Secrets of a Last-Minute Launch

"Here is the basic rule for winning success. Let's mark it in the mind and remember it. The rule is: Success depends on the support of other people."

David Joseph Schwartz

By Ryan Lee

I just put together a super-fast product launch.
From product idea to affiliate recruitment to launch, it took just a few weeks. In today's market, that is almost unheard of. And we still hit six figures in sales.
How were we able to get people behind us on such short notice? I attribute it to two major lessons I've learned through the years. Today, I'm going to share them with you.
LESSON #1: Get Face-to-Face
Okay, this one might sound like common sense. But just about every person who mailed for us was someone we have met in person, often numerous times. I can't stress how important it is to step away from the computer, get off your ass, and go to LIVE events in your market.
There's NOTHING that comes close to looking someone in the eye and shaking their hand. E-mail, phone, video chat, or Skype can't hold a candle to meeting people in person.
A few tips:

• Attend AT LEAST two live events a year.
  If a guy like me with four young children can attend at least two live events a year, you can do the same. It's THAT important to your bottom line.
  Just make sure the events are in your market.
  
  For example, if you want to sell products to professional DJs, go to association events for DJs. Going only to "Internet marketing" events and skipping the DJs is not a good idea. You can go to both, but don't miss events that are specifically geared to your market.
  
  Again, this might sound like common sense. But it really was a KEY part of getting affiliates to mail for us (and push other programs off their calendar).
  
• When you meet someone at an event, don't be "that guy."
  You know the guy I'm talking about. The annoying one. The person who always wants to talk business. The one who is there every time you turn around.
  
  Go to industry events with the intention of meeting potential affiliates and asking those magic words... "How can I help you?"
  
  And for goodness sake, loosen up and have fun. Laugh, smile, and don't be so serious. No one wants to be around a big fat bore!
  
  Annoying plus boring is a deadly combo.

LESSON #2: Give potential affiliates a reason to want to promote your products.If you pay good commissions and have a strong conversion rate, your affiliates will have a bigger EPC. And that's what most really care about. EPC stands for "Earnings Per Click." It's the average amount of income they earn from traffic they send to your website. And most big affiliates want to know that number.
BUT...
There are some affiliates who have a really strong relationship with their list. They don't care much about EPC. They only care about sharing the best products with their subscribers. And because the trust level is so high, their EPC ends up being higher anyway.
These affiliates always review the product first. They offer special bonuses. And they personally endorse it. We've had some affiliates without a strong list relationship that had low EPCs of $.33, and we've had some with an EPC of $5.00 and higher.
Same product. Same offer. Different relationship.
The ideal situation is to have a great offer with compelling copy that provides tremendous value. A lot of my original students in the health/fitness space have done that with integrity, and their bank accounts are proof. (The list is a mile long, but here are just a few examples of people doing it right: Mike Geary, Isabel Del Los Rios, Vince Del Monte, and Joel Marion.)
But sometimes you have to make sacrifices. For example, I could have sold more if I had made outrageous promises with Nano Continuity. Fake Paypal screenshots and headlines that promised wealth with no effort would have certainly increased the EPC for my affiliates. That would have made me more sales up front, but it would have been harmful in the long run.
This shortsighted approach always leads to...

1. More refunds. Some of the big "Clickbank" offers that over-promise and under-deliver have refunds up to 50%. (Ours is around 3%.) Remember, it's not what you make, it's what you KEEP that matters.
2. No trust. When you lose the trust of the people on your list, you won't be able to sell them more products/services in the future. And forget about having them sign up for your continuity programs. So your list will have no value. It's much easier to resell existing customers than to try and find new ones.
3. A bad name. With social media, discussion forums, and the viral nature of the Internet, if you provide a sub-par product or wrong your customers - word will spread like wildfire. And people are just a Google search away from seeing all those pissed off comments.
4. More expense. More refunds and more chargebacks = more customer support staff. And that means more costs for you!

So there you have it. Get out there and MEET potential affiliates in person. Come up with the magic mix of a compelling offer that also provides great value - one that would earn a nice EPC for them. And you, too, will be in a position to successfully launch a new product - and start bringing in profits - in record time.