Google “how to sell courses online” and you’ll be presented with Options Central.

From using “pre-recorded webinars” to video sales letters to frameworks like Product Launch Formula to course sales platforms like Kajabi and Teachable selling their own “systems,” there’s no dearth of options.

As the go-to sales strategist for course creators, I’ve put most launch and evergreen sales frameworks to the test, and honestly, they work.

Whether it’s Jeff Walker’s PLF, Caitlin Bacher’s evergreen sales system, or the Circuit Sales System by Nicki Krawczyk, I’ve tested them out multiple times for clients, and they work. 🤷🏻‍♀️

In fact, I’ve even got my own hybrid sales strategy that I teach inside Ready-to-Sell, and that works like a charm, too. 🔥

“So, what’s the problem, Prerna?”

The problem, my friend, is that with most of these “funnels,” the equation looks like this 👇🏼

New Lead >> Opts-In>>Nurture>> Sales Mechanism>> Decision Y/N

After they’ve decided to either join or not join, you can either continue to nurture them and then invite them back to join the same program or webinar (if you’re running on evergreen mode!), or you can move them to a general list where they get your weekly or monthly(!) newsletters.

And then the cycle starts again.

Can you see the problem?

No.

Let me break it down further.

Here’s a person who’s raising their hand and saying, “I’m interested in learning about your offer.”

They sign up for your opt-in.

They get the “value” from your emails and opt-in.

You invite them to join your program, either during a LIVE launch or as part of your evergreen funnel.

They decide not to.

If it’s a LIVE launch, the cart closes, and you move them from the “interested” to the “general” list and carry on.

If it’s an evergreen funnel, you may continue to invite them to buy the program at periodic intervals BUT there will come a time when they’ll tire of being sold the same thing, over and over and over again. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Can you see how this plays out for your course sales?

The solution?

Zero-Funnel Sales Strategies that Simplify How to Sell Online Courses

Zero-funnel sales strategies help you sell courses online without complicated funnels.

There’s NO funnel. 🔥

But there are SALES! 🤯

Imagine that!

Hear me out, though: For hundreds of years, businesses have sold to people without a funnel.

The grocery store you go to? Sells without a funnel.

The hotel chain you enjoy staying at? Sells without a funnel.

The restaurant you enjoy eating at every week? Noooo funnel.

Now, these businesses may have some funnels, but their sales aren’t hinging on the success of a “funnel.”

As consumers online get more inundated with offers and emails, selling the old-fashioned way (yes, without a funnel) will be a smart move for marketers who want to increase revenue without increasing their workload.

A zero-funnel strategy gives you the flexibility and freedom to sell to your audience without:

❌a cart open date,

❌a cart close date,

❌tech to run a webinar

❌A series of emails to nurture, prime, pitch, and then nurture again, prime again, pitch again

I’m not saying you should do away with your LIVE launches and evergreen funnels. Not at all.

Please keep them, and if you need help with the strategy and copy for them, let’s chat!

Neither am I saying that you don’t need opt-ins. You do! Building your email list is KEY for business (and revenue!) growth.

In fact, check out our latest opt-in — a FREE 5-part email course sharing strategies to sell without live launches, evergreen funnels, ads, or affiliates.

I am saying, though, that you should consider a zero funnel strategy for your offers, especially if you have multiple offers and aren’t seeing consistent sales for each without live launches or evergreen funnels.

Okay, with that established, let’s talk about …

How to Sell Courses Online with Zero-Funnel Strategies

Before we dig into what zero funnel strategies you can use, let’s talk about some mistakes and misconceptions you may want to sidestep.

❌ A zero-funnel strategy is not a magic bullet: You still need a solid offer and an audience to sell to. You cannot sell if your offer is awful, if your audience isn’t the right fit, or if it isn’t growing at all.

❌ A zero-funnel strategy is not easy money: Sorry to break it to you, but sales need work. A zero-funnel approach simplifies sales. It doesn’t mean it makes sales happen by wishing for them.

❌ A zero-funnel strategy is not about selling without intention: The reason I call it a “strategy” is because you’re putting thought and intention into selling your online course or membership or other offers to an audience that is ready to buy from you.

With these out of the way, let’s look at THREE zero-funnel strategies to sell your online course or membership, mastermind, or whatever-it-is-you-sell:

Strategy 1: Use Nurtured-for-Sales Newsletters

Yep, my number one go-to zero-funnel strategy is a nurtured-for-sales newsletter. These work ridiculously well and help you to sell without squeezing people into a time-bound funnel.

A nurtured-for-sales newsletter is a newsletter you send weekly to an audience that’s interested in your offers, and you use the content of the newsletter to both “nurture” and “sell.”

 I share the complete step-by-step guide to nurtured-for-sales newsletters here.

Strategy 2: Sell on Social Media

Shocking, I know!

But you can totally sell on social — Directly in a post, in the DMs, via live videos, or whatever you want.

While social media is largely a discovery and relationship-building platform, you will have an audience there that engages with you regularly, connects with your content, and is a potential prospect. Why would you NOT want to sell to them?

Strategy 3: Think Out of the Box with Your Offers

The reason most evergreen funnels sputter and stall isn’t always because the funnel is broken.

Sometimes, the offer may need reworking.

Can you restructure a flagship course into a membership?

Can you bundle several smaller courses into a more robust one? Or vice-versa?

Can you combine forces with another course creator and offer a bundled course?

Getting creative with your offers allows you to sell directly and more frequently and without needing a big launch or funnel.

Also? It helps you reach an audience segment that may not be best served with your offer as is.

To wrap up …

At the end of the day, a zero-funnel sales strategy is an effective way to increase sales for your online courses without adding more complexity to the mix or more chaos on your calendars.

Full Disclosure: These 3 strategies are only the tip of the zero-funnel sales strategy iceberg.

I brew up unique strategies and systems tailored to each creator’s business and goals, so there’s a LOT that we haven’t covered here, but these should get your sales-making wheels spinning!

As a sales strategist for creators who want thriving businesses AND lives, creating chaos-free growth and sales is what Mayank and I thrive on.

And if this sounds like something you’d like implemented for your business, book a Stack ‘em Sales Strategy Session, and let’s make it happen.  ← See? No funnel! 😆

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