Oh, the agony of defeat! We’ve all been there…
The virtual world was alive and buzzing.
Every Tom, Dick, and Harriet boasting about raking in their first big sale. Yet, at the same time, I poured myself another cup of bitter disappointment tea.
Why, you ask?
Because I’d been busy. Oh boy, had I been busy! I’d shot more videos than Spielberg, crafted graphics worthy of a modern Van Gogh, and engineered a sales page with the precision of a Swiss watchmaker. All while juggling the intricacies of a paid Facebook group challenge with the flair of a circus performer.
I was like a star student, diligently churning through my assignments and performing my webinar rehearsal with an intensity that would make Broadway stars jealous.
And then… I launched!
But to whom, you might ask? To the crickets, my friend, to the crickets. Now, don’t get me wrong. I love a good serenade from these lyrical bugs, but the frustrating truth is they don’t pay their bills.
This disaster of a launch was my first foray into the world of digital products, and boy, did it leave a sour taste. I felt like the dunce of the Facebook group, having detailed my every move only to watch it implode like a soggy souffle.
I found myself questioning the universal laws of online entrepreneurship. Was there even a crumb of space left for another done-for-you design product in this oversaturated virtual marketplace?
The burning question was: “Where did my master plan derail?“
Before throwing in the towel and considering a career as a hermit, I decided to channel my inner Sherlock Holmes. My first launch was a flop, but like a slapstick comedian, I learned a thing or four from my pratfall. So allow me to share these nuggets of wisdom with you.
Lesson One: Less is more.
Instead of crafting a full-blown course right off the bat, why not start small? Offer a tantalizing taste of your genius rather than a full banquet that might overwhelm your audience. Remember, trust isn’t built overnight, and people might hesitate to fork over their cash for a more substantial purchase if they’re meeting you for the first time. So win them over with a stackable offer first.
Lesson Two: Tease before you please.
I skipped the ‘meet and greet’ phase and jumped straight into the ‘buy my stuff’ part.
Make sure to avoid the same mistake.
Take your time to seduce your audience; let them see you’re the bee’s knees, the cat’s pajamas, the expert they didn’t know they needed.
Ensure they even realize they have a problem that needs solving – before trying to sell them a solution.
If they don’t see the issue, no amount of fancy footwork will persuade them to buy your product.
Lesson Three: Be specific or be ignored.
My sales page was the equivalent of throwing a wide net, hoping to catch any willing buyer. Unfortunately, this was about as effective as throwing spaghetti at the wall.
Know who you’re selling to and what level of awareness of their problem or the solution they possess. Then, craft your sales copy to address that specific audience’s problem, offering them a specific solution. Simple.
Lesson Four: Time for a funnel intervention.
After my first launch was about as successful as a lead balloon, I was this close to saying, “Never again.” But in the middle of my pity party, a thought hit me – instead of feeling sorry for myself, I could be fixing what went wrong.
So I rolled up my sleeves and got to work. Like a pro, I looked at every stage of my funnel to find where my audience needed clarification.
If your funnel isn’t working as you want it to, then you’ve got to do the same.
I had a decent size email list of people – 1200 people – who were interested in what I was doing, and I completely failed to make the most of it. I didn’t ask them what they thought of my offer or if there was anything else they wanted from me. I should have used my resources to determine why my offer didn’t take off.
So here’s a tip for you: Be bold and ask yourself the hard questions.
- Was my offer actually any good?
- Did I need to change up the bonuses I was offering?
- Was my pricing off?
- Did my headline grab their attention?
- Did I do an excellent job addressing potential objections on my sales page?
Looking back now, the answer to all those questions was right there in front of me. My offer was good, but I pitched it to the wrong crowd. My pricing was too low, making people suspicious. And the solution I was offering needed to be much more specific.
So, what about you? Are you sitting on a great idea for a digital product, but something’s holding you back? Let’s talk it through.
