The Syndrome of Overdelivering will Kill Your Course Sales

Hey my friend 👋

Type: 😎 Business mindset

When I was about 12, I dreamed about coming to London. Part of it was because I was fascinated by the UK.

But the biggest reason was that I was madly in love with Daniel Radcliffe (any Harry Potter ⚡ fans here?). For some reason, I thought that there were gates to enter London, and Daniel Radcliffe would be standing right behind them to welcome me.

That’s why visiting London was my biggest dream ever.

So when I was chosen to be one of three people to travel to London for a Christmas party at my first SEO job, I was blown away by this opportunity 🤩
​
Me? Going to London? I couldn’t believe it.

I was not 12 anymore, so of course I didn’t expect any gates or Daniel Radcliffe on my arrival, but I was damn sure that I needed many clothes for my two-day trip.

So I packed about 10 outfits, including 5 pairs of shoes, 4 of them with heels. Of course, it didn’t fit in my carry-on, so I took a huge check-in bag with me.

While in London, I was mostly wearing heels while walking 15 km a day to see all things tourists are so attracted to. Luckily, my excitement was distracting me from the pain in my feet.
​
The Christmas party was amazing. It was right near Big Ben. But guess what? I didn’t need 10 outfits for it. I needed just 1.

And of course I couldn’t help buying lots of souvenirs before going home. And oh boy, my check-in bag was so heavy I could hardly move it. I was regretting so many choices.

It was clear that I had overpacked.

You can even say I overdelivered.

Just like overpacking hurt me (hello, heels and 15km a day), overdelivering hurts course creators and their students. They overdeliver to the point that their program becomes so heavy it’s hard to carry it forward.

Why overdelivering is killing your course or group program

Too hard to create

When you overdeliver, you plan this giant program that is hard to create.

Your future self is excited about the depth of the program. But when you sit down to actually build it, even after you pre-sold it, you see that it will take ages to create it.

And your students? The chances are that there would be too much content for them too. So it’s a lose-lose.
​

All-over-the-place marketing

When you have too many pieces, how do you find the right angle and messaging for your program?

In the end, you create noise because you are pulled in different directions, and your messaging becomes too general for people to hear and relate to.

Hard to sell

As a result, your course or group program is challenging to sell.

You understand that there is value, and you might even have past students who loved your program.

But it’s insanely hard to get new people in, as if you have to drag them.

And you are thinking, “If only they understood the value of my course, they would jump right in!”

Yes, they would. Only it’s hard to understand the value of something that lacks clear messaging.

​

Why do you overdeliver?

When I think about that, I see three main reasons.

Reason 1: You’re not clear about your audience

Of course, your course can help many types of people. But it doesn’t mean it should.

Choose ONE person and talk to them.
​

Reason 2: You have a you-first approach

You’re focused more on what you know versus what your ideal customer needs. So you want to teach them everything that you’ve learned about the topic.
​

Reason 3: You’re not confident in your program

Sometimes I see that people try to add new bonuses, new lessons, new checklists, new everything to prove the value of their course or group program.
They think that MORE is better.
​

But the truth is: ENOUGH is better.
​

How to stop overdelivering

There is art behind building your curriculum.

Your goal is to help your client to go from where they are to where they want to be. You are their guide because you’ve found the shortest path to their goal. I call it a Transformation Path.

That’s what people pay you for — the shortest path. Not for showing all other roads that are longer and bumpier (and scarier, too).

When you nail down your Transformation Path, your messaging becomes magnetic, and sales follow.
​
It might not be easy to do on your own, though. I know, because this is one of the things that I help people to do in my coaching.
​

​