webinars are produced for marketing and demand generation. And of those, 60% are created for the customer lifecycle, from unaware prospect to loyal customer. 

11. The global webinar market was expected to reach $800M USD by 2023

(Research Nester)

Just 7 years ago (2015), the global webinar and webcast market was valued at $547M USD. The forecasted CAGR is 7.6% for the 2016-2023 period, skyrocketing the industry to just shy of $1B by next year. 

12. 77% of the webinar market’s revenue comes from North America

(Research Nester)

North America brought in over three-fourths of the revenue in the global webinar market. This dominance is predicted to stay strong while Europe and Middle-East/Africa are expected to remain the second-largest share contributors.

13. 81% of professionals prefer webinars over other content for professional engagement and improvement

(BrightTALK)

Did you know 86% of professionals dedicate at least 2 hours per week to industry-specific training? Even 22% dedicate more than 5 hours! People are seeking learning and growth opportunities and it turns out that 81% of them prefer doing so via webinars. 67% prefer taking online courses and just 39% prefer reading eBooks.

14. Viewers watched 3x more webinars in 2020 than in 2019

(On24)

People are watching more webinars each year—3x more. The monthly usage of webinars has risen 167% year over year, proving that more and more businesses are using webinars to engage with their audiences while more people are seeking education.

Webinar registration rate

15. A webinar landing page conversion rate can be as high as 51%

(Neil Patel)

A quality webinar landing page is essential for attracting registrations. In fact, over half of the visitors who discover a webinar’s landing page will convert immediately. Of these, about 36% will actually attend the webinar event.

16. 59% of webinar registrations occur less than a week before the event

(GoToWebinar)

According to GoToWebinar, almost 6 out of 10 webinar registrations are made the week leading up to the event. Many webinar attendees show up at the last minute. In fact, 17% register the day of! However, registrations increase by 12% when the webinar is promoted at least 4 weeks in advance. 

17. Most people sign up for webinars between 8-10 a.m.

(GoToWebinar)

13% of webinar registrations happen at 10am, 12% at 9am, and 11% at 8am. This is a significant spike over other time slots. After 7pm and before 6am, registrations average just 1%, so schedule webinar promotions in the morning.

18. Webinar promotional emails perform best on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays

(On24)

Simultaneously, mid-week promotional emails also tend to attract more webinar registrations than emails sent on other days. The highest day of conversions is Wednesday, delivering a 22% conversion rate. The worst is Sundays providing only 5% conversion.

Webinar attendance rate

Are you wondering what’s a good webinar show-up rate? Let’s dive into webinar attendance rate statistics.

19. 44% of webinars have fewer than 25 attendees

(GoToWebinar)

Don’t be discouraged if you get a low webinar attendance. The vast majority get less than 50 people! Marketing webinars attract an average of 56 people, training sessions get 39, and corporate communications yield an average of 40 attendees. Large webinars are great to expand the reach of a brand or service, but more intimate webinars can yield better interactions and Q&As. 

20. Marketing webinars have an average attendance of 44%

(GoToWebinar)

For marketing webinars, attendance rates average 44%. Corporate communications webinars attract a 65% attendance rate and training webinars get 53%. Many webinars are curated for specialized audiences, so it is normal for these online events to have lower conversion rates.

21. Mid-week webinars produce the highest conversion and attendee rates

(GoToWebinar)

According to GoToWebinar’s case study results, 52% of all webinars take place on Wednesdays or Thursdays and the most common time they occur is 10am PST. 

22. 60-minute events attract the most registrants

(GoToWebinar)

60-minute webinars are the most popular webinar length, compared to 30-minute, 45-minute, or longer webinars.

23. Webinars under 200 attendees have the highest audience conversion rate

(On24)

The larger the webinar audience, the lower the attendance conversion rate. Webinars with 100-199 attendees average a 50% conversion rate. This number drops drastically as the audience builds: 200-299 attendees (19%), 300-499 attendees (15%), 500-599 attendees (10%), 1,000+ attendees (6%).

24. The webinar’s content topic has the greatest impact on overall registrations

(BrightTALK)

What factors have the most impact on attracting attendees? People reportedly care more about the content topic, then in descending order; the presenter/speaker lineup, user experience, credibility of the hosting company, post-event supplemental content, networking with others, and swag/giveaways.

Webinar marketing statistics (best practices) 

25. Webinars are the preferred type of content for 91% of B2B professionals

(Search Engine Journal)

The vast majority of business-to-business professionals think webinars are the top learning format. Of course, webinars are only one piece to the B2B content puzzle. These professionals also engage with industry articles (60%), whitepapers (48%), and blogs (42%).

26. 70% of B2B professionals are seeking tips, tricks, and best practices

(Search Engine Journal)

Webinars are often educational and for good reason considering almost two-thirds of attendees came for advice and best practices. Other webinar content that people desire is industry trends and predictions (62%), how-to’s/explanations (61%), expert interviews (60%), case studies (59%), or data insights and original research (55%).

27. 67% of webinar attendees want a live Q&A with the speaker(s)

(BrightTALK)

It’s important that webinar hosts save time for a Q&A given that about two-thirds of attendees want it. What other webinar features are important? Well, 40% of professionals think polls are key, 35% believe in small group networking, and 24% tout chat rooms.

28. When a webinar host is passionate, 32% of attendees are more engaged

(BloggingX)

Almost one-third of attendees feel more inclined to engage in a webinar when the host is passionate about the topic being discussed. The most engaging tools to use during a webinar are hosting a Q&A (81%), sharing resources (69%), taking surveys (36%), sharing social media (25%), taking polls (22%), and offering group chats (10%).

29. Webinars with integrated video content are rated 7.8 out of 10

(BloggingX)

Webinars must include video as it is the most effective media to engage with an audience. 56% of webinar hosts say they use both live and on-demand video while 44% use “live” features. Only 29% actually broadcast video live.

30. 59% of attendees tune into live webinars

(BloggingX)

There are different types of webinars including live, on-demand, and always-on. Almost 60% of webinar attendees watch live webinars while only 5% watch both live and on-demand. 36% of attendees watch always-on webinars.

31. The average viewing time for all types of webinars is 57 minutes

(GoToWebinar)

Webinar attendees have a longer attention span than one might think. Professionals believe that webinars are among the most engaging types of content, so it makes sense why attendees are happy to stick around for almost an hour. The average marketing webinar is 52 minutes, corporate communications is 55 minutes, and training webinars run on average 61 minutes.

Webinar costs

32. Hosting a webinar costs a minimum of $100 but can reach $3000+

(WebinarCare)

Webinars normally require a specific software to run successfully, involving some cost. This software helps coordinate registrations and provides the platform where the webinar is run online. In addition to the small initial software investment, costs can accumulate when one adds in content research, guest speakers, and more factors. 

33. 50% of webinars simply use a webcam to record video

(On24)

Some brands are worried that webinars require expensive video equipment, but that’s not the case. Half of all webinars just use a built-in webcam. 7% of webinar videos were recorded on a phone and 2% used a hand-held video recorder. 

34. 8 in 10 marketers say that webinars lower their cost-per-lead

(On24)

It turns out that webinars are cost-effective too. 80% claimed that webinars lowered their overall cost-per-lead. Why? This content type is at the top of the funnel reaching a larger audience. 75% say that webinars’ top-of-funnel approach helps extend their brand and 69% say it scales their marketing efforts.

Over to you!

There you have it. With these webinar statistics, you now have a better foundation to host your own online events and make them as successful as possible.

In the end, just consider your audience and schedule your webinars to fit their lifestyles. If you focus on delivering content that is beneficial, educational, and engaging, your webinars are bound to please and deliver high-quality leads long-term.

Want to learn more about online marketing?

Read my guide here!

Read more:

How to Build an Evergreen Sales Funnel

How to Sell Online

Sources:

On24

On24 

Content Marketing Institute

BrightTALK

GoToWebinar

Search Engine Journal

Research Nester

Neil Patel

BloggingX

WebinarCare

GoToWebinar

The post Webinar Statistics: The Definitive List in 2024 appeared first on Luisa Zhou.

An evergreen funnel is a must if you want to build a sustainable business, free up your time, and sell more.

I personally started enjoying my business so much more after I figured out this piece. (And today, I work just a few hours a week on this business.)

Want to learn more? Read on. 

What is an evergreen sales funnel?

An evergreen business is essentially a system. One that’s consistent, repeatable, scalable, and predictable. (Caveat: At least as much as is humanly possible.) 

What’s more, it’s a system that doesn’t depend on you or any one person.

