Launch

This is aGREATbook about launching products and growing businesses,butit’saboutsomuchmore.It’saboutcreatingamovement,makinganimpact,and delivering huge value into themarketplace—and it’s based on experienceandresults. Ifyouwant tobringyourproduct,business,ormovement into theworldinabigway,thenLAUNCHisyourrecipebook.

—DanielG.Amen,MD,AuthorofChangeYourBrain,ChangeYourLifeandeightotherNewYorkTimesBestsellers

Thetitleofthisbook,LAUNCH,isuniquelyappropriatebecauseJeffWalkeris the pioneer innovator of online marketing launches, as well as the onlinemarketing industry’s foremost teacher. The careers of thousands of successfulonline entrepreneurs have already been launched by Jeff’s extraordinarilypractical concepts, structures, strategies, tools, and processes. LAUNCH is amust read for all marketers—the go-to handbook for making money sellinganythingontheInternet.

—DanSullivan,PresidentandFounderofTheStrategicCoach

It tookme four years to growmy first business to $5million.Using JeffWalker’sproductlaunchmodel,Iwasabletohit$5millioninsales—inabrand-newbusinessniche—my first year. Jeff has createdoneof themost importantinnovationsinmarketinginthelast100years.

—EbenPagan,FounderofHotTopicMediaandSerialOnlineEntrepreneur

Business is a successionof launches—newproducts, projects, promotions,incentives,partnerships,etc.Tosucceedyou’llneedtomasterthelaunch.Todoso you’ll want to study the master of the launch—JeffWalker. Ten thousandhours andmillions of dollars later, he has figured it out. Read this book andshortenyourpathtoprofitsdramatically.

—DarrenHardy,PublisherandFoundingEditorofSUCCESSandNewYorkTimesBestsellingAuthorofTheCompoundEffect—JumpstartYourIncome,

YourLife,YourSuccess

This book is a must read for everyone trying to influence and change

people’slivesinapositiveway.It’saGREATbusinessbook,butit’salsomuchmorethanabusinessbook.IplantogetacopyforeveryHayHouseauthor.

—ReidTracy,CEO,HayHouse,Inc.

EventhoughIama30+yearveteranindirectmarketing,thisbookmademerealizehowmuchthereisstilltolearnaboutbeinganexcellentmarketer...andahumanbeingaswell.Asoneoftheheroesamongheart-basedentrepreneursontheplanet, Jeffhaswrittenpossibly themost importantbookaboutbothdirectresponsemarketingandentrepreneurshipinthelastdecade.

Anyonewhothinkstheword“launch”refersonlytoonlinemarketinghasn’tbeenpayingattentiontodirectresponsemarketingoverthelastfivedecades(ormore).Andanyonewho thinks thatJeffWalkerhasn’tearned theright toownthe word “launch” in today’s marketing landscape also hasn’t been payingattention.

LAUNCH is a must read for anyone in business today—experienced ornovice—whoneedstogettheirproductorserviceouttotheworld...andwantstodoitwithintegrityandpower.

—BrianKurz,ExecutiveVicePresident,Boardroom,Inc.

This is not just a book. It’s a license to print money. (Okay, maybe I’moverstatingitabit,butnotbymuch.)IusedJeff’sProductLaunchFormulatocreate a seven-figure-plus business I absolutely love. And unlike somesuccessfulentrepreneurs,heholdsnothingback.It’sallhere—aprovenstrategy,real-world examples, and step-by-step instructions—everything you need tocreateabusinessyou’recrazyaboutwhilemakinganincrediblelivingdoingit.

—MichaelHyatt,NewYorkTimesBestsellingAuthorandFounderofPlatformUniversity.com

Thefirstdayoflaunchinganewbusinesshasalwaysbeenastressful,nerve-rackingtime.ButsinceapplyingJeffWalker’sideas,we’veturnedthese“launchdays” into moments of celebration, success, and amazing cash flow as ourbusinesses have managed to pull in incredible customer demand on day one.This has added millions to our bottom line and raised the valuation of ourcompanyimmenselyasday-onesalestrumpedallexpectation.

—VishenLakhiani,FounderandCEO,Mindvalley

Thisisn’tabookasmuchasitisarecipeandablueprintforchangingyouand your family’s financial fortune. It breaks down everything from the SeedLaunch,whereyoustartcompletelyfromscratch,allthewayuptothemegaJVLaunches thatcanbring inmillions inamatterofdays.Theprocessdefinitelytakessomework,butifyougettheprocessdownanduseit,thenyoucanhavenearly instant sales andmomentum in your business.Not onlywill followingJeff’sformulamakeyoursuccessmorepossible,itwillmakeitmoreprobable.So buy Jeff’s book—after all, he’s the guy who sold a million dollars of hisproductinasinglehour!LAUNCHhasbothofourfullendorsements,anditcanchangeyourbusinessandyourlife.

—JoePolishandDeanJackson,ILoveMarketing.com

WhenitcomestoInternetmarketing,JeffWalkerisabonafidegenius.Nowwith LAUNCH, he maps out exactly how you can successfully market anyproductorserviceonline.Amustreadforallseriousentrepreneurs.

—RandyGage,AuthoroftheNewYorkTimesBestseller,RiskyIstheNewSafe

This book isn’t just for peoplewhowant tomake a lot ofmoney in theirbusinessesreallyfast.This isforpeoplewhowanttolivetheirbest life,doingwhattheywereborntodo,andservingtheworld.Ihighlyrecommendthisbooktoanyonethatwantstomakeabiggerimpactalongwithamuchbiggerincome.

—ChristianMickelson,CEOofCoachesWithClients.com

Wow! What can you say about Jeff Walker? This guy owns the launchspace.Believeme—ifyou’re looking to launchaproduct, business, or even abook,thenpickupthisbookandreaditNOW.Iguaranteeyouwon’tregretit.

—EricT.Wagner,FounderandCEOofMightyWiseAcademy,WriteronForbes

If I could say one word about Jeff Walker and LAUNCH, it would be:IMPACT.Ifyouare lookingforahugepositive impactonyourbusiness,yourfamily,orinlife,thenLAUNCHisamustread.Don’twalktogetacopy...run,andletJeffWalkerhelpyoucreateagreatlegacyforthosearoundyou.

—JBGlossinger,FounderofMorningCoach.com

IntheearlydaysofWebmarketing,itwascompletefreakingchaosonline.Weknewwehadunprecedentedaccesstovastglobalaudiences,butwelackedasimple,elegantwayofintroducingnewproductsandclosingsales.

Enter Jeff Walker . . . who arrived well-versed in old-school directmarketing,coupledwithauniqueearly-adopter’sgraspof thepotentialonline.Heexplainedhisideatome,earlyon,assimplyturningadamngoodsalesletteronitsside...andusingeveryaspectofthispowerfulnewtechnologytoattractprospects,buildtheirdesiretothebreakingpoint,andthentransformtheirlivesbyfulfillingon thepromises thatdrove themnutsoveranextendedprocessofeducation,sharing,andgivingawayteasinglygoodsamples.

Thelaunchformulaheperfectedproducedresultsforusfarbeyondanyofourotheronlinemarketingefforts...timeaftertimeaftertime.Itwasstunning.Andfun.Andelegantinitssimplicity.Jeffcodifiedthewayonlinelauncheswillbeconductedforgenerationstocome.

—JohnCarlton,LegendaryCopywriterandAuthorofTheSimpleWritingSystemandTheEntrepreneur’sGuidetoGettingYourShitTogether

I’ve known JeffWalker for several years—I’vewatched theway he doesbusiness. It’s100%basedonbuildingvalue,and that’sexactlywhat thisbookdoes.InLAUNCHhegivesyoutheprovenrecipeforlaunchingyourproductorbusiness.Jeffteachesfromexperience,andheteacheswithhugeheartandgreathumility.Hisstrategiesarebothrevolutionaryandincrediblyeffective.

—JanetBrayAttwood,NewYorkTimesBestsellingCoauthorofThePassionTest

Jeffhasalongtrackrecordofoverdelivering,andLAUNCHisnoexception.It’spackedwithreal-worldcasestudies,usablestep-by-stepadvice,andthekindof insights you get only from someone who’s been there, done that. This isprobablythemostvaluablebookyou’llreadthisyear.

—PaulMyers,PublisherofTalkBizNews.com

Iwas luckyenough tospendaday ina small roomwith justa fewdozenpeoplelisteningtoJeffWalkerteachhisheartout.Everypersonintheroomwasrivetedtotheirchairashetaughtforninestraighthours.ThestrategiesIlearnedthatdaycompletelytransformedmybusinessandmyideaofwhatwaspossible.

InLAUNCH, youget the strategies Jeff taught that day, andmore.This is thebusiness book of the year, and I’m personally buying a copy for all my topcoachingstudents.

—JJVirgin,CNS,CHFS,NewYorkTimesBestsellingAuthorofTheVirginDietandTheVirginDietCookbook

PeopletrustJeffWalkerbecauseWalkerhasconsistentlyforyearsbeenontheforefrontofproducingresultsonlinewithhisProductLaunchFormula.NowhehasdistilledhissystemintoLAUNCH soanyonecan learn it, implement it,andlaunchit!It’salmostunfair,howeasyhejustmadeitforyou.Iwon’tlaunchanotherbookwithoutusingLAUNCH.JeffWalkercreatedtheroadmap,andIplantouseit.

—DavidBach,Nine-timeNewYorkTimesBestsellingAuthorandCreatoroftheFinishRichBookSeries

We’re completely biased about LAUNCH because we used Jeff Walker’slaunchstrategies togeneratemanymillionsofdollars in revenueover thepastfour years, allwhile costingus almost nothing to execute!That allowedus toplaybiggerandincreaseourpositiveimpactonourclientsallovertheworld.

—BobandSusanNegen,FoundersofWhizbangTraining

I’vereadalotofmarketingandbusinessbooks...andmostofthemspend300 pages to get to one worthwhile idea. This is a serious, practical,comprehensiveguidefortherealworldbusinessowner.Ifyou’veeverwonderedhowtostartyourbusinessorfindmorecustomersonline,LAUNCHwillhelpgetyouwhereyouwanttogo.

—SoniaSimone,CofounderofCopybloggerMedia

If I could recommend only one book on how to start, build, and grow anonlinebusiness,LAUNCHwouldbethatbook.

—RayEdwards,FounderandPublisherofRayEdwards.com

WhilesomanyInternetmarketersmakeboldpromises,JeffWalkerquietlyproduces real results. This book will change how you think about marketingforever.

—JohnJantsch,AuthorofDuctTapeMarketingandDuctTapeSelling

Foranyonewhoyearnstobefreeofthe8-to-lategrind,JeffWalkerisamapmaker.Manybooksclaimtoofferaroadmaptosuccess.LAUNCHreallydoes.Ifyoudreamofturningyourloveofdogsorsportsorwellnessorjustaboutanypassion into aportablebusiness thatpays thebillsAND feedsyour soul, thenyouneedtoreadthisbook.

—ValerieYoung,DreamerinResidenceofChangingCourse.com

“What Jeff Walker teaches in LAUNCH is vital for modern marketingsuccess.Youdon’tneedmoretacticsortools;youneedsmartstrategy,andthat’sexactlywhatthisbookdelivers.”

—MarieForleo,FounderofB-School,Award-WinningHostofMarieTV,MarieForleo.com

LaunchAnInternetMillionaire’sSecretFormula

ToSellAlmostAnythingOnline,BuildABusinessYouLove,AndLiveTheLifeOfYourDreams

JEFFWALKER

LaunchAnInternetMillionaire’sSecretFormulaToSellAlmostAnythingOnline,BuildABusinessYouLove,AndLiveTheLifeOfYourDreams©2014JEFFWALKER.Allrightsreserved.Noportionofthisbookmaybereproduced,storedinaretrievalsystem,ortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans—electronic,mechanical,photocopy,recording,scanning,orother,—exceptforbriefquotationsincriticalreviewsorarticles,withoutthepriorwrittenpermissionofthepublisher.

LimitofLiability/DisclaimerofWarranty:Whilethepublisherandauthorhaveusedtheirbesteffortsinpreparingthisbook,theymakenorepresentationsorwarrantiesregardingtheaccuracyorcompletenessofthecontentsofthisbook.Thepublisherandauthorspecificallydisclaimanyimpliedwarrantiesofmerchantabilityorfitnessforaparticularpurpose,andmakenoguaranteeswhatsoeverthatyouwillachieveanyparticularresult.Anycasestudiesthatarepresentedhereindonotnecessarilyrepresentwhatyoushouldexpecttoachieve,sincebusinesssuccessdependsonavarietyoffactors.Webelieveallcasestudiesandresultspresentedhereinaretrueandaccurate,butwehavenotauditedtheresults.Theadviceandstrategiescontainedinthisbookmaynotevenbesuitableforyoursituation,andyoushouldconsultyourownadvisorsasappropriate.Thepublisherandtheauthorshallnotbeheldliableforanylossofprofitoranyothercommercialdamages,includingbutnotlimitedtospecial,incidental,consequential,orotherdamages.Thefactthatanorganizationorwebsiteisreferredtointhisworkasacitationand/orapotentialsourceofinformationdoesnotmeanthatthepublisherorauthorendorsestheinformationtheorganizationorwebsitemayprovideortherecommendationsitmaymake.Further,readersshouldbeawarethatInternetwebsiteslistedinthisworkmayhavechangedordisappearedafterthisworkwaswritten.

EarningsDisclaimer:Wedon’tbelieveingetrichprograms—allhumanprogressandaccomplishmenttakeshardwork.Asstipulatedbylaw,wecannotanddonotmakeanyguaranteesaboutyourabilitytogetresultsorearnanymoneywithourideas,information,toolsorstrategies.Afterall,ittakeshardworktosucceedinanytypeofbusiness.Infact,ittakeshardworktosucceedatANYTHINGinlife—trylearningtoplaytheguitarwithoutputtinginanywork,andseehowthatgoes!Yourresultsinlifeareuptoyouandtheamountofeffortandresourcesthatyouarewillingtoputintosucceeding.Nothinginthisbookoranyofourwebsitesisapromiseorguaranteeofresultsorfutureearnings,andwedonotofferanylegal,medical,taxorotherprofessionaladvice.Anyfinancialnumbersreferencedhere,oronanyofoursites,aresimplyestimatesorprojections,andshouldnotbeconsideredexact,actualorasapromiseofpotentialearnings—allnumbersareillustrativeonly.Infact,theaveragepersonwhopurchasesthisbookandotherprogramsneverfinishesthebook,neverputstheworkintoimplementingthestrategiestaught,andthereforeachieveslittletonoresults.Ourmoredetailedearningsdisclaimercanbeaccessedviathelinkonhttp://thelaunchbook.com.It’salltheregularlegalmumbojumbo,butwefeeltransparencyisimportantandweholdourselves(andyou)toahighstandardofintegrity.Thanksforreading.

PublishedinNewYork,NewYork,byMorganJamesPublishing.MorganJamesandTheEntrepreneurialPublisheraretrademarksofMorganJames,LLC.www.MorganJamesPublishing.com

TheMorganJamesSpeakersGroupcanbringauthorstoyourliveevent.FormoreinformationortobookaneventvisitTheMorganJamesSpeakersGroupatwww.TheMorganJamesSpeakersGroup.com.

ISBN978-1-63047-017-3paperbackISBN978-1-63047-018-0eBookISBN978-1-63047-020-3hardcoverLibraryofCongressControlNumber:2014940134

InteriorDesignby:BonnieBushmanbonnie@caboodlegraphics.com

Inanefforttosupportlocalcommunities,raiseawarenessandfunds,MorganJamesPublishingdonatesapercentageofallbooksalesforthelifeofeachbooktoHabitatforHumanityPeninsulaandGreaterWilliamsburg.

Getinvolvedtoday,visitwww.MorganJamesBuilds.com

Dedicated tomywifeMary, andmy incrediblechildrenDaniel and Joan,whohavebeenwithmeforthiswholecrazyride(andgivingmeunwaveringsupporteverystepoftheway).Iloveeachofyouwithallmyheart.

TableofContents

ANotetotheReader

Chapter1FromStay-at-HomeDadtoSixFiguresinSevenDaysChapter2FoodStampstoSixFigures:TheProductLaunchFormula

ExplainedChapter3ALicensetoPrintMoney:YourListChapter4TheSidewaysSalesLetter:HowtoSellYourStuffLikeCrazy

withoutBeing“Salesy”Chapter5WeaponsofMassInfluence:TheMentalTriggersChapter6TheShotacrosstheBow:YourPre-PrelaunchChapter7SellThemWhatTheyWant:TheMagicofPrelaunchChapter8ShowMetheMoney:It’sTimetoLaunch!Chapter9HowtoStartfromScratch:TheSeedLaunchChapter10HowIMadeaMillionDollarsinaSingleHour:TheJVLaunchChapter11CreatingaBusinessfromtheEther:TheBusinessLaunchFormulaChapter12CreatingaBusinessYouLoveChapter13ARecipeforaBigLifeChapter14It’sYourTimetoLaunch

AcknowledgmentsGlossaryAbouttheAuthor

ANotetotheReader

Thisbookwillbuildyourbusiness—fast.Whetheryou’vealreadygotabusinessor you’re itching to start one, this is a recipe for gettingmore traction.Thinkabout it—what if you could launch likeApple or the bigHollywood studios?Whatifyourprospectseagerlycounteddownthedaysuntiltheycouldbuyyourproduct?Whatifyoucouldcreatesuchpowerfulpositioninginyourmarketthatyou all but eliminated your competition?Andyou could do all that nomatterhowhumbleyourbusinessorbudget?

There’s a process . . . a formula, if youwill, that can get you there. I’vecreatedandhonedthatformulaoverthelast18years,andI’mgoingtoshareitwithyouinthesepages.

There’snotheoryinthisbook.EverythingI’mgoingtoteachyouisbasedonreal-worldresults.This formulawascreated through trialanderror, testing,andhard-wonexperience.

I’ve personally done dozens of wildly successful launches of my ownproducts.Butit’snotallaboutmeandmysuccess.I’vecoachedmystudentsandclientsthroughhundredsoflauncheswhereIwasinsidethelaunch,turningthedialsandwatchingallthedata.

You’regoingtomeetsomeofthosestudentsinthisbook,becauseI’mabigfan of teaching from (and by) example. You will note that they are NOThypothetical scenarios. I’ve read lots of business books that use fictional casestudiestoexplaintheirmethods,butthisisn’toneofthem.

I’m going to give you real-world examples.And I’ll go beyond thatwithaudioandvideoCaseStudiesyoucanaccessontheaccompanyingmembershipsite for this book. I’ve alsogot additional trainingvideos and resources at thesite,whichyoucanaccesshere:http://thelaunchbook.com/member/.

I’lljustgoaheadandadmittoafondnessforbraggingaboutmystudents.Ilovetotalkaboutthem,andIlovetocelebratetheirsuccesses.Idoitprimarilybecause it’s instructive, but also because they’re my heroes. I believe that

entrepreneurs are the future of humanity. They’re the ones who are drivinghumanprogress,creatingjobs,andbuildingrealvaluein theworld.Andthat’soneof thereasonsI’msopassionateaboutmybusiness—it’sallabouthelpingentrepreneursandwould-beentrepreneurs.

