Como Fazer Produtos

Turn Your Ideas Into Products
That Make You Money
PAM HENDRICKSON
& MIKE KOENIGS
2nd Edition
Turn Your Ideas Into Products

That Make You Money
PAM HENDRICKSON
& MIKE KOENIGS
2nd Edition
www.MakeMarketLaunch.com
Pam Hendrickson & Mike Koenigs

2013-2015 Product Solutions Group, LLC. All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-9888663-0-0 (paperback)
ISBN: 978-0-9888663-1-7 (epub)
Published by:
Product Solutions Group, LLC.
3830 Valley Centre Drive, #705-314
San Diego, CA 92130
866-654-6534 or 858-720-8720
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International
and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is
prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or
retrieval system without express written permission from the author / publisher.
Disclaimer: No portion of this material is intended to offer legal, medical, personal or financial
advice. Weve taken every effort to ensure we accurately represent these strategies and their
potential to help you grow your business. However, we do not purport this as a get rich
scheme and there is no guarantee that you will earn any money using the content, strategies or
techniques displayed here. Nothing in this presentation is a promise or guarantee of earnings.
The content, case studies and examples shared in this book do not in any way represent the
average or typical member experience. In fact, as with any product or service, we know that
some members purchase our systems and never use them, and therefore get no results from their
membership whatsoever. Therefore, the member case studies we are sharing can neither represent
nor guarantee the current or future experience of other past, current or future members. Rather,
these member case studies represent what is possible with our system. Each of these unique
case studies, and any and all results reported in these case studies by individual members, are
the culmination of numerous variable, many of which we cannot control, including pricing,
target market conditions, product/service quality, offer, customer service, personal initiative, and
countless other tangible and intangible factors. Your level of success in attaining similar results
is dependent upon a number of factors including your skill, knowledge, ability, connections,
dedication, business savvy, business focus, business goals, and financial situation. Because these
factors differ according to individuals, we cannot guarantee your success, income level, or ability
to earn revenue. You alone are responsible for your actions and results in life and business, and by
your use of these materials, you agree not to attempt to hold us liable for any of your decisions,
actions or results, at any time, under any circumstance. The information contained herein cannot
replace or substitute for the services of trained professionals in any field, including, but not
limited to, financial or legal matters. Under no circumstances, including but not limited to
negligence, will Pam Hendrickson, Mike Koenigs, Product Solutions Group, LLC. or any of its
representatives or contractors be liable for any special or consequential damages that result from
the use of, or the inability to use, the materials, information, or success strategies communicated
through these materials, or any services following these materials, even if advised of the possibility
of such damages.
Dedication
To anyone who has ever had a dream to
make the world a better place through your
unique knowledge, wisdom and experience.
May this book provide the pathway for
you to turn your passion into reality and in
the process create the income, impact and
legacy you desire.
The best use of life is to spend it

for something that will outlast it.
William James
Make, Market, Launch IT
Table of Contents
A Note from the Authors................................................................. 7
Introduction................................................................................. 13
Step 1: MindsetShift IT............................................................. 29
1. Access Your Super Powers............................................................31
2. The 3 Core Elements to Turn Your Ideas Into Products...............35
3. Your Product Funnel: The Power of Escalation............................39
4. Product Formats: Packaging Your Products for Success................43
5. Instant Product Titles..................................................................49
Step 2: TargetAttract IT............................................................. 55
1. The 3 Pillars of Product Creation: Market, Message, Media.........58
2. The Power of Avatars: The Key to Customer Empathy.................62
3. Your Brand Message & Story.......................................................65
4. Market Discovery Tools...............................................................67
Step 3: OfferPresent IT............................................................. 75
1. Create an Irresistible Offer..........................................................76
2. Design the 7 Elements of Your Irresisitible Product or Service.....78
3. The Psychology & Structure of a Perfect Offer............................84
4. Presenting Your Offer to Your Customers....................................88
Step 4: LeverageOutsource IT................................................... 95
1. 5-Step Guide to Outsourcing....................................................100
2. Project Planning Essentials........................................................106
3. Productivity Tips: How to Get More Done in Less Time...........110
Step 5: CreateBuild IT............................................................ 117
1. Product Creation 101: What You Need to Know......................118
2. Production: Getting Your Product to Market............................128
3. Structure & Story: The Two Pillars of Premium Content...........133
4. Setting Your Final Foundation...................................................140
Step 6: MonetizeSell IT........................................................... 145
1. 9 Ways to Make Money With Your Product or Service..............146
2. Copywriting Secrets..................................................................162
3. Traffic Strategies to Build Your Email Marketing List................166
4. Three Components of Long-Term Sales Success........................171
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Step 7: GrowSustain IT........................................................... 177
1. How to Build Your Business Strategically for Sale......................177
2. Success Systems: How to Ensure Your Business Doesnt
Take Over Your Life.................................................................181
3. The Power of Partnerships.........................................................191
4. The Long-Term Entrepreneur....................................................194
Closing: One Final Gift to Change Your Life.............................. 201
Appendix: Tools & Tech Guide................................................... 203
A Note from the Authors

I grew up back East in a small town in western
New York: Corning, NY. My dad was a process
engineer for Corning, Inc.a Fortune 500
companyfor 40 years. My mom was a church
organist and piano teacher who wrote 25 books
(her seminal book on teaching Suzuki piano is
still THE go-to book for teachers) and traveled
around the world speaking to teachers and
parents about empowering their kids.
Both my mom and my dad worked hard to support me, build my
confidence and give me an amazing education. They sent me to Brown
University, where I graduated magna cum laude with a degree in
psychology. My plan was to use my degree and my background to help
others in the same way as my mom had. Im big on planningin fact,
its one of the things that had helped me get into Brown and do well in
school. But you know what they say about making God laugh by telling
him your plans for your life.
Instead of becoming a teacher or psychologist or going to grad school,
shortly after graduation I ended up in California, where I got a job
as a receptionist at the Anthony Robbins organization. In only a few
years I worked my way up to become the VP of Content & Product
Development, working directly with Tony himself. Those almost 18 years
gave me an incredible opportunity to be in on the ground floor for the
creation of literally hundreds of training products, coaching programs,
live events, supplement lines, softwareyou name it. Im still proud of
how well those products have done, both in terms of revenue and impact.
I loved my work, but things changed in 2009, when my mom passed
away. If youve lost someone you care about deeply, you know how
that experience can make you re-evaluate your outlook and priorities.
I realized that because of the intense schedule my job required, I was
missing out on precious time with my husband and our two little boys.
I also felt drawn to continue my moms legacy in a more personal and
meaningful way.
7

So I started to wonder: What would happen if I could take everything I
had learned from my mom, my education and my time at the Robbins
organization, and used it to help others create products and services that
made a real difference in the world?
In the mid-2000s I had met Mike, who had built several successful
Internet businesses, and I asked him to come in and consult with Tony
about online marketing. I had been impressed by Mikes unique ideas
about using video and technology to reach new customers and automate
distribution of products in a compelling way. I also admired him for the
way his success was based on the tangible results he was able to produce
for himself and others.
Mikes exampleand the examples of many of the other top Internet
marketers that I met around that timemade me think that yes, starting
my own business was possible. After all, I had a ton of product creation
experience under my belt, I worked on infomercials, I knew top people
in many different industries. It should be great, right? So I opened
my own consulting and product creation company. I thought that the
TONS of positioning, status, know-how, contacts and relationships I
possessed would translate into immediate results.
Well, I quickly learned that great positioning can help get you off the
ground, but its not going to deliver the goods by itself. And it doesnt
automatically translate into money, business or lifestyle success. My first
year in business I ended up LOSING $1,542. How could that happen?
Simple. My business had exactly one product, a single training program
that sold for $297, and I marketed it exactly once over the course of the
entire year.
What was missing was a product strategyone that connected my
positioning with products and services that could actually sustain me
and grow my business.
With Mikes coaching and support, as well as some great input from
other colleagues, I revamped my business and started to build a suite of
integrated products and services at various price points. I drilled down on
market research to determine exactly who were my ideal customers were,
8

how I could best help them solve their problems, and what information
would I need to include to make my products highly effective for my
customers.
In 2011 Mike and I launched a product specifically designed for
entrepreneurs who had great ideas but needed a strategy and system to
turn those ideas into a sustainable business. That was the first version
of Make Market Launch IT. And Im proud to report that hundreds
of entrepreneurs used that product to build great businesses and to
maximize their impact in the world.
But one of the biggest lessons I learned from Tony Robbins was the
concept of CANIConstant and Never-ending Improvement. And
Mikes just as committed to ongoing reinvention based upon the results
our customers want. So in the years since the launch of Make Market
Launch IT, we have changed, revised, edited, and made the entire system
better and easier to follow.
You hold in your hands, the newest edition of Make Market Launch
ITas the old Six-Million-Dollar Man TV slogan said, Bwtter,
stronger, faster than before.
One thing hasnt changed, however, and thats my mission: To help
people create the freedom, the lifestyle, the impact, the income and the
joy theyre really looking for not only in their businesses, but in their
lives. And I believe that making, marketing and launching products of
your own is the fastest way to do must that. If you apply the principles
contained in this book, you too can achieve economic freedom while
you create something meaningful that allows you to share your unique
knowledge and experience with the world.
I cant wait to hear the story of your success!
Pam

When I was five years old, my dad gave me a real
jigsaw and full access to the shop in the
basement that had lots of tools in it. My dad
could fix just about anything and had a knack for
figuring out how things work.
He passed that gift on to meand as long as
I can remember, Ive been taking things apart,
figuring out how they work and if time permitted,
putting them back together!
I grew up in a lower middle-class environmentdad was (and still is!) a
barber and with four kids, there werent a lot of extras to go around.
We grew up eating out of the garden and I made a lot of my own toys out
of rubber bands, paper clips, string and blocks of wood.
I learned how to program computers when I was 14 and became
a serial entrepreneur by 18mostly consulting, teaching people how
to use and set up their computers and writing software for small
business owners.
As long as I can remember, Ive loved the idea of personal development
and the personal growth business. As a kid, I devoured biographies
about people who overcame incredible odds to achieve great things.
I was introduced to the world of personal development after going
through a painful divorce. I was broke, overweight, felt like a horrible
failure and spiritually empty. Thats when I discovered and started reading
Deepak Chopra, Wayne Dyer and Tony Robbins books and listening to
their audio cassettes.
During that painful time, my business was failing, I was nearly $250,000
in debt, paying my credit card bills with credit card checks and buying
food on gas cards. With all my knowledge, know-how, creativity and
entrepreneurial skills, why couldnt I succeed?
I was saved by a conversation with a good friend who suggested I go to a
Tony Robbins event. My ticket was secured by a brand-new credit card a
foolish company sent to me. Days later, I was on the phone with a Tony
10

Robbins sales representative named Chris Hendrickson who signed me
up for Life Mastery.
Armed with a dream, a lot of pain and a desire to get my life in order,
I found myself in a room filled with adults jumping up and down,
screaming and hugging each other. To say I felt weird and out of place
was an understatement. In Eagle Lake, Minnesota where Im from, guys
didnt hug guys!
But after a couple of days of watching, I decided to start smiling, jumping
up and down and hugging guys because I had a breakthrough. Ninety
days after leaving that live event, I turned most of my life around and less
than a year later, my previously failing company was being purchased by
a billion-dollar advertising agency.
Over the course of the next couple years, I studied online direct
response marketing and started creating products, audio programs,
video training and web sites for authors, experts, speakers, coaches
and consultants.
And in 2004, I became the star and launched my own products online
and started several online companies that earned millions of dollars over
the next few years.
During this time, I had moved to San Diego (home of Tony Robbins),
connected with my Tony Robbins sales rep, Chris Hendrickson, met his
beautiful, kind and brilliant wife, Pam and we became fast friends (along
with my wife, Vivian).
For years, Pam was Tonys Product Development Specialistwhich
meant if a product came out of that organization, Pam had her hand
in helping make it. Pam eventually introduced me to Tony and I
helped him and his company with a variety of online, video marketing,
product creation and have even had the fortune of speaking at his
live events.
I felt Tonys work saved my life. Now it was my turn to help him.
11

A few years ago, I suggested that Pam, Chris and I start a business, combine
our skills and products devoted to teaching small business owners,
entrepreneurs, authors, experts, speakers, consultants and coaches how
to make their own product and start self-sustaining, successful businesses
of their own.
That was the start of Make, Market, Launch ITand using the same
skills weve spent over 40 years combined honing, we launched a business
that earned over a million dollars in our first year.
This book and the product represent our experience and knowledge
and an opportunity to do the same for yourself, no matter what your
knowledge, background or expertise is. No matter where in the world
you live.
You can turn your knowledge into products that will change and improve
lives and businesses and make you wealthy in the process.
If you have an idea or think you could have an idea that can be turned
into a product, youve found the right book, the right resources and the
right people to help you on your journey.
Welcome to Make, Market, Launch IT!
Mike
12
Introduction
Knowledge is great. Competence is great. But the combination of both

encourages people to trust you and increases your powers of enchantment.
And in this world, the combination is a breath of fresh air.
Guy Kawasaki, Enchantment
We believe youre reading this book because you have a burning desire
to contribute, make a difference, have massive impact and help people.
Youre an entrepreneur, small business owner, maybe a service professional
like a doctor, attorney, consultant, author, expert, speaker, coach or
creative type Maybe youre in transition: recently retired, left your job
or in the process of reinventing yourself.
Whoever you are, youre great at something. Youre an expert. Youve
probably spent 10+ years in your field, honing your knowledge and skills.
Youve assembled an incredible wealth of knowledge from varied sources,
including your education, your research and your experience in the field,
all hard-earned. Or maybe youve spent fewer years but still you have
knowledge that you believe will have value to others.
13

Regardless of your background, you know that you have something to
share: a unique perspective, a take on how the world works. But you
arent having the impact or earning what you would like from your ideas
or knowledge.
You figure that by creating a product and selling it online you can help
a lot of people and make a profit at the same time. But you dont have a
clue as to what product creation is all about or how to get started.
Youre in luck because there has never been a better time to sell your
ideas or products. The rise of the Internet has created a singularly unique
opportunity for anyone with a laptop or smartphone to have a voice, one
with the potential to be heard around the world. With the click of a button
you can reach over 2.8 billion people in every country and continent.
Those people are hungry for information and knowledgeperhaps
your information and knowledge. And they are willing to pay to access
it online.
Sales of information via the Internet are expanding dramatically. In the
last five years alone, the digital information product market has more
than doubled. Every day almost $2.5 billion in products are being sold
over the Internet.
Here are just a few examples of how much is being spent in different
categories of online products:
$33 billion in corporate training and e-learning industry
$27.94 billion in the ebook and book publishing industry
$10.5 billion in the personal growth market
$17 billion in the mobile app market
$1.2 billion in the coaching market
To give you a little different perspective on the size and dynamism of
the online world, during the time it took you to read just one page of
this book
$7,206,000 was spent on online training, products, apps, and
downloads worldwide
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144,000 apps were downloaded and $46,053 was spent to purchase
apps through Apples App Store
$13,698 was spent on personal coaching
Amazon earned over $250,000
Over $170,000 of book and eBook were sold in the US alone
YouTube users uploaded 216,000 hours of video
The people you want to reach are online, waiting for your information.
The opportunity is there for you to monetize your knowledge and
expertise by creating and marketing a product. In fact
Its now faster, easier, and more profitable to make, market

and launch your product than ever before.
Why create products? As a businessperson, having your own products

is the fastest way to get seen heard, read, found on any device anywhere
anytime and build your brand while you sleep. With your own products,
you can
Scale your revenue and impactearn more money and make a
difference to more people.
Leverage your time and stop trading your time for money.
Create passive, ongoing incomemake money while you sleep.
Generate income and a business that is not dependent on you.
Connect to new people in new ways.
Maintain a competitive advantage in your industry.
Work together with others in your industry to move the industry
forward.
Create and support your desired lifestyle.
Contribute and make a difference in the lives of others.
15

Its time for you to make the most of this opportunity by creating a
product out of your expertise and building a real business around it,
one that provides you a consistent, healthy source of revenue. Its about
combining all the things that make you special and uniqueyour
special sauceand packaging them into products and services that truly
represent the core value youre here to give.
In this book you will discover
How to take ideas that are in your head and turn them into digital
or physical products.
How to discover the audience and calculate the demand for your
products.
How to sell those products or services online and turn your ideas
into on-demand-revenue immediately.
How to create a suite of products and services that will delight your
customers and keep them coming back for more.
How to build a successful business that leverages your time and
expertise to provide a great income and lifestyle.
Before we go into the details of how you can create and market your own
products, there are four key factors youll need for success.
#1. You must become an entrepreneur, not just an expert.

Experts are a dime a dozenand unless they work at monetizing their
expertise, thats likely about all theyre going to be paid for what they
know. So instead of being an expert who creates products, your goal is to
be an entrepreneur who creates products.
An entrepreneur is someone who organizes and operates a business or
businesses. By design, youre setting up a system to sell products and services
that dont require you to be there 100% of the time. Entrepreneurship
comes with greater than normal financial risks, but its the only way to
create something that truly belongs to you, that has value beyond your
salary or the businesss assets. When youre an entrepreneur, you are
building freedom for yourself and your family.
16

Entrepreneurs.
are willing to take risks and embrace uncertainty.
are business-focused they make bottom-line decisions based
upon the potential of an idea to make a profit.
have the passion to do whatever it takes and be willing to let things
be messy in the process to get a result.
constantly develop new ideas and improve processes.
are willing to ask for the sale: they constantly promote their business
and how it benefits the customer.
are willing to fail, persevere and move on. Most important, they
dont take failure personally.
constantly seek out and learn from other people that have skills
they dont.
create a strong network of people in their field who can help in a
synergistic relationship.
are invested in the success of their customers, so much so that they
highlight and promote their customers success.
The good news is that these are all learnable skills that anyone can attain.
You just need a blueprint. Once you have that, you can make the rest
happen. And this book will provide you with the blueprint to become a
successful product creation entrepreneur.
#2. You must treat this as a business.

One of the first lessons you must learn as a product creator is that your
business isnt youits the product or service that youre selling. Its not
about getting a product done. Rather, its about putting a process in place
to create better and better products and services over time. That process
is your business.
It doesnt matter what size business you have or aspire to have, there are
four things every business must have to be successful: (1) a repeatable and
consistent system for (2) bringing in revenue and (3) serving customers (4)
without you having to be there.
17

Most business owners have one or two of these four things. They might
have a repeatable system but doesnt bring in revenue. Or might have
revenue but isnt repeatable and consistent. Or they can get the consistent
revenue but it requires them to be there all the time. When you get
all four things rightwhen you automate your marketing and delivery
systems to create constant and consistent streams of revenue to sustain a
thriving business with minimal day-to-day involvement on your part
then your business has a good chance of long-term success.
Each entrepreneur brings his or her own reason for being in business.
Your reason likely will fall into one of four categories:
1. Are you building your business to support your personal outcomes
and lifestyle?
2. Are you building to scale and create a valuable brand or recognized
name?
3. Are you building to selli.e., your focus is on creating a saleable
asset?
4. Are you building to contribute or support a cause (i.e. a nonprofit)?
Your reason is the primary driver that will determine many of the decisions
you make about the types of products and services you create, as well as
how you market and deliver them. Decide whats most important to you
and what type of business you want to build up front.
#3. You must not be a one-trick (or one product) wonder.

A one-product business is a recipe for failure. To have a successful
product creation business, you must create a full suite of products, at
different price points, to meet your customers changing needs. Those
products are arranged in a sequence that will lead customers from an
introductory product at lower price points to a primary, higher-priced
product that contains the meat of your idea, service, or system. If you
have provided enough value and results through your primary product,
some customers will wish to continue studying or working with you at
greater depth. They will be the purchasers of your advanced product
offered at a premium price point.
18

Heres what it looks like in your business:
As you can see, to make this system work you need at least three products,
at various price points and levels of involvement, to offer your customers.
But this system also produces two of the biggest benefits for a product
creation entrepreneurand in particular, an information product
creation entrepreneur.
First, if your customers like your products, their next question is usually,
What else do you have? So there is a built-in demand from your current
customers for more products. And selling to existing customers is much
easier than finding new ones.
The second benefit is that if you listen to your customers, they will tell
you what your next product should be. Their questions, their comments
(It would be great if you had this feature), and their feedback will not
only help you improve your currentofferings, but also show you where
you can fill a different unmet need with a new product. Later in this book
well talk about targeting and talking with your ideal customers so you
can build entire series of products that they will eagerly and happily buy.
19
#4. You must keep evolving your business to keep up with

changes in the marketplace.
In 2009 only 21 percent of US wireless subscribers were using
smartphones.1 We used our phones for calling, texting, and maybe (if
we had a Blackberry) checking email. Things are very different now: in
2015, 80 percent of online adults own smartphones.2 And 60 percent of
the time adults spent consuming digital media was via mobile devices
and apps.3 (Thats the reason you absolutely must include mobile access
in your products now and in the future.) But more important, the
trend to accessing digital information via smartphone and mobile is an
example of why product creators have to learn how their customers want
information, and then adapt their content to fit those needs.
In the online space, the game changes every six to twelve months, and
things that were working even just a couple of years ago arent getting
the same results today. Its like trying to use a 2.0 operating system
when your computer OS is now up to version 5.0you are not going
to be successful. Great product creators know that they must constantly
reinvent themselves and their products.
The market has changed quite a lot since we wrote the first version of
this book in 2013, and we have revised and updated the Make Market
Launch IT system to take those changes into account. The step-by-step
formulas in this book are based on whats working nownot yesterday,
last month, or seven years ago. And we will continue to update this
content based on what we discover are the latest trends and directions in
the online marketplace.
http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/news/2010/smartphones-to-overtake-feature-phones-in-u-sby-2011.html
2 http://techcrunch.com/2015/01/12/80-of-all-online-adults-now-own-a-smartphone-less-than-10-usewearables/
3 http://techcrunch.com/2014/08/21/majority-of-digital-media-consumption-now-takes-place-inmobile-apps/
20
Lets Get Started!

If you can keep these four things in mindbe an entrepreneur, not just
an expert; treat this as a business; be more than a one-product wonder
and create a suite of products and/or services; and evolve your business
to keep up with changes in the marketplacethen the door will be open
for you to start your own Make, Market, Launch IT business.
It starts with creating a product out of your expertise and an authentic,
consistent business with your unique perspective, expertise and passion
at its center.
Then you must determine the reason that will drive your forward
something bigger than just yourself. For some of you it might be paying
for your kids college, or finally taking that big family vacation. It may be
paying off all your debts, doing that upgrade to your home that youve
been wanting, or contributing your time and money to your church, or
a charity or cause thats really meaningful to you.
Whatever your reason, you can design a business to support your goals
and dreams at the highest level. All you have to do is put the stake in the
ground for your vision. Well show you how to build a business that will
provide the means to make it reality.
Make Market Launch IT isnt just a product creation systemits a
business training system designed to help you create quality products and
services that help you build a sustainable business that brings in ongoing
revenue and serves your customers at the highest level.
A Make, Market, Launch IT business will show you how to get the
leverage you need to focus on the things that give you the most joy and
get help with the rest. Youll discover how to translate your ideas and
experience into a suite of world-class products whose profits continually
fuel your business. And youll be backed by a proven plan that produces
both a pop of initial sales and a continuing stream of revenue.
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A Make, Market, Launch IT business will help you create raving fan
customers devoted to you and your mission and eager to buy whatever
you create. That group will bring you a constant stream of referrals as they
continue along the path youve created for them. Like the people who
carefully log and proudly share their running accomplishments in the
Nike+ community, your power tribe will promote your brand to their
friends, families and anyone who will listen, helping you to launch the
successful products that form the foundation of your thriving business.
It starts with a product, but the result is so much greater: a path of
constant improvement for your clients and a real, revenue-generating
business for you, one that empowers you to finally get paid for what
you know.
Its all possible with a Make, Market, Launch IT businessand the
process starts in this book.
In the next seven chapters, well show you how can you get your products
to market quickly and inexpensively while retaining the highest quality
possible, so you can make an impact in your marketplace and start
building a consistent revenue stream now.
Each chapter covers one of the seven essential steps of how to create a
Make, Market, Launch IT business:
1. Mindset: Shift ITmake the big shift from doer
to marketer and business owner. Youll access your
strengths, resolve your product title and product format,
and walk away with the big idea that becomes the
foundation of your business.
2. Target: Attract ITidentify and understand your ideal
customers, or avatars, the specific people who want,
need and will buy your product or service. Youll learn
simple and easy tools to make sure that these customers
are in a market that can make you money and to ensure
that your message is designed to speak directly to them.
22

3. Offer: Present ITsuccessful product development
starts with creating a successful offer, not creating a great
product (although well show you how to do both). Youll
decide exactly what to include in your product, and how
to structure your offer to make your product irresistible
for your ideal customers.
4. Leverage: Outsource ITdo what you do best and get
others to do the rest. Youll use our templates and tools to
get the right help at the right time at the right price.
5. Create: Build ITget a quality product done and to
market as efficiently and effectively as possible. Youll
uncover the 4 key elements of product development and
use our precise content structure to organize, deliver and
produce effective, empowering content targeted to your
specific audience.
6. Monetize: Sell ITmaximize as many channels and as
many forms of media as possible to reach your loyal fans,
current customers and future prospects, compelling them
to buy your product because its a direct match to what
they urgently want and need.
7. Grow: Sustain ITdont end up in a situation where
your business has you rather than you having a business.
Youll use these proven strategies, systems and tools to
scale your business and make it independent of your
physical presence.
Make Market Launch IT shows you how to match your vision with your
customers needs so that both of you reap the maximum rewards. Its about
creating something that will give you greater freedom, greater impact, and
greater satisfaction as you create a lasting and successful business.
Theres never been a better time to share your information, knowledge,
perspective, and expertise through profitable products and services. Theres
never been a better time to build a great business to provide those products
and services to the world. And Make Market Launch IT will show you how.
Are you ready to make the most of this opportunity?
23
How to Use This Book

As you start this journey, you may find it helpful to get a notebook
to capture your ideas. Its one of the joys of the creative process that
inspiration seems to strike while youre in line at Starbucks. Keeping a
method of capturing these thoughtswhether analog or digitalwill
make sure that you benefit from this inspiration before it gets away.
You may be reading this book on your computer, your phone, your
eReader, your iPad or you may be holding it in your hands. As you
experience this message, well ask you at various points to complete an
exercise to put a stake in the ground, generate some ideas or set some
milestones for yourself.
We encourage you to write the answers to these questions in your
notebook or your device of choice. Theyll help you shape your ideas as
you move through the book and continue the momentum to help your
Make, Market, Launch IT business take flight.
Congratulations for taking the first step in creating your Make, Market,
Launch IT business.
As we dive in, wed like to introduce you to one of the eight people
youll meet in this book who have used the Make, Market, Launch
IT system to produce results. Theyll show you how they turned their
expertise, education and passion into a product thats changing lives
theirs and their customers. As you read these reports from the field, we
hope they inspire you to take action and seize this remarkable opportunity.
Well start with Sue Ferreira, a woman who turned an unexpected life
change into her lifes mission.
24
This isnt work.
Case Study from the Field: Sue Ferreira

As a successful physician for over 40 years and the
mother of three, Sue Ferreira thought she had the
rest of her life pretty much figured out. However,
when her marriage of 34 years fell apart, Sues
grey divorce forced her to take another look at
her life.
Sues first realization was how little she knew
about managing her own finances. She immersed
herself in books, websitesanything she could get her hands onto get
a handle on her financial future. I followed my nose and sort of did an
MBA, she says, Partly to clarify it, but also . . . because I knew I could
pass it on to other people.
One year later, when the market crashed in 2008, Sue was struck with
another mobilizing realization. Millions of other people would soon be
in the same place she wasforced to rebuild their lives during their later
years. At that point, Sue realized she had a library of valuable knowledge
on her hands. She had learned the hard way how to build herself back up
from nothing, and she wanted to help others expedite the process.
This shift in mindset was the beginning of a new life chapter for Sue.
I learned so much about building a new life myself. I decided I was
going to build a holistic program that would allow people to work out
what they were going to do, generate added income and live a successful
retirement, she says.
Sues named her first product Boomer Bucks, but she struggled to
get it off the ground. Without having much marketing experience, she
didnt know how to take the product to the next level. I was kind of
spinning my wheels, she says. I looked at Mike and Pams programs
and I decided I needed their experience to accelerate and get myself out
there.
The structure of Make, Market, Launch IT is so logical and clear. If
you just follow everything online or you follow the DVDs, youve got
25

an absolutely beautiful algorithm of how to develop a product, she
continues.
One of the biggest changes Sue made came after Make, Market, Launch
IT strategies got her to start thinking like a marketer, rather than, as she
says, a didactic teacher.
Sue redefined her target audience and renamed her program. I had to
say to myself, I am my target market person right now. What do I want
to receive from me? That turned everything around. Because of the way
Pam changed the emphasis, now its easy to see the process, Sue explains.
The result was Live Your Retirement Dream, a new brand that embodied
both what Sue was doing herself and what she wanted for others.
Im my own avatar, and I think thats why I feel so passionately about
this. I know how to do it. Ive gathered so much information that I know
I can fast-track any individual, she continues.
To reach her audience and make money, Sue also realized she couldnt
play small. If you really think about how many millions and millions
of websites are out there, theyre all waving little flags trying to get your
attention. Youre just not going to be seen unless you do something
different from everybody else, she says. You have to be prepared to go
out and absolutely make yourself be seen everywhere.
Make, Market, Launch IT gave her the help to make that happen. No
one can do this on their own. I spent a lot of time looking at different
experts before I found Pam and Mike and knew they were the ones I
needed.
Sue released her book, Live Your Retirement Dream, on Kindle in October
2012.
If I hadnt found Pam and Mike, Id still be paddling around in the
shallow end and wouldnt have gone off into the deep end and started
swimming, she says. [Make, Market, Launch IT] is an excellent
product. I think anybody who wants to develop a product, be effective,
and market it well needs to buy this. Its a no-brainer. Its a savings not
an expense, says Sue.
26

In the end, Sues divorce and her subsequent life changes transformed her
for the better. Its like Im reborn. In a way my divorce was the best thing
that ever happened to me because it allowed me to go into this new world
which I absolutely love. And, if I can do it, everyone can do it.
Sues advice for those wanting to follow in her footsteps? Play at a
higher level. Youve got to do it very well. If you dont do it very well,
nobody is going to look. I made a lot of mistakes because I did it all
myself. If I had known about Mike and about Pam four years ago, Id be
so much further ahead than I am now.
Thanks to Make, Market, Launch IT, Sue also has the strategies and the
confidence help her own clients make the most of their time: I can take
people from zero knowledge so they can fast track to their goals, without
doing all of this wandering around in the shallows first. I know how to
get them off the deep end, now.
Ultimately, Sue couldnt be happier about where her Make, Market,
Launch IT journey has led her. I find it very exciting. I mean, this isnt
work because Im enjoying it so much.
Sue Ferreiras Live Your Retirement Dream is available
on Amazon.com. She launched her online business in
mid-2013 at www.LiveYourRetirementDream.com.
27
The best way to predict the future

is to create it.
Abraham Lincoln
Step 1: MindsetShift IT
The difference between good and great is determined

by the mindset you choose to bring to the work.
Douglas Conant, President and CEO, Campbell Soup Company
The Make Market Launch IT journey is about more than just an idea for a
productor even an amazing product by itself. It is about setting yourself
up for what you want for yourself, professionally and personally.
Where do you want to be in the next five or ten years? How will you
share your unique perspective with the world? Where does that perspective
intersect with your passion? How do you want to spend your time? Where
do you want to go? Who do you want to be? What do you want to create?
Whats your vision for your future? And maybe most important, how will
building a business around your ideas and your products help you get there?
Most people dive into the product creation process but they never take
the time up front to decide the outcome they want. And without a clear
destination, its really easy to get sidetracked or distracted by the latest shiny
object or magic button.
29

Thats why Step #1 in the Make Market Launch IT formula begins with
a BIG SHIFT in your MINDSET. Mindset is about knowing what you
want, and then creating a business to get you there. When you know
exactly what you want, its easy to figure out what to do.
Businesses come in many forms. In the Make Market Launch IT
community, we have a six-figure wrapping paper business, Facebook ads
experts, financial planning gurus, radio personalities, a funeral director
you name it! No matter what your business, however, successful
entrepreneurs have some aspects of their mindset in common, and they
follow a common path:
Desire + Action + Faith = Success
Achieving your vision starts with your mindset. Before you start
generating ideas, drafting outlines or assembling prototypes, you need to
put yourself in the right frame of mind to understand the pieces that will
get you where you want to be: where your hearts desire intersects with
your hard-earned knowledge.
In this chapter, youll clarify your business and lifestyle goals, discover
how to tap into your biggest strengths, and develop the three elements
you need to get started with a quality product that sells: (1) the big idea
that becomes the foundation of your product funnel, (2) the right format
for your product or service, and (3) a compelling product title that will
attract your ideal audience.
Lets start your journey by accessing the super powers of your mind and
emotions to set goals and create a vision for your business.
30
1. Access Your Super Powers

