Beta Testers - The Secret Weapon For Course Creators

Hello and welcome to this week's episode of the You Can Podcast. I'm your host Sarah Jolly Jarvis and today we're going to be talking around beta testers and why basically I'm so obsessed with them and I recommend them to people and I use them with clients all the time.
Anybody from startups who are testing a new business idea and through to individuals who are wanting to take

their expertise and work that they've been doing with clients and to put it into a more sustainable

and scalable structure. So I use beta testers all the time with clients.
I talk about this all the

time. It must be, if you were to record my sort of conversations and the topics that I talk around,

it will be ideal client and beta testers. They're right up there on the words and phrases that I use on an hourly basis, let alone daily.
So why do I think they're so good? Why do I think that they're so important? As I say, I've seen them be so, so effective for clients. And for me, my personal journey, my business, my first business started off, my first service-based business started off with a load of beta testers that I got together asking somebody to sort of tap into their network and offer my services out for them to test out a sales program with me and a kind of sales offer.
And so from that, I understood who I wanted to work with, who I didn't want to work with, what results I could expect, actually the reality of working with those individuals where I needed people to be in their business, where sales fitted for that business. I thought, you know what, I can come in, I can show people how to maximize the impact that they have in those sales conversations in those sales calls and all would be fine and dandy I very very quickly understood that actually those individuals needed help earlier on in the process they needed to draw on my marketing skills to get those sales calls into their diary so that they could actually practice then the sales skills I was wanting to teach them because, you know, it's all well and good learning the stuff.
But if you've got no one to practice on, if you're not putting it into practice, you're not going to get any results. So in this episode, what are you expecting to learn? Well, I'm going to be talking around what a beta tester is, why beta testers are so valuable, how to find beta testers, okay? Where are we going to magic them out of? Where are we going to find them? When to use a beta tester? Should you charge for beta testers? Should you not charge for beta? When not to use beta testers.
And then we're going to wrap all that up so that you've got really, really clear on where they can fit and hopefully energized over where they can fit in your business. So let's get started.
What is a beta tester? Well, a beta tester is someone who tries your product or service before the official launch. That's your kind of technical definition.
In reality, what does it look like? It looks like a group of individuals you get together who are ideally your ideal client or as close to your ideal client as possible, who can feedback, who can work with you on what it is you are offering. The value that that brings, I'm going to come on to in the why bit in just a second, but it really does revolutionize your ability to hit the ground running, make sure that you are offering something that people actually want.
And that's the thing is time and time again, people come to me having created a course, people are out there telling people how to create a signature course, but they're not actually teaching them how to sell it. And that's the thing is is time and time again people come to me having created a course people are out there telling people how to create a signature course but they're not actually teaching them how to sell it and that's because the problem is is they can't sell it because they made it in isolation i have a client at the moment who has had created a course um and it took her a year okay and actually during that time she never once spoke to somebody who could be a potential client because she was following word for word.
What is this, this individual, this organization was telling them to do. And so she didn't go anywhere near, um, her ideal clients to sense check if this was actually what they wanted.
And guess what? Surprise, surprise. They don't surprise, surprise.
The messaging is absolutely totally off, but already I have spoiled some of my whys. So let me just continue to kind of explain the beta tester role.
So they're helping you to meet the needs of your ideal client. They're helping you to understand.
It's a bit of a try before you buy and you overly commit. It enables you to test that idea, that concept.
It's like a rehearsal for the the real thing it gives you that opportunity I had a client recently Rebecca and she did a beta test with some of her ideal clients they didn't show up they weren't committed they weren't engaged and she was like these people are just too busy they're just not prioritizing the outcome that I will provide them with with this course and so you know she that made her go back to and look at who her ideal client really is and she picked a slightly different niche the difference was it was still female they still had the same challenges but they were individuals who had not yet had a family who not who not yet had any commitments or significant commitments and so they were able to focus on themselves they didn't feel feel bad for focusing on themselves. It was the normal for them.
And that really helped her to hone in and understand. If she had gone off, which so many people want to do, they want to go off, they want to create a website, they want to get business cards, they want to do all the official stuff, the branding, that would all be very different.
Okay, not very different, not crazily different, but significantly different enough that they should have had to come back and undone and redone all those different elements instead we did it really really lean we did all the checking we did all the practicing and then we were in a position where we understood okay these are the people she wants to work with she then retested she worked with that group of individuals she enjoyed working with that group of individuals because they were switched on were able to prioritize themselves. And then she was in a position where she could go and invest in that branding and that marketing and everything else that she wanted to do to make things official and to attract her ideal client in more volume.
So why are they so important? You know, I've already kind of said, I've already kind of said this, but, but to go into more detail on it, it's that experience. Okay.
It's not, it's an opportunity to see what it looks like to work with those clients in that real life scenario, like Rebecca. Okay.
Which I've already mentioned. You've also then got the validation of your course or offer.
Okay. You can assess that course format.
So the quality of the content, the delivery method method you've chosen the timing for that delivery I've got a client Helen who literally today we were having a messenger conversation back in two because last night was her first beta test group and she did her presentation she was like I was just trying to fit way too much into that first session it would just be totally overwhelming for people. And that is the reality most of the time is we totally underestimate or overestimate where our clients or potential clients are going to be at and what pace they're able to work at, what level of information they're able to take in.
And that's because we are experts in our own area. And so we are used to using the lingo.
We're used to having those kind of theories going around in our heads but that isn't the reality of a lot of your ideal clients worlds they're not as switched on and that's why you're imparting that information to them and so they're not going to be able to take up the information and process it as quickly as you would have as you would like and as as you would be able to do another reason why there is so much value in beta testers and not just producing something and then trying to sell it off straight away without having kind of built as you're gone, which is what I tend to encourage people to do with beta testers, that's possibly for another time, but we'll see where we get to, is because you're able to get questions and get feedback all the way through. So sometimes feedback is official feedback, absolutely.
So it's you sending out questionnaires and asking them for feedback. But a lot of the time, actually, you can get feedback on your course, on the usability of the course, on how useful the information is, how clear the information is from the questions that those individuals ask.
So I regularly have clients come to me. I had Sophie last week who said to me you know what my clients they seem to be a lot of them are all asking about this they're all asking around this subject and I covered it in the session and I'm like well you know you clearly didn't cover it well enough or you didn't use the language that they can understand and they can it can really bring what you're trying

