Doing something I never thought I would do
Why I decided to build an online cohort-based course on Maven
I’ve taught my Sales Leadership course for the last year and have worked with 100+ students. I get a lot of questions about what it’s like teaching a course online and why I built it on Maven. So if you have ever thought about giving it a shot… here is my insider perspective.
What led me to build a course
I have been teaching Sales Leadership for 15+ years within high-growth startups. Then in 2020, my day-to-day changed.
I had launched my own business consulting and advising startups. I went all-in during 2021, and things had been going great. But something was missing.
I missed working directly with Sales Leaders, coaching and mentoring them, sharing my experiences, and pulling insights out of them.
I decided in 2022 that I would do something about it, and I launched Sales Leadership that Delivers Results (sldr).
I was always very skeptical of "online courses" It seemed like a lame experience all around. Lame to make one. Lame to take one. I didn't see how it could move the needle for a new Sales Leader in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
I also felt it was difficult to find quality courses created by experienced instructors. I've worked with dozens of incredible leaders at Startups, but none of them made courses.
Then I came across Maven. I was impressed to see people with real SV experience building courses like Lenny Rachitsky, Arielle Jackson, and Maven's founder Gagan Biyani.
And these courses are different. They are exactly like the training I build for top-tier startups - live over Zoom, with open discussions, workshopping, actionable feedback, and tangible results.
I launched my first cohort in March ‘22 and am now on my seventh. The reaction from students has been incredible. As a people-pleaser, this makes me feel good :)
But more importantly, I feel like I am helping the next generation of leaders again, and for whatever reason, this is something I was born to do.
And as expected, the feedback has been great on the live workshopping format.
I can't imagine anyone saying this about a video course:
"The course is super collaborative. Pete creates an environment where you not only have the opportunity to learn from him and all his experiences but also have the opportunity to learn from other industry professionals in similar roles!
I loved this course."
I recently added 1:1 coaching sessions into my course package, and I was concerned it might become a burden. Instead, they are a blast! Now I can directly help and build relationships with leaders at some of the best startups in the world. What a gift.
Anyway, I guess I'll leave you with this— It turns out you CAN teach an old dog new tricks. And I am super thankful for that.
Pros, Cons, and Advice
Pros of building an online course
You will write down your knowledge and learnings and put them in an organized digestible format. This is hugely valuable in many ways.
A flexible way to monetize your brand, relationships, skills, and experience.
Get to meet new people.
Cons of building an online course
Lots of work upfront (Dozens of hours)
Need to be organized (Maven really helps with that)
You need to be willing to market yourself and your course. I get ~50% of my students from direct referrals. The rest find me through LinkedIn and Maven
It can be a little nerve-wracking running a session for 10-20 people who don’t know you over Zoom.
Advice if you want to build a course
Pick a narrow topic that you know like the back of your hand (and enjoy talking about!)
Build your session around activities and discussions (not slides!)
Pick a specific audience to market your course to and build for (I chose Sales Leaders at Startups)
Get to know your students. It makes everything better
Develop a system for Marketing your course. Go where your audience is.
Details about my course
😎 Who is the course for?
- New Sales Managers and people aiming to move into leadership
- Current Sales Managers looking to refine their game (VPs - DM me to grab a few spots for your team)
- Founders and Sales Enablement Leaders looking to accelerate their sales teams and apply Pete's playbook
💪 Why join sldr? You will learn how to:
- Build a self-sustaining sales team with clear goals and development areas
- Lead effective 1:1s and team meetings
- Create a strong team culture & winning environment
- Access 1:1 coaching sessions with Pete
+much more
🙌 What are people saying?
"As a new manager, this course was incredibly beneficial for my leadership development. I left the course understanding how to run effective 1 on 1's, how to drive purposeful team meetings, and helping reps identify short and long-term goals. I would highly recommend this course." Dan Trant from Kandji
”This course was great in helping me isolate the actionable steps to put thoughtfulness and purpose behind every meeting and 1:1. It is easy to get into the weeds with salespeople, but this was an excellent reminder of why it is important to see the forest, not just the trees.” Tammie Soto from MessageBird
”There were TONS of key takeaways from this course, I could go on and on. The organization, presentation, and thought that went into each session was unbelievable. It led to a super laser-focused session, which is a takeaway for my meetings.” Sukh Singh from 7shifts: Team Management for Restaurants
Learn more about Sales Leadership that Delivers Results, including curriculum, schedule, and testimonials: