How to Invest in the Right Course (and Avoid Wasting Money on Disappointing Ones)

The world of online courses is bigger than ever, and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed when trying to pick the right one. Many people have spent tons of money on courses that didn’t live up to the hype, making them extra careful about what they buy next. Today, we’ll go over how to find the best programs for you so you can feel confident about where you’re spending your time and money and ensure they align with your specific goals.

Topics Covered In This Episode:

1. Set Proper Expectations: Define what you expect from a course, and consider if your goals align with what the course offers at your current business stage.
2. Use a 5-Point Checklist: This helps you assess whether a course is right for you, based on factors like free content, low-ticket products, testimonials, creator experience, and available support.
3. Valuable Free Content as an Indicator: The quality of free content can reflect the quality of paid content. Look for creators offering substantial value rather than just fluff.
4. Importance of Low-Ticket Products: Testing a creator's style through low-cost products gives insight into their teaching effectiveness.
5. Assessing Testimonials and Success Stories: Check for recent and varied success stories that align with the outcomes you're seeking.
6. Evaluate the Creator's Experience and Testimonials: Learn from individuals actively practicing what they teach and who are immersed in current industry practices. Determine what type of support the course offers and whether it suits your personal learning needs.
7. Learning from Disappointing Investments: If you've made a poor investment, don't be too hard on yourself. Try to salvage valuable takeaways and use them as learning experiences for future investments.

Find the full show notes at:  https://brandimowles.com/249

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Transcript

Ep 249: How to Invest in the Right Course (and Avoid Wasting Money on Disappointing Ones)

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Brandi: [00:00:00] Over the last six months, I've been hearing from so many people in my Instagram DMs, people who join conversions for clients, that they have been burned by expensive, disappointing ad management courses and They're more cautious of joining another one because they don't want to be burned again. And I think this is a trend that's happening in the online community as a whole, especially since 2020 when a lot of new people just popped onto the scene.

And as we see more and more of this digital marketing, MRR, make money quick. Schemes kind of going around like that get rich quick scheme, that's just not actually true when it comes to running a sustainable, successful business. And I get it, there's a lot of courses out there and not all of them actually deliver results.

So today we're gonna break down exactly how to invest in the right course for you so you don't waste your time, your money, [00:01:00] or your energy on something that leaves you feeling. stuck hopeless and disappointed I want to break down a step by step plan for you to hopefully find the programs that are the right investments for you. And so you don't waste your money. So this is the checklist I run through before investing in any program. And hopefully you can take it.

and use it for your next investment. So let's jump on into this week's episode of the Serve Scale Soar podcast.

Welcome, welcome back to another episode of the Serve Scale Soar podcast. My name is Brandi Miles. I am your host and I am so stinking glad you're here. If you are brand new, and this is your first episode, what an episode to jump into. And if you're a returning listener, I so appreciate [00:02:00] You, and so no matter where you are, this one's so applicable to so many people, because today we're talking all about how do you choose the right course, the right masterminds, the right mentorships that are right for you.

Because at the end of the day, we have so many options out there. There's so many options, but that doesn't mean they're all good options or maybe they're not the right option for you. So I'm going to take you through my five point checklist for choosing the right course or investment for your online business.

But first, before we jump into that, we have to Like, identify that there is a reality of bad courses out there. And, I think that that's just something that we have to come to terms with. That every investment you make in your business is not going to be a home run. Like, it's just not. And, I've spent over 300, 000.

I was going back through our taxes to try to get you an exact number. But, I got to like year 4 and we were over 300, 000 that I've invested in courses, [00:03:00] mentorships, and masterminds. So, of course, after spending that much on education, I've made a few bad ones. And I've made some really bad ones. But one thing I know is that some of these could have been prevented if I would have done a little bit more research on my end and not jumped into something.

So a lot of times when I hear people come to us, especially in the last six months, this has been coming up a lot. And I think, and I'll even say probably since the last year, it's been coming up a lot. And when I started conversions for clients, there was only about three of us that were teaching ad managers.

And all three of those programs were fantastic programs Conversions for clients was fantastic. This other one that's not available anymore It was fantastic.

And I don't even think the third one that was going at that time is available anymore. So there was three of us and now two of them aren't even doing it anymore, but [00:04:00] those were some high quality courses. And so you didn't really have people coming and saying, I took this bad course. It was more like, Hey, I took this course.

It was fantastic, but now I want to supplement. And I think that was really beautiful. But now. Especially in the last six months, there's been a lot more people coming and saying like, Hey, I've taken this course. It sucked. 

And I'm always very cautious when someone tells me that a program is bad, because I'm sure there's someone out there Who didn't love conversions for clients after having so many students. We're close to a thousand students inside of conversions for clients. I'm sure that we've had one or two unhappy people that it wasn't what they wanted, but I do know that our refund rate rate is less than 1%.

I do know that we do happiness score surveys and we're at 4. 7 stars. And we're always improving based on that feedback. So at the end of the day, I can say we have a fantastic program, but I'm never so quick to listen [00:05:00] when people say like, Oh, I took this program, it was bad. Because sometimes it's the person, it's not the program.

But when we continue to hear the same thing over and over, then We stopped believing that it's the person, but maybe it's the program. And with that, I've just had so many people coming to us talking about how they've invested money that maybe they didn't necessarily have and now they're stuck. And so I've been there, I've made bad purchases, I've made bad investments, and I wanted to kind of give you a really good check.

I have a list of choosing the right programs for you so you can make wiser investments in your business. Because I take every penny that you have in your business serious. Anyone who invests in our program and conversions for clients, I know that's not a small investment and I take that seriously. Same thing with me when I invest in programs, it's not small amounts.

I take that seriously. And whenever I invest in a program and I think this is where you have to be honest, are you giving it [00:06:00] 100%? Like, are you going in and saying, like, I'm going to do the dang thing? And also know that you shouldn't, no matter what the program is, you don't have to go through the entire thing to get the value back.

Half the time when I invest in a program, I go in for one specific need, get that, and I'm happy. Like that's what I needed and I think sometimes we're looking at the program to be our like saving grace like this is what's going to change my life and a lot of times it's one or two things out of that program that could change your entire business, but you're so stuck on needing to complete the whole thing.

And make sure you're utilizing everything. And if you can't utilize this one thing, then it wasn't worth it. So one, I do believe that there's bad courses out there too. I think we also need to set proper expectations. My proper expectation is always in 12 months. If I can make my investment back, I'm happy.

Like, I just want to break even. Everything else is icing on the cake, and y'all, [00:07:00] I'm not investing in 2, 000 programs like conversions for clients. I'm investing in 30, 000, 40, 000 programs. And so, we have to think, like, am I, what are my expectations? Did the course meet the promise that was given and am I giving it enough time?

Or maybe this is just a really bad program. It didn't deliver. So what I think we do have to take ownership of have we done our part to make this program work and sometimes that's a Yes, sometimes that's a no. So it's never about finding the cheapest or the most expensive course to take or program It's about finding what's right fit for you and your goals right now.

So also we have to look and see like, what is my goal right now? And is, does this align with my next one? A lot of times we want to jump into programs and I've totally been guilty of doing this. Where I jump in a program because I see a result and I'm like, I want that result, but my business isn't ready for that.

I haven't done the other things first. [00:08:00] Or right now, maybe I'm saying like, you know what, what I really need is not more content But more coaching. So then I'm looking for that, not a course. And then there are times where it's like, no, I actually need this one specific knowledge, so I don't need to invest 20, 000 in coaching.

I need to invest 2000 in a course.

So let's take inventory of where are we at right now. Not what's the cheapest, what's the most expensive, but what is the right fit for my goals right now and where am I lacking in my business?