I also believe that we are living in the greatest time in history forentrepreneurialgrowthandopportunity.It’sneverbeeneasiertogetstarted,andit’s never been easier to grow a business. The ability to reach tightly nichedmarketsonaglobalbasisissimplyunprecedented.Forinstance,thefirstsaleIevermadewasinatinynichemarkettoagentlemaninSwitzerland...andIdiditfromthebasementofmyhomeinColorado.

Of course, that’s not to say that it’s easy. There’s plenty of hard workinvolved,justlikeinanyhumanaccomplishment.ThisisdefinitelyNOTaget-rich-quick book. But the formula has been proven over and over—it’s theroadmaptoafaststartforyourproductorbusiness.Afterall,ifyou’regoingtoputinthework,it’snicetoknowthatyou’reusingaproven,testedsystem.

Theresultshavebeenstaggering.Istartedmybusinessesfromthehumblestbeginningsimaginable,andI’vegoneontoselltensofmillionsofdollarsofmyproducts.Andmoretothepoint,mystudentsandclientshavedwarfedmyownsuccess—they’vesoldhundredsofmillionsofdollarsoftheirownproductsandservices.

Thefunnythingis,asIreflectback,itallhappenedaccidentally.Ididn’tsetouttoreinventmarketingortobecomealeaderintheindustry.Infact,whenIstartedout, I had zero sales andmarketing experience.And, to a large extent,that’swhyIsucceeded…

Chapter1

FromStay-at-HomeDadtoSixFiguresinSevenDays

Itwasjustanothermouseclick...justlikethehundredsoreventhousandsofmouseclicksyoumakeeveryday.Butthiswasareallyimportantclickforme,and I hesitated. My finger hovered over that button before I clicked. Fiveseconds,tenseconds,andstillIwaited.Thetruthis,Iwasterrified.Ihadmonthsofplanningandyearsofhopesanddreamsridingonthatclick.Infact,itfeltlikethefutureofmyfamilywashanginginthebalance.

LittledidIknowthatmouseclickwasgoingtostartacascadeofeventsthatwouldliterallychangetheveryfaceofmarketingandbusinessontheInternet.ButasIsatthereatthehome-madedeskIhadshovedintoacornerofmydimlylitbasement,therewerenograndthoughtsofanythingmorethanmakingafewextrabucks tohelpsupportmyfamily. Iwasusingabeat-upoldcomputer,anold-school dial-up Internet connection, and I hadn’t held a job in more thansevenyears.Humblebeginningsindeed.

ButtherealreasonthatIhesitatedoverthatmouseclickcamedowntooneword—desperation.Iwasdesperateforachange.Ineededasuccess.Ineededtomakesomemoney.Ineededtoturnmylifearound.AndIhadbeenwaitingfor(andworkingtoward)thismomentfortoolong…

Thiswhole journeystartedwhenmywife,Mary,walked through thefrontdoorintears—amomentetchedinmymemoryforever.Shehadleftworkinthemiddleoftheworkday,andnowshewasstandinginfrontofme,sobbingfromthe pressure of supporting our family. Mary could no longer stand having toleave for work every morning before her two young kids even woke up andcominghomeatnightwhenitwasalmosttimetotucktheminbed.

Ihadbeenhometakingcareofourbabies.Thepoliticallycorrecttermthesedaysis“stay-at-homedad,”butbackthenwejustcalledme“Mr.Mom,”anditwasawholelotlesssociallyacceptablethanitisnow.SeveralyearsbeforethatIhadquitmycorporatejob—ajobmostpeoplewouldprobablyconsideragoodoneinoperationsmanagement.Iwastheproverbialsquarepeginaroundhole.Ijustdidn’tfit in thecorporateworld.Ididn’tunderstandthepolitics,andIfelt

like Iwas forever swimming upstreamwhen I tried to get things done. I sawmyselfasacorporatefailure.SowhenmysonwasaboutayearoldandmywifegraduatedfromtheUniversityofColoradoandlandedanewjobwiththeU.S.BureauofReclamation,Iwalkedawayfrommycorporatecareer.

I didn’t have a plan. I didn’t knowwhat Iwas going to do. I just knew Icouldn’tkeeplivinginthecorporateworld.

ThewholeMr.MomthingwentonforlongerthanIexpected.Soonwehadasecondbaby,whichmeantIwascaringfortwosmallchildren.Asanyonewhohasbeeninthatroleknows,mydayswerebusy.ButIneededtomakeachange.Ineededtofigureoutawaytosupportmyfamily,togivemywifeabreak,andtorelieveallthepressurethatwascrushingdownonourfamily.

Andthat’swhatthatmouseclickwasallabout—changingourlives,creatinganew,moreprosperousfuture.Itwasaboutlaunchingaproductandlaunchingabusiness. Itwas about creating an income and changingmy family’s fortunes.NeverinmywildestdreamsdidIthinkitwouldchangetheworld.

GoAheadandQuitYourDayJobWhen I finally built up the nerve to click the button, the reaction wasbreathtaking...likestompingonthegaspedalofaPorsche911TwinTurbo.

Thatclicksentanemailfrommycomputer.TheemailwenttoaserverbasedjustoutsideofGreenBay,Wisconsin.Andthat triggeredanemailbroadcast thatwentout tothepeoplewhohad

subscribedtomysimpleemailnewsletter.Within seconds, that email broadcast landed in the inboxes of my

subscribers.Theemailwasveryshort,containinglessthan50words.Butattheendof

theemailtherewasalinktoanorderformonmywebsitewherepeoplecouldbuyaproductthatIhadjustcreated.TheproductwasasimpleemailnewsletteraboutthestockmarketandwhatIthoughtwasgoingtohappeninthemarketinthenearfuture.

(Actually,tobemoreaccurate,Ihadn’tevencreatedtheproductyet,butI’llget to that lateronwhenI teachyouabout theSeedLaunch™.)Ofcourse,allthat tookjustafewseconds,buteverysinglesecondafterIclickedthe“send”buttonseemedtodragonforaneternity. I felt likeIheldmybreath theentiretime.Ineededtoknow...wouldanyonebuymynewproduct?

After30secondsIoptimisticallycheckedtoseeifanyonehadboughtyet.Nothing.40seconds.Nothing.50seconds.Nothing.59seconds...andtheFIRSTSALEcamein!Afewsecondslater,anotherorder.Andthenanother,andanother,andthen

threemore.EverytimeIclicked“refresh,”thereweremoreorders!Withinanhour,thetotalsaleswereover$8,000.Bytheendoftheday,sales

hadgonebeyond$18,000.Andby theendof theweekmyhumble littleofferhadmadeover$34,000—almostasmuchasIhadevermadeinanentireYEARbackinmycorporatejob.

ThatwasthelaunchthatbroughtMaryhome.Itwasn’tmyfirst-everlaunch(that’sacrazystoryI’llgettoalittlelater),butitwastheonethatconvincedmethatmylittle,fledglingbusinesscouldsupportmyfamily.WithinafewmonthsMaryhad lefther jobandcamehome tostay.Wewereecstatic. (We joke thatshe“retired”,butnothingcouldbefurtherfromthetruth—inadditiontobeingafull-timemom, she quickly took over back office operations in the business.)Youknow,moneyisafunnything.Forsomepeople,$34,000isacrazyamountofmoney—analmostunbelievablenumber (and forme, itwas life-changing).Forothers,itmightnotbebigenoughtogetthemexcited.Butnomatterwhatgroupyou’rein,ifyoustickwithmethroughoutthisbook,I’vegotsomeprettyamazingresultstosharewithyou.

Ididn’tknowitatthetime,butIwasjustgettingstarted.AndIwascreatingsomethingthatwouldliterallychangethousandsoflives.

HowIGotRichHelpingThousandsofOthersGetRichSolet’sgetclearononethingrightfromthestart:Thisisnota“getrichquick”book.

Yes, what I’m about to share with you has created incredible riches andabundanceinmylifeandinthelivesofmanyofmystudents.Butthatmoney,wealth,andinfluencedidn’tmagicallyappearovernight.

Thereisamethod—aformula,ifyouwill—behindalltheamazingsuccess.And that’s what this book is all about—taking you behind the curtain andshowingyouthatformula.

Alongtheway,I’mgoingtointroduceyoutoaworldthatmostpeopledon’t

know exists, a world where ordinary people are creating extraordinarybusinesses. A world where people are starting businesses with almost noinvestmentorcapital,oftenlaunchingthosebusinessesfromasparebedroomortheirkitchen table.Andaworldwhere thosepeoplearegoingfromstart-up toprofitsinaremarkablyshortamountoftime.

And then there are those people who own an existing business who aredropping this formula into that business and seeing a breathtaking increase intheirsales.

This isn’t theworldof high-flying, high-tech start-upswhere a fewgeekyprogrammers get together,work 20 hours a day, try to “get funded” by someventure capitalists, then sell out toGoogle for$100milliondollars. (Or,morelikely,gobustamidstapileofgreasy,oldpizzaboxesandemptyRedBullcans.)Ifyouwanttogodownthatroad,Iwishyouthebestofluck.Butthisisn’tthebookforyou.

What I’m talking about is creating a business (or building an existingbusiness) and generating profits right out of the gate. A business with lowoverhead,lowstart-upcosts,andminimalornostaff.Abusinessthatishighlyprofitableandgivesyougreatflexibilityinyourlife.

And, lastbutnot least,abusinessthatcreatesgreatvalueintheworldandallowsyouto“dogood”atwhateverlevelyouchoose.

Iknow,itallsoundslikethelandofmilkandhoney,right?Allbeautyandgrace?Can’tpossiblybetrue,right?

Iknow,Iknow.In fact, Iwouldn’t believe it if I hadn’t seen it formyself, over and over

again.Therealityisthis:TheInternethascompletelychangedthegameforanyone

whowantstohavetheirownbusiness.It’snoweasier,faster,andcheapertostartandrunabusinessthanatanytimeinhistory.

Andifyoualreadyhaveyourownbusiness,theInternetgivesyouthepowertogrowyourcurrentbusinessmorequicklyandeasilythaneverbefore.

AndIsayallthatfromexperience.Istartedmyfirstonlinebusinessinthe“InternetDarkAges” of 1996, and I’ve beenprofitable every year since then.Right through the dot-com crash, right through the Great Recession, rightthrough every Google update. I’ve sold tens of millions of dollars of myproducts online in four distinctly different markets. And along the way, I’ve

taughtthousandsofonlineentrepreneurshowtostartandgrowtheirbusinesses.Mystudentsandclientshavedonemorethan$400milliondollarsinsales(andcounting).

AndthoughIgenerallydon’t like to tootmyownhorn, I think it’ssafe tosay that I’mwidely regarded as oneof the top Internetmarketing experts andleaders ever. (I try to stay away from the term “guru,” but, yes, some peoplerefertomeasa“marketingguru.”)However,asyou’regoingtolearn,itwasn’talwaysthatway.Iwasn’tbornwithanytypeofmarketingsuper-powers.BeforeI started my first online business I had never run a business before. I hadabsolutelyzerosalestrainingandnomarketingskills.Infact,Iwasalwaysthekid who couldn’t sell more than one bag of doughnuts for the Boy Scoutsfundraisereveryyear(andthatwasthebagthatmyparentsbought).

TheRulesHaveChangedTheworld is clearly in themidst of a huge transition.The very nature of ourcommunicationsanddailyliveshaschangedradicallyinjustafewshortyears.We live in amore transparentworld . . . aworldwitha seamlessly connectedclient base that can instantly pull up thousands of reviews about hundreds ofcompetitors. A world with an ever-increasing level of competition for yourprospects’attention.Aworldwherethe“marketingfog”growsthickerwitheachpassing day. A world that puts ever-greater value on authenticity andcongruency.

Therulesofbusinessandmarketinghavechanged,andthosechangeshavekilledmanybusinesses.Butthechangeshavealsocreatedenormousopportunityforthousandsofothers.Ifyouunderstandthenewplayingfield,grabbingyourprospect’s attention and building a relationship with him or her has actuallygottenalotsimplerinmanyways.Andthat’swhatthisbookisallabout.

Sowhetheryou’reinatimeoftransitionandyoudesperatelywanttostartabusiness…

Oryou’rerunningadepartmentoraprofitcenteratamajorcorporation…Oryou’reasolopractitionerorservice-provider(suchasalawyer,massage

therapist, Ayurvedic astrologer, etc.) and you’re sick of the dollars-for-hoursshuffle…

Oryoumightalreadyhaveasuccessfulonlinebusiness,butyoursalesarestagnantandyouneedtoinjectsomemomentumintoyourbusiness…

Oryoumightevenbeanartist(suchasapainter,author,jeweler,recordingartist,etc.)andyou’restrugglingtogetnoticedinaverycrowdeddigitalworld…

Thefactisthatyouneedtolaunch.Everysuccessfulproduct,business,andbrandstartswithasuccessful launch.Youcan’taffordtoshowupslowly.Youneedmomentum and cash flow, because they are the very lifeblood of everysuccessfulbusiness.

Million-DollarDaysAfter that$34,000 launch,afterMaryquither jobandcamehome tostay,mybusinessjustkeptongrowing.Mylaunchesgotbetterandbetter,andmyresultsgotbetterandbetter.Atthattime,mybestlaunchhaddonemorethan$106,000insevendays—allfrommyhome,allwithnostaff,allwithalmostzerocosts.

These were the “quiet years.” There were lots of great things about mybusiness,andIlovedmybusinessandmylife.IwasmakingmoremoneythanIhad ever dreamed of,Mary could stay homewith the kids and be a full-timemom, we were able to move to my dream hometown of Durango, Colorado(whereIcouldpursuemypassionforallkindsofoutdoorsportslikemountainbiking,whitewaterkayaking,andskiing).

Thatallchanged,however,whenIwenttoanInternetMarketingSeminarinDallas,Texas,inFebruary2003.

When I got off the plane in Dallas for that seminar I didn’t think mybusinesswasallthatspecial.Ifiguredtheremustbealotofpeoplewithonlinebusinesseswhoweredoingproduct launches the sameway Iwasdoing them.The success I was having was breathtaking for me, but I didn’t know thatmakingsixfiguresinsevendaysinalittleone-personbusinesswasthetypeofthingthatwouldstoppeopleintheirtracks.

Inthenextthreedaysatthatmarketingseminar,asImetlotsofnewpeople(and forged some friendships Ivalue andenjoy to thisday), I realized thatnoone else was doing the stuff I was doing. And they definitely weren’t doinglaunchesthewayIwasorgettingtheresultsIwasgetting.Infact,Iwasshockedwhen I realized that I had basically invented a new way of marketing—anapproach that would eventually come to be known as the “Product LaunchFormula®.”

OneofthepeopleImetatthatseminarwasamannamedJohnReese.He’soneofthoseguysyourealizeisbrilliantthemomentyoumeethim,butatthat

time he was mostly flying under the radar. He was a true Internet marketingexpert,butfewpeopleknewitatthetime.

We stayed in touch after the event and became friends, and I shared myproductlaunch“secrets”withhim.In2004,Johnputmytechniquestoworkontwolaunches.Thefirstonewasforathree-dayseminarheputon.Itdidalmost$450,000insalesandprovedtomethatmytechniqueswouldworkoutsidemylittlebusinessteachingpeopleaboutthestockmarket.

John’snext launchwasfora trainingcourseonhowtogenerate trafficforone’sweb site, and this launchwas a gamechanger. It generated$1.1milliondollarsinsalesinjust24hours—amillion-dollarday!Whatmakesthatnumberevenmoreshockingisthathisbusinesswasatiny,micro-businessheranfromhomewith almost no staff or teamwhatsoever. (I think John had one personhelping with the launch and a part-time customer service assistant.) I wasstunned that this newmarketing approach I had invented could generate suchinsaneresults.ButatthetimeIwasstillpublishingmyfinancialnewsletters,andeventhoughIwasstartingtogetregularcallsfrompeoplelookingforhelpwiththeir launches, I was largely still behind-the-scenes in the bigger Internetbusiness world. I had a wonderful life—living in Durango, running a greatbusiness,goingskiingandmountainbikingwithmykids. Iwashappybehindthescenesandnotlookingforaspotinthelimelight.

ButafterJohnpubliclythankedmeformyhelpwithhislaunches,thecriesforme toconsulton launcheskeptgetting louder.Andafterurging fromJohnandseveralothers(especiallyYanikSilver),Idecideditwastimetopublishmywork...tostartteachingothersmyProductLaunchFormula®.

TheDayMarketingChangedI suppose the real testcameonOctober21,2005. Ihaddecided to launchmyProductLaunchFormula training course, andmy reputation (andmybusinessfuture) were on the line. After all, the proof really was going to be in thepudding. If I claimed to be an expert on product launches, I better do anoutstandingjobonmygreatproductlaunch,right?

ButeventhoughIhadmadesuccessfullaunches—andhelpedothersdothesame—therewas an extra challenge this time. I was creating an entirely newbusiness, starting over from scratch. Allmy previous success had come fromteachingaboutthestockmarket.NowIwasgoingtobeteachingpeoplehowtolaunchproductsandbusinessesonline.Ididn’thaveanemaillistofprospectsin

thisnewmarket,andmyoldlistofstockmarketinvestorswouldn’tdomeanygoodatall.Ididn’thaveexpertpositioninginthemarket;IwaslargelyunknownexcepttothefewpeopleIhadhelpedwiththeirlaunches.Butthatdidn’tslowme down, because I knew how to get around such limitations. (I’ll show youhowwhenIteachyouaboutJVLaunches.)Sothepressurewason,butbythistimeIwasanoldpro.Mylaunchwasacrazysuccess.InthefirstweekIsoldjustover$600,000worthofmynewProductLaunchFormula (PLF)program.And with that launch, I had instantly created a new business and developedhundredsofnewclientsandalistofthousandsofnewprospects.

Theproofwasinthepudding,indeed.:-)Sincethenit’sbeenawildride.OvertheyearsI’vecontinuallyupdatedand

revised the Product Launch Formula so that it has evolved into a completetraining/coachingprogram.PLFarguablyhasbecomethelargest-sellingInternetMarketingtrainingproductever.

I have thousands of Product Launch FormulaOwners, andmany of themhaveenjoyedjaw-droppingsuccess.It’shardtoquantifytheirtotalresults,butIknowthatmystudentsandclientshavedonemorethan$500milliondollarsinsales,andthatnumbergoesupeveryday.

Remember,most(butnotall)ofthosePLFOwnersaresmall,evenmicro-sizedbusinesses.That’snot likeGoogledoinganother$500million inprofits.These aremostly tinybusinesses, and the impact of those sales are absolutelyhuge. And I’ve hadmany PLFOwners equalmy “six figures in seven days”success,andmorethanahandfulhavehadmillion-dollarlaunches.

