Is your new Product Worthwhile? Find your fanbase before outreach

[Greg Jacobs]

(sometimes people forget this)

one of the many important aspects of a successful product launch has to do with creating a real "winning" product. Not winning in the hype or the sales process (though this is just as crucial) . But actually a winner in terms of its usefulness and value for people.

Taking on a theme by Kevin Kelly and his 1000 true fans rant
http://www.kk.org/thetechnium/archives/2008/03/1000_true_fans.php

I would say that for our industry, before you even think to go to pre-launch - first go and find 10... yeah just 10 true fans. Recruit from wherever you can, give them the product for free, hold their hand and walk em though until they see the value as you see it. These people can't be related to you :) and should really be previously impartial and have a need.

The bottom line is if you can't get 10 people to love your product , by giving it to them for free and walking them through it, then how can you expect to have a useful and successful (honest) product once you are putting out there for sale and without the hand-holding?

The first 10 may not bite, but keep recruiting until you get 10 that live and swear by your product. Once you are at this point, then you have positioned yourself well to move into pre-launch phase. (and this serves the dual purpose of giving you very powerful and honest case studies to use in your sales process)

[Rob Toth]

Dead on! great points.

I come across clients who get very passionate about "their baby", invest good money into all the aspects: graphics, video, copy, etc ... and their passion builds this belief that everyone will want it.

Meanwhile, just a bit of market research would quickly demonstrate that, no, the majority of the market is not interested in or ready for such a product.

Software publishers are notorious for this. They create the new revolutionary software with 1000 bells and whistles and think everyone will want it. Trouble is, the too many functions (the sheer power of it) is what scares prospects away and so the sales never come.

Or a me-too ebook clone that's already over-saturated. The publisher hears of the successes (or doctored up successes) of some related info products and assumes theirs too will take off like a rocket... they ignore the "distribution channel" (ie: the marketing, the affiliate base, the biult in client base, the hungry subscriber base, the established brand and fan base) that the other publishers had. So when their own product flops, they're surprised.

And of course there are those who have a powerful promotion, sell a healthy chunk of change worth of products but it turns out it doesn't work as well as hyped or simply isn't seen as valuable by the customers.

I know of one marketer who did a low-five figures in sales for one offer... that ended up seeing roughly 75% refund rate! That's massive (and very damaging)! The system simply confused most and didn't work for others.

So yes... great point Greg... focus on developing a QUALITY product not just a well polished sales system.

[Greg Jacobs]

I know from cold hard experience (we all had to start somewhere)
that dreams can completely cloud the fact whether a product is actually useful or viable

most people actually start off with products and the unconscious notion that actually making and launching the product is so new and exciting that really deep down they dont even care if it succeeds or not. they just want to "make the product"

However the successful marketer will first look at whether it is viable, having been around the block and got over the 'novelty' of making a product. Now they prefer to only make a "successful" product

My team does sometimes team up with people with nice products to help bring em to market, and the funny thing is, that by talking to someone for 5 minutes, I can about 99% tell if they will have a success or not. (assuming our marketing magic intervention)

there are certain things to look for that include
- Do they want financial success? This seems like an easy one, but is not so cut and dry. The reality is most people don't WANT success. They want to try and learn and be comfortable in failing. We dont want people that say "at least I learned alot in the process"
- Are they trying to create "meaning" or would they prefer financial success. Again about 90% of new product creators out of the blocks are more interested (they dont know this) in creating "meaning" with their product, than doing the things necessary to have a strong financial payout.
-Is this product useful, original and can be positioned correctly? Yeah - seems like the first question someone should ask. But most creators don't even want to know the answers for this and just prefer to run blind.

There are infinite more things, but these are good places to start. However that being all said, I got to where I am by failing at all of the above points and learning what works then after the fact, so perhaps there is something to be said for the Prime Directive (for all you trekkies out there) or leaving people to their own karma and learning curve. . . .

[Mike Carraway]

EXACLTY!

Talked to a guy on another forum yesterday and he had just finished a 700 page eBook on how to build upright basses.

He was wanting to know how to market it.

I had no clue - where do you find a hungry market of people who have a burning desire to build their own upright bass?

Obviously he was passionate about the topic and very proud of his product - but the fact is - I can't imagine it selling in any quantity.

[owbg]

Thanks for your tips.

I am going to use this approach in my coming launch. Offering free for those wish to promote my product with a list. Even offer to JV partner free to use for their members if it is a complimentary product. Share more margin with your JV partners on commission you will ultimately win because you can get more JV partners on board to promote.

I will consider also upsell 1 low, 1 mid and 1 limited high ticket items which are compliment or popular products/membership/seminar as my back end sales.

[Rob Toth]

>> 700 page eBook

WHAT!?

That is a membership site ... with at least 7 months (100 pages per month) worth of content. But a book??

How do you even pitch that...

"In my 700 Page Book, You'll Discover"...

No I won't! Because I'll never read it.

700 pages!?

If I was his friend and saw him in person, I'd literally slap him. And I think eventually he'd thank me for that slap.