Okay. So now that we know that we have to take ownership. We have to set proper expectations, then there are the common complaints that we've been hearing, which is the information's vague, it's outdated, lack support, no real world application, and so if you know what was wrong with the program that maybe you invested in, then you can take that and ask the course creator, like, hey, does your course have this?

Does your course have this? So not all the time is it bad. [00:09:00] I mean, in that moment, it feels like it. But a lot of times we see like, Oh, this is what I thought I need, but this is what I actually need. And then it gives you great questions to email that course creator or message them or however that course creator has a way for you to communicate to get your questions asked

so reality is there's bad courses out there. You will make bad investments but what I'm gonna go into now is the five point checklist for choosing the right investments and This if you go through this checklist each time before you invest you'll make smarter investment choices Like you just will it doesn't mean you're gonna get a home run every single time, but you're more likely to come out with good investment and a happy experience than if you didn't go through this list.

Okay. So the five point checklist for choosing the right investment program course. The first one is what is their free content? Like there's a lot of people out there that says like, you shouldn't put out valuable content, like the how or [00:10:00] anything it should all be like. Pretty much fluff and here's my deal if it's fluff in their free content like all their free content is fluff It's probably gonna be fluff in their course So if someone isn't giving value for free don't expect them to do it behind the paywall like just That is your free content is usually A very good indicator of what the paid content will be like.

So, does this person have a podcast, YouTube, social media, blogs, that actually help you? Or is it just level fluff? This is exactly why we have the podcast. To show you what it would be like to work with me. And what my content would be like because the podcast is a very good indication of the same Style and teaching I do Also, this is why we do our boot camp twice a year to show you what it's like to work with me that free content And whenever we do [00:11:00] trainings, that's why our mission is always for someone to be able to leave And that's why we love the testimonials that are like, oh my gosh, I got more out of this Free training than I ever did paid trainings, because here's how I've always viewed this.

If you get actual tangible results from people's free content, I want our listeners of this podcast to be like, hot dang, if she shares this much free, what the heck is her paid content like? That's always been my goal when we go into a podcast episode for you to leave like, wow. That was valuable. I didn't just waste my time for 20 30 minutes listening to a podcast with nothing.

I actually got something out of that and that's because that's the way we show up in our paid program. So have you checked out their free content? What is it like? Two, do they have a low ticket product? So is there something low ticket that you could invest in that would give you a good indication of their [00:12:00] teaching style?

Is it video? Is it podcast format? Like what is it? Is it PDFs? And does that align with how you like to learn? So this is why through my entire business, we've Always had a low ticket product. We've had Delighted with Dubsado, HoneyBook in a hurry. Most recently we have Booked and Banked. Now Booked and Banked is super juicy.

It's 37. It shows you exactly how to get your first client. If someone goes to that They experience that. They're like, Holy cow, this is 37. What would the 2, 000 be? But people can see my teaching style. If they don't like my teaching style on booked and bank, they're not going to like my teaching style and conversions for clients.

So it's a really good indicator when you can get someone's low ticket product. Do you like their teaching style? How they teach may not be for you. And that low product is a great way to test that out. Because if you like that, chances are you'll like they're more higher paid. program. That's why we have such [00:13:00] a high conversion rate from people who purchase Booked and Banked into conversions for clients.

One, we give them a coupon so they don't have to pay for it. It covers how much they paid for Booked and Banked, but also They get a taste of it. There's no guessing. If you like Booked and Banked, you're gonna love conversions for clients. And so do, before investing in their hire ticket, do they have something lower ticket you could invest in?

Maybe it's a paid workshop. Maybe it's a low ticket. Maybe it's templates, whatever it is. Is there something you can do like test the waters with with a lower ticket? So what's their free content like what is their low ticket product like the third thing is do they have real time? testimonials and student success stories Look for specific results are people getting the outcome you want do they show a variety of?

