Transcript
Sigrun Gudjonsdottir:
You're listening to the Sigrun Show, episode number 398. In this episode, I talked to Alexandra Knauer about how she took her business online and had a 25,000 Euro launch.
Welcome to the Sigrun Show. I'm your host, Sigrun, creator of SOMBA the MBA program for online entrepreneurs. With each episode, I'll share with you inspiring case studies and interviews to help you achieve your dreams and turn your passion into profits. Thank you for spending time with me today.
Building an online business takes time. I share with you proven strategies to help you get there faster. You'll also learn how to master your mindset, uplevel your marketing, and succeed with masterminds.
Today, I speak with Alexandra Knauer, who participated in my SOMBA accelerator program. Alexandra is a doctor for holistic medicine and has a practice in Vienna. But when the coronavirus hit in spring, she had to shut her practice down. She always had a certain fear around going online, but decided now was the time. In this episode, she talks about how she made the move and had a 25,000 Euro launch.
Before we hear Alexandra's stories, I want to remind you that doors to SOMBA Accelerator are closing this week. If you want to get your online offer out into the world and make sales in just 10 weeks, this is the program for you. You'll receive in-depth support and the accountability you need to successfully market and sell your services online. Go to the show notes at sigrun.com/398, Where you will find all the information about SOMBA accelerator and other links to Alexandra Knauer.
I am so happy to be here with Alexandra Knauer and talk about her success in SOMBA Accelerator and how she was able to take her offline business online. Thank you for coming on the show, Alexandra.
Alexandra Knauer:
Thank you very much. Thank you. Hi, Sigrun.
Sigrun Gudjonsdottir:
Let's go back to the time before you joined the program. What was going on in your life and business then? I know we're all going through this corona situation, but what was going exactly on for you?
Alexandra Knauer:
On the online sector, there was nothing going on because I'm a doctor for holistic medicine and I have a practice in Vienna in Austria. I was working only offline and in my practice.
Beside my medical activities, I've been teaching for many years in nutrition and traditional Chinese medicine, but it was always offline. The last five years I started to develop a digital solution for nutrition recommendations. From this, I developed last year a fasting cure program and I didn't know how to sell it. I had really no idea. I had a test run before the lockdown and there were 25 participants, but it was not a real online program. It was more offline than online and also it was for free. I really had no idea how to go. Then there came the lockdown and everything changed.
Sigrun Gudjonsdottir:
Then there came the lockdown. Everything closed down. You couldn't work as a doctor either, or were you still able to take some patients?
Alexandra Knauer:
Yes. At the beginning, I had to close the practice with the lockdown and after four weeks I had to reopen. I had to continue to work. In the four weeks that I was at home with the children, with my family, I thought, what can I do now with my time? I have always new ideas. I decided to spend more time for marketing strategies for in the online sector. Because as I told before, I didn't know how to manage this situation with my fantastic idea of fasting cure. I did not know how to provide it to other people.
Sigrun Gudjonsdottir:
You came across SOMBA Accelerator and you decided, this is the program that could help me do that.
Alexandra Knauer:
Yeah. It was a recommendation of a very good friend. I'm so happy that I was joining the program.
Sigrun Gudjonsdottir:
You had developed an app, right? You wanted to learn how to market and sell it, and I told you no.
Alexandra Knauer:
Because I wanted to sell the app, and then you said, “No. No one wants to buy, own, the app, because at the end nobody knows what it's… There are too many apps on the market.” Then you had the idea to create a real program and to sell myself.
Sigrun Gudjonsdottir:
And the app is a bonus or something that you sell later.
Alexandra Knauer:
Yeah, the app is more the support of the program because it's very individualized and you have an analyze in this digital program and then you get very individualized recommendations. It's a mix between TCM, traditional Chinese medicine, and [inaudible 00:05:56]. I created a new nutrition concept and it works very good.
Sigrun Gudjonsdottir:
It works very quick. You learned how to launch this brand new program that you had not yet created. You had created the app, but that was this individual support app. Did you realize that you were learning how to launch?
Alexandra Knauer:
At the beginning, I was overwhelmed because I learned so many technical and strategic tools in such a short time. It was everything new for me, because I've never used Facebook or other social media channels before, so it was really all new for me. I didn't know that there are tools like email listing programs and such things. It was really all new for me.
The program was very intensive and I joined, and you always said that we should have… How did you say? [crosstalk 00:07:04].
Sigrun Gudjonsdottir:
Trust the process.
Alexandra Knauer:
So I said, if she says I have to trust, I trust the process and yes, it worked. After some time I understood how I'm joining this program, I can create my program in the same way. So I did it.
Sigrun Gudjonsdottir:
So you did.
Alexandra Knauer:
Sometimes I was a little bit copying your program.
Sigrun Gudjonsdottir:
Well, the process itself, you can use it for many other things. You knew you wanted to sell and market your program, but had you ever heard the word launch before?