When building your business, remember this: your mindset is the key,
not only to your business health, but also to your own personal well-being
and that of the people around you.
Successful entrepreneurs build businesses based on three things. First, a
vision for their lives and business. Second, an attention to the importance
of their physical and mental health. And third, an awareness of their
strengths and flaws, and an acceptance of both.
Create a Vision for Your Life and Business
Whats your ultimate vision for yourself? Take the time to really think
about the answer, even if youve done it before. Where do you envision
yourself in 6 months? 5 years? 10 years? What have you always dreamed
of creating for yourself? How do you spend your days? Where do you put
your energy? How do you renew it?
And why? Whats behind that vision? What is your big why? Whos with
you in that vision? Whats driving you and motivating you to reach it?
When you arrive at this destination, who will you be? How will you feel?
Now, do the same process for your business. Where do you envision your
business in 6 months? 5 years? 10 years? What products have you created?
How do you spend your days? Where do you put your energy? What
successes have you produced? Whos with you? Whats driving you and
motivating you to reach it? When you arrive at this destination, who will
you be? How will you feel?
These visionsand the emotions that come along with themare your
motivation. Theyre the things that wake you with a stir of anticipation
in the morning. Theyre the Energizer in your bunny that will keep you
going, day after day, when things are going swimmingly and when times
are tough. When you are excited about your vision and your goals, hitting
your target becomes that much easier. Your vision is the fuel that will
ignite the passion and hunger to turn it into reality.
With a vision for your life and business in hand, youre ready to discover
the other powers you already possess that can catapault you to success.
These are your healthy and vitality, your strengths, and yes, your flaws.
31

Energy & Vitality Breeds Success
Your health and vitality is a hugely important element in how successful
you are. Creating the right mindset and working toward your health
goals can not only make you live longer, youll live better.
No matter how busy you get and how crazy your business, you must
take care of your physical and mental health. You do this in very simple
ways that you almost certainly know about: enough water, enough sleep,
enough exercise, and so on. Unfortunately, these simple healthy habits
usually get trashed when we go into business (if we ever adopted healthy
habits in the first place, that is).
Both of us are incredibly passionate about the importance of health, even
moreso after Mike went through some tough times physically. So lets
make this simplehere are five best practices for health and wellbeing
(be sure to consult a physician or licensed health practitioner to assist you
on your journey):
1. Drink water: a glass when you get up, and at least 6 to 8 glasses
throughout the day. Water has a huge impact on your energy,
vitality and wellbeing.
2. Clean up your diet. Theres a ton of research out there about the
negative effects of consuming sugar, dairy, wheat, soy, and corn.
Reduce or eliminate as much of these detrimental foods as you can.
3. Eat high-quality proteins and vegetables, cooked simply so your
body doesnt have to work hard to process your food. Eating well
ensures high energy levels throughout the day. And consider taking
probiotics to keep your digestion healthy.
4. Exercise. Even if youre busy, it will get your blood flowing and
keep your brain strong as well as your body.
5. Practice yoga and meditation. Just 10 minutes a day will reduce
your stress, calm your mind, and re-center your thoughts.
32

Discover Your Strengths and Flaws
There are a ton of studies out there that prove people are more successful
when they know and are allowed to use their strengths in their businesses.
All of us have things we are great at doing, and other things that we
dislike and we are miserable if we are called upon to do them.
For example, Mike is incredibly good at product launches, speaking direct
to camera, predicting the future of Internet marketing, and results-based
teaching. And, as hell be the first to tell you, hes terrible at anything to
do with logistics, overcommitting, and long-term focus.
Pam is great at breaking down content and information, project
management, teaching, and getting things done. Ask her to follow
directions, consistently be on time, or participate in the trenches during
combat (this includes business outcomes, too!) and youll get a less than
stellar result.
That knowledge is gold when it comes to creating a successful business.
It tells you where you can make great strides quickly yourself, and where
you are better off hiring someone or subbing out a particular job
because you will hate doing it and will be really bad at it to boot.
You learn about your strengths and flaws by examining your personal
history. Try this exercise.
Write down the answers to these questions:
1. What have been your greatest successes?
2. Where do you have 5 to 40 years of irrefutable proof and history in
terms of your accomplishments?
3. Where you find youre consistently getting natural and repeatable
results?
4. What do people come to you for? What do they say that they love
about you?
5. What are you most passionate about?
6. What are you known for? Whats your reputation?
33

Your answers reflect your strengths and your reputation in the marketplace.
They will become great nuggets that can be used for your bio, the back
of your product, introducing yourself, media hooks, and different kinds
of marketing. They also will make up the core stories inside your product
that inspire and motivate and feel natural to your customers.
Now its time to write down the opposite of your strengthswhat we call
your fatal flaws.
Write down the answers to these questions:
1. What would you consider your failures?
2. Where do you repeatedly get into trouble?
3. What do you absolutely hate to do? What are the things that you
feel itd be unnatural for you even to attempt them?
4. What do you struggle to have to think about?
5. What are the things that people say about you behind your back
that have hurt youbut you know theyre real and theres truth in
them?
We know, its not a pleasant exercise. But this is a case where self-knowledge
can lead to freedom. You do NOT have to be great at everything, nor do
you have to DO everything in your product creation business. In fact,
one of the joys of being in business is the abilityreally, the necessityto
have a team of people to help you. And all of that stuff you absolutely hate
to do and suck at doing? There are people for whom those are EXACTLY
the things they love to do and are great at! Now arent you glad you know
your flaws as well as your strengths?
Knowing your strengths and flaws is a vital part of a product creator
mindset and will help you create greater success in your business and life.
Indeed, its part of the formula for happiness and productivity:
1. Get clear on your strengths and fatal flaws.
2. Say NO to things that arent your strengths.
3. Delegate your flaws to others whose strengths complement your
flaws.
34

4. Be self-deprecating and laugh at yourself. This is how people feel
your vulnerability in your heart. Customers will buy from people
theyre connected to and people who are passionate.
5. You dont have to be something you arent. Give yourself permission
not to try to be someone else. Be good with who you are.
Now that youre clear on your strengths and flaws, you have a clear vision
for your life and business, and you have put a priority on creating vibrant
physical and mental health, youre ready to step into the mindset of
product creation and learn the three key elements to turn your idea into
a viable, sellable product.
2. The 3 Core Elements to Turn Your Ideas Into Products

When you decide that you are going to be a business owner, the first
question you have to ask is: where is the money? The money is in your
products and services. Without products and services, you dont have a
sustainable business. In fact, you really dont have a business at all.
Many people who wish to build a product creation business find
themselves making one of two mistakes. First, they focus too much on
positioning. They get in front of audiences and focus on their message,
their place in the market, refining their contentbut they have nothing
to sell to the people who are interested in their material. The other
extreme are people who have warehouses or garages filled with products
because they never spent the time building up an audience to buy.
A successful product creation business requires three core elements. You
need a powerful and clear message (positioning) that attracts the right
audience (platform) so that you can sell your products and services effectively.
When all three elements are in place, your business will be strong.
Element #1: PositioningClarify Your Unique Message
Your unique message is one that will resonate deeply with your ideal,
target customer. It will let them know who you are, what youre about,
what you have to offer, and how it will help them. It also will help your
customers related to you in a meaningful way.
35

Your message also needs to show your customers that you can help them
solve a big, urgent problem they have and get what it is they want and
need. They need to believe that you have the best solution for them,
and you are a qualified, competent, and trustworthy individual who will
follow through on the promises you make.
Tall order, right? Its actually not that difficult when you break your
unique message into the following components:
Who are you?
What sets you apart and makes you unique?
Whats the benefit you give your audience? What problems do you
solve?
How do you connect emotionally with your audience?
Whats your hook (something that intrigues people right from the
start)?
Whats your personal story?
Do you have case studies and/or testimonials?
Whats your bio/resum?
What awards have you received?
Powerful positioning can help you establish instant authority while you
earn credibility and build trust. It can open doors to new audiences as
well as key relationships and strategic alliances. The right positioning can
elevate and differentiate your position in the market and provide a hook
for media and influencers. Most of all, it can create a deep, meaningful
relationship between you, your product, and your target customers. They
will see you as a trusted advisor and a source of superior information and
advice. Great positioning can insulate you from your competition and set
you apart as THE go-to person in your niche.
Exercise: Brainstorm elements of your core message (or positioning) for
your business.
But positioning is no good without the right platform that gets you in
front of the right peopleyour target audience.
36

Element #2: PlatformGet Your Message in Front of Your Target Audience
When you build a platform, your goal is twofold: capture customers, and
create demand for your products and services. The key to a successful platform
is to control when and how you communicate with your target audience.
There are six elements of a product creators platform:
Your email marketing list or rolodex
Your media/social media reach
Your distribution vehicles: live events, webcasts, podcasts, shows, etc.
Your relationship with colleagues and influencers in your field
The influence you have with your audience
The dollar value and cache your name or brand brings to the table
Your first task is to build a database of potential customers, with their
contact information and permission to communicate with them. In
marketing, this database is called an owned platform, because you can
control when and how you communicate and market your products to
these customers.
However, when you first start out it can be tough to capture new
customers and create new demand for your products. But what if some
of the competitors in your market might actually turn out to be potential
alliesespecially if what you have to offer is just different enough to add
distinct value to their audiences? This is what it means to have a joint
venture or affiliate relationship. You support each other because you have
similar customers with similar needs and you can each bring a unique
solution to the table.
The audience of a joint venture or affiliate partner is called a Borrowed
Platformthey are a great match for your message, but you are
borrowing them from the affiliate or JV. Examples of this would be
speaking on someone elses stage, being a guest on a podcast, or having
an affiliate send an email to their list on your behalf. Its a much less
expensive way to get in front of more people. Just be sure to reciprocate
with your partners and add value back to their business as well!
37

Exercise: Write down two to three ways you can build your platform to
get your message in front of the right target audience.
Once you are in front of the right audience, the final step is to sell them
somethingyour product.
Element #3. ProductsSell Your Solution
Selling products and services is the only way to generate income in your
business. The key, however, is making sure your products or services
are in fact profitablein other words, the target audience will buy. In
marketing terms, this means that you must offer a good or service that
(1) closely meets the requirements of a particular market and (2) yields
enough profit to justify its continued existence.
There are five key requirements for a successful product.
1. It has to be profitable.
2. It has to satisfy a market need or desire.
3. It has to match your positioning.
4. It has to be salable from your platform.
5. It has to be created by a sustainable, repeatable process.
Bottom line: If its not making money and the investment to create it
cant be justified, its not a viable product!
Exercise: In two to three sentences or less, describe the unique solution
you are providing to your audience. In other words, how does the product
you are selling solve a unique problem, fulfill a desire or serve a need for
your target audience?
With positioning, a platform, and a product, you have the basics upon
which you can start your business. However, if you wish to be in business
for the long term, you need more than one product: you need a series
of interconnected offerings that can lead your customers into a deeper
relationship with you and your content. You need a product funnel to
escalate your success.
38
3. Your Product Funnel: The Power of Escalation

As outlined in the Introduction, the Classic Product Funnel has three
components.
Introductory Products: These products introduce you and your business
to your audience and help get your message out. People are raising their
hands and buying your products and services as first-timers.
Primary Product: This is your main offer and will essentially become your
calling card and bread and butter in terms of profits.
High-End Products: These are products and services higher in value and
higher in cost as they are usually more customized, personalized and
deliver a high return on investment for your customers.
Your products should be designed to solve the problems your customers are
facing. Just as there are introductory, prinary, and advanced products,
there are introductory, primary, and advanced problems.
The Client Problem Cycle
Lets use a dating product as an example. The primary problem your

customers face is frustration and failure in using the typical online dating
sites. Either they get way too many responses or not enough, or the
people that respond are not really good matches. They are spending too
much time and money for lousy results.
39

One of their introductory problems might be difficulty choosing the best
site for their needs. Another introductory problem could be inability to
write a good dating profile for themselves.
An advanced problem might be what to do once theyve actually found
some possible candidates and theyre ready to go on dates. They might
feel they need a dating coach, or image consulting, or training on how to
behave like a gentleman or lady while on dates. Or maybe they need to
develop the skills to move past dating and into a longer-term relationship.
All of these problems are part of the frustration around online dating
issue. Once you understand the problems youre solving for your client,
you simply come up with your solution to the primary problem first, then
build your introductory and advanced products to solve those problems
at suitable depths and price points.
A product funnel is about escalationstarting your customers off with
an introductory product that gets them into your unique brand so that
they start getting results and become familiar with other products and
services you offer. Then, as they keep investing in additional products
with you, your higher-end programs solve their problems at even deeper
levels of engagement.
The Three Levels of Product Offerings
Introductory
Products
Go after your target market

online by giving them
free content and a clear
incentive to take the next
steps and invest in your
core products and services...
Entry-level products
Diverse content &
delivery
Free or small price
point
Primary Products
Package your meatiest

content into a product or
service (a structured course
or system) that produces
results and leads them to
your...
Usually structured, i.e.,
a step-by-step system
Main offer
Higher but
competitive price
points for industry
40
Advanced Products
Offer your most
customized content
based on individual
training, personal
relationship and
customized services.
High-end training
Highly customized
Individual
relationships
Premium price
points

A product funnel gives your customers clarity about what to invest in
first and subsequently. Your introductory product resolves a problem that
leads to your main product, which leads to your higher end programs.
The key is that every offer leads to the next offer because youve adding
more value at every stage along the way.
Putting together a suite of escalating products starts with this core
question: What do your customers need at each stage of the game in order
to get to the next level? At each step, youre solving a specific piece of
your customers problem. Youre meeting your clients where they are and
taking them to where they want to be. Thats when you create clients for
lifeand a business that never has to look for customers.
Create your Main Product First
The temptation may be to create the introductory product first, because
it will be simpler to build and you can get it to market quickly. However,
we suggest that you start with your Big Ideayour main value proposition
and big benefit that you want to share with people. Create your primary
product firstit will become your calling card. And it should not be your
introductory, low-end product. Instead, it should be the manifestation
of your big idea, lying at the center of all the other products and services
you may invent in the future.
It looks like this:
Once your main product is established, you can build product extensions
on the lower end and higher end that build out your product funnel. By
focusing your initial efforts on a single product, however, you establish
41

your brand, become known for one main thing and build a base for your
business on which you can extend to additional products and services.
Think about any big brand company that exists today: Apple started
with a single computer. Coca-Cola started with their initial cola product.
Nike started by simply selling shoes. Youve got to develop and refine
your main, big idea and make it profitable as your first step. Then, you
are free to build out your concept and extend into additional products or
services that support your brand.
Exercise: What is your one big ideathe foundational product or
service that will build the base of your business?
How the Product Development Process Really Works
First and foremost, you have an idea and you get that first core product
done. You get it to market and into the hands of customers, and you
start interacting with them and getting their feedback. This information
then helps you refine your initial product or service and also develop
additional products and services. You then put those new products in
front of your existing customers, and also use these products to attract
new customers as you keep expanding your product lines.
Once a client or customer uses your product and achieves their desired
result, theyll naturually ask, What else do you have? Its at this point
that you have the opportunity to solve additional problems or challenges
through programs of advanced complexity, which are worth a higher
price point. Your one solution opens doors to other solutions you may
have for other challenges your audience is facing.
As you continue to help new customers transform, success stories will
start to grow. These stories bring new customers and then create repeat
customers. And because your goal is to build a business, your focus should
be on serving your clients at multiple levels, helping them continually
escalate their results through a suite of products.
Youve got the products or services youd like to promote, your message
and your ideal audience. Now, what format do you put this product or
service in?
42
4. Product Formats: Packaging Your Products for Success

A product format is simply how youre packaging and delivering your
product or service to your target audience. Is it in the form of physical
DVDs and CDs? An online membership site? Software or an app? A live
event?
As important as it is to determine the format of your product or service,
however, this is not the question that you should be asking when youre
starting out. The number one thing you should be worried about is
the quality of your product or service. Formats are going to evolve and
change. More important than the format is what youre putting into it:
the message or the solution to your customers problems.
Your goal is for there to be so much value in the content or in the solution
youre delivering that the format can change a zillion times, but people
will keep investing in your products or services because of the value it
provides to them personally.
To deliver value regardless of value, ask yourself these questions.
1. Who is my target audience?
2. What do they want and need?
3. Why dont they already have it?
(By the way, your best customer is not someone whos never invested in
a product or service that does whatever yours doesits someone whos
already in the market for a solution to this problem. Your product just
does it better!)
When youre starting out, start by focusing on who your ideal customer
really is and whats preventing them from getting what they really want
and need. In other words, why dont they already have the solution to the
problem? Or, why is this deep need or desire of theirs not yet fulfilled?
The answer always comes down to psychology: beliefs; ease of use of
product or service; whats going on in their brain; theyre too busy, etc.
The more you can understand whats driving them, the better youre able
to help them overcome the obstacles theyre facing.
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If you can give your market a solution where none has worked before,
you are well on your way to out-positioning your competitors and to
sell your product or service. This is what you think about before you
start thinking about your format.
Two Sides to the Format Coin
Your product needs to be designed with a particular format in mind. For
example, if youre creating an audio product on CD, your content has
to be condensed into 74 minutes because thats how much information
you can fit on a single CD. If you have loads of content, then you might
think about a package of three or four CDs, or you may want to go with
a different formatmaybe online streaming or podcasts.
On the other hand, the formats available for your product or service are
going to change constantly. As technology advances and learning methods
and markets change, so will the vehicles in which you can deliver your
products and services. Thats why its more important to be flexible about
your format and focus instead on the quality of your product or service.
When it comes to choosing the format for your product or service, go
with your first initial gut reaction. However, it helps to have a quick look
at your options before making a decision that will introduce you and
your product/service to the world. There are 11 primary product formats
currently sold in the online space. Weve listed them below with a few
upsides and downsides for each format. Review these and ask yourself
which one or more are best suited for your main/primary product.
(You can wait until later to choose the formats for your introductory or
advanced products.)
The 11 Product Formats
1. Online Membership Sitesprivate websites that provide exclusive
content and training for your customer online with step-by-step
instructions.
Upside: Many people appreciate the convenience of online
trainingits inexpensive and provides for a great deal of
flexibility.
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Downside: There is a perceived value in a physical product that
isnt the same with online content.
2. Physical Training Productstangible, multi-media products that
feature a series of physical components, including a workbook,
DVDs, CDs, mp3 players, etc.
Upsides: Greater perceived value. Clients like CDs and/or DVDs
and the written material/workbooks that are included. Physical
products are great asset for your branda physical product sits on
your customers shelf or table, and serves as a constant reminder
of your value.
Downsides: You can produce off-the-shelf material fairly
inexpensively, but if you try to create a custom package, costs
can escalate quickly, eating into your profits. Shipping (including
international!), inventory and fulfillment costs can eat into your
profits as well.
You have to know that you have built up a big enough platform
where there is a high likelihood that youll sell all of your physical
products. This is why building your platform is crucial.
3. Subscription Programs/Continuityproducts or services you bill
your customers at regular intervals (typically monthly) until they
cancel.
The product or service can be almost anything: training, skin care
products, recipes, flowers, etc.
Upsides: Ongoing revenue. The idea is that the customer pays a
monthly fee (usually, but not a must) and they receive something
new.
Downsides: Its harder to retain current customers than it might
appear. You have to strike a balance between acquiring new
customers and retaining old customers.
Continuity programs tend to be lower priced, which makes sense
if youre asking someone to pay a monthly fee.
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4. Coaching Programsyou are providing one-on-one guidance with
your client. These programs can focus on any topic from dating to
exercise/weight loss to performance enhancement.
Upsides: High-impact personal connection with your audience
Good accountability for both the coach and customer. Great addon and upsell to your other products. Higher dollar value because
youre giving people personalized feedback and training.
Downsides: Time commitment. There arent very many people
who just do coaching and are wealthy as its more difficult to
scale.
5. Software and Appspeople love software and apps for their
convenience, and its a great way for your message to go viral and
for your business to collect leads.
Upsides: Lower price pointits easier to get apps created these
days.
Downsides: Be aware of scope creep. Programmers can often
underestimate the time and money it takes to create software or
an app. There are also support costs, which you may not even
think about until youve already begun investing.
Technology is fickle so make sure you deliver on what you
promise and that your app actually does what you say it does.
6. Corporate eLearning Systems/Learning Management Systems
(LMS)all-in-one training solutions that have tracking,
reporting, testing (compliance standards) and many other
features that centralize training, reporting and delivery. There are
hundreds of companies that have eLearning platforms around the
world.
Upsides: All the technology and functionality is contained inside
a single system.
Downsides: May not be appropriate for a new business just
starting out because they can be expensivefor example, you
might pay a large sum to set it up, then you pay per user per year
with an off-the-shelf proprietary LMS.
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The interface usually isnt as user-friendly because most LMS
developers are not marketers or designers. They dont always
understand how to make information compelling, interesting,
and engaging.
7. Live Eventsan educational or training experience delivered in
real time, whether virtual or in person, with an audience present.
Upsides: You get to know your customers more intimatelyhigh
touch, high value. Customers can go deeper, immerse themselves,
meet the community, and create invaluable relationships.
Downsides: Tend to be expensive to produce.
Its not only hard to get potential clients to buy into an event but
also get them to show up.
8. Mastermind Programs more intimate live events that act like
a membership where the members belong to the group, attend
several events a year and have a formal commitment to supporting
the other members.
Upsides: Creates a tremendous sense of community and leverages
your best customers to support each other. High impact, high
touch, high volume = high end niche market = greater profit
potential!
Downsides: Not having the right customers and/or not managing
them properly. These programs often demand a greater
commitment of time from you.
9. Certification/Training the Trainerempowering others to deliver
your core content.
Upsides: Extends your impact and reach without you having to be
there.
Downsides: Without clear guidelines, your brand can be difficult
to enforce when youre not there.
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10. Manufactured Productsmore traditional products that include
consumer goods, physical tools, appliances, etc.
Upsides: You can (at times) create products on demand fairly
cheaply. These products can also be a great passive income source.
Downsides: Warehousing/storing manufactured products.
Greater market competition.
11. Consultingsharing your expertise or advice in a specialized field
to a specific type of customer.
Upsides: High dollar, high impact, high touch = high end =
greater profits!
Downsides: Clients can become demanding if not managed
effectively.
Delivery can make more significant demands on your time.
Three Steps To Determine Your Format
To determine the best format for your product, ask yourself questions
about (1) you, (2) your audience, and (3) your business.
You:
What do you want your lifestyle to be? Do you want to do live
events and fly from city to city? Or do you prefer working from
home, affording you the flexibility to spend more time with your
family?
What type of earning potential is important to you?
What do you like to do? Do you like to teach? Train or coach? Do
you love technology?
What do you hate doing?
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Your Audience:
Who is your target customer?
What types of products are they already buying?
Where are they already investingin live events, coaching, online
training programs?
What format makes it easiest for them to get the result?
Your Business:
Whats appropriate for the size, stage, and scope of your business?
Your product format has to match your business structure and
capacity and take into consideration (1) budget constraints, (2)
time constraints, (3) resource constraints, (4) life stage of your
business, and (5) brand considerations.
Once youve made the decision about the best product format for your
primary product, you need to come up with a product name that hooks
your audience and makes the promise of the product compelling and clear.
5. Instant Product Titles

Why is a name so important? You could literally have the best product
in your fieldthe best sales program, the best energy drink, the best
adhesive, whatever it may be. You might know its the best and potential
customers may figure that out for themselves. But theyll never have that
experience if you dont get them at Hello.
A general rule of thumb is that the title of your product should be as short
as possible but as long as necessary. You dont need to communicate how
youre going to solve something in the product title. All you need to do
is present what problem your product solves and the result customers
should expect. They can figure the how out for themselves.
Basic human psychology is that people want to avoid pain and achieve
pleasure as quickly as possible. Your product title should reflect the
timeliness and effectiveness of the solution to your customers problem!
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5 Steps to a Great Product Name
Your name doesnt have to be perfect. You certainly want to put time and
considerable thought into your product title, but at a certain point you just
have to run with what youve got!
1. Quantity, not quality. People who come up with great product names
usually brainstorm about 100 options before deciding on one. The
good news is that you dont have to think that hard! Look for a bunch
of words that make sense for your product and how it resolves a
problem, and then slapping those word associations together concisely.
2. Get feedback from like-minded friends and colleagues. Try
collaborating with Google Docs to share ideas and receive feedback
relatively quickly and conveniently. Frame your product idea in a way
that allows colleagues to give relevant feedback. Tell them what its
about, who its for, and the results that are promised, and theyll tell
you if the name works or doesnt.
3. Brainstorm. Look at what other people are doing. This helps with
word association. Look for imagery (online and in your surroundings)
that helps generate word stacking.
4. Use online search for ideas. Start with GoDaddy.com: just type in
names and words that are in the ballpark of your product idea to see
what domain names are available. You also can search for domains for
sale on eBay, look at Amazon for other books and products in your
category, and see what specific words or images attract your attention.
Thats how you want to attract attention to your product!
5. If all else fails, Google product naming software or great product
names.
Once youve come up with a tentative name, put it to the final test by
checking these eight things.
1. Keep it between one and four words long. If your product title gets too
long, its going to be overwhelming. For example, Publish and Profit
or Make Market Launch It are short, concise, and to the point.
Everything you need to know is captured in less than four words.
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2. Make sure its easy to remember, say and spell over the phone. This is like
the product-naming version of the classic elevator speech. If youre
telling someone the name of your product in a telephone conversation
and they ask you to spell or repeat something, go back to the drawing
board. That means your product name is too complicated.
3. Consonants and alliteration. The more your four words in your title
begin with the same letter, the better. It flows. It rolls off the tongue.
It makes it easier for people to say and remember.
4. Leverage. Can you leverage other common phrases and meanings in
reference to your product title?
5. Can your title be a verb? An egg is an egg, but you can egg someone
on or get egged about something you said or did. Your product title
as a name and potential verb goes a long way in branding.
6. Are there any negative connotations or associations? You have to be sure
that someone cant flip your product title into a dirty word or thought.
7. Do a trademark search at www.uspto.gov. Once you have a product title
that you think works, make sure someone else doesnt already own it.
Then check to see if there is already an Internet domain taken (ideally
you want a dotcom).
8. Dont try to be cute or clever!
Its Still All About Mindset
Your mindsetyour approach and the strategies that support itcant
be underestimated. Theyre the foundation of a business. Thats why we
started your product creation journey here: to emphasize its importance.
Your mindset will set you up for success.
In this chapter, weve provided you the tools and strategies to mentally get
yourself to the place you need to be. Before we move on, were going to
ask you to (1) take stock and (2) make a commitment. Follow-through is
the key to momentum, which is the key to progress. Doing the exercises
in this chapter before you move on will provide you the momentum you
need to follow through.
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Wed like you to meet another one of our success stories, Ila ScottFord. Ila used the mindset strategies in Make, Market, Launch IT to do
what she hadnt been able to do previously: turn her idea into a living,
breathing product.
Im nearly ready to launch.
Case Study from the Field: Ila Scott-Ford

An inventor by spirit and an copywriter by trade,
product ideas came naturally to Ila Scott-Ford.
During an evening walk in 2005, Ila came up
with an idea that she believed could become a
household name.
The result of that late-night idea, Let Family
Know, is a suite of products designed to inform
relatives and next of kin of pertinent details they
need to know about a deceased family member.
Because so often a passing away comes as a surprise, Ila sees a great need to
share vital family and financial information in a simple, straightforward
way. I see it as something I can do to serve others and get meaning out
of what I do. Its my true lifes purpose, my calling, she says.
After shaping the idea, Ila began work developing her brand. She took an
eight-week entrepreneur class at The University of Iowa and developed
a series of products with a corresponding website. However, with a fastpaced job as an advertising executive, progress was slow going.
Everything changed when she discovered Make, Market, Launch IT.
The whole Make, Market, Launch IT experience changed everything
for me. It gave me a sense of not only the hows of product creation, but
also the whys and the ways, she explains.
I knew without a doubt that this course is what I needed to make
something happen.
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[It] was the catalyst I needed to give me direction and break the big
process of product creation into manageable sized steps so I could see the
path for creating even more products, she continues.
This new injection of direction gave her the fuel she needed to set
forth on a results-driven path. By breaking the process down into
doable-sized, step-by-step chunks, Ila feels confident that her product
line will continue grow and develop.
Make, Market, Launch IT also helped Ila remove several roadblocks
during the creation process.
As she was a one-person company, Ila felt like she was living an isolated
and time-starved life. Make, Market, Launch IT connected her to a
network of people with bigger ideas, which helped to draw her out and
renew her excitement for her project.
The demands of her full-time job also made it easy to put her product on
the back burner. The Make, Market, Launch IT structure, including the
weekly training webinars, helped her stay on course.
Ila also credits the Module 1 advice to get [her product] out there
without trying to make it perfect on the first release as helping her
make significant progress.
Finally, Ila shares that she has a fear of
overwhelmgetting in over her head
which often sidetracked her previous
efforts. However, by following the steps
within the product and tackling them one
at a time, Ila is making great strides in
finally getting Let Family Know off the ground and into the hands of the
consumers who need it.
Even with 27 years of marketing experience under my belt, Make,
Market, Launch IT took me to another level. [It] brought me up to date
with todays digital and online marketing strategies and gave me the tools
and connections to make anything happen so I can get my products out
and start helping people, she explains.
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After seven years of brainstorming, Ila is finally able to bring her product to
life, in a fraction of the time.
Without Make, Market, Launch IT, I wouldnt be as far along as I am.
Ila Scott-Fords Let Family Know launched in 2013 at LetFamilyKnow.com.
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Step 2: Target: Attract IT
The customers perception is your reality.

Kate Zabriskie
Creating a real business out of your idea requires a core group of people to
support it: customers to buy what you have to sell. You must understand
who specifically youre selling to and what will get them to buy. You must
drill down on who are your ideal customers, and how to create a brand
message and story that will resonate deeply with this audience. Fulfill
your clients core needs and you will have a customer for lifeand a
consistent sales source for your products.
The most important element in a successful product is not the product
its the market. Its about helping a very specific group of people solve
their biggest, most urgent problems and get what it is they want most.
When many people sit down to create their product, they dont know
exactly who theyre going to sell it to. They might have a general
understanding that their product will appeal to moms looking to lose a
few pounds, or business owners looking to sharpen their sales techniques.
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When we create products, we literally make them with real people in
mind. We know everything about them their age, sex, names, kids
names, biggest challenges, their dreams, aspirations, fears, psychological
wounds and more. We know what kind of car they drive.
You need these particulars on who your customers will be, in full and
vivid detail. Even better, you need names of actual people who fit this
profile.
What will set you apart in your market is spending the time to
understand conceptually and realistically who youre going to sell
your product toBEFORE you start creating it.
Lets look at why.