Or are they just cherry picking the top performers. So, here's the deal. Of course every course [00:14:00] creator is going to cherry pick the top performers. That's what makes a great testimonial or success story. So, one thing I like to look at is are they recent testimonials. Are they recent, This is one thing we've been very, very particular about doing lately in our live webinars, our workshops, is showcasing real results in the last 12 months.

Not stuff from 2020, not stuff from 2021, 2022. Yes, we have some of those in there. But we also are making sure that there's one to two to three slides of the most recent success stories of our students. So is the course creator showcasing different testimonials with different wins, not just the big wins, but also like, Hey, this person has 2, 000.

This person's making 4, 000. They just got to. 60 days. And we see a bunch of different results, not just like the cherry [00:15:00] picked highest achieving one. We definitely have those. We have Crystal, we have Ashley, who have these like crazy stories. And then we have people that just came in 30 days ago and landed a client.

That's exciting. And so do they have a mix of outcomes, backgrounds, like we're big on making sure that we have all ages across the board. People who have nine to five people who are stay at home moms, people with kids, people without kids. And so do they have a variety of different wins? Are they recent?

And are the people's outcomes the one you are looking for? Okay, four is the course creator actually experienced in what they teach? I feel like this happened a lot in 2020. And even now, so more often is people are just popping up, especially with this whole digital marketing trend where Hey, sell this course to this course and this course and this course or pop up post sometimes on Instagram, you'll make 4 million like that whole thing.

There's [00:16:00] a lot of people just popping up and saying they know what they're talking about. And one of my things is I always want to learn from people who are in the weeds right now. Who are doing it, who are making big moves now, not something that they did forever ago. This is one of the reasons I still take on one on one clients.

I don't have to take on one on one clients. Like, that one on one income is fun money for me now, which I do love. And it's what we're traveling on. But at the end of the day, I don't have to, but I want to be relevant. I want to know, like, here's the strategies I'm using to market. Here's the type of packages.

Here's what I'm doing to land clients. Here's how I'm teaching. I'm still an ad manager running ads. And so are you working with people who are actually Currently doing the thing that you wanna do, or are they just teaching a bunch of theory that they may have never even done themselves? And so I think that's really important.

And I'm not [00:17:00] saying years define people, but at the end of the day, years do. Okay. So they're actually giving you knowledge. And when they're still doing it, that shows you that they believe in what they teach. And so, is that course creator in the trenches with you? Are they still practicing what they're teaching?

Or are they just teaching a bunch of theory? How long have they been in the industry? Did they pop up overnight? Have they done any I've been doing this for a hot second. What does that look like? And then do they talk about real life scenarios or is everything hypothetical? That's why I try to tell my stories so much, like telling people what I'm going through right now inside strategist society.

They get to see it. I showed them behind the scenes how I'm working with one on one clients. I showed them what's working, what's not working, what I just screwed up. Um, I showed them inside of the ads I'm running. And so are they talking about real life scenarios? Are they talking about hypotheticals?

That's a really good [00:18:00] way. Like look at their emails, look at how they talk about in their webinars, all that kind of stuff. Is it relevant now? Okay. So one is what is their free content? Do they have a low ticket product that you could just taste to see if you even like their teaching? Do they have real relevant testimonials and student success stories?

Is the course creator actually experienced in what they teach? And then five, for our five point checklist, is what kind of support is included? And then, going back to that, what kind of support do you need right now? Is live calls important to you? If the live calls happen when you're at work, is there a way for you to still get your questions asked?

Is there coaching? Is there community? Is there feedback? What, how long do you have access to that? Is it unlimited? Do you have to pay for it afterwards? What does that look like? Is there any form of accountability? Are you just watching pre recorded videos on your own and that's it? That's it. What [00:19:00] happens if you have questions?

