16 creators who have been successful weigh in on making the first online purchase

Do you want to start your own online business? Discover how to get your first sale from entrepreneurs who've gone through the same thing and are now sharing their secrets.

We've put their tips into six easy-to-follow suggestions, so if you're struggling to sell your first product, or a seasoned creator looking for an inspiration boost, here's what people who've been there and done that have to say.

1. Get to know your customers

"Sales are easier when you are aware of who you're selling your product to.

The first time I published my book, The Swap  I had the urge to address the decluttering needs of every one with a closet however, the terminology was vague unclear, confusing, and meant for nobody.

When that customer became specific -- someone who conceptually loved KonMari but couldn't practically get on board -- I was able to surpass my secret, it'll-probably-never-happen goal.

What's the point? Know. Your. Customer."

- Kendra Adachi, The Lazy Genius Collective

For your first sales, you need to know what the audience is looking for.

To find out the needs of your target audience, you need to get to know them.

Seventy-six percent of clients think that businesses are aware of their expectations and needs, but more than half think that the companies don't are keeping their best interests in your mind.

There are many companies that miss the standard, showing your customers that you are genuinely interested and concerned about them will make your business stand out from competition.

Customer research is the place where it can help.

The process of conducting customer research is to gather the most information possible regarding your market to create a customer experience that makes people feel appreciated and respected.

One of our most popular customer research techniques is review mining. Use a search engine or Amazon to find different products targeted at the people you want to target, and then read the reviews. Reviews of products provide insight into the needs of your clients' desires and needs.

Imagine you want to sell an online course on songwriting for beginners. You can look up "songwriting for beginners" on Amazon, then read the reviews of books such as The Art of Songwriting :

From these reviews they reveal that aspiring songwriters value useful, practical tips to writing songs, focusing on lyrics as well as music. You can use these insights in the process of creating and promoting your courses to ensure that it is geared towards the needs of your target audience.

If you're looking to gain knowledge from your target audience, surveys are another excellent instrument for conducting customer research. Here's why:

Surveys show your audience that you care about the feedback of your customers.

These research methods provide direct insights none other type of research can.

Surveys help you measure the need of customers of your products.

Businesses that are investing in getting feedback from their customers have more retention of customers. .

Gathering feedback directly from potential customers will help you to avoid the number one reason that startup companies fail  their products and services don't bring anything new or unique to the marketplace.

It's simple to think that we have a good idea of what the audience is looking for. That's what happened to John D Saunders who launched his first course. A new entrepreneur, and creator of courses the course creator, he figured out what his customers wanted.

Don't be afraid to ask your clients what they would like to see. Tiffany Williams, the founder of Rich Girl Collective  was able to determine what types of products and content her audience wanted to see by contacting questions directly to them -- as well as listening to their feedback.

"I simply ask my students about their needs, and what they'd like to know and, if the answer is what I've accomplished, and am successful in the subject, I then teach the subject to them," she explains.

One more thing prior to moving on to our next suggestion getting to know your customers shouldn't end after the first purchase.

That is, demonstrate to your customers that you value their loyalty long after the first cent with you. It makes a big contribution to your profit:

52% customers make it a point to go the extra mile to buy from the brands they trust.

Customers who have been customers for a long time tend to be nearly nine-times higher likely convert as compared to a customer who has never been before.

It can cost more than seven times more to acquire a new customer than retain an existing customer.

If you take care of them, your first customers can be your most faithful advocates and more importantly, will be willing to share their experiences with others.

Word-of-mouth (WOM) isn't the only tool you need for your first purchase. It's important to clean up all of your tools as well.

#2: Get the most of your marketing

"Having the largest social network following? Sure, that's cool.

Do you have a large number of YouTube users? Great.

However, the one I concentrate upon when it comes to marketing is the email channel. With email funnels and sequences I'm convinced that there's a lot of worth because it's just one more step towards saying that they're very interested in the products I provide or offer."

- Sef Chang House of Royalties

A small-sized business owner is accountable for 4.2 positions  in their business, and when just beginning out, "marketer" is definitely one of them.

Starting from the Google AdWords to SEO or search engine optimization (SEO) There are many different options for you to market your business. For Sef (and almost every other creator we speak to -- email marketing is one of the most effective ways to reach your audience and sell more products.

The statistics are in agreement -- email marketing has an average ROI of $42 for each $1 spent .

