The most powerful way to present online

Story

2008 is the definition right I’m talking about a roller coaster year.

In March, I got a huge promotion and raise at the construction company I work for. Shortly after that, I proposed to my girlfriend and got engaged.

In June, I was told I was going to be fired and I moved back to my parents to save as much money as possible. I also fell into a bit of depression.

In October, after rashly building my first website to help architects and designers pass the exam (LEED exam), I sold online My first product – study guide – and made $7,908.55 in a month.

In November, earning close to $9000, in December 2008 I cracked five numbers in a month.

Until May 2009, my world was turned upside down again…

The organization that administers the LEED exam USA The Green Building Council decided to create its own study guide. They literally write exam questions, so why would anyone buy a guide from a regular guy like me?

I remember being too scared to check my email or log into my shopping cart for the month to check sales, but eventually, I had to. I was surprised by what I found:

I had the most sales ever in a single month. Over $30,000 in income.

This is the exact opposite of what I think, I can’t understand why, but I need to find out.

So, I give my new The client asks them two simple questions:

Soon, I’m totally understand what happened.

USGBC email blast about their new study guide prompts thousands of people to get excited about taking the test, and when researching what else can help ‘s name and face appeared. That’s how they found me.

But why did they decide to buy my product? I had to dig into my records to find these, but here are some exact answers copied and pasted from survey question #2:

“I decided to buy the LEED AP drill because of you, Pat. You took the test yourself and it felt like you were tutoring me.”

“You personally have first-hand experience with LEED certification, Pat. I guess that’s how I trust you to win The reason why you have passed other people.”

“I don’t know Pat. I think that’s how you talk to me on your blog. You do it first and then you tell me how to do it. It’s encouraging.”

Almost all the replies received emphasized the same thing – and the fact that I took the test first. It makes the material, and I, as a lecturer, the product more trustworthy. Back in 2008, these audiences didn’t trust random websites that sold merchandise on the Internet.

This is an example of a moment when I discovered the power and value of leadership. Do it first, then show people how to do it.

If I’m teaching something but have no examples or experience to share, how can it be trusted?

When I started SmartPassiveIncome.com in late 2008 to teach online business, there was a real case study of Green Exam Academy behind it.

When I started teaching SEO, I used real-world examples from websites I built in the field of security training. Because people saw me doing it first, it not only encouraged others to do the same, but clicking on the affiliate link of the product I was using was also very popular!

I only teach podcasting after a successful podcast. On YouTube, my podcast how-to videos have been viewed over 3 million times over the years, and our podcast lessons are our #1 best seller!

In today’s creator economy, where information is free and easy to publish, you must create your own unique experience, and no one else can support your teaching content .

Your call to action

It’s a jungle outside. Are you going to be at the front and use the machete to clear a safe path for everyone behind you, or are you like most people and just use their platform to tell people what to do?

Your call to action this week is to choose to do something that you know your audience is interested in doing on your own, and then do it yourself first.

Document how it unfolded and what you learned along the way. What mistakes did you make, what new things did you discover?

This experience creates a lot of content, builds more trust, and has the potential to turn into something bigger. Take some time to think about what it could be (or better yet, ask your audience what they would like you to try), then… lead by example .

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