16 creators who have been successful discuss how to make your first sale online

Are you just starting your first business online? Find out how you can make the first sale with help from entrepreneurs who have been there, done that and now share their advice.

The advice they offer has been compiled into six simple, digestible suggestions, so if you're struggling to sell your first product or are already a veteran creator in need of a boost of inspiration This is what folks who've been there and done that had to say.

#1: Get to know your clients

"Sales come more easily when you understand who exactly you're selling to.

The first time I published my book, The Swap  I was tempted to serve the decluttering needs of every one with a closet but the language was broad fuzzy, unclear and aimed at 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 lesson? Know. Your. Customer."

- Kendra Adachi, The Lazy Genius Collective

In order to make the first purchase first, you must know the needs of your customers.

And to learn what they want from you, you need to learn more about them..

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

Many businesses are not hitting the standard, showing your customers that you are genuinely interested and concerned about them makes you stand out from the competitors.

Customer research is the place where it can help.

Customer research involves gathering all the information you can regarding the market you are targeting, so you can create the perfect customer experience to make people feel appreciated and respected.

One of our top methods for customer research is review mining. Utilize a search engine like Amazon to find different products targeted at your target audience, then go through the reviews. Reviews of products provide information about your customer's wants and expectations.

Imagine that you are selling an online songwriting course to beginners. You can look up "songwriting for beginner" on Amazon Then, you could read reviews for books such as The Art of Songwriting :

Based on these reviews they reveal that aspiring songwriters value practical, actionable advice for music writing, with an emphasis on lyrics as well as music. These insights can be used in the process of creating and promoting your courses to ensure you're meeting the requirements of your intended audience.

If you're interested in learning about your customers directly surveying is another great method of conducting research on your customers. Here's why:

The results of surveys show that you are interested in the feedback of your customers.

They offer first-hand information that no other form of research could.

Surveys allow you to gauge the demand of your products.

Businesses that are investing in gathering feedback from customers see greater customer retention rates .

The ability to collect feedback from prospective customers can help you avoid the primary reason for why startup companies are unsuccessful  their products and services don't bring anything new or unique to the marketplace.

It's easy to assume that we have a good idea of the needs of our customers. This is exactly what happened to John D Saunders who launched his first course. Being a novice entrepreneur and course creator the course creator, he figured out that his clients wanted.

Do not be shy about asking your customers what they'd like. Tiffany Williams, the founder of Rich Girl Collective  was able to determine what types of customers and products they desired to hear from them simply by asking them directly -- as well as listening to their feedback.

"I just ask my audience about their needs, and what they want to learn If it is in line with an activity I've already completed, and that I am successful in, then I teach this to them,"" she says.

A final point before we move on to our next suggestion: Getting to know your customers should not stop after they make their first purchase.

In other words, show your clients that you appreciate your customers long after spending the first cent in your store. It makes a big difference in your bottom line:

52% of buyers make it a point to go out of their way to buy from the brands they trust.

Customers who have been customers for a long time are 9 times higher likely be converted over a new customer.

It may cost up to seven times more to get new customers than to keep an existing customer.

If you are able to treat them with respect the first customers you serve will become some of your most faithful advocates and more importantly, will be willing to share their experiences with others.

Naturally, word-of mouth (WOM) can't be the only tool needed to get your first sales. It is important to improve other tools in your arsenal also.

#2: Get the most of your marketing

"Having an extensive social media followers? Sure, that's cool.

Are you one of the many YouTube viewers? Great.

But the platform I focus on in terms of marketing is email. Through email funnels and emails I'm convinced that there's a lot of value because that is just one step closer for them telling me that they are truly interested in what it is that I can provide or offer."

- Sef Chang, House of Royalties

The average small business owner is responsible for 4.2 positions , and when you're first starting out, "marketer" is definitely one of them.

Starting from Google AdWords to Search engine optimization (SEO), there are numerous options to promote your business. However, for Sef as well as virtually every writer we speak to -- email marketing is one of the most successful ways to get your message out to an audience and sell more products.

Statistics confirm thatemail marketing can generate an average ROI of $42 for every $1 spend .