As a product creator, your goal is to (1) add value and (2) create customer
success by (3) targeting the right people. And who are the right people?
Theyre the people who you can help. The people who value your expertise,
who will pay you for the solutions you can offer them.
It always goes back to the problem. When you solve their most pressing
problemsor your clients biggest pain pointyour products value
increases geometrically. If you pour a glass of water for a person whos
just hiked across the desert, youll be their new best friend. But that glass
of water simply doesnt have the same value to a person whos sitting next
to a water fountain.
Master copywriter Gary Halbert liked to ask his students, If you and I
both owned a hamburger stand and we were in a contest to see who could
sell the most hamburgers, what advantages would you most like to have
on your side to help you win? The students would give various answers
about the hamburger itself, or the price point, or a better location for the
hamburger stand.
But Halbert knew better. The only advantage I want, hed say, is a
starving crowd!
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Successful marketers are always on the lookout for a wounded, starving
crowd and then they find a product or service to fill that gap or
opportunity.
The problem is that product creators tend get emotional about their
products. They hypnotize themselves into believing they have a solution
to their customers problems, and meanwhile they took the time to
understand and communicate with their market!
Step 2 of Make Market Launch IT is to target exactly who will buy what
youre creating and understand them deeply so you can attract them to
your product or service. Clarity on your target market will have a ripple
effect that youll feel through your entire business. Here are just a few
results:
Your marketing messages will write themselves. Youll understand what
your customers need to hear and how you should deliver it. Writing sales
copy or making a video becomes easy, like writing a letter to your mom
or a good friend. Your messages will feel real and authentic, and your
customers will be more likely to buy.
Youll attract more customers to you. Understanding your customers
needsespecially the ones they dont articulatewill bring people to
you in droves. Youll also be able to time your messages to when your
prospects are more likely to buy from you.
Youll command premium prices. Think back to the example of our friend
who crossed the desert. What if you could offer her a specially formulated
drink to replace the electrolytes shed lost, relieve her calf cramps from
dehydration, and help her body recover for the marathon shes running
next week? Wouldnt she pay more for that drink than she would for that
glass of water? Absolutelybecause you understand her specific needs
and youre meeting her where she is, not where you guess she might be.
Youll lose that icky selling feeling. Pairing problems with their solutions is
like being a matchmaker. Its easy. Its fun. This is the difference between
elegant salesmanship and pushing your product on anyone you can to
meet your revenue goals. Feeling good about your product and solution
and helping people solve problems is the heart of good salesmanship.
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When you know your market and what they need, you wont have to
worry about excess inventory. Youll be selling it. You wont have to
worry about who else is doing what in your market because youll have
a superior product that your target market needs. Youll know how to
find your ideal clients and what will make them buy, and you wont have
to worry yourself sick over your sales numbers. Youll have a thriving
business centered around providing them solutions that theyre more
than happy to pay you for.
Heres how youre going to uncover and attract your ideal customer. You
begin by understanding how to integrate the three pillars of product
creation: Market, Message, and Media.
1. 3 Pillars Of Product Creation: Market, Message, Media

Successful marketing in any context is a direct reflection of how well the
market, message and media are aligned for the customers you want to
attract with your product or service. You must determine who your ideal
market really is, what the message needs to be to uniquely set you apart,
and how to use the right media to get in front of your ideal customers to
be seen and heard.
The first step, however, is to focus on your market.
Step 1: Transform and Revolutionize the Way You Look at Your
Market
You have to know as much as possible about the people your product is
aimed to help. Start with three basic questions:
1. Who are they?
2. Where are they?
3. And most important, what do they want?
The difference between want and need is hundreds of thousands of
dollars in sales. The overweight guy sitting on the couch watching a latenight infomercial for an ab roller may need the product, but he probably
doesnt want it.
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The goal of marketing is to offer people what they want, and then
deliver to them what they need, so that they can get what they want.
To accomplish this, you must get to know your market as closely and
diligently as possibleto know what your market wants and to FEEL it
through empathy.
Until you feel what your market actually feels, youre not going to be an
effective marketer. Think about what perceived obstacles they may have
that will enter the conversation. Think about how to communicate your
message and how to address the things they want and their obstacles
perceived or real. When you know what your market feels, you will have
a better idea of how to frame your message for maximum impact.
Step 2: MessageDevelop a Unique Selling Proposition
Once you understand your market, you can develop your Unique Selling
Proposition, or USP. This is a clear and concise description of the main
benefit you provide your marketplace in a way that clearly differentiates
you from your competition.
There are many different facets of your business that you can use to create
uniqueness, including:
Unique guarantee
Authority / celebrity
Speed
Expertise
Service
Experience
Reliability
Niche or perceived niche
Price
Positioning against
Your USP needs to be unique, or perceived as unique, and it needs to be

short, ideally one sentence. For example: Fresh hot pizza, delivered in
30 minutes or less, guaranteed. Thats Dominos USP.
Being known for, being great at, and providing exceptional value as it
relates to one thing will focus your efforts and position you as top of mind
in the market.
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Exercise: Brainstorm your USP. Start by writing down some options and
then give input from other people inside and outside your business. This
way you can try out a few things before you settle on the USP that works
best. Dont be afraid to let your personality come out! The key is to not
overthink it, but to practice describing your business around the unified
concept of a USP.
Step 3: MediaUse the Right Channel to Reach Your Audience
Once you have learned about your market and determined your message,
then you can figure out what media you need to use in order to push
your message to your market. Every business is different, and every
business requires a specific media strategy based on its wants and needs.
For example, business that caters to Chief Marketing Officers wouldnt
use social media or online advertisements because CMOs are unlikely
to buy products that way. Instead, theyre more likely to buy a product
based on a referral or a direct and customized presentation made through
a strategy session or a 1-on-1 consultative close. On the other hand,
businesses targeting Millennials (ages 20 to 29) should make extensive
use of social media to reach this audience.
Media is divided into two categories, online and offline, or traditional.
Heres a list of some of the different types of media in each category. Look
at these lists and decide what will work best for your target customer.
ONLINE MEDIA
Social Media
Video
Online Advertising
Webinar / Teleseminar
Blogs
Webcast / Livecast
Podcasts
Website (or Microsite)
Special Reports/White Papers
Search Marketing
News Releases
Mobile Marketing
Email Marketing
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OFFLINE OR TRADITIONAL MEDIA
Books
Live Events
Print Advertising
Sales Visits / 1-on-1

Presentations
Print Articles, Magazines,

Publications
Posters / Signage
Direct Mail
Conferences (Presentations at
Industry Events, Seminars)
Billboards, Taxi Tops,

Subway Signage
Retail Placement
Trade Shows
One way to find out what media your market pays attention to is simply
to ask your customers. Send out a survey, post on social media, or ask
people one-on-one at events, meet-ups or groups comprised of people in
your market. Ask them what publications they subscribe to, associations
or groups they belong to, blogs or online forums they have joined, radio
or TV programs they watch, etc.
A successful use of media connects to the specific marketplace by using
messaging that addresses their likes, dislikes, goals, needs, and obstacles.
Your messages will not appeal to everyonemarketing is attracting and
at the same time repellingand thats fine. Begin by looking at the
market youre trying to attract, and take it from there.
Exercise: Brainstorm 2-3 media outlets where your ideal customer is
already spending time. This is where youll want to start to focus and test
your marketing efforts.
Once youve gotten clear on the basics of your market, message, and
media choice, you can start to drill down and get absolutely specific on
who your ideal customer is. You do this by creating a customer avatar.
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2. The Power of Avatars: The Key to Customer Empathy

Creating a customer persona for your ideal customer is the key to
getting inside their heads and understanding their psychology. Once you
understand their emotions, wounds, desires, pain and dreams, you can
create products and servicesand the ideal messagethat solve their
problems and help them achieve their goals.
The success of your product or service really comes down to one thing:
choosing the right market. Determining your avatar could mean the
difference between products that languish versus products that attract
raving fans for the life of your business.
Step 1: Identify your market. There are two strategies when it comes to
finding your ideal customer. Both strategies help you eliminate the
customers who will never be customers and gives you room to focus on
those who will.
Strategy #1 is the 80/20/2 Rule, which states that 80 percent of your
income comes from 20 percent of your customersand your highest net
comes from the top 2 percent of all your customers. The 2 Percenters
are your perfect customers, the ones who buy everything you have,
implement everything correctly and get great results, refer new people to
you and keep coming back over and over again.
Its not practical for all businesses to build an entire company on that
2 percent, which is why the 20 percent is also important. However, if
you model and create all your marketing for the top 2 percent, you will
attract the best of the best as your customers.
Strategy #2 is to seek out above the line rather than below the line buyers.
An above-the-line buyer will see your product as an investment versus
an expense. A below-the-line buyer thinks, If I spend money on your
product, I wont have money for something else. Do not waste one cent
of your money or one second of your time on below-the-line customers.
Step 2: Build and understand your avatar. A customer avatar is a specific
persona who represents your marketyour perfect, ideal customer.
However, you need to turn your avatar into a real person, and not just
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a person you want to persuade to buy your product. When you develop a
high level of understanding, compassion, empathy and excitement around
your ideal avatar, you will fall in love with your customers instead of falling
in love with your products and services.
The more specific you are with your customer avatar, the easier it becomes
to create marketing and products for them. And when you start creating
content for your ideal customer youll attract more customers like them.
There are two types of customer data that will help you build and understand
your avatar. The first is demographics: quantitative, statistical data (gender,
education, profession, income, where they live). There are 10 basic categories
of demographic information you should know about your ideal customer.
1. Gender: Are most of your customers male or female?
2. Education: Does he/she have a high school education? Post-graduate
degree?
3. Profession: What does he do for a living?
4. Income: How much does he make per year?
5. Home Ownership: Does he own his own home? What is the
approximate value?
6. Geographic Location: Where does she live?
7. Family and Lifestyle: Does she have a husband? Kids? A mortgage
and two cars? Or is he a bachelor with a loft apartment in the city
and a motorcycle?
8. Online Activity: What technology does he own? Is he an early
adapter?
9. Ideal Qualities: What kind of qualitiespersonal philosophy, ideas
about money, view of the world)would she ideally have?
10. Nightmare Qualities: What kind of qualities shouldnt he have?
Once youve narrowed your avatars basic information, youll want to
dig deeper into their personal psychology for the second kind of data:
psychographics. This includes your avatars emotional drivers, interests, wants,
needs, desires, etc.
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When it comes to psychographic data, it works best to actually talk to
your customers. Sit down with your ideal customer. These are a few of the
questions that will help you determine your customers psychographics.
1. What do you love? What do you hate?
2. Whats going great? Whats not?
3. If you could snap your fingers and make three changes in your life
happen immediately what would they be?
4. If you could change one thing about your life, what would it be?
5. What are your three biggest dreams and fantasies?
6. What are your three biggest frustrations?
7. What is your single biggest fear?
8. What are your biggest inner conflicts (i.e. you know you need to
promote yourself, but you hate to sell)?
9. What do you believe about this product? What must you believe or
feel in order to buy it from me?
10. What myths or objections do you currently have about my product?
How can I overcome those for you?
11. Is there anything that would limit (or prevent) you from producing
the result this product provides?
As a creator, its your job to look at the answers to these questions and
then ask the question, Whats in their way? Why havent they gotten the
help to their problem? Why dont they have this thing that they want so
much? This is going to become the framework of your product.
Based on the information youve gathered, you now can define your
primary avatar.
Exercise: Think about your best customer (or your ideal customer if
you dont have any yet)the exact person you can help most with your
product or service. This person is a delight to work with, implements
everything and fits your perfect image of your best customer. Get a
picture of this person in your head, and write down his/her demographic
and psychographic characteristics. Remember, this is what youll be using
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in each of your marketing messages so you can speak directly to this
person!
Use these questions as a jumping-off point. If youre inspired to learn
more about your avatar, go for it. The more time you can spend getting
to know this person and what they really want and need, the better.
Especially when were creating high-end products, its not unusual for
us to spend several hours to a few weeks investigating our ideal client
avatar from top to bottom. To complete this level of research, well go to
live events, network with potential customers and participate in online
forums to understand who our clients are and how we can best serve
them.
Once you have a clear picture of your ideal desired customers (and the
nightmare customers to avoid), you must learn to connect deeply with
those customers and move them to action. And the best way to do so is
to create a powerful brand message and story.
3. Your Brand Message and Story

The key to connecting with your market and creating a desirable brand
isnt about what your company does; its about the stories people tell
about your company. People are not moved by information and facts;
they are moved by people and stories. Being able to translate not just
your productsbut ultimately your businessinto a brand story that
moves people to action is the key that unlocks your ability to effectively
persuade, influence, and motivate your target audience. Remember, its
your job to give your customers a compelling story to tell.
Step 1: Create your brand.
A brand is how you communicate your promise to your customers.
Its how you connect their wants and needs to the value your business
provides. You will use your brand to succinctly, emotionally and clearly
identify who you are, what problems you solve, and how you can meet
the needs of your target audience.
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To establish a brand for your product creation business, you must develop
four elements.
1. A strong name. A good business name is similar to a good product
name: it needs to be simple, relevant and memorable. Make sure
you can get the domain name you want for your website and any
important social media outlets before you settle on a name. Also,
think about where you want to be two to three years down the road
so you create a name that will work as you grow.
2. Consistent visual elements, including your logo, and the fonts and
colors you use. The more professional and compelling the images
around your product and business are, the better youll be able to
attract new customers.
3. A clear taglinea short descriptor that is easy to remember and
understand. It should clarify and compel what you do. Taglines like
Just Do It (Nike), Think Different (Apple), and The Happiest Place
on Earth (Disneyland) are all simple, memorable, and connected to
the brand.
4. A core storyan emotional narrative about what you do, why you do it
and who you do it for. Making an emotional connection earlier draws
people in and it connects your audience to your business mission.
Your core story should contain elements like your background,
connection to your heart and mission, reference to your expertise,
and admission of failures and fears as well as successes, to humanize
you and make you more real to your customers. The outcome of
your story is to convey your personal and business values, take your
audience on a journey, make your experience relatable (they see you
are like them), and to figure out their objections and what theyre
thinking about so you can address these issues up front.
Exercise: Brainstorm key points of your core story by answering these
questions. Highlight any key themes or connection points you can
emphasize in your story.
1. What do you want to be known for?
2. What makes your story unique? Think about when you talk to new
acquaintanceswhat points do you typically highlight?
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3. What problems do you solve?
4. What relevant parts of your own personal story can you reveal that
your audience will relate to?
5. How can you make your story memorable? What are details that
show a range of emotionthat may incite laughter, bring tears,
etc.?
Once youve finished, brainstorming, write your story down and create a
structure for it. The key is that your story is about your journey (or the
evolution of your business), but it really isnt about you at allits about
the journey your customers are on and how you can help them.
Then practice telling your story again and again. With practice, you will
become a better storyteller. While the key pieces of your message may
stay the same, what you emphasize and articulate will continue to evolve.
With a strong brand and core story, you are ready to hone in on the exact
characteristics of your market, and make sure that its a market where you
can make money.
4: Market Discovery Tools

The most important factor in your success comes down to your market
how well you can specifically identify, understand and attract your ideal
customer to your product or service. But you also must make sure your
market is a viable onethat it can provide enough customers and
income to support your business. You must dig deeper to understand
your market and how to get your message in front of them.
Step 1: Evaluate Your Market
Often people have a great product idea and theyve defined their ideal
customer (a perfect customer persona), but they struggle because theyre
trying to sell to a market that theyre not going to succeed in. In other
words, they fail to match their description of their ideal customer or
avatars against very specific marketing criteria to make sure they can sell
to these customers.
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Here are the seven criteria to ensure you are entering a market thats
going to have value and where you can be successful selling. Ask yourself
these questions about the market you are thinking you would like to
enter.
1. Do these customers have a clear, specific problem thats urgent for
them to solve?
2. Are they large in number?
3. Are they easy to find?
4. Do they have money to spend?
5. Do they have a history of paying for similar products to help solve
their big problem?
6. Does this market have appeal to you?
7. Are you confident they can solve their big problem with your
product or service?
If you can define a very specific customer type in a market that meets these
criteria, youre on your way to a successful business built for longevity.
Be sure to narrow down your market as much as possible. Remember,
trying to be everything to everyone pretty much ensures youll be
nothing to no one. Instead of selling health to anyone who wants to be
healthier, sell a proven 5-step strategy to lose weight and keep it off to
moms of toddlers who are struggling to lose 10 to 20 pounds. See how
much more specific this allows you to be in your marketing messages?
Step 2: Dig Deeper to Understand Your Target Market
Once you establish that you have a viable and compelling market, spend
some time to research that market at greater depth. Divide your research
into four categories.
1. Your Competitors
Who are your competitors? What is the size and age of those
competitors? How much market share do they control?
What products and services do your competitors currently
sell? For how much?
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What are the strengths and weaknesses of your existing and
potential competition?
What specific customer types are they selling to? In other
words, what specific market or customer are they targeting?
How are they marketing or selling their products or services?
Is it effective?
Whos doing the best work in this space? How do they solve
customers problems? How do they position their solutions to
customers problems?
2. Your Industry
What is the current size of this market or industry?
What are the current characteristics or trends in this market
or industry?
What directories or databases are available to help you
identify customers?
What are the biggest (most popular) trade associations and
publications that exist in your market or industry?
What blogs, forums and/or social sites exist that can help you
understand your market and identify potential customers?
What Internet sites or other media is used by purchase/
decision-makers of your target market that helps them make
decisions about what to buy?
3. Your Customer Demographics and Psychographics
You should have researched your customers demographics when
you created your ideal customer avatar earlier in this chapter. But
you can dive deeper into their psychographics by asking these
questions.
What are his or her biggest dreams (top 3)?
What are his or her biggest frustrations (top 3)?
What is the single biggest thing that keeps him or her awake
at night?
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What is the ongoing conversation inside his or her head?
What must he or she believe about you and your product or
service to buy from you?
What core objections might he or she have about your
product or service that would cause him or her not to buy?
What other products and services has he or she already
invested in? Have they worked? In your opinion, why or why
not?
4. Keyword Research
Doing keyword research to understand what your ideal market
is searching for and most important, what your competitors are
advertising and selling to your market, can be a valuable source of
information. First, youll quickly find out if your market meets the
criteria discussed above. If there are few competitors advertising, if
there is not a lot of activity, or if there arent a lot of searches in your
market niche, then it may be time to re-evaluate if this is a market
that makes sense for you. Remember, you want a busy, competitive
market where theres a lot of activity, as this means there are buyers
actively looking for solutions similar to yours!
Use tools like Google Adwords (free), iSpionage.com (basic level
is free), KeywordSpy.com or SpyFu.com and ask the following
questions.
What keywords are my competitors using in their advertising?
What they are spending? How many searches they are getting?
What ads and web pages theyre using to market their
products and services?
When you can pinpoint the profitable keyword and ad-copy
combinations of your competitors, it can give you a great jumpstart as to what your market really wants and how to attract them
online.
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5. Book Research
What books are selling in your market right now? Again, this is
another clue as to what your market is really interested in. Search
Amazon.com for bestselling books in your industry or niche. Then,
scan the Table of Contents of the best ones to see what types of
solutions customers are looking for. Review The New York Times
bestseller list for your niche (non-fiction, fiction, business books,
etc.) as well. Take notes about what you see!
Dive into these areas of market research as it supports you so you can
match your ideal avatar to the data and marketing messaging thats
already working in your market. These are all tools that will help you get
underneath and in front of wyour ideal customer.
Review the seven criteria for an ideal market against your target market.
If your answer to any of the questions isnt a resounding yes, go back
and tweakor completely change if necessaryyour target market so
that its a match. Write down where your market is the strongest against
these criteria as well as where its the weakest. What can you change or
tweak to make sure youre going after a market thats likely to get you
results?
Even though it can feel disheartening to discover that the market you
wanted to serve is not best suited to get you results (both in terms of
impact and income), its far better to know now than before youve invested
incredible time and energy in creating a product and/or marketing plan
thats targeted to a market thats not positioned to buy.
Now that you understand the power of defining your market, wed like
you to meet one of our product creators who successfully leveraged
her avatar to sell her product to a staggering 40 percent of her list.
Turn the page to meet Neelam Meetcha.
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My income is much better now

with fewer hours of work.
Case Study from the Field: Neelam Meetcha

About eight years ago, Neelam Meetcha got very ill.
So ill that she was forced to stay at home for over 18
months. During her recovery time, Neelam worked
on creative projects to pass the time with her sisters.
As she worked, she tapped into a natural passion for
creativity that shed always had, but never nurtured.
After she recovered, Neelam decided to go out
on her own. Although her background was in
lecturing, she also decided to offer her creative talents for hire, launching a
gift-wrapping business. Within three months of going live, Neelam had her
first inquirty from a large nearby shopping center. She continued to grow and
now works mainly for large corporate clients, including National Geographic.
After running this business for several years, Neelam began to realize that
her business relied too much on her. She wasnt going to be able to increase
her income unless she could leverage her time. Around that same time,
Neelam also discovered she had a knack for helping other women transition
from the corporate world to launching their own small businesses. She just
needed a more streamlined solution to offer. Sitting down face-to-face with
each client was simply something she didnt have time for.
When Neelam heard about Make, Market, Launch IT, it was exactly what
she had been looking for. It was like it was written for me. This was exactly
what I needed in my life, so I purchased it without any hesitance, Neelam
says.
Neelam first big breakthrough happened when she was defining her ideal
clients.
She struggled with the concept initially. I just felt likeWhy would I leave
a certain group out? Why would I target just one group? But I realized that
if I target one group, it will be easier for those people to find me, so I can
become a big fish in a small pond, instead of the other way around, Neelam
shares.
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This made the creation process significantly simpler for her. Once I
started doing the module on the avatars and the exercises in the booklet,
I realized that there was a specific woman who I was aiming for. When
I figured that out, I was able to create my product around that woman,
which made everything easier, Neelam explains.
After putting a product together that would speak to her unique audience,
Neelam launched Business Success for Women in July 2012.
Her commitment to this product is personal. Im very passionate about
a family and [being] a business woman. Im even more passionate about
helping women to make sure that they have that quality time to spend
with their family through having their own information products.
40 percent of her list has already purchased it. She couldnt be happier:
For me thats a good income for me because its automated, I dont have
to do anything. This passive income puts Neelam ever closer to her goal
of working three days a week to spend time with her family, including
her two teenage daughters.
To continue this initial success, shes committed to fostering the
relationships shes established by finding more and more ways to serve
her audience.
Its not just about producing a DVD and sticking it on the shelf for
people to buy. Its about developing the relationship. I think thats so
important because these people arent just going to be your clients or
your prospects. Theyre going to be people who will come back to you
again and again for you and your products, Neelam says.
Developing these products has had a huge impact on how Neelam
runs her whole business, which offers a suite of services to women,
from career and business consulting to creative coaching. As part of her
offerings, she used to host groups of 10-15 women in person. I didnt
enjoy that because I didnt feel like they were getting everything they
wanted because its too much of a groupand my mind is still thinking,
I know Ive got inquires coming through and I cant get through to these
people, or they cant get a hold of me.
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Now, by offering that same content online, these women have
unlimited time to review Neelams content, wherever they are in
the world. With existing clients in the UK, Hong Kong, Africa and
India, the potential for growth into these markets is extraordinary. The
online format has also freed up Neelams time to continue to develop her
business, take care of her customersand spend time with her family.
She only wishes she would have had access to all the information the
product provides sooner. In her words, I was really surprised that I
hadnt known about any of this years and years ago because if I had, I
would be a millionaire by now.
She has big plans for the future, but, even now, Neelam feels blessed
because my income is much better now with [fewer] hours of work. Her
product sales have already improved her business revenue by 20 percent
and she is confident those numbers will continue to rise.
These blessings have given rise to unexpected labors of love, like a
book of poetry shell be publishing this year, called Poetic Challenges of a
Woman Entrepreneur. The book was inspired by all the family moments
she gets to enjoy now that she has a home office, after 20 years of working
away from her home.
Because, at the end of the day, for Neelam, Its not just about going out
there, reeducating yourself, making loads of money. Life is too precious
to just do that. Its about finding the balance within her own life through
her businessand helping other women to do the same.
In 2012, Neelam Meetcha more than doubled her holiday sales as
compared to 2011, and her business continues to grow to this day. Her
book, Gift Wrapping Ideas: Step By Step Guide On How to Exquisitely Wrap
Your Presents launched in 2014. She continues to expand her businesses
at BusinessSuccessforWomen.co.uk and GiftWrappingCourses.com.
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Step 3: OfferPresent IT
Make your offer so great that only a lunatic would refuse to buy.
Claude C. Hopkins, author, Scientific Advertising
All too often, products are created because someone has an idea theyre
passionate about and they just assume it will sell because they think its
a great idea. In Step 3, well break down how to create an irresistible
offer so you know your target customers will buy before you create your
product or service.
There is a step-by-step formula for creating your offerhow to get to
know your customers pain point, paint a picture of what the future
would look like if you solved that pain, and then explain the tangible
solution you provide.
The distinctions were going to offer you in this chapter are some of
the most significant weve come across. Why? Because theres no better
feeling than working on a product that you know will sell. Thats what
creating an irresistible offer is about.
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Your success hinges on offering your customers something they want
and cant wait to buy. Your sales keep the doors open. They compensate
you for the time and expertise youve poured into your product. But sales
mean more than that . . .
Sales get your products into peoples hands. Theyre the means by which
youre spreading your ideas, the manner in which youre adding value and
creating change.
Sales get people to pay attention. Our friend, marketer Joe Polish, says, If
they dont pay, they dont pay attention. When people invest in your
product, trading their hard-earned dollars for what youve got, theyve
got skin in the game. No one wants to waste their money, so paying
customers are much more likely to follow through.
It all starts with a sale. And too many product creators are really lousy at
getting their customers to invest those dollars. They simply arent skilled
at creating a killer offer that compels people to buy.
A bad offer will doom your product. You could have the most amazing
thing on the market. Your product might bring about world peace, or
solve climate change. Or you could have a line on growing those money
trees that wed all love to have. But if you present it with a bad offer, no
one will buy. No matter what youre selling.
Therefore, you must learn to create and deliver an irresistible offer that
will compel your customers to buy.
1. Create an Irresistible Offer

An offer is simply something people want that is explained so well, it
encourages them to consider: if I could have anything, price being no
object, would I have to have this?
The keys to a great offer are whether your customer can answer yes to
three questions:
Is it easy?
Does it work?
Can I do it?
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If so, they will have a turnaround, transformational experience with your
product or service.
A lot of new business owners make the mistake of starting with what they
think their audience needs without actually knowing who the customer
is, then they create the content to sell their product.
The way we create our products now is to start with an offer, design the
pitch and the scripts, and then we create the product, as counter-intuitive as
that may seem. You design the product to fulfill the offer and the promise
to that specific audience.
A good way to develop your irresistible offer is to start with what people
want and need, and what their objections might be. Go back to your
ideal customer and associate mentally and emotionally to who they really
are, what their biggest problems are and what they want most. From
there, you hone the perfect offer.
Once you know what conversations your customers are having among
themselves, it becomes extremely easy to provide a product or service that
solve their problems. The description of your product offer is essentially
the Band-Aid or the cure to their big problem.
One of the easiest and most effective ways to get this information from
your customers is with a survey. A well-crafted survey will help you learn
the language of your customers, shape the content you should include
in your product and/or bonuses, give you massive amounts of personal
information about your target audience, and indicate how strong the
sales for your product will be. Plus, surveys actually can be almost a
pre-sale campaign for your customers. People will support something
that they feel theyve contributed to, and by asking for their input, youre
giving them the chance to participate in the creative process.
When Mike was getting ready to launch his Publish & Profit program,
he sent out a survey asking his clients to help name the book. As part
of the survey, he asked, How useful would a course be that teaches you
how to write and publish a book, become a top authority or go-to expert
or celebrity in your topic for your business? He received 587 comments
on this one question! Everything Mike needed to know to compose the
perfect offer came from this process.
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He also put at the bottom of the survey: If you would like a FREE copy
of this book when its published, enter your contact information below
and it will be sent to you. Out of 935 total survey respondents, more
than 900 entered their email and contact details. Thats more than 900
potential customers!
If you dont have much of a list to contact, you can post a link to your
survey on social media or run paid ads on Facebook. One thing to
note, however: make sure that the survey respondents fit your primary
customer avatar profile.
2. Design the 7 Elements of Your Irresistible Product or

Service
It would be a much easier world if there were a direct correlation between
how good your product is and how well its going to sell. However, there
is zero correlation between the best products and the products that have
sold the best. For true success, you need to have both an amazing product
and an irresistible offer to sell it.
To do this, were going to get practical and start by defining specifically
what your product or service iswhat youre delivering to customers. Its
about creating the bridge between your offer and your product. Once you
know what youre going to sellyour deliverablesthen you can craft
an offer to present it in a way that becomes irresistible to your market.
There are seven basic elements to every product or service that make up
the details of what youre going to sell. The more simple, concise and
clear you can describe what youre selling, the better response youll get.
Lay it out so theres no doubt about what theyre getting; in other words,
drop the terms, lingo, jargon and fluff.
Were going to reverse engineer this idea and start with the end. In the
simplest and most basic terms, what are you giving them? What is your
customer going to get? What is the benefit youre providing them? Your
product should be clear and compelling, and it should speak to your
audience and tell them what its benefit is.
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Here are the seven elements you need to define to establish what your
product or service is going to deliver. By clarifying these, you will create
a product or service geared for success.
Element 1: Title & Subtitle
In a few words, state what you are giving to your buyer. Dont try to
make it sound perfect. Describe your title in the simplest, most basic
terms. Think about how to make your title concise and compelling while
highlighting the benefits of your product or service.
When creating a product title, you must:
Be clear
Avoid industry jargon
Avoid fluff (i.e., hype, words that dont mean anything concrete)
Your title and subtitle should make clear (1) what your product does and
(2) what benefits it offers. Sue Ferreiras case study earlier in the book, her
title is a great example of this: Live Your Retirement Dream. See the
Product Title Creation section in Step 1 for more ideas on product titles.
Element 2: Format
After you select your title and subtitle, youll need to decide which format
your product is going to be in. How will your customers consume your
product? Heres a recap of the 11 Product Formats:
1. Online Membership Sites
7. Live Events
2. Physical Training Programs
8. Mastermind Programs
3. Subscription Programs /
Continuity
9. Certification / Train the

Trainer Programs
4. Coaching Programs
10. Manufactured Products
5. Software & Apps
11. Consulting
6. Learning Management
Systems (LMS)
Start with simpler format, one you know you can do and to keep your
risk down especially if this is your first product.
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Element 3: Deliverables
Simply, what does the buyer get? There are countless elements you can
include in your product or with your service. For example, here are some
of the different components you can consider for a training or software
product:
Videos
Software / App
Audios
Coaching Calls / Q & A
Summary Manuals
Live Event Tickets
Action Steps Checklist
Community Access
Fill-In-The-Blank Templates
Done-For-You Services
Scripts
Hard Drive
Sample Forms
USB
Summary Cards
Instruction Gide
Keynote / PowerPoint Slide

Decks
Personal Journal
Mind Maps / Infographics
Quizzes, Assessments
Key Chains, Magnets, etc
How do you decide what to include in your product or service? First,

pick one main thing. For example, if your service involves training we
would recommend video as your main way to deliver the content (vs.
audio or written materials) because of its high perceived value.
Second, take into account peoples different learning styles. Some people
like to watch, some listen, some touch, write, or read. Add in two or
three other learning aids in alternate styles. In other words, if your main
deliverable is video training, consider adding audio and written materials
to supplement it. For example, you might create a series of mind maps
that recap the key points of each main step. You may decide to include
a personalized journal so your customers can take notes and write down
their ideas as they complete your training.
Third, add at least one thing that surprises and delights your audience
and adds an element of fun. This can be as simple as a set of coasters or
magnets with great quotes, a set of summary cards with funny sayings
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or key pointssomething outside of your main product delivery that
makes your product fun and unique.
Fourth, keep it simple. Your goal is to make your product easy to use,
fun and interesting. If you add too much to it, not only will you risk
overwhelming your customer, you will struggle to keep your costs down,
making it harder to be profitable.
Fifth, protect your content. Dont make it easy for someone to copy
or share your whole product with the click of a button or by inserting
one simple USB drive. In addition, consider having an attorney who
pursues shutting down anyone you discover illegally sharing selling or
distributing your proprietary content or materials.
Element 4: Bonuses
Once youve decided upon your deliverables, pick a couple that youll use
as bonuses. The biggest mistake people make when it comes to bonuses
is they start adding more stuff to their product and they overcomplicate
it. Your goal with the bonus is to increase the value of the offer.
As a general rule, include two to three (and up to three to five) bonuses
that go with your product or service. Organize your bonuses as follows:
One unannounced bonus (a surprise). When they order your
program, surprise them with it. Your goal is to over-deliver on what
you promised.
Two to three bonuses that complement the productideally in a
completely different format or style than your main product. Is
there something else you can give them that will help them be
more effective with the training youre already giving them, such as
templates, mind maps, a journal, etc.?
One value bonussomething that makes the whole program worth
it. With Make Market Launch IT, we promote customers who
actually create and launch a product through our newsletter (this is
something you cant buy or access otherwise!).
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Element 5: Price
There are three criteria for determining price. First, you must know your
customer. What is the market willing to pay? There is a value your market
places on the benefit youre giving them. For example, make-money
courses can always demand a higher price than a personal development
course.
Second, you must know your competitors. What do your competitors
charge for similar products or services? Use this as your benchmark, and
position yourself one level above your competition.
Third, know your costsspecifically, your breakeven and ongoing
expenses. If you product cost $5,000 to develop and $20 per unit to
manufacture, thats a cost of $6,000. If youre selling your product for
$300, youll need to sell 20 units to break even.
When in doubt, err on the side of pricing higher than youre thinking. Set
your price based on value, not scarcity or fear. As long as you over deliver
on value, this will give you the freedom to do that and also help ensure
you make a profit. Remember, you can always offer payment plans, trial
offers, and other means to make it easier for your customers to pay what
your product is worth.
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Three Common Pricing Mistakes

