Entrepreneurs are always coming up with new ideas for their businesses – I’m pretty sure we’re just wired that way. The grass always seems to be greener on the other side of that new project, and it’s so easy to think, “Yes! This is it!” But take a deep breath – here’s what to do before you start throwing all your resources into the new new thing…
Janis Saffell
love it! thank you Jeff!
Jeff Gilman
Great point
How do you deliver to those first customers?
Katy Moses
Depends on your offer! What are you thinking?
Some ideas:
coaching: meet via Zoom, phone coaching, WhatsApp coaching, in-person (at a local cowork space, library, coach + hike…)
Small group offer: meet via Zoom, in-person (see above)
Many ways to grow from there, but these are sweet and simple!
Jesus
Make sense, make an offer and see if it sells first!!!
Thanks Jeff!!!
Jesse
My product is slightly different from your typical service.
I’m designing a boardgame. I recall you having had a board game designer in the past and he found success though your launch program.
I’d like to double down on your algorithm and truly make an impact in the industry.
Thanks for all you do Jeff Walker, I’d love to meet you one day and learn first hand the launch tactics.
Aaron
Hi Jesse, I just bought a board game through Kickstarter. The guy built a pretty decent following through there and over the course of about a year the development and printing is complete. Good platform to use the launch formula and help build your group
Massi Learn
Hey Jesse,
That is great, needless to say you could create a seed lunch and test your concept without giving it away. Ask yourself, ‘How would I do that?’ and the answer will present itself. Use one of the Launch system to test your concept.
Best of Luck
Frances Foster
Hi Jeff – this works with physical products also.
Beware thinking a product is your Hero in one country that it might be your slowest in another. We now dip our toe in the water by sending a very small amount of each product into a country and if it takes off we send more. Sometimes what started slow has suddenly for no apparent reason taken off so with physical products, send small, be ready for what takes off so you can drop another order in fast so they are not out of stock.
Hope this helps someone with physical products.
Frances Foster
Hi Jeff – this works with physical products also.
Beware thinking a product is your Hero in one country that it might be your slowest in another. We now dip our toe in the water by sending a very small amount of each product into a country and if it takes off we send more. Sometimes what started slow has suddenly for no apparent reason taken off so with physical products, send small, be ready for what takes off so you can drop another order in fast so they are not out of stock.
Hope this helps someone with physical products.
Reply
Tony Hilsden
I am a member of PLF… have a niche physical product that we have been working on to service I photographers and enthusiasts. Our credentials are sound and it’s easy to establish ourselves as “authorities ” in the related field.
We have not done what Jeff suggested, we have not gone to dollar 0ne, but have done our due diligence on the market, read the associated forums and FB groups, found out the issues that people are having and so on, so that we can quickly establish ourselves as the “go-to” supplier of the technology and product range.
That said, we are confident that there is a demand for this product and service and the market place is ripe with enthusiasts that are proven spenders and love their photography.
We did all this first because we were afraid that without establishing our authority, there would be a fair chance that someone would knock off the idea and we might be playing catch-up and not be leaders in the field.
We wanted to have all the “t’s” crossed and ‘i’s” dotted first.
Love to hear others’ views or opinions… Yes, Jeff even yours ha ha.
Frances Foster
Hi guys – we have a physical product which assists from the household up to Commercial/industrial to deal with their waste products environmentally without chemicals and poisons.
We did a lot of the due diligence stuff – particularly in the U.S. but even with all that the product predicted to grow our business faster is the one that sells the least and the two lowest on the scale are the ones doing the best sales – go figure.
Sometimes you just have to dip the toe gently in the water and see what works in that particular market for all your different products. Luckily we didn’t go all in with a single product launch, but did a sprinkle.
The surprising thing is that had we not done the sprinkle we may not have continued with the U.S. market and surprisingly the product which was so slow at the beginning is starting to catch up in numbers – you never know until you try and as Jeff says – you are never ready – just take some action and get it out there.
John N DE SOUZA
Dam right!… ¡GRACIAS!…
Hawazen AlFassi
Thank dear Jeff.. from the other side of the world – Saudi- and living in Bahrain.. receiving this, I think it’s a miracle.. am going to launch my course very soon.. thanx for ur supporting words.. love u
Marwan Nakhaleh
Thank you for the reminder Jeff!