And setting it up the right way is how you get a true Freedom Business. Where your business supports your lifestyle, work schedule, and fulfillment. Not the other way around.

Here below, you’ll learn exactly how to set up that system in your own business.

How does an evergreen funnel work? 

Let’s start with the fundamentals: 

What does “evergreen” mean?

Evergreen means that you automate your sales funnel so it continues to systematically and consistently do the work for you of connecting you to your ideal clients and selling to them. 

Your sales funnel consists of your email marketing funnel, traffic source (often paid advertising and/or SEO, aka. search engine traffic), webinar, and sales content (we’ll look at each of these below). 

The benefit of an evergreen funnel is clear. You don’t need to…

• Constantly publish new social media posts or rely on social media to grow your business
• Hustle to make your next sale or feel like you have to convince people to buy from you
• Feel like you’re working 24/7 to keep your business afloat and chase clients 

You see, evergreen funnels are what many people call “passive” income. Of course, nothing is ever completely passive. Someone still has to manage your ads or grow your search engine traffic. 

But it is automated. And if you have systems in place, you won’t spend as much time working on your business.

Take my own business, for instance. 

Over the years, I’ve built two pretty successful evergreen funnels:

One for my entry-level Your First Paying Clients course, which sells at $497, and one for my flagship Employee to Entrepreneur course, which sells at $1,997.

Most days, I’m only spending about three to four hours on my business. I have systems in place and a team that supports me. That’s what an evergreen sales funnel can do for you, too. (Although it does take time to build.)

Curious to know what an evergreen funnel can look like? Here’s how one of my clients, Jasmine, has built hers. 

The 4-Step Automatic Attraction System

for attracting more clients daily... without paid ads, social media, or "hustle"!

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How Jasmine turned her course into an automated evergreen funnel

Jasmine is in one of the most niche industries possible…

Teaching animators how to get a job in the movie industry (at academyofanimatedart.com).

Her flagship course is a $2,000 program, so it’s not cheap. And while she knew that people wanted to learn how to get a great job in animated art (because come on, how cool is it to work on films like The Incredibles?)…

She had no idea how to explain why her course was better than her competitors’…or their free Youtube videos.

That’s why, according to her, before she found me:

“We were all over the place, trying everything, and not seeing results.”

Using my methodology, she was able to figure out how to explain why her course was the BEST option (including the free options). As a result:

“We completely revamped our webinar and started running our new webinar live to test that it was working. Within just a few months, we started getting consistent sales around 5-7k a month. And then we turned our webinar to evergreen.”

And it only gets better from there…

“Once we turned it evergreen, our sales increased from 7k to 23k in one month, the second month we hit 38k, and in the third month, we reached 45k! It’s such a relief to have our webinar run automatically in the background every day so we can focus on giving our students the best service.”

And by the way, when I last checked in with her and asked if I could share her results with you, she also shared…

“It seems surreal that midway through the month, I can casually say we have 36k in sales without doing that much work. I’m still getting used to it, to be honest, but I have to say, does it feel good!!”

(FYI: By the end of the month, she’d crossed over $50K in sales. $52,500 to be exact. Not too bad for her first year. In a side business. In a very niche industry.)

How do you build an evergreen funnel? 

Now you know what an evergreen funnel is. But how do you build one? 

And when do you build one? 

Let’s start with when.

An evergreen funnel takes time to build and you need to know that your product will sell. That’s why it’s better to build your funnel once you’re more established, with proof of concept (aka. sales) and at least $5-10K in sales per month. 

And as to how, you need a few things:

An online course (your evergreen offer). 

A traffic source (paid advertising or SEO). 

A sales system (your marketing system, such as your email funnels and webinars).

Here below, we’ll look at each of these and how to build an evergreen funnel. 

How do you set up an evergreen course?

If you’re currently selling services, such as coaching, freelancing, or consulting services, you can take that service and create an evergreen course out of it.

Let me explain:

A self-study online course is a digital product that you create once and then sell without having to personally teach your students. Sure, you might need to tweak the course and update it when there are changes in your industry. And, you might choose to include some live support (such as group coaching calls) with it. But it’s more or less an asset that can be sold again and again without additional work. 

Your students go through your course on their own by studying videos, PDFs, audio and other material that you include in it.

If you’ve worked with coaching/consulting clients, you’ve probably noticed that most students have the same patterns. They’ll have the same types of questions at similar times throughout the process. 