to say to life and so it's about going back all that all those questions of feedback for you that

you need to go over that a little bit more you need to explain it in a different way you may

need to use examples case studies metaphors to bring that to life and to help people to process

what it is you are trying to tell them and kind of take that on board so that they can use it

you've then actually then got the really obvious bit which which is the testimonials and the proof of results. And, you know, they come, they're kind of what most people set out for is, okay, yeah, I want testimonials so that I can use them in my marketing.
I can use it to go on and demonstrate the impact that I can have and I can use it in my marketing. The proof of results, you know, I've got a client at the moment who I've got, have helped to get some beta testers and she's able to ask all of them before they get access to the course and that they take particular screenshots of different areas of their social media platform so that then she can do the before and afters because so often you're so busy onboarding somebody that you will get them on board and you will start serving them and you'll start seeing results but you're not able to capture the place that they started from because you didn't do enough research you didn't get enough background and so that can be really really key in helping you show what it is that you are able to do for these individuals.
So how do we find beta testers?

Well, beta testers, there's sort of three main places that I would encourage you to look. It is first up your warm audience.
So start with people you already know. Okay.
So think around people that trust you, such as past clients, engaged followers, friends, friends of friends, people who maybe are willing to take a punt on you for either a paid or a free trial of what it is that you are offering. You obviously want to make sure that those individuals are as close to your ideal client avatar as possible, okay, so that you can get really meaningful insights of the course.
And for example, if somebody's already really switched on and educated to what is that you do. So sometimes people get peers to kind of be a beta tester.
The problem is then they're kind of critiquing your presentation of whatever concepts it is that you're sharing. They come with their own kind of filter and that filter isn't one of your ideal client.
And so you want to steer towards as close as possible your ideal customer avatar. And then, you know, your kind of key places to look for these people are really your email lists, your social media, or personally invite, you know, reaching out and inviting these individuals.
So I've got clients at the moment who have got people from all three they've gone onto their email list and they've found people who have worked with them before and so their email list has got previous clients on there of all different sort of levels they've gone on to social media and they've put out a post and seen if they can get anybody of that and then they've reached out to people who they've been networking in person with. And so, you know, they have done all three.
So it is whatever mix is going to work for you. The key thing is, is to understand where your ideal client is and who your ideal client is so that ideally you can find them in the places that you will go in future to look for them so that you can start to do that harvesting and that creation and that attraction through messaging.
So when would I say, yeah, use beta testers and when would I say shy away from them? Well, you should definitely use beta testers whenever you're creating something new, be that a new business, venture, and you offer a course or approach to deliver your service, so it's or even a refinement of your existing ideas so it's enabling you to really get a test and a flavor for how this is going to go and is this the right format and when anytime you've got those sort of questions in your mind and you're not clear on it then I would absolutely go down the beta tester route which means that I would not use beta testers if you've got those sort of questions in your mind and you're not clear on it, then I would absolutely go down the beta tester route, which means that I would not use beta testers if you've already validated your offer with past clients or beta groups before. Okay, there's no need to redo that test.
I have had clients redo it, but that has been more from a marketing point of view. and it's not really been beta testers for beta testers it's been kind of of like a promotional starter promotion, having created a course and then it all gone cold and quiet.
When you've already got loads of testimonials and proof, you don't need to go down the best beta tester route. If you're changing the format somewhat, then maybe you could look to do it as a bit of an intro offer, but I definitely wouldn't go down the full beta feedback, hand-holding that you will do for your first round of betas.
And then if you are confident in the offer and you don't need that additional feedback, I would then say, you know, do you really need to do beta testers? I tend to sort of veer towards the ample testimonials and social proof, or when you've already got it validated, when you've had it run past somebody. But if, for example, you've created this with a focus group, for example, then that might be something that you don't get people to test in the same way.
So should you charge for beta testers? Well, when to charge, okay, is if you're providing significant value. So a lot of my clients will do a kind of tip of the iceberg, or they will segment a section of their full, well, their intentional full course, ideally.