#1: Setting the price too low. Everybody loves a bargain, but
people are suspicious of a bargain they cant see, touch and
verify. Have you ever seen an item priced ridiculously low online
and thought, Whats wrong with that? Is it a knockoff? The
quality cant be good Its the same with your product. People
will always look for value, no question. But when it comes to
solving an important problem in their lives, they wont always
jump for a bargain-basement solution. In fact, they may be
suspicious of it.
#2: Setting the price too high. Granted, a high price can increase
the perceived value of a product. But the price still has to reflect
the value. And, in fact, we would argue that your product
should always deliver immense value over and above the price
paid for it. When its the other way around, products dont sell.
A recent study from Cornell University confirmed what weve
always suspected: a higher price may mean that people perceive
your product more favorably, but it doesnt mean theyll buy it.1
Given that our equation is that sales = success, your focus needs
to be on communicating the value of your product, whatever
price you choose.
#3: Not benchmarking against your competition. If the Internet
has done anything, its made every single one of us a comparison
shopper, so its always wise to know how you compare to your
competition. Whether you want to be the low-cost or the highcost provider hinges on your branding and the package youre
offering, but when in doubt, we suggest selling at a higher price
to attract the type of quality customer youll enjoy serving.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505125_162-31041136/high-prices-affect-perceptionof-quality-but-not-sales/
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Element 6: Risk Reversal/Guarantee
The goal of a guarantee is to remove the perceived risk for a prospective
customer and to give them certainty, especially at the point of sale. You
want your offer to be as minimally risky as possible and to remove any
doubt your customer may have about your product. Doubt creates
hesitation, and hesitation kills sales.
An effective guarantee is easy for the customer to understand and for you
to honor. Make it simpleno fine print or long list of qualifications. The
number of people who will take advantage of your guarantee is minimal
compared to the number who will purchase with confidence when they
see you offer one.
Element 7: Call To Action
To sell your product or service, you have to actually ask for the sale! If you
dont actually ask for the sale and tell your prospect what to do to buy,
you cant expect them to do it. As simple as it sounds, this is probably the
thing people leave out most often that affects the sale more than anything
else. Asking for the sales is as simple as saying, click the Add to Cart
button or fill out this form and turn it in at the back of the room.
As you lay out your version of these seven elements, remember, this is
just the first draft. Dont make it perfect, you just need a place to start!
To be a successful product creator, you must craft your irresistible offer
before you create your product or service so that you know its going to
sell. Now youll take the foundation of your product or service and turn
it into the perfect offer, one that creates urgency in your prospect to buy.
3. The Psychology and Structure of a Perfect Offer

When creating the perfect offer, tell, dont asktell your customer
why they want your product and emphasize why they should act on
the opportunity now. Do this by creating a bleeding neck scenario.
Imagine someone had cut through your carotid artery in your neck
causing you to bleed profusely. Your one thought above all else is what?
Stop the bleeding. Your offer should be that strongso good that
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someone would be willing to drop everything and invest, because what
you are offering is so important its going to change his or her life forever.
The psychology behind your offer should create this kind of immediate
urgency, encouraging your potential buyer to act quickly to purchase
your product.
There are six steps to create an offer that gets people really excited and
moves them to action.
Step 1: Benefits. The expression in sales is, Sell the hole, not the drill.
Sell the shade, not the tree. The single most important thing you can
do is to take all the features of your product and turn them into benefits.
Tell your customer, Heres what this means to you. Then, start to fill in
the blanks with benefits.
When there is urgency to buy products, its not just because it will fix a
problem. Its because the product will fix a problem AND create benefits
upon benefits that will improve a persons business and/or quality of life.
Your benefits need to speak to your customer. But how do you find out
what your customer really wants? Ask them! Pose these two questions to
your target audience:
1. Whats your biggest challenge with _______________?
2. How hard has it been to find a solution?
Once you have their feedback, brainstorm a long list of benefits your
product provides. Understand both their needs and wants and create
your offers accordingly. Would you want a product that can auto-create
a website, or do you want a product that can create a website, make you
wake up carefree, instill joy into your life, and draw in revenue all while
youre sunbathing on the beach?
Step 2: Bonuses. Who doesnt like something extra? Your bonuses are
your opportunity to over-deliver on the value of your product. And they
dont need to take a lot of time or resources. Your bonus is just a part
of the program that you want to pull out and go into more depth with.
You can transcribe your video or audio recording and turn the transcript
into a bonus. Remember, you want to present your material in multiple
formats anywaywhy not position this as added value?
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Step 3: Price and price justification. There are many different ways to
present the price of your program to your audience. One great strategy
is to start with a high number and then keep dropping the price. For
example, you can ask a question like, What would the value of this be
worth to you? Then, share the higher price and drop it down by giving
a clear, justifiable reason for why youre doing it. For example, the retail
price of this program is $1,297. But because you took action and youre
at this event right now, Im going to give you $300 off this price. So for
todayand this is good for today onlyyour investment is just $997.
Another way to deliver your price is to start with a fixed price and then
keep adding value. The price is $1297, but if you act today Ill add two
extra content modules, plus a USB drive with my videos, plus a six-month
subscription to my membership site, plus.
Regardless of which way you choose to go, its important that prior to
sharing the investment price, you add up the value of every individual
element of your product or service so they see the true value in advance.
This is where youll also talk about any payment plans (i.e. a 2-pay, a 3-pay,
etc.) that they can take advantage of in addition to your pay-in-full option.
Once youve delivered your price presentation, be sure to follow it up
immediately with your price justification: your explanation of the need
for an item of expenditure, supported by documentation to show that
expected returns exceed expected costs.
The products you create have value. It is up to you to show that to the
customer in a way that the pricing will make sense to them. Justify the
price by making them see the value. Price justification doesnt have to be
about the monetary value; it can be any measurement of worth of the
benefits given by investing in the product. Justify the price based on the
series of benefits you created.
The key to price justification is comparing apples to oranges, not apples to
apples. An apples-to-apples comparison tallies up the cost of the different
elements of your product (CDs, DVDs, a manual) based on the actual
manufacturing expense ($50 for six CDs, $20 for the manual, etc.). Rarely
will apples-to-apples comparisons work out in your favorand in truth,
they dont represent the real value of your product.
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Apples to oranges compares the price of your product with how much of
an investment it would take to gain the same benefits. Our colleague Ed
Rush created a fighter pilot course. When people ask him the price, hell
tell them, You invested at least $10,000 in college, plus your housing and
food, and all the years of your life you spent in school to get an education
youre not even going to use in your chosen career as a as a fighter pilot.
This course is $97. So $97 will get you the exact training youll need and
that you are going to use. Apples to oranges is based on benefits and
speaks to your customer directly in order to effectively justify the price.
Step 4: Guarantee it. There are three types of guarantees that will give
people peace of mind when they purchase your product. First is a term
guaranteeyou tell your customer, If you dont like the product, feel
free to return it in 30 days (or 60 days, 90 days, up to one year), and well
refund your entire investment, no questions asked. Keep in mind that
typically, the longer the guarantee, the lower your returns. However, every
market is different.
The second is a performance guarantee, often used in combination with a
term guarantee. This guarantee says, Our product works and if it doesnt
give you the results you anticipated, we will back it up. If you use the entire
system and you dont get these results (x, y, z), well give you 100% of your
money back. Performance guarantees are typically bold in language, but
keep in mind that as long as your system works and the person buying it
implements it correctly, there will be no need for a return.
There is a third category, which is not to offer a guarantee. Some product
formats, like coaching or consulting, often come with no guarantee.
Whether the person implements all the coaching and business tips that
youve given them is entirely up to them. They are in charge of whether
they take the tools youve given them to create their success.
Step 5: Scarcity. Scarcity is what gets people to buy something.
Remember, youve got to create a bleeding neck type of offer. What is
going to persuade someone to buy something as soon as you release your
offer? When we give a deadline that expires at midnight, do you know
how many people buy at 11:55 pm? Most of them!
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Here are five ways to apply the scarcity concept to marketing your
product and perfecting your offer:
1. Numbers. Limit the number of products. We have 100 kits
available. Get yours before they sell out!
2. Dates. This one-of-a-kind offer expires this Saturday and will go
up in price after this date. Dont say your product will never be
offered at this price ever again once the deadline hits; be honest and
straight-forward about your deadlines and what they mean.
3. Bonuses. The first 25 people to sign up for this webinar will receive
a free 30-minute consulting session. You can also pull bonuses
after your sign-up or purchase deadline instead of changing the
price.
4. Event date. Create a deadline based around a specific event
associated with your product. The deadline for enrollment is this
Saturday because the event is next week and we need to know the
numbers.
5. Opportunity scarcity. Sometimes your product doesnt have a natural
scarcity, so youll need to create an opportunity scarcity. Use the
concept that any time a door opens, the door will shut again. If
you dont buy now, youll pay the price for your procrastination,
youll say, I wish I would have taken the opportunity when I could
have.
Step 6: Call to Action
You do not have an offer unless you tell the customer what to do. A call
to action is not a negotiable and its not the time to be nice. Tell your
customer what you want them to do. Not everyone is going to do what
you tell them, but if there is something you want your customer to do
thats in their best interest, simply say, Heres what I want you to do.
4. Presenting Your Offer to Your Customers

No matter what kind of product you create, at some point, youre going
to want to pitch it. You might be on stage at an event, you might create
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a video that goes on your website or you might be standing in front of
investors, asking them for capital. In all of these situations, youll put
yourself on the line and ask someone else to take action by investing in
your productand in you.
During a presentation, youre doing three things:
1. Establishing credibility. Youre creating a base for why people should
believe in what you have to say.
2. Revealing with intrigue. Like a movie trailer, you give people a sneak
peek of what you have to offer. This might come in the form of a
lesson that you teach or a preview of your solution.
3. Influencing/selling. Keep in mind that your ultimate goal is to move
someone toward taking action. Every word matters. As long as your
offer is genuinely something that will improve the other persons
life, you are selling from a place of integrity.
The Anatomy of a Pitch
When it comes to something this important, we dont leave anything to
chance. We structure our presentation around a three-part format. For
simplicitys sake, were going to explain our approach as though we were
pitching our product from stage at a live event. However, with some small
modifications, this pitch could serve a number of different purposes: to
solicit funds from investors, to convince someone to publish your book,
to recruit a joint venture partner.
Part 1: Set Up and Introduction
Open up with a promise to interest your audience about what
youre going to show them during the presentation.
Shine a light on the problem your product solves. Dont minimize
it. Make that problem as uncomfortable as possible. Its great to tell
a story.
Tell your story to help your audience relate to you. Youre doing
this to humanize yourself and your product. To be approachable,
real and show your emotions and heart. How did you get here, to
the solution youre presenting today?
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Part 2: Reveal and Teach Three Lessons
Present three lessons that solve a portion of that problem, in the
process revealing parts of your overall solution. Youll want to make
sure that you offer a tangible takeaway, but dont offer too much.
Leave your customers wanting more.
Give proof that these lessons work. Customer quotes or testimonials,
especially before and after style evidence, is effective. Case studies,
like the ones found in this book, are even better.
Focus on intrigue, not solving the whole problem. You want to
tease the full solution, not give it all away. Intrigue is a like a skirt:
short enough to gain interest, long enough for the imagination to
get busy.
Part 3: The Close / Offer
Lay out your offer, including:
1. A product photo, showing each individual component.
2. A description for each module/component and their benefits.
Answer the question your prospects will be asking themselves:
What will this do for me?
3. Bonuses, at least three of them: one small, one medium and
one large.
4. The price and payment plan options.
5. A time limit: how long they have to take advantage of the offer.
6. A guarantee: Make it irresistible but also make sure its
something youre genuinely committed to follow through on.
7. A summary: Bullet points that recap the main points of your
offer.
8. Instructions for ordering.
This isnt the time to be cute or esoteric. You want to be clear and
concise. Break down every single piece of what youre offering and
explain it in simple terms. Clever and cryptic doesnt sell.
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Then, ask for the sale. Do not skip this step. Remember how we
said youre going to need to ask people to buy your product? If you
dont ask people to buy, they wont.
Follow up quickly with your buyers to reinforce the fact that they
made a good purchase and ensure that you deliver value over and
above what you promised.
Ideally, after a couple of weeks, but within the return policy period,
send out a small gift. This shows you care about the buyer even
after the saleand it reduces refunds.
Now that you know the elements of a great offer and the structure of a
great pitch, practice is key. Youll want to practice on your friends and
your family. You should also practice in front of a mirror. Even better,
set up a camera and record a practice session. Youll see some surprising
things during playback that you didnt realize you were doing.
One of our favorite exercises is the opening of the box presentation.
If you have a physical product, set up a camera and open up your product
as though youre a real customer and just received it in the mail. Unfold,
unwrap, open and walk through every single item and explain what it is,
what it does and how it will benefit the customer. Hold it up to the camera
and show every single item, piece by piece and step by step.
This single exercise is one of the best ways to sell a product. If you can describe
how a real customer used it to achieve an outcome or benefit, even better.
Heres the key to successful offers: If someone gives you the opportunity
to speak, grab that chance! It doesnt matter if you dont feel 100% ready.
The more real-world practice you can get, the faster the progress youll make.
You might take to it like a fish to water, or it might feel awkward the first
couple of times. As you gain experience, you can become more choosy about
making sure youre only speaking to audiences who match your avatar. When
youre starting out, though, experience is king.
As you practice, youll start to feel more comfortableeven if youre a
natural. Youll start to see a difference, not just in your emotion but also in
the audience. Before you know it, youll be pitching with ease and grace
and selling more stuff.
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Before we close this chapter together, we want to introduce you to Rob
and Michael Doxey. These two creators saw first-hand how powerful the
right offer can be, especially when you beta test it. Rob and Michaels
story also offers you a glimpse into exactly how these Make, Market,
Launch IT strategies play out in the real world.
We felt it would be easier to scale.
Case Study from the Field: Rob and Michael Doxey

A few years ago, brothers Rob and Michael
Doxey started Vampas Marketing to create
online marketing and video solutions.
Although this proved a lucrative business
for them, they wanted to significantly
increase their revenue potential without
expanding their operations.
Inspired by Make, Market, Launch ITs step-by-step system to simplify the
creation process, they decided to pursue a business around information
products.
We felt it would be easier to scale once we figured out a system and were
able to get some momentum, Rob says.
In short, Rob and Michael were ready to stop trading time for money.
Once youve created [a product], and youve created your system, you
cant sell out of it, Rob continues. Especially if its digital, you can sell
as many as you can sell. Whereas, with [Vampas Marketing], thats not
really true. You have to add employees, or you have to have the structure
in order to grow.
Rob and Michael have already created three different products, both
on their own and in tandem with other creators. Make, Market,
Launch IT has definitely been influential. The thing I love about Pam
and Mike is that they have a ton of experience. But, they dont just have
experience, they have actually had successtheyve been able to turn
profit on their products. Youre learning from people who not only teach
it, but they do it every day.
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Rob and Michaels first product was Mastering Mealtime, designed to help
busy, multi-tasking moms succeed in the kitchen. From the beginning,
they focused in on how to add value to a specific audience, leveraging
Michaels background as a chef.
[The product idea] wasnt really about my skillset, it was more about a
problem I saw, and the problem was that moms were very stressed out
every day about what to make for dinner, Michael explains.
After Mastering Mealtime, Rob and Michael went on to create a
second product with a partner they met at a Make, Market, Launch
It event. The result, Pranayama
Running, has already exceeded
the success of Mastering
Mealtime. They credit Make,
Market, Launch IT strategies
with making the difference.
The most impressive thing to me . . . is just how amazing [Pam and
Mike] were at being able to put together an offer. Understanding exactly
who your customer is was one of the biggest things I took from it, Rob
says.
Make, Market, Launch IT also helped to streamline Rob and Michaels
process. Just the structure of how [Pam and Mike] do everything is so
critical. If you have formulas and you have a framework, the time it
takes to create additional products is drastically reduced. For example,
Mastering Mealtime vs. Pranayama Runningits night and day in terms
of how long it took us, Rob explains.
In addition, Rob and Michael learned how much quality beta testing
could improve the quality of their offer. Mastering Mealtime didnt go
through a beta test, and their sales suffered. In contrast, before launching
Pranayama, Rob and Michael are doing a significant amount of beta
testing, and their results are promising.
After getting phenomenal results from the focus group, Rob and
Michael have also taken the idea to Icon Health & Fitness, creators of
the Nordic Track, to explore possibilities for expansion. They secured the
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meeting based on principles they learned at the Make, Market, Launch
IT live event.
Their advice for others ready to create or launch a product? Dont
create your whole product until youve gotten real feedback from real
customers. In fact, they are currently working to tweak their offer for
Mastering Mealtime to make it more compelling, based on the lessons
they learned with Pranayama.
As Rob explains, We didnt do a beta test before launching Mastering
Mealtime. Later, we did a focus group, and they didnt pay. For Pranayama,
they paid. And that in itself is a huge difference.
Rob and Michael are currently still in the process of tweaking the
Pranayama Running offer to accommodate the needs pinpointed during
their beta testing. Its so important for us to get it right in terms of
understanding who the real target market is, Rob explains.
Make, Market, Launch IT also reminded them how important it is to
speak to their audience in its own language. This is particularly critical,
they believe, in explaining the offer in a way that is meaningful to that
audience.
Thats a big, big takeawaytalking in a concrete way and not in an
abstract way, Michael says. Instead of saying, Youre going to be happy
when you use Pranayama Running, youve got to say, Youre going to
have more energy so you can run that extra mile with no problem, he
continues.
As they work to launch (and re-launch) each of their products, Rob and
Michael are continually drawn to the freedom the information product
business model has given them, as well as the ability to make a difference
in the lives of others.
I think the big thing is, it gives you freedom, Rob says.
In Michaels words, Five, ten years down the lineI see myself doing
what I love, and thats creating products that help people, and doing it
in a compelling way. I would like to make my work impact peoples lives
and make a good living while Im doing it.
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Step 4: Leverage: Outsource IT
Interdependent people combine their own efforts with

the efforts of others to achieve their greatest success.
Stephen Covey
Once you have the right mindset in place, and your ideal market and
offer determined, we want to help you get the leverage you need to build
a profitable business that you enjoy. This is an important step before
creating your product or serviceotherwise you will waste time AND
money on tasks and projects you should not be focusing on.
You must discover how to find and maximize outside resources to get
your product or service done and support your business. This way, your
time is spent on the things that make you the most money and drive the
overall vision for your business forward.
As your ideas take shape and your business grows, you need to reach
out to trusted advisors and people who will give you honest feedback.
You cant do it all on your own, even though there are times that it
might feel easier to do everything yourself. In addition to establishing a
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support system to help you recognize, tackle and process the challenges
of entrepreneurship, youll also need to assemble the resources to make
your ideas a reality. This includes the money, the people and the systems
that will fuel your enterprise.
Especially when youre first starting out, were big fans of
bootstrapping. By using limited resources in a smart way, you can get
by with minimal overhead. When youre starting out, keep your expenses
low. In the long run, being fiscally conservative will always serve you.
Your Monthly Burn: A Story from Mike

Several years ago we started doing product launches. Our
largest one generated $9.1mm in revenue in a single week.
Over $1mm in 43 minutes and we exceed $2mm in sales in 1
hour and 14 minutes.
Thats a great story. Heres the downside.
I started taking my eyes off the businessI got cocky and
every problem someone brought to me, I did my best to
offload it onto an employee or hired a contractor or another
employee to solve it. People started seeing how I was (or
should I say wasnt) managing our money. They got greedy.
Pretty soon low-level employees were getting paid twice what
the industry rate was for that job. We suddenly went from 20
to 60 employees and contractors. Our professional services
consultants were gouging us. Our overhead grew to over
$500,000 per month.
Our monthly continuity revenue from our software services
was about half that amount so it meant we had to clear
several million dollars a year just to survive.
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And then the bad news came: one of our merchant
providers decided to hold back $1.2mm of our cash
indefinitely. Your merchant provider sits between your
credit processor and the bank.
More bad news: my CFO announced to me one day that we
would run out of cash in less than two months.
Suddenly, I was on a never-ending cycle of having to do
product launches in order to survive. A few months later, I
was hit with a massive tax bill that exceeded the amount of
money I drew from the company for the past two years.
It took over a year to decrease expenses, downsize, get rid
of one-sided contracts, overpriced contractors, professional
services and resolve what seemed like an eternal list of
unreasonable expenses.
The week my team and I got the company finances under
control, I was diagnosed with cancer.
The good news? Thanks to having a second business with
my partner Pam, a great customer database, continuity
income, the ability to launch and release new products and a
competent team that ran the business while I went through
surgery, chemotherapy, radiation treatment and all kinds of
complementary and alternative therapies, we remained stable
and profitable.
But I learned an incredibly important lesson that I had heard
but not heeded for years.
Its not what you make, its what you keep.
It was my fault. I took my eyes off the ball. Filled with hubris
and a sense that I could always make money no matter what
happened, I was suddenly given the gift of a life-threatening
disease that gave me perspective.
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The morals of the story:

Business is a combination of relationships, permission
and trust
Your list is your life-support and the gift that keeps on
giving
Keep your expenses low
Live below your means
Dont give someone else control of your checkbook
Build a business, not products
Focus on creating continuity/subscription income
Youre getting older much faster than you realize
Build a business you love, serving customers you love to
serve
Get it done. Those who hesitate go out of business
Dont quit until youre ready to quit
Build a business someone will want to buy, even if you
never sell it
The good news is Ive made a huge health turnaround and my
business has continued to do incredibly well. And my health
is better than ever!
This is Where Leverage Comes In

True leverage is about maximizing your resources. Its about making your
business efficient and effective through discipline and focus. Its also
about creating results.
Getting leverage is also the last thing you need to do before you move
into full-on product creation mode. It allows you to do several things:
Create the best-quality products for the least amount of money
in the least amount of time. Money loves speed.
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Set yourself up for future success so that each new product adds
geometric growth to your business.
Avoid the major business challenges that can eat up your profits,
negatively impact customer experience or damage your reputation
in your industry.
Getting this leverage for yourself and reaping the rewards happens in
three phases:
1. Securing the right resources
You must learn to outsource effectively and then use the best tools to
find, manage, and maximize your team.
2. Creating a project plan
How exactly will you achieve these objectives? What steps will you take?
3. Get productive
How how will you get more done in less time with less stress?
A little planning up front will ensure that youre on the right path to your
ultimate vision. If you dont plan for what you needand when you
need ityou wont be able to get the best resources at the best price.
Lack of planning might mean that your preferred contractors are already
booked. If you can convince them to squeeze you in, it could cost you
a bundle in rush fees instead of regular rates. Or it might result in your
second- or third-choice contractor executing your job, producing a lessthan-impeccable result. You might even end up doing the work yourself,
which isnt always the right use of your time.
Plus, when youre executing on the fly, you end up working reactively.
Timelines go out the window as you microfocus on what needs to get
done in the moment. Stay strategic. Thats where leverage exists. Theres
no way to gain maximum leverage and be tactical at the same time.
All these scenarios mean added stress for you. You end up frustrated
because things arent going the way you wanted. Your team may feel
frustrated because you dont have the time and focus to give them the
direction they need to execute to your standards.
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And, ultimately, the biggest loser in this scenario may be your customer.
If you end up sending a product to market thats not impeccable, they wont
get the value or the results theyd hoped for. This, in turn, will start to affect
your brand and your reputation in the marketplace. Youll also pay for it in
increased refunds, support challenges and your long-term sales.
Lets take the next step together and plan for your success. Lets utilize the
power of leverage and put in place the right resources to help you build
and run a great, profitable, low-stress product creation business.
1. 5-Step Guide to Effective Outsourcing

When youre starting out as a new business owner, youre initially going
to have to wear many hats: sales, marketing, manager, payrolltaking
on roles that ensure that you get your business off the ground the way
you intend.
At some point, thoughhopefullyyour business will reach a level
where you will absolutely need (and be able to justify) a team of people
to help you execute essential business functions.
This isnt just a matter of your businesss survival. Getting help when
and where you need it is crucial so that it frees you up to do the things
you really want to do, which is why you got into business to begin
with: working with your content, developing relationships with your
customers, and creating your products and services.
Thats why theres outsourcingthe strategic use of outside resources
(contractors) to perform specialized services for your business. In other
words, do what you do best, and get others to do the rest.
It doesnt serve you, your business, or your team for you to take on
functions that you know you dont absolutely have to do. Todays world
makes it possible for us to have access to help literally across the globe.
You can hire people for certain functions for the long haul, or you
can perform surgical strikes for specific functions like video editing,
packaging, graphic design, etc.things your business may need to get a
product to market, but that you wont need ongoing or long-term.
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How Outsourcing Helps You:
Frees you up to do the work you love
Gives you access to better skilled resources
Helps you scale your business
Supports other people and provides opportunities for skilled
workers to add value and earn a livingwriters, designers, editors,
numbers people, etc.
Provides new perspectives for you and your business
Adds ambassadors for your brand
Gives you access to Time Zone advantages (at times)
Helps you reduce and control costs as you scale up and down
If you look at what your time is worth and its value, what are you not
doing that could be bringing in more money, adding more value to your
life, making things easier and better for you and your customers? This is
called the opportunity costthe benefit or value youre missing out on
by choosing to spend your time one place instead of another.
If youre not outsourcing at all, why not? And, why not now? What could
additional support give you and your customers? One of the reasons you
hire people is to get more products out the door! Live in that possibility.
Within the first year, it can pay for itself!!
Theres an acronym, HUBUHighest Use, Best Usethat should
become your business mantra. Highest use, best use means that you look
at all the different elements of your business and choose the ones you
take on personally based on three criteria:
1. Am I good at this?
2. Do I like to do this?
3. Am I able to sustain it?
This will help you to understand your strengthshow you workand
set up systems so that other people can use their strengths to accomplish
the functions that arent your strengths. (This isnt just about the business
side of your life. Think about how much time and energy you can save by
hiring somebody to clean your home or pick up your laundry!)
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There are two rules for effective outsourcing:
1. Start soon. Dont play the Ill outsource when I earn X amount
from my product, or when I feel overwhelmed. Look at what
you can outsource in your current business situation.
2. Start small. Look at the specific areas or tasks in your business that
you know youre not good at or dont like to do, and choose one
to outsource. You can get the hang of the process that way and
prepare to outsource larger areas or tasks as appropriate.
Here are the five steps to effective outsourcing:
Step 1: Understand the Difference Between a Contractor and an
Employee
Contrary to what a lot of people think, its not up to you to decide
whether or not the person you hire becomes a contractor (outsource) or
an employee. The designation is made based on governmental guidelines
and regulations. The first step is to define the business relationship
between you and the person performing the services. As you do this,
there are many factors that determine whether the person is providing
service is an employee or independent contractor, the most importance
of which is degree of control and independence of the worker.
The key is to understand the laws, hire a qualified professional to help
you make the right determination, and look at the entire relationship
between you and the service provider. Please make sure to get legal and
business advice from a qualified professional.
Step 2: Decide What to Outsource
Its not about how big or small your team is or needs to be, its about
making the best decisions about what support you need to work smarter
and more efficiently so that you can increase your business results:
increase your revenues, take better care of customers and improve your
lifestyle and bottom line.
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Who and what you hire for depends on five factors:
1. Vision: What are your short and long-term visions for your
company?
2. Passion: What do you love to do? What kinds of things would you
be perfectly fine with others doing for you?
3. Stage of Business: Whats appropriate for the stage, size and scope
of your current business?
4. Ongoing Budget: What can you realistically afford based on your
current predicted revenue and expenses?
5. Impact: What will make the biggest impact on your bottom line
and the growth of your business?
Step 3: Part-time or Full-time Help
Categories of functions that you can outsource include:
Graphic Design
Accounting/Bookkeeping:
budgets, payables, reports,
taxes
IT/Web Programming
Manufacturing
Administration: files,
organizing, mail, emails,
personal help, transcription
Project Management
Research
Attorney: trademarks,
copyrights (IP), legal issues
Sales
Copywriting
Video Editing
Customer Service
Writing/Editing
SEO/SEM
The list above is pretty comprehensive, and whether you choose to

outsource these functions full-time or part-time depends on the size of
your business and your business model. Many of them will always be
part-time, or on an as-needed basis (an attorney, for example). But if
nothing else remember this: There are certain things you should never give
up full control of in your business: your money, your marketing strategy and
your innovation.
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Step 4: 7 Steps to Hire Right
Choosing the right people for your outsourcing is critical, and the costs
of hiring the wrong person can be steep. In fact, according to a recent
CareerBuilder survey, more than a quarter of 6,000 hiring professionals
said that just one bad hire cost their company more than $50,000.
Here are 7 steps to hire right:
1. Write detailed description/performance standards. Be as specific
as possible with what youre looking for. Consider (1) the roles
responsibilities, (2) the qualifications, and (3) the qualities you
would want in an ideal candidate.
2. Post where your ideal candidate lives. If youre looking for a
junior writer, you may want to consider Craigslist versus LinkedIn
(for more seasoned writers).
3. Conduct interviews (in person/phone/Skype). Get a sense if the
person would be a right fit not only for the position, but your
company as well. Dont be afraid to do a few rounds of interviews
(depending on the level of the position) to ensure that you have
made the right choice.
4. Start with a test project. Even after doing a series of interviews,
though you may like the person and their background seems to
indicate that they are a fit, you wont know until you try your
prospective person out. Give them a test assignment that is
representative of what they would be working on. Note: Offer to
compensate them for the assignment IF you plan to publish or post
what they have written.
5. Check their references and samples. This goes hand-in-hand with
the test assignment. Who can you talk to that has a sense of how
they work? What samples can you check online?
6. Make an offer. Be clear on rate, hours, how they will work, etc.
7. Set them up to win. Put the time in upfront with a new hirethey
will need some hand-holding at first, but this will pay off in the
end.
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Step 5: Getting What You Need
Once youve hired someone or selected your contractor, there are several
things you must do in order to help them be successful (and lower your
stress level in the process).
Set expectations from the get-go.
Teach them how and when to communicate with you.
Start with a trial period if possible.
Share key documents and systems with them so they have a context for
your vision and how you and your business works.
Start smaller and give them the opportunity to grow.
Measure and check in often, especially at first.
Provide feedback: ongoing and based on final result.
Get your native files before you pay.
Ask your contractors (or employees) to document processes as they go.
Provide unexpected rewards and jackpots for best people.
There are also several mistakes that you must avoid when hiring employees
or contractors.
Not being clear about what you need. Be sure they understand what
you want.
Not hiring the best person for the role or settingi.e. keeping in mind
team fit.
Not setting clear parameters. This includes timelines, budget, etc.
Not having realistic expectations. If youre asking for a 24-hour
turnaround for a project that takes 24 hours, you are setting them and
you up for failure.
Not checking in at regular intervals. Youre responsible for the final
outcome, so you must monitor progress and make sure things are on
track.
The impact can be even more dramatic for entrepreneurs as we are spending
time to find the right person and train them effectively. You can multiply
your businesss productivity and profitability while having more time for
yourself. Make sure you are equipped with the right resources to save you
time and money in the long run.
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2. Project Planning Essentials

Product creation, first and foremost, is a project management process.
The two go hand-in-hand. Before you jump into creating (or refining)
your product, you will want to know how to manage each step of the way
effectively to minimize stress, meet your deadlines and stay on budget.
Principle One: Understand the power of people. Pams dad, William Bigler,
was a successful process engineer and project manager at Corning Inc. for
more than 40 years. He would visit different departments, and employees
would react negatively: Corporate sent him! Fortunately, Pams dad
knew how to create connections with people and play to their strengths,
so he ultimately got great work out of them. He got the best out of them
by cultivating relationships and making those employees feel that they
were valued.
If you are having a challenge with someone in the planning process,
are you maybe asking them to do something thats not in their skill set?
Should you be using that resource elsewhere?
Principle Two: Time up front will save you time in the back end. Before you
begin any project, make sure you have all of the stakeholders in the room
so everyone has a say upfront. Then once the outcome, guiding principles
and action plan are decided on, break up into a small team of executors.
Remember, the more people who need to be involved in a decision, or in
the execution, the less efficient youll be.
Principle Three: Specificity is power. Effective project planning is about
knowing the nitty-grittyno detail is too small. For example, when youre
planning an event, you will want to know every nuance of your contract
with a venue, down to your food and beverage minimum, where and
when you load in and out, and if you have made any special concessions.
Principle Four: Take one step at a time. Its easy to get overwhelmed when
planning a project, especially an entire product! Dont swallow the whale
wholetake a step back and do one thing at a time. Create reasonable
milestones so you can track smaller steps.
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The 5 Steps to Planning Any Project with Precision
1. Define your outcome. Clarify your vision. Ask yourself: What does
this look like? What do I want to achieve? How will I know if I have
achieved it? Be specific so everyone is one moving with the same target.
2. Determine your resources and constraints.
Financial: How much will it cost? How much money will it bring
in? What makes sense for my business (in terms of how much to
spend)?
People: Do I have anyone on staff who can help? Colleagues I can
partner with?
Time: Do I need to get this done by a certain time (e.g. do I have
a webinar planned in two weeks and want to sell the product?).
If youre working a full-time job, how much time will you need
to devote to this on nights and weekends?
3. Write down the sub-steps to get the project completed. For example, with
Make Market Launch IT Academy there are seven steps. Instead of
looking at the project as a whole, we break it down into those seven
chunks, then by chapters, and then what needs to get done for each of
those smaller pieces:
Once you have those manageable chunks, you will need:
Action plan: The specific tasks you or your team need to complete.
Roles: Whether its you or a small staff, clearly identify the
responsible owner.
Deadlines/milestones: When you plan to complete each piece.
Have a clear system and monitor your team
4. Make sure you have a system to check in at regular intervals. You can use
a project management system such as Basecamp or Asana or simply
schedule weekly or bi-weekly meetings. If you do end up using a
software program, you may also want to have regular meetings to solve
problems and anticipate challenges.
As a business owner ultimately in charge of your product or project,
you need to check in to support, coach and solve problems along the
way. This is your opportunity to see whats working, what needs more
help and where you may need to fine tune along the way.
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5. Acknowledge the close of your project. After completing any bigger project
its time to breathe a sigh of relief and quickly move on to the next one.
But hold onacknowledge that completion:
Celebrate what you have accomplished.
Thank all of those that helped you along the way.
Make sure you have all of the native files and materials so you can
make changes and updates in the future.
Debrief with your team: What was great? What can be improved
for next time?
7 Mistakes to Avoid
1. Not being clear on the ultimate outcome. You and your team need to be
aligned with what you hope to achieve, and how youre going to get
there.
2. Not anticipating challenges. The best project managers are problem
solvers, anticipate potential solutions, and have a Plan B, C and D!
3. Not documenting as you go. Keep track of every milestone and any
distinctions you learned along the way!
4. Not being flexible/resourceful. There will be curveballs with every project;
the trick is responding to them quickly, and having a flexible attitude.
5. Not giving yourself a buffer. Anticipate that your budget will likely go
over, and a project will take more timeso give yourself a cushion for
your deadlines.
6. Continuing to make the same mistake over and over. Learn why the
mistake occurred so you can put a system in place to solve for it in the
future.
7. Allowing problems to fester. How do you solve problems? Bring more
resources to the table to help you see another angle, consider another
perspective. Things are going to go wrong! Your team is going to make
mistakes; you will too. Your greatest resource: Keeping yourself in an
empowering state, and rolling with the punches. Just like any other
skillset, the more you practice, the better you will become with project
management.
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When Projects Go Wrong . . .

