Just say "No" to Free Trials · Skool Community

Just say "No" to Free Trials

The (not yet available) "free trial" offer. In my view it is a weak selling strategy and poor business model.

First the business model: It allows the wrong person (yes, Dorothy, there are wrong people for your community) to join without consequence. They ignore rules and instructions, make a mess of your efforts to curate an awesome community experience, and then leave, ruining the experience for the group of right clients who are already there.

But more importantly, it allows you to fall into the mis-belief that you can avoid the hard work of articulating the value of your community to someone who is not in it yet, which is basic influence and sales. A free trial is different from giving them a "look behind the curtain", which is to show them just the first fraction of what they will experience inside. For courses, that is putting the first of five modules out in the public area, surrounded by the explanation of how this is a part of something bigger and give the titles of the other four modules. This strategy is primarily to allow them to see the quality of your work, more than give them the first step of a five-step process. That's different than getting the whole thing for free for 30 days.

What is a working and effective membership building strategy is the (also not yet available) $1 30-day trial to full membership, applying a Ryan Deiss "Tripwire" concept. This converts them (in their mind) from a looker, to a buyer for a trivial investment. The psychological difference in your new client is they are "in". Of course, you - yes you - have to do the work to make the first 30 day experience awesome.

So stop wishing for, or blaming your low adoption rate on, the lack of a "free trial". They will inevitably add it to the feature list someday. My hope is that by then, you'll realize why to not touch it. 😎

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