In a recent conversation I was talking about purchasing technical platforms and courses that you may end up never using.  Can you feel the tension rise as you may be thinking about all of those folders, logins and PDF's that you've just never used?  Well today I want to share a little strategy that I use to ensure I'm not buying things that I don't end up actually using in my business. Interested?? Here it is………….

1) Work through and evaluate what you actually need before you hit buy. 

At the beginning of each financial year I consciously sit down and work out where the gaps in my knowledge are or what I'm desperate to learn about or build my skills in. I also think about what I'm willing to spend on that skill based on my knowledge of courses and the market.  For example I may be willing to spend $150 on something small but $5,000 on something bigger, depending on it's importance to my business and the return on investment. By knowing what you're willing to spend and how much things are, it'll help you make more value based decisions.  For example I had been looking at doing a “selling from the stage” course for about 2 years, I knew that it would cost around $5k for a 3-4 day course so I understood what I would need to invest from the start.  I spoke with a number of people who delivered the course and also did some research.  Earlier this year I was at a Tony Robbins conference and a man named Andy Harrigton took to the stage for 70 minutes sharing his story, sharing valuable content and then he pitched a Sell from the stage course.  Now to a lot of people jumping up and buying a $4k course may seem like madness but because I knew how much these courses cost, plus I had just seen him in action and LOVE it – it was an easy decision for me to make and after doing the course, it's been one of the best investments I've made.  No impulse buying here!  Know what you need, how much it costs and what good looks like.

2) What do you need right now in your business

I'm well aware that there are thousands of products, services and ‘things' that you really want, but the question is – what do you need?  If you were to sit down and review what technology platform will help you reach your audience better, engage with them more and give you the ability to make the offer – then what would that be?  Recently for me it was a new webinar platform.  So I spend sixty odd dollars on the new Webinar Ninja platform as the old technology I had was so annoying I never used it.  Ninja is super easy to use and I've already used it once and yes it paid for itself on that one time use!  So really consider what you need so that you don't end up impulse buying once again.

3) Decide what format you learn best in

Just because there is an online course or a video or a PDF it doesn't mean that it's right for you.  How do you learn best?  Personally I learn best using video because I like to hear someone speaking and I enjoy the visuals as someone takes me through what they are talking about.  If you gave me something that was 20 pages in writing, I probably wouldn't use it if I'm totally honest, so buying video courses is my thing and I love it.  Understanding how you learn best means that you can catch yourself when you have FOMO and decide if this is right for you or not.  Just a note on this as well; if you say that you learn best by reading, and you download every free and paid thing you can, but then never actually read it – you may need to reevaluate not only how you learn but how you devote time to self development.

4) Set a time to complete it

This is a huge one and one that I think is the most important.  When I buy something, I set aside time the week that I buy it to consume it. Obviously it depends what it is, how long it is and how it is delivered, but making time is key to not wasting your money!  Just last week I bought a short course and the day I bought it, I sat down on the couch whilst the hubby was watching TV and I watched most it, taking notes and then implementing what I had learnt. The reason that I say to do this asap is because when you buy something, you're at your most excited about it.  If you don't want to dive in then, well the likelihood of you wanting to dive in after that will decrease over time and that's when you end up with a folder full of things you've bought and never looked at.

5) Measure your return on investment

This is one that excites me the most! Whenever I invest in something I ALWAYS measure whether implementing it actually meant it paid for itself.  So for example last year I did a big course on premium packaging. Before I had even finished the course it had more than paid for itself 2 – 3 times over.  I recently did a selling from the stage course which was several thousand dollars and so far it's paid for half of itself, but then I've only used it once – so the likelihood of it paying for itself over time is pretty high.  Being focused on why you need it, how you'll use it and how it helps you build not only your capability but the revenue in your business is critical.  If I don't think that I can implement the learnings from something straight away to help me build my business, then I don't buy it – it's as simple as that.

6) One thing at a time

Last but by no means least – I only take one course at a time.  So I won't buy another course if I haven't finished one I've already purchased. This is another really important thing.  We only have the ability to learn one thing at a time.  For those who are saying they are multi-taskers, it's about evaluating how well you do the multiple things you do or if you would be better off focusing fully on one task and then moving onto another.  This is just another check point for me to ensure I'm not wasting money, over committing and not completing things.

Spend your money wisely, focus on what you want to learn and then get it done. Not only does this system save me a lot of time and money but it also really helps me to focus on what's important.  I want the money that I invest in myself and my business to work for me, not drain my business funds.

Do you think that this can help you?  What's been your biggest issue when it comes to consuming courses?