. . . and they inevitably do in some form, the key is not to
panic. You cant make good decisions when youre in a state of
panic. Take that emotion and focus it toward your ultimate
outcome. Theres always another way. If you take a step back
in a resourceful state to consider the bigger picture, another
path will appear. Perspective is key in the grand scheme of
things, youre going to be fine and nobody will remember
your mistakes anyway.
Ultimately, anticipation is your best weapon. For every
major component of your project, ask yourself and your team,
What could go wrong? Create a plan for dealing with these
potential challenges in advance. If you can anticipate potential
challenges to the point where you can prevent them from
happening, even better.
If you get stuck along the way, consider bringing another
resource to the table. A brainstorming session with a
colleague can shed new light on an issue. A project manager
can clear your plate of the responsibilities that are keeping you
from hitting your deadline.
Finally, remember why youre doing all of this. Connect yourself to your
vision and recognize the future you have in front of you. Then come back
to the present and take the next step you need to get on track.
More time in the planning means less in the execution. These guiding
principles will help you plan effectively and efficiently manage your
product creation process to get the best results, fast.
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3. Productivity Tips: How to Get More Done in Less Time

and With Less Stress
Many of us get into business for ourselves so we have more time for what
truly matters to usfor our families, to pursue a passion, to have greater
freedom. But often we find the opposite; that running our own business
has limited our time, and created more demands for our attention. With
a few simple shifts of focus, we can change that reactive outlook into a
more disciplined strategy, and days of less stress.
Step 1: Understand what your time is worth.
Take out some paper and do some math.
(working 50 weeks a year) x (about 40 hours a week) = 2,000 available
hours in a year
Now think about how much you want to make. For example, lets say
you want to make $100,000 a year. Divide that by 2,000 hoursyour
time should be worth $50 an hour. If you want to create a million dollars
of revenue in a year, when you divide that out, its a $500 hour!
Are your hours worth that amount? If you still havent hit your revenue
goal it could be that your hours arent worth that much!
Now that you have a concrete amount, use that amount to set a bar. If
you can pay someone less than your hourly rate to complete a task youre
not very skilled at (e.g. if your rate is $100 an hour and you are horrible
at transcribing, paying someone even $80 an hour to transcribe for you),
it would be worth it! In delegating tasks, you free up your own time to
do the most important things for your business.
If you really dont have the cash to pay someone else, then it falls on you
to start doing more in the amount of time that you have.
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Step 2: Understand the different elements of time management.
We cant manage time, but what you can do is manage people, systems
and yourself to make the most of your time.
1. People management. Limit your access to the people who are
your interrupters. Youll sometimes have employees who feel
uncomfortable making decisions without your input so theyll keep
asking you questions. Give them a daily window of time to come to
you with those questions, and otherwise tell them to just go ahead
and make the best decision and tell you about it later, during the
next window of time.
On another note, when it comes to getting the most productivity
out of your employees, consider paying by the project instead of
paying by the hour. When you pay by the hour youre incentivizing
that person to work more hours! By paying by the project, theyre
more likely to get the project done as quickly as possible to free up
their own time.
2. Systems management. If you find yourself doing a task two or three
times, its time to develop a system around that. Be aware of what
you do every single day and create a system to make that task more
efficient.
More time in the planning is less in the execution. It will take some
time upfront, but consider that time as an investment. The systems
you create could be as simple as moving your printer closer to your
desk so that you dont have to walk across the room every time
you print something. It may be a small change but when you start
adding up the little things, they really add up.
3. You management. A lot of people dont realize that productivity
comes down to you as an entrepreneur; its about you learning
faster, getting more done and being more valuable. When you sit
down to complete a task, close your emails, close irrelevant web
browsers, put your phone on mute or airplane mode, and just work
straight through without any interruptions. It may take practice
eliminating interruptions and distractions, but the amount of time
it takes us to get refocused after an interruption is substantial.
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The most important part of your business is YOU. Schedule PDT,
or personal development time to make yourself more efficient as an
entrepreneur (take 30 minutes to an hour a day to read, listen to
audio, etc).
To give yourself more personal development time, use Mike Koenigs
system of 5 into 3. He takes everything he has scheduled out over five
days, and reduces that five day chunk into a three day period, so that the
same five days is scheduled into a three.
Tony Robbins says, Whats talked about is a dream. Whats envisioned
is exciting. Whats planned becomes possible. But only whats scheduled
becomes real. Put it in your schedule and it will be far more likely to
happen.
Step 3: Set boundaries.
How do you set boundaries to make sure your business doesnt take over
your life? Learn to say no.
It comes down to opportunity cost. When you say yes to something, you
say no to 10 other thingsthings that may ultimately have more value to
you or your business. Its typically your family, your time, your freedom
that youre saying no to when you say yes to an unnecessary business
invitation.
One of the most important words in business is NO. And you can say
no without a sentence after ityou dont need a reason or explanation!
That little word gives you boundaries that help you be really present in
the moments you choose to be present in.
The Greatest Time Management System
Remember, the best system is the one that works and the one you actually
use! Keep a time diary and write down how you spend your time. Youll
find that 30-40 percent of the activities you do daily probably arent
necessary! Go back to the idea of the value of your time. Is that hour
youre spending on that task really worth $500?
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Its also important to not mistake movement for achievement. There
is a difference between activity and productivity. Productivity is about
getting the value back out of your time and making money off of your
time. Make your time valuable!
To wrap up these concepts of leverage, we offer you the story of Bruce
Jones, one of our Make, Market, Launch IT creators who was inspired
to become a one-man international company. See how Bruce is getting
leverage in his own business while expanding his suite of products to free
up his time to spend more with his family.
I can be a one-person international company.

Case Study from the Field: Bruce Jones
Joness younger daughter started college, he decided
it was time for a change. After almost 30 years of
working as a graphic designer, he was done with the
laying-out-newsletter clients. Bruce was ready to
shift the focus of his business more strongly toward
developing online products and free up his time.
Bruce was no stranger to selling online products.
He had long supported his freelance career by selling
editable clip art maps to everyone from graphic designers to sales teams
creating PowerPoint presentations to religious groups planning their
missions. He had also branched out into books.
I have 19 books now that Ive done, he says. They range from music
books for guitar, mandolin, ukulele and banjo to geography books and
childrens books. He also has a series of coloring books. All of these, he
created through Amazon print on demand site, CreateSpace.
However, after jumping into Make, Market, Launch IT, Bruce had a
couple of realizations.
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First, he knew he wanted to expand and do more consulting. After
seeing the strength of his books, Bruce had a stream of authors ask for
his help in publishing their own works. Bruce also looked at a course hed
taken with a journalist back in 2008 and saw the incredible potential
to help it go global. And, finally, although Bruce had always developed
products to support his freelancing, he was ready to grow.
Ive been selling $49 products, he realized. I want to sell a $149
product. You can create books, and software and products and sell them
online, and be basically a one-person international company. The power
is really amazing.
Bruce took action. He pitched his idea for an online product to Bill
Gentile, a veteran reporter with a deep bench of experience in foreign
correspondence that included covering the Sandinista Wars in Nicaragua
for Newsweek. After taking Gentiles Backpack Journalism course in 2008,
Bruce had stayed in touch and was helping Gentile with his social media.
Make, Market, Launch IT helped him realize the full potential of
Gentiles contentand their partnership.
It wasnt always an easy sell for a traditional journalist like Gentile.
Most of these people have never done anything like this, Bruce says.
Theyre kind of suspicious. They dont know how it works. [To them,]
YouTube is just cat videos and skateboarders.
Bruce used Make, Market, Launch IT to show Gentile how they
could partner up and put it all together. It was the avatar, the Make,
Market, Launch IT concept around building a visual image of your ideal
client, that sealed the deal for their venture.
From there on in, Gentile was on board. Bruce modeled MML strategies
to help Gentile completely revamp his site, creating an Essential Tips
and Tools opt-in to attract more subscribers. Gentile started seeing
results immediately. Enrollments for his intimate workshops had been
dwindling to 3-4 people. The new website started filling his workshops
to capacity.
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To keep moving forward, Bruce knew they couldnt do it alone. They
would need leverage. It takes a team, he notes. Ive tried to do it
by myself with my book publishing product. Im just by myself, and I
discovered its almost impossible. A team is really powerful.
You dont need a big team, he continues. You need a producer, which
is my role. [Bill Gentile] is the talent. We have a web guy and we have a
couple other people floating around. But you can be guerrilla at it. Dont
go crazy spending a zillion dollars.
They decided to film the content in front of a live audience. That wasnt
the original plan, he notes. They tried to film by themselves initially,
but discovered that Gentile needed an audience to stay on track. They
reworked their strategy. We have real students paying real money. Pam
mentioned that. Thats something I learned [from her]: Have some real
people in front of you.
Gentiles project is just one piece of Bruces overall plan for his
business. Think global, act local, is his current product development
philosophy. There are a lot of potential buyers out there. You want to
put stuff out in many, many different ways.
For him, that means continuing to develop bigger, higher-price-point
productswith bonuses. It was a huge insight when I saw what [Pam]
did, Heres the welcome letter, heres the product, heres an expected
bonus, heres an unexpected bonus, he says. I was like, Oh, what do
I have that I can throw into my box? I went running around my office
going, What can I put in my box?
It also means continuing to expand his consulting business, as well as a
publishing product to compliment it. Many of his clients are aspiring
authors who want to get their books published, while others want help
with video creation and marketing.
For the confidence and strategies to take on this work, Bruce credits
Make, Market, Launch IT, which he calls very, very helpful in terms
of being a consultant. It helped me organized my thoughts. The avatar
workshop, the product funnel, the questions about the product, the
personal psychology, those worksheets . . . were very, very helpful.
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Bruce also sees great potential to expand into other fields formerly
dominated by more traditional marketingor no marketing at all.
Bruce continues to expand his library of published books with now
over 32 titles, including several best sellers, and sales in 2014 of over
3,600 copies. He has also open several new markets for his map products
developing a low price option for home schoolers and a higher price
package for corporate sales departments. And again using MML, he
has just released his own online video course based around his book
publishing knowledge, How to Make Childrens Picture Books
for Kindle.
He offers a final note: Anybody can do this in whatever field youre in.
You can design and sell products based around your knowledge and
distribute them to the world. Thats a pretty cool thing.
To learn more about what Bruce is doing you can reach out to him at
www.brucejonesdesign.com.
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Step 5: Create: Build IT
Content isnt King, its the Kingdom.

Lee Odden, Top Rank Marketing
Are you ready to translate your knowledge, know-how, expertise and

experience into a product that will transform peoples lives? Are you eager
to show your avatars your own unique blend of strategies and tools that
will solve their deepest problems, add value and create visible change? Are
you excited to put your stake in the ground and begin the core process
that will turn you into a highly sought-after expert and creator?
The foundation youve put in place with the first four steps will truly pay
off here: Now you will see your vision come to life. In this chapter youll
learn how to create and deliver your message for maximum impact
including the precise structure for creating compelling content that
moves people to action. Most important, youll walk away with a simple
structure for creating any product you want in any format, so you can use
it again and again as you grow your business.
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Most of us have spent practically our entire lives as consumers. There are
products that weve come to know, trust and buy habitually, and then
there are those newer products we search for, that we hope fulfill specific
needs that will help us or make us better in some way
Its quite another thing to be on the other side of that equation: we want
to create a business for ourselves selling something that we think can add
value to a particular niche of customers. In a sense, were already experts
in what makes a great product. Now we just have to go deeper into what
goes behind taking an idea for a product and making it a reality.
In this chapter, well show you how to create products that set you apart
in your field, that delivers on its promises to your clients and creates
lasting change. Your ultimate outcome is this:
You must provide your customers solutions that are relevant and
useful to themproducts that stand out from everything else
thats available because you are creating a personal connection and
helping them fulfill a need or solve a problem quickly, effectively and
permanently.
Lets look at what it takes to create amazing products.
1. Product Creation 101: What You Need To Know To

Create Amazing Products
Creating great products isnt reserved for Research & Development
teams at big companiesits about knowing what to focus on and whats
important to not focus on as you develop your product.
Whether its a bigger, more established company or a business thats just
starting out; whether its manufactured products, widgets, info training
or a live event, there are four things you need to know in order to make
a great product.
1. Product creation is a process.
2. Speed to market is paramount.
3. Your products need to evolve.
4. There are only two reasons products dont sell.
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Step 1: The Product Creation Process
This isnt the turn of the 20th century where a handful of industrialists
buy huge manufacturing plants that churn out product after product.
These days almost anybody can create a product. You just need a strategy:
the most important part of which is to just get going.
Remember, your first product doesnt have to be perfect. In fact, for
most product creators, the minute you publish your product, youll
immediately want to change 67 things! The key is to embrace this as part
of the process: the feedback from your customers and from the market
is what will help you continue refining your product to make it better.
Product creation is on ongoing process. The crucial part of the process is
that you continue to refine your products and services so that they bring
in revenue without depending on you. As a business owner, you want to
create a process that continues to benefit you into your future, where you
are literally making money while you sleep!
Also, you want that process to make it easier for you to continue creating
new products and innovating those already in process, so the whole
repeating cycle becomes easier and easier.
All product development can be broken down into four steps. How
deep you go into the idea portion of the product development process
depends on your business. The stage, size and scope of your business will
determine how deep you dive into these four steps.
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1. Idea. If its a good idea, it is designed to solve a problem that your
target market has or to help your market attain a goal, make things easier,
faster, or cheaperthat is, making their lives better in some way.
The only difference between a new start-up with just a handful of people as
resources and a big corporation with an entire research and development
department is that the bigger, more mature company breaks down idea
into four sub-categories:
1. Conceptwhat companies think the product will do and its
position in the market.
2.
Market Analysissurveying
competitor analysis, etc.
customers,
market
research,
3. Business Analysiswhere does this product fit into the overall

businesss goals? How does it help the mission or purpose of the
business moving forward?
4. Define Scope and Fitwhats more important than whats in your
product is what you intentionally leave out of it.
If youre just starting out, you may condense these four sub-categories
into a more simple process where you simply take an idea and test it
within your market to see if it works.
2. Develop. Once you have your idea, you develop it into a first iteration
or, in product development terms, a prototype. Here are six steps to
maximize the development of a quality product that sells:
1. Design and specs. In a logical, step-by-step way, you figure out
whats in the product and whats not. The more plain English you
can use when planning your product, the better. If its a training
program, for example, youre just outlining your content. If its a
live event, youre deciding the theme, number of days, key speakers
and where you want to have it.
2. Financial models. If your product cost X amount of dollars to
produce plus X to market it, whats your price point for breaking
even? Making a profit? What are your projected revenues? You can
use an Excel spreadsheet or a more complex financial model.
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3. Marketing strategy. Product development and marketing
strategizing go hand in hand. Youre always marketing in everything
you do. What is your core marketing strategy for your product or
service? In other words, what are the ways you plan to market and
sell it?
4. Production (prototype). You need to produce a prototype that
matches your initial vision and concept. As you do this, consider
starting with a prototype to ensure that youre going to get what
you are looking for when your product is actually produced,
manufactured or programmed. When youre in the production
process, manage everything as carefully as you can, but dont drive
yourself crazy trying to make every detail perfect, especially if
youre starting out. Remember, the most important thing is to get
to market!
5. Packaging/Collateral. This is about putting your product into
a container or package thats compelling and clear. If its online
training, its the graphics of your website. If its a physical training
program, this refers to the box that houses it all.
6. Testing and Quality Assurance (Legal). Before you deliver your
product, make sure you complete some form of testing and Q&A.
One of the best ways to do this is to put yourself through the
process of ordering the product and using it yourself as if youre a
customer.
3. Launch. Well cover the details of how to market and sell your product
in Step 6: Monetize. For now, heres a look at the five core areas of focus
that will ensure you deliver massive value to your customers and maximize
sales at the same time:
1. Sales Training: Make sure that your sales team knows the core
benefits of the product, and the problem it solves and how.
2. Market Introduction: Consider how you are going to position
your product when you first introduce it to your target audience.
3. Product Delivery: This is the fulfillment of your product. Make
sure youve walked through this process step-by-step so your
customers get their product quickly and easily.
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4. Customer Support: A great business can live or die by the quality
of its customer service. Have the right systems in place to support
your customers.
5. Marketing Adjustments: Be ready to update and revise your
product (and/or your marketing) based on how the market reacts.
4. Iterate. In some cases, if your product really flopped, you might think
about scrapping that product idea and starting with a new idea. (If this
has happened to you, GREAT. Its one more idea you know doesnt work!
Better to know that sooner rather than later.) Most of the time, though,
new products are just a little off and you just need to keep refining them.
Here are four steps to help refine your product:
1. Customer Feedback: You can use surveys or informal conversations
(live or online).
2. Internal Feedback: Whats your team noticing about what worked
and what didnt? How can you improve the product, the delivery
or your marketing? Are there places you can cut costs or improve
your sales results?
3. Financial Reports: Did you make your money back? Did you
make a profit? Were your costs in alignment with what makes sense
for the size and scope of your business?
4. Maximize Life Cycle: How long has the product been out in the
market? Is there something you can do to update it? Can you add
something else to the offer? What are some ways you can extend
the life cycle of the product as well as your customers experience?
Once you have your first product done, this four-step product creation
cycle keeps repeating again and again. You get better, it gets easier and
your customers help you better meet their needs.
Lots of people take a long time when launching their product yet skip
some of the steps of the product creation process. The cure: just do it!
Make a public commitment to actual customers. This is why it can be
powerful to make an offer and sell your product or service before you
create it. It puts you on the hook to deliver what you promised on time!
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The key is, schedule it to make it real.
Step 2: Speed to Market is Paramount
The best way to understand step two of creating a quality product is by
understanding how lack of speed can hurt you.
Competitors beat you to market or innovate first. On the one hand
you dont want to become obsessed with what your competitors are
doing, but if you delay, know that you run the risk of being beaten
to the market.
Spending more time and money in the development process. The
longer you wait, the more its going to cost you in terms of your
two most important resources: time and money.
Viability? If you delay launching, you may not find out your
product isnt viable until its too late in the process.
Changes in market conditions. If you wait too long, your product
can end up being ineffective or even obsolete in some cases. Were
all familiar with the saying, Whats hot today is gone tomorrow.
The same could be true for your product if you dont act soon.
Risk developing a reputation as a follower vs. a leader in your
industry. In our society, leaders are synonymous with innovation
and success. You cant stay ahead of your competition without
having in mind the need for innovation.
Keys to Getting to Market Quickly
Keep it simple. Simpler is usually better.
Use documented plans and checklistsas in the ones we give you
here in Make Market Launch IT! Dont re-invent the wheel.
Ensure one owner per outcome. Be efficient in the delegation of
duties and management.
Create milestones and schedule key activities. You want to know
when youre supposed to be meeting deadlines and what for.
Use technology effectively. Imagine trying to record high-quality,
high-definition video and audio on 1980s-like VCR equipment.
Keep up with the latest technological innovations.
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Reduce the number of decisions. If youre making a million little
decisions about everything, then youre not making the big ones.
Fail. Fast. Next. Most successful entrepreneurs have failed early and
often.
Theres no single right answer. Thats lifeits no different in
product creation. If its not right, youll figure it out and then do
what is right eventually.
Step 3: Products Need to Evolve
Your first product should be what we call an MVPMinimum Viable
Product. This is a product that has the minimum features necessary to
get the result that early adopters will buy and give feedback on. Think
about the MVP version as your first iteration: whats the minimum you
can publish or produce that delivers on your promise?
Your first customers are going to be excited to engage with you and your
product, and give relevant feedback. Theyre not going to care that its
not polished and perfect around the edges. Thats not to say that they
wont have ideas on how you can make your product better, but theyre
the ones who are going to help you continue developing your product so
it can evolve.
Here is the process of evolving your product from MVP to final, polished
form.
1. Test your product among a small group of paying customers. If
theyre not paid customers, theyre not invested. If theyre not
invested, its not a true test of how your product is doing.
2. Track customer progress. Get their continued feedback and dont
be afraid to innovate on the fly.
3. Improve the product. Take customer recommendations seriously,
particularly if you are receiving the same suggestions over and over.
4. Gather success stories and build your marketing case. Testimonials
not only help you and your products credibility but also they help
cultivate a sense of community. When your customers see others
be successful with your product, it gives them confidence and
inspiration that they can do the same.
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For First Timers
If youre doing your first training program, these are some great, easy and
inexpensive ways to refine/innovate your content and delivery:
Small Group Workshops
Studio audience
Series of Webinars/Teleseminars
Live Webcast
Q&A Format
Have someone interview you
Avoid this mistake!
One of the biggest mistake new entpreneurs make is they try to make
their product perfect when they are starting out. This not only delays you
getting to market, it causes you to create your product in a vacuum
without valuable feedback about what your customers like, dont like
and want to see you improve. Remember, the product development
process begins when your first product or service is in the hands of your
customers. Give yourself permission and space to evolve!
Step 4: The 2 Reasons Products Dont Sell
Keep things in perspective. As important as it is to produce a quality
product that exceeds the expectations of your customers, if your product
isnt selling, there are usually only two reasons why: (1) youre focusing
on the wrong market, or (2) youre not making the right offer.
Do you have a product or service that isnt selling well? Use these questions
to help pinpoint where your challenge might be:
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Trouble Shooting Questions

Your Market:
Did you narrowly and clearly define your market?
Is it a big enough market?
Are they qualified (i.e. is it a market with money)? Can
they pay you the value of what your product or service is
worth?
Are they easy to find? Do you have access to these
customers?
Have they purchased similar products in the past to solve
a similar problem?
Are you communicating directly with the decisionmakeri.e. the person who is directly making the buying
decision?
Your Offer:
Is it a quality offer? Is it clear, compelling, and designed
to attract the right audience?
Is there urgency to solve the problem now? Does it
command peoples attention?
Did you ask for the sale? How many times? Remember,
it takes an average seven or eight communicationsor
morebefore someone makes a buying decision.
Did you justify the price?
Did you reduce or eliminate risk customer risk?
Did the timing of your offer make sense (in the sales cycle
and in the market)?
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Product Life Cycles
Finally, remember that each product you create will have a life cycle.
Your goal is to grow the sales of each product you create as rapidly as
possibleand then to extend the life cycle of that product as long as
possible, maximizing your long-term success.
There are four steps in this cycle.
1. Introduction: At this stage, your goal is to build awareness and create
momentum for the initial product launch.
2. Growth: As you gain momentum, sales will start to grow. As you reach
the peak, your profit usually hits its highest mark. In many markets, this
is also where competition tends to show up, which can require you to
make adjustments to your marketing or delivery.
3. Maturity: This is where you reach maximum market penetration
meaning you are past the peak and many times youll start to see a slowing
of sales growth. You can slow this decline by making product changes,
going after new market segments, adjusting your marketing message or
channels and refining your offer.
4. Decline: No matter how great your product is, there is a point in the
life cycle where your sales and profits start to decline. This doesnt mean
sales completely stop, but it means its time to evaluate if your product
life cycle has run its course and its time to move your customers into a
new product that solves their current needs and desires. In other words,
its time to decide to maintain, harvest or simply drop the product.
maturity
decline
Sales Volume
growth
introduction
Time
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product 1
product 2
product 3
product 4
2. Production: Getting Your Product To Market

Products and services are everywhere. Youre sitting on a product; listening
to a product, writing or typing with products. When done right, theyre
designed to make our lives better. We also know, though, that thats not
always the case. This is about how to produce not just a product but a
great productsomething that your audience can actually, practically
use to get the results they want, helps them, or somehow makes their
lives better, easier, or happier in some way.
If you do nothing other than keep this fundamental goal in mind as your
focus, youre going to have tremendous success in over-delivering value with
your product or service.
The details of product developmentthe step-by-step process for how
you make the productis unique to every format. At the same time, the
overall process is the same:
1. Design and Specs. Lay out whats in the product.
2. Constraints. Consider budget, resources, etc.
3. Production. Make the product.
4. Marketing Strategy. Target your market.
5. Testing/QA. You ensure that real customers can use it and get a
result.
1. Design and Specs
Step 1: Refine your vision for the format and deliverables. Consider the
seven items you outlined in your initial product offer: title, subtitle,
format, deliverables, price, risk reversal, and call-to-actionthis is your
opportunity to iterate that again with tweaks, if needed.
It almost seems silly to repeat, yet youd be surprised how many people
forget to go back and look at their initial offerwhat they promised and
what they marketed to ensure that they actually deliver what they said
they would to their customers. Refining your vision will help reinforce
the deliverables, musts, and exclusions (whats not needed) in your
product design.
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Step 2: Define your strategy and create a project plan that brings together:
Business objectives.
Product scope.
Launch date.
Key milestones.
Resources needed.
What youll find is that you dont actually have to follow-through on every
single item in minute detail. Project plans are just a great way to chunk
important steps in such a way as to make what seems like a mountain of
work into doable, actionable steps so that youre not overwhelmed.
Step 3: Draft the product specifications (specs). The details of your products
specs is unique to the format youre using. For example, if youre creating
a physical training product, youll outline what you need one way. If
youre developing software or an app, its a different set of specs and
scope. For a live event, its yet another.
The key here is that you put in writing what it is your product is going to
deliver. In other words, what are all the individual components required
to get your product done? Simply make a list or create a spreadsheet that
lists each component or element of your product or service.
2. Constraints
Remember the biggest mistake people make when creating a product
or service: they put too much in and either overwhelm, unnecessarily
complicate things, or exceed their budget. To make sure this doesnt
happen to you, simply do two things:
Step 1: List your resources and constraints in each of these areas:
People
Time
Budget
Technology
Manufacturing
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Step 2: Based on the above, revise your product specs as necessary. The
biggest challenge people have when they create their product or service
is overproduction. Its one thing to want your customer to get what you
promise to deliver. Its another to spend too much money in the process
and not recoup that in your price point.
Pams Golden Rule: Never spend more than 5% to 10% of your budget on
the cool thing. (Depending on the size and scope of your business, this
percent may be slightly higher or lower.) You have to be disciplined about
your expenses if youre just starting out and you want to make money.
Make sure you focus on the core promise of your product or service and
ensure you make a profit before you start adding in all the bells and
whistles. Simplify it for your customers and make sure its something that
you can do quickly and easily.
3. ProductionCreating the Product
2 Parallel Paths
Product Development
Collateral Development (packaging)
There are seven elements that any quality product or service should
include:
1. Welcome/How To/Instructions. Serves as a how to in the form of a Hello!
2. The Core Thing Youre Delivering. The product itself. This is the
main deliverable that fulfills your promise to your customers.
3. Reinforcement Tools. Attachments, gadgets (if applicable), or other
forms of content to help your audience access the material in
different ways.
4. Action Tools. Workbooks, online links, physical tools, etc. Or,
simply a how to diagram that shows how to use your product.
5. Bonuses. Include both something you announced up front as well
as at least one unexpected surprise. A good bonus complements the
core promise of the product, and doesnt simply provide more bulk
(and potentially overwhelm).
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6. Upsell/Cross-sell. Cross-sell other products and services that will
benefit your customers as they continue on in your brand.
7. Stick Content and plan. You (of course) want to encourage your
customers to actually use the product they invested in. Just because
they bought your product or service, doesnt mean they are going
to use it. You have to make it easy and compelling for them to
follow through!
There are also seven must have collateral components to package your
product or service:
1. Logo Design & Branding. This is the first thing you want to complete
because this is what will drive everything else you do in terms of
production. A nice-looking, compelling presentation will go a long
way in not only selling your product, but in making your customers
feel great about their investment.
2. Packaging Design. How are you going to package your product
or service? This is your customers first impression. Does it look
inviting, warm, easy to use? Does it look like its worth what
they invested in it? Are things going to be moving around during
shipping if its a manufactured product and get damaged?
3. Packaging Copy. Write compelling descriptions of each component
inside the package. Youre constantly re-engaging and re-affirming
your customer along the process toward their desired result. Think
like a marketer here!
4. Internal Collateral (guides, instructions, etc.). The simpler and
more clear, the better.
5. Copyright and Trademarks. Protect your product/idea! Copyright
your ideas and content. Consider applying for a trademark for your
product title or a patent if you have a proprietary process.
6. Support: Contact Details. Make sure your customer can get hold of
your company to get any help they might need. Sometimes parts
get lost or damaged and need a replacing. Make it easy to access
and get help. Ideally, provide both an email and a phone number so
that people can call and get hold of a live person if they are stuck.
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7. Shipper Box (if applicable). Make sure the box and all core
components are physically protected so that they wont get damaged
in shipping or during delivery.
4. Marketing Strategy
Develop your product along with your marketing strategy, as they go
hand in hand. This will also ensure that you get to market faster as youre
ensuring both your product and the marketing are done at the same time.
Launch Plan/Go-to-Market Strategy (Written)
- Define your sales channels.
- Create your messaging/scripting.
- Make a list of the needed marketing components (video,
launch site, etc.).
- Finalize your offer strategy: finalize pricing, guarantee,
scarcity, call to action.
Sales Collateral: Create any presentations, one sheets, brochures
or sales material that will support your sales team or sales efforts.
Ideally, you have at least one written and designed piece that
summarizes your offer for your product or service.
5. Testing and Q&A
Legal Review. Use professionals to ensure that youre in compliance,
that you have appropriate approvals and permissions (images,
music, etc.), etc. In addition, get legal advice to make sure youre
protecting yourself and your business in the process.
Test everything!
- S.E.E. (Someone Else Edits). Get someone else involved in
this process because more than likely theyll see things that
you dont see.
- T.A.T. (Test Across Tech). If youre delivering anything
online, remember to test across different platforms. Some
things look great in Google Chrome but not on Firefox,
mobile devices, etc.
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Fulfillment Systems. Make sure automated functions work so
customers are getting their online log-ins, shipping notices, etc.
Customer Support Training. Its a good idea to hire someone to
support your customers early on in your business, even if its parttime.
Sales Training. Empower your sales team with tools (Q&A, onesheets, checklists, etc.) before you launch.
PrototypeTest It!
A common mistake that businesses make is producing mass quantities of
a new product before testing whether or not its up to par. To ensure not
only a quality product but also reducing the risks of massive waste to you
resources, make one prototype of your product and run it through what
its supposed to do. If it works, then you bring it to market.
3: Structure & Story: The Two Pillars of Premium Content