(That return on investment can be higher when you use an all-in-one tool such as .

To reap the benefits of email marketing, it is essential to establish your email database.

In this instance, Sef offers subscribers an unrestricted listing of companies who are willing to license inventors' the development of new products. Sef's primary target market is inventors looking to learn more about licensing their products So this list can be an invaluable resource.

"I am the first to make a sale because people follow my blog and downloaded my tools for animation. So my advice would be give free help and advice to the community that you're a part of before you begin offering items to sell."

- Sander van Dijk, Regulus

Consider the lead magnet as a complimentary trial of your digital product or content for your course. Give your audience an idea of who you're and what they can gain from you.

Other tools and strategies that you could add to your tools include:

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

Establishing a presence among your followers' most popular social media platforms can help you build a following as well as showcase your expertise.

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

The first thing I was able to do was start my own YouTube channel, The Art of Verbal War to gain an audience. I created short video clips on my subjects (verbal abilities) and then linked my YouTube channel to my website in order to collect subscriber email addresses.

Today, I am able to build a substantial email list to launch my courses to anytime I'd like. However, the main reason is only to communicate information and give value (which is much more important rather than selling directly to your customers). As of today, YouTube is my primary marketing channel to promote my courses."

"Min Liu, The Art of Verbal War" Min Liu, The Art of Verbal War

All in all the strategy you choose for your marketing must reflect the best strategy for your company, you as well as the customers you serve. It's possible that you don't get it right on the first go-around -- but that's not always an issue, which is exactly what our next article will discuss.

#3: Be open to experimenting

"Experiment! It's difficult to figure out what to do online marketing, and each group of possible customers is a bit different. So you'll have to experiment to discover what's most effective (and what isn't).

I've noticed that posting on my blog, then having blog posts re-posted and shared by others with an opt-in widget on my blog, is an excellent way to go.

I've bought advertising for Facebook, Quora, and Reddit, but with very only a few results. I've also started a YouTube channel and started making content and posting it with good results.

With everything you do take note, analyze, and then modify the methods you employ to enhance them. There isn't a single panacea here!"

- Reuven Lerner, Reuven Lerner's Python Courses

It's not necessary to perform everything perfectly in the very first attempt to announce a new product- or ever.

It is important to try new things, and making mistakes and then learn from them is essential to your entrepreneurial journey.

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

"I think that what we really need to look at is previous mistakes and failures in addition to the information can be utilized for feeding what we're currently doing."

For letting go of the perfectionist tendencies, you should try to embrace what psychologist Carol Dweck calls"a "growth mentality". A growing attitude allows you to accept the challenges, conquer them, and gain from your challenges through the continuous process of learning instead of aiming for perfectionism.

So, give yourself permission to try new things when your company growsJust make sure that you hold yourself accountable along the journey.

#4: Make yourself accountable

"To take responsibility, I told friends I was going to launch my new product in 30 days. And they sent me daily emails that contained D-15, D-14 in it.

Peer pressure worked great for me!"

- Alexis Santin

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

"Sell it before it's built!

If you are able to think of the outline, map out the content, and draw a rough sketch of what's coming, you can likely pre-sell the program to your own inner circle before even creating the course.

It's an incredible feeling of motivation to create the course, and you've got a few dollars in the bank to support you in doing the making."

- Val Geisler, Your Signature Experience

John's tweet describes how he makes use of sales pre-sales

John invites the audience to fill in a landing page and be willing to pay $7 in enrolling in his new course. Participants who pay the $7 will receive 50-60% off the price on the day of launch and John will charge the rest of the fee.

"I started to explore this notion that we were building our own business prisons in which we set up a structure in our lives. The most likely outcome is exhausted and failure because we're not looking after ourselves."

"Even even if you're not aware of that you have an array of negative belief systems that have caused you to self-sabotage and stay within your comfort zone. Put your money into yourself(and your belief in yourself), and everything will change. "

Highly successful entrepreneurs such as Becky and Minessa have these insights to share because they've been in your shoes. This experience is what makes them an excellent resource for novice creators to take lessons from. This is also the next thing we'll talk about.