PeoplehaveusedPLFinevery typeofmarketandnicheyoucan thinkofandrealizedtremendoussuccess.Infact,it’salmostbecomeahobbyofminetokeep track ofmany of thosemarkets.Here’s just a partial list of some of themarkets:datingadvice

testpreparationPhotoshoptutorialsloanofficersrealtorsjugglingcollegeadmissionsbaseballcoachesmixedmartialarts

SAPprogrammersknittingcrochetingmutualfundinvestingtrading(forex,futures,stocks,etc.)dressagerealestateinvestinglearningguitartrainingdoctorstoreadultrasoundslearningpianobusinesscoaching(aroundtheworld)healthfoodrawfoodmassagetherapyromance(writingloveletters)personaltrainersmedicinalherbsfictionwritinghorsetrainingpetcaremeditationdogagilitytrainingmarchingbandaccessoriestennisinstructionyogayouthsoccercoachingsongwritinghandanalysisindoorbicycletrainingbrainscienceself-defenseadventuretravelcakedecorating

Remember, in the interest of brevity, I gave just a partial list—there aredozensanddozensmoreexamples.Don’tmakethemistakeofthinkingitwon’tworkforyourbusinessormarket.

It’s also been used all over the world—I haven’t heard from anyone inAntarcticayet,but it’sbeenusedonallof theothercontinentsof theworld. Ihave successful PLF students in dozens of countries, and it’sworked inmorelanguagesthanIcankeeptrackof.

Anditworkswithallkindsofproductsandbusinesses,suchas:

onlinecourseshomestudycoursesphysicalwidgetsonlinemembershipsitesonlineservicesofflineservices(dentists,taxservices,etc.)estatesalesebookscoachingmastermindandnetworkinggroupsconsultingartwork(paintings,jewelry,etc.)B2Bbusinesssystemsalesnon-profitfundraisersboardgamesgettingpeopletochurchrealestatetravelpackagessoftwareapps

Again, this is only a partial list. But here’s the takeaway: along the way,Product Launch Formula andmy PLF students have completely redefined thewaystuffissoldonline.

It’sbeenawildride.IcouldneverhaveimaginedwherethatfirstnewsletterIsentto19emailaddresseswouldlead.

EnoughaboutMe,WhataboutYOU?Sonowyouknow thestorybehind theProductLaunchFormula . . .butwhatdoesallthishavetodowithyou?

Canthisformulaworkforyou?CanyoustartanonlinebusinessusingmyProduct Launch Formula?Or if you already have a business, can it help yougrowyourbusiness?

Inmyexperience,unlessyou’resellingacommodity(likegasolineorsand)oryou’reoperatinganemergencyservice (likea locksmithorbailbondsman),then the answer is an emphaticYES. I’ve seen somanyPLFOwnershave somuch success in so many different fields that almost nothing surprises meanymore.

And in thisbook, I’ll be sharing someof their stories.You’llmeetpeoplefrommanydifferentwalksoflife...peoplewithwildlydifferentproductsandbusinesses. Folks like Susan Garrett, who teaches dog agility training. Shestarted using PLF as a complete newbie and has since created an enormouslysuccessful business.Or JohnGallagher,who sells products about foraging foredibleandmedicinalherbsandplants.Johnwasonfoodstampswhenhedidhisfirstlaunch,andnowhehasasix-figurebusiness.OrWillHamilton,whosellstennisinstructionproductsandhasusedhisproductlaunchestocreateastrongenoughbrandsothathenowpartnerswithtop-leveltennispros.

All of this might sound like magic, or complicated, or just plainunattainable.Well,stickwithme,andyou’llseethatit’snotcomplicated,thatitjustplainworks,andhowandwhyitcanworkforyou.

I’veorganizedthebooktofollowinalogicalprogression:InthefirstfivechaptersI’llgiveyouthefoundationalmaterial,includingan

overview of the PLF process, alongwith email lists, mental triggers, and theSidewaysSalesLetter™.

InthenextthreechaptersI’llwalkyouthroughthelaunchprocessitself—includingthepre-prelaunch,theprelaunch,andthentheopencart.

ThefinalsixchapterswillbeaboutfittingPLFintoyourbusinessandyourlife,includingtheSeedLaunch™(thisishowyoustartfromscratch)andtheJVLaunch(howyoucandothosebigmega-launches).

Nowjusttobeclear,I’mnotsayingthatPLFiseasyorautomatic.Thereisdefinitelywork involved.Like I saidat thebeginning, this isNOTa“get richquick”scheme.

But the reality is thousands of people are creating these types of small,underground, highly profitable online businesses. And with Product LaunchFormula they are putting together super-powerful product launches (or entireBUSINESS launches) that are creatingnearly instant sales andmomentum fortheirbusinesses.

Soundgood?Areyoureadytoroll?InthenextchapterI’mgoingtowalkthroughthebasicstructureofProduct

LaunchFormula,andthenwe’llwalkforwardfromthere.Alongthewayyou’regoing to see why it’s so completely revolutionary, why it works in so manydifferentmarkets, andwhy itworks for somany different types of businessesandproducts.

And soon I’ll get to the crazy story of how I made more than a milliondollars in sales in a single hour. :-) One more thing: make sure you go tohttp://thelaunchbook.com/member/ to get all the extra training videos andresourcesthatgoalongwiththisbook.

Chapter2

FoodStampstoSixFigures:TheProductLaunchFormulaExplained

JohnGallagher was a busyman. He had awife and two young kids, hewasgoingtoschooltobecomeanacupuncturist,andhevolunteerednearlyfull-timeat the nonprofit Wilderness Awareness School. When you meet John, you’requicklystruckbyhisearnestnessandhispassion—andthathe’snotthekindofguywhositsaroundidle.Buttherewasn’talotoftimeormoneytogoaround,so John reliedon foodassistance tohelp feedhis family.Henever thoughthewouldhave togoon foodassistance—hewasn’ta“foodstamps”kindofguy.Buthedidwhathehadtodotogetbyandfeedhisfamily.Afterall,hewassureit would be a temporary situation, because John had big plans. He had theentrepreneurialitchandwhatseemedlikeagreatideaforabusiness.

John’spassionisforagingforandpreparingedibleandmedicinalplantsandherbs,andhehadcreatedaneducationalboardgamewithhiswife that taughtkids all about herbs. The game would be called “Wildcraft: An HerbalAdventureGame,”anditwastimetobringthegametomarket.

Ofcourse,ifyou’regoingtocreateaboardgametherearesomebigupfrontcosts—theminimum quantity youmust order is quite large. But John pushedahead, borrowingnearly $20,000 fromhis dad andplacing an order for 1,500games.Likesomanyentrepreneursbeforehim,hewaswillingtogodeeperintodebt to get his business started. Even though more debt seemed like a stepbackwards,heknewoncethesalesstartedtoroll inhewouldbeabletoclimboutofdebt.

Thencamethebigdaywhenthegamesarrivedathishome,andhestartedtorealizejustwhat1,500gameslookedlike.Aspalletafterpalletwasunloadedfromthesemi-truck,hisexcitementstartedtoturntoworry.Theboxesfilledtheentire garage. Then the spare bedroom. Then the second bathroom, even theshowerstall.

ButJohnputhisworryaside,becauseitwastimetobringthegameoutintothe world. It was a beautiful game, and he knew it would provide hours of

entertainmentandeducationtoalotoffamilies...anditwastheticketoutofdebtandintoprosperityforhisfamily.

SoJohnplanneda“launchparty”andinvitedhisfriendsandacquaintancesand extended community. He wasn’t sure what to expect, but there was onescenariohewasn’tpreparedfor—totalheartbreak.

JohnGallagherwithsomeofhisWildcraftgames.

TheEntrepreneurialLandofBrokenDreamsUnfortunately,ittakesalotmorethanagreatideatostartabusiness.Infact,thisstoryisalotlikethousandsofotherentrepreneurialstoriesthatendwithasoul-crushingdefeat.Weseeitallthetime:anewstoreinthemall,anewrestaurantdowntown...suddenlyemptyanda“forrent”signinthewindow.Abeautifulnewblogthatstartsenthusiasticallybutquicklybecomesaghosttown,withnovisitors, no comments, no new articles. It’s absolutely heartbreaking, becausethat’s not just a business—that’s someone’s dream. It represents hundreds ofhoursandthousandsofdollarsinvestedintoabigvision—abigvisionthatfailedcatastrophically.

InJohn’scase,thepicturewasespeciallydismal.Hesoldonly12gamesathislaunchparty,leavinghimwith1,488gamestosell.Johnfacedamonumentallow point in his life.Not only did he feel like he had failed, hewas literallysurrounded by his failure. He and his family lived in a home stuffed floor toceilingwithallthegameshecouldn’tsell.Thosegamesseemedtostareathim

everyminuteof theday,allday long.Evenworse,hedidn’tknowwhat todonext.Hehad justdughimself intoahugeholeofdebt, hewas surroundedbyunsoldinventory,andhehadnoideahowtoevenbegintoclimboutofthathole.

Like so many other would-be entrepreneurs, John had seen his dreamsnearly smashed to pieces on the rocks of what I call “Hope Marketing.” Hecreated his product and hoped it would sell. And if you know manyentrepreneurs, you’ve probably heard a very similar story before. However,John’sstoryhasadifferentending…

SnatchingVictoryfromtheJawsofDefeatAthiswife’surging,JohnwenttoGoogleandsearchedforhelpaboutlaunchinga product—which is where he found the Product Launch Formula®(http://www.ProductLaunchFormula.com). And then, since my PLF CoachingProgramisnotinexpensive,hewenttohisdadandborrowedevenmoremoney.(NOTE:IdoNOTadviseborrowingmoneytobuyanyofmytrainingmaterials.ItworkedoutforJohn,butit’snotapracticeIrecommend.)

John dove headfirst into PLF, and he intuitively saw that it would be aperfectmatchforhisboardgame.Withinafewweekshehadanewplanforhisproductlaunch,andwasreadytoputitinplace.It’sworthnotingthatJohnspentalmostnothingonhisPLF-stylelaunch.PLFisallaboutthemethod,notsinkingalotofmoneyintothelaunch.Johncounteddownthehourstohisnewlaunchwithhugeanticipation,wonderingifitcouldpossiblymeethisnewlyheightenedexpectations.

Hedidn’thavetowaitlong.Theresultswerestaggering—andanincrediblecontrasttohisfirstfailedlaunch.Injusthisinitiallaunchperiod,Johnsold670games,bringinginsalesofrightaround$20,000!Evenmoreremarkable,sincehespentalmostnothingonhislaunch,nearlytheentireamountcouldgotowardpayingoffthecosttogetthegamesmanufactured.

Soforthosekeepingscoreathome,that’s12salesforHopeMarketingand670salesforProductLaunchFormula.That’sanincreaseof55times.Thegamesoldforabout$30,sotranslatedintodollarterms,thecontrastlooksevenmoredramatic: $360 in sales vs. $20,100.Now just to be crystal clear, John didn’tspendanythingonadvertisingduringhisPLF-stylelaunch.Hedidn’thaveanynewpromotionalpartners.Hedidn’tgetanymediacoverage.Heusedthesameresourcesandassetshealreadyhad,andsincehisfamilywasonfoodstampsheclearly didn’t have a lot of resources. In fact, he actually started out with a

borrowed laptop computer and using the free Internet connection at the locallibrary.

John’ssuccesswith that first launchwas truly remarkable,buthewas justgettingstarted.He’snowsoldmore than50,000copiesofhisWildcraftgame,and he’s launched many other products, including one of the most popularmembershipsites inhisniche(HerbMentor.com).Infact,whathe’sdonesincethat first launchmakeshis initial success seemmodest in comparison. I’ll tellyoumoreofhiscrazystoryalittlelater,becauseit’ssuchagreatillustrationofhowonewell-executedlaunchcansetyouupinbusinessnearlyovernight.Butfornow let’s just say that he’s theguywhowent “from food stamps to a six-figureincome.”

OnemorenotebeforewetemporarilyleaveJohn’sstory:theoneassetJohnhadinhislaunchwasasmallemaillist—peoplewhohadrequestedthathestayin touchwith themviaemail. I’llget to themagicofhavinga list in thenextchapter. But the quick story is that when you combine any list with PLF, it’salmostlikehavingalicensetoprintmoney.

AWarningaboutThoseBigNumbersIn the lastchapterI threwsomecrazynumbersatyou, likehowIstartedfromscratch,ranabusinessoutofmybasement,andeventuallymade$106,000inasingleweek(withnoemployees,nophysicalstore,noinventory—nothingbutacomputerandanInternetconnection).

ThenItoldyouabouthowItaughtonefriendmyProductLaunchFormula,andhesold$1,080,000in24hours—againwithalmostnostaff,nooffice,etc.

NextIjustslippedinthatpartaboutmybusinessgrowingtothepointthatIdidmorethan$1millioninsalesinaSINGLEHOUR(whenIwasstillworkingoutofmyhomeandrunningthingsbytheseatofmypants).

After that I explained howmy students and clients have done over $500million (!) in product launches in all types of markets—selling all kinds ofdifferent products—and that many of those students were running micro-businesses with almost no overhead. And now I’ve shared the story of JohnGallagher,whostartedwhenhisfamilywasonfoodstampsandwentontobuildasix-figureincome.

In fact, the numbers are all so crazy that Iworry that Imight lose you. Iunderstand that when you’re just getting started, it can be hard to imaginenumbers this big. But please remember two things: First, the numbers are all

real. And second, I was a complete newbie when I started out. So was JohnGallagherandmanyofmyotherstudents.

Ifyou’re likemewhenIbeganmybusiness, thentheoddsofyoucomingrightoutof thegateanddoingamillion-dollar launchareprobablylower thanwinning the lottery. It’s not going tohappenwhenyou first start out.Butyouneedtoknowthis:YoucanabsolutelystartfromscratchjustlikeIdid,quicklybuildupyourbusiness,andquicklygrowyourresults.

I’mgoingtowalkyouthroughmyformulaforhowtodoexactlythat,butfirst Ihave to introduceyou to this“hiddenworld”whereordinarypeoplearebuildingextraordinarybusinesses—andthey’rebuildingthemquicklyandwithnearlyzeroupfrontinvestment.

The“Secret”WorldofOnlineMarketingTherereallyisa“secret”worldofbusinessthatmostpeoplehaveneverheardof—a world of colorful characters, real-world rags-to-riches stories, and nearlyunbridledopportunity.

It’saworldwherebusinessescanbecreated fromtheether—startwithanidea and you could be in business in a matter of days, often with almost noinvestment.

It’saworldwhereaseat-of-the-pantsbusinessthatyourunfromhomewithaskeletonstaff(ornostaffatall)canbecomeamulti-milliondollarcompany.

It’saworldthat’snotlimitedbytimeandspace.Youcanrunyourbusinessonyourownschedule,andyoucanpickitupandmoveittoHawaiiifyoulike(orthemountainsofColorado,likeIdid).

It’s a world where you don’t need to invest large sums of money to getstarted,whereyoucan“bootstrap”yourwaytosuccesswithouthavingtoraiseanycapital.

And it’s a world that “scales”—because these businesses can growindependentofthetimeyouputintothem.Thatmeansyoubreakfreeofthetrapoftradingyourprecioustimefordollars.Yourincomebecomesleveraged.It’saworldwheresomeoneinthe99%trulycangetrich.

This is the world of the entrepreneurial direct marketing micro-business.AndIwasluckyenoughtostumbleintoitbackin1996,duringtheearliestdaysof online business. This world has transformed my life, and I’ve watched ittransform the livesof thousandsofotherpeople.Thehistory and evolutionof

thatworldisacrazystory,andmaybesomedayI’llwritethatbook,becauseit’sastorythatfewhaveexperiencedasfullyasIdid.Butmoretothepointofthisbook, I’m going to have to bring you into this world to give you a fullunderstandingoftheProductLaunchFormulaandhowyoucanputthepowerofPLFtoworkinyourbusinessandyourlife.

Butmakenomistake:Nomatterwhatthesizeortypeofyourbusiness(oryourbusinessdreams),thisworldofferssomethingforyou.

WaybackwhenIstartedin1996,theInternetwasexpandinglikecrazy.Thegrowthratewasexponential.Everymonththenumberofusersgrewbyafasterrate.Theword“Internet”wasstartingtoenterthecollectiveconsciousness,andsuddenly everyonewas talking about it—even if they didn’t quite understandwhat it was. But no one had really figured out how to use the Internet forbusiness, and thequestion fromeverybusiness-mindedpersonwas“But can Imakeanymoneyfromit?”

The big corporations certainly didn’t have a plan. For the most part, theInternetwasmoreliketheWildWestthananormalbusinessenvironment.Andthat’snotthetypeofarenathebigcorporationsliketoplayin.Butthat’sexactlythe type of environment the “little guy” (and by that I mean both men andwomenbecauseMANYof theseearlystartupswererunbywomen)canthrivein.Andthrivetheydid.

TheInternetofferedtheperfectopportunityforthelittleguytostartanewbusiness.Thesebusinessescostverylittletostart,therewerenosethours(sinceaweb site is always online), and theywere independent of physical location.Furthermore, there was no big entrenched competition, there was almost noregulation,youcouldhaveaninstantglobalreach,andtheInternetwasgrowingeveryday.

These businesses focusedmostly on providing “information” that fell intotwo categories: information that solved a problem (such as learning to playguitar or installing crown moulding) or content that provided entertainment(suchasjokes,photos,games).

When I started my business in 1996, it’s impossible to say how manyprofitableonlinebusinesseswereinexistence,butthereweren’tverymany.Myguess is that they numbered in the dozens, or possibly hundreds, but by anycount, a pretty small universe. However, that universe or community quicklyexpanded because people found starting an Internet business to be quick andeasy. Of course, the Internet didn’t reverse the laws of entrepreneurship—the

great majority of those initial businesses didn’t last very long. But the sheervolumeofstartupsmeantalotofthosebusinesseswouldactuallymakeit.

And itwouldbe thosebusinesses thatpioneeredmuchof the commercial,for-profitInternetworld.Forinstance,IcanrememberwhenJeffBezoscameonadiscussionlistIwaspartoftoaskaboutcreatinganaffiliateprogramforhisnewonlinebookstoreAmazon.com.

Thiswas theprimordialsoupof theInternetbusinessworld . . .and that’swhereIcreatedwhatwouldbecomeknownastheProductLaunchFormula.

TheFormulaThatLaunchedaThousandBusinessesSo by now you’re probablywondering, “What exactly IS the Product LaunchFormula?”And,moreimportant,“Willitworkforme?”

Here’sthebigpicture:TheProductLaunchFormula®isasystemtogetyourtargetmarket soengagedwithyourproduct (orbusiness) that theyalmostbegyoutosellittothem.Andthisallhappensbeforeyouevenreleasetheproduct.

PLFworks inallkindsofmarkets andwithallkindsofproducts, and it’sremarkablyadaptable to just about any situationwhereyou’re releasinganewproductorstartinganewbusiness.It’ssoeffectivethatI’veactuallyhadpeopleask if they could just giveme a credit card number to hold on file so I couldchargetheircardandsendthemtheproducttheinstantitwasreleased.

ThisisthesystemthatI’vebeenusinganddevelopingsince1996,andbeenteachingtoclientssince2005.Theproofisintheresults—theformulajustkeepsworking.