The amount of information available to us as human beings is almost
incomprehensible. As a species, we make, store and increase our capacity
for information by the second. With the creation and rapid growth of
the Internet, almost any information we want or need is available at the
click of a single button.
Its not information that people are paying you for. There are three
things that will make your content and products highly desired by your
customers:
1. Your unique perspectivehow you use your unique background to
shed new light on your customers problems, as well as how they can
learn from your experience to get the same or better results faster, with
fewer missteps.
2. Your ability to structure and package content so they can use it to get a
specific resulthow well youre able to explain, demonstrate and break
down concepts for them and present it to them in a way they can easily
and effectively apply.
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3. Your ability to humanize itthe level of empathy, compassion and
connection youre able to convey and bring out in them in the process.
Why Do They Pay?
With paid content generating more than $15 billion dollars annually in
the United States and even more than that globally, research shows there
are ten reasons why people pay for content.
1. They cant get the information they need elsewhere for free.
2. They perceive a return on investment from the information. They
believe paying for content will help them make more money.
3. They need assurance that the information is accurate and credible.
4. They know it will save them time, effort, and energy versus trying
to find and aggregate the same information themselves.
5. They want access to additional resources they cant otherwise get.
6. Theyre paying for the ability to compress time. They can get better
results, faster and avoid key mistakes by using the information the
way youve put it together for them.
7. They want to be part of a community of like-minded people.
8. They want a multi-media experience. They want to consume
content in multiple modalitiesi.e. they want to watch a video or
listen to audio or read written materials.
9. They want access to a celebrity or an expert in a particular field.
10. They want exclusivity.
How do we make sure that the content youre putting out is highly valued
and that people will pay premium prices for it?
1. Have a clear outcome for each piece of content youre delivering.
When you create any piece of content, you need to clarify in
advance what its forwhy this piece of content is necessary to
include in your product or marketing and the specific value it will
provide your audience.
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2. Structure and deliver the content in a way that ensures your
customers are empowered to apply the information they learn
effectively in their lives. While stories and emotion are critical
for creating connection and engagement, it all starts with a clear,
organized structure. Without the structure, your stories have
nothing to attach topeople may be moved emotionally, but they
dont have a way to apply what theyre learning in a specific or
practical way.
Content Structure
Content is information and strategies that can be consistently applied
in a variety of practical situations to produce a specific result. Whether
youre delivering content in video, audio or print form, you need to create
a simple and clear structure thats set up to help customers follow along
and implement. Just like a piece of music, the structure or framework of
your content is what helps your audience take concepts and information
and transform it into something they can use, ideally in a step-by-step
format.
A good structure makes it clear exactly what your customers are supposed
to do, when they should take these actions and in what order. It takes
your customers by the hand and leads them through your content, step
by step, making it simpleand enjoyableto complete your entire
program.
Structure also combats overwhelm, which will be your customers biggest
challenge to completion. But before you even start to create the core
structure of your content, you need to identify two things:
1. The outcome of the content youre delivering.
What are you trying to deliver to your customers? What effect are you
hoping to have?
2. How to deliver it for maximum impact.
How can you present this information in the most effective way to
achieve that outcome?
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These two concepts form the essence of content creation. Let them be
your guide as we dive into the core structure of your product.
How do you create a clear structure or framework for your content? Take
your ideas and organize it into main concepts that make sense together.
Start by brainstorming everything you want to teach (all your ideas),
then group related ideas together to form your main concepts, and then
make sure it all matches up to the main outcome of your content).
Idea Idea Idea
Idea Idea
Idea Idea Idea
Idea Idea
Idea Idea Idea
Idea Idea
Idea Idea Idea
Main Concept 1
Main Concept 2
Main Concept 3
Outcome
Main Concept 4
Main Concept 5
Idea Idea
7 Steps to Creating Structure

1. Get clear: The first questions to ask when creating any piece of content
are: Whats my primary outcome? What am I doing this for? What key
thing do I want the audience to take away?
2. Narrow your scope: Often we arent clear about the scope of our
contentwhat it is and what it isnt. Defining the boundaries of your
content will help narrow your scope, so you can focus and expand on the
topics it does cover. You will end up with clearer, more structured content
that delivers better results for your customers.
Use Pams 20 Percent Rule: You cant be all things to everyone or youll
end up missing the mark entirely. After you craft any piece of content,
ruthlessly go through and remove at least 20 percent of what you created.
This will ensure you narrow it down to only the most important and
relevant elements for your audience.
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3. Brainstorm ideas: Write down all of your ideas for content you can
share to teach your audience about your topic. These can be big ideas,
examples, stories, researchany content that relates to your topic and
outcome.
Here are some ideas for brainstorming content:
Take a newbie through your process and capture the steps as
you go.
Feed your mind: Read books on your topic, go to events, listen to
podcasts, talk to customers and stay abreast of trends in your field
or industry.
Keep a journal. Anytime you run across a concept or idea to include
in your content, write it down so you have it at your fingertips
when you need it.
Ask your audience what they want to know.
Conduct research: books, journals, articles, newsletters, industry
blogs, etc.
Change your environment. Get away from your desk and into
another locationgo for a walk, run, swim, bike ride, tea with a
friendanything that will change your focus and physiology.
4. Organize your ideas: Take your ideas and put them into a framework
or structure that is easy to follow and makes sense. There is no right or
wrong way to organize your content as long as it meets these criteria:
Easy to follow, flows logically
Takes a lot of information and makes it seem like less
Has a clear and easy to follow number of steps
Has easy and compelling titles or headings for each part
Has a beginning, middle and end
Ends on a positive, empowering note that makes your audience feel
good, gives them confidence theyll succeed and inspires them to
take action
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5. Create an outline. Use this six-step structure to outline any piece of
content. Once youve written your outline, be sure to go back and edit
it to eliminate any redundancies, tighten it up and make sure each step
is clear.
Section 1: Hook. The purpose of the hook is to grab your audiences
attention when they first come across your content. Ask
yourself: Why should they care about this piece? Lead with a
question or a bold statement that answers this question.
Section 2: Why Its Important. Once youve hooked your audiences
attention, you need to keep it. Why is it worth their time
to listen to you? What are they going to get out of it?
Communicate to your audience the crucial takeaway of your
piecewhy they need to keep reading, watching, or listening.
What are the specific benefits they will get from implementing
your content? How will it change their business, make their
life better, make a process easier, etc.?
Section 3: What It Is. Clarify what youre teaching in one or two
brief sentences. Different concepts mean different things
to different people. By defining what it is youre teaching,
it helps ensure your audience is on the same page as you.
For example, this chapter is about how to create and deliver
quality content that your audience values highly and that
they can use to achieve a specific result theyre after.
Section 4: How to Do It (steps, strategies, tools, and tactics). This is the
most direct, practical part of your piece. Break the process
down into simple steps they can easily implement to get the
result. Theres no right or wrong number of steps, but try to
keep it down to 8 or less12 at the most. Make sure your
steps are procedural; each step should lead to the next.
Section 5: Recap. In this section, remind your audience of the most
important takeaways in your piece. Your recap can be a single
sentence, a paragraph, or a 15-minute video module if youre
recapping an entire course.
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Section 6: Call to Action. To close, ask your audience to take the next
step: take a specific action (to implement), answer a question
or two, share their thoughts or even just like your content if
its a Facebook post. The goal here is to transfer your content
into actionable steps so your audience is empowered to use
what youre sharing.
6. Enhance your content to make it more compelling. After youve created
the outline for your core content, its time to bring it to life. This is where
you add emotion to what youre teaching to make it enjoyable for people
to use the information, interact with the content and most importantly,
follow through and get the result theyre looking for. You can do this
through stories, images or graphics, research and statistics, demonstrations,
and exercises or actions that get your audience to participate actively in the
content and apply it to practical situations.
7. Debrief and assess: After you share your content with your audience,
debrief the results. Ask your team and your customers: What worked?
What didnt? What did people understand that they were able to use?
What were their questions? Where did they get stuck? How can you help
your audience get a better result more succinctly in the future?
If youre in an educational environment, you might consider what type of
test or more formal assessment will help show you and your students what
they learned and where they might need more help.
The Power of Story
After structure, the most important element in creating any type of effective
content is the development of stories to illustrate your main points. Used
properly, stories become the glue that holds your content together. Most
importantly, they serve as incredibly important connection points with
your audience.
Here are four reasons that stories are powerful:
1. Stories convey universal themes of humankind. They can cross culture,
race, religion and socio-economic background, barriers. They also connect
people through universal human emotions that every person can relate to.
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2. Stories mirror human thoughts. People love stories because they illustrate
how people think and behave. They allow people to recognize patterns
within themselves.
3. Stories create our identity for ourselves. The most powerful stories we tell
are those we tell about ourselves. Whether we realize it or not, we all have
a story that we use to define ourselves. Be conscious of what story you are
developing about your own life!
4. Stories create a sense of community. Throughout history, stories have been
the primary tool for passing down information from one generation to
the next. In addition, stories create a sense of shared experience, meaning
and purpose as humans.
Your life is filled with stories that you can use as part of your product.
You also can use stories that you have read or seen, but the ones you share
based on personal experience will almost always be more powerful.
As you prepare your stories be sure to take your audience on a journey.
Paint the picture with vibrant details and lead them to the peak or
conclusion in a way thats compelling and that clearly reveals the theme
or core message of your story.
Your ultimate goal is to empower your audienceto provide clear
structure and unwavering supportso they can combine their innate
potential with proven strategies that help them get the result they desire.
4. Setting Your Final Foundation

Armed with the new distinctions in the intervening chapters, lets take
another look at your plan. In three simple actions, you can set the
final foundation for your product and ensure that youre delivering an
organized, powerful result:
1. Finalize Your Steps
To get someone from Point A to Point B, you need to offer them a stepby-step plan, especially if the transformation is significant or complex.
Think of it like assembling their road map for change: the turn-by-turn
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directions they need to reach their full potential. For example, the Make,
Market, Launch IT process is centered around seven steps, which form
the core structure for this book. If you complete each of the steps, youll
end up with a product thats positioned to sell.
Examine your initial outline and decide on a final number of steps.
We tend to like odd numbers (3, 5 and 7). Whatever numbers you use,
make the system explicit. It will help your customers keep track of where
they are.
2. Set Your Sequence
The order in which people take action is vital. Consider the example of
turn-by-turn directions. If you dont list them in the right order, your
client is lost and confused.
Sequence can be the difference between success and frustration. When
opening this book, you may have been surprised that this sectionthe
actual content creation processwasnt the first chapter, or even the
second. However, when we sat down to assemble these seven steps, we
realized that there are so many things you need to tackle before you put
pen to paperfour things, to be precise.
After you outline your steps, review them carefully. Put yourself in your
clients shoes and ask yourself: Is this the right order? Could my customers
be more successful by going through the process in a different order?
3. Simplify, Simplify, Simplify
Before you settle on an overall structure, take one last pass. Is there anything
you can eliminate from your sequence?
This entire seven-step process is about simplifying. Its about whittling the
excess away until only the vital parts remain. If theres anything you can do
to make it easier for your customers to digest your content, its giving them
fewer things to do. Five steps feels a lot easier than nine. Three is even easier.
However, dont forget your outcome and delivery goals. We truly believe it
takes seven steps to create a product. Five steps might take less time, but
they wouldnt produce the same success. In other words, cut with caution.
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Put yourself in the shoes of someone just starting out. Could someone whos
completely new to this topic follow this sequence with success? Add in any
steps that might be missing.
Once youve decided on these seven pieces, we suggest making one final survey
based on one of the core concepts of Make, Market, Launch IT: value. Look
back at the offer you created in Chapter 3 and ask yourself: does the final
incarnation of my content deliver on my promises? And, more importantly,
does your product deliver value over and above the price youve decided on?
If your package seems like its missing something, either go back and augment
your content or reconsider your price point. Or, better yet, rework your
product so that it delivers beyond the investment youre asking people to
make.
To inspire you as you put your content together, wed like to share the
story of Make, Market, Launch IT creator Jeffrey Goodman. Make,
Market, Launch IT helped him structure his course for results, creating both
happy customers and speaking opportunities around the world.
It gave me the checklist I needed

to succeed.
Case Study from the Field: Jeffrey Goodman

When he signed up for a class in alternative healing,
Jeffrey Goodman was content with his successful
career in fashion photography and advertising.
However, after the course completed, his path soon
took an unexpected turn.
I took a class in alternative healing in April, he
explains. By July, every aspect of my photography
business was goneI lost all my clients, my photo
lab closed, my assistant moved and my stylist was no longer in business.
This turned out to be an opportunity in disguise, when Jeffrey realized
how well he could combine his business knowledge with the world of
alternative medicine. As he grew his own alternative healing business,
other practitioners in the field came to him for help.
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Healthcare practitioners, from doctors to chiropractors, to acupuncturists,
to even people in energy healing, were coming to me and asking me how I
got so successful, he says.
He began coaching these professionals, by teaching them how to run a
business in a language they could understand. He describes business as
a living energy. Just like a person can be stressed, or get sick, so can a
business. Just like Ive learned how to heal a person, Ive learned how to
heal a business, he says.
As demand for his coaching grew, Jeffrey put together a live, three-day
training course.
When he encountered Make, Market, Launch IT, Jeffrey realized that
it could provide him something he didnt yet havea strong structured
product. By applying the steps he learned though the Make, Market,
Launch IT program, Jeffrey was able to repackage his content into its
current incarnation: a seven-step program based around the seven chakras.
By organizing it that way, you can see which areas of your business
need to be addressed, and which things are missing, he says. Make,
Market, Launch It allowed me to break 30-plus hours of content into a
manageable product.
After repackaging his content and relaunching it to his existing audience,
Jeffrey went from speaking only in his hometown of Phoenix, Arizona to
speaking worldwidein just three months.
It went from me teaching it locally, to globally. The other day I had over
11 countries watching my live event online, Jeffrey explains.
Requests for his speaking engagements increased as well. Since the
Make, Market, Launch IT repackaging, Jeffrey has been able to readily
upsell clients to live speaking eventssomething that was previously a
difficult transition for him.
Make, Market, Launch IT helped me polish something I had and gave
me the confidence that I was ready to launch. It gave me the checklist I
needed to succeed, and it saved me a lot of costly mistakes I would have
otherwise had to learn along the way, says Jeffrey.
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I just got back from teaching in Canada, and I leave tomorrow to go
to Australia and New Zealand. In the next few months, Ill be in South
Africa, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Amsterdam. I was also invited
to speak in Hong Kong and Singapore, he notes.
The best part? Jeffreys program is making an impact and helping
alternative health practitioners transform their respective businesses
models. People get a lot personal growth out of it because I walk people
through personal growth alongside the business growth, he explains.
As he looks down the line, Jeffrey is excited to finish an online version
of his product, CareerHearted. He credits Make, Market, Launch IT
will showing him that he doesnt have to keep being there, so I can have
this as a course that people can go to whenever they need.
He also plans to continue leveraging the Internet to enroll new customers.
Make, Market, Launch IT helped me promote [my product] better.
Thats one of the big gold nuggets out of Make, Market, Launch IT: how
to develop that process to bring someone through to buy your product
via online sales.
With the product I had, it was kind of like jumping from the middle of
the pool to the deep end. What MML allowed me to do was build the
whole pool around it. All the pieces, the ladders in and out, the shallow
end. [It showed me] . . . the little things that are really costly . . . and I
was able to avoid [them] from the very beginning.
Make, Market, Launch IT also gave Jeffrey one more significant piece he
needed to get his product out in a major way:
I already had a business. I already had the common sense. Make,
Market, Launch IT really gave me the confidence to say, Okay, Im
ready to go.
Jeffrey Goodman continues to promote his products and events through
CareerHearted.com.
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Step 6: Monetize: Sell IT
Our jobs as marketers are to understand how the customer

wants to buy and help them do so.
Bryan Eisenberg
In Step 6, were going to help you determine how to monetize your

product or service in a way that makes sense for your product and
business. If you already have a product or service, this chapter will help
you determine how to tweakor flat out changeyour marketing and
sales strategies to get results.
Your potential is limitless when you monetize your product the right
way, using the right strategies.
However, your first time selling can be a challenge psychologically,
especially if youre a natural introvert. The first five steps of Make Market
Launch IT may have been just you and your computer, or you and a
small team of people. You may not have even told a single soul what you
were up to. Maybe you told your family and a few close friends. But now
its time to share your productyour babywith the world. Plus, your
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expertise, your product and your ideal client avatar are unique to you, so
your monetizing strategies will be different from everyone elses. So its
natural to be nervous and to want a roadmap to follow.
Dont worry. In this step youll find nine different ways to sell your product
or service to your audience as well as the exact structure for maximizing
your sales, increasing your revenue and lengthening the lifecycle of your
product. In addition, youll be trained on how to sell effectively, write
copy that converts, set up your marketing funnels and create the right
traffic mix to drive qualified leads to your business.
Being able to sell your product and service effectively holds the key
to your success. Lets get that great product into the hands of as many
customers as possible, and start monetizing all of your hard work!
Meet Ed Rush!
We asked Ed Rush, former F-18 Pilot and
Marine, to share the concepts in this section
with you (as well as some of the other sections
of this book). Ed is also a high level consultant,
and our go-to resource for marketing and
sales strategy and execution. When Ed isnt
strategizing his next marketing promotion, hes
busy as a world-class outdoorsman and fisherman and knows
exactly where the big halibut and lobsters are in San Diego bay
(although when he took Mike and Pams kids fishing, all they
caught was an old shoe).
1. 9 Ways to Make Money With Your Product or Service

You may have a product, a list of leads, a membership site, and people
interested in you and your product or service, but none of that matters
at all until they pay you for your value! Happily, theres a formula for
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taking the idea of your product or service and turning that into revenue:
T.L.C.M.
Traffic + Leads + Customers = Members (ongoing sales)
An interested prospective customer becomes traffic for you when they see
you speak, read your book, visit your website, or see you post something
on Facebook or LinkedIn. Thats traffic; they havent actually done
anything yet as they havent bought anything.
A prospective customer becomes a lead when they give you information
to contact them: an address, phone number, or email address. They
become a customer when they pay you, and a member when they pay you
again and again for more of your products or services.
However, the biggest mistake people make when marketing and selling
their products and services is that they only use one way to market and
sell. Your goal is two-fold: (1) use multiple vehicles to sell your product
or service and (2) find the best ways to market and sell that fit your
particular market or customer type.
Here are the nine of the most popular and effective ways to market and
sell your product or service.
1. Traditional Funnel
This is about using the formula termstraffic, leads conversions and
check-outsto market and sell online (although TLCM applies to
almost any method of marketing and selling).
There are only four web pages that you need to make money and influence
people.
Headline
Claim Your
FREE X
--------- --------- ---------Call to Action
#1: A Lead Page or an Opt-In Page. Youll direct traffic

to this page and ask people to exchange their contact
information for a valuable resource, such as an eBook,
substantive report, white paper or short training
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course. (Once they do opt in to your page, you might
send them to a Thank You page to deliver your
promised content.)
Get Started NOW!
What Youll Receive

1 --------------3 --------------2 --------------4 ---------------
Check Out
Item #
Item Name
Check Out NOW!
Price
S&H
#2: A Sales Page. This page gives your leads the chance
to deepen their relationship with you and solve their
big problem by giving you money for your product or
service.
#3: Check-Out Page. This is where your prospect enters
his/her credit card information to buy your product.
It may feature elements similar to your Sales Page by
presenting your offer, but it also offers your leads the
chance to pay for their purchase in a secure location.
Including calls to action will help this page convert
even more effectively, and it will encourage people to
follow through on the sale and hit the Buy button.
Note: From here, you might also consider sending
your customers to an Upsell Page, where they have
more opportunities to make more good decisions by
taking their relationship with you to an even deeper
level by buying another product or service, likely one
that complements their original purchase.
#4: Sales Thank You Page. In addition to coming to
you for solutions to their problems, people are also
coming to you for certainty. Use this page to affirm
your customers buying decision and show them what
to expect next. Should they look for an email from
you? Give them the confidence that you will take care
of them by providing specific instructions.
When does the selling end? Never! Remember, it doesnt actually count
as revenue until your customer keeps the product instead of returning
it. Additionally, your customers wont see the benefits of your product
or service unless they actually use it. Make sure that all of your pages
and your follow-up communications make it easyand excitingfor
your customers to use your products and services. In addition to helping
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them get results, this will also keep returns lower, and it will likely lead
to future sales.
Most people make information marketing complicated. With just these
four pages, however, you can get a funnel of revenue up and running very
quickly.
It all comes down to a few simple principles. First, give your customers a
good reason to opt-in. What can you offer them to entice them to give their
email address away? As people get more protective of their communication
details, this has become a bigger challenge. However, if you can offer
them something of tremendous valuean eBook, for example, a threepart training series or a substantial white paper that solves one of their
biggest pain pointsyoull have a much easier time gathering leads.
Make sure that your opt-in page clearly spells out the benefits of what you
offerbullet points are bestin a clean design with a nice big button.
You might try a tool like LeadPages (leadpages.net), which offers pretested templates to help you get started quickly.
Second, give your customers a good reason to go to the check-out page. So
many times, this comes down to copywritingand the old principle of
WIIFM? (Whats in it for me?) Dont make them guess whats in it for
them. Give them several compelling reasons up front to discover more
about your product, and theyll click through to your sales page.
Third, give your customers good reason to buy from youNOW. Sales pages
with deadlines convert much better than sales pages without deadlines,
often anywhere from five to ten times better. In addition to any ongoing
sales efforts, run a few promotional periods where you either add an
irresistible bonus to your package or offer a small discount. (We like the
former better to keep your profits up!)
Announce the offer, then remind your contacts the day before the deadline
and the day of the deadline, and youll be sure to see more salesquickly.
These tipsalong with the four pages listed aboveform the foundation
of a traditional funnel.
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2. Email
There are typically two ways to sell through email: (1) autoresponder,
and (2) broadcast.
With autoresponder emails, you dont actually send the messages yourself.
You set up a series of emails within your email management software
so that when someone comes to your opt-in page they automatically
get your emails. Some entrepreneurs use these emails to simply nurture
prospects and introduce them to a few extra resources. However, you can
also use this sequence to sell your products by including an offer. Just
make sure that if you do include an offer, you send at least two emails
about the offer to reinforce their opportunity to invest.
Broadcast emails are when you take your list, or a part of your list, and
you are essentially hitting Send to your prospects in real time. You may
use broadcast emails to send content to your list or offersor a mix of
both. (Our recommendation!)
Most major email providers enable you to send both kinds of emails to
your contacts. Each have their own benefits and quirks, so youll want to
do your research to see what works best with (1) your business and (2)
the way you like to work. Many offer 30-day trials to allow you to explore
the system.
However, many providers are wary of large bulk imports. Many will allow
imports if you get in touch with their team first, although they may try a
test run of a percentage of your list to make sure they dont get a bunch
of complaints. Others will require your contacts to opt-in again, so youll
want to discuss any existing contacts with any provider before you make
a commitment.
Some of the most popular systems include:
MailChimp: www.MailChimp.com
iContact: www.iContact.com
InfusionSoft: www.infustionsoft.com
Ontraport (formerly OfficeAutoPilot): www.Ontraport.com
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Follow-up Emails
Whether its autoresponder or broadcast, your follow-up email sequence
is going to contain four elements: CCTPContent; (more) Content;
Testimonials (Success Stories); and your Pitch.
1. Content. When they opt-in, what are they going to get in the first
email? Theyre going to get the video, or special report, or web page, or
free book that you promised on your landing page (or the non-online
equivalent). Make sure this email is warm. Its the first communication
your leads will receive from you and you want to make a good impression!
2. Second content. Give something else of value to them. They signed up
to get information; give it to them. For example, if you offered an eBook
as your original opt-in, you might share a follow-up video that expands
on one of the points in your book. Wherever you can use multiple
modalities (print, video, etc.), do it! Your prospects will each respond
differently to a book versus a video, so the more modes you can use, the
more likely you are to connect with a wider audience.
3. Testimonials. Some of the most powerful sales tools on Amazon.com are
the product reviews. Sharing testimonials from your customers is just as
powerful. Testimonials offer third-party proof that your products worked.
Use one of your emails to share a few quotes from happy customers, or
share a story about someone youve helped, and what they said about
you. But make sure to note that you dont deserve the credit! They just
took your ideas and implemented them. Every bit of their success is
100 percent due to them and their fast implementation. Testimonials
allow you the chance to seed a sale. Youre not pitching your contacts
anything per se, but youre warming them up for that.
4. Pitch. This is the most important part of the puzzle. You can make
a mistake by veering too far toward either extreme: over-pitching or
under-pitching. If your entire email follow-up sequence includes a pitch
in every email, youre probably over-pitching. However, if you absolutely
never ask for the saleor you ask for it just once at the very end of your
last emailyoure probably under-pitching.
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When you send an offer, make sure to give your contacts more than one
bite at the apple. Send them at least two emails. Remember, your job is
to connect people with the tools they need to make a difference, and to
do that, you absolutely need to sell. However, the pitch is more effective
after youve given them value and social proof.
3. Teleseminar or Webinar
The difference between a teleseminar and a webinar is that with a
teleseminar, you walk around in the comfort of wherever you are on the
phone, and with a webinar its the same thing except youre delivering
content on a computer screen, with a PowerPoint or Keynote presentation.
Before the Presentation
To get someone to come to either, invite them at least twice. Give them
an invitation with a good reason, i.e. benefits: how this could change their
life. Offer real transformation, and deliver!
When sending out invites to prospects, send your emails:
As far out as a week at most
Next, the day before
Next, the day of
Finally, email right at the call time (i.e. Were on live! Join us!)
For both teleseminars and webinars, you make them an offer similar to
how you would online, except all you need is the equivalent of the checkout page and the thank you. (The equivalent to an opt-in happened when
they signed up for the call or webinar, and the sales page message was
conveyed by the first hour of content youre delivering live before you
make your offer.)
During the Presentation
As with any kind of presentation, preparation is key. Make sure you
conduct your teleseminar/webinar in an environment free from
distractions or interruptions.
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Log in at least 10 to 15 minutes early to troubleshoot as well as let
attendees know youre there.
Just like planning a road trip, plan personal necessities accordingly
such as eating and restroom breaks before you start.
Start on time; first impressions are lasting.
Consider running two computers to maximize the effectiveness of
your presentation as well as for back-up if something goes wrong.
You can use a desktop to administer the webinar and a laptop to
run slides.
The core components of a good webinar include:
1. A compelling title and hook (i.e. the main benefit)
2. A summary of the main benefit of your presentation (and also your
product or service) (this answers Whats it for me? WIIFM)
3. Revealing the problem youre solving
4. An overview of main concepts (usually 3 5 main points)
5. Going into specific detail on each point and giving examples for
each
6. Recap main points
7. Transition to close
8. A summary of your offer (including the big benefit, bonuses,
price and money-back guarantee)
9. Call to action (ask for the sale)
10. Question and answer session (do this AFTER your close to keep
people on)
Design Tips
When it comes to the presentation itself, create a consistent look and feel
for your brand as well as a consistent structure. Ideally, you should have
two or three slides per minute with compelling images and one idea per
slide. Then give examples that further explain these ideas: case studies,
compelling stories of transformation, etc.
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Finally, dont take your closing slide lightly! Have one summary graphic
that includes the components of your product or service and, most
importantly, a call to action that might include an Order Now button
or a link that takes them to a page where they can buy. When you make
your offer, have a deadline!
After the Presentation
One of the biggest mistakes new business owners make is following up
with both those who attended the teleseminar/webinar and those who
didnt. Make sure to send customized follow-up emails within 24 hours.
Additionally, plan to have a follow-up campaign for those who did attend
but didnt actually buy your product or service. Continue to employ
scarcity and urgency to solidify their commitment.
Finally, transcribe your webinars content for use across multiple channels
such as blogs, mini-articles, and social media posts. Making transcriptions
of the webinar is an effective way to get your message out in a variety of
mediums.
4. Livecast / Webcast
During a livecast, youre delivering your content and offer live via the
web. In essence, a livecast or webcast is a video event transmitted across
the Internet. You may stream it using Google Hangouts or YouTubeLive,
or through your own production studio, but you are talking directly to
your market online.
The process is the same as with teleseminars and webinars. The opt-in
happens when your prospects register for the livecast and the sales page
content is what youre delivering live on the webcast when you ask for the
order. All you need to address is the Check-out and the Thank You!
There are eight keys for a successful livecast.
1. Make sure you attract the right market to the livecast so youre only
delivering your message to qualified prospects. Its easy when youre
marketing an Internet-based event to attract the wrong market, so make
sure you target the right people.
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2. Create a memorable theme. Because youre delivering live, youll want to
have a consistent theme you carry throughout the broadcast.
3. Engage the audience. Use a chat feature (i.e. Chatroll.com is a good
one) during your livecast so that the audience can comment directly and
interact with you during the show.
4. Consistently seed the sale. Be transparent about the purpose of your
livecast: to deliver outstanding content and answer questions about your
product or service. This is important because you need to think about
your presentation like an infomercial: small chunks of content with a
call to action every few minutes. Put the buy button directly on the
livecast page.
5. Speak to the one. Even though youre broadcasting to a community
of like-minded people, speak in the singular so you create a personal
relationship with each viewer.
6. Brainstorm 5 to 7 benefits of your product or service. Repeat these over
and over again during your livecast.
7. Make it fun! Use props or other entertainment to keep viewers excited
and engaged.
8. Unlock bonuses as you go. If people know they can get a special deal or
bonus by staying on the livecast, they will.
The structure of your livecast will be in short 10- to 15-minute increments,
repeated over and over again with different content and guests. Think
about a livecast as a 2- to 3-hour event or more. Each livecast must
include these elements.
1. Introduction / what it is about / benefits
2. Value added content chunk (related to your product or service)
3. Success story interview
4. Your offer
5. Your close
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5: Joint Ventures/Affiliates.
Promotional partners can be extremely valuable for both new business
owners and for those already firmly established in their market. Keep in
mind, though, that if youre just starting out and looking to join up with
someone who has a market similar to yours, they will be very discerning
as to whether or not youre a good fit for them and that you can add
value to their market but not as competition. Theyll look for you to be
a quality, reciprocal partner so youll need to earn your relationship with
each partner.
The secret to finding the perfect affiliate is to find a partner whose message
matches your market. Attend live events like seminars, workshops or
conferences of top performers in your industry. You can also sign up as
an affiliate to promote products and services that are relevant to your
business. The trick in garnering the attention of an affiliate is timing:
never ask for favors or attention before youve demonstrated that youve
contributed to their cause in a meaningful way.
One of the most effective ways to partner with an affiliate thats relevant
to your market is to be a testimonial witness to his or her product. Buy
their stuff! This is particularly effective when theyre having a product
launch and you get in on the ground floor, becoming one of their
best case studies. This will give them an incentive to include you as a
promotional partner on their next product launch. Then, youll need
to prove you can deliverin the form of quality leads and sales to their
products or services (as their affiliate)often before theyll give you a
reciprocal promotion.
Of course, this will all be for naught if your potential affiliates customer
base isnt appropriate for your product or service. You have to know and
understand that market as well as you know your own. Dont try to sell
high-end items to a market that buys low-end products.
If youve already established yourself in a market and are looking to link
up with a business that you think might be a great reciprocal partner,
here are some criteria to look for:
A product that works and complements your own products and
services
Real success stories
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Congruent but not competitive
They pay on time
Regardless of the nature of a partnership, there are both spoken and
unspoken rules for fostering optimal relationships. When it comes to
affiliates in particular, these are the rules of etiquette.
Distribute promotional materials (copy, links, etc.) on timeat
least a week in advance, as well as follow-up emails for additional
content and support.
Pay on timethis is obvious but crucial to acknowledge because
just like products, word-of-mouth gets around and could land you
on a blacklist of sorts.
Consider hiring an affiliate managerjust like with any aspect of
your business, it could be not only helpful to hire a professional
salesperson/copywriter to lead your affiliate campaign but it could
also help boost your sales.
Handle problems gracefullyif issues or conflicts arise, call your
partner immediately or be willing to handle problems face to face.
Both of you are putting each others names and reputations on the
line, not to mention the work youre doing for each other.
When in doubt, pay updisputes over who got an individual sale
arent worth the long-term benefits of the multiple sales youll be
making working with each other.
Pay attentiongive them your time and attention without
necessarily expecting anything in return. Just as with any
relationship, people need to feel respected, heard, and that youre
being honest and loyal. You want to know that youll be able to
work together not just once, but for a long period of time.
Finally, make sure that before you enter into any kind of partnership
with an affiliate, protect yourself legally and attend to specific details to
protect both yourself and your customers or clients. Be extremely clear
about what your affiliates can or cant do with your brand (especially
when it comes to things like Facebook ads, etc.).
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We highly recommend that you hire an attorney who has experience in
the information product/internet marketing industry and can help write
an iron-clad affiliate agreement for you. (Then, your partners sign the
affiliate agreement before they can promote.)
Stay away from copyrighted materials. Dont use intellectual property
in your marketing or your product that you didnt create or dont own.
Conversely, make sure to copyright/trademark your name and be vigilant
about those who might try to bandwagon on top of your brand.
When it comes to your affiliate/JV relationships, take problems in stride.
Dont freak out when things dont go the way you wanted or expected.
You cant always anticipate problems, but you are always in control of
how you handle them.
6. Product Launch
Successful product launches can be legendary: ask Mike Koenigs and
a few select others! Its the business equivalent of premiere night in
Hollywood, where you get to make your mark upon your market.
For a product launch, you create a sequence of 4 launch videos3 prelaunch videos that contain highly valuable, free content thats sent out to
prospects 1-2 weeks in advance of your offer and then your offer video,
which shows the details and benefits of your solution (your product) and
asks for the sale. Usually the offer is only available for a limited time (i.e.
5 to 7 days).
Video #1: Opportunity or Introduction. Clearly state the problem, the
opportunity, reveal your hook and deliver value that establishes credibility
and proves your results.
Video #2: How It Works. Give your audience results-in-advance and
show them the pathway to get there. This video needs to answer the
question: How does this work and how do I know it will work for me?
Video #3: Proof. Give tangible examples and case studies from your best
customers to show how your system has worked for other peoplejust
like them.
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Video #4: Offer. This is where you make your offer in a clear and
compelling way. Be sure to include all of the elements of an effective
offer: clear benefits, attractive bonuses, price justification, a guarantee
and a call to action! Youll put the buy button right on the same page
as your offer video.
To get the best results, consider combining some of the other promotional
strategies in this chapter, including JV or affiliate partners, and livecasts
the week your offer is available to answer questions and gain more sales.
The bottom line is: build your list and put together a launch sequence (it
doesnt even have to be four videos). The most important thing is to push
the deadline for your offer!
7. Selling from Stage
The most effective way to sell something is face to face. The most efficient
way is to stand on stage! You cant replicate the synergy, camaraderie
and relationships that you build with your audience and that they build
among themselves. You can change the conversation that people are
already having in their minds.
To be an effective speaker, consider the following.
What type of speaker are you? Are you more comfortable in smaller,
more intimate settings like workshops, or do you prefer the
grandeur of being in front of a larger audience? The more clear you
are about the speaking niche you want to serve, the easier it will
be to book speaking engagements. For example, you can become a
platform speaker, a workshop speaker, an emcee, a facilitator, etc.
Create a business model. After your first event in front of an audience,
whats next for them? Products? Coaching? In other words, whats
your business model and how does that play into their journey
through your business?
Present to existing groups. Instead of re-inventing the wheel and
initially taking on all of the expenses of a live event upfront,
partner with a group or person who already has an audience and
a meeting location. Also, consider starting out locally: Chamber
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of Commerce events, Rotary Club, Kiwanis Club, etc. You can
also look for industry association or tradeshow events, locally or
nationally.
Build your portfolio. No matter how small your presentations,
record them all. You can use these as demos, as part of a product,
as marketing giveaways, for your website, and as learning tools.
Build a product library of DVDs, CDs, workshops, ongoing
coaching, etc. as extensions of your live event presentations and
that you can sell from stage.
Create a speaker page on your website (for example, http://www.
pamhendrickson.com/speaking/) as well as a demo or sizzle reel.
Get a promoter to help you sell yourself after you have done all of
the above.
Its important to keep the big picture in mind and know where youre
ultimately heading. Your goal is to establish a respectable level of history
and credibility that gains the interest of a seasoned promoter while
moving your business forward.
8. Consultative Selling
Youre trying to get your prospect to come to you because youre an expert
on a topic and theyre asking for advice. Then, you can move the prospect
into a customer/client relationship.
A consultative close works best for higher-end offers as well as B2B
(business-to-business) markets. It typically, will have a longer lead time
to close the sale, but its a powerful way to attract high quality customers
and sell big-ticket items.
Heres how it works best. First, position yourself as the authority or
expert in your field. Build credibility with a book or a podcast or through
speaking engagements. Your outcome is to be perceived as the trusted
advisor on your topic.
Second, get the lead. Be sure to capture the prospects direct contact
information. When you contact the prospective client, give quality
advice (authority and credibility). You can follow up with all kinds of
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added value and/or an opportunity to give a free strategy session. Get
them to be a client though an in-person (phone or ideally live) meeting.
During the meeting, youll add value, ask great questions that uncover
their needs, desires and pain points and then transition into your close
where you ask for the sale.
9. Evergreen
The primary purpose of an evergreen promotion is to extend the life of
your product or service beyond your initial launch. This method could
be employed either as a consistent part of your overall business strategy
or to extend sales on a one-time offer. Whichever way works best for you,
evergreen requires you understanding your products life cycle.
The three ingredients of going evergreen are:
1. Free content. Spread valuable content out over a longer period during
an evergreen launch rather than providing maximum value over a shorter
period. Whereas a launch might happen over a week and a half, your
evergreen launch might stretch over 2-3 weeks. This is the main difference
between an evergreen launch and a one-time launch.
2. Automation of Content Drip. You want to provide valuable information
periodically to perspective customers/clients as soon as they enter
into your sales funnel. When timed correctly, this kind of automated
communication makes it easier for you to potentially sell a higher-ticket
item to them later by building a relationship over time.
3. Social proof. People must hear about what your product or service did
for their peers before they commit themselves to buying. Testimonials
serve this purpose. Never underestimate the power of social influence
in helping you sell yourself and your business, particularly in the age of
social media!
Basic evergreen launch techniques are not radically different than
traditional marketing strategies or product launches. You start a
conversation and offer value through videos, surveys, teleseminars
or webinars. You connect with them on an emotional level covering
multiple aspects of a successful life, not just the one your product or
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service intends to focus on. Then, you make an offer for your product or
service.
Tips for all nine ways to monetize your product or service:
Put your personality into your brand and business. Dont be afraid to
be appropriately vulnerable or show your flaws and imperfections.
Study how other successful entrepreneurs launched their products
and services. Become a student of the game. Mimic what works
and test those approaches in your market.
Keep in mind: however it is you captured your marketand even
whoever that market may be nowit wont last forever. Your
market might change. They might need to be communicated to
differently. Real people want you to connect with them in a real
way. Be ready to adapt.
There is no shortage of material out thereincluding what you have
in your hands right nowthat provides traditional formulas for taking
your product from an idea to a sell. As weve stated throughout this book:
dont try to re-invent the wheel when it comes to sales and marketing!
Many people have made themselves very rich by sticking to methods that
have been proven to work over and over again.
Still, as long as there are new ideas continually impacting our culture and
our world, there will also be new ways to be creative and innovative in
approaching sales. A couple of small tweaks or tips can often make a huge
difference in your results. You can multiply your revenue by deploying
small, but significant, marketing strategies that magnify sales.
2. Copywriting Secrets
Great marketing copy is how you translate your messagethe keys to the
problem youre solving for your audienceinto action. Sales copy provides
a persuasive message that compels the prospect to purchase or invest in your
product or service. As with any skill, copywriting is a learned art that can be
mastered with training and practice. Whether you are writing copy, speaking
copy, or assessing copy for your clients, copywriting can be one of the most
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lucrative skills you can learn. Once you master the art, it takes very little time
to write copy and the results for your business can be highly profitable.
The four basic elements of sales copy are as follows:
1. Headline
The headline is what you use to get your audiences attentiona single
statement that summarizes the big problem and your solution in a way that
compels the reader to want to know more. The key to the sales letter is the
headlineif they dont get past the headline, theyll never get to the rest of
the letter. You can also create a sales letter in video format or in a talk. This
is the first thing that comes out of your mouth, so be conscious of how you
start off your presentation or talk!
For example, heres a headline from Eds basketball referee site: Discover
a REAL and Proven Method for Getting Noticed, Getting Hired, and
Getting a Better Schedule Year After Year Guaranteed.
Whats initially interesting here in this headline? Quite frankly, nothing
but the headline is based on this markets biggest challenges: getting noticed,
hired, and getting a good schedule. The key is the headline: if theyre not
captured by that, they wont be captured by the rest. The headline is the ad
for the ad.
Here are some buzzwords you can use as you write your headlines: discover
or announcing (at the beginning), guaranteed, or no risk to you (at the
end).
TIP: Write your headline before you write the copy of your copy because
it will guide how you write the rest of your sales page (or whatever youre
writing). Brainstorm 10, 20 or more headlines and then edit them down
until you get to the best one.
2. Body Copy / Your Story
After your headline, make sure you share the benefit of your product or
service, ideally in the first sentence or two. This introduction needs to answer
the questions: (1) Who am I? and (2) Why should you care?
Then, as you move into the body copy, write a story around your product or
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service. People love telling and hearing stories. When you can wrap a story
around the benefits of the offer, it works!
As you unveil the story and the reasons why the prospect should take
action, use these ingredients to pull it all together:
Sub-Headlines (or sub-heads): These are key messages (mini-headlines)
inserted throughout the body of your copy so that when the reader
scans the copy (vs. reading every word), he or she can get the whole
marketing message. This is called a dual-readership path: a style of
writing that takes into account both the person who will read most of
what you write (very few) and the skimmer who will breeze over your
copy only stopping to read what grabs his attention (i.e. your headline
and sub-headlines).
HINT: You can use some of the headlines you decided not to keep for
the main headline as some of your subheads.
Bullets: These highlight your main points and list the core benefits of
your product or service. Remember, bullets should peak curiosity but
not give the answer. For example, instead of saying, Learn how to
drop vanilla on your light bulbs to increase the likelihood your house
will sell, say, Learn the secret to increasing the potential of your
house sale by 10 percent.
Testimonials: This is where you present actual cases from real customers,
who affirm the benefits they received from your product or service.
You include testimonials to show that the system works. Testimonials
overcome skepticism and counter objections. To be effective, a good
testimonial also has headlines because you cant assume that people
will read the entire thingso you want to draw attention to the social
proof of the effectiveness of your product or service.
3. Present Your Offer
Present your offer with total clarity. This is where you want to tell them
what they get, how they get it, how much it is and how to buy. Structure
and clarity is king when you present your offer! Your offer doesnt need to be
super longin fact, the more succinct and clear you can be, often the better
your offer will convert.
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Here are the elements youll include in this section:
Offer: Lay out what they get (both the deliverables but with a focus
on the benefits each one offers)
Stack the Value & Reveal Bonuses: Insert two to three bonuses that
the prospect will get if they take the next step and invest in your
product or service. This creates urgency in your sales letter and
makes the prospect feel that he or she will get additional benefits
by acting now, as opposed to waiting. Bonuses further help remove
resistance and should be valued at as much as the main program,
and ideally more. Use bonuses that are highly desired and
complimentary to your productdont just throw in extra stuff
without rhyme or reason. This not only creates confusion, it can
overwhelm your customers and it wont serve them.
Price Presentation & Justification: Next, you reveal the price.
Whenever you present the price, you simultaneously have to justify
the price. In this example, it shows exactly whyin dollar terms
the product is worth it to the perspective customer:
Your sales presentation is almost done when you tell them what the
product will cost. However, save something really meaty and juicy
toward the end. If theyre still reading (or watching, or listening),
they might still be on the fence about whether or not to buy the
product. Give them just enough reasons to get off the fence.
Guarantee: A guarantee is a great way to provide risk reversal to
your prospects. In essence, youre taking on the risk by providing
them with a money-back guarantee.
4. Call to Action
Remind the reader of the benefits of your product, continue to build
urgency and ask for the sale. You have to be specific, clear and directive
when you do this. For example, Click the button below right now
After your call to action, give your final closing argument, ask for the
sale again and then add a final P.S. A P.S. can be read more often than
your entire sales letter. Use this opportunity to add more benefits, build
urgency, or add even more credibility and proof.
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As with all examples of marketing that has worked for others, the
challenge with great copywriting is making it work for you. The best way
to do this is to practice. Create a swipe file where you keep track of
other great sales copy that you want to model and practice writing copy
of your own as much as you can.
Scarcity
Finally, be sure to use scarcity in your offer. You can do this by
having a deadline, or a fast action bonussomething they get but
only if they enroll right now. This not only drums up scarcity in
time to act but also serves as a reason for them to take action right
now. The most effective types of scarcity are (1) time scarcity and
(2) quantity scarcity. Just be authenticdont arbitrarily make
something up just to have scarcity. Make sure you follow through
on whatever scarcity you announce in your offer.
3. Traffic Strategies To Build Your Email Marketing List