Alexandra Knauer:
No. It was really hard for me because normally I don't use the English language. It was really the word launch, I didn't know at all.
Sigrun Gudjonsdottir:
But that's basically just a marketing campaign, you know that now. You launched your new program that you had not created yet because that's what we do, we sell before we create, and you had amazing results. Can you tell us a little bit about that?
Alexandra Knauer:
Yes. I had 19 sells at the end and it was fantastic, because I thought nobody wants to make a fasting cure in June. It's not the best time to offer a fasting cure because normally the people make it before Easter, as I did it with my test run. But there were 19 sales and it was really good.
Sigrun Gudjonsdottir:
You made good money as a result?
Alexandra Knauer:
The program was for one person, there were two types, but it was about 500 euros per person. I was really…
Sigrun Gudjonsdottir:
You had a five figure launch as a first launch. Did you realize that having your first launch as a five figure launch is very good?
Alexandra Knauer:
I realized, yes.
Sigrun Gudjonsdottir:
Gradually, you did.
Alexandra Knauer:
[crosstalk 00:09:11] proud of it really, because it was not easy. I also have to say that I had to take some help. It was so intensive to learn all the things. I took a VA, a virtual assistant.
Sigrun Gudjonsdottir:
You had started to run your practice again at that time, right? So you were doing two things.
Alexandra Knauer:
I had the children in home schooling and we moved at the same time. It was really… I cannot explain how much it was altogether.
Sigrun Gudjonsdottir:
Wow. You moved, you were working full time as a doctor, and you had the kids at home, and then you were learning how to launch, and you had amazing success. You said, “I had to get some help.” I'm like, of course you had to get some help.
Alexandra Knauer:
It was the best idea. We still work together very good. She's fantastic.
Sigrun Gudjonsdottir:
Fabulous. How is this supplementing your income? Is this just on top of your previous income or do you plan to reduce your hours as a doctor? What's next for you in your new online business?
Alexandra Knauer:
I already reduced my time in the practice. The difference is that now the first time I have the confidence to make my business also in the online sector. For a long time, I had this idea, but I did not know how to do it. Now I know I didn't have the self confidence to do it. Now, with the last launch where I had so many sales the first time… I launched the first time and then I had so many sales, so I said, I can do it. I can do it again. The next time I will also increase sales. I'm sure about that.
Sigrun Gudjonsdottir:
I'm sure about that too. This is the secret recipe, people think I'm teaching launching and create online courses, but I'm giving people self confidence.
Alexandra Knauer:
Yeah, that's true. You are really great.
Sigrun Gudjonsdottir:
Now you understand the concept between selling and marketing online through this experience.
Alexandra Knauer:
Yes. It's a really a new world for me.
Sigrun Gudjonsdottir:
But in 10 weeks you figured out how it works by going through that process, by trusting the person.
Alexandra Knauer:
Yes. [inaudible 00:11:44] process. So, for me, this was no problem to trust because I even had no time to think about it, because there was no time left.
Sigrun Gudjonsdottir:
On purpose. With this amazing success, you're launching the program again. When is that happening?
Alexandra Knauer:
In the fall. I always have to give attention because I have too many ideas. I decided to launch again the same program in autumn and the next step should be maybe really to make a automated fasting cure program, but that's the next step. Then I have also other ideas that are waiting.
Sigrun Gudjonsdottir:
Yes. Ideas are not the problem. We tell our clients just to write them on a piece of paper, have a notebook or a folder in Evernote, because that's so important to keep focus. I'm happy to hear that you're launching the same program again, not too many changes, just more clients this time.
Alexandra Knauer:
I will do it also more simple, because last time I had two kinds of programs, fasting for 10 days or for 21 days. This time I decided to offer only three week fasting cure altogether. I'm thinking about doing any upsells afterwards, but I'm not sure. I have to see how many sales I will have here.
Sigrun Gudjonsdottir:
I like to hear that. One program, the same program as last time, more focused. Fabulous. Alexandra, you have made a lot of progress and I can only see bigger and brighter things for you coming as long as you keep focus.
Alexandra Knauer:
Yeah, I try to.
Sigrun Gudjonsdottir:
Thank you for sharing your story. I'm sure it has inspired someone out there that needed to hear exactly what you have to say.
Alexandra Knauer:
Thank you very much, Sigrun. Thank you really for all this, because all this business and this program changed my life really significantly. [inaudible 00:14:00]. It is really fantastic. I love it. I love it.
Sigrun Gudjonsdottir:
Thank you for sharing, Alexandra. Thank you so much.
Go to the show notes at sigrun.com/398, where you will find all the information about SOMBA Accelerator and all the links to Alexandra Knauer. Thank you for listening to the Sigrun Show. Did you enjoy this episode? Let me know that you listened by tagging me in your Instastory or Instagram post using my handle, sigruncom, and the #SigrunShow. See you in the next episode.