So let’s start with a fact we all know to be true: how the growth of theInternetsincethelate1990shaschangedtheworldinafundamentalway.It’savery different world, and we’re never going back to the old ways of doingthings.Nowhereisthismoretruethaninbusiness,andinthatarena,we’regoingtofocusonthreehugechanges:

1. Speedof communication: It’s a lot easier and faster to communicatewithyourmarket thaneverbefore.Within justa fewminutes,youcanwriteanemailandbroadcastittoyourlistofprospectsandclients.Theycan be reading your message within seconds of when you press the“send” button. A few short years ago, the total time from originalthoughttocreationtopublicationtoconsumptionwouldbemeasuredindaysorweeksormonths.Nowitcanbecompressedtominutes.

2. Costofcommunication:Thecost tosendanemailormakeapost toyoursocialmediafollowersisextremelylow.Thebarrierstoentryinthepublishing game have been removed. What does it cost to become apublisher?SomeonecancreateaFacebookpageoraTwitterprofileforfree and start publishing instantly.Adecadeor twoagoeven themostinexpensivewaystostartbroadcastingorpublishingwouldhavesetyoubackthousandsofdollars.

3.Interactivity:Whenyourfollowersrespondtoyourmessage,youhaveallkindsoftrackingdata.Thisgivesyounearlyinstantfeedbackonhowyourmessage is resonatingwithyour targetmarket.Compare that toafew years ago, when publishing was almost like shouting into thewilderness. Depending on the terrain and other conditions, you mighthearafaintechosometimeafteryourshout.Ormorelikely,youwouldgetnofeedbackwhatsoever.

Perhapsyou’veneverthoughtaboutthesechangesbeforeormaybebynowyou take them for granted. Either way, they have huge implications in manyareas of our human experience—frompolitics to entertainment tomedicine tointerpersonal relationships.Butwhatwe’regoing to focusonhere isbusiness.Because those three factors—speedofcommunication,costofcommunication,andinteractivity—changedthewaybusinessandmarketingworked,theycreatedaworldwherenimbleentrepreneurscangenerateshockinglysuccessful resultsintheirbusinesses.Andasyou’llsee,allofasuddenthosecrazynumbersI’vebeensharingwithyouwillstarttomakesense.

TurningYourMarketingintoanEventHave you ever noticed howHollywood tries to build buzz before a movie isreleased?Firstthere’sthetrailersixmonthsbeforethemovie.ThenthereareTVadsleadinguptothemovie.Thentheactorsheadoutonatourofthetalkshows.Andnowadaysthere’sasocialmediacampaignrightaroundthereleasedate.

And how about when Apple releases a product? They always create amassive campaign leading up to the release date. In themonths before a newproduct release, all theApple fanboy sites are full of breathless rumors aboutwhen the release will be, the actual product to be released, and what newfeaturestoexpect.

Those types of campaigns create a huge amount of buzz and excitement

BEFORE THE PRODUCT IS EVER RELEASED. In fact, sometimes theproduct releasebecomesanevent inandof itself.Hugeanticipationsurroundsthelaunch,andpeoplearegenuinelyengagedandpayingattention.

Now contrast that to a normal marketing campaign, what I called “HopeMarketing”earlier.That’swhereyoucreateaproductoropenabusinessorrolloutanewadcampaign,andyouhopeitdoeswell.

Now“hope”isanupliftingwordandcanbetrulywonderfulinmanyareasofour lives. Ifyou’reshipwreckedatsea—togiveanextremeexample—hopecan keep you alivewhile youwait to be rescued.But in business, hope is anugly,nastyword.Asoul-suckingword.Youneedtotakecontrolofyoursuccess;to thebestofyourability,youwant to takechanceoutof theequation.Don’tbankthefutureofyourbusinessonhope.

Clearly,itwouldbebettertoengineeryourproductreleases,yourbusinesslaunch,andyourpromotionssothatyourprospectsareeagerlyanticipatingyourlaunch...right?

That’swhat’sbehindthosebigHollywoodreleasesandtheApplelaunches.Wouldn’tyoulove tohave instantmomentumforyourbusiness?Imaginehowthat type of a start would change your business. Think about how creatingmassive anticipation for your product—before it’s even released—would be acompletegame-changer.

Ofcourse, there’sonlyoneproblem.Youprobablydon’thaveabudgetofmillionsofdollars foryourpromotionorahot-shotcreative team.Andunlessyouhave the resourcesand talentofAppleorUniversalStudios, it seems likeyou’restuckwithHopeMarketing.

Well, hang on, because this is where the Product Launch Formula haschanged the game. Remember those three game-changing factors Imentionedearlier—the decreased cost of communications, the increased speed ofcommunications,andthegreatlyenhancedinteractivity?Thoseareyourkeystothekingdom.

And that’swhy tinyonlinebusinesses, runbyordinary folks likeyou andme, have built an entirely new playing field . . . and it’s a playing fieldwithunprecedentedopportunity.

YourMarketIsaConversationSolet’sstartwithanearlyuniversaltruth:peoplefindconversationsalotmore

interestingthanmonologuesorlectures.And the evolution of the Internet has basically been one long movement

toward increased conversation. Never before in history has it been easier tocommunicateandconversewithmorepeoplearoundtheworld.

Sure, sometimes when you look at the comments on YouTube, those“conversations”maymake you question the future of humanity.Nevertheless,we’reclearlyconversingwitheachothermorenowthanatanytimeinhistory.Andthatconversationhascarriedoverintobusiness—andmarketing.PeoplearenolongerinterestedinbeingshoutedatfromaTVcommercialaboutwhateverfeaturesyourproducthas.

Actually, they were never interested in that, but now they have morechoices, and it’s a lot easier to tune yououtwhenyou start shouting at them,“Buymystuff,buymystuff,BUYMYSTUFF!”

So instead of shouting at your prospects, what if you engaged them in aconversation? For instance, imagine you’re a beginning guitar player, and anexpertguitarteacherthatyou’refollowingonlinesayssomethinglike:

“Hey, I’ve got this really cool new techniquewhere I can teachanyone to play one new song eachweek, and I just cameupwith acrazyideatoputtogetheracoursethatteachesmy‘secret’method.

(Actually,Idon’tknowifit’sasecret,butI’veneverseenanyoneelse use thismethod. I showed it to a few friends, and itworks likegangbusters.)

Inanycase,beforeIcreatethecourse,IwanttomakesureIreallycover everything.So canyouhelpmeout and tellmewhat your#1challengeiswhenyou’retryingtolearntoplayanentiresong?”

It’ssosimple...butaskingthatquestionstartsaconversation.Itdefinitelydoesn’tshoutout“BUYMYSTUFF”toyourfollowers.

OpeningadialoguewithyourpotentialclientsisanexampleofwhatIcall“theshotacrossthebow,”andit’sagreatwaytostartyourprelaunchcampaign.Andthatsimplequestion,modifiedforhundredsofdifferentmarkets,hasbeenthestartofcountlesssuccessfulPLF-styleproductlaunches.

Sequences,Stories,andTriggers

Okay,IjustgaveyoualittleexampleofthestartofthePLF-styleprelaunch.Itmightnotlookallthatpowerfulorspecial,butyou’llseesoonenoughhowthatinauspiciousstartcanbuildintosomethingthatalmosttakesonalifeofitsown.

Atitsheart,ProductLaunchFormulaismadeupofsequences,stories,andtriggers.We’llcoversequencesfirst.

Thelevelofinformationthateachofusissubjecttoeverydayisstaggering.We’ve got email, voice mail, texts, social media, TV, radio, advertisingeverywhere(onmyairlineseatbacktray...really?),mobilephones,onlinechat,etc., etc.,etc.Thevolumeof information anddata is only expanding andwillcontinuetodoso.Andthenumberofmarketingmessagesweseeeverydayisgrowingjustasrapidly.

Ofcourse,ourability toabsorbandcomprehend thosemessageshasNOTexpanded. Thatmeanswe’re allworking harder and harder to filter out thosemessages.We’re all actively trying to avoid them, to tune them out.We usetechnology to filterwhatwecan, and thenwe simply ignoremostof the stuffthatslipsthroughthosefilters.

The military uses a term they call “the fog of war.” Well, as a businessperson or marketer, you’re competing in an environment that I call the“communicationfog.”Youhavetofindsomewaytocutthroughthatfogoryourbusinesswillperish.It’sthatsimple.

Youcan’trelyononesinglemarketingmessage;insteadyouneedtothinkin“sequences.”Insteadofrelyingonasinglecommunicationtomakeyourpoint,youuseasequenceofcommunicationsthatbuilduponeachother.Ourproductlaunches use a series of sequences—pre-prelaunch, the prelaunch, the launch,andthepost-launch.

Think about the Harry Potter books. Which book release got moreattention?Thefirstbookorthefinalbook?Theansweristhefinalbook,becauseeach book in the sequence gatheredmore attention andmore fans—and thosefanswererabidlyanticipatingeachnewbookintheseries.

Solet’stakeaquicklookattheprimarysequencesinPLF:

1. Pre-Prelaunch: This iswhere you begin.You use it to start buildinganticipation among your most loyal fans. (And I understand that youmightnothaveanyloyalfansyet—I’llgettothatinChapter3.)Thepre-prelaunchisalsousedtojudgehowreceptivethemarketwillbetoyourofferandtofigureoutwhatsomeoftheprimaryobjectionspeoplewill

have.And, surprisinglyenough, thepre-prelaunchcanevenbeused totweakyourfinaloffer.

2. Prelaunch:This is the heart and soul of your sequencing,where yougradually romance your market with three pieces of high-value,PrelaunchContent.You use your prelaunch to activatemental triggerssuchasauthority,socialproof,community,anticipation,andreciprocity.And you do all that while you answer the objections of your market.Typically,youreleaseyourPrelaunchContentoveraperiodof5 to12days.Theformatforthatcontentcanvarywidely,fromvideotoaudiotowrittenPDF reports toblogposts to teleseminars to software (and I’msurewe’llinventafewmoreformatsastheyearsgoby).

3. Launch:This is thebigdayyou’vebeenbuildingup to, thedayyouactuallysendyourproductorserviceoutintotheworldandstarttakingorders (in PLF jargon we call this “Open Cart,” as in “you open theshoppingcart”).Yourlaunchisactuallyasequenceaswell,andaverypowerfuloneatthat.Itstartswiththeemailthatbasicallysays,“We’reopen, you can finally buy now,” and continues for a finite amount oftime,usuallyanywhere from24hours tosevendays,whenyoufinallyshutitdown.

4.Post-Launch:Thisistheclean-upsequence,whereyoufollowupwithbothyournewclientsaswellastheprospectswhodidn’tbuyfromyou.The post-launch isn’t as exciting as the other sequences, but it’simportantbecausethat’swhereyoudelivervalueandbuildyourbrand.Andifyoudoitright,thepost-launchstartstosetupyournextlaunch.

It all soundspretty simple, right?Well it is.And it’s alsopuregoldwhenyoumixinthepowerofstory…

Story:HowHumansCommunicateStories are powerful. They are how humans have passed down wisdom,knowledge,andcultureforaslongaswe’vebeenaround.Thinkbacktosomeofyourearliestmemoriesfromschool,andit’slikelythatthelessonsyouactuallyrememberwerebasedinstories.Thinkofalltheworld’sreligions,andyouwillrealizethatthevastmajorityoftheirteachingsaredeliveredthroughstory.

I’m a logical person, and I love knowledge and facts. That’s a world Inaturallylivein.Inthisbook,Iwouldlovenothingmorethantogiveyoudata,

theory,examples,andmoredata.ButlookhowIstartedthefirsttwochaptersofthisbook,withmystory inChapter1and thenwith JohnGallagher’s story inthischapter.Andguesswhatyou’llrememberfromthosechaptersaweekfromnow? I’mwilling to bet that it will be “Mr.Mom doing six figures in sevendays”and“foodstampstosixfigures.”That’sthepowerofstory.

If you want to make your business and your marketing memorable, thenyourmarketingneeds to tella story.Thatdoesn’tmeanyouhave tobecomeanovelist,butyouneedtotellanengagingstoryaboutyourproductsandservicesandwhytheymattertoyourprospect.Andyouneedtocommunicatethatstorytoyourprospects.

Thereisnobetterwayorbetterplacetotellyourstorythaninyourlaunchsequence.ThisisoneofthehiddenweaponsofPLF,becausethemostpowerfulwaytocommunicateyourmessageiswithastory,andtheserialnatureofyourPrelaunchSequenceisaperfectplacetotellthatstory.

It’snoaccidentthatmostPrelaunchSequenceshavethreepiecesofcontent.Most movies or novels naturally break down into three parts, and no doubtyou’veheard the term“three-actplay.”We’redealingwithastructure thathasbeen proven over time immemorial, so why not use that structure in yourmarketing?Andwhynotbaseyoursequencesaroundit?Eventhelaunchitselfhasthreeprimarysequences:pre-prelaunch,prelaunch,andlaunch.

Again,thismightseemsimple,butit’sincrediblypowerfulstuff.Andwhenyoustarttolayersequencesandthepowerofstorytogether,thenyou’recreatingapowerhousestructure.

TheFinalPieceofthePuzzle:TheMentalTriggersHumansarefunnycreatures.Weallliketothinkthatwemakerational,logicaldecisions.Butit’sreallynotthatway.Infact,thevastmajorityofourdecisionsandbehaviorsarebasedinemotionandmentalprogramming—andthenweuseourpreciouslogictojustifythosedecisions.

Infact,thereareanumberofmentaltriggersthatinfluencethosedecisionsandbehaviors.Thesetriggersarealwaysworkingjustbelowourconsciousness,andtheyexertenormousinfluenceoverhowweact.

For instance, if we perceive something as being scarce, wewill naturallygiveitmorevalue.

Or if we consider someone as an authority figure, we are almost

automaticallymoreinfluencedbythatperson.Or ifweconsiderourselvespartofacommunity,wewilloverwhelmingly

actinaccordancewithhowwethinkthepeopleinthatcommunityaresupposedtoact.

Those are just threemental triggers: scarcity, authority, community.Therearemanymore,however,andI’llcoverthemalittlelater.Buthere’sthethingtounderstandrightnow:Thesetriggerscreateenormousinfluenceoverouractions.They are timeless, and they are universal. They will not lose their power ofpersuasion anytime soon, and theywork in any language, in any country, andjustaboutanybusiness.

Andattheendoftheday,nomatterwhatbusinessyou’rein,youarereallyinthebusinessofinfluencingyourprospectsandyourclients.Andyourlaunchsequencegivesyoutheultimateopportunitytoactivatethosementaltriggersthatwillinfluenceyourprospectsandclients.

PuttingItAllTogetherThischapterwasaquickwhirlwindthroughtheProductLaunchFormula.WhatIgaveyouherewasjustanoverview;I’llcoverallofthisinmuchgreaterdetailinthefollowingchapters.Butfornow,youcanstart thinkingaboutcombiningyoursequences,thepowerofstory,andthementaltriggers.

When you layer these mental triggers on top of each other, you’re notdependent on any one trigger but combining them to create a powerfullyinfluentialmessage.

Then you embed those mental triggers into a compelling and memorablestorythatcutsthroughthemarketingfog,astorythatconnectsyouroffertothehopes,dreams,fears,andaspirationsofyourprospect.

Andyoudeliverthatstoryinatightsequencethatturnsyourlaunchintoabig event that captures your prospects’ imaginations and builds anticipationtowardyourlaunchday.

Nowyou’vegotaformulaforanincrediblelaunch.ThisistheformulathatJohnGallagherusedtosell670gamesinsteadofthe

12gameshesoldwithtraditional,old-worldstyleHopeMarketing.Andit’stheformulahe’sgoneontouseoverandovertobuildaseriousbusinessinasmallniche.

Nowbeforewe get into the nitty-gritty of the ProductLaunchFormula, I

haveonemore critical piece of the puzzle for you.And this onewill grow tobecome your own personal “moneymachine.” I think of it as ametaphoricalprintingpresswhereIlegallyprintmoneyondemand.Andyoucanhaveoneoftheseprintingpressesaswell…

I’m talking about your email list, and that’swhatwe’ll cover in the nextchapter.

(P.S.—If you would like to see a Case Study I did with John Gallagherwherewewentthroughhis“foodstampstosixfigures”launchindetail,aswellashisotherlaunches,youcanseeitherehttp://thelaunchbook.com/john.)

Chapter3

ALicensetoPrintMoney:YourList

Anumberofyearsago,Irememberbeingatafunctionatourkids’elementaryschool,whereIchattedwiththemotherofoneofmyson’sclassmates.Bothofour children were in fifth grade, whichmeant wewere about six years awayfromthefirstcollegetuitionbill.Andthat’satopicparentsofschool-agedkidshaveontheirminds.

Since the other parent knew I had an interest in the financial markets, IsupposeitwasnaturalforhertoaskwhatkindofcollegesavingsplanIhadformykids.Myanswerwasn’twhatsheexpected.ThisiswhatIsaid:

“Idon’thaveanycollegesavingsplanatall,becauseI’vegotalist.”She stared atme blankly, completely confused,which didn’t surpriseme.

Afterall,itwassomethingofasmart-assremark.ButIhadansweredtruthfully.Iwasn’tworried about tuitionbills, because Iknew Ihad something farmorevaluablethanacollegesavingsplan.WhatIhadwasalmosttheequivalentofalicenseto“print”moneywheneverIneededit.Ihadanemaillistofclientsandprospects, and that list gave me the ability to create income on demand. Ofcourse,therewillalwaysbeworkinvolved,butthebottomlineisthathavinganemail list is the closest thing you can have to a printing press that will printmoneyforyou.

Wouldyouliketohavethatabilitytocreateincomeondemand?That’swhatthischapterisallabout.

Letmegiveyoua real-worldexample frommy life.Whenmywifeand Idecided tomoveoutof theDenverarea, the timingwasn’t ideal.Mybusinesswasjuststartingtoreallytakeoff,andMaryhadjustrecentlyquitherjobtobehome with the kids. We wanted to move to the mountains, specifically toDurango, a beautiful town in southwest Colorado. However, we thought wewouldtakesometimebeforewemadethemove;wewantedtoadjusttoMarybeinghome.Andwewerestillalittlenervousaboutmybusinessbeingthesolesourceofincomeforthefamily.

But you know what they say about the best laid plans. Just a couple of

monthsafterMary left her job,we tookaweekend tripdown toDurangoandfound the home we wanted to live in. It was our dream home in a dreamcommunity.Anditwasavailableimmediately,andweknewitwouldn’tstayonthemarketverylong.

Theproblemwastiming.Weweren’tquitereadytomove300milesacrossthestate.Foronething,wewantedthekidstofinishouttheschoolyearintheircurrent school.Secondly,wewouldhave to buy thehome inDurango severalmonths beforewe sold our home inDenver. To do that, I needed a bunch ofmoneyquickly—somethinglikeanextra$70,000—forthedownpaymentonthenewhome.

Now at that point a lot of people would start thinking about borrowingmoney,eitherfromabankorpossiblyfromafriendorfamilymember.Butthatisn’twhatIwasthinking.Myfirstthoughtwas“WhattypeofoffercanImaketomyemaillisttoraisethatkindofmoneyquickly?”