If we're doing a bit of a repair job, it might be part of a course they already have and they will deliver that on its own. What you want is for any sort of intro courses, smaller courses to feed into that bigger course.
95% of my clients get their first paying client on a course from their beta testers. okay i got got one of my first paying clients from my beta testers because that person has sampled what it is that you are to offer.
They've sampled. It's a sample.
Okay. It's like, you know, when you go in and you do the little chef samples, okay, as a kind of, it's like a pre-starter in nice restaurants.
And it gives you a sample of what that chef's all about it kind of gives you an insight that is not your meal at no point are you going to have that and then go you know what I'm already full I'm going um you're going to stick there for the next bit because you've experienced how good it is and you'll continue along that I presume unless you hate it and then I presume you could leave um but I'm yet to encounter anyone who's done that. So I would charge if you're already providing significant value, if you can't split it up like that, okay, or if there's an established level of trust already with your audience.
So if you're producing, for example, you're switching from doing, you know, just trading time for money to having some sort of hybrid or a new digital course that stands alone. If you've got loads of trust already with your audience, then absolutely look to charge for that, most definitely.
And when to offer it for free is if you're testing something brand new to a new audience or trying to build that initial trust. You don't have that initial trust there and you don't know anybody who has that trust of that individual either.
If you need feedback more than revenue, then if you need feedback in the form of testimonials for more than you do revenue, then I wouldn't be charging at that stage in that case. Okay, so that's the kind of top level when you would charge when you would not.
Obviously's loads of nuances within that but that's a bit of a guide for you um i tend to treat it on an individual um client basis because obviously it depends like you know how many how much trust is enough trust um and so that's something that we look at and we make decisions but based on the information available so you know just to kind of wrap this up and conclude what I'm saying here about betas is that they will save you time okay they will save you effort and money yeah they will help you gain invaluable feedback in the form of testimonials but also in actual live feedback on I don't understand this bit and this great this

bit was great could we do have more of that and that's not going to be in your end testimonial but that can be the information you collect along the way and that really is invaluable what you're after here is creating really really decent testimonials not just with your betas but also going forwards and so you need to do a good job with the betas you need to listen to them so that you can do more and create more of the same. Beta testers, they provide new perspective, okay? And they create a foundation of trust, yeah? So those, as I said before, those beta testers are likely to go on and purchase from you, even if you haven't charged them for that beta test, okay? So, so please do, if you take nothing else in this episode, please do take the fact that beta testers are used, use them.
Okay. At the state, at the beginning stages of creating a course and what I tend to do.
And for those of you who've been in my world for a while, you'll know that I'm like sell and then create. And that would be where I'd go with this as well okay is yes okay you might not be selling them into um to buy physically purchasing handing over money but they you are they're willing to invest their time okay if you've got individuals willing to invest their time in something um at the very least then you know that you've got interest I've worked with people who we've not been able to get people engaged enough to be willing to invest any of their time, let alone any finances going forwards.
And if there is reluctance at that initial stage for people to part with their time, then you're going to really struggle with a colder audience and getting them to part with their money. So then it's looking at, okay, what value proposition are you putting forwards? What messaging are we using? All is not lost, okay? Don't ever feel disheartened and think, you know what, I just need to give up and go and get a job somewhere else.
Because that is more than likely not the case. It's that your messaging isn't right.
It's not going out to the right people. And all those are the things that may feed into it, okay? If you are struggling with this, if you want to be successful at creating courses and putting them out there and selling them, then please, please do get in touch with me, Sarah, at youcan.online and let's have a chat.
Let's find out how I can help you or at the very least point you in the right direction. So please do take a few minutes and think about how you may be able to use beta testers in your business, either now or in the future with whatever you've got planned.
So thank you very much for tuning in and listening to this episode of the You Can podcast. Please do share this far and wide with your friends and anybody you think will enjoy it.
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So that's it for me this this week if you would like further support and help

then please do check out the links in the description where you can start to get help

and get that business growing but that's it for me this week guys I look forward to chatting to

you again next week bye for now