Is it necessary to wait for a year for the first sale?
I am currently going through the book Sell Like Crazy by Sabri Suby. No doubt there are tons of info on how to sell and brand placements, writing copy, etc. in his bestselling book.
BUT....
This whole thing looks like a messed up web of unjumbled possibilities.
What if I don't have a team who write sales copy, does 100s of AB testing. I am a single guy who just wants to sell courses, books, or subscriptions to my simple one-page app. This leads me to think, do we really need to start with brand recognition, provide free values, make a social presence, and then after a couple of years of spending time and money open up for the first sale to them like.....
"Hey man, I have given you enough free value in the last 2 years. Now please buy my 10$ book".
That's sounds absurd. I am in no way against branding, but it takes a lot of time and money and If you already have these 2 why would you sell anything.
Are Those days gone when we can simply say
"Hey Mike, here is the taco I am selling, you might taste it. Juts for 10 bucks". ??
Below is today's world approach,
"Hey Mike, I am Philip. I am giving free tips on making tacos, please follow my page and subscribe to my youtube channel to stay updated."
Then I start showing him 100 tips to make tacos for the year and after one year I'll ping him.
"Hope you liked my 300 days free tacos series. But just to save your time and effort I am giving it to you at a 90% discount for just or 10$. Please have it. "
In return, mike will say.
WHO TF ARE YOU.
Below is the summary of that book you might wanna read.
https://acgoff.medium.com/10-facts-you-need-to-know-from-sell-like-crazy-by-sabri-suby-3c8975b05dbc
I can't read that article you linked because of Medium's paywall, but unfortunately, I think your expectations of what it takes to build a (big or small) business have been distorted by reading too many success stories that are incomplete at best and misleading at worst.
Just because the tech world has made it dead easy to build a product, set up an LLC, and accept payments, doesn't mean birthing a true business with a steady stream of customers is equally simple. But unfortunately, the idea that 'anyone can create and build a business' is extremely profitable for authors such as Sabri Suby and other influencers, AND it's irresistable for the average person.
The end result? People start side hustles with low success rates while the people who sell them on the idea profit from it whether the readers win or lose.
(Sorry if my message sounds harsh)
So true. It's similar to all the YouTube "gurus" selling their courses.
Frankly, I need harsh statements. I am fed up listening to sweet stories. I need someone who can tell the reality on how to drive consistent sales without wasting money on just creepy ads. With all my products I have made I am able to make decent (meeting the expectations) but it doesn't last long. There is no consistency in sales. I can't justify it as a second source of income bcoz sometimes it crosses 500$ in 2 weeks sometimes just 20$ a month.
I guess I am only left with SEO.
SEO alone is not necessarily the answer.
I know SEO better than most, and have been able to drive tens of thousands (maybe hundreds of thousands) of pageviews and visitors to my product site via the content/articles.
"Intent to learn" is different from "Intent to buy".
Conversion on people reading articles is very, very low. Generating SEO content is generally targeting the people who have an "intent to learn", depending the content you're creating. These visitors are not ready to buy -- they are just there to learn.
Sure, it helps raise awareness for your product/brand, you can retarget them via ads, and you build trust with the reader.
SEO is a crucial part of an overall brand awareness campaign, so it's important to invest time in it. But, it's not necessarily the silver-bullet to generating near-term income.
There are many nuances to the above, but it's largely true if you're thinking about generating informational articles to capture SEO traffic.
No, it should not take a year to get your first sale.
If you have something to sell now, start selling it immediately. At the same time, use the offer of free, helpful information to lure in leads and build trust.
Sometimes people need time to determine whether or not to buy from you. Sometimes they don't.
That said, you will need to be patient, because growing any business -- even side hustles -- takes time.
You may want to follow @zerotousers because he provides some good information related to sharing insights on how to find acquisition channels for your business.
I am glad you are not the same mike as in the subject. :P
😁