That’sthepowerofthelist.Itmeansthatyouhavetheabilitytocreateabigpaydayondemand.Andthat’sexactlywhatIdid.IlookedatalltheinteractionsandfeedbackI’dhadwithmylist,andIsatdownandmappedoutanofferthatIknewthepeopleonmyemaillistwouldwant.IalsomadesureitwasaproductthatIcouldcreatequicklyandeasily.AndthenIputtogetheralaunchforthatproduct.

That’s the backstory behind my first six-figure launch—the first “six inseven” that Imentioned inChapter1.The result of that launchwas that I did$106,000inasingleweek,andofthatabout$103,000wasprofit.AndjustthatquicklyIhadmydownpaymentformyhouse.

That’s the power of the list (and, of course, a well-orchestrated ProductLaunchFormula-stylepromotion).

Butagain,I’mnotsomemagician.Idon’thaveanysuperpowers.Iputintheefforttocreatethatemaillist—andyoucandothesamething.Thinkaboutwhatit would be like to have that kind of an asset in your business and your life.Thinkabouthowitwouldliterallytransformeveryaspectofyourlife.

That’swhatthischapterisabout—buildingthekindofresponsiveemaillistthatgivesyoutremendouspowerinyourlife.

TheGoldenStrategyListbuildingisoneofthecorestrategiesIalwaysfocusonineverybusinessI

own.If you take NOTHING else from this book but an obsessive focus on

buildingyour listofclientsandprospects, thisbookwill stillbeworth10,000timeswhatyoupaidforit.

SowhatexactlyamItalkingaboutwhenIsay“list”?Thisisreallysimple—it’sa listofpeoplewhohaveaskedtosubscribetoyouremails.Typically,youhavean“opt-in”formonyoursite,andpeoplecanentertheiremailaddressinthatformtosubscribetoyouremaillist.

Of course, you have to give people a reason to subscribe. It might be toreceiveanewsletterorgetdailyupdatesorlearnaboutdailyspecialdealsorfindoutaboutnewcontent.Butnomatterwhatthepromiseis,thatisthereasontheyarejoiningyouremaillist.

For example, I’m an avid skier, so in thewinter I get daily snowupdatesfrom two ski areasnearme.Everymorning I receive a short email fromeachthattellsmewhethertheygotanynewsnowovernight.I’malsoaguitarplayer,soI’monacoupleoflistswhereIgetnoticesofnewguitartutorials.AndIuseaMac,soI’monalistthatsendsmeupdatesaboutnewMacsoftware.Thosearejust a few examples, but I’m on lots of other email lists. I’m sure you’re onseveralaswell.

And make no mistake—once you start to build an email list for yourbusiness, you’ve taken a huge step toward controlling your own financialdestiny.Ofcourse, this is truenomatterwhat typeofbusinessyou’re in.Yourlistordatabaseofprospectsandloyalclientsisalwaysoneofthemostimportantassetsinyourbusiness.Ifyouownadrycleaningstore,theclientswhocomeinregularlyareyourbreadandbutter. Ifyourunarestaurant, thecustomerswhocomeineveryweekoreverymontharethepeoplewhokeepyouinbusiness.

However, theonlineworld tends tospeedupandintensifyeverything,andthat’s definitely the case with your list. In the online world, your list iseverything.

EVERYTHING.Infact,itreallyishardtofathomthepowerofanemaillistuntilyouhavea

listandyoupushthat“send”button...andthenwithinsecondsyoustarttoseethepeopleonyour list respondingandclicking through toyourwebsite.Thatpowerisbreathtaking,andonceyouexperienceit,youwillrealizethewayyouliveyourlifehaschangedforever.

And,ofcourse,sincethereissomuchdataandtrackingonline,yougetto

seetheresultsinrealtime.Forlargerlists(saylistsabove10,000subscribers),itcan actually take severalminutes before your email list server delivers all theemail. But once the email starts going out, you’ll typically start to see theresponse within seconds. And for really large lists (I have well over 100,000subscribers,andtherearefarlargerlistsoutthere),yousometimeshavetotakeextra precautions so that whatever website you are sending people to doesn’tcrash. For example, if I put up a new post on my blog at JeffWalker.com(http://www.JeffWalker.com),Ihavetobecareful.IfIsendtoomanyvisitorsatthe same time, it can crash the server.What Iwill typically do is staggermyemailbroadcasts,sothatImailonlyaportionofthelisteveryfewminutes.

NowIdon’twanttogettootechnicalonyoutooearlyinthisdiscussion,andI don’t want to intimidate you. If you’re starting out in your list-buildingendeavors,you’realongwayfromhavingtoworryaboutcrashingservers.Ijustmention that toshowyou thepowerofhavinga list.Youcanactuallysendsomuchtraffictoasitethatyouoverwhelmtheserver.

Wehaveasayinginthebusinessthatsumsitupinfourwords:“Pushsend,makemoney.”That’swhyhavingalistislikehavingalicensetoprintmoneyatwill.Which,ofcourse,iswhyIwasn’tworriedaboutsavingformykids’collegeeducation—becauseIhadalist.

WhataboutSpam?Beforewegoanyfurther,Ijustwanttobesuper-clearaboutonething.WhenItalkaboutemaillists,IamNOTtalkingaboutsendingspamemail.I’mtalkingaboutbuildinga legitimate listofpeoplewhohaveasked to subscribe toyouremails.

Therearemanydefinitionsofspamoutthere,andwhatisregardedasspamhas changed quite a bit over time (and the laws regarding spam continue toevolve as well). But for our purposes, spam can be defined as unsolicitedcommercialemail.

WhenItalkaboutlistsandlistbuilding,itisalwaysemailthatpeoplehaveaskedtoreceive.I’vebeenpublishingonlinesince1996,andIhaveneversentasinglespammessage.Infact,everythingIdo(andteach)istheveryantithesisofspam.

The reality is that spamming is a very quick way to put yourself out ofbusiness.Don’tdoit.Sendemailonlytopeoplewhohaverequestedit.

YourListIsNotaStrategy,It’stheStrategyAs I mentioned above, list building has been a core strategy for me since Istarted. In fact, itwas theONLY strategy I hadwhen I started out. I actuallybeganmylistbuildingeffortsbeforeIevenhadawebsite.

I can’t remember exactlywhy Iwas so focused on list building fromdayone,butIquicklyrealizedjusthowpowerfullistswere.ThoselistshavebecomethecornerstoneofeverythingthatIdoinmybusiness.Ofcourse,overtheyears,plenty of other people have figured this out aswell.But there’s another thingthatsetmeapartfromthemajorityofotherpeoplewhowerebuildinglists,andthatissummedupinoneword:

Relationship.Thatmight sound like a funnywordwhenwe’re talkingaboutyour email

goingouttothousandsofpeople,buttherealityisthatyouremailislandinginalotofindividualinboxes.Everysubscriberonyourlistisanindividual,auniqueperson.IknowI’mstatingtheobvious,butmanylistownersseemtoforgetthis.I hear them talk about sending a “blast” to their email list—their term for anemailbroadcast.Butthinkaboutit...doesanyoneliketogetblasted?

Rememberthatyouremailislandinginaverypersonalplace—theinboxofyourreader’scomputer.Ifyoudoubthowprivatethisspaceis,justthinkaboutlettingastrangerbrowsethroughyouremailinbox—notaverypleasantthoughtformost people.Most of us feel very protective of our inboxes, and becauseevery email you send is landing in your subscriber’s inbox, you have a lot ofpower.

LotsoftimesI’llgotoaconference,andpeoplewillcomeuptome(peopleI’ve never met), and they’ll start talking to me like I’m a long-lost friend.Sometimes I’ll wonder if they actually ARE an old friend I’ve somehowforgotten.They’llstartaskingmeaboutthestuffI’vesharedfrommypersonallifeinmyemails—abouthowtheskiingorthemountainbikingseasonhasbeen,abouthowmykidsaredoing,abouthowmyguitar-playingisgoing.Andthat’sa good thing, because I want my readers to feel like they have a personalconnectionwithme.Thatconnectioniswhatgetsthemtoopenmyemails,readthem,andultimatelyclickonthelinksinthoseemails.

Itdoesn’tmatterhowmanypeopleareonyourlistiftheemailssitunopenedin your subscribers’ inboxes. If they don’t actually open your emails and readthem,thenyoumightaswellnotbotherbuildingalist.

What I’m talking about is how “responsive” your list is . . . and the

responsivenessof listsvariesdramatically.Therearelistsout therewhere60%ormoreofthepeopleonthelistopentheemail.That’sonthesuper-responsiveendofthespectrum.Andthereareotherlistswherelessthan1%ofthepeopleonthelistopentheemail,which,ofcourse,isonthedismallyunresponsiveend.

Obviously,youwantaresponsivelist.It’sbettertohavealistof100peoplewhere 60%of themopenyour emails (i.e., 60 people are readingyour email)thanalistof1,000where1%openyouremails(i.e.,10peoplearereadingyouremail).

Sohowdoyoubuildandmaintaina responsive list?Well, there’sa lotofstrategy (and a little magic) in building a responsive list, but it really comesdown to “relationship.”And the easiestway to increase the responsiveness ofyour list is to increasetheconnectionandrelationshipyouhavewithyour list.Remember…

1.Thesizeofyourlistisnotnearlyasimportantashowresponsivethelistis,soyourlistrelationshipisextremelyimportant.

2.TheentirePLFprocessyouareabouttolearnisoneofthebestwaystobuildyourrelationshipwithyourlist.

WhataboutSocialMedia?Ofcourse,thereareothertypesoflistsinadditiontoemail.Youcanalsobuildalistoffollowersonsocialmediasites,suchasonFacebook,YouTube,orTwitter.

Butasofrightnow,emailstillhastherealpower.Infact,socialmedialistsaren’t even in the same ballpark. In terms of pure response rates, an emailsubscriberisworthmanytimesmorethanasocialmediasubscriber.Infact,thelatest tests I’veseenhaveshown thatemail isat least20 timesmorepowerfulthan a Facebook list. In other words, an email list of 1,000 people willoutperformaFacebook followingof 20,000.Of course, that numberwill varydramatically in each situation based on a lot of different factors, but the factremainsthatemaillistsarestillmuchmorepowerfulthansocialmedialists.

Thatmightchangesometime in the future,and ifanything isa sure thing,it’sthatthemechanicsofonlinebusinessareALWAYSchanging.However,I’vebeen hearing about the death of email since 2003, and it’s still generatingmillionsofdollarsayearformybusiness.

Anotherproblemwithbuildinglistsonsocialmediasitesisthatyouarenotincontroloftheplatform.IfyoubuildalistonFacebook,youneedtoremember

that the list isactuallyownedbyFacebook,and theycanchange therulesanytimetheywant.AndpleasenotethatsocialmediasitesDOchangetherulesandhave done so with regularity. Your list will become the biggest asset in yourbusiness, and it’smuch too important an asset tobuildon aplatform that youdon’tcontrol.

Finally,socialmediasitescomeandgo.AfewyearsagoMyspacewasthebig thing.Lotsofpeopleputa lotof timeintobuildinga largepresence there.Nowit’sprettymuchaghosttown.Makenomistake,thatWILLhappentoothersocialmediasites,soyouhavetobecarefulaboutlistbuildingonplatformsthatmightgoawaysomeday.

So just to be clear, I think there is value in building lists of followers onsocialmediasites,butyouneedtobecareful.Whenyoubuildalistonasocialmediasite,youhavetwobigdangers.Thefirstisthatthesitemightchangetherules in how you can use your list, or they might close down your accountaltogether.The second risk is that the socialmedia sitemight actually lose itsreach,andpeoplemightabandonitforthenextbigthing.

ABuyerIsaBuyerThere are several different types of lists, and it’s important to understand thedifferences. Lots of times when people talk about lists, they just throw out anumber:“I’vegota30,000-personlist!”Well,astatementlikethatdoesn’tmeanmuch.Solet’speelbackthisonionalittlebit…

Sofarwe’vetalkedabouttwotypesoflists:emailandsocialmedia.Ialsomentionedthatasofrightnow,emaillistsaremuchmorepowerfulthansocialmedialists.

Anothercriticaldistinctionisbetween“prospect”listsand“customer”lists.The definition is pretty simple. A prospect is someone who has NOT boughtanything fromyouyet.Abuyer is someonewhoHASbought something fromyou.Inyourbusinessyouwillhavebothtypesoflists.Andtheimportantthingtorememberisthatalistofbuyersisalotmorevaluablethanalistofprospects.Inmy experience, a persononyour buyer list isworth10 to 15 timeswhat apersononyourprospectlistisworth.

Thisleadstoacoupleofkeypoints.First,youwanttotrytomovepeoplefromyourprospectlisttoyourbuyerslist(andincidentally,aPLF-styleproductlaunchisthebestwayI’vefoundtodothat).

Second,youwilltreatthetwolistsdifferently.Youwanttomaintainagreat

relationshipwithboth,butifyou’regoingtospendextratimeandeffortonyourlist relationship, then theplace to spend it is onyourbuyers list.Thatusuallymeansspendingthetimeandefforttosendthemsomecoolcontentorabonusofsomekind.Irememberorderingfromanecommercestorethatwouldoften(butnot always) include a little bit of hard candy or some other treat in theirpackages.I’msuretheircostwasjustafewpennies,butIstillremembergettingthose extras—and it’s been several years since I ordered from them. A littlesurprise bonus or personal touch can really go a long way. For example, wealways send out a handwritten “Thank You” snail mail postcard to our newProductLaunchFormulaOwners.That’sasimplewaytostandoutandbuildarelationship.

With an online business, it’s really easy to create and send content-basedbonuses, like an extra trainingvideoor report.Thisobviouslyworksgreat forinformation-basedbusinesses(suchassomeonesellingaproducton“learningtoplayguitar”),butitwillalsoworkwellforotherbusinessestoo.

Forexample,forthatwebsitethatsells“learntoplayguitar”courses,theycouldincludeanextravideolessononplayingmoveablechordsorsomeothertopic.But let’s say you have an ecommerce store that sells guitars.Well, youcould send that same video about learning to play moveable chords. Or youcouldsendavideoaboutthecareandmaintenanceofaguitar.

Onekey factor is howyou“send” thebonusvideo.Youcouldput it on aDVDandshipitouttoyourclient;thatwouldbetheold-schoolway.Youwouldhavethetimeandexpenseofpreparing,duplicating,andshippingtheDVD.AndtheDVDwouldprobablybeputasideandneverwatched.

Or you could put the bonus video online on your web site (which isextremely easy to do—you can find the Resource Page athttp://thelaunchbook.com/resources). This method is simpler, faster, and willcostalmostnothingotherthanthetimetoshootandeditthevideo.Inaddition,you can send a direct link to the bonus video in your email—a great way toconditionpeople toopenyouremailsandclickonyour links.Afterall, ifyouoccasionallysend themcoolbonuses inyouremails, they’llalwaysbe lookingforwardtoyournextemail.

ListGetting:HowtoBuildYourListOkay, now that I’ve been going on for awhile about how awesome lists are,hopefullyI’vegotyousoldontheideathatyouwanttogetalistassoonasyou

possiblycan.Sohere’showtodoit.First off, this is going to be a hyper-abbreviated lesson on list building. I

could write an entire book on the topic. And I’ve actually created an entirecourseon list building, because it’s a rich anddeep topic and so important. Ifyou want to take this topic further (and you should!), you can get my ListBuildingBlueprintfreeathttp://thelaunchbook.com/list.

Sothefirst thingyouneedtodoisgetclearonwhoyourprospectis—weusetheterm“avatar.”Thinkofyouravatarasyourtypicalprospect,thetypicalperson you’re trying to reach. So if you’re teaching about golf, you generallyaren’t trying to reachallgolfers;youmightbegoingafter school-agedgolferswhoare trying togetacollegescholarship.Oryoumightbegoingafter45-to55-year-oldwomenwhoarejuststartingtogolfaftertheirkidshavegoneofftocollege.Oryoucouldbegoingaftermenwithhandicapsunder10whowanttoimprovetheirshortgame.

Iactuallydon’treallyknowthegolfmarket,soIjustmadeallthoseup.Butyougettheidea—everythingaboutyourmarketingwillbecompletelydifferentdependingonwhichofthosethreedifferentgroupsyouaretargeting.

So this is the deal:Your list building effort is the very sharp end of yourmarketingefforts.It’sthefirstplacewherepeoplehavecontactwithyou,soyouhavetogetitright.Andtheveryfirststepingettingitrightisunderstandingtowhomyouareselling,whoyouravataris.Thereasonyouhavetogetthisrightiswe’regoingtocreatewhatiscalleda“squeezepage.”Thatsqueezepagewillhave an “opt-in offer”—that’s the offer youwillmake to get someone to joinyouremail list.Onewaytothinkofthisoffer isasabribe,butanethicalone.Youhavesomethingofvaluethatyouwillgivetoyourwebsitevisitoriftheyjoin(orsubscribe)toyourlist.Yoursqueezepageandyouropt-inofferwillbethekeytoyourlistbuildingefforts.

IMPORTANT: As I justmentioned, it’s important to get thisfirstpieceofyourmarketingright. Infact, it’scritical.This isyour lead element in the battle for your business.HOWEVER,youdon’thave toget itperfect rightoutof thegate. In fact, no one gets it perfect right away. The goodnewsisthatit’sreallyeasytobeincrementalaboutthis.You

get your first squeeze page up, and then you work onimprovingit.

One of the coolest things about an online business ishowmuchdatayougetandhoweasyit is totest things. Inthemostbasicform(andoneofthemostuseful),youcreatetwoversionsofyoursqueezepage.Thenyouusesoftwareto alternate which version is shown to your site visitors(check my Resource Page athttp://thelaunchbook.com/resources)andwatchtoseewhichversionhasthebestresponserate.Afteryouhaveawinner,thenyouusethewinnerbutcreateanothertesttoseeifyoucanimproveitevenmore,andsoon.

This is called “split testing” or “A:B testing” and it’s thekeytoconstantlyimprovingyoursite’s“conversion”—inthiscase, your conversion is simply the percentage of visitorsyougettojoinyouremaillist.

Again, the important thing to remember is this: Don’tworryaboutperfectionwhenyou’restartingout.Noonegetsit right the first time. The important thing is to get the firstversiondoneandthenimprovefromthere.

HowtoGetPeopletoJoinYourListSowhatisasqueezepage?Asfarascanbedetermined,thisideawaspioneeredmany years ago by my friend Dean Jackson (ILoveMarketing.com) and hasproventobeoneofthemostsignificantdevelopmentsintheInternetmarketingworld.Asqueezepage is avery simplepage thatgives thevisitor achoiceofonlytwooptions:

1.Thevisitorcanoptinwiththeiremailaddresstogetsometypeoffreesomething(thisisyourethicalbribe).

2.Ortheycanleavethepage.

Byforcingyourvisitortochoose. . .well,youforcethemtochoose.Andyoushouldbeclearrightfromthestartthat,formostwebsites,themajorityofyourvisitorswillchoosetoleaveyoursite.