(That ROI could be greater if you utilize an all-in-one solution for example .

In order to reap the benefits of email marketing, you need to build your email list.

As an example, Sef offers subscribers the opportunity to download a list of companies that are inventor friendly and will accept the development of new products. Sef's primary target market is inventors looking to learn more about licensing their products, so that list is an excellent resource.

"I got my first sale because people follow my blog and downloaded my animation tools. Therefore, my suggestion is, provide free help and advice to the community you're in, before you even start offering your product for sale."

- Sander van Dijk, Regulus

Think of your lead magnets as a no-cost sample of your digital product or content for your course. Let your customers get a sense of who you are and the things they could learn from you.

Additional tools and methods you can add to your marketing tools include:

If you have an investment budget for marketing, influencer partnerships and paid social media ads can broaden your audience.

Making yourself visible in your target audience's top social media platforms can help you build an audience and show off your skills.

The last part is about how Min Liu drives online course sales.

The first thing I did was create My own channel on YouTube called The Art of Verbal War to gain an following. I made short videos about my topic (verbal capabilities) and linked my videos on my website to capture subscriber emails.

Today, I am able to build a substantial email list to start my courses whenever I'd like, but mostly simply to provide the information with them and to provide the value (which is more crucial than simply selling your followers). As of today, YouTube is my primary advertising channel to promote my courses."

-- Min Liu, The Art of Verbal War

All in all, your marketing strategy should reflect what works best for your company, you as well as the customers you serve. You may not succeed on your first go-around -- but this isn't necessarily a bad thing, and precisely what the next section will cover.

#3: Be open to trying new things

"Experiment! It's difficult to figure out the best way to promote your business online and each set of prospective clients is different. So you'll have to experiment to discover what's most effective (and which ones aren't).

I've discovered that publishing to my blog, and then having blog posts re-posted and shared by others with an opt-in feature on my blog, is a fantastic way to go.

I've bought advertisements on Facebook, Quora, and Reddit however with only a few outcomes. I've created a YouTube channel and started making content and posting it with good results.

With everything you do think about, evaluate, and then modify your methods to make them better. There's no one panacea there!"

- Reuven Lerner, Reuven Lerner's Python Courses

It's not necessary to perform everything perfectly in the very first attempt to introduce a brand new product, or at all.

But trying new things and allowing yourself to make mistakes and then learn from them is an essential part of the journey to becoming an entrepreneur.

Within the Startup Curve , coined by Y Combinator founder Paul Graham , failure is a standard phase that happens right before your business starts heading upward toward expansion and scaling.

"I believe that all we have to do is look upon previous mistakes and failures in addition to the information can be utilized for feeding whatever it is that we're doing now."

To let go of some aspects of your perfectionist mindset, attempt to accept the psychology of Carol Dweck calls a "growth mentality". A development mindset allows you to accept, overcome, and learn from your challenges through constant learning, not focusing on perfection.

Also, allow yourself to explore new avenues in the course of growing your businessJust make sure that you be accountable for yourself along the process.

#4: Be accountable to yourself

"To be accountable To be accountable, I informed my friends that I was going to launch my new product in the next 30 days. I received each day an email that contained D-15, D-14 within it.

Peer pressure worked great for me!"

Alexis Santini - Alexis Santin

A way to make yourself accountable is to pre-sell the digital items you have created, according to the marketing expert and creator Val Geisler recommends.

"Sell it before it's built!

If you think of the outline, sketch out the course's content and draw a rough sketch of what's to come it's likely that you'll be able to sell the program to your own inner circle prior to creating the course.

It's incredible motivation to actually make the course and you have a little money in your bank account to help the course you're making."

- Val Geisler, Your Signature Experience

John's tweet shows how he utilizes pre-sales:

John requests his students to complete an online form and then make a payment of $7 if interested in enrolling in his new course. Those who invest the $7 will receive 50-60% off the price on the day of launch, when John takes the remainder of the cost.

"I started to explore this idea that we were actually making our own businesses prisons that we were setting up a framework in our lives. The sole outcome could be failure and exhaustion due to the fact that we're not looking after our own needs."

