How to Sell Your Digital Products Online
|without Etsy|
Want to know a super easy way to sell digital products on your website and earn passive income??
You’ve got the business, you have the digital products, now what? Naturally, you look to see what everyone else is doing. Etsy, Shopify, Gumroad, Amazon….
All of these options are great - and I’m *really* not here to dissuade you from any of them if that’s what feels right to you! BUTTTT there is one major downside to these platforms. If *everyone* is using them, then it becomes a market. If it becomes a market, then it also becomes a search engine.
Which means…. it’s pretty dang easy for potential customers to price shop and browse other creators’ products… and potentially buy from someone else.
Listen, I know there are a lot of people making lots of money on Etsy. That’s amazing. Genuinely! But, come in close for a sec - my hot take just can’t be quiet about it. To be successful on Etsy, you’ve got to market OUTSIDE of Etsy, <or> be a fierce competitor with other Etsy sellers. If you’re going to market yourself anyway, why not take your leads to a place OTHER than a market with lots of other options for the same thing?? Just my 2 cents!
Now you’re probably wondering, ok then WHAT?! Well *sitting up straight and smoothing my shirt* I just so happen to know of another platform that won’t show competition to your customers that’s also SUPER easy to use…
🤔 Can I offer another platform that won’t show competition to your customers that’s also SUPER easy to use?
Dubsado. Yes, that’s right
Most people probably think Dubsado is for managing clients… and you’d be right. BUT their robust automations also make it the PERFECT platform for sending digital goods.
If you’re a service provider, then do this to add in some passive income with a robust platform you’re already using!!
How does this work?? In a nutshell, you’re going to add your items inside Dubsado, create the email that will deliver it, create the “checkout” page and automate it all with a super simple workflow.
WHO AM I??
IF I HAVEN’T MET YOU BEFORE, WELCOME! I’M MEGAN. I’VE BEEN A CERTIFIED DUBSADO SPECIALIST SINCE THEIR INAUGURAL COHORT. I make my living by helping entrepreneurs use Dubsado, and now I’m here to help you. Everything on these blog pages is the accumulation of experience with my clients and what I do in my own business.
Ready to do this? Let’s goooooo
Follow these steps, in order to create a seamless checkout for your digital products inside Dubsado. If any of these feels weird, just trust me! You’ll see the magic at the end.
|01| ADD THE ITEMS TO DUBSADO
The first thing you need to do when selling your digital products in Dubsado is to create the product listing and write the product description. Here is how to do that:
Go to: Templates > Packages > Add package to create a package for each “item” you are selling.
Add item name, description, quantity, price and tax rate. Save item.
|02| GET PAID
Now, set up a way for your clients to pay you. Inside Dubsado, you’re going to create a payment plan that will allow you to be paid in full at checkout. Here’s what to do:
Go to: Templates > Payment Plans > Create new template > Change the name to PIF or something else you’ll remember.
Click “add installment”
Click to set due date > Select “Relative” and “0 days after payment plan applied to invoice”
Amount due > Percentage > 100%
Add installment and voila!
|03| WRITE THE DELIVERY EMAIL
Here you will write the email that will send the goods.
Go to: Templates > Canned Emails > New Email.
Personalize this with smart fields for the client’s name, and add invoice details at the bottom to act as a receipt. Add a link to the attachment/deliverable!
If you have any sort of email sequence, go ahead and write emails for that too.
*Note: Make sure to save your work here - Dubsado will not remind you if you move to another screen!
|04| CREATE A WORKFLOW
Go to: Templates > Workflows > Add New
Select the payment plan you created in Step 2.
Add action > Send email > 0 days after invoice is paid in full > Select the delivery email you just wrote.
Repeat this action for each email you want to send, but with the trigger “__ days after all previous actions complete”
*Note: You don’t want to use the trigger “after workflow started” for the first step, because then the email will send as soon as the proposal is submitted, not after payment is received.
|05| CREATE A CHECK-OUT/PURCHASE PAGE (pssst: this is a public proposal!)
This is where the magic comes together.
Go to: Templates > Forms > Proposals and tap the +
The main goal here is add the packages/items you’re selling. To do this, tap the container button on the left. Select how many columns you want to add (how many options do you want side by side here? Press the plus buttons and click “Package”. Select the package from the drop-down, Do this for each item/option.
*Note: Make sure the content width and container width have a number in it - if it’s blank, it can make the formatting wonky when viewed as a guest!
Do this in the settings:
Include contract (if you have one)
Allow client to choose multiple packages - Yes
Include invoice (allows clients to pay immediately) - YES
Payment plan - Pay in full
Create a new project - Yes
Select the workflow you just created from the dropdown as the default workflow.
Fill out everything else to your preference!
|06| GO LIVE!
Go to the arrow on the left and copy the embed code to place in a block on your website, or the direct link if you share in the DM’s.
|07| CREATE AN ABANDONED CART SEQUENCE
For those who submit the proposal but don’t pay, you’ve got a chance to win them back. A good chance, actually! Most people don’t bother, but I’d say a 40% open rate is worth your time (SalesCycle). Click HERE to learn how to include an abandonded cart sequence.
From a clients point of view, their experience looks like this: They select the options they want on your website, press submit, they’re taken to the contract to sign (if needed), then the payment page (invoice), they pay and then check their email.
From your point of view, you’ll receive an email notifying you of a new customer/client when the proposal is submitted, when the contract is signed and when payment is made. The delivery email will automatically send when the invoice is complete.
*Note - if you don’t have a website, you can still do this! Simply share the link to your proposal directly in the DM’s or add it to wherever you do have your products or services listed. Ex: a link app like Mlkshke or a Service Guide made in Canva.
All done! Whew! It seems more complicated than it is, I promise! What questions do you have? Have you tried this?
If you want to explore Dubsado more, sign up for a free account and grab my free setup challenge!
Automate your digital product sales with Dubsado
Do you like a [free] challenge?
DIY your Dubsado in 5 steps 👇🏼👇🏼
1 | Settings & Client processes
2 | Packages & Discounts
3 | Forms
4 | Emails
5 | Schedulers
Here’s what else you’ll get:
🎥 Video tour
🛠 Order of operations - building sections in the wrong order can make things much harder!
💾 Instructions & homework for each step
👯♀️ Access to a Certified Dubsado Specialist (hi that’s me! 👋🏼)
Best for those who…. are pretty tech-savvy and need someone to grab them by the shoulders and point them in the right direction.
Investment : freeDid you know Dubsado is free for your first the 3 clients?
Use the code PARADISE for 30% off your first year or month when your trial is over!