Thefactthatthemajorityofvisitorswillquicklyleaveyoursitecanbevery

painfulforanewwebsiteownertothinkabout.Buttherealityisonlyonethingonyoursite is100%guaranteed—thatEVERYONEwilleventuallyleaveyourweb site. And you need to understand this—if they leave your site withoutopting in to your list or buying something from you, then the odds of theircomingbackareextremelyslim.AndwhenIsay“extremelyslim”whatIreallymeanis“nochanceatall.”Ifyoudoubtthis,justthinkaboutyourownactionsonline. How many times do you ever return to a web site that you visitedrandomly? Even if you bookmark a given site—even if a site is really cool?Probablynotveryoften;instead,it’samatterof“outofsight,outofmind.”Yourvisitorswillbethesame.Oncetheyleaveyoursite,theywillneverthinkaboutitagain...UNLESSyoucapturetheiremailaddress.Everythingchangesiftheyjoinyourlist,becausethenyoucanuseyouremailstodrivethembacktoyoursite(oranysiteyouwanttosendthemto).

Whenyoustarttothinkaboutyourlistbuildingthatway,allofasuddenitstarts tomake a lotmore sense to put up a squeeze page and force people tomakeachoicewhentheycometoyoursite.Makethemeitheroptinorleave.

Ifyou’restillhavingahardtimewrappingyourheadaroundthe idea of a squeeze page, here’s another way to thinkaboutit.Considerthevalueofasubscribertoyouremaillist.Whenyou’rejuststartingout,thiscanbeadifficultnumbertocalculate,butIwilltellyouthatinmymarketniche,ageneralruleof thumb is thatasubscriber isworth$1permonthor$12per year.That’sa really roughguestimate, and I couldwrite for a long time about email list metrics and thecharacteristicsofemail lists.But let’sstickwiththat$12peryearforthisexample.

Solet’ssaythatyoudoNOThaveasqueezepage,butyouhavesometypeofformpeopleusetosubscribetoyoursite.Maybethere’sanopt-inboxintheright-sidemenuthatsays“Subscribetomynewsletter.”That’snotaverypowerfulway to convert your site visitors into email subscribers, soyoumight get only 3%of your visitors to subscribe to yourlist.Thatmeansthateachvisitorisworth36centstoyouinthe next year. This is how the math goes: Since each

subscriber is worth $12 per year and 3% of your visitorssubscribe, it’samatterofsimplemultiplication. In thiscase,.03×$12=$0.36.

Now,let’ssayyouhaveasqueezepage.Youareforcingyour visitors to make a choice—either subscribe to youremail list or leave your site. With a squeeze page, you’revery likely togetahigher rateof conversion to your list. Inthis case, let’s assume you get a 20% opt-in rate. Thatmeanseach visitor isworth $2.40 in the next year. (Here’sthemath:.20×$12=$2.40.)

That means for every visitor you have, you are losing$2.04bynothavingasqueezepage.Youaregettingonly36cents instead of $2.40 per visitor. Now, of course, this ishypothetical . . . and there are all kinds of different factorsandvariablesatplayhere.Butthefactisthatinmanycases,puttingasqueezepageonyoursiteisaninstantwinintermsofwebsiteprofitability.

So one of the most important things that makes a squeeze page work ishaving a really strong opt-in offer (this is the ethical bribe that I mentionedearlier).Basically, this is thehoney thatyou’regoing toofferyourvisitorsonyoursqueezepagetoconvincethemtooptin.

Sowhat’stheethicalbribe?Italldependsonyouravatar...whatdotheyreallywant?What are their greatest fears? Their biggest desires?What keepsthem awake at night? Going back to golf, if your avatar is an average maledufferwhoplaysoneroundofgolfaweekwithhisbuddies,thenmaybehejustwantstodrivefurtherthanhisfriends...especiallyonthefirsttee.

Ifthat’sthecase,thenagreatethicalbribemightbeavideotutorialonhowtocompletelycrushyourdriveonthefirsttee...everysingletime.Ormaybeinsteadofavideo,itcouldbeaspecialreport(i.e.,awrittenPDFreport).

Gettingyoursqueezepagerightisreallyaboutgettingtheethicalbriberight.Anditdoesn’thavetobeperfectthefirsttimeout,sincethisisanotherthingyoucantestveryeasily.Butattheendoftheday,theeffectivenessofyoursqueezepage is verymuch dependent on the quality of your bribe and how closely italignswithyouravatar’shopes,dreams,nddesires.

Okay, enough theory . . . let’s take a look at some examples of squeeze

pages.

ProductLaunchFormula.com

ListGettingBlueprint.com

VictoriaLabalme.com

InnerCircleSessions.com/training

Sofarwe’vecovered:

1.Definingyouravatar.2.Creatingyouropt-inethicalbribe.

3.Creatingyoursqueezepage.

Nowtheonlythinglefttodotogetyourlistrollingisdrivesometraffictoyoursqueezepage.Ofcourse,drivingtrafficisanotheroneofthosehugetopicsthat I could write a book or two about. And it’s a topic that is constantlychanging,whichmeansifIdidwritethosebooks,theywouldprobablybeoutofdatebythetimeyoureadthem.Buthere’sabigpictureoverview…

Thereareanumberofwaystodrivetraffic.Thefirstonethatmostpeoplethink about is from the search engines, such asGoogle.This is usually called“natural search” traffic—meaning traffic that comes from people finding yoursiteinthesearchengines.GettingyoursitetorankinGoogle(andby“rank”Imeanappearnearthetopofthesearchlistings)ispartscienceandpartart,andpeopledevoteentirecareers to it.One important thing to remember is that it’sVERY hard to get a squeeze page to rank well with Google. Nevertheless,naturalsearchissomethingthatIalwaysbuildintomybusinessatsomelevel.

Anotherway to drive traffic is through “paid search.” Those are the littleadvertisementsyou see at the top andon the right sideof theGoogle listings.TherearesimilaradsonFacebook.Thoseadsarebasicallysoldonanauctionbasis. . . they’reavailabletothehighestbidder.It’sactuallymorecomplicatedthanthat,butthat’sacloseenoughexplanationfornow.Inanycase,paidsearchcanbe expensive . . . but it’s great for testing squeezepagesbecauseyou canliterallystartdrivingtrafficinminutes.

Anotherway to send traffic to your site is throughSocialMedia, such asFacebook,Twitter,andYouTube.Again,thisisabigtopic—fartoobigtocoverinanyrealdepthhere,butIwouldhavelovedtohavesomethinglikeFacebookavailablewhenIstartedout.YoucancreateaFacebookpresenceinminutesandstart gathering followers there almost immediately.You already know thatmypreference is always going to lean toward building an email list instead of asocialmedialist,butyoucanuseyoursocialmediapresencetodrivetraffictoyoursqueezepage.Inotherwords,youcanuseyourSocialMediafollowingtobuildyouremaillist.

There aremany otherways to drive traffic to your squeeze page, such ascreatinggreat content that attractsword-of-mouth traffic (thishasalwaysbeenoneofmypersonalfavorites),otherformsofadvertising,andonlineforums.

And, of course, there’s my all-time favorite source of traffic, which isaffiliates and JointVenture partners.This iswhenother peoplewith lists send

youtonsoftraffic,anditdoesn’tcostyouasinglepennyupfront—youpaythemoutofthesalesthataregeneratedbythattraffic.Thisistheultimateshortcuttobuildingabiglistfast.Infact,I’vepersonallyaddedmorethan50,000peopletomylist inamatterofdaysusingthismethod.Butthisisanadvancedstrategy,andwe’renotreadytotalkaboutthatoneyet—I’llgointoallthegorydetailsalittlelater.

TheSecrettoHavingaListIstoJustGetStartedOkay, by now I hope I’ve got you convinced of the power of lists and theabsolutenecessityoflistbuildinginyourbusiness.Itdrivesmenutsthat thereare still people out therewho don’t do this. The bottom line is that this is allaboutyourbottomline.Yourlistsofprospectsandclientsarethebiggestassetinyourbusiness.Infact,Icouldarguethatthey’realmosttheONLYtrueassetformostonlinebusinesses.

Of course, since I’ve started teaching the Product Launch Formula®, thenumberonequestionIgetis“WhatifIdon’thavealist?”Orsometimespeoplewhineaboutit:“Jeff,that’sgreatforyoubecauseyouhaveabiglist,butIdon’thaveone.”

The truth is that’s exactlywhere I began—withZEROpeople onmy list.ButIwenttoworkbuildingmylist.Slowly,methodically,diligently.SomedaysIwould get a single new subscriber, some days Iwould get none.My effortsgraduallystartedtopickupmomentum,andIwouldgetthreeorfoursubscribersa day. I kept at it, and soon I was getting 30 subscribers a day . . . and 30subscribers a day starts to add up. That’s 900 subscribers a month or 10,800subscribersayear.

Andguesswhat?Inmanymarketsyoucanmakehundredsofthousandsofdollarsayearwithalistof10,000subscribers.

Thebottom line is that if youwant to build a viable business online, youNEED to focus on list building. That’swhy I put this chapter so early in thebook—it’sacoreprinciple.Andit’spartoftheProductLaunchFormulastory,because there is no betterway tomaximize the results you get from your listthanwithaproductlaunch.

Andhere’sanadvancedsecret:Thereisnobetterwaytobuildalistquicklythan with a product launch. Remember John Gallagher and the launch of hisboard game?Well, he had a very small list that he used in that launch. Andyou’llrememberhisfirstlaunch(beforehegotPLF)had12sales.Thenafterhe

appliedPLF,hehad670sales.TheonethingIdidn’ttellyouisthatinadditiontoallthosesaleshemade,healsoaddedmorethan1,000newsubscribersduringthatlaunch.

That’swhatusuallyhappens inaproperlystructuredPLF-style launch.It’soneofthebestwaystobuildyourlist.ButI’mstartingtogetaheadofmyself…

Chapter4

TheSidewaysSalesLetter:HowtoSellYourStuffLikeCrazywithoutBeing“Salesy”

Wayback in1996,when I startedmyfirstonlinebusinessand Ididn’thaveaclueabout salesormarketing, I stumbledmyway throughallkindsof things.AndImadeone“mistake”thathasmadeallthedifference.Infact,thatmistakebecame the core strategy that’smadememillions of dollars,mademy clientshundredsofmillionsofdollars,andchangedthewaystuff issoldonline.ThatstrategyistheSidewaysSalesLetter™.

BackwhenIstarted,Inotonlydidn’thaveaclueabouthowtosellstuff,butIdidn’t evenknow therewereentire schoolsof thoughtabout selling. Ididn’tknowtherewereallkindsofsalestheoryandsalestraining.Ijusthadnoidea.

So I did the only thing that seemed natural: I made up my own way ofselling.AnditturnsoutthatwhatIcreatedwasperfectlytunedtothenewwaythatbusinesswasquicklyevolvingto.ItwasperfectlysuitedtotheInternetandour newly connected lives. As people have become exponentially moreconnectedduetotheInternet,theentiregameofsellingstuffhaschanged.

Think about it. When you buy almost any type of hard goods, you caninstantly pull up real user reviews on Amazon.com. You’re about to go onvacation,youcanquickly lookat reviewsonTripAdvisor.com.You’re lookingforanentertainingmovietogoto,youcancheckouttheratings...well,prettymucheverywhere.

Andwith greater connectivity, people have becomemore highly tuned toauthenticity.They’remoreskeptical.It’slikeeveryoneiswalkingaroundwithagiantsuper-sensitive“BSDetector”that’salwaysonfullalert.

People have learned to see a pitch coming a thousand miles away, andthey’velearnedtodistrustit.It’sjustasideeffectofouruber-connectedworld.Andthat’swhy,inmostcases,thetraditionaloldwayofsellingdoesn’tworksowellanymore.OratleastnotnearlyaswellastheSidewaysSalesLetterdoes.

Before I can explain the Sideways Sales Letter, I need to give you somecontext.There’satraditionaltoolindirectmarketinggoingbackmanydecades

simply called the “sales letter” (also known as the “long form sales letter”).Basically,thisisalengthyprintedadvertisementwrittenintheformofaletter.Thesesalesletterscanbeeightpages,12pages,24pages,orevenlonger.Whenmost people first encounter a long form sales letter, they have one of tworeactions. If it’s a topic theyare interested inand it’s agood letter that’sbeenwrittenbyaprocopywriter,they’llstartreadingitandsoongetsuckedrightintothenarrativeoftheletter.Ontheotherhand,ifit’satopictheydon’tcareaboutor the letter is poorlywritten, they’llwonderwhyANYONEwould ever readsuchalongandboringadvertisement.

Buttheimportantthingforyoutorememberisthattheseformsaleslettershavebeenusedfordecades,andtheyhavegeneratedbillionsofdollarsinsalesforallkindsofdifferentproducts.Thedevelopmentoflongformcopyandthesalesletterwasoneofthemostsignificantadvanceseverinsalesandmarketing.It was, to borrow an old phrase from advertising legend Albert Lasker,“salesmanship multiplied.” You could effectively make a complicated salewithoutbeingface-to-facewithyourprospect.

AnOldToolforNewProfitsSowhathappenedtothesalesletterwhentheInternetcamealong?Well,itmadethejumptotheonlineworldprettyeasily.Infact,withinafewyearssaleslettersbecame really popular online. In fact, they got even longer on the Internet,becauseyoudidn’tneedtopayforprinting.Itdidn’tcostanymoretousea40-page sales letter thana12-page letter, so the lengthofmanyof the lettersgotlonger.

And in the last fewyears, another change has been the use of video.Thelongsalesletterhasmorphedintoalongsalesvideo.Thinkofitasa20-or30-minutecommercial.

You’ve probably been to aweb sitewith a long form sales letter or salesvideo.Thesesitesareverysimple—there’sgenerallyonlyasinglepageonthesite.Thatpageisaverylongpageofsalescopyforasingleproduct.Therearenoother linkson the siteother thana“Buy ItNow”or“Add toCart”button.Youeitherbuytheproductoryouleave.

Alternatively, the pagemight have a sales video instead. In that case, thepagewillbeverysimple,withasalesvideo thatmight lastanywhere from15minutesuptoanhourormore.Again,theonlylinkonthepageisthe“AddtoCart”button.

Asecommerceandonlinesalesfirststartedtogetrollingaround1998and1999,theuseofthelongformsalesletterreallystartedtoproliferate,especiallyamong small, bootstrapping entrepreneurs. And definitely in the “informationmarketing”world.

Asabitofasidenote,thiswasbackwhenthebigonline“brands”wereinthemiddleofthedot-combubble.Theyweren’tfocusedonconversion,andtheydidn’tevencaremuchaboutprofits.Theyworriedabout“useracquisition”andhow“sticky” their sitewas—thosewere the things thatdrovecrazyvaluationsonWallStreet.It’shardtobelieve,butrevenueandprofitweren’treallyontheirradar for those dot-com businesses. It was the scrappy little solopreneurs andmicro-businesses whoworried about that type of stuff. And it was those tinybusinessesthatpioneeredthedirectmarketingtechniquesthatreallydriveonlinecommercetothisday.

In any case, when the long form sales letter was adopted in the onlinemarketing world, it just plain worked.Many sites that started using this old-schooldirectmarketingtoolinstantlysawtheirconversionsandprofitsincreasedramatically.But,evenasthosesitesproliferated,theirdayswerenumbered…

EntertheSidewaysSalesLetter™ThesecretoftheSidewaysSalesLetter™thatIstumbledontowasthis:Insteadoftakingeightor12or20pagestotellthestoryinalong,verticalsalesletter,Iflippedthesalesprocessonitsside.

Insteadofpages,Iuseddays.Insteadofa10-pagesalesletter,Iuseda10-day sequence. Instead of one super-long letter, I split it up into a series ofcontactsoveranumberofdays.Wecallthosecontacts“PrelaunchContent”or“PLC.”

InsteadofhopingthatIcouldsomehowweavesuchmagicallyspellbindingsales copy that could keep people reading for page after page, I used greatsequential content and the power of story to pull the prospect into my salesmessage.

Insteadofdeliveringtheequivalentofasuper-longmonologue,Iturnedthewholeprocessintoaconversation...alaunchconversation.

Instead of betting everything on one point of contact when the prospectlandedonthesalespage,Iusedthepowerofmultiple“touches”andasequenceto drive my prospects wild with anticipation and turn my marketing into anevent.

Atitscore,theSidewaysSalesLetter™isasequenceofPrelaunchContent,followed by a sales message. The typical sequence will have three pieces ofPrelaunchContent,whichyousharewithyourprospectsoveraperiodofupto12 days. These days, the content is often online video, but it can take anynumber of forms, such as email or blog posts or PDF reports. The PrelaunchContentisstructuredsothatit’scompelling,valuablecontent...anditnaturallyleads into thesaleofyourproduct.At theendof thePrelaunchSequence,you“OpenCart”bysendingyourprospectstoasalespagetoclosethesale.

Iwant toemphasize thatpartaboutvaluablecontent—this isn’t justabouttakingasalespitchandstretchingitoutoveracoupleofweeks.That’snotgoingtograbandholdanyone’sattention.Throughthisprocessyoudeliverrealvaluetoyourprospects.

Now,thatwasahyper-condensedversionoftheSidewaysSalesLetterandthelaunchprocess,andI’llbegoingintomuchgreaterdetailonhowyoudothis.But the important thing to get right now is that the results are dramatic.Let’stakealookatanexample…

SteppingofftheWorkTrainandontotheLeverageTrainBarryFriedmanisaprofessionaljugglerandahighlyaccomplishedoneatthat.He started jugglingwhenhewas15andquicklybecameextremelypassionateaboutit.Barrydecidedhewantedtomakealivingasajugglerandentertainer,eventhoughhishighschoolguidancecounselortoldhimhewouldprobablybebrokeandhomelessinafewyears.Thatpredictiondidn’tpanout,andBarryhasachievedgreat success, includingappearingonTheTonightShowwith JohnnyCarsonbytheageof23andperformingattheWhiteHouse.

In addition to his juggling skills, Barry also became highly skilled at thebusiness end of his profession.Hewas able to get high-paying gigs,many ofthem in the corporate world. Life was good, and Barry was making a greatliving.

ButthencamethedaythatBarryhadanastymountainbikingaccident.Ashe lay in the hospital recovering from the surgery to repair his shoulder andcollarbone, he wondered just how he was going tomake a living. His careerdependedonbeingabletoflyaroundthecountrytovariousgigsandperformingon stage. Now he was facing six months of recovery, and even then it wasunclearwhetherhewouldbeabletojugglewithhissurgicallyrepairedbody.Hisincomewasbasedonhishealthandhisabilitytokeepgettinguponstage.

Ofcourse, in that regard,Barrywasnodifferent than almost anyone else.His financial securitywas tied tohisability tocontinueworking.Even thoughgetting up on stage and performingwas a lotmore glamorous than driving toworkandsittinginfrontofacomputeratacubicle,hewasstilltradinghistimefor dollars. Even though heworked for himself, and even though every showbroughtalargepayday,hewasstillsellinghistimeformoney.Ifhedidn’tshowup,hedidn’tgetpaid.