That’s why you can use your coaching and turn that into a curriculum based on how you usually coach your clients. 

You can also go for a coaching and course hybrid where you offer live support along with a self-study course. (Your students get more of your time, which makes your course more valuable to them.)

Note: I recommend that you continue to offer coaching—either as a part of your course or as a separate offer—as you scale your evergreen funnel so that you keep in touch with your audience and stay on top of what’s happening in your industry. Plus, courses require more volume to be as profitable as your private coaching offers, so it makes sense to continue offering coaching as you branch out. 

In this quick video, I explain how to transition successfully from coaching to evergreen courses: 

One word on your course: 

When you first start selling it, don’t immediately set up your funnel. Instead, sell it more organically first (to your email list) before you set up an entire funnel. 

I navigated this by first setting up a smaller course that shows people how to get their first paying clients. When that was successful, I created a higher-level course, Employee to Entrepreneur, which teaches people how to build an online coaching business.

Also, I initially sold them through live launches. That way, I was able to build up a system before putting my time and energy into creating several traffic streams and scaling. 

How do you market an evergreen course?

When you have an offer, it’s time to set up your evergreen sales funnel. For this, you need a sales system to sell your offer and a traffic source, so that people find your offer. 

Traffic

First, you need traffic to your website. 

I drive traffic from several sources:

• Advertising (Facebook and YouTube)
• Instagram
• YouTube
• Search engines (SEO)
• Pinterest
• Podcasts, guest posts, and so on

If you don’t have any traffic yet, you’ll likely want to start with one traffic source and build it from there. 

All of these traffic sources have pros and cons. For instance, advertising can give you faster results but they require you to pay for your traffic, so that your profitability suffers. On the other hand, search engine traffic takes time to build, but once it’s built up, you get traffic for free (you might still have a person managing it, but the traffic itself is free for you). Ultimately, your business profitability improves. 

In this short video, I talk a bit more about the different traffic sources I use and how I’ve built them:

Sales system

You also need a sales system. 

This consists of your email funnel and webinar:

Email list

Your traffic will lead people to join your email list. And you sell to that list, both by engaging them with regular emails and sales emails (you can automate both of them). 

Now, emails work really well for selling your offers on evergreen.

My emails are how I’ve sold out every coaching package and course for the past 5 years. In fact, it took me four emails to sell out my first group coaching program. And from there, I’ve developed a highly profitable evergreen sales funnel that sells out my programs and courses. 

But, I don’t subscribe to the gross email sales strategies that are so popular in the online space…

…Telling people that they *have* to buy now, or else

…Harping on a deadline like it’s the end of the world (as if that product won’t re-open for enrollment in a few months or a year)

…Long and boring emails “selling” their product that do everything BUT make me want to buy it

However, I DO believe in “direct” sales emails where…

…You believe in the value and transformational power of your product. And sell from a place of knowing that it can help the people who buy it.

…You don’t try to trick or pressure people into buying, but instead use bonuses or deadlines as fun incentives that feel good.

…You use fun, interesting, and useful emails that have your audience looking forward to being sold to (and to buying).

The way you get your emails to work is to create a welcome funnel (emails that are sent out when people sign up to your email list) and a webinar funnel (emails people get when they sign up for your webinar and after they’ve watched it). 

These funnels get people to take action (sign up for your webinar or buy your product) and that’s how you sell. 

In terms of email tools, I like Mailchimp if you don’t want to deal with as much tech. ActiveCampaign is also an excellent choice that requires a bit more setting up in the beginning. 

For collecting emails, Leadpages is a good option. And for setting up a sales sequence with sales pages, consider Samcart.  

The 4-Step Automatic Attraction System

for attracting more clients daily... without paid ads, social media, or "hustle"!

GET THE PDF NOW

Webinar

If you’re thinking, “aren’t webinars dead?”, think again. 

Sure, they do require you to go through a learning curve; I made 0 sales on my first 20 webinars. But when I’d figured them out, I started landing client after client and today, I have a 7-figure evergreen webinar funnel that keeps working even when I don’t. 

To sell with evergreen webinars, you do need the right approach, though. These are my top webinar tips:

1) Teaching tips is not nearly as valuable as teaching thoughts

You might want to give as much value as possible. That’s what I want, too. Early on, I thought this meant that I had to teach every step of the process. When people raved about my valuable webinars, I thought I was onto something. But no one ever bought from me — and they never took any action on what I shared.