Shirley Pordominsky
Reality check! Thank you
Mary
I did a seed launch for my first autism online course in 2015 and I would highly recommend it! I’m so thankful I found your book and videos in 2014. Thank you for always steering me in the right direction Jeff!
Judy Michaud
Great reminder. Thanks.
Christian Nwankwonta
Hi Jeff.
Great idea and right on time for I am about launching a product.
Laura J Butler
Thanks Jeff! I’m a classic example of analysis by paralysis so the advice to test out the ideas is very helpful. I’ve got plenty of them!
Fenneke
Hi Jeff,
Good advice! (I should take it and get going!)
Gv Freeman
Love this advice! I call it the “fastest path to cash” and created my first course (pfj.buzz) to help new tech startup founders do exactly what you’re talking about…all in 90 days and for less than $500.
Juliano
Awesome insight!
I really like it.
Maybe better than change de ideia if it’s not working we can simply improve the idea.
Sometimes a simple change can effect the whole result.
Steve
Thanks Jeff
I’ve been stuck for quite sometime waiting for perfection.
Just “start “ and see if there’s even a market is good advice. Particularly about the coaching aspect to see if this topic resonates with a market.
Rob T
This is great, actionable advice. Thanks, Jeff!
Mary
Thanks, Jeff!
Joanne Cotterill
Great advice for where I am right now and really needed. Thanks
Creg Effs
Thanks Jeff. Love the advice!
Merlina
Another timely reminder Jeff!
I’ve come up with this big idea that I do believe can work – but the risk is not just that it might not attract customers, but that it might attract more interest than I can handle, within a short timescale, as it’s tied in with both Christmas and the General Election that’s happening this coming Thursday here in the UK….and I’ve been held back by both technical issues and then a health issue. And so I’m now in this panicky ‘all or nothing’ mentality where I feel I have to either go all in or not start at all because I’ve ‘left it too late’
But you have reminded me about the ‘seed launch’ idea, and that it’s okay to do it on a small scale, I could even say this an idea I’m trying out and so will welcome and value people’s feedback, even if don’t make a purchase.
And your mantra of ‘just get to the first dollar’ is something I will keep remembering – or just get to the first pound, in my case….
Dr. Georgie, MS,ND
thanks. Really practical advice. Keeps me from just being “thinker, dreamer”. Actually, it not the waste of money and time that most important, but reminder, good way to get feedback for customers as to what is important and how much willing to pay.
Kojo Darko
This is insightful…thank you
Jose
Hola Jeff..Muchas gracias…
Eduardo Videla
I am exactly at this point. The big idea took two years to happen. I was getting ready for an amazing polishing process but with your tip I just threw it all through the window. Now I will keep the north of the Minimal Available Product. You have already hammered this advice several times in my mind, but now is the moment I most needed to hear it. If that doesn’t save my business, it will surely save my time whether the idea works or not. Thanks so much Jeff.
Michelle
I agree, this video is very timely. As always thank you so much Jeff, eternally grateful for your dedication.
Paula Kochanek
Ty Jeff!
Laura B
Jeff, I love this! The idea of minimum viable product really helps me. I was starting to worry about branding and creating a beautiful website and you reminded me to do a seed launch and get the first sales and go from there.
Thank you!
Douglas Aaring
Hey Jeff: This is great advice. I’m a about to do a launch using Click Funnel (plus previously purchased Todd Browns Six Figure Formula Funnel Product); we know what we are doing but don’t have polish product yet so I’m trusting this advice to just get it out their. I didn’t purchase the Product Launch Formula cause I thought we just weren’t ready, plus the dollars are pretty tight right now as we’ve been focus on our business acquisitions. Anyway I just wanted to comment because I think you’re approach and product is something we will want to soon embrace.
rhetah
Thank you… this inspired me to just move forward now, instead of getting all the info ready first. After just meeting with a friend, who I shared how much I love your PLF …. and told her what I plan to do …she shared about a client of hers … airline pilot who is now having to be caretaker for her ailing mother and the airline pilot is lost – overwhelmed and is not sure what to do. That is exactly my avatar! I can start having online live chats in Zoom and provide lists of things to do and ask for — and just begin!