Is there a way for you to get those answered? All of these are great questions to look for. You may not need that. There have been so many courses I've invested that there is no coaching. There's no support. And that was fine. I didn't need that for that. Now if you're trying to start a business, you're probably going to need support.

And how long are you going to need support for? Conversions for clients is lifetime. We have people who have been in for five years that still come and ask questions in the group or help people. There's other communities where you have to pay after X amount of time. Strategist Society, we have 12 months.

It's a 12 month program. And you get one on one support that's much higher level than in conversions for clients. You get a lot of support in conversions for clients, but Strategist Society is for people who need one on one support because their business has grown and they have very unique problems.

And so what kind of support do you need, what's included, and how long is that support accessible for? Sometimes you don't need [00:20:00] support, sometimes you do, and so it's really important to know what are you looking for. So my five point checklist I always go through before investing, and remember, you're taking this through your lens.

What do you need? One, what is their free content like? Do you like it? Is it actual, like, tangible or is it fluff? Do they have a low ticket product where you can try it out? Their teaching style, that's what you're looking for. Do they have real testimonials and student success stories? Is the course creator actually experienced in what they teach?

Are they just doing a bunch of theory? And then five, what kind of support is included? And is that the support that you need right now? So that is my five point checklist, but let's talk about what do you do if you've already invested in a disappointing program? One, don't beat yourself up about it. Look at it as a learning experience.

What could you have done differently for next time? I've done this especially with mentorships. I've jumped into those really quick and then been like, oh my [00:21:00] gosh, what did I do? Why am I here? This is not what I needed. I got excited. I jumped the gun. Don't beat yourself up. Try to find the one or two things that you can get out of it to make your investment back, or at least teach something.

And then the second thing is, can you salvage anything from this? Even if the course isn't great, there has to be one thing in there that you can use. Like, look for that golden nugget. that you could do. Like I said, I'm always going into a program looking for the one thing that I can apply that will make my investment back in the program.

If you're feeling stuck, find a program that fills the gap instead of just starting from scratch. So maybe that's just a low ticket thing. Like we have people who say that they learned how to run ads. But they don't know how to find clients and I'm like great invest in a 37 booked in bank That'll fill that gap for them because they already know how to run ads So that fills that gap or maybe they need help with onboarding great find something that fills that gap Or maybe they know how to run [00:22:00] ads, but now they need coaching.

Great. A lot of people come into conversions for clients because they just want access to the community and the Q and A's. So find something that fills that gap.

So those are your three things that you can do if you've already invested in a disappointing course. Don't beat yourself up. Look at it as learning experience. Now you have this five point checklist. Is there anything you can salvage from it? I'm sure there is. Even the worst courses, there's something you can salvage.

And can you find a program that fills the gap that you need filled right now? So that is your five point checklist. I just want you to know that your money matters. Your investments matter. And so I hope you use this five point checklist. to make smart investments in your education. Education is so, so important to your continuous growth.

As long as you're taking action, don't just be a consumer, take action, get results. And if you're looking for an ad management program that actually [00:23:00] teaches you how to land clients, how to run ads, how to run a business, conversions for clients, maybe just that for you. We'll link a resource to our 100k training where after you watch that, you'll have access to join us inside conversions for clients.

Or maybe you need something like Booked in Bank to fill the gap. A 37 program to show you how to land clients. Or we'll also link our Ad Manager Advantage podcast, a free resource for you, 10 episode resource to go listen to We do amazing episodes on how to price your services, listen to some success stories.

Check out what's working now with ad management. We always want to make sure no matter if you are in a place to invest with us, or you're not, there's something we can plug into your business to help you be successful.

Hope this helps you make smarter investments in your business so you don't get burned because reality is there's some bad programs out there and I can promise you. Any program that [00:24:00] you invest with us will be top notch. We take our education, your investment, very, very seriously, and we always know that we are providing top notch programs, especially for the price points that they're at.

So my friends, go out, serve your clients, scale your business, and soar into the success you deserve.