AndthatwaswhenBarrystartedtoputtogetheranotherplan—analternateway to make a living that would completely sidestep the “trading dollars forhours” way of making money. He was about to step onto what I call the“LeverageTrain,”wherehisincomewasn’ttiedtothenumberofhoursordaysheworked.Barryknewthatmanyofhisfellowentertainersreallystruggledwiththe business end of things. They didn’t market themselves well, and bookinggigsnever cameeasy.And thatwas something thatBarrywasverygoodat—becauseinadditiontobeingaworld-classjuggler,hehadalwaysbeengreatatgetting gigs, especially high-paying corporate ones. He knew how to sell hisservicesandgetpaidtopdollar.

That’swhenBarrydecidedtostartteachingthoseskills.Hehadseenalotofonline training programs, and it seemed like a perfect way for him to teachentertainers how to land more high-paying gigs. Barry had also discoveredProductLaunchFormula,andhehadgonethroughtheprogram.Hecreatedanonline membership site called “Get More Corporate Gigs” where his clientscouldgetongoingtrainingforamonthlysubscriptionfeeof$37.

Product Launch Formula works really well for membership sites likeBarry’s,butIwanttofocusonthelaunchofBarry’snextproduct.Hedecidedtocreateahigh-endcoachinggroupwherehewouldworkalotmorecloselywithclientsforamuchhigherfee.

Barry had seen high-end coaching programs (like my Product LaunchFormula),andheknewhowpowerfultheycouldbe.Sohecreatedanofferforthe “Showbiz Blueprint.” This would be a 10-week, small-group coachingprogramwhere his clientswould have access toweekly group coaching calls.Therewouldalsobe“hotseats”foreachparticipant,aprivatecommunitysite,weekly “office hours,” and a number of other benefits. In order to insure thateveryonegotenoughindividualattention,theofferwouldbelimitedtoonly15participants. The price was $2,000 if people paid in full upfront and slightlymoreiftheyusedhispaymentplan.

TheShowbizBlueprint obviously offered amuchhigher level of training,coaching,andinteractivitythanBarry’smembershipsite,anditwasaimedatthepremium end of hismarket. This type of premium offer is ideally suited to aPLF-stylelaunch,becausebuyingsomethinglikethisisabigdecisionandabigcommitment. The Sideways Sales Letter gives you the luxury of time tocommunicatethetruevalueofyouroffer.

Barrywentintothislaunchwithalistoffewerthan1,000people.HeusedhisfirstpieceofPrelaunchContenttoquicklybuildrapportwithhisreadersanddemonstrate that he really understood their pain. In fact, he more thanunderstoodtheirpain...hehadactuallylivedit.

Heknewhistargetaudiencewasreallygoodatgettingfreegigslikelibraryevents, festivals, birthday parties, and the like, but they didn’t know how toproperlymarkettoclientswhohadmoney!Andtheyweren’tevenawarethatthemarketing theywere using to land the low-paying showswas actually drivingawaypotentialhigh-payinggigs.

TherealpainpointthatBarryaddressedinhisprelaunch(i.e.,hisSidewaysSalesLetter)isthattheaverageentertaineristerrifiedthattheymightbeforcedto get a real job. It’s a nightmare for someone who is a talented magician,ventriloquist,comedian,orjugglertothinktheymightendupwaitingtablesordriving a truck. And possibly even worse—that they would be forced toacknowledgethat theirparentsor teachersorfriendswereright—theycouldn’tmakealivingasanentertainer!

So Barry’s first piece of Prelaunch Content showed his prospects that hereally understood them, because he had the same hopes, dreams, and fears astheydid.Andthenthevideowentontopainttheopportunityforthemtobuildaseriousbusiness(andincome)withtheirskills.Thebasicthemeofthevideowasthis:

“I’malotlikeyou.IfoundapassionforjugglingwhenIwasakidbutwastold I couldn’t do it for a living. My high school guidance counselor, Mr.Pavliga,saidthatifIcontinuedtopursueacareerasajuggler,thatbythetimeIwas22Iwouldbebrokeandprobablyhomeless.Rightthen,IsworetomyselfthatIwouldprovehimwrong.

“Afewyearslater,Ihadjustturned23whenIperformedonmyfirstTonightShow. I was standing behind the curtain and thinking, ‘I hopeMr. Pavliga iswatching.’ It was all I could think about while I heard Johnny Carsonintroducingmypartner andme. Iwas told I’dnevermake it as aprofessional

juggler, but I didn’t listen to them and now I’ve been on over 100 televisionshows...andyoucandothattoo!Now,Iwanttoshowyouhow.”

BarryFriedman

Ofcourse,therewasalotmoretothevideo,butthatgivesyoutheoveralltone. Basically, Barry was establishing his credibility, he was creating greataffinitywithhisprospects,andhewasdeliveringaveryinspirationalmessage.Hewas alsodelivering realvalue,becausehewas showinghisviewers that itreallywaspossibletogetgreat,high-payinggigs.Itshowedthatsellingyourselfas a highly paid entertainer was a learnable skill. Finally, the video showedentertainers that they had the opportunity to take the same skills they alreadyhad, and get paid a lotmoremoney for them.And nowhere in the videowasthereanyhintofasalesmessageorapitch.YoucanseeBarry’sfirstvideoatthislink:http://thelaunchbook.com/barry.

One really important part of the Sideways Sales Letter is what I call the“Launch Conversation,” because when you post your Prelaunch Content, youwillgenerallydoitonablogwherethere’saplacetoleavecommentsbelowthevideo.At theendofyourvideosyouask foryourviewers to respond insomeway, such as asking questions andmaking comments. Barry did exactly that,

then tookpart in the discussion.He answered questions and engagedwith hisprospects. When you do that, you begin to change your launch from amonologue into a conversation . . . and conversations are almost always a lotmoreinterestingthanmonologues.

And thosecommentsalsogiveyousome incredible insight intowhatyourprospects are thinking and feeling. Their questions will help you identify thebiggestobjections,whichgivesyouachancetoanswerthoseobjections,bothinyourcommentsandinyoursubsequentpiecesofPrelaunchContent.

InBarry’ssecondprelaunchvideo,herevisitedthepotentialpainoffailingat thebusiness, thenhe really focusedon teaching.Theoverall basicmessagewasthis:

“Whatif thisallfallsapartandyourparentswereright?Whatifyoucan’tmake itasanentertainer? Ifyouwant tomake it in thisbusiness,youneed totreat it likeabusiness.You’vespenthundredsofhoursworkingonyourcraft,butthat’sonlypartoftheequation.It’snotenoughtobeabletoputonagreatshow.Youalsoneedtoworkonmasteringthebusiness.Youneedtomasterhowtomarketandpromoteyourself.

“I’ve figured out how to do both—put on a great show and build a greatbusiness.Here’swhat I did to buildmy hugely successful career as a juggler.Here’swhatworksandwhatdoesn’twork.Andifyou’remakingthesecommonmistakes,here’showyoufixthem.”

And at that point Barry started teaching his audience the fundamentalprinciplesandmethodsofmarketingthemselvesasentertainers.

Lotsoftimespeopleworryaboutgivingawaytoomuchofthe“goodstuff”during their prelaunch. They worry that if they give away too much, theirprospectswon’tneedtobuytheirproducts.Butinmyexperiencethisisrarelyaproblem. The mistake I see far more often is not giving away enough high-qualitycontent. In thiscase,Barry’s launchwasforasuper-premiumoffer;nooneelse in themarketwascharginganywherenear$2,000. Ifyou’regoing tosell at the premium end, the best way to attract high-end clients is to delivermassivevalueupfront.Andthat’sexactlywhatBarrydid.

Remember,even thoughBarrywasaveryaccomplished juggler, andeventhoughhehadtraveledtheworldwithhisbusinessandhadevenappearedonTVandattheWhiteHouse,hewasstillprimarilysellingtopeoplewhohadneverheard of him.He had no official credentialswhen it came to teaching peopleabout business. He had no letters after his name. He had no degrees or

certifications.Hewasgoing tobe teaching fromexperience (which,ofcourse,makesforthebestteachers),butthefactremainedhewasacompletestrangertomostofhisprospects.

But by sharing great content in his prelaunch videos, he established theauthorityheneeded.Heshowedthathehadtheexperiencetoteachhisprospectshowtogethigh-payingclientsandbuildtheirbusiness.

Andjust likewithhisfirstvideo, therewasnohintofasale inhissecondpiece of Prelaunch Content. Just solid, great content. Barry was building hisauthority,andhewasbuildinggreatreciprocitywithhisaudience.(Oops . . . Ijustjumpedaheadalittlebit.InthenextchapterI’llshowyouthemagicofthementaltriggers,whichbuildenormousinfluencewithyouraudience.Authorityandreciprocityaretwoofthosecriticalandsuper-powerfulmentaltriggersthatI’llcoverinthatchapter.)

Before I leave thequestionofpossiblygivingaway toomuchof thegoodstuff in your prelaunch, let me say this: If you’re worried that lots of peoplewon’tbuyaftertheywatchyourprelaunch,thenyou’reabsolutelyright.Mostofyour prospects won’t buy. In fact, in almost all launches the vastmajority ofyourprospectswon’tbuy.That’sjustthewaythemathworks.That’showdirectmarketingworks.However,theoneswhodobuymakeallthedifference—afterall,howmany$2,000salesdidBarryneedtomakeaseriousimpactonhislife?Theansweris:notthatmany.

So in his third prelaunch video, Barry reviewed his launch story and hesteppeduptheteachingevenmore.Heactuallyreviewedwebsitesforvariousentertainers,andheshowedthemistakestheyweremaking.Andheshowedhowthosemistakescouldbeeasilyfixed.

AndthenBarrystartedtomakeapivottothesale.Hetalkedabouthowhewasgoingtopersonallyguide15peoplethroughhisShowbizBlueprint,whichwastheexactpromotionalsystemthathelpedlandthehighest-payinggigsintheindustry, including Johnny Carson and The White House. This was the firstmentionofanupcomingproduct,thefirsthintthattherewasasalecoming.

Making the pivot to the sale in the final piece of Prelaunch Content iscritical, and leaving out that pivot is a mistake a lot of people make. Oftenpeople who are putting together one of these launches get so caught up indeliveringgreatcontent that theydon’twant to talkabout thesale in that finalprelaunchvideo.

WhenIinterviewedBarryfortheCaseStudyabouthislaunch,Iaskedhim

aboutthis,andsureenough,hetoldmehedidn’twanttoputthatpivotinthere.Hewas loving the teaching,andhisprospectswere lovingBarry forallofhisgreat content that hewas giving them.He didn’twant tomesswith all thosegoodvibesbytalkingabouthisupcomingproduct.ButBarrysaid,“Idecidedtojust followPLF,andyou toldmetoput that in there,soIdidand theformulaworked.”

Thethreevideosweredeliveredoveraperiodofsixdays.AndwhenBarryopenedupregistration,hesoldoutall15spotsalmostimmediatelyforatotalof$29,955 in sales.His costswere almostnonexistent—basically just the fees toprocessthecreditcardorders.

Andbetweenthebuzzthatthelaunchbuiltupandtheresultsthathisclientsgot,Barryhadenoughmomentumtofillanotherentireclassafterhefinishedthefirstone.Thatmeanthis total saleswere$59,910 . . . andhedid thatwithanemaillistoffewerthan1,000people.

Thatmeanshis revenuewasmore than$59perprospect—hemadenearly$60foreverypersononhisemaillist!

But it didn’t end there. Since that time Barry has re-run the very samelaunchwiththeverysamevideosfourmoretimes.Eachtimehehasputbetween15 and 18 people into his class.After a few launches,Barry stopped offeringindividual coaching calls for the people who signed up. That meant he tookanotherbigstepupintermsofleveraginghistime.Hereducedhispriceto$997whenhedidthis,butitmeantthateachadditionalsaletookabsolutelynoextratime to fulfill. He was nowmaking sales for no extra work. He had left the“tradinghoursfordollars”worldandjumpedonboardtheleveragetrain.

Ifyoudothemath,hehasnowsoldoutsixclasseswith15to18peopleperclass. The majority of those people paid $2,000 and some paid $997 for theversionwithoutanypersonalcoachingcalls.ThatmeansBarryhasdonemorethan$100,000 insaleswithveryminimalcosts.Hedidall thatwhilesellingaproduct that providedenormousvalue tohis clients . . . andhedidn’t have totraveltoanyshowstodoit.

That’s the power of a PLF-style launch, and that’s the power of theSideways Sales Letter. It gives you the time and space to connect with yourprospectsanddeliverrealvalue.Itletsyoucutthroughthemarketingfogandsetyourself apart from any competition. And it creates a deadly effective salesmachinewithout requiringyou tobe agreat salesperson.Andyouwon’t feellikeyouneedtotakeashowerafteryoumakethesale.

(You can see the full Case Study with Barry Friedman herehttp://thelaunchbook.com/barry.)

Chapter5

WeaponsofMassInfluence:TheMentalTriggers

When I first releasedmyProductLaunchFormula training back in 2005, twothingshappened...First,peoplestartedtouseProductLaunchFormulaandgetamazing results—to the extent where people in the business were completelystunned.Theresultsweretwotimes,fivetimes,tentimes,evenfiftytimeswhattheywereusedtoseeing.

And second, many “experts” in themarket almost immediately started topredict that all that successwould immediately start todieoffonce the tacticsbecamewidespread.TheysaidthatPLFwasafad,andpeoplewouldsoonstopresponding to the launches.Once everyone had seen one of these launches, itwouldbeacaseof“thebloomisofftherose”andtheresultswouldquicklyfalloff.

Of course, that didn’t happen, because the resultsmy students are gettingtoday are even better than back when I first started teaching Product LaunchFormula.AsItypethis,wejustsawoneofthebiggest-everlaunchesinoneofthemostcompetitivelaunch-crazymarkets.Theverdictisin:PLF-stylelauncheshaven’tgoneaway.They’vejustgottenbetteraswe’verefinedthemodel.

Here’swhatthoseself-styledexpertsmissedbackin2005,andhere’swhatsomeof themcontinue tomiss to thisday:Abigpartof the reason themodelkeeps working is that we have continued to evolve the tactics. But an evenbigger reason is that the success of this product launch model is due to theintegralSTRATEGIES thatweuse, and those strategies are timeless. PLFhaswithstood the test of time because it’s solidly rooted in the very core of ourmentalpsyche.

That might seem like a big statement in a book about marketing andentrepreneurship,butthat’swhatwe’vegotinstoreforyouinthischapter…

I’ve already teased youwith a little introduction to themental triggers—those things that directly influence how we act and make decisions. They’reincrediblypowerful,andtheyactonasubconsciouslevel.Thesementaltriggershaveroots thatgobackthousandsofyears,andtheyarepresent inallofus to

varyingdegrees.Andunlessthereisafundamentalchangeinthewayourbrainswork(highlyunlikely!), these triggerswillcontinue toexertmassive influenceoverouractions.

Part of the power of the Product Launch Formula is that it gives you acanvas on which to activate these mental triggers as you move through yourlaunch.Themental triggers(alongwithyoursequencesandyourlaunchstory)formtheverycornerstoneofyoursuccessfulproduct launch.Hit thesetriggersoverandoverinyourPrelaunchSequenceandyourLaunchSequence,andyoucan create a nearly hypnotic spell over your prospects (and even your entiremarket).

WithGreatPowerComesGreatResponsibilityBeforeIgiveyouthedetailsofthesementaltriggers,Ihavetowarnyouthisispowerful stuff. And, unfortunately, it can be used for evil as well as good.Frankly,Iknowthisknowledgewillfallintothehandsofsomepeoplewhowilluseitunethically.ButIalsoknowfromyearsofworkingwithmyPLFOwners,thatthevastmajorityofthemarereallycoolpeoplewhohaveandwillapplythisknowledgeethicallyandcreatetremendousvalueintheworld.

My sincerestwish is that you do exactly that—create something amazingandusethisknowledgetoshareyourgiftswiththeworld.

Okay,let’sgetstarted—herearenineofmyfavoritementaltriggers:

1.AuthorityPeople tend to follow others in positions of authority. Think about doctors intheirwhitecoats.Formostofus,assoonasweseethatwhitecoatwalkintotheexaminationroom,acertainpartofusbecomesdeferential.Welistentowhatthedoctorhastosayandtakeanyadviceseriously.Weprobablyfeelatleastalittleintimidatedtodisagreewithanythingthepersoninthatwhitecoatsays.

Thisisn’tunusual.Weoftenlookforotherstohelpguideourdecision.Likeso many other mental triggers, the authority trigger helps us shortcut thedecision-making process. As we move through our everyday lives we havethousands and thousands of tiny little decisions to make all the time. Everyactionwe take requires some level of thought and decision. Following peoplewithauthorityisawayinwhichourbrainhasevolvedtomakethosedecisionsmoreefficiently.

Ifyouwanttobemoreinfluentialinyourbusinessandmarketing,itpaysto

beseenasanauthority.Andthegoodnewsisthatitcanbeshockinglyeasytocreate authority. When I was a teenager in high school, I learned a veryimportantlessonaboutauthority.ThreeofmyfriendsandIweredrivinghomeafter a school football game—just like a few hundred other people—and gotstuckina traffic jamin theparkinglot.Thereweresomanycars tryingtogetouttheexitthatnoonewasmovingatall.Oneofmyfriends,whounderstoodalotmoreaboutauthoritythanIdid,foundaflashlightrollingaroundonthefloorofthecarandimmediatelyknewwhattodo.Hejumpedoutofthecar,turnedonthe flashlight, and started directing traffic. Actually, he didn’t really directtraffic;hemostlyjustwalkedinfrontofourcarandwavedusforwardthroughthe congestion. Seeing the flashlight’s beam, other drivers made way for ourpersonal “traffic director” andwedrove right out of the parking lot.Theonlyauthorityhehad todirect trafficcamefromtheflashlight.Butpeoplesawthatflashlight,and theyassumedhewas inapositionofauthority.AndI learnedabiglessonthatnight:Itjustdoesn’ttakeverymuchtocreateauthority.

TheProductLaunchFormulaisaperfecttoolforestablishingauthority.Aswe move through the prelaunch and share high-quality content with ourprospects, we create authority almost automatically. When Barry FriedmanmentionedbeingonTheTonightShowandperformingattheWhiteHouse,thatgave him instant authority. And since he talked about those accomplishmentswithin the context ofwanting to help his clients, it didn’t come off as emptybraggingbutinsteadhelpedhimbondwithhisprospects.

2.ReciprocityReciprocityistheideathatifsomeonegivessomethingtous,wewillfeelsomeobligation to give them something back in return. This is a very importantmentaltriggerandagainthisissomethingthatgoesbackthousandsofyears.Infact, reciprocity is the very basis from which humans were able to createcommerceandtrade.Fortradetooccur,therehastobesomeamountoftrustthatwhenwegiveaproductorservicetosomeone,theywillcompletethetradeby“holdinguptheirend”oftheagreement.

Reciprocity is a very powerful trigger. For example, in my family wecelebrateChristmas,andaverystrongpartoftheChristmastraditionistheideaof giving gifts.And trustmewhen I say that one of theworst feelings in theworldiswhenafriendorneighborshowsupatyourhousewithagiftforyou,andyoudon’thaveagiftforthem.WhetheryoucelebrateChristmasornot,I’msureyoucanrelatetothisfeeling.Whensomeonegivesyouagift,andyoudon’t

haveawaytoreciprocate,thattriggerssomethingdeepinsideofyou.Youwantto “make it right,” and you look for a way to reciprocate, to give somethingback.

