7 Things All 

Million-Dollar 
Courses Have 
That You Don’t 
 
By Joel Erway 
   
Fact:​ The vast majority of Experts who create courses ​rarely enroll enough clients or students 
to make it worthwhile. 
 
Let me ask you something very important… 
 
What’s ​“worthwhile”​ to you?  
 
100 students...  
 
1,000 students...  
 
Or more? 
 
After helping hundreds of Experts ​fill their courses and coaching programs​ (including my 
own) – many of which have crossed ​7-figures and beyond ​- I’ve put together this simple 
cheat sheet for you to prepare your course for similar success. 
 
In no particular order, let’s begin: 

   

Copyright 2018-2020 Joel Erway | PO Box 361 Lewiston, NY 14092 

Step 1. Prepare your offer / model 
 
Information marketing and information products are amazing sources of revenue. They 
provide scalability and tremendous profit margins.  
 
Of course, as the saying goes “​There are a million ways to make a million dollars​”.  
 
Chances are, you’re already a successful business owner. And for your next product launch 
you want to make the biggest “bang” yet. 
 
But you want to make sure it’s done right. 
 
So, how are you going to sell this course? 
 
There are a couple of different models to choose from, and the answer is going to depend 
on your desired goal. 
 
Option 1: The Membership Model 
 
Memberships are a great way to deliver your content on a long term basis.  
 
On a recent interview I had on Sold With Webinars with The Membership Guys Founder, 
Mike Morrison, he explains in great detail the various types of membership sites.  
 
Mostly, we see this play as a mass market attempt to acquire customers at a low price entry 
point - anywhere between $10/month to a couple hundred per month.  
 
Here are the Pros and Cons with this approach: 
 
Pros:  
- Monthly recurring revenue 

Copyright 2018-2020 Joel Erway | PO Box 361 Lewiston, NY 14092 

 - Revenue Stability 
- Immediate launch 
  
Cons: 
- Requires monthly maintenance 
- New content required each month 
- Community management required 
 
Option 2: One-Off Model 
 
Some courses are better off serving a specific end result without the need for ongoing 
support.  
 
Many courses take this route and charge anywhere between $300-$1,500+ for access to the 
training.  
 
Many of our clients choose this route.  
 
For example, in early 2017 we had a client in the “How to play Piano” niche and was selling a 
course for around $700.  
 
From soup to nuts, he taught students who’d never learned to play to becoming 
head-turning professionals. 
 
Here are the Pros and Cons with this approach: 
 
Pros:  
- Provides a nice surge in cash 
- When built correctly, minimal support is needed 
- Ultimate lifestyle design 
 
Cons: 
- Fewer buyers  

Copyright 2018-2020 Joel Erway | PO Box 361 Lewiston, NY 14092 

 - More testing will need to take place at the price point for maximum ROI 
 

Step 2. Find Your “Fish” 

 
A few months ago I was working with one of my clients, Adam, who was struggling to scale 
his training course.  
 
Funny enough, when he first approached me his offer was a measly $97.  
 
By the time we finished up, it was $8,000 and he was generating over $120k/mo. 
 
Adam was pitching a business opportunity training.  
 
As a very young, successful individual his message was attracting mostly individuals who 
expect the world to be handed to them on a silver platter. 
 
In other words, they were “freebie-seekers” who sign up for anything but are never willing to 
invest anything.  
 
The problem Adam was running into was that he was attracting the wrong “Fish” with the 
wrong “Bait”. 
 
His webinar that was selling his course was spot on, but on the front end he was attracting 
the wrong people.  
 
Once we fixed the message on the front end and attracted the RIGHT people, the 
floodgates opened and his revenue skyrocketed. 
 
It’s also the reason why we were able to raise his price from $97 to $8,000, and he was able 
to generate over $1Million with that same program within 10 months. 

Copyright 2018-2020 Joel Erway | PO Box 361 Lewiston, NY 14092 

Step 3. Make sure you’re selling something people 
can’t live without (and actually WANT) 
To parlay from the previous point, creating an offer someone can’t refuse is critical for your 
course or program’s success. 
 