When youre getting ready to launch your product, its common to
imagine a super-highway of people rushing to your door. You spend time
working on your membership site, making sure your customer service is
in place, and checking that any software youre using can scale to handle
the load. But where will all of these new customers come from?
As a proud product creator, its good to think about how you can deliver
a high quality product. You want people to have a great experience and
avoid a situation where you are handling complaints. In short, you want
people to love your product as much as you doso you focus more on
the content and delivery of your product than the sales process.
But heres the harsh reality. Without a strategic plan for getting people
to see your offer, you could end up with something more like an empty
baseball stadium during the off-season than a super highway of customers:
no butts in seats!
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If youve ever seen the 1980s movie Field of Dreams, the main character in
the movie builds a baseball field on his farm, imagining all of the baseball
greats of history playing together. When he finally finishes building the
field, at first its just an empty baseball diamond. But as the movie goes
on, his favorite dream players start to come from out of the cornfield and
walk onto the newly created baseball diamond, ready to play. At the end,
its just like he imagines it will be. The best players in baseball history are
all on his baseball field, playing together. During the entire movie he has
a mantra going through his headIf you build it, they will come. And
in the movie, they do.
As product creators, we often believe that but its not true. They wont
come. Theyre not just going to magically pop out of the cornfield. They
wont come until you attract and invite them.
Meet Victoria Griggs!

We turned to our resident traffic expert, Victoria
Griggs, and asked her to share her strategies
for driving traffic to your business. Having
graduated from Yale University, her experience
is in high-tech and emerging technologies
where she has been able to produce targeted
marketing campaigns with measurable results.
Today she works with business ownerslarge and smallto
drive traffic, engage prospects and maximize marketing results.
When youre thinking about the big picture of selling your product, it
really comes down to two simple goals: Traffic and Conversion. You need
people to see your sales pages (traffic) and you need a series of steps for
them to walk through in order to buy your product (conversion).
Traffic can be either free or paid.
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One trap is to start thinking of getting attention or traffic to your
website or social media property BEFORE you know how you are going
to convert this traffic to sales. But if you dont know how you want to
take people from casual observers of your web page and convert them
into a customer, how will your web visitors know what to do?
Before you plan any of your traffic sources, you should have the back end
sequence of your business laid out, or at least know what it will look like
in the future, so that people who land on your web pages have a very clear
path to buy your product (or give you their name and email to become a
lead, or call you for a strategy session, or any other conversion goal you
have in mind).
Also, be clear on what your offer is. Otherwise, you may waste valuable
time and money getting the wrong people to see your web pagesor
perhaps the right people who arent clear on how to engage with you.
This diagram shows you some examples of both free and paid traffic. Its
not an exhaustive list for either category, but its enough to frame the rest
of our discussion.
Although free traffic may be alluring, its important to know how it

fits into your marketing and sales. There are two main considerations for
when to use Free vs. Paid Traffic.
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1. Budget. There are times in our business when we have more time than
money. In these situations, you might need to rely on free traffic for a
while until you can set aside enough money to pay for ads or tap into
other paid options. (Hint: Paid traffic can be much cheaper than you
think, so dont let lack of a big budget scare you off!)
2. Where you are in the lifecycle of your product. When youre starting
out and want people to get to know you/what youre about, or build
authority, free places are fantastic. However, when youre trying to drive
sales and set up a consistent revenue stream, its next to impossible to do
that with free traffic due to its unpredictable nature.
Lets look at the pros and cons of Free traffic:
Pro 1: Its FREE. Free traffic is also a great way to gain general exposure
and build your brand. The best part about that is you dont have to be
paid to be seen.
Con 1: It takes time. As entrepreneurs, one of the most valuable assets we
have is time. Posting free content can be time consuming, unless youve
found a way to outsource it completely, which is rare.
Con 2: You are not in control of the type of people who come to you via free
traffic sources. Your target audience very likely hangs out on free websites,
including popular video sites, blogs, and social media. But when you are
trying to attract people from these sites into your sales funnel using free
methods, youre not able to control exactly how many people will enter
your sales funnel, or when.
Free traffic can be a great tool for building your brand and authority in
general, but when you need to drive traffic to a funnel that sells (like
for your product launch), you need to be in control of who is clicking
when, and at what cost to you. Knowing your numbers will ultimately
allow you to build a profitable business with consistent and predictable
revenue. If you rely solely on free traffic sources, you wont be able to
achieve the insight and control you need to grow.
Is free traffic all bad? Absolutely not! Its strategic when used at the right
time for the right purpose.
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How to Determine the Right Traffic Mix
The framework below is a great tool for determining your ideal traffic
mixmeaning the types of traffic youll use when.
Quadrant #1: People find you. Youre posting content on social media,
publishing podcasts on iTunespeople who are interested in what you
have to say will subscribe. Its the same thing when you publish a book on
Amazon or a blog on a website. These are fantastic places to help get your
word out. However, its also passive, because youre waiting for people
to come your way. Thats why its a great tool to have at your disposal
especially in the early stage in your product.
Quadrant #2: You can also target people on free sources. You join social
media groups to join in on the conversation. You can message people
privately. You can find your ideal customers and reach out to them oneto-many (via groups) or one-to-one (via private message or email). Its
a little more targeted than waiting for people to find you. Its also more
time-consuming as well.
Quadrant #3: This quadrant is usually the most interesting for people
during a product launch (and when growing your business). You pay to
get in front of the exact right people who have a high chance of being
interested in your product. You can reach them via pay per click ads like
Facebook or Google, or via sponsored ads or mailings to groups that are
a good match for your product or service (such as associations, niche blog
sites, and meetup groups that are looking for guest speakers or sponsors).
Quadrant #4: In the fourth and final quadrant youll see websites and
directories where you pay to be listed on targeted sites, and people find
you by visiting those sites on their own schedule. This includes things
like directories, press releases, and training sites. Even though these sites
technically fall under paid traffic, they are usually NOT a reliable
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strategy for a product launch. These strategies tend to be used later in
a product or businesss life cycleor as a way to drive extra traffic and
exposure in addition to more predictable sources.
Finally, here are some traffic tips as youre getting started:
Traffic Tip #1: Dont dismiss the little guys. Youd be surprised how many
sales you can generate from sources that arent big conglomerates. Niche
bloggers can be a great source of highly targeted traffic that you can reach
for cheap.
Traffic Tip #2: Start with Facebook for paid traffic. Its too easy to pay
a lot for traffic. Some magazinesand were not even talking Vogue or
Peoplecan charge $31,000 for a one-page ad. For $5 on Facebook,
though, you can reach 2,000 people interested in that same magazine.
Get your foot in the door and test your ideas on who is going to respond.
Facebook is a low-cost, highly targeted way to do this.
Traffic Tip #3: Join conversations. Social media is a great way to do this
for free, however when you click on, for example, a magazines website,
theyll have a section on the bottom for those interested in advertising
as well as a calendar of upcoming topics to be covered. In every niche,
there are patterns, ebbs and flows. You can map editorial calendars
across major publications to look for themes that match your content or
product launches. You then have clear paths into these publications and
can step up to provide content at times when theyll be starving for it.
For more information from Victoria Griggs: www.StraightLineMarketing.
com.
4. Three Components of Long-Term Sales Success

The goal is to create a consistent business: one that more than pays the
bills, one that provides consistent streams of revenue, one that supports
the lifestyle youve always wanted to live. Thats why you must create
a long-term marketing strategy to keep new clients coming into your
business. To do this, you will need a great sales and marketing plan that
focuses on attracting prospects and turning them into buyers.
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As you create your marketing plan, make sure it supports three major
goals in your business:
1. Growing your list of prospects.
2. Promoting and selling your products to these prospects.
3. Building and protecting your brand.
The most important thing is to do all three of these things consistently.
Even small, consistent actions add up to more than occasional, frenetic
activity. Thats why you need to sit down and make a plan for at least the
next six months.
Stripped down to its basics, a marketing plan can be as simple as:
1. Identifying your top-level goals for your business, either using the
above list or creating your own.
2. Defining where you are and where you want to be in what period
of time.
3. Brainstorming what they steps are to get you there.
4. Making final decisions and put dates on them.
5. Measuring as you go to determine what works and what doesnt.
6. Sitting down at the end of the next six months to start a new plan,
based on your new knowledge and results.
We suggest sitting down once a year to construct an overall plan for the
next 12 months, then carving out time every quarter to evaluate the
effectiveness of your strategies (using the metrics we discussed earlier!)
and tweaking as necessary.
Finally, you need to measure your results compulsively, so you can tweak
your marketing to increase your sales. You must know your metrics. Metrics
are your guide for decision-making. They show you how to do more of
whats working for you and less of whats not. This is especially critical
during a product launch, in which youre trying to great results quickly.
Today, measuring your metrics is simple. If you have a Google Analytics
account, theyll even serve them up in a dashboard. Most email programs
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do the same. Its easy to check your numbers regularly and focus your
efforts on improving them. Metrics will help you pinpoint your exact
challenge areas and show you where you need to take action. They
can open powerful pathways to success by helping you optimize your
campaigns exactly where you need to. Get in the habit of checking your
numbers, testing new ideas, then discarding what doesnt work.
Here are the basic metrics you should know.
Traffic: How many people are seeing your page, your ad or your
email?
Action Rate: What percentage of those people are taking the action
you want them to?
- Clicking (Click-through rate)
- Opening your email (Open rate)
- Opting in (Opt-in rate)
- Buying (Conversion rate)
Return on Investment: For every output of marketing dollars, are
you bringing in enough money to cover the expenses and, even
better, turn a profit?
When youre looking to build a relationship with your prospects, you want
to see your numbers improve over time. Thats how you judge how well
youre doing. Comparing your numbers to someone elses may provide
you a goal to aim for, but they wont tell you a story worth listening to.
With any traffic source, you should be examining your return on
investment on each. In other words, how much does it cost to get a new
customer? If youre using paid sources to drive traffic, you will measure
things like cost per click versus conversion percentage. In other words,
if it costs you $1 per click to bring 100 people to your page, and your
conversion percentage is 2 percent, then your cost per customer equals
$50 per customer (2 sales from those 100 people, and you spent $100,
so $50 per customer). Are you making enough to justify paying $100 per
customer? If not, youll want to rethink your paid strategy.
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When you pursue the sales channels that are best for your product, and
you build the systems that support it and the plan that keeps it on track,
youll be on your way to creating something special.
Thats what Mary Poul had in mind when she created her Sales
Mastery Summit. As she began work on her primary product, she
realized that she needed a way to continually build a list to market it to.
The Sales Mastery Summit was born and, she soon had a list of 11,000
potential customersand growing. See how she did it in the following
case study.
I built a list of 11,000 viewers.

Case Study from the Field: Mary Poul
Its one thing to be able to build a product. Its
quite another to build a following. But thats
exactly what Mary Poul did after going through
Make, Market, Launch IT.
After her previous employer decided not to
act on an idea shed created, Mary seized the
opportunity. She created Business Bankable Value,
an information product that helps service professionals build a business
platform around their area of expertise. However, as she worked on the
product, she knew there was something missing.
After starting Make, Market, Launch It, it hit her: she needed a list.
As Mary explains, There was always something telling me, Im missing
something here, and an a-ha came through Make, Market, Launch
ITI didnt have a what comes next. I didnt have any kind of escalation
built around my product to make it really worth the effort to launch. So,
I figured the first thing I needed to do was build an audience.
Mary honed in on her target audiencehigh-end sales professionals
and strategic account managers. After evaluating their needs, she
decided to create an online event to draw them in. She called it the Sales
Mastery Summit and featured top sales experts who shared their best-ofthe-best strategies with Mary in an interview format.
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The idea took off.
After launching her first Sales Mastery Summit, Mary added over 11,000
followers to her list in less than two months.
By setting up her experts as affiliates, she was able to leverage these
relationships to promote the summit. Most of the experts reacted
favorably to this arrangement. Nobody was squeamish, she sayswith
one exception. One well-connected expert had agreed to the interview,
but didnt want to promote it to her list. However, Marys interview style
won her over. At the end of the interview, she said, I really like what
youre building, Im going to go ahead and promote it for you, Mary
recalls.
The fact that Mary presented herself as a reporterrather than a
competing experthelped her build these relationships easily. Since Im
not presenting myself as an expert, Im very non-threatening to them. Its
not as if Im trying to take over their client base or anything. It was just
an overall smart way to build my network in a space that I dont work
in, Mary says.
It also gave her a strong network for the future. With all of the experts
Im now networked with, Ive got a nice partner network to help me in
whatever I want to launch in that space, she says.
In addition to affiliate relationships, Mary also credits Make, Market,
Launch ITs offer-building process for the success of the Sales
Mastery Summit. Really thinking through the offer was so helpful
and whats going to attract somebody into it, she said. For the summit,
that meant allowing people to tune in for free on the day of the broadcast
and charging for upgraded access.
Make, Market, Launch IT also helped Mary expand her possibilities.
As she was developing her offer, Mary realized there were others who
could benefit from her services as well. She decided to expand into a new
niche.
I started out really targeting sales professionals as the niche because the
really is the client base for most of the experts, she explains. However, I
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quickly realized that the appeal was much broader. Small business owners
also want to be able to upgrade their [sales] skills really easily. And, they
have a lot of hats to wear. This is a nice format for them.
Mary is now in the process of going back through the Make, Market,
Launch IT process to craft a marketing plan to reach this new audience.
She is also planning to test a few additional components she can add to
her sales funnel.
As she continues her own product development, Mary has
complemented these activities with consulting services. Mary has
begun working with experts and authors to help maximize the sales of
the products they already offer. One client, she says, does a bang up job
in his Keynotes and consulting, but didnt really have anything to offer
after that, no back-of-the-room products. Thats where Maryand the
Make, Market, Launch IT frameworkcomes in.
Finally, Mary credits Make, Market, Launch for being the final
polish on her package. I got the education that I needed so that I
could actually deliver something that was going to succeed, she says.
She finished the program with the confidence to just go for it and know
that I . . . would really provide value to the viewer so it was worth their
time to tune in.
Mary continues to expand her impact at www.salesmasterymag.com.
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Step 7: Grow: Sustain IT
To get rich, you have to be making money while youre asleep.

David Bailey
Once you set the foundation for the revenue-generating activities that
will fund your business, the final step in Make, Market, Launch IT is
to grow your business and set up systems that give you a consistent and
repeatable process for bringing in revenue and serving customers at the
highest level.
Surprisingly, the way to figure out how to sustain your business is to
begin with the end in mind: how you will build it so you eventually you
can choose to sell it for a profit.
1: How to Build Your Business Strategically for Sale

You go into business because you know you have something awesome
to offer to a select audience who has a particular need or pain. You also
know that when you deliver on your promises, the income and profits
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will afford you the life and peace of mind you want. Now ask yourself,
is there more you want to do beyond your business? Retire early? Maybe
start another business? Whether youre just starting out or looking to
move on to a new venture, its all about growth, sustainability, and most
importantly, your exit strategy.
Start With An Exit Strategy In Mind
1. Get clear on how much money you want to make during and after the
acquisition. Maybe your intent is to never be acquired. Still, its important
to approach every business you build with this in mind. Getting clear on
your financial goals is a key part of that because bigger isnt always better.
Consider this from a lifestyle and values perspective, as well as the level
of intimacy you get to have with your clients/customers.
2. Keep and build. If your goal is to keep and build, youre going to act,
behave and perform very differently than if you plan to sell.
3. Sellbut to who? If youre building a business with a sale in mind,
whom do you want to sell to? This will define the character and the
brand youre building. If you have a specific type of buyer in mind, every
decision you make can be looked at through that filter. It will determine
what kind of customers you go after, how you behave and communicate,
how you establish your brand and package yourself.
4. Value is a variable. A product packaged a certain way may struggle
to get $80 a month, but if you find the appropriate market, it may be
worth $800 or $8,000 for the exact same thing! The same is true for a
buyer. Being able to tell your story and present a business type can get a
valuation early on for a great sales price.
5. Be realistic and stay simple. When you are clear on how much money
you want to make, simplicity is the most important word.
If you want to stay in your business, keep these suggestions in mind:
Focus on what you keep. As simple as that sounds its very complex
because as entrepreneurs, opportunities are placed in front of us all
the time.
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Keep your business clean and simple. Make sure that youre set up
to meet your personal and lifestyle goalsnow and in the future.
Simplify, simplify, simplify. Ask yourself, What can I get rid of?
When recording engineers listen to the final mix, they listen for the
most obvious thing in the recording and remove it from the mix
completely. If you think you have the perfect product or service,
take out about 20 percent. It makes things much easier for both
you and your customer.
More isnt better. Just because you can doesnt mean you should.
Renegotiate constantly. Question things (billing, for example).
Bring in an independent third party.
If you want to prep your business for sale, consider these ideas:
Have a proven market. You can have a great product but if you
dont already have your market in place, it wont go anywhere.
Build a great product suite. Typically what happens with a successful
business is that customers will ask, What else do you have? Being
an opportunist in the market is the future of product creation.
Have predictable traffic leads and sales process. Create a replicable
presentation that someone else, with a month of training, can go
in and use effectively to close deals. No one is going to buy your
business without this.
Predictable versus lumpy revenue/continuity. A personality-driven
business is not typically acquirable nor desirable because most
businesses cant sustain (or even pull off) product launches without
the personality in place. The formula: How many people in, how
many dollars out?
Business systems and processes. Unless what you do is documented
and has a repeatable process whereby someone can walk in, read it
and do it, you dont have a system.
Management strategy. This works even if its something as simple
as Sales First, and product creation and marketing that is in
alignment with that.
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Hiring strategy and a team (contractors arent assets). If youre
small, lean and efficient, great. But if all you have is a bunch of
contractors, you often dont have much to sell. The cost to hire
and train a team is incredibly expensive, especially if you have a
technical business.
Make sure its not personality-driven unless its licensed.
Have impeccable financials and clean records: audits, no tax issues,
lawsuits, etc. When it doubt, play it safepay it.
Big Lessons
Practice NO. Dont get trapped spending 80 percent of your
time on the 20 percent of the business that youre bad at or dont
likemanaging, running, or working in the business instead of
innovating, selling, promoting, marketing, and spending time with
customers.
Brand and marketing are critical. If you can have a good-looking
cover on a product, you can get two to four-times more money for
it. Do not do it yourself. Even if you have an aesthetic sensibility,
have a consultant give you feedback.
Sell to a profitable, accessible market. Focus on a premium market,
or dont do it at all. When you elevate your brand and package that
alone will give you access to a premium audience and a premium
marketplace.
Focus on influencers. If you make yourself accessible, approachable
and brand-worthy to people whom already own relationships with
influencers, you can get all the leads youll ever need. Sell to fewer
people for more money.
Refresh your product. Everyone likes to be included in a party,
especially a community/party they already belong to and find value
in. Youd be surprised at how many people will buy an old product
thats simply updated.
Rapid prototyping and development. When you make your business
and your life a living laboratory, you take your clients/customers
on another journey.
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Fast speed to market. Invent something, communicate it to your
audience and existing customers, sell it, build it on the fly, and roll
it out. You can start with literally no money.
You need to be expanding your reach, brand, platform, and power. At the
end of the day, building, growing, sustaining, and potentially selling your
business has to do with your ability to communicate with your audience.
2: Success Systems: How To Ensure Your Business Doesnt