Instead, the key is to share thoughts rather than tips. What I mean is that everyone who wants your webinar has thoughts that keep them back, like fears or objections. And those are thoughts you can address on your webinar so that they’re ready to take action and actually achieve what you’re teaching them. 

2) Longer doesn’t equal value 

I used to think that my webinars needed to be lengthy to be valuable, so I’d hold webinars that were over 2 hours long. Unfortunately, people are distracted and busy so they can only take in so much of what you teach them.

To most of them, longer is NOT better. Around 40 minutes is ideal for your core content (before you transition into presenting your offer). 

3) Be upfront about selling, without being salesy

A big mistake is to think of your webinar in blocks (intro, content, and sales block). But you want to do the opposite.

Think of your webinar as one, long conversation. Throughout the webinar, you share that you have something to offer and that everything you talk about is related to that offer. 

After all, you deliver great value on the webinar and even more value if they buy. This way, your audience doesn’t feel like you’re ambushing them with free content and suddenly, a paid offer. 

In this short video, I explain how a webinar works: 

Next steps

There you have it. Now you know what an evergreen sales funnel looks like and how to build one.

The 4-Step Automatic Attraction System

for attracting more clients daily... without paid ads, social media, or "hustle"!

GET THE PDF NOW

Having an evergreen funnel in place is a game changer for most entrepreneurs.

After all, you’ll grow your business even when you’re not actively working on it.

But you also need the right traffic to make your funnel work.

In my FREE PDF, I share the 4-step system to get sales every day…automatically.

Get it now!

The post How to Build an Evergreen Sales Funnel in 2024 appeared first on Luisa Zhou.

Too often, I hear people say things like, “I don’t want to come off as salesy” or “it must be nice to be born with your confidence and sales skills.” 

But guess what? Selling isn’t “scammy.” And it can be learned (few people are born with great sales skills). 

Today, you learn how to sell online, so that you can get similar results as my students get:

Want to get the strategies? Read on. 

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How do you learn to sell? 

First: You CAN learn how to sell.

Take it from someone who got 30 no’s in a row and was told on an early sales call that I couldn’t be taken seriously because I looked like I was 12. (Yes, it happened.)

Here’s what you need to know. 

Can sales skills be learned? 

“You’ve made a few sales?”

I was so surprised to be asked that. 

After all, we were at an invite-only mastermind for established business owners. At that point, I’d just crossed $1.7 million in sales in the last 12 months. So yeah, I guess you could say a “few.”

But then again, I was never a “natural” salesperson. 

I’m an introvert and when I started building my business, I couldn’t stop asking myself, “Am I cut out for this?” 

And I didn’t have any sales experience. I had to learn it from the ground up.

What’s more, I was brought up to regard selling as something “scammy.” (When I excitedly called my parents to tell them about my first sale, they said, “How did you scam someone into paying?”)

But by learning how to sell, I built my first online business, a digital advertising consulting business, into a 6-figure business in the first four months.

And today, I run a multiple-7-figure business.

All this goes to show that selling IS a skill you can learn. 

How? That’s what we’ll look at next.

How do you become good at sales? 

When I started my business, I needed to learn how to sell. My approach was that I didn’t expect it to be easy and I didn’t expect to succeed right away. I knew I’d have to try different things without thinking it would work on the first try. 

And I knew the fastest way would be to get help. So I hired sales coaches, took courses, and read tons of books (and re-read the best ones quite a few times). 

These days, there is so much more information out there and many more programs than when I got started. Like my own program, Employee to Entrepreneur, where I share the strategies I’ve learned over 10+ years in business and multiple 6- and 7-figure businesses (a tutoring business, a tech startup, a digital advertising consulting business, and my current business). 

These resources can help you jumpstart your business way faster than when I started (and without having to shell out hundreds of thousands of dollars, as I did). 

A few results my own students have gotten using these strategies include…

A key reason these entrepreneurs succeeded while others don’t is that they don’t just work on the tactical stuff (what to say on a discovery call or how to get calls). Instead, they understand that results come from both tactical and internal work.

You see, your mindset is just as important as any of the sales strategies you use. 

That’s why these students didn’t give up when they faced setbacks. They worked through those setbacks and achieved results. 

The thing is: You will get rejected on plenty of sales calls. You will fail. It’s just part of succeeding. So expect failure, work your way through any obstacles, and you will get good at sales. 

