Scrolling through my “business emails” folder the other day, these two caught my eye:

What this graphic shows are two emails together in my feed, with the subject line of the first as "The doors to The Membership Experience are OPEN" and the second as "An email NOT about memberships."

I had to chuckle because isn’t this often the case where one person touts a specific marketing strategy or revenue stream and right beside them is someone debunking it? At least this happens in the online business world, and it can be downright confusing!

The second email, the one about it NOT being about memberships, is actually about how creating a membership is not necessarily the right way to go for everyone.

I couldn’t agree more!

Memberships, online courses, group programs, low-ticket offers, free online groups, books, speaking, subscriptions…

there are many different marketing strategies and revenue channels out there all of which can work great—but they are all not suitable for all businesses.

Yet the people selling them usually don’t say that.

RARELY do they provide true context for the 5- and 6-figure launch testimonials peppering their sales pages or their stories of huge income gains mere months after implementing a new strategy.

In reality, many of these “overnight successes” were years in the making and/or the person had a significant, undisclosed head start like a working spouse; a big, engaged audience; economic or racial privilege; etc.

Sometimes you’ll see pre-qualifying criteria in the vein of “This is for you if…” which can be quite helpful so long as it's not something silly like "This is for you if you want to make big bucks this year and you're tired of busting your butt for it."

But this kind of clarification isn’t happening enough and the pre-qualifications don’t typically address things like audience size, resource access, or other types of software, tools, and systems you might need.

I think some online business strategies are marketed in such a way they need a disclaimer much like the weightloss industry is required to with “results not typical.”

So that’s my first point:

full transparency when sharing successes with this or that strategy, especially when coupled with a “buy from ME because I have Figured. It. Out!” message.

My second point:

more discussion about revenue models and what’s needed to make them be successful and sustainable BEFORE choosing to go down a certain path.

In the case of memberships… a great model for some businesses, especially those with an established audience or the means to build one quickly through collaborations and paid advertising, and who also have resources to support the incredible amount of work that goes into setting up and sustaining member groups.

Or take the classic example of online courses. There's a huge misconception that if you build it, they will come. Or if you sell it cheaply, surely everyone will buy because you made it too good a deal to pass up.

You think I’m joking? I see this play out all. the. time.

Building, promoting, and maintaining an online course that generates significant revenue is a long game. It requires a serious investment of time, energy, and money.

Unless you have a huge audience of buyers already, it could take years of consistent promotion and iteration to get that course to a point where it’s giving you a good ROI.

In the beginning you might use your course as a “loss leader,” a way to get people in the door. It might also be rolled up in a 1:1 service you provide. In other words, your course is part of a bigger revenue model instead of being THE revenue model that's going to send you off to beach-retirement, because that's the dream others are selling.

I seldom see people promoting certain strategies and revenue streams be brutally honest about what it actually takes to make them work.

I do see a lot people who are frustrated, disappointed, and feeling stupid for having been led to believe otherwise.

Myself included! Oh, the time and money I’ve spent!

Nowadays whenever I'm looking to pursue a particular revenue stream or buy from someone selling a specific strategy or I'm talking with clients and colleagues who are, I start off by asking these important questions:

What are you selling and at what price point?
What size is your audience? Do you have enough people to convert to buyers? Check out my “Know Thy Numbers” video for typical conversion rates and math formulas to help you plan.
Are you ready to hit the streets and hustle for buyers if you want to make things happen faster?
What resources do you have to keep at this for the next 12-24 months?
What would make you happier? A business that’s dependent upon a large volume of people where your interaction with customers may be minimal or a business where you’re serving a few in an intimate fashion?
Does this strategy or revenue stream match your desired lifestyle?
Are you okay starting small?
What money blocks do you have?
How much experience does the person or company who's trying to sell you on a particular strategy or revenue stream actually have with what they’re selling?
Have you talked with anyone else in a similar industry or business stage as you who's used the strategy or built the revenue channel you’re considering?

There are no right or wrong answers here.

This is about due diligence and taking time to assess the opportunity so you can make a decision in favor of your personal and professional goals.

When you go in with eyes wide open, you're far more likely to stay committed through the inevitable rough spots and see it all through to your success.

So, over to you…

Have you ever had an experience with someone misrepresenting the ease or effectiveness of a certain marketing strategy or revenue channel?

Have you ever wished you would have known XYZ up front before you went all in on something for your business?

Have a comment? Or a specific question about what you just read?

Email me—I really will respond. I love getting email from readers, and I’m happy to give you a quick strategy or tip to make sure you’re rocking your message and your marketing feels fun and productive!