In 20 years I’ve launchd a lot of brands, businesses, products and services. And in that time I’ve made A LOT of mistakes when it comes to launching. The intention of this article is to help you avoid these sam mistakes to provide you more clarity and direction in your own launches.
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Alternatively, you can listen to the podcast of this feature here.
MISTAKE #1: Did not build enough hype before launch
This happens often. We keep the idea and the progress in our minds the entire time until it is time to release it and sell it and meanwhile our audience is completely caught off guard when we make the announcement and have not yet been warmed up to the idea of purchasing from us. Imagine launching a podcast without ever teasing it out before hand. Your audience will be left thinking, I had no idea they were planning to do this. Instead, warm the audience up with a hype promotional period where you talk about what you are planning to do, pull back the curtain a bit and even get people to sign up for notifications when it does release (great for book launches).
MISTAKE #2: Relied on passive sales
This one can hurt. You think that a few posts or e-mails or the perfect funnel are all you need to crush it. And sadly we’ve been mislead to believe this is the case through so many false coaching claims. The truth is that sales is not a passive action. It requires that you engage and nurture your audience. Your sales and marketing should be intentional and never passive. Plan out what you expect to do and get to work on doing it.
MISTAKE #3: You hold onto the idea for too long.
Been there, done that. We hold onto the idea thinking we need to perfect it more. THERE IS NO PERFECT! The only thing that matters is getting your idea into the hands (and hearts) of your clients and allowing them to experience it. That experience will provide you the necessary feedback to improve your product or service. The longer you delay your launch, the longer your prevent your audience from taking advantage of your gifts.
MISTAKE #4: Rely too much on social media
Truth is, you do not own your social media following. The algorithm can change or you can lose your account. Also, we are not on social media to buy things. We want to see stuff that entertains, informs or inspires us. Social media should be used as a long lead tool, not as your exclusive sales tool. Have multiple channels from e-mail to text to human-to-human connection to push your launch.
MISTAKE #5: Promoting features not benefits
We do not buy features, we buy benefits and then we go back and justify our purchase by looking at the features. Sell the benefits. What is the change you are promising and why does it matter? What results are you delivering and why do we need those? Sell the benefits.
Speaking of launching (how is that for a segue), BIG NEWS! We have re-opened our Launch program! This 8 week masterclass gives you the proven path to profit by helping you take your idea and bring it to market in under 8 weeks. Sign up now and get a BONUS 1-1 COACHING session with James Patrick at www.CommitToLaunch.com
James Patrick
IG @jpatrickphoto
JamesPatrick.com