The fundamentals of selling

To learn to sell, you need to understand the fundamentals of selling.

Contrary to what most believe, a sale doesn’t happen on the sales call (or a sales page). 

It happens way before.

Let’s take a look.

The #1 thing you need to make sales 

Think that to get good at selling you need a perfectly packaged offer?

A great email sequence, funnel, or sales page? 

A persuasive sales script?

None of those will be the thing that gets people to say yes. 

In fact, it’s something completely different. 

What most people don’t know is that your offer and marketing need to be good enough to sell. They don’t need to be perfect. (Good enough isn’t bad — it needs to be ok, at least.) 

Instead, the relationship you build with your audience is what matters.  

You see, early on in my business, I wasn’t great at selling or that confident.

I only learned how to sell when I focused on connecting with people. 

And the way I did this was by showing up every day in Facebook groups (that’s where my audience hung out). Today, I do it by showing up for my email subscribers, social media followers, and blog readers. 

And I didn’t make it complicated. I scheduled my tasks for the week and I spent just 30-45 minutes on my marketing activities every day. For example, I’d publish a post on Monday, answer comments on Tuesday, post a new post on Wednesday, answer comments on Thursday, and answer questions in groups on Friday. 

Sometimes you build relationships fast. 

Like when I personally helped someone for free over the course of two weeks.

One day, she came back to me and wanted to work together. She became my first client and bought a $5,000 coaching package from me. 

Other times, it might take years to build it. Someone will see your material, but not be ready to buy right now. When they are, they’ll know of all the great value you share. 

I’ve personally noticed that whenever I show up more, I see an increase in sales.

In other words: Show up every day. That’s how you get people to want to buy from you. 

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Don’t wait for sales to start rolling in

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t sell out your first service offer, group program, or course by announcing that it’s “here!” and sit back to watch the sales roll in. 

Quite the opposite, in fact: 

It’s more like you have to roll each sale in yourself. By reaching out to people who might be interested and talking to those who are considering buying from you.

I must have spoken to over 40 people (in less than 10 days) to sell 15 spots in my first program. Which was an awesome result. But left me with a not-so-awesome burn-out.

(Not only because my introverted self had to talk to so many people, but also because I was saying the same thing over and over! Here’s what this program is about. Here’s how the 7 weeks will play out. Here’s how much support you’ll get. You get the idea.)

Sure enough, results will start to compound over time. Sales WILL start rolling in.

That’s because ultimately, you’ll be able to take everything you learn and do and systematize your entire marketing, sales, and delivery process.

But up until that point, you need to build up those sales. 

Next, let’s take a look at some of the most important selling techniques. 

10 top sales skills and techniques 

What are the best sales skills tips? Here are the 10 best ways to learn the art of selling. 

Read on. 

1. Start with market research

Selling, however good you are at it, depends on how well you know your audience.

Because if you don’t know what your audience really cares about (that’s not always what YOU care about), you can’t show the benefits of your offer. 

You won’t know what to include in your content and sales calls to draw the right people in.

So without market research, you won’t get far. 

That’s why you should get on the phone with at least three people who could be your ideal customers. 

A great way to get people to agree to a market research call is to offer a short, free coaching call in return.

(You might even get your first client(s) from your market research calls. Case in point: I connected with my first client over a market research call and free coaching offer.) 

2. Build relationships

People think that by writing a post on social media people will magically find them. This rarely happens when you’re just starting out. 

In the beginning, before you’re established, you need to show up and actively build those relationships. 

People aren’t going to hire you because of your sales skills, but because of how you show up and how they click with you. Often, they’ll have decided to hire you before they even get on the call. 

My first client had already decided to hire me before we had our sales call. The reason? I had already given her so much value, so there was no doubt in her mind that I couldn’t help her get even better results in a paid position. 

And that’s where your strength lies as a new entrepreneur. More established people don’t have the same possibility to use as much time and attention on each client.

But you do. People who value more personal services will choose you rather than a big name in your industry.

So be there for your audience. 

Reply to every email and comment you get. 

Welcome them when they join your Facebook group.

Talk to your audience. 

Something I did early on in my business was to offer free, 30-minute coaching sessions. I offered around 40-50 of these calls and got my first five or more clients in this way. 

Plus, they helped me build my reputation fast. 