Unfortunately, this is where most course creators fail in delivering real value to their 
potential students. 
 
Let me give you an example.  
 
Not too long ago my family came home from vacation to learn that our drainage system 
was clogged. 
 
Thankfully it didn’t create any damage to the home and only our yard was flooded.  
 
However, I wanted it fixed ​immediately​ so I didn’t have any water damage come into our 
basement that certainly would have resulted in over $10,000 worth of damage and loss. 
 
As we are creating our offers for students wanting to enroll in our courses, we need to 
speak more towards “Reasons Why”, and less about “What You’re Getting”.  
 
I wanted my drainage system fixed ​SO I DIDN’T FLOOD MY BASEMENT, INCUR 
THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS OF DAMAGE, AND LOSE MY VALUABLES IN MY HOME. 
 
I didn’t care HOW it got done, as long as it got done. 
 
To make more sense of this matter, ​here’s what I DIDN’T say: 
 
I didn’t care if the technician was using the latest tools and gadgets to fix my problem. 
 

Copyright 2018-2020 Joel Erway | PO Box 361 Lewiston, NY 14092 

I didn’t care what the process was for how he was going to fix my problem (heck, they could 
tear up my lawn for all I cared as long as my basement stayed dry) 
 
And I didn’t care who was going to show up to fix it. 
 
As long as I kept my valuables, I was happy. 
 
This is where most course creators make their mistake. 
 
In a recent interview with sales-legend Ryan Stewman on my ​“Sold With Webinars” 
podcast, Ryan and I both agreed that people really don’t care how many videos are in your 
course… or how many modules you’re including. 
 
In fact, adding more of that in your sales pitch will hurt sales. 
 
All they care about is the end result. When I helped Ryan with one of his webinars, he never 
told his audience WHAT they were getting (modules, videos, pdfs, etc…) 
 
He only told them what they would be getting as a RESULT of joining his course. 
 
And he made that as sexy as possible. Because of that, he would sell $2,000 courses left 
and right to his audience incredibly effective. 
 
Sell them what they WANT. Give them what they NEED to make that a reality. 
 

Step 4. Inspiration > Education (when it comes to 

enrollment) 
 
In college I had a class with a professor who literally “wrote the book” for the course. 
 

Copyright 2018-2020 Joel Erway | PO Box 361 Lewiston, NY 14092 

He was a published author of a Chemistry textbook that we were required to buy for his 
class.  
 
He was an “Expert” in his space.  
 
From a surface level, I thought this would be one of the best experiences of my student 
career. 
 
But in fact it was exactly the opposite.  
 
This professor was truly an Expert in his field. However, he spoke to us as his peers and not 
as his students. 
 
What do I mean by that? 
 
Simply put, he spoke at a level 30 (in terms of experience level), where us students were at 
a level 1.  
 
He couldn’t distill the information he was teaching for us to comprehend any of it.  
 
In other words, he was “too close” to what he was teaching.  
 
This is exactly what happens when I work with Experts to help them create sales material 
for their course. 
 
Most Experts are too close to their own product that they can’t see what their students 
really need to enroll into the course. 
 
If we’re working on a sales presentation, or webinar, we want to do more teaching through 
“Inspiration” than actual education. 
 

Copyright 2018-2020 Joel Erway | PO Box 361 Lewiston, NY 14092 

The most common mistake that I see Experts make is by trying to teach their entire course 
in a 60 minute presentation, and “hope” the audience will return the goodwill and purchase 
the course. 
 
This leads to confusion. 
 
And there’s a saying that goes “A confused mind doesn’t buy”. 
 

Step 5. Set The Attention And Present Your Case 

Like A Lawyer 
 
Imagine this for a minute... 
 
You’re a prosecution lawyer presenting a case to the fellow jury members trying to 
convince them of a guilty verdict. 
 
Throughout the trial, you come up with a series of substantial evidence that you believe 
“makes your case” to prove your theory. 
 
