Is it OK to sell in your welcome sequence? (Here’s why I say “Hell yes!” & What you should offer)
Remember when people used to say you couldn’t wear white after Labour Day?
Maybe I’m dating myself as a Senior Millennial here, but that was a real “rule” that people followed when I was a kid. Except that now it sounds completely crazy and we’ve embraced the concept of Winter Whites.
Speaking of rules that are completely crazy— how about the rule that says you shouldn’t try to sell to new subscribers in your welcome sequence?
Word to the wise: that’s another “rule” that’s B.S.
I 100% subscribe to the opinion that you should provide your audience with value before asking for the sale.
But if you’ve created a value-packed freebie (aka opt-in offer or lead magnet)...
And if you follow that lead magnet up with a few emails that help your new subscribers get to know like and trust you…
Making an offer in your welcome sequence is NOT pushy, sleazy, or over-the-top aggressive.
It’s simply the logical next step.
Because that subscriber who’s reading your emails…
They’ve got a problem.
And while your freebie may have helped them take the first step toward solving it, it’s your paid offer that will help them achieve their desired transformation.
If sending your weekly email feels more like a chore than a money-making privilege, check out this comprehensive email marketing strategy & planning workshop:
Inside Activate your Email List, you’ll learn:
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Which messages to send & when (whether you're prepping for a live launch or booking clients all the time) <— THIS is the piece that 99% of list-building courses leave out!
Expert tips, copy tricks & subject line best practices that will help you write the kind of emails that move your people to ACT.
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So why would you hold back from telling them about it?
Here are some examples of offers that are suitable for your Profitable Welcome Sequence:
(Pssst—I teach all of this inside my guided online course, The Funnel Intensive, open for a short-time only from Nov 25th to December 1st).
For service providers: Book a call to learn more about my signature service
For service providers: Book my mini-offer (<$500)
For course creators: Buy my mini-course ($97-$497)
For service providers transitioning away from 1:1: Watch my webinar (that sells my group program)
For course creators: Watch my webinar (that sells my course ($500+)
Some general “rules” about Intro Offers
(aka guidelines you’re welcome to flout)
If your signature service is $2000+, focus on getting people on a call
You might be groaning, but this is a good thing.
Sales calls are a way to learn how your audience talks about their problem (the main goal of Voice of Customer research). If you’re doing them right, sales calls also have a much higher conversion rate than emails + a sales page alone.
You’ll want to use your welcome sequence to talk about the benefits of your service, demonstrate your expertise, and showcase results you’ve gotten for other clients, all while keeping your subscribers’ desires top of mind.
You can sell an Intro Offer (which I define as <$500) via email
So if you’re booked up with client work, but you want your welcome sequence to be bringing in some easy, extra jobs for you, come up with a productized service that would takes you no more than 3 hours to complete.
The same 👆is true for a mini-course
Got a spotlight course sitting around that you know is 🔥, but you don’t have the bandwidth to do another launch? Create a conversion-optimized lead magnet to the problem your course solves, and use your Profitable Welcome Sequence to get it into people’s hands.
The more expensive your offer, the more emails you’ll need to send
Evergreen sales funnels work best with a validated offer you’ve already sold your audience. Before you create your funnel, you’ll want to get feedback from your audience to help you craft your offer in irresistible terms.
Here’s a good rule of thumb to remember: The higher the price, the more emails you’ll likely need to sell it.
You may initially see fewer sales than if you were to periodically close the doors and do live launches only—purely because of the excitement and momentum that are generated by “conversion events” such as webinars and challenges.
But, if you keep track of what works and doesn’t, you’ll be in a powerful position to keep tweaking your funnel assets as you optimizing your evergreen funnel.
Get your lead magnet right and the rest gets so much easier.
The freebie you choose to offer (and the messages you use to do so) will determine who you attract, what kind of solution they’re looking for, and how ready they are to spend money, so keep your audience’s goals + timeline in mind as you decide on your opt-in offer.
Add a bonus or limited time offer to make it feel like there’s a reason to sign up now
It’s a fact of life: People like a deal. Even people who don’t like shopping want to feel like they’re getting the best possible value for their money. Even though it’s just a welcome sequence, adding a bonus or special incentive to book/buy your offer *now* will help you increase conversions.
If you take one thing away from this post, remember this:
Your welcome sequence is a sales funnel.
But like any funnel, it’s experienced as the sum of its parts.
How your new subscribers FEELS as they go through your funnel should be top of mind as you create it.
Your goal is always to support them, never to trick them, only to offer them a solution to the problem they want to fix.
You just don’t need to wait till your next promo period to pitch it to them.
Want to build a welcome sequence that sells?