And for years, I did livestreams every week. Again, a strategy that helped me get lots of private coaching clients. 

3. Give free content

A question I get a lot is, “Luisa, how much free content is too much?” 

Here’s the thing:

There’s no such thing as too much free content.

Your clients don’t go off because you give too much. (Yes, some people just want your free content, but they’re not your ideal clients.)

And the more you give, the more they want to work with you. 

Sharing all that content helps you sell. Without it, selling is pretty darn hard. (Because as research shows, trust is a big factor in people’s decision to buy.)

You see, by sharing a LOT of top-notch content most people would charge for, I’ve had million-dollar launches year after year. 

4. Selling is not about convincing 

Back in high school, I had the option to buy a prom ticket (I knew my parents wouldn’t cover it) or sell pens to get a free ticket. Excitedly, I went to my dad and asked him to sell some at his workplace. 

But he refused. The reason? He thought it was “scammy to sell.”

But, it’s not, especially if you do it in the right way. Let me explain:

First: Selling is to be of service 

The belief I grew up with is that it’s wrong to sell. It was only when I started my business that I had to re-evaluate this and see sales for what it is — to be of service. 

Your customers are smart and they’re capable of making their own decisions.

You see, no one will be tricked to buy from you. In fact, they will only buy if they really want it.

Just think about how much time and money it took you to learn the skills you help your clients with now. You’re giving so much value!

(If you doubt that you ARE giving that much value, ask yourself, “how can I give more value than the investment is worth?”) 

For example, when I was doing career coaching, I had gone through many years of learning and making mistakes before I switched industries, managed a team, and made six figures. I knew that I could help people who were going through the same get those same results faster. 

Ultimately, the client decides if they want your offer or not. 

You can’t move that needle for them other than show the benefits of your offer.

I often mention my courses in my free content.

But I’m not saying, “you have to buy” or scaring people into thinking that their life will suck if they don’t buy from me.

And some people have been on my email list for YEARS before they buy. There’s no pressure on them and they make that decision when they feel ready. 

Second: How to not be scammy when reaching out to people 

But then, what’s the fine line between reaching out to someone and offering help versus doing it to be salesy?

Let me get on my coaching soap box. 

First of all, the latter? Does. Not. Work. Don’t do it. Just don’t be one of those people.

Contrary to what many business-coaches-who-shouldn’t-be-business-coaches will tell you, that is NOT how you get clients. That IS how you get banned from every single group or forum or thread you’re a part of. And make a name for yourself as someone no one wants to work with.

Plus, it just doesn’t feel good. I don’t know about you, but I definitely didn’t start a business to have to chase or *trick* people into working with me.

Aside from that being just straight-up bad, advice like this ticks me off. Because it’s what gives online businesses a bad rap. 

Let me tell you the real “secret” to building a successful business…

People WANT help with their problems. And they are smart. (At least the kind of people you want to work with are. And that’s all that really matters.) 

Which means that if they are given reason to trust that you can and want to help them, they will naturally be interested in what you have to offer.

The steps to do that aren’t complicated:

Share your solution to a problem that people want solved.

Lead with value (aka epic free content).

Share it with as many people as possible.

Repeat.

5. How to talk about money

New entrepreneurs tend to be incredibly uncomfortable when it comes to talking about money. 

Look:

If someone says, “I have to choose between this investment and paying my bills,” it’s pretty clear that they shouldn’t buy from you.

But if someone says, “I don’t know if this is worth it,” that’s when it’s time to talk about the money and their perception of the value. 

Talking about money is just you asking to be paid for the value you offer, like your experience and time. Pretty much like you talk about your salary at work. 

After all, your business is not a hobby or a charity. 

That’s also why you shouldn’t lower your prices (unless you’ve decided beforehand to hold a special promotion or to lower your price for the first few clients). 

Own your price. 

(In fact, research shows that people seem to enjoy expensive things more than cheaper alternatives.)

By the way, want to know what other selling mistakes you might be doing? Take a look at this quick video: 

6. Don’t end it on a cliffhanger

Too often, sales calls are left on a cliffhanger.

You know, when the person you’re speaking to says something along the lines of, “I have to think about it” or “let me ask my spouse.” 

A sales call that’s left this way doesn’t feel good to anyone.

It’s your job to take on your coaching shoes and coach people through their fears so that they can make a decision (either to work or not to work with you). 

Give them a next step. Ask them if they feel like you should work together. If they say yes, great. 