#5: Learn from each other

"Whatever it is you want to do -- blogging, creating items, or creating a list Begin by following those who have done it very well. All you have to do is already being done by a lot of people already, and you can find out what they accomplished through their sites.

That might sound really obvious, but emulate the successful. I think a lot of us spend a lot of time reinventing the wheel, thinking we need to do everything with a grand, distinctive manner.

The best part about the internet is that there are a lot of examples of everything you'll need to know at your fingertips."

-- David Cain, Camp Calm

What ever you're trying achieve, do,"learn from the very best" is an ideal method to begin. That's what makes platforms like MasterClass which is a collection of online classes taught by"the most brilliant minds in the world," that range from Neil DeGrasse Tyson to Margaret Atwoodand beyond -- so appealing.

In the beginning of setting up and managing a company, there's no shortage of resources and advice in the world. The best guidance comes from the voices that have experience -- the ones who have been there, experienced it, and are confident that you can do it also.

There are numerous groups that allow new creatives and entrepreneurs to connect with one another, from free Facebook groups to exclusive mastermind group.

Brit Kolo, who is the founder of Marketing Personalities , shared with us that joining mastermind groups is one of the most profitable investments she's made in her career.

"Business expansion is only the beginning of the incredible effects ... I've also gotten better in my personal life as a leader and a CEO. My fellow business owners who are part of my mastermind group have turned into lifelong friends, and I do not say it lightly."

A research study of remote working by Buffer shows that the top two struggles that people who work from home face are communication and collaboration, as well as loneliness. Both are obstacles which joining a reputable online community could help over.

MegaMaker is a place specifically for designers and developers who " want more than a regular nine-to-5 ". The community connects individuals with the same goals so that they can form partnerships, share advice, and share knowledge as David Cain recommends.

To get the best value from these communities of members You must be fully present at the table and be open about the challenges and experiences you've faced. To make your first (and the second and hundredth) sales, you have to make the same effort with the customers you serve.

#6: Be yourself

"Be yourself. You can tell if you are a fake.

Find your niche and your unique voice within it. There is no one who can articulate what needs to be stated exactly in the same way as you."

- Katie Orr, Bible Study Hub Shop

Customers don't expect or need you to be perfect.

They are looking for authenticity and worth. 85 percent the people say that authenticity is a key element when they decide on which companies they trust and like.

A lot of the value you bring to society is derived from your own perspectives and experience.

Few people know that better than Minessa Konecky.

"Stop and try that you are who your customers would like to you to be.

We crave authenticity, so when we purchase from an owner of a small business, we aren't just buying an item, but an opinion.

If people don't know who you are or your values No amount of photoshop images and well-crafted content will change their minds. This gives you enormous freedom to express yourself fully regardless of your flaws. They'll love you for it."

-- Minessa Konecky direct to success

In committing her whole self for her work Minessa built a successful business that assists others.

It's win-win.

The end of the day, your personal perspective and experience are what will help in connecting with your customers and not just the flashiest website or flawlessly-crafted copy.

Just show up as yourself -- that's it.

Start with your first sale, and build your business to be successful

Whether you're new to the world of online business or you're just beginning to market a new product, the path from an idea of a product the first sale is packed with bumps and valleys.

In the spirit of real-world advice of 16 successful creators Six tips to guide you down this bumpy road

Find out as much as you can about your customers. Do some research on your customers and speak to them directly and, most likely, they'll be more than happy to provide feedback to you.

Find the marketing channels which work best for your business and follow them. The email marketing channel is a good starting point with lead magnets, which are an effective way to expand your marketing options.

Be open to experimentation, iteration and failure. You don't have to do it perfect the first time In fact, it's part the learning process.

Be accountable to yourself, both internally and externally. Making sure you are selling your product in advance ensures you are on the right the right track for completing your plan stopping self-sabotaging behavior will set you up for success.

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

Be yourself. Customers want familiar with you too, and your experiences bring an added value and perspective to your job.

So, go out and make that sale. We're cheering you on.