The 3 Most Horrible Product Launch Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make and How You Can Avoid them!

Back in 2007 when I met Jeff Walker at his first ever PLF  (Product Launch Formula) event in Denver, Colorado, I was amazed at what he’d done to make money with his products by turning his selling of them into a value added, value laden, fun and entertaining  “event.”  He actually created a product about these launch events and called it “Product Launch Formula.”

I’ve been doing tons of product launches for my clients since then, and I’ve amassed a ton of information on how to be successful with your launches. I’ve also amassed just as much info on what not to do so your launches don’t turn into flops and failures.  So when I was trying to come up with a blog idea this week, the “aha” moment happened after I started working with several new clients this month on their product launches.  And one of the biggest questions I get all the time, is “what can I do to make my launch a tremendous success so I can avoid making costly mistakes?” (If you don’t know what a product launch is and want to know more, simply click here)

Here they are – the three biggest product launch mistakes entrepreneurs make and what you can do to avoid them:

1. Not having a hook and story for your launch that grabs people – This is really huge and this is one that MANY people flub up.  And of course, this is one of the things that does take more time than most people give it. If you want to have an incredibly successful launch, you can’t just throw it together. You have to brain storm with your team of people who are working with you on your launch to come up with an interesting story and hook to get them interested, intrigued and wanting to know more.  Some examples: when Jeff did his product launch 2.0 launch a few years back his hook was “food stamps to six figures.”  He highlighted one of his students who took PLF, saved his business AND turned it into a six figure business, using Jeff’s tactics.  So you need to create something that speaks to your audience, speaks to the problems they’re having and create a hook and a story for your whole launch.  (This is one of my favorite things I like to work on with my clients.)
2. Making your launch incredibly complicated – This is another thing that I’ve seen happen and blow up in people’s faces: making their launches WAY too complicated.  They have way too much content and it overwhelms people in the launch. You need to streamline your content. In a launch it’s all about giving away great content on a smaller scale so your prospects can see and get into what you’re about.  The danger is when you go overboard and give them too much information that they decide NOT to buy your product because they can’t even get through the information you gave them in your launch.  So less is always more.  Err on giving them the “what” – not the exactly “how” to do it.  You don’t need to give them 5 videos at 60 minutes each; they won’t watch it, trust me. Cut them down, give them 3 videos of 20 minutes each.  Or better yet, simplify even more and give them one video, one eReport and maybe a teleseminar. Mix it up, make it interesting. The more interesting the better.
   Make yourself stand out, don’t be boring!
3. Not Sending Enough Emails – This is another one that I hear a lot!  You don’t want to piss off your list and have them opt out because you’re sending too many emails. Well the way I look at it is it’s not the emails that they get tired of – it’s probably the messaging and information – or lack of it – that’s in there. Plus, I know it sounds weird, but I LOVE it when people opt out of my list. The reason is that these folks would never have bought from me anyway, so let’s make room for those that will.  I only want people who like me and see value in what I bring to the table on my list.  Let’s face it, I’m not naive enough to think that everyone will like me. It just won’t happen – and guess what, that’s ok!  So you’re not your client, send out more emails. Just follow these guidelines when you send them and I promise you won’t have a lot of people opt out.
   
4. Bonus – Not having a product Launch Plan and trying to do it all yourself! Ok, so this one we all can relate to.  The bottom line is when you’re doing a launch, you have to have a plan, or what I call a Product Launch Roadmap. You can’t fly a plane without controls or a map, so why try to do a product launch without one.  And then, why try to do it all yourself? There are many people out there who can help you from Product Launch Managers like me, to great technical web people, to great virtual assistants. Get some help on your launch and hire the best people to work with you so you can create an amazingly successful product launch!

Hopefully these mistakes are helpful and these will help put your next product launch on the road to major success.  Let me know if you have any questions, or how I can help you.

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