If they say no, also great (you don’t want to work with people who aren’t motivated enough to do the work). 

If they say that they need to think about it, ask them when you should regroup so that the both of you have a next step. 

7. How to meet objections 

A lot of people think that meeting sales objections is about convincing someone. 

Not true! You help people think through if your offer is the right thing for them (after all, they’ve already signed up for a sales call with you so chances are that they’re seriously considering your offer). 

They will say no if they don’t want it. You don’t need to convince anyone. 

Instead, reframe “convincing” to “coaching” or “teaching.” People who have objections tend to have a fear — maybe they’re not sure if you’re the right coach for them or maybe they don’t know if they can get the results they want. 

And remember: when you coach someone through their objections, they might come to the conclusion that buying from you is not the right thing for them right now. Either way, they (and you) get closure. 

As a result, you get better clients. If you have to convince someone to work with you, they are going to need a lot of “convincing” to do all the work. Your ideal clients WANT your offer. 

8. Don’t assume anything about the client

If you assume that your client can or can’t afford your services, you’ve already made up your mind about whether they will actually be able to work with you.

So don’t assume anything because you never know what a person’s situation is.

Early on in this business, I spoke to a woman who owned a few franchises. She said they brought in multiple six-figures every year.

As a result, I thought working with me was going to be such a no-brainer for her. But after saying she needed to think about it, she got back to me and wrote, “I don’t know if I can make this work.”

A short time later, I spoke to a single mom who had left her job. She told me that she had been trying to build her business and that she only had a few months left of expenses in her bank account.

I declined to work with her because of that. But she pushed for it, so I ultimately said yes. A month and a half later, she had made back the investment (and more). 

As you can see, what someone’s situation appears to be like doesn’t determine if they’ll be able to work with you. 

9. Show them the transformation 

“OMG. I get unlimited email support?!!”

Said no one ever.

And yet, of the hundreds of sales offers I’ve coached clients on over the years, that’s one of the most common mistakes I see.

Here’s the thing: 

If they’re asking about the calls, videos, and/or PDFs, it’s because they aren’t sure what they’re really getting and are looking for a way to measure it. Which means they probably don’t fully see the value of your product.

Instead of talking about the things your coaching program includes, focus on the transformation they get. Ultimately, your clients care about the results you help them get — not the number of PDFs you’ll send them. 

And I want to make something clear:

“Transformation” means THEIR results. Not your story, your mission, or anything like that. 

The often-parroted, “People buy your WHY” approach has never appealed to me.

That’s why you’ll never hear me talk about how “I was broke and now I’m Rolex-rich!” (I was never broke because I worked hard for my six-figure corporate salary and I don’t own a Rolex.)

Or how my “why” is to help you do the same. 

Here’s what this self-made, work-over-woo, Princeton-educated engineer believes instead:

People buy how your ‘why’ helps their ‘why.’ BIG difference.

10. Work past your fear

Finally, if you let them, your fears will keep you stuck. 

You know, I’ve been there myself. I let my fears dictate my life. 

Because I was afraid…

• I talked myself out of showing up daily online and sharing what I had to say. Because I was afraid people wouldn’t like it. (And as a result, I watched others who didn’t give into their fears surpass me)
• I watched a dream client decide to hire someone else… who I KNEW wouldn’t be as good of a coach. Because I was afraid of sounding mean if I explained that
• I let someone I knew I could help, give in to THEIR fear instead of believing and investing in themselves. Because I was afraid of coming across as salesy or pushy 
• I wasted tens of thousands of dollars hiring people who I hoped would “save” me (and my copywriting, funnel, systems, or sales). Because I was afraid to trust myself

Here’s the truth I had to realize the hard way:

Your fears aren’t going to magically disappear.

No one’s going to magically find you when you aren’t showing up.

Your dream clients aren’t going to decide to hire YOU when you aren’t owning your uniqueness, effectiveness, and power.

No one is going to “save” you or your business. Only YOU can do that. (FYI: Hoping someone is going to “save” your business is very different from hiring and outsourcing to delegate.)

So start working on getting past your fears. 

That’s how you learn to sell. 

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There you have it. Now you know what it takes to learn to sell online.

Next, let me know in the comments below:

What’s your #1 question about selling? 

The post How to Learn to Sell Anything Online [2024 Guide] appeared first on Luisa Zhou.