I don’t receive subscription cancellations to my Handmade Results Weekly course often, so when I do, I ask people if they meant to cancel.
The subscriber confirmed that yes, she did mean to cancel, and said:
It occurred to me that what you’re “teaching” is common sense and that I already have some of that. Also, my husband asked one day if I’d ever seen your site with YOUR jewelry on it and I had to say no. Do YOU actually sell jewelry or just charge people a fee to learn how?
I admit it, I was a little irked when I first read it.
I make a point of being very upfront about my own experiences and on overdelivering on my course. As I finish writing every lesson, I’m pretty burnt out and exhausted, but still feel like wow! If I was paying for a course like this I would never unsubscribe. (I guess that’s why I was so surprised and felt so compelled to write this article. I’ve had people unsubscribe due to lack of money, and due to lack of time, but never due to lack of usefulness!)
Each week’s lesson is very very meaty. I write them all completely myself. No fluff, lots of theory, lots and lots of practical steps, how-to’s, screenshots, and examples and tips, and checklists and assignments to keep you on track. It’s easily worth triple what I ask, but I want to make it affordable to those who need it most.
My husband once asked me why I was doing all this and spending so much time when I could be focusing on other projects that weren’t so time consuming.
I told my husband that I love jewelry makers (being one myself) and I really wanted to spend my time helping them stop wasting their time. I knew they were being misinformed and were doing all sorts of ridiculous things that would result in nothing more than wasted time and energy.
Back to the email…
Now I am very upfront about what I’m teaching and very upfront about my website history, how I don’t sell jewelry online, and why that doesn’t matter.
An excerpt from my response:
I think your husband is missing the point when he asks questions like “does she sell jewelry herself?”
Here is the point:
The internet has certain rules… There are sales methods specific to the internet, and the actual product doesn’t really matter in terms of principles, fundamental,s and the “how-to” big picture. You need people searching for what you sell, have money they want to spend, and you need to know how to use the power of all the tools of the internet and how people use it to build a business.
My expertise? I have #1 ranking for lots of high volume keywords, a huge mailing list, I know my market inside and out, and I have lots of dedicated followers, and that’s the main thing I teach – how to actually build a thriving business choosing a market, selling what your market already wants, search engine and relationship marketing on the internet. Others sell similar for much more money.
The value of my course specifically for jewelry makers is I use jewelry specific examples of what to do and how to do it. Not only that, but I’m realistic and straightforward.
As I say on the the sales page for the course,
You’re probably thinking, “OK Christine, that’s all well and good, but I’m not planning on building an information website. I want to sell jewelry!”
Listen closely:
No Matter What Business You Pursue on the Internet, the Rules are the SAME
It doesn’t matter what you’re selling. The internet has it’s own peculiar rules that apply NO MATTER WHAT. When you know the rules, and how work within the confines of those rules, the rest is easy.
Sure, jewelry has it’s own peculiarities. But if you don’t have a foundation in the laws of internet marketing, you’ll never even get a chance to share your own unique vision.
To your handmade jewelry business success!
P.S. What’s your jewelry business dream? See if Handmade Results Weekly is for you.