Take Over Your Life
What if you could set up aspects of your business that could bring you
significant leverage for your business? Where you were truly focused on
your gifts, and your passions? The best systems can support your strengths,
fill in your weaknesses, and help you build a long-term business that
thrives without you driving every detail day-to-day.
The official definition of a system is a set of detailed methods, procedures
and routines to carry out a specific activity or duty; an organized,
purposeful structure or interdependent elements in order to achieve a
goal. Systems do many things for us.
They help you transition from being self-employed to being an
entrepreneur.
They provide consistency.
They make things predictable.
They make it easier to train new staff members.
They allow staff to focus on their strengths.
They can become an asset of your company (and can potentially
increase its value).
Without quality systems in place, its difficult to create a business thats
not dependent on you to be there to run it. In addition, it can have
all kinds of adverse affects such as unanticipated expenses, poor or
inconsistent execution, delay in getting your products to market, added
stress for you and your team, or even higher refunds and a bad reputation
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in the market. No one wants to do business with a company that seems
disorganized and as though its reinventing the wheel each time you
interact with them.
There are six areas of systems you want to consider for your business.
System 1: Money
There are certain areas of life and business that dont want to give over
control entirely to expertsand your money is one of them. Even if
youre a bigger business and youre bringing people in to manage your
money, make sure youre managing the process and that you take into
account these two things:
1. Know your monthly burn. How much is it costing you on
a monthly basis to run and manage your business as well as to
support your customers? All in, what is the cost (on average) each
month to run your business?
2. Understand the money trail. When a customer places an order,
how does it get securely processed and end up in your bank account?
Money doesnt go straight from your clients bank to you. It must go
through some kind of payment processingPayPal, wire transfer or
check, or from your shopping cart to a payment gateway, to a merchant
account.
Cash, checks and PayPal money transfers are easy to process and figure
out. When you collect credit card payments, however, it goes through a
three-part e-commerce process:
Shopping Cart: Similar to a physical shopping cart, in e-commerce, the
shopping cart allows a customer to find and buy products and services
online. Shopping carts allow customers to search for a product on your
website, select and add products to a virtual shopping basket, and check
out with their items, resulting in a purchase. Commonly-used shopping
carts include Stripe, 1ShoppingCart, UltraCart, WooCommerce,
Magento, and Infusionsoft (all-in-one marketing system).
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Payment Gateway: A payment gateway is a link between your customer
and you, established by authorizing and processing the electronic transfer
of funds that happens between your customers bank and your bank.
This service provider allows you to receive your customers credit card
information on a secure network, where the information is not only
encrypted and securely transferred, but also verified to avoid fraud. It also
allows you to submit and receive the transaction information, providing
the infrastructure that secures credit card transactions over the Internet.
Through your gateway account, you can control the level to which the
authorizations are approvedeasily (less fraud protection) or with more
stringent rules (more fraud protection). One commonly-used payment
gateway is Authorize.net.
Merchant Service Provider (MSP) and Merchant Account: In order to
create an online store, a merchant service provider or merchant account
provider must agree to establish a merchant account with youan
account with your bank that accepts credit card payments. In this case,
the bank is involved in working with a third-party processor to arrange
a way of accepting payments. Typically, these providers will first ensure
that your website provides a safe shopping experience for customers. This
type of account is required in order to accept credit card payments via
e-commerce.
Much like applying for credit or a loan, you can be denied a merchant
account or be forced to accept terms with higher costs or security in place.
Make sure you establish your merchant account early in the process and
that you communicate regularly with your contact so they know your
plans as it relates to selling your products online.
System 2: Legal
Remember, as a business owner, its your job to know the details
surrounding compliance, regulations and other laws. You also want to
make sure you have the right legal team for your needs. There are (at
least) six types of attorneys you can hire for your product-based business:
1. Corporate/Business
2. Intellectual Property
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3. Human Resources
4. Tax/Financial
5. Contracts
6. Litigation
You can get all of these attorneys in one firm (which tend to be bigger
and more expensive), or you can get different attorneys based on each of
your different needs. Ultimately, do your research to determine what you
need for your business. Be sure to figure out what you need (and what
you dont know) so that you have resources on tap when you need them.
System 3: Marketing and Sales
Marketing is about defining a customer need, delivering the solution
and communicating the solution to the customer. Most important, you
need to know who your ideal customer is, and how and where to market
to them. To be sure, this takes some testing as well as a willingness to
put your business out there and hustle a bit! This is also why weve put
so much focus on marketing in Make Market Launch IT. If you did
nothing other than switch your focus from that of a doer to that of a
marketer, youll increase your results remarkably.
As you grow your business and become more experienced as a marketer,
here are four strategies that will help you get the best results.
1. Think in terms of campaigns. A campaign is a group of marketing and
sales messages that are coordinated together in a series of communications
that are all leading to a particular sale or a particular offer. For example,
a product launch is a campaignyoure sending out prelaunch content,
content to get people to take action and buy, and then youre sending
follow-ups. You dont want to just send out an offer in the middle of
nowhere. And, you dont want to ask them to buy only one time. You
want to ask them again and again because it takes customers more than
one time being in front of you to make a buying decision.
Every sales promotion you execute needs to fit together and it make sense
as a business and to your audience. You want to make sure that all of your
sales and marketing messages are coordinated and in-sync and not a series
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of one-off efforts. And when you can organize your marketing around a
series of campaigns (anywhere from a few days to a few weeks in length),
youll get much better results than if you haphazardly approach your
promotions as one-off marketing efforts. Itll also feel much better to
your prospects and customers because your communications will make
sense and have a context related to a particular want or need they have.
2. The more lead capture systems/pages, the better. So often business owners
think about having an opt-in for their business. But if you have more
than one opt-in page (or lead capture page) online, all of a sudden you
have multiple ways to capture new leads for your business. You have much
more flexibility to test different methods of getting traffic and converting
that traffic to leads and you have more than one funnel set up thats
driving leads to your business.
Internet Marketer Andy Jenkins and Pam were talking about business
and he asked her, How many ways do you have for people to join your
list? How many opt-ins do you have?
Well the homepage on my website is an opt-in Pam said.
Andy responded with, Oh no, no, no! You want to be thinking about
getting people into your business as many ways as possible!
One market segment might appeal to this type of message or this type of
opt-in, whereas another might respond to something else. You can use
things like your blog or your podcast or your book, but having separate
pages set up where people can opt-in and drive traffic to your site are
essential to capture leads.
3. Always seek and test new sources of traffic. You live and die by the leads
you get each week, as those leads (potentially) convert to sales. As a result,
you want to constantly maximize traffic to your site through a number of
different paid and free methods.
As you test new traffic sources, make sure youre tracking your results.
What is the true cost per lead for your business? How well are those leads
converting to sales? At what point do you break even with new leads into
your businessin other words at what stage of the buying process, do
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you break even on your costs to drive traffic and acquire leads? What is
the lifetime value of a new (qualified) lead to your business?
Certainly, you can hire experts to help you with traffic and lead generation
strategies for your business. The key is that (1) you ensure that the
content youre using to entice this traffic to opt-in and become a lead is
high-quality and high-value, as well as a message-to-market match, and
(2) you know your numbers. You are actively involved in understanding
whats working, whats not, what its costing and how you can maximize
it.
4. Take care of your list. In almost any industry or market, the highest cost
for most businesses is the cost to acquire a new lead or customers. Once
you get somebody on your list and into your database, or even better,
once you convert that lead to a customer, take care of them! First of all, its
the right thing to do and it feels good to know your customers are getting
the service they desire and deserve. Second, it will create momentum
for your business as happy customers will refer more customers and buy
more products and services from you.
Its far easier and more effective to sell to existing customers than cultivate
new clients. Once you have someone opt in, make sure you turn them
into raving fans of your product and services. Its not the size of your list,
but the quality of relationship you have with your list thats the biggest
factor in your success.
System 4: Customer Support
When we talk about customer support, this includes what youre doing
to retain customers, grow more customers, and most importantly, show
your customers that you care. Because your customers are how you grow
your business, expand your impact and build your legacy, you need to
make serving these customers a big focus. Create systemspolicies and
procedures that support all of your valued clients at a high leveland
hire the right people with the right mindset to carry out these tasks.
Remember, however, it all starts at the top. Whether youre a team of one,
or a team of many, its up to you to back up your words with actions.
Its not enough to care, you need to show that you care about customer
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experience through what you do and what your team does to take care
of people.
Four Ways to Support Your Valued Customers
1. Invest in your customers success and make it the core focus of
your business. First, and most important, adopt a mentality early
on in your business that you are here for one reason: to take care
of your customers and help them solve their problems and achieve
their dreams. Your business isnt about youits about them. When
you understand this on an emotional level, you can make decisions,
both big and small, that help your customers succeed at the highest
level.
This can mean anything from providing Q&A calls with your
programs to give them direct coaching, to giving out awards to
acknowledge peoples wins, to helping them track their progress,
and making sure that your products and services are created with
the goal of making it as easy as possible for your customers to get
what it is theyre looking for.
2. Identify your heroes early on. This means identifying the people
who are using your products and services and are getting results.
Highlight those stories! Not only does it help your marketing
effort, but it also helps grow your customer-base by giving new
customers the belief that they can do it, too. You also may want
to send these customers a special note or package to thank them
and give them opportunities to lead inside your community. Make
sure you know who your heroes are so you can (1) document their
results (2) support them in their continued success and (3) help
them spread the word.
3. Reward your best customers. Treat your clients with a philosophy
of what we do for one, we must be willing to do for all mindset.
This means that, whenever you make a decision to do something
for one client, you want to ask yourself, Am I prepared to do this
same thing for any client? This will help you maintain integrity
and consistency within how you treat your clients.
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At the same time, your best customers should always get the best
deals and the most time and attention from your organization. If
you have a new offer coming out, let them know about it first and
make sure they get the best deal.
4. Create guidelines. Create Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
for your business. An SOP is a routine, or a system, that acts as
a step-by-step guide so you and your team are aligned in how to
support your clients. When you have SOPs in place, you dont
have to worry about your customer support team because they will
know how to take care of your customers in every situation that
may arise. Guidelines also mean you can more easily train new
hires. This is important as you must empower your front line to
make decisions and solve problems.
As it relates to customer service, remember heart isnt enough.
You want to have heart plus systems to make sure your team is
empowered to really take care of your customers.
System 5: Technology
Whether its marketing technology, financial technology or whatever
type of technology you have in your company, it can be overwhelming to
keep up with the pace of changing technology, much less figure out how
to match the right technology for your needs.
The key with any technology is to make sure you have the business intelligence
you need to get where you want to go. Here are some keys to making good
decisions around your technologyand making sure you dont over- or
under-spend based on your needs.
Top Mistakes with Technology
1. Choosing a technology based on a sales pitch instead of based on your need.
Even with good intent, a sales person will show you all the right things
but never the wrong things. Be careful as you have these conversations as
often their answers revolve around how they can serve your business, not
why or how you need the right piece of technology.
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2. Being too quick to choose a technology without understanding its impact.
Does it work with your other stuff? Does it integrate with the systems
you already have in place? Does it do what you need to do at the end of
the day? Or, did you buy based on emotion instead of what you really
need?
3. Not having clear goals and not understanding what you really need. Most
people dont have absolute clarity about their business goals. As a result,
they end up investing in the latest shiny object, but then get something
that doesnt scale the way they need, do what they want, or it ends up
requiring too big of an infrastructure than whats really appropriate for
their business.
4. Thinking you need more than you really do. Theres a fine line between
what you need today vs. two years from now. Instead of overspending,
you need to be honest about the level of business intelligence you really
need (vs. whats nice to have) to be successful.
5. Seeing what someone else is doing, and thinking, Ill just copy that. Just
because it works for one business doesnt mean that its the right solution
for you. Technology decisions need to be specific to your business needs.
Be careful about just blindly modeling someoneyou never know what
their incentives are to promote a piece of technology, or the personalized
customization they may be getting on that technology behind the scenes.
Often, theres no reason for you to go the same route just to have the
same level of brand recognition that they have.
6. Doing whats easy instead of whats right. It can be easy to get sold
on something that you can throw together that works today without
understanding that it wont work down the road (i.e. it will become cost
prohibitive as soon as your business reaches a certain size, etc.). Look at
whats right, not just whats easy.
Think back to your business goals from module one: What type of
business do you want to build? What you want to do with your business
is going to impact the technology you need and the level of intelligence
you need. Take some time to really think about it so you can match up
your technology needs with your specific business goals.
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System 6: People
Systems around people help you both empower your team to deliver
great results and leverage you to help grow your business. You want to
have a good team that will ideally stay with you and grow with your
business, but you also dont want to be too dependent on one key person,
without a back-up system in place, should they leave for any reason.
The key is to manage and motivate people, but put systems behind your
business that arent dependent on any one individual. Here are just a few
examples of the systems you can put in place around your people to give
you leverage and help scale your growth.
1. Teach them how to communicate clearly and efficiently. For example, give
your team members (this goes for employees as well as contractors) a
specific format for sending you emails. We use a simple one:
The subject line is either FYI, Action Requested, or Per Your Request. The
body contains a brief greeting, a stated outcome, any background in the
form of bulleted info needed as an update or to help you make a decision
or fulfill their request. The next section is the call to action, including
next steps, specific requests, deadlines, and budget (if applicable).
2. Be specific. If you provide context and details for your requests, youll
avoid miscommunication.
3. When things are uncertain or have high-consequence, over-communicate.
Reiterate your outcome, check in along the way, and make sure you have
regular touch points with your team. If theres a project that is of high
consequence to your business, when in doubt over-communicate and
schedule more frequent updates so you can be sure everything is on track.
Take a little bit of time to set up the systems that make sense to you and
that will work for you and your business. This will give you the freedom
to spend your time on what really matters to you, and what is really
going to drive more revenue to your business.
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3: The Power of Partnerships

Out of the nearly 20 million sole proprietorships in the U.S., more than
1.5 million see the benefits of partnerships.1 Just like a marriage, however,
partnerships need to grow, evolve and be nurtured to reap the benefits.
There are several benefits of partnerships. First, partnerships can bring
complementary skills together. If youre good at creating new products
and someone else is good at selling, it makes sense to bring those skills
together. Partners also can take on risk together. By taking a leap of faith
together on projects you lessen the blow of failure and reap the rewards
as partners.
Partners can share resources. One partner could have an established list, for
example, that the other partner can benefit from. The other partner could
bring an existing set of services. Finally, partners can provide emotional
support to each other. It can be lonely at times to run a business; having
a partner provides a sounding board for advice and guidance.
We believe there are five keys to a successful partnership.
1. Get the right partner. Look into the future: where is this going? What
are we each bringing to the table? Is this a person that I want to grow
old with? Will we like each other or is this a relationship of convenience?
Creating a long-term relationship is at the heart of a partnership, but its
also necessary to remember that both partners need to bring a unique
value to the table.
Is there trust? Creating a partnership means sharing your secret sauce or
your database, intellectual property or access to your customers or staff.
It all comes down to the one great currency in a partnership: TRUST.
Dont be afraid to start small with your partnershipwith a project or
brandthen build the trust and turn it into a business.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonnazar/2013/09/09/16-surprising-statistics-about-small-businesses/
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2. Be realistic about roles. A partnership doesnt automatically mean a clear
50/50 split (and the best partnerships often are not equal splitsboth in
terms of money and time). When one partner is already established in the
industry or has an existing business, they may take a greater percentage
(at least to start). This may change over time as the other partner brings
more to the table or secures new business for the partnership.
3. Get it in writing. Ensure that you have clear partner agreements in
place. Remember, the agreement is a living, breathing document and
should match the ebb and flow or the partnership. In addition, think of
it as a performance agreement where the compensation and rewards are
tied to meeting specific performance requirements.
When it comes to negotiating, dont do it until you can put all the main
points of the partnership out on the table. Then, get an attorney to
take care of it. They are bound to behave ethically, and will impartially
interpret the impact and the risk for both parties. They can also create
a phantom stock, where someone has to earn their way in and if they
leave the partnership, that move doesnt get converted into real equity.
If they do walk away, an attorney can make sure there is a non-compete
agreement in place and if that party violates it there will be consequences.
4. Set expectations. How will you work together? What role will each
partner play? What do you expect each to deliver? How do you want to
communicate? How will you respond if there is an upset or challenge?
5. Constantly re-evaluate. Revisit the agreement six to twelve months
down the line and re-evaluate roles and renegotiate compensation. How
have circumstances changed? Has workload or responsibilities shifted?
Should the compensation splits be re-evaluated as a result?
Determining Contributions
All contributions to the partnership are not the same. The value
attributed to creating products, running finances and managing support
is different than the value attributed to marketing and sales initiatives
that directly affect the bottom line. At the end of the day, a business cant
exist without two things: innovation and marketing/sales. Those make up
65 to 80 percent of your business (versus pieces such as support and
accounting that you can outsource).
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Mike once had someone approach him with a business proposition:
Give me half of your business and I will give you X, Y and Z. In order
to make X, Y and Z happen though, that person needed a staff, which
would end up costing (Mike) more money, and this guy needed this,
and that, and, and, and. Mike was supposed to take on more risk, give
this guy half of his company and theres no guarantee of performance?
Different components of a business are not always equal to another
each element has a unique value.
Challenges in Partnerships
As with any relationship, challenges can come up when youre in a
partnership. When, this happens, its usually due to one of four things:
ego, emotions, expectations, or economics.
How do you resolve the 4 Es? With clear rules of conduct. Here are the
partnership guiding principles/rules of conduct we recommend.
1. Dont try to change your business partner. Learn how they work,
and set the systems up to support them to be able to do what they
do really well, where they have the freedom to deliver their biggest
gifts.
2. Monitor resentment, because there will be periods of time where
situations may feel unfair. Think of your emotional and legal
partnership agreement as a living, breathing document that has to
be able to evolve as you grow.
3. Make sure you leave room in your relationship for a safe space free
from judgment. Have compassionate conversations about what
you can bring to the table, and be honest with your partner about
what you can and cannot do.
4. Its always a three-way partnership because you have your customers.
Its going to always come back to, What is the agreement you
made with your partner and your customer? It doesnt matter
whats going on with your partnership, you need to show up for
your customers and you need to deliver100 percent of the time.
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Before Embarking on a Partnership: Inner Work
Its important to remember that whatever personal problems you walk
into a relationship with are going to show up in the partnership. The
more inner work you do, the better likelihood your partnership (and
communication) will run smoothly. Participate in some type of formal
growth and development process, such as a personal development
event or program. It can be instrumental in helping you prepare for
a partnershipand it will likely help you experience more joy in the
process.
4: The Long-Term Entrepreneur

In this book youve learned a powerful step-by-step system for turning your
ideas into income, making a difference and creating a lifestyle that meets
your goals. While we hope youve also implemented as youve gone along,
remember, its not a race. Go at your own pace. Ultimately, your goal is
to create a business based on products and services that provide you with
a consistent and sustainable system for bringing in revenue and serving
customers, without you having to be there all the time to manage it.
Its a journeysome things will work extraordinarily well and others
youll need to tweak and refine (and sometimes abandon) as you find
the magic combination of strategies that work for you and your market.
Were obsessed with taking impeccable care of our customers. Were also
incredibly committed to taking care of our staff and contractors because
were so grateful for all that they enable us to do. On the personal side,
both of us have embraced the entrepreneurial lifestyle to make sure we
have the time for our partners and our children. But in order to take care
of all of these people, both emotionally and financially with your business,
you need to take care of yourself. And thats why its so important to
establish your product creation business as one that runs without you,
so you have the time, the energy and the resources to look after yourself.
194

With our encouragement, get away from the day-to-day running of your
business. Spend quality time with your customers and listen to their
success stories, ones that you helped create! Give yourself the gift of
hearing the impact youve had on other peoples lives. Draw boundaries
of your own, both in your day-to-day life and by carving out time for
your favorite hobby or whatever it is that recharges your batteries. In
other words, make sure to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Take the kids
to Hawaii. Go hiking, or camping or whatever you enjoy. Let your brain
slow down. Relax and enjoy. Spend some of that hard-earned money. You
deserve it.
Youll return a happier, more focused entrepreneur, which will allow you
to embrace the next piece of psychology we offer: be present. Its so easy
to divide your energy into little pieces and half-focus on everything,
personally and professionally. But its important to focus on the here and
now. Dont dwell too much on what happened yesterday and dont get
tunnel vision over the future. Take the actions that you can take now,
today to move your vision forward.
If theres a common thread we see running through the most successful
entrepreneurs, its that theyre always keeping their pulse on whats next.
In other words, keep learning. Do it in whatever way excites you. If youre
a reader, splurge on an Amazon.com order and keep a stack on your
bedside table or fill your Kindle with recommendations from friends and
colleagues. Get your favorite blogs and news websites in one spot through
an RSS feed and monitor it daily for articles that pique your interest.
Join a community to generate new and interesting ideas. Some colleagues
have had great success with local Rotary clubs. Others have found their
stride by participating in mastermind groups. Expose yourself to new
people and new ideas. If you move beyond your usual haunts, youll enable
yourself to cross-pollinate your business with ideas from other disciplines.
Communicate with your customers. We cant tell you how many lessons
weve learned from the people were serving. Check in with your support
staff and see what themes are emerging. Hold a Q&A webinar and see
what people want to know.
195

There are sources for learning all around you. Part of the beauty of being
an entrepreneur lies in being able to take advantage of these trends much
faster than large companies, who run their decisions through a long
chain of executives.
Thats why well always encourage you to be nimble. Especially when
youre leveraging online technology, its possible to capitalize quickly on
new ideas. Use this to your advantage as much as possible.
Being nimble also means being flexible. Unlike the giant grinding gears
of a large corporation, your light and fast operations should be able to
make a needed turn, if warranted. Think of your operation like a sports
car. You can hit the gas quickly. You can maneuver around the field of
slower cars. And, if needed, you can make a sharp right turn and go in a
new direction.
Three Master Lessons from Make, Market, Launch IT
Weve given you a comprehensive set of tools and industry secrets that
will give you guidance in all aspects of your business: mindset and
understanding your target market, how to create irresistible offers, the
blueprints for creating quality products in any format, multiple and
proven ways to market and sell, and a business system designed to help
you achieve the income and impact youre looking for.
Most importantly, to achieve your dreamsto build a sustainable
business that brings you consistent, repeatable revenue that serves your
customers without you having to be there all the timefocus on these
three skills:
1. How to Make: Create a great product that meets your ideal
customers needs by solving their biggest problems and helping
them attain their biggest goals. Remember, its not about creating
the perfect productyouve got to let yourself and your business
evolve with your customers. This can only happen when you get
your product or service in front of the right people as quickly as
possible, so you can add value and make money while you learn
and grow.
196

2. How to Market: Master the art of creating offers: know what you
are selling and to whom you are selling. Continuously refine your
sales presentation and practice making the offer over and over
again.
3. How to Launch: Take consistent, massive action. Sell your
product(s) in as many channels as possible so you can figure out
what works best for your audience. As you do this, take impeccable
care of your customers so you can escalate both the value you add
and the money you make by providing more, higher-end solutions
to your best customers.
As we near the end of our journey, we offer you one final story from the
field. Colin Hiles, a longtime blogger and established training specialist,
saw Make, Market, Launch IT as his chance to leverage both his time
and the following hed created with his websiteto create a whole new
revenue stream for himself.
The end result will not be an hours work

for an hours pay.
Case Study from the Field: Colin Hiles
Colin Hiles has been blogging since 2009, not because
he wanted to build a following and not because he had
anything he wanted to sell. Colin was blogging simply
because he enjoyed it.
With an established career as a training and development
specialist in both corporate and sports environments,
Colin never imagined he could turn his blogs ideas
into anything more than a hobbyuntil he started getting emails about
Make, Market, Launch IT.
Make, Market, Launch IT planted a seed. Colin started to think about
creating a product around his belief system that he could sell to his existing
blog followers. Around that same time, Colin also started getting queries
from worldwide prospects asking him for a way to access his retreats, held
mainly in Spain and Morocco, from other parts of the globe.
197

That was perfect timing for me. It really got me thinking about [creating
a product] seriously, Colin says. Make, Market, Launch IT gave Colin
a two-pronged opportunity to turn both his blog and his 20 years of
experience in mindset and belief training into products that he could
leverage.
The solution seemed obvious. He decided to stop, in his words, messing
around and to build two products, Follow Your Smile and Mind Power+
Toolkit.
To make sure he was on the right track, Colin started his product
development in the Make, Market, Launch IT way: by understanding
what his customers really need, then designing a product around those
desires. This was just following the process that Mike and Pam laid out.
Get some feedback, find some needs, and then begin to address those
needs, he says.
He started by reaching out to his existing community. I sent an email
out to my list and asked them to fill out the poll. So I took that and said,
how do I help with [their biggest issues]: clarity, fear, and issues with
money? And thats where the idea of Advanced Mind Power Training
came up, he explains.
To test these ideas, he created an initial product, which he called
the 90-Day Challenge. However, Colin decided to release it only to an
exclusive group of people: his loyal followers. Only those who have been
with him for the long haul were granted the opportunity to invest in his
programat least for now.
Since this group knows him well and trusts his work already, Colin
used them as a testing ground to see what really sticks. By restricting
access, hes also making his community part of the journey, which will
ultimately keep them even more invested as he continues to expand his
product line.
In other words, with his first product, Colin is already nurturing his
Power Tribe. His initial launch brought 55 people into the program for
beta testing.
198

Colin used the tools provided by Make, Market, Launch IT to set up
his entire system, including his launch sequence, a membership site, four
videos, a book, his products and all his branding. Everything you see on
my site didnt exist before. Its all born out of Make, Market, Launch IT,
he explains.
Colins long-term vision involves creating a passive income stream out
of the final incarnation of this online business model. He wants to be
able to travel with his wife and sustain a lifestyle as a digital nomad,
running his business from a laptop anywhere in the world with working
Wi-Fi.
Hes excited by the possibilities. The end result will not be an hours work
for an hours pay, and thats very compelling. Thats what keeps me going.
Make, Market, Launch IT, he believes, is the key to getting there. If
you have an aspiration to earn a passive income and take what you know,
to package it so that you can have a passive income, then go for it. This is
the opportunity.
Make, Market, Launch IT also gave him a new distinction regarding
success in the information product market. What Ive learned is the
actual difference isnt in the product. The difference is in the way the
product is marketed. Youve got to have good product, but if you have
a great product and your marketing isnt any good, youre not going
anywhere.
However, after going through the program and building his initial
product, he has begun sharing this knowledge with others who have hired
him as a consultant. Ive already had a few people approach me to say,
Can you help me? he says. And Ive earned income from that as well.
His parting advice to other creators? Set a big goal, step up to it.
Especially if what you can package is making a difference to other peoples
lives, I mean, what a great way to go about spending your time.
Colin continues to develop his suite of training products through
MidlifeMaverick.com.
199
Somewhere, something incredible is

waiting to be known.
Carl Sagan
200
Closing:
One Final Gift to Change Your Life
You changed my life.
After our combined 40+ years of creating products in every format you
can imagine, those four words are still our greatest reward, bar none.
Those words fuel our passion. They drive our creative process. They give
us a visceral thrill of excitementand they leave us in a peak of joy.
We hope this book inspires you to take on a new role, as a teacher, a
leader and a visionaryor to raise yourself to a new level of achievement
along this path. As you accept this new position, you step into a truly
unique and powerful gift: that of transformation. As you pass this gift on
to your students, your clients, your friends and your loved ones, we hope
you feel the same abundance of joy, passion and excitement that we do.
Youve earned itand you deserve it.
As youre sharing this gift with others, we encourage you to share one
more gift with yourself. Its a small gift, but its a significant one that can
create a seismic shift in your entrepreneurial journey.
201

Give yourself the gift of urgency.
We know that you have a lot of priorities. You may have a partner. You may
have a family. You may even be working another job as you get this business
off the ground.
However, youve invested enough of your energy to make it this far,
which says to us that youre incredibly committed to an entrepreneurial
future.
Honor that commitment by making your productand the business
around ita priority.
You may have only one chance to transform the life of a customer or client.
Stay focused on these results. Stay focused on creating a business around it
and stay focused on realizing your vision at the highest level always with
a sense of urgency.
Weve seen the power that this commitment has had on our customers, some
of whom youve met in this book. They were once in your shoes, looking at
the same opportunity youre considering today. Its here in front of you now.
If you reach out and take it, the possibilities are limitless. Take it from us.
Neither one of us could have predicted where our journeys would lead.
Were so grateful for the milestones weve reached, the products weve
created, the relationships weve fosteredand the lives weve changed.
In fact, gratitude cant fully express it. Thats why weve made it our mission
to pass it on, to empower people like you to do what weve done and turn
your expertise, experience, perspective and good old-fashioned know-how
into a valuable product that changes peoples lives.
As we finish this book with you, we hope it marks the start of your
journey, from wherever you are now toward the fullest expression of
your vision. Were incredibly grateful to you for trusting your time to us.
Were also incredibly excited to see what you come up with. In fact, we cant
wait.
We also hope this marks the start of our journey together. If youd like
to continue your discovery of turning your expertise into a product you can
202

selland building a real business around that productplease visit us at
our website, MakeMarketLaunch.com.
As weve shown you, theres an incredible opportunity in the marketplace
right now to significantly improve your value, bring in new revenue streams
and create a lasting legacy. Dont wait to take action. The right time is now.
Until then, thank you for making us a part of your entrepreneurial journey.
We look forward to working with you againand we wish you all the joy,
delight and excitement of making the impact on the world thats both your
gift and your birthright.
Appendix: Tools & Tech Guide

Video & Content Production:
Freelancers:
Smartphone with Selfie Stick

and iRig HD microphone
Fiverr
Screencasting: Screenflow
(Mac & PC) or Camtasia
(PC)
Freelancer
eLance
oDesk
99Designs
Slides: Keynote or
PowerPoint
Video Storage:
Vimeo
Microphone: Nessie or Yeti

(by Blue Microphone)
Wistia
Webcam: Logitech c930e
Data Sharing:
Royalty Free Music & Sound

Effects: AudioJungle.com or
YouTube Audio Library
Stock Images: iStockphoto.
com or BigStock
Dropbox
Google Drive
Livecasts:
Google+ Hangouts On Air
YouTube Live
Video Themes: Envato.com

or VideoHive.com
Webinar Jam
203

Please visit us at MakeMarketLaunch.com for your free video series on
how to turn your ideas into income. Well share our best, cutting-edge
strategies for creating a product from scratch, or maximizing a product
you already have, but that may not be producing the income or impact
you desire.
3830 Valley Centre Drive #705-314

San Diego, CA 92130
866.654.6534
858.720.8720
204
Its never been easier, faster or more profitable for

you to make, market and launch your own product
and were going to show you step-by-step exactly how to do it in this book!
If youre like us, youve either read a book, listened to an audio program,
watched a video or invested in a product and had your life literally change.
An expert, somewhere in the world, distilled their knowledge down to a
product and it founds its way to your home.
In this book that youre holding right now, were going to show you how you
can have that same level of transformation in the world with your knowledge.
Make, Market, Launch IT is a 7-step system for taking any idea to market
quickly, effectively and profitably. When you combine this system with your
own knowledge and experience, you can change peoples lives, create a
lasting legacy and increase your marketable value to earn significantly more
for your products, services and time.
Make, Market, Launch IT represents nearly 50 years of combined experience
from entrepreneurs Pam Hendrickson and Mike Koenigs. Pam and Mike have
produced and promoted hundreds of products and services in every format
imaginableproducts that have generated hundreds of millions of dollars in
revenue and created a difference in millions of peoples lives.
Through their refined system, youll discover Pam and Mikes proven blueprint
for leveraging your knowledge and expertise into a sustainable business
that brings you ongoing revenue and makes a difference for others. Because
this system isnt dependent on specific technology or platforms, you will be
successful regardless of your business type or niche.
Its your time to build your legacy and live your dream. Everything you need
is inside this bookand inside you now.
Pam Hendrickson has been producing, launching and marketing highly-profitable

products for many of the top names in the personal and professional development
industry for almost 25 years. Pam spent almost twenty years at Robbins Research
International, Inc. where she worked directly with Anthony Robbins as the Executive
Vice President of Content & Product Development. A magna cum laude graduate of
Brown University, Pam lives in San Diego, CA with her husband and two sons.
Mike Koenigs is a 7-time #1 bestselling author, Chief Disruptasaurus, and founder
of Traffic Geyser and Instant Customer, which simplifies and automates marketing
for over 40,000 customers in over 60 countries. His mission is to create 1,000,000
entrepreneurs. Mike has been featured
on CBS, ABC, NBC, FOX, and in Inc. and
Success Magazine. The son of a barber and
originally from Eagle Lake, Minnesota, Mike
likes in San Diego with his wife and son.

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Turn Your Ideas Into Products

That Make You Money

Turn Your Ideas Into Products

Pam Hendrickson & Mike Koenigs

Pam Hendrickson & Mike Koenigs

The best use of life is to spend it

Make, Market, Launch IT

Pam Hendrickson & Mike Koenigs

Make, Market, Launch IT

A Note from the Authors

Pam Hendrickson & Mike Koenigs

Make, Market, Launch IT

Pam Hendrickson & Mike Koenigs

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Pam Hendrickson & Mike Koenigs

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Knowledge is great. Competence is great. But the combination of both

Pam Hendrickson & Mike Koenigs

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Its now faster, easier, and more profitable to make, market

Why create products? As a businessperson, having your own products

Pam Hendrickson & Mike Koenigs

#1. You must become an entrepreneur, not just an expert.

Make, Market, Launch IT

#2. You must treat this as a business.

Pam Hendrickson & Mike Koenigs

#3. You must not be a one-trick (or one product) wonder.

Make, Market, Launch IT

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#4. You must keep evolving your business to keep up with

Make, Market, Launch IT

Lets Get Started!

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How to Use This Book

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Case Study from the Field: Sue Ferreira

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Lets use a dating product as an example. The primary problem your

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Package your meatiest

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