If they believe you, then you win the case. If you lose, it’s because you haven’t convinced 
them or provided enough proof. 
 
This is exactly how we have to think about our sales material. 
 
One of my friends, Todd Brown, talked about writing sales and marketing material in a very 
unique way as if you were presenting your case to a jury. 
 
When you think about it this way, your sales messages start to make a whole lot more 
sense and it becomes easier to “prove” your message. 
 

Copyright 2018-2020 Joel Erway | PO Box 361 Lewiston, NY 14092 

Building “Proof” is critical for persuasion, and helps Experts, Course Creators, and Coaches 
separate themselves from falling into the “teaching too much” trap I outlined above. 
 
By presenting your sales material as a CASE, you begin presenting evidence and proof so 
your potential students and clients believe that YOU are the best option for them. 
 

Step 6. The #ButFirst Effect… LEAD Your Audience 

Like A Magnet 
Let me reveal a secret, dirty guilty pleasure of mine.  
 
I don’t like to admit it since my wife and I rarely watch television, but each summer for the 
past 3 years we’ve been hooked on watching the Reality TV Show, “Big Brother”. 
 
It’s sickening, but each week we tune in religiously to see what new drama arises from the 
household. 
 
Who’s arguing with who…  
 
Who’s going to be backstabbed… 
 
Who’s getting kicked out… 
 
It’s insane. But they’ve somehow, almost “magically”, lured me in every single week… glued 
to the television like a ​magnet​. 
 
Wanna know how they did it? 
 
Actually, television shows are incredibly effective at this. And if you look at Big Brother, they 
even have a Hashtag category for it… 
 

Copyright 2018-2020 Joel Erway | PO Box 361 Lewiston, NY 14092 

They call it, “#ButFirst”... 
 

 
 
What is the #ButFirst Effect? 
 
Think of it like telling multiple stories throughout your presentation, or sales letter, without 
coming to the conclusion on any of them until the very end. 
 
Big Brother uses #ButFirst throughout every single episode to keep their viewers engaged 
and sticking around. 
 
Example: The host Julie Chen announces: “In a minute, we’ll see which member of the 
house will get evicted this week. ​But first,​ we need to see which member of the Jury won 
the “Battle Back” event to get back INTO the house” 
 
See what they’re doing there? 
 
They do this all season, every episode, multiple times per episode. 
 

Copyright 2018-2020 Joel Erway | PO Box 361 Lewiston, NY 14092 

The audience is left thinking, “I want to see who’s getting evicted! What’s next?!” 
 
Raising the excitement and anticipation level to continually LEAD your audience to the next 
step is critical to maximizing your enrollments.  

Step 7. Create Your Own “#ButFirst Effect”... 

Next time we talk and I ask you about he “ButFirst Effect”... you’ll know exactly what I’m 
talking about. 
 
Why is that? 
 
The thing is, what I taught in the “ButFirst Effect” is similar to what other marketers teach.  
 
But I coined it around a unique story that relates to the specific piece of content that I teach. 
 
Our agency, The Webinar Agency, writes Persuasive Presentations that sell courses and 
coaching programs for our clients. 
 
At the time I’m writing this we’ve written at least 8-10 webinars that have generated at least 
7-figures in revenue for our clients. 
 
A few months ago we picked up a personal development client who was teaching their 
students how to overcome their own limiting beliefs and create a better life. 
 
We were struggling… HARD… to write this webinar. Actually, it was the most difficult webinar 
that we ever wrote. 
 
My team and I sat together on countless meetings, crafting the right content, the right 
angles, and the right hooks to make the presentation work. 
 
Finally, after sweating over this for a long time, it hit us.  
 

Copyright 2018-2020 Joel Erway | PO Box 361 Lewiston, NY 14092 

We were able to distill all of the content for our client, and come up with a lead that tied in 
the entire concept.  
 
We called it: “The Watson Effect”.  
 
Anyone who watches that webinar will know exactly what “The Watson Effect” is.  
 
And it’s memorable, unique, and adds a tremendous amount of ​value​ to what was taught on 
the presentation. 
 
