How to use automation to sell events or services on your website

Do you procrastinate about setting up automations on your website? Like you have some sort of fear that you will lose control if you make it easy for someone to buy a course, a consultation, a class, a retreat...?

I was working recently with a client who was updating their site with information on an in-person course they are running in the spring.

Her call to action at the bottom of the sales page was to ‘Book a Discovery Call’.

When I queried why the CTA wasn't ‘Book Your Place Now’, the client was worried that people might have questions about the course, or that the date would not suit them or that there was additional info they'd need before deciding. Valid enough reasons I guess, but this Discovery Call process was going to make the sales process even longer and more arduous for my client and their clients!

These were my recommendations:

- add an FAQ section to the course sales page so that the buyer has all the info they could need to help them make a decision on whether to attend the course or not
- add a sentence saying 'If these course dates don't suit you, sign up to my email list and I will make sure you are the first to know about new dates I will be launching in early summer.'
- Follow this up with a beautifully branded, automated 'welcome to my list email, I will be in touch as soon as I have information on new dates for my xyz course' email
- use an automated post-purchase thank you email to provide additional info or links to resources that are useful before the event
- set up the course as a product for sale on your site to automate the sales process.
- In this instance the client was worried about the 3% transaction fee from Squarespace which was going to cost them €180, so I advised them to upgrade to the Commerce plan (extra €80 per annum, therefore saving €100) and pay zero transaction fees (except to Stripe).

Six simple ways to use automation in the service of your customer and your business. Not only does this make the entire process easier for the potential buyer, you have also started an email list of people you know are interested in your services and you have used automated emails to give them what they need to know, in a timely fashion. The automation does not mean you sound or look like you don't care. On the contrary, it shows you value people's time, including your own. You also get to carefully craft your messages so they are on-brand and in alignment with your positioning.

This is not to say that there isn't a place for a Discovery Call in some sales processes, particularly for a big-ticket item. But this wasn't the case here.

Your website and the tech is your friend, don't be afraid of it!