I understand the power (and profitability) of a wham-bam-thank-ya-ma’am launch. But in my own business, the approach tends to be more incremental. The launch process is less orchestrated than improvised.
Just like a jazz musician has a set of chords and rhythm section to create a melody over, I have a message, a set of skills to teach, and a process for making an impact. The actual beautiful music of the launch happens when I listen closely to what’s happening around me and adjust on the fly. A blue note here, a change in rhythm there.
And, often in improvisation, “less is more.”
The key with any launch – but especially an incremental launch – is not to hit your audience over the head with spectacle & showmanship. You’ll earn many wows but few dollars. Your potential customers should not say, “Wow! That’s fascinating. Never thought of that way before. …Now what do I do with this?”
Instead, you want to leave them saying, “Ooh! Gimme more!”
It’s actually about editing. Your tendency is to over deliver. You want to wow your audience with the depth & breadth of your knowledge. You want to prove that you have something of value to offer. Who are you really proving it to?
So you pile it on.
And your audience is truly wowed. Blown away, even.
But then what do they do? You’ve given them ideas, but no action. You’ve given them perspective, but no results.
The goal of your launch is to not to prove that you have the goods but to demonstrate that you deliver results. The easiest way to deliver results is to pick one tiny lesson that teaches your audience something that is immediately applicable. They take that lesson, apply it to their own world/work/life, and can see the results right away.
Their results become your sales process.
Results are like sweet potato tortilla chips: you can never have just one.
Your customers are going to want more. And they’ll know where to find ’em.
If you can create one result, one distinct step forward, for your potential customers, you’ve crossed a psychological boundary. Saying “no” to your offer now feels like a loss, not an equal choice. They’ve already claimed one small outcome. To say “no” to your offer, they’re denying themselves more outcomes.
Here’s the simplest launch checklist you’ll ever find:
1) Choose a single experience that allows you to deliver a clear result.
2) Edit that experience so that your customers can apply it to their world/work/life immediately.
3) Offer that experience for free through a tutorial, ebook, teleclass, or live demonstration.
4) Explain the results your customers can expect.
5) Ask them to report back with their own results and create a system for them to do so.
6) Make your offer.
As your offer & launch evolve, you can repeat this process over & over gain. That’s why it’s an incremental launch. You can offer up many different pieces of the puzzle – each with their own distinct results – without giving away the whole picture.
That makes launching a learning process for both you & your customers. And that’s always a good bet.