What is your “ButFirst Effect”... or ​lead? 
 
When you create it, it will hit you like a ton of bricks. And is one of the most critical 
components to any sales message you create. 
 
It will help you differentiate yourself from your competitors. 
 
And it will attract buyers to your funnel like crazy. 
 

   

Copyright 2018-2020 Joel Erway | PO Box 361 Lewiston, NY 14092 

 Next Steps.... 
I can safely assume that if you’ve read all the way down to the end of this guide, then you’re 
someone who’s seriously interested in growing your information-based business. 
 
Like I’ve mentioned earlier, we help clients do exactly this with by building incredibly 
effective persuasive presentations - webinars, or mini-webinars - that sell their courses and 
coaching programs. 
 
These online sales presentations, or webinars, quickly convert cold audiences into paying 
customers in as little as 24 hours. 
 
We’ve built at least 8-10 7-figure sales presentations, and many, many more multi-6 figure 
presentations. 
 
We’re the best at what we do, and the top marketers in the world refer their private clients 
to us - like Russell Brunson. 
 
Get our free resources here: 
 
Join Our Community:​ ​The next step you should take is to immediately join our Strategy 
Community - “Million Dollar Course Marketers” where I release private content and you can 
connect with other like-minded entrepreneurs and course marketers. ​Click here to join the 
group. 
 
Then,​ join our free training​ on how to launch your next 6-7 figure High Ticket Course using 
simple Power Offers and Mini Webinars: ​https://htcwebinar.joelerway.com/register  
 

   

Copyright 2018-2020 Joel Erway | PO Box 361 Lewiston, NY 14092 

About Joel 
Joel Erway is an experienced marketer when it comes to selling courses and programs.  
 
He helps craft webinars, mini-webinars, sales pitches, and designs leveraged programs for 
the experts who run them.  
 
It’s no wonder why he’s the go-to consultant for many of the top performing webinars. 
 
Joel has touched and influenced hundreds of programs in the past 6 years with at least 2 
doing eight-figures, and countless others generating seven-figures or multiple six-figures 
using digital marketing and paid advertising!  
 
He is the chief strategist for The Webinar Agency (​www.thewebinaragency.com​) and hosts a 
popular podcast, Sold With Webinars, dedicated to educating experts on how to run 
effective sales webinars. 
 
He also runs a popular training program called High Ticket Courses  
Listen to over 25+ interviews I’ve had with 6 & 7-figure experts who exclusively use webinars 
to dramatically grow their business on my Sold With Webinars podcast. ​Subscribe and 
listen here: ​www.soldwithwebinars.com/live  
 

   

Copyright 2018-2020 Joel Erway | PO Box 361 Lewiston, NY 14092 

 RESOURCE LIST 
If you’d like to learn more about how we can personally help you launch your 7-figure 
course, here’s how we can help: 
 
Join Our Community:​ ​The next step you should take is to immediately join our Strategy 
Community - “Million Dollar Course Marketers” where I release private content and you can 
connect with other like-minded entrepreneurs and course marketers. ​Click here to join the 
group. 
 
Then,​ join our free training​ on how to launch your next 6-7 figure High Ticket Course using 
simple Power Offers and Mini Webinars: ​https://htcwebinar.joelerway.com/register  
 
Subscribe To Our Podcasts:​ I host 2 very popular podcasts: 
1. Sold With Webinars​ - Where I talk all things digital marketing for digital courses 
2. Experts Unleashed​ - Where I interview 6, 7, and 8-figure Experts on how they grew 
their information businesses. 
 
If you’d like personal help with our team to launch your program: 
 
Work directly with our agency team - ​click here to learn more. 
 
On this page there’s a quick video explaining our methodology for how we launch 
“backwards” than most - by leveraging something that I learned from Elon Musk and how he 
launched Tesla. There’s something really unique about how it applies to Course Creator 
Marketers... 
 
This will be the perfect for you to determine how to be launch your first (or next) 7-figure 
program. 

Copyright 2018-2020 Joel Erway | PO Box 361 Lewiston, NY 14092