The Start of the Product Launch Journey
Hard work is not fatal. It’s uncomfortable.
— Dave Navarro, The Launch Coach
I am on the path to launch a product in the next 30 days. (I’m going to put that in print so that I can hold myself to it!) I feel like I have experienced some serious highs and lows in just a few short days, and I wanted to take a moment to share them here in case anyone is also looking to launch a product in 2011.
The Name Game, or How I Had to Rethink Everything
The idea for this product began when I read a post by an author/blogger who I really respect. In a strange turn of events, I contacted him and found out that he is releasing a book with the exact same title that I was going to give my product! Not wanting to get mixed up in the marketing for his narrative book with my how-to info product, I had to rethink the positioning on the product and I came up with another name that I think is much more clear. Overall, I was proud of myself for weathering the high of him responding with the low of having to change my idea without a crack in my determination. I feel like I have tapped into an entirely new me, finding this person who is able to take small lemons and turn them into a $5 cup of lemonade.
Failures aren’t losses. They’re investments.
— Dave Navarro, The Launch Coach
Fast or Slow?
I had planned on taking my time and slowly putting together a comprehensive product until I read the workbooks from The Launch Coach. He is right — I don’t need the be-all, end-all guide, I need the quickstart mini-product guide that addresses a simple need and gets my name out there. I can always release other products and programs to supplement and augment the information that I have, and a faster release means that I can use my first product to either learn from the failure or build up on the success.
Test fast, fail fast, adjust fast.
— Tom Peters
Planning and Not Planning
I redo my sites in a day. I spend months knowing what is wrong with them, working in my business and refining my message, and then I shoot through the whole thing straight from my head in a day. Why not make a product like that? I had planned on taking it slow, but now I am just planning on mulling over the ideas to clarify them for a few weeks before rapidly creating the product from my own bank of knowledge. I can talk someone through the material on the fly, over the phone — why can’t I create an information product the same way? The only reason to drag it on for longer than that is to give me ample time for self-doubt, which I refuse to do.
Fear is self-centered. It is selfish to withhold your solution from the people who need it.
— Dave Navarro, The Launch Coach
Faith
Faith is sort of a new concept for me this year, the idea that I should just do what I will do and the rest will work itself out. So I am going to release my product on faith that people will come, and people will find me. If they do, then great. If they don’t, I will retool it for next time. I’m just not going to worry about the followers I don’t have, the connections I don’t have, or whatever else keeps stopping me from creating a product. I am just going to use my knowledge to create something good, and I will have faith that the rest will be taken care of in due time. My product is not a limited-time offer, or limited-use offer, so I can just relax and see what happens.
It’s easy to have faith in yourself and have discipline when you’re a winner, when you’re number one. What you’ve got to have is faith and discipline when you’re not yet a winner.
— Vince Lombardi
P.S. If you are interested in launching your own product in 2011, I highly recommend the free PDF downloads at The Launch Coach Library, as well as signing up for Dave Navarro’s mailing list.