Jerry P.
Sound, practical advice. Thanks, Jeff
Ron Broussard
WOW! this touched home because I created a product, did the launch, had 12 people sign up (free offer) and only one person is actually going through with it. It put me into a funk but now I am recharged because it worked and I need to tweak it, be consistent, and finish strong. Thanks for this invaluable advice Jeff!
Annouchka
What if you launch to check out, it doesn’t work. Then I am afraid that people will not come back when launching an other one or the same but better. How to avoid that your name will be burned forever?
Abdullahi Bello Umar
Always on point helping entrepreneurs and ‘wanderers’ get with the program and quit stalling.
We need to break that ‘jinx’ and just get out there!
Geoff De Weaver
Great advice and 100% agree with you Jeff! One day we will finally meet but, you’’ve been on my radar for decades! I started my Internet Marketing carry in San Francisco in 1999 but, launched a company on the NASDAQ year prior that too! Win the day. Geoff
JP
Thank you for the reminder.
I’ve been doing slowly building a business in talks to law firms, worth several hundred pounds a time (sometimes more than a thousand). It can be frustrating to wait for the next firm to line me up, and I get itchy, start thinking about working on another product/service.
This reminds me how grateful I am to have made the first, then the second and third sale, and so on. And to keep building on it.
Jesper Bram
Couldn’t agree more Jeff.
One thing I’ve learned on top of that is to avoid making too good a deal on your initial offer.
I’ve your idea is a $1000 product, charge a $1000. Or if you want to do an early bird deal. Charge 6-700 or something. But don’t charge $10 or $20 just to get people in the door.
Selling a $1000 dollar product for $10 is not valid test. It’s completely different people you are talking to.
Deanna Pike
Thanks so much Jeff..I have been working on this way too long! Tomorrow I’m going to bite the bullet and send my PLC #1 to my list of 500. Wish me luck!!
Anne
Great video Jeff, just make a loop on and send it out again and again and again…. This is the hardest lesson to learn.
Steve Grove
Realize idea one, dollar (currency unit) one presents itself. Idea one: fearlessly give away the best self you can imagine into the idea first and your first fungible currency unit, your first cash dollar inevitably results.
What a great teacher you are, Jeff.
Love ya, Steve
Wendy Piersall
Oh my goodness did I need to hear this today! My perfectionism is always strategizing on allllll of the work it will take to ‘correctly’ establish a new brand. I have an 11 year business that does well, but a new idea keeps tugging at my heartstrings. I couldn’t imagine launching and starting over without the tremendous amount of work it would take to get a new idea up and running. But this video has opened up a whole new path forward that is much easier than I could have dreamed before! Thank you!
Clark Cooper
Key advice, Jeff! Thank you!
Will this ad work? Test it! No? Next!
Will this offer work? Test it! No? Next!
Will this blog post topic get subscribers? Test it! No? Next!
Diana Liu-Morgan
That’s nice sound advice Jeff! Makes perfect sense. Thank you!! I wonder if we’re have less time on our hands to work on our side biz, would time be best spend on learning all the courses, then dive in or try to dive in and hope we can float? Knowing the courses probably would have more answers? Thx again Jeff!! And here’s to your continuous health, wealth, and prosperity!!
Tony Hilsden
Hey Jeff,
It is all very well posting some encouraging wisdom like the “getting to dollar one” and asking for comments, BUT people are asking questions as well as giving accolades, so how about a bit of interaction with your ‘tribe’?
Thanks in anticipation 🙂
Anna
Excellent points here, Jeff. So often budding entrepreneurs worry about the look of business cards, logo etc and then they don’t have any energy left to sell/acquire customers.
Tammy Magnuson
How did you know I have an idea every morning – LOL! Talk about knowing your audience!! Nice job and great info!! I’m on it.
Steve Replin
this is great advice and stops the “paralysis by analysis” syndrome!
Charles
Just what I needed to hear. I have been feeling like I needed it all set up before making the offer. I know what I need to do if it sells.