"Even when you aren't aware of that you have an array of negative beliefs that are causing you to self-defeat and live at home in your own comfort zone. Put your money into yourself(and your self-belief), and everything will change. "

Successful entrepreneurs like Becky and Minessa are able to offer these tips to give because they've been the shoes of you. That expertise makes their advice a great resource for brand young creators to draw inspiration from. Which is, not incidentally, the next thing we'll talk about.

#5: Learn from each other

"Whatever you're looking to accomplish -- whether blog, creating products, building a list -- start by emulating the people who do the job effectively. Everything you need to do has been done by many people already, and you can read about what they accomplished by visiting their websites.

It may sound obvious, but emulate those who are successful. I think a lot of us spend a lot of our time trying to reinvent the wheel and thinking that we must do things with a grand, distinctive manner.

The best part about the internet is that abundant examples of everything you need to make it happen are available."

- David Cain, Camp Calm

What ever you're trying do, do,"learn from the best" is an ideal method to begin. This is why platforms like MasterClass -- an online collection of classes that are taught by"the world's best minds," that range from Neil DeGrasse Tyson to Margaret Atwoodand beyond -- so appealing.

When it comes to the process of starting and running your own company, there's no shortage of advice and resources out there. But the best guidance comes from the voices that have experience -- the ones who've been there experienced it, and are confident that it's possible to do it also.

There are countless groups out available for young creators and entrepreneurs to get connected with one another, from free Facebook groups to exclusive mastermind groups.

Brit Kolo, founder of Marketing Personalities , shared with us that joining a mastermind group is one of the best investments she's made in her business.

"Business expansion is only the first of many amazing impact ... I've also grown as a person as a leader and a CEO. The other business owners in my mastermind group are now long-term friends which I will not do it lightly."

A study about remote work by Buffer confirms that the top two struggles that people who work from home face are communication and collaboration, as well as loneliness. These are two issues which joining a reputable online community can help you overcome.

MegaMaker is a community for developers and designers with a desire to " want more than an ordinary work schedule ". MegaMaker connects people who share the same goals so that they can make partnerships, share advice, and learn from each other similar to what David Cain recommends.

To get maximum benefit from these communities of members You must bring your full self to the table and be open about your experiences and obstacles. To make your first (and second, and 100th) sale, it is important to make the same effort with your customers, too.

#6: Be who you are.

"Be yourself. It is easy to spot fakes.

Find your niche and your distinctive voice inside it. No one can say what needs to be said in the same way as you."

- Katie Orr, Bible Study Hub Shop

Customers don't expect or want or.

They seek authenticity and quality. 86% of the people claim that authenticity is an important aspect when it comes to deciding which companies they trust and like.

The bulk of what you are worth is derived from your own perspective and experiences.

Nobody knows that more than Minessa Konecky.

"Stop trying to pretend that you are who that your clients want you to be.

We are drawn to authenticity and when we purchase from an owner of a small business it's not only buying the product. We're purchasing a perspective.

If your prospects don't know who you are or the values you represent No amount of photoshop photos and perfectly crafted posts are going to change their minds. It gives you the freedom to express yourself fully with all the flaws. People will love you for it."

- Minessa Konecky direct to success

In committing her whole self in her job, Minessa built a successful business that assists others.

Now that's a win-win.

In the end of the day, your own unique perspectives and experiences is what helps you connect with your customers -- not a flashy website or perfectly-crafted copy.

Show up just as you are -- that's all it takes.

Begin with a sale and build your business to be successful

No matter if you're just beginning to learn about the world of online business or you're just beginning to market a new product, the path from a product idea to the initial sale could be filled with highs and lows.

In the spirit of real-world advice of 16 successful creators Here are six suggestions to assist you on this bumpy road

Find out all you possibly can regarding your customers. Research your customer and speak to them directly -- chances are, they'll be more than happy to provide feedback to you.

Discover the marketing channels which work best for your business and then follow these channels. Marketing via email is an excellent place to start as lead magnets are an effective way to grow your list.

Accept experimentation, iteration and failing. It's okay not to get things perfect the first time and, in actual fact, it's part of the learning process.

Hold yourself accountable, internally and externally. Pre-selling your products helps you stay on the right track for completing your plan by preventing self-sabotaging behaviors. sets you up for success.

Get inspired by the top professionals and your peers in your field. Discover communities that don't just provide you with new knowledge, but offer a support system as well.

Be yourself. Your customers want to get acquainted with you as well Your experiences add the value of your work.

Go out and get that deal. We're here to support you.