Most people think that the difference between a failed course and a million dollar course must come down to things like tech, team size, or ad spend.
But in my experience, the biggest difference between a course that flops and one that makes millions is something far less obvious – and far more powerful: Genuine Connection.
Genuine connection with your audience doesn’t just happen in a single moment or during one big promotion. It builds like a snowball, slowly and steadily over time. But, here’s the catch…
If you’re stuck in the launch cycle, that connection is constantly being interrupted. Every time you start to build a little momentum, the launch ends – and so does all the excitement, interest, and trust you worked so hard to generate.
But, what if your course sales didn’t have to depend on chaotic bursts of activity?
What if the connection just kept building – day after day, week after week?
That’s exactly what can happen when you make the shift from launching to evergreen and focus on creating Genuine Connection all year round. In this episode, I’ll share three specific ways to do exactly that – so you can stop spinning your wheels and start turning your course into a scalable, profitable business.
My name is Caitlin Bacher, CEO of Scale With Success®, and I’m on a mission to help course creators all over the world grow their business in a way that is profitable and scalable. I’m sharing revealing insights about what it really takes to scale an online course business to millions of dollars per year. Join me here to discover the tough decisions I’ve had to make, the biggest failures I’ve had to bounce back from, and the learnings that emerged every step of the way. I’m so grateful that I have the chance to tell you everything right here on Scale With Success®: The Podcast. Let’s get started.
Here are three specific ways you can build Genuine Connection with your audience – resulting in a highly profitable course business.
1. Speak to Problems Your Audience Already Knows They Have
Let’s start with this: if your course isn’t selling, the problem might not be your content, your price, or even your funnel.
The real issue might be that your audience doesn’t see your offer as a solution to a problem they’re actively trying to solve.
I want you to think about the last time you heard a prospect say:
- “Maybe later.”
- “It’s just not in the budget.”
- “I’m interested, but the timing’s not right.”
At face value, these seem like common objections. But in reality? They’re usually signals that your offer – and your messaging – just isn’t connecting.
Because when your course does connect?
You’ll hear things like:
- “Take my money.”
- “It’s more than I planned to spend, but it’s exactly what I need.”
- “I’m moving things around on my calendar so I don’t miss out.”
Big difference, right?
Your audience wants to invest in programs that solve the problems they’re already aware of. Not the problems you think they should care about. Not the ones you’re trying to convince them they have. You need to talk about the problems they’re already googling solutions for at 11 p.m.
I see this mistake all the time – especially with smart, experienced course creators. They try to sell what they believe their audience should want, and then double down on the same message when it doesn’t connect.
But if your content isn’t attracting people who already want help with the specific problem your course solves, you’ll always feel like you’re dragging people toward the sales. And that is exhausting.
So, let’s say you’ve created a course that teaches people how to paint watercolor portraits of their pets.
Would it make sense to market that course to people who don’t have pets? Of course not. You wouldn’t create content trying to convince someone to go adopt a dog just so they can take your course.
Instead, you’d market to people who already:
- Have pets
- Love them
- And are actively looking for creative ways to capture their pet’s personality on canvas
The best part? You don’t even have to change your course content. You just have to change how you talk about it.
And when you start speaking directly to the people who are already experiencing the problem your course solves, you’ll attract better-fit customers and dramatically shorten your sales cycle.
2. Investigate Why People Didn’t Buy
So, let’s say you’ve got a funnel set up. You’re attracting the right people. They’re signing up for your free training, watching your webinar…but, then?
Crickets.
They’re telling you they loved your presentation – but, they’re still not enrolling.
It’s frustrating, I know. I’ve been there, too. I used to think:
“Maybe I need to add more info to the webinar.”
“Maybe I should drop the price.”
“Maybe webinars just don’t work for my audience.”
But, here’s the truth: the webinar isn’t the problem. It’s what’s inside of it.
If people are showing up, but not buying, you have a messaging gap. Somewhere between the offer and the audience, the connection is breaking down. And the only way to find out why?
Ask.
Back when one of my early funnels flopped, I decided to get on Zoom with 15-20 people who had gone through the entire funnel and didn’t buy. And let me tell you, what I heard changed everything.
I realized that I had been so focused on what I thought was great about the course, I had completely missed the mark on what they valued most. I was highlighting benefits that just didn’t land for them.
And here’s the kicker:
Many of them actually believed the course would work – but, just not for them.
They thought their situation was too unique. Or too advanced. Or too messy.
They didn’t realize that so many of my successful clients started from the exact same place they were in.
But, because I hadn’t addressed those beliefs directly, I lost the sale.
After those calls, I updated my messaging to highlight what they actually cared about. I made space in my funnel to directly address the objections they were too polite – or too unsure – to voice.
And within a year, that same “flop” became my first million dollar course.
So, if your funnel isn’t converting, don’t make assumptions. Get on a call. Hear their concerns in their own words. It’s not just helpful – it’s essential if you want to build stronger, more profitable connections.
3. Make Small Tweaks, Track Improvements, Repeat
Now, I know it might sound like that funnel went from flop to million dollar success overnight – but let me be clear: it did not happen overnight.
After I made those initial changes, I committed to reviewing my funnel data every single week.
And each week, I picked one small area to improve:
- If email open rates were low? I’d test new subject lines.
- If click-throughs were low? I’d rewrite the calls to action.
- If drop-off rates were high? I’d tighten up the video script.
And I didn’t just test once and move on.
I tested, reviewed, iterated.;..week after week after week.
Some weeks nothing improved. Other weeks, open rates went up, but clicks went down. But, I stayed in the game because I knew that improvement wasn’t always going to be immediate.
Sometimes, I’d spend three weeks testing subject lines before I found one that worked. And while that might sound tedious, I saw every failed test as a step forward. Because each one taught me what didn’t work – which got me closer to what did.
This kind of consistent, data-informed improvement is only possible when your course is evergreen. If I had been stuck in a launch cycle, I wouldn’t have had the chance to practice, adjust, and grow every week.
And that’s the thing:
If you want to get really good at something, you need reps. Not one launch a month or one launch a year – you need daily opportunities to get better.
Making small improvements each week helped me build more than just marketing skills. It strengthened my resilience.
Problems that used to derail me no longer held the same power. And every new challenge was a chance to grow.
So, if you’re making small tweaks, but not seeing huge results yet – don’t quit. You’re building muscle and your success is building with you.
I want you to think about commitment before connection.
If you’re feeling stuck right now…maybe your course hasn’t sold the way you hoped…maybe your webinar feels flat…or maybe you’re just not sure what’s missing…
I want you to remember this: Every problem you’re facing is an invitation to deepen your commitment.
When my first course flopped, I didn’t see it as a sign to give up. I saw it as a sign to look closer.
The connection wasn’t broken – it just hadn’t been built yet.
And that’s exactly what I did. Week by week. Call by call. Email by email.
I built it. And you can, too.
Here’s a quick recap of the 3 ways you can build Genuine Connection with your audience and turn a course that isn’t selling into a million dollar business:
1. Speak to problems your audience is already aware they have. Stop trying to convince people they need your course. Start talking to the people who are already looking for it.
2. Investigate why people didn’t buy. Get on the phone. Ask real questions. Listen without defensiveness. And update your messaging to reflect what actually matters to them.
3. Make small, consistent improvements. Evergreen gives you the space to refine your funnel every week. Use it. Your skills – and your sales – will grow faster than you think.
I know building a scalable course business can feel overwhelming at times. But, I promise you this: it is so much more doable when you focus on connection first.
Thanks for being here with me today. Make sure to subscribe and tune in next week for another episode of Scale With Success® The Podcast.
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