To Sum It Up

When humans are faced with the desire or need to change, they make excuses to stay comfortable.

I’ve done it. You’ve done it. We’ve all done it!

But – it’s still heartbreakingly painful when those objections are aimed at your online course program.

So if you’ve ever heard these 5 common sales objections, I’m breaking down how you can eliminate them once and for all!

1. I can’t afford it

While there could be real financial concerns behind this most common sales objection, it’s really just the easiest excuse to have first. And what it really means is that you, or your sales page, or your emails, didn’t do a great job of communicating the value of the program in comparison with the price of the program.

Go back and look at your sales page – does it clearly communicate the one clear promise of your program? And what is the value of that transformation versus the cost?

You could also call out the estimated price of each part of the program (the modules, the bonuses, the FB group, the Q&A calls) to clearly demonstrate all that your new student will get for the price.

Or as a final tweak, come up with a new payment plan that would reasonably work for almost any true budget constraints.

2. I don’t have enough time to do the program.

But we all know this is just an excuse! We have time in our days, but we might spend it watching Netflix or Law & Order marathons.

No, just me?

So add a question of time into your FAQs section on the sales page, where you can address the exact amount of time they’d need to commit to the program in order to see a result. Such as, “You can expect to invest 2 hours per week in this program for the next 8 weeks.”

3. I don’t think I’ll have time to finish the program.

One of the easiest (and most common ways) to combat this common sales objection is to add the “Lifetime Access” promise to your course or program. Because life does get in the way! And knowing that they can come back anytime they fall off the wagon, is super re-assuring.

The other way to look at it is what kind of levels of support can you add or encouragement? This is where the Q&A calls and Facebook groups come into play.

Sometimes it’s not just “another group< but it’s actually a community that’s going to support you and make sure that you finish.

4. I’m not sure it will work for my _insert unique situation._

This can be a really painful objection as well, because it’s questioning the effectiveness of your program, or teaching ability.

But one really easy way to combat this is to have a couple of choice testimonials where people said, “I was afraid of X,” or, “I had a unique situation Y, and the program worked like a wonderful miracle.” The more social proof you can offer, the better, so definitely get some reviews on Facebook, get some people to post, turn those testimonials into social media graphics, etc.

The other option is to offer a guarantee or refund policy. If you can offer 7-30 days for them to try the program, implement the work, and come out the other side risk free, it’s the simplest way to combat this excuse.

5. I’d love to join, but I’ll just wait until next time.

Of all the common sales objections, this is the *most* important one to address during a launch because they are already sold – but just have one little thing holding them back. And if you can address it, you’ve got a new student!

So the first way to combat this is by increasing genuine urgency. Don’t say things that aren’t true, but is the price going up next time? Maybe you’re no longer offering live Q&A calls? What are the program pieces they’d be missing if they don’t join now?

And you can also add a simple countdown timer to the sales page as well!

Or, you can focus on the (emotional/physical/mental) cost of waiting versus the (monetary) cost of joining now. If they’re going to wait six more moths until the program opens again, and everyone who was already in made more money, lost wait, or changed their lives… what was the cost of waiting? And can they really afford to be unhappy for one more month?

Don’t push on their pain points in a super salesy way, but speed does matter in making a decision. And you need to have them draw a line in the sand.

If you can combat all of these excuses before your next launch, you’re well on your way to increasing your sales, with little to no extra effort!

And if you’re not even sure what your audiences’ objections are, I’d highly suggest sending a post-launch survey.

Download my free guide below to get a copy of the survey and email I send out for my clients.

Your Turn

What’s the #1 excuse you’ve heard for not joining your online course or program? Did it leave you gutted, or were you able to turn it into a lesson?