Why Systems Sell and Info-Products Don’t
By Janet Switzer
Many info-marketers who create home-study courses – and authors who write beyond-the-book products -- could substantially improve revenues and protect the long-term marketability of their products by creating learning “systems” versus information “products.”
This principle of info-marketing has been proven repeatedly over decades of selling knowledge products: Customers will ALWAYS pay more money for “systems” than they will for “products.”
They’ll pay more money for a system that gets them to where they want be, than they will for a product they have to spend time understanding and applying to their situation. Buyers don’t want to figure out how to make your information work for them. They want you to do that for them.
What is a system?
(1) A system takes people through a process -- it describes a series of tasks that’s proven to accomplish a goal. A system isn’t just information randomly compiled together into a “course.”
(2) A system must discuss how to do each task -- it must fully explain how to execute each step.
(3) A system contains illustrative examples of how to perform the steps, whether you use anecdotal stories, actual sample documents or exercises the reader can complete in order to plan their activities. People learn through stories and through doing.
(4) A system must be packaged to look like it’s a system and be packaged to look like it’s worth the money you’re asking the prospect to spend. Remember that people will spend SOME amount of money to solve their problem. Your product has to look like it’s worth it.
Those are the four criteria for producing a system. But let’s take a look at some real-life examples of systems.
First of all, I recommend every expert start by developing a multi-media home study course. This combination of printed material, audio and video components does two things for you: (1) It lets you begin charging a high price for your expertise (from $^395 and up), plus (2) It can immediately be used as the reference materials for any training program you want to offer. This “system-in-a-box” can be shipped as soon as someone registers for your training program…while you deliver consulting, teleclasses, weekend workshops and other services later on. Your participants will have more confidence in your expensive training program if they receive high-quality reference materials at the beginning.
Other types of systems include:
* Video-Based Training Sets -- most typically a weekend workshop or other event video-recorded, then divided by topic into 4-6 DVDs.
* Tele-Seminar Series -- giving people a result over 90 days of group telephone training calls, perhaps delivering just one or two group calls a week.
* Train-the-Trainer Programs -- giving teachers, trainers, therapists and consultants a new topic to deliver to their students, patients and clients.
* Corporate Improvement Programs -- A facilitator’s manual plus a workbook for each company employee who participates. Some experts include a video of themselves delivering a portion of the training.
* Business-Building and Practice-Building Systems -- A complete system of how to improve revenues, bring in more customers, sell more products, and so on for a specific type of business or professional practice. Often called a “business in a box,” these systems often lead to further sales because you can easily upsell buyers into ongoing support programs and consulting packages.
___________________________
Janet Switzer is the marketing strategist behind some of the best known celebrity authors in the world: Jack Canfield of The Secret and Chicken Soup for the Soul, One Minute Millionaire author Mark Victor Hansen, personal finance guru David Bach, motivational speaker Les Brown and others. Subscribe to her FREE series of info-marketing special reports at http://www.charlesaki.com/ezines.
Many info-marketers who create home-study courses – and authors who write beyond-the-book products -- could substantially improve revenues and protect the long-term marketability of their products by creating learning “systems” versus information “products.”
This principle of info-marketing has been proven repeatedly over decades of selling knowledge products: Customers will ALWAYS pay more money for “systems” than they will for “products.”
They’ll pay more money for a system that gets them to where they want be, than they will for a product they have to spend time understanding and applying to their situation. Buyers don’t want to figure out how to make your information work for them. They want you to do that for them.
What is a system?
(1) A system takes people through a process -- it describes a series of tasks that’s proven to accomplish a goal. A system isn’t just information randomly compiled together into a “course.”
(2) A system must discuss how to do each task -- it must fully explain how to execute each step.
(3) A system contains illustrative examples of how to perform the steps, whether you use anecdotal stories, actual sample documents or exercises the reader can complete in order to plan their activities. People learn through stories and through doing.
(4) A system must be packaged to look like it’s a system and be packaged to look like it’s worth the money you’re asking the prospect to spend. Remember that people will spend SOME amount of money to solve their problem. Your product has to look like it’s worth it.
Those are the four criteria for producing a system. But let’s take a look at some real-life examples of systems.
First of all, I recommend every expert start by developing a multi-media home study course. This combination of printed material, audio and video components does two things for you: (1) It lets you begin charging a high price for your expertise (from $^395 and up), plus (2) It can immediately be used as the reference materials for any training program you want to offer. This “system-in-a-box” can be shipped as soon as someone registers for your training program…while you deliver consulting, teleclasses, weekend workshops and other services later on. Your participants will have more confidence in your expensive training program if they receive high-quality reference materials at the beginning.
Other types of systems include:
* Video-Based Training Sets -- most typically a weekend workshop or other event video-recorded, then divided by topic into 4-6 DVDs.
* Tele-Seminar Series -- giving people a result over 90 days of group telephone training calls, perhaps delivering just one or two group calls a week.
* Train-the-Trainer Programs -- giving teachers, trainers, therapists and consultants a new topic to deliver to their students, patients and clients.
* Corporate Improvement Programs -- A facilitator’s manual plus a workbook for each company employee who participates. Some experts include a video of themselves delivering a portion of the training.
* Business-Building and Practice-Building Systems -- A complete system of how to improve revenues, bring in more customers, sell more products, and so on for a specific type of business or professional practice. Often called a “business in a box,” these systems often lead to further sales because you can easily upsell buyers into ongoing support programs and consulting packages.
___________________________
Janet Switzer is the marketing strategist behind some of the best known celebrity authors in the world: Jack Canfield of The Secret and Chicken Soup for the Soul, One Minute Millionaire author Mark Victor Hansen, personal finance guru David Bach, motivational speaker Les Brown and others. Subscribe to her FREE series of info-marketing special reports at http://www.charlesaki.com/ezines.
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