The Secret to Making More Sales

You’re in the cornfield and suddenly you hear it. . . nn“If you build it, they will come.” nnWorked great for Kevin Costner in Field of Dreams, right? So, why not for your next information product (or seminar, or workshop, or program, or . . .)? Ah, if only it were that simple. nnWay too often I hear colleagues and clients talking about how they created a terrific new product or program that they just knew was going to be really useful to their audience - and they didn’t sell nearly the number they’d anticipated. nnBut after a little investigating, I find out that they didn’t do any marketing until they had totally finished developing it. And their idea of promotion was 1 or 2 emails saying, “Here’s this brilliant thing. Please buy it.” nnWell, no wonder they didn’t make many sales. That’s not an effective marketing strategy! They didn’t give their “peeps” a chance to get in the mood to buy before giving up and deciding no one was interested. nnSee, Kevin did us a grave disservice by teaching us to put the cart before the horse. All too many independent entrepreneurs think that creating a fabulous product or service means it will “market itself.” Terrible mistake! nnYou’ve got an important message to share with your audience. So you want to do everything you can to make sure that message is received. And spending time during the development phase to also construct a marketing plan for whatever you’re creating is crucial to the success of your sales. Ad hoc isn’t going to get the results you want –or deserve- for all the effort you put into that product or program. nnJust like Rome (or a cornfield), a launch is not built in a day.nnMoney-making entrepreneurs understand that there’s a specific sequence of activities that goes into a successful promotional launch. Those with disappointing sales think the sequence is: Create, then Sell. nnBut you’ll make the most sales (and by the way, positively reinforce your relationship with your audience) when you follow this sequence: Introduce, Educate, Motivate, Offer. nnThere are other aspects involved in high volume sales, like nn• Having an irresistible offer n• Weaving in an interesting storyline n• Adding valuable bonuses n• Creating a sense of urgencynnAnd there are some “foundation” elements that contribute as well, like the size of your list, how responsive they are, how often you’ve been communicating with them, how much stand-alone value those communications offer. nnThe bottom line for you is this: A profitable launch requires a plan and some follow through; it’s not something to throw together last minute. The benefits –in the form of increased exposure, stronger connection with your audience and, most especially, dramatically higher sales- are absolutely worth it.