Brian Clark – Build Your Online Training Business the Smarter Way

Introducing a Timeless Method Proven to Work In a recent article, Inc. Magazine reported on LinkedIn’s $1.5 billion acquisition of e-learning platform lynda com.

The article went on to state:

Online Learning has quietly become a $107 billion industry …

In the 21st century, teaching sells.

And all we have to say about that is … well, duh.

Back in 2007, before most people had even heard of an online course, Brian Clark (Copyblogger founder and CEO of Rainmaker Digital) pioneered an effective approach to succeeding in the online education space.

With his landmark course “Teaching Sells,” Brian helped thousands of online entrepreneurs discover just how profitable online courses could be, when approached with the right mindset and strategy.

Now, in the decade since then the world has certainly changed, but the principles remain the same.

(In fact, if you look back through history, these principles have deep roots in philosophy, psychology, sales, marketing, and every other aspect of human interaction.)

And right now you have a chance to get your piece of the $107 billion e-learning market and float your boat on the rising tide.

As long as you begin in a sustainable and profitable way.

Unfortunately, many marketers miss the point.

They focus on a specific course or program. They ignore the “holy grail of marketing” that leads to a higher total lifetime value of the customer. This leads to a short-sighted approach that overlooks the importance of creating an interactive learning environment.

When you succeed in creating an interactive learning environment, instead of just selling a course, you create lifelong learners who instantly trust you and will pay more for access to knowledge through you.

Another side benefit is you can actually feel good about what you’re doing because you will see the results in the lives of your customers and hear amazing stories of how your course made a difference.

You can have all of this if you choose to create and market courses using instructional design as your framework.

Here’s a brief overview of those 6 modules:

Module 1: 5 Key Concepts for Online Entrepreneurs

In this module, you will build the mental foundations for creating your business the smarter way.

First you will discover exactly what traits a market must possess in order for it to qualify as a “good opportunity.” (This ensures you don’t shoot yourself in the foot before you even get started.)

Module 2: Designing Your Course

This is where the rubber hits the road.

Module 2 will show you how to take those key concepts from Module 1 and start to formulate a practical plan and strategy.

Module 3: Business Models

Module 3 explains 10 potential business models, with examples.

In the “End Of Days” business model you will discover the one trait your target market must possess for a recurring revenue business model to work for you.

With the “Affiliate Marketing Squared” business model you will hear how you can sell a lot of products without ever creating a product. (In fact, if you do choose to create a product, this business model can allow you to give away 100% of the purchase price to affiliates and still make money.)

The “Ghost Teaching” business model will allow you to sell expert advice in a niche you know nearly nothing about (in a totally ethical, intelligent fashion).

Would you like to be paid for your advice? The “Generation A” business model gives you the enhanced authority you need to create a lucrative business based on coaching, consulting, and workshops.

Module 4: Test Your “MVP” Course

This module teaches you the best way to avoid failure.

In fact, 90% of people who fail at creating an online training business do so because they don’t understand how to test the viability of a course before creating it.

(If you have ever tried to create an online course before and gotten stuck along the way … or launched to crickets… then you probably never learned this simple concept. Which is okay as long as you get it now.)

Naturally, you want to ensure your course will produce profit before you invest a ton of time creating the content.

Module 5: Developing Content

Once you have money in your pocket from preselling your course, it’s time to create the content.

The good news is, you already did most of the research in Module 2, so this won’t take you long at all.

However, you do want to make sure to really nail this part of the experience for your customers. Because this is what the core of instructional design is all about. When you actually educate people (and engage their whole brains in the process) you build lifelong trust and this means you get more back-end and subscription revenue.

That’s why we crammed a lot of knowledge into this module. It includes a whopping 47-minute presentation entirely about the art of instructional presentation.

(Which will also help you be a better public speaker and teacher in every aspect of your life.)

After this module, you will feel confident in your ability to deliver exceptional training to everyone who buys your courses.

Then all you need to do is find a bunch of buyers.

Which is what you learn in Module 6.

Module 6: Launch and Marketing

So now you have a product with proven demand and it’s time to start marketing and scaling.

Once again, we will let your customers needs and wants determine your launch and marketing strategy.

Clearly there are dozens of ways you could launch a course online.

But learning all of them would be a huge mistake and a waste of your time.

Instead, this module will give you the simple, effective steps you need to take. The videos will empower you to create a truly irresistible offer that makes your learners feel they are getting the better end of the deal while also prompting them to act now.

(Keep in mind that at this point you have already validated the idea with the MVP, so you can begin to scale and start to drive some serious revenue.)

You’ll also learn the keys to effective copywriting, so you can write more persuasively and prompt more readers to take action.

Finally, you will discover how to build and leverage relationships with other marketers so you can tap into their lists and grow your business without having to spend a ton of money on advertising. (This is probably the fastest way to scale a business on the planet and you’ll see just how easy it can be when you approach it with the right foundation and the right mindset.)