DuringaPLF-stylelaunch,youspendtheentireprelaunchgivingtopeople.That’s what the whole prelaunch is about . . . giving out great, free content.Whenyougiveout thatcontent,you’recreatinga large reciprocity imbalance.ThegreaterthevalueofyourPrelaunchContent,thegreaterthatimbalance.Inthe end,when you ask for something back, your prospectwill have a greatertendencytowanttoreciprocate.Andattheendofthelaunch,thatreciprocationoftenequatestoasale.

Duringaprelaunchtherewillbeseveralcyclesofreciprocity,ofgivingandreceivingbeforeyouevenget to asking for theorder.Butmakenomistake—reciprocityisanextremelypowerfulmentaltrigger,andyou’llbeactivatingthistriggerthroughoutyourentirelaunch.

3.TrustBuildingtrustistheultimateshortcircuittobecominginfluentialinsomeone’slife. I’m sure you can think ofmany timeswhen a trusted friend or parent orteachertoldyousomethingthatyoubelievedwithoutquestionbecauseofyourrelationshipwiththatperson.Somethingthat,ifastrangerhadtoldyouthesamething,youabsolutelywouldn’thavebelieved.That’sthepoweroftrust.

Obviously, ifyouwant to influencesomeone, it’smucheasier if they trustyou.Ifyouwanttogetsomeonetodosomething,it’smucheasieriftheytrustyou. If youwant to convince someone to buy something from you, it’smucheasieriftheytrustyou.

Ofcourse,inbusinessitcanbedifficulttoearnsomeone’strust.Especiallyin thecurrentmarketingenvironment,whereeveryone iscompletely inundatedwithmarketingmessages all day long.Your prospect is getting thousands andthousands ofmessages. Cutting through that “marketing fog” is hard enough.Tryingtoactuallycreatetrustinthatenvironmentisevenharder.

One of the easiestways to create trust is through time.You can probablythink of a timewhen you had a neighborwho seemed a bit different or evenstrange.Youdidn’tconsiderthemtobeafriendandprobablydidn’tevenknowthemallthatwell.Butafteryoulivednexttothemforaperiodoftime,andaftertheyprovedthemselvestobereliableandhonest,youdevelopedasenseoftrustinthem.Timemakesitmucheasiertotrustpeople.

That’s one of the luxuries that the Product Launch Formula® and theSidewaysSalesLetter™givesyou. . . time.Comparedtoanormal“driveby”advertisementorsalespitch, thesetoolsgiveyoutimeandrepeatedinteractionwithyourprospects.Theymakebuildingatrustrelationshipwithyourprospectmucheasierthanwiththeoldwayofmarketing.

4.AnticipationAnother super-powerfulmental trigger is “anticipation,” and this is one of thecornerstones of the Product Launch Formula. In fact, when I first startedteachingPLF,manypeoplereferredtoitas“anticipationmarketing.”

Anticipation is one of the triggers that allows you to cut through themarketingfog.Itletsyougrabyourmarket’sattentionandnotletgo.Thinkbacktowhenyouwereachildandyoulookedforwardtosomespecialday.Maybeitwasyourbirthday.MaybeitwasChristmasmorning.Maybeitwasyourlastdayof school before summer vacation. Time seemed to slow down as the big,anticipateddayapproached.Itwasallyoucouldthinkabout.Youcouldn’twaitforthatday.

Well, here’s a newsflash—all of us are really just big kids. We haven’tgottenoveranticipatingthosespecialdays.Andifyoudothisright,yourlaunchisalmostlikemixingtogetheryourprospect’sbirthdayandsummervacationallinonebundle.

Anticipation is closely related to scarcity,which is another super-powerfultriggerI’llgettoinjustaminute,butbasicallyit’stheideathatpeoplewillwantsomethingmoreifthere’slessofitavailable.Anticipationisalsocloselytiedto“events”where you’re circling the date on the calendar and focusing all yourattentionon thatdate. Ifyouuseanticipationright,peoplewillput thedateontheir calendar and look forward to your launch. It’s like you’re putting yourprospectsintoyourstoryline.Theycan’twaitforthenextinstallment,theycan’twaittoseewhat’sgoingtohappen,theycan’twaittogetyourproduct.

Aswith all themental triggers,when youmix anticipationwith the othermentaltriggers,thepowerismagnifiedandtheimpactisoftenbreathtaking.

5.LikeabilityLikability is amental trigger that you have certainly experienced in your life.Thesimplefactisthatweenjoydoingbusinesswithpeopleweknow,like,andtrust.Wearemoreinfluencedbypeoplewelikethanthosewedon’tlike.

Sohowdowebecomemorelikable?Attheriskofstatingtheobvious,youbecomemorelikablebydoinglikablethings.Whenyou’reseenbeinggracious,kind,generous,andhonest . . .well,peoplewill likeyoumore.And themorelikableyouare,themoreinfluenceyouwillhave.

People generally like to do business with other people more than with alarge faceless corporation. If you look around, you’ll see even the biggestcorporationsarestartingtorealizethis,andthey’redoingtheirbesttohumanizetheirmessage.And in theageof ever-increasingdigital communication,we’realllookingforincreasedconnectionandauthenticity.

If you look at what I’ve already shared with you about themagic of thePrelaunchSequence,you’llseethatawell-constructedsequencewillinherentlymake you more likable. You’re giving people great free content, you’reinteractingwiththem,you’rerespondingtotheirquestionsandcomments.Alloftheseactionsmakeyoumorelikable.You’rebuildingastrongconnectionwithyourmarketandyourclients.Andthatmakesyoumoreinfluential.

6.EventsandRitualWhen you turn your marketing into an event (which is what running a well-executedPLF-stylelaunchisallabout),thenyouinstantlymakeyourmarketingtrulymagnetic. People love events, and they get pulled in by them. It makesthemfeelas thoughtheyarepartofsomethingbigger thanthemselves.This isone of the reasons that sports fans get so caught up in the fate of a team. Inreality, thepeopleon“theirteam”areusuallymadeupofabunchofcompletestrangers.Butwatchingtheirteamcompetebecomesanimportanteventinfans’lives.

Abigpartofthistriggeristheideaof“ritual.”Whenpeoplegothroughaneventtogether,itbecomessomethingofaritual.Ritualspullpeopletogetherandcreatesomeofthemostpowerfulexperiencesweashumanbeingscanhave.Infact,ritualisacornerstonefornearlyallreligion.InthemodernWesternworld,wearesomewhatstarvedforrituals(which,again,explainswhysportingeventsare so important to somany), and that’swhy this typeof experience canbe apeakexperienceforus.

Now, this isn’t a manual on how to start a religion or build a sportsfranchise,butthisispowerfulstuffthatyoucantapintoquicklyandeasily.Turnyourmarketingintoanevent,andyouwilltransformyourresults.

7.CommunityCommunity is averypowerfulmental trigger.Weact in accordancewithhowwethinkthepeopleinourcommunityaresupposedtoact.WhereIgrewup,intheAmericanMidwest, almost everyoneworkedhard tohaveagreen lawn infrontoftheirhome.Theamountoftime,effort,andmoneyittooktocreateandmaintainalush,greenlawnwasconsiderable.Ithinkit’ssafetoassumethatnoteveryonewhowasworking sohardon those lawnsdid sobecause they lovedgrowinggrassinfrontoftheirhome.Butthesocialnormofthecommunitywasthat the residents had well-cared-for lawns in front of their homes, so theytendedthemverycarefully.

If you reflect onyourown life, I bet you can thinkofmanycommunitiesyou’re part of. These might be work communities, social communities,communitiesoffriends,evenonlinecommunities.Andallofthosecommunitieshave norms that govern how communitymembers are supposed to act. Thesenormscanbewildlydifferentfromcommunitytocommunity,buttheyareverypowerfulwithinthecommunity.

Buthere’ssomethingexcitingyoumightnotknow.Whilecommunitiesmayseemlargeandestablishedanddifficulttogetgoing,that’snotalwaystrue.Youcanactuallybuildyourownonlinecommunityrightinthemidstofyourlaunch.Onceyougetpeople interactingwithyou,withyourmarketing,andwitheachother,you’reonyourwaytoformingacommunity.Whichmeans,ofcourse,thatyoucancreateyourowncommunitynorms.Thosenormscouldincludeactionslikehelpingspread thewordaboutyourPrelaunchContent,makingcommentsonyourlaunchblog,or“liking”yourpostsinsocialmedia.Orevenbuyingyourproduct.

8.ScarcityScarcity is one of themost powerfulmental triggers in existence, period. It’ssimple—when there is lessofsomething,wewant itmore.And, in reality, it’stheperceptionofscarcity thatmotivatesus.Ifyouthinkabout it, thepowerofscarcityshowsupinourlivesoverandover,inallkindsofdifferentways.Whydopeoplevaluediamondsmorethanotherprettyrocks?Becausethey’rehardertofind.They’remoredifficulttocut.Therearefewerofthem.Andthey’reveryexpensive.

Samewithgold,orRolexes,orFerraris.Oneofthethingsthatscarcitydoesisforcepeopletomakeadecision.The

vast majority of people will put off a decision if you give them a choice,especiallywhenitcomestospendingmoney.Oneofthekeyobjectivesyouhavein yourmarketing is to force people tomake a decision. That’swhat scarcitydoes.Ifsomethingistrulyscarce,thenapersonneedstoactquicklybeforethescarceresourcegoesaway.

Tocreateawell-executedlaunch,youabsolutelyneedtobuildscarcityintothat launch. There has to be some negative consequence if people don’t takeactionandbuybeforetheendofthelaunch(forinstance,thepricemightgoupafterthelaunch).Ifyoumakesurethere’salwayssomescarcitybuiltintoyourlaunch,itwilltakeyourresultstoacompletelydifferentlevel.

Infact,weoftenseeasmanysalesinthelast24hoursofalaunchaswedoduring the restof the launchcombined. Ifyou structureyour launchcorrectly,the last-second rush is every bit as predictable as the rush to buy flowers onValentine’sDay.

It’salmostlikeaspectatorsport.Ifyouhaveprogrammedscarcityintoyourlaunch,planonmakingabigbowlofpopcornandsittingbackandwatchingalltheorderspourinonthelasteveningofyourlaunch.

Readthoselastthreeparagraphsagain—becausethepowerofscarcitywilltransformyourresults.IfyouimplementnothingelseinthisbookbutthatonetacticandyouabsolutelyINSISTonusingthattacticinEVERYlaunchyoudo,itwillliterallypayyouback10,000timeswhatyouinvestedinthisbook.

9.SocialProofSocial proof is another super-powerful trigger. While it can be very hard tocreate in an old-style marketing campaign, social proof is extremely easy tobuildintoyourPLF-styleproductlaunch.

Social proof is the idea that ifwe seeotherpeople taking action, thenwewill be inclined to take that action as well. Typically we take cues from thepeoplearounduswhenwe’reunsureofhowtoact.Wearesocialcreatures,andit’shard tooveremphasize justhowcompletelyweare influencedbywhatweseeotherpeoplearoundusdoing.

Forexample,consider this scenario. It’s7PMandyoudrive intoastrangetown.You’rehungryandyou’relookingforrestaurant.Let’sjustsaythebatteryin your smart phone is dead and you don’t have anyway to check restaurantreviews,soyou’reonyourownwhenitcomestopickingarestaurant.Youseetworestaurants.Theoneontherightsideoftheroadhasnocarsintheparking

lot,whiletheoneontheleftsideoftheroadhassixcars.Whichrestaurantareyougoingtopick?Mostpeoplewouldgototherestaurantwiththecarsintheparkinglot,assumingthatallthosepeoplemustknowsomething,right?That’ssocialproofinaction.

And thinkback toyoursmartphone. Ifyourbatteryhadn’tbeendeadandyou could check out restaurant reviews, well, you would simply be checkinganother formofsocialproof.Youwouldbebasingyouractionsonwhatotherpeoplesayordo.

Onemoreexample.Let’ssaythatyouwanttodownloadapieceofsoftwareoranapp.Yougotodownload.comoranappstoreanddoasearch.Thereare30differentsoftwarepackagesthatcomeupinyoursearch.Oneofthemhasbeendownloaded3.5milliontimes,onehasbeendownloaded17,000times,andtheresthavebeendownloadedjustafewhundredtimesorless.Whichoneareyougoingtotryfirst?Mostpeoplewillstartwiththeonethat’sbeendownloaded3.5milliontimes.Allthoseotherpeoplemustknowsomething,right?Again,that’ssocialproofinaction.

So here’s how social proof applies to your launch. Due to the interactivenatureofyour launch,youcancreateallkindsofsocialproof.WhensomeonenewtoyoursiteseesotherfolksmakingcommentsonyourPrelaunchContent—sayinghowexcitedtheyareaboutyourlaunchandhowtheycan’twait tobuyyourproduct—thatissocialproofinaction,andit’sincrediblypowerful.

LayeringandSequencing:TakingMentalTriggerstotheNextLevelSothischapterhastakenyouonabrieftourthroughtheworldofmentaltriggers—thesearethethingsthatinfluenceouractionsonaveryfundamentallevelallday long, each and every day. These triggers shape our decisions and actionsevery day. And, more to the point of this book, they shape your prospects’decisionsandactionseveryday.

I’ve just given you a brief introduction here. In fact, due to spaceconsiderations, I’ve covered only a handful of the mental triggers. The ninementionedinthischapterrepresentabouthalfofthetriggersthatI’veidentifiedanduse inmyPLF launches. Ifyouwant togodeeperon themental triggers,I’vegotavideoforyouatthislink:http://thelaunchbook.com/triggers.

Oneoftheimportantthingstorememberaboutthesetriggersisthattheyarenot isolated.Many of them are closely related, and theywork synergistically.

Whenusedtogether,theimpactiscompounded.For instance, trust and authority are closely linked. It’s easier to establish

authoritywhenyouhavetrust.Andtrustissomethingthatnaturallyflowsfromhaving a position of authority. In fact, there is even a well-worn phrase thatcombinesthesetwo—”trustedauthority.”

Another example is scarcity and social proof. If something is scarce, it’sgenerally because the demand exceeds supply, which implies there is largedemand.Andifthere’slargedemand,wellthat’ssocialproofrightthere.Soit’salmostlikesocialproofandscarcityaretwosidesofthesamecoin.

Anotherkeypointaboutmentaltriggersisthattheyaremorepowerfulwhenyou sequence themand layer themon topof eachother.And that’swhere theProductLaunchFormulaisunparalleledinitspower.Theverynatureofthewaywedolaunchesgivesyouthetimeandspacetousemultipletriggersandtohavethembuildontopofoneanother.

I’llcoverthismorewhenwegettothePrelaunchSequenceandtheLaunchSequence, including what triggers you should activate at what point in yoursequences,buthere’saquickexample.

Generallyatthebeginningofyourprelaunchyoustartwithapowerfulpieceofcontentthatsetsuptheoverallpromiseandopportunityofthelaunch.Whenyousharestrongcompellingcontentatthestartofyourprelaunch,youinstantlydevelopauthority.Thatauthoritycomesnaturallywhenyoupublishthatcontent;it’s nearly automatic. You will also develop reciprocity when you do this,becauseyou’regivingawayyourgreatcontentfreely.Youhavecreatedaneedinthereceivertogivebacktoyou,whichoftentranslatesintoasale.Youwillalsohaveanticipationgoingforyou,asyoutalkabouteverythingelsethat’scomingupinyourprelaunch.

As you move further through the prelaunch, you develop social proof aspeoplemakepubliccommentsaboutyourPrelaunchContent.Thesecommentscanbeonyourblogorinsocialmedia—eitherway,youstarttodevelopstrongsocialproof.Andhopefullyyour interaction throughout theprelaunch starts tobuildlikabilitywithyourprospects(andmaybeevenalittletrust).

Thenastheprelaunchnearsitsend,andyougetclosetoyouropencartdate,youhit the event and ritual triggers as people start to anticipate your product.Thisisanaturaltimetohitthescarcitytrigger,whenyoustarttalkingaboutyourofferandmentiontheinherentlylimitednatureoftheoffer.

That’s a quick example of sequencing and layeringmental triggers, but I

hopeI’vemadeitclearhowpowerfulthesetriggersare.AndaPLF-stylelaunchgivesyoutheopportunitytousethemtogethertocreateanexponentiallymorepowerful effect. That truly is the secret magic here, because not everyonerespondstothevarioustriggersinthesameway.Forexample,forsomepeoplesocialproofmight influence themstrongly,whileforothers trustandauthorityareimportanttriggersintheirdecisionmaking.Butwhenyoulayonetriggerontop of another throughout your sequences, you build a remarkably irresistiblepromotion. That’s the power of Product Launch Formula, and that’s why it’sbeenacompletegamechanger.

Okay, we’ve covered a lot of ground. We just wrapped up the mentaltriggers,andwe’vealreadygivenyouasolidgroundinginthefundamentalpartstothePLFpuzzle.Nowit’stimetopressthegaspedaltothefloorandgettothehardcore,nitty-grittyfundamentalsofputtingtogetheroneoftheselaunches.

Andwe’regoingtostartwiththepartofthelaunchthat’salmostcompletelyunder the radar. This one component, which no one notices, sets you up formassivesuccess.It’stimeforthepre-prelaunch…

Chapter6

TheShotacrosstheBow:YourPre-Prelaunch

Asyougo through this book, itwill becomeobvious that there’s a significantamount ofwork and planning that goes into one of these launches. I know, Iknow...Iwishitweren’tso.Butifyouwanttomakeafortunethereisalwaysworkinvolved.I figure that ifyou’restillwithme,you’renotafraidofa littlework.

TheplacewhereyouusuallystartiswithyourPre-PrelaunchSequence.Thisisthemagictimewhereyourprospectsfirstgetaninklingthatsomethingcooliscoming.

Over the years I’ve had lots of people try to reverse-engineer theProductLaunchFormulaprocess...inotherwords,theywatchacoupleoflaunchesandtry to figure out how the entire thing is put together. The only problemwithreverse-engineeringsomething is that thereareoftenpartshidden“beneath thehood.” Leave out those key ingredients, and it screws up the whole thing,makingarealmess.Andoneoftheareasthat’salmostalwaysoverlookedisthe“pre-pre”—becauseit’sthemostclandestine.Thecoolthingisthatit’salsooneofthesimplestandeasiestpartsoftheformula.

Thewhole ideaof thepre-prelaunch is tobegin to activateyour tribe—orstart building a tribe if you don’t have one yet. But you’re also doing otherimportantfoundationalwork.You’retestingthemarket’slevelofinterestinyourproduct idea. You’re trying to surface potential objections so you can answerthemduringyour prelaunch.And finally, you’re gathering information to helpfinalizeyourproduct offer.As if thatweren’t enough, you’redoing all of thiswhilesettingthestageforyourPrelaunchSequence.

Iliketocallyourpre-prelaunchthe“ShotAcrosstheBow,”whichisanavaltermforawarningshotfiredtowardanothership.Thewholeideaistogettheother ship’s attentionwithout resorting to an overt attack.Your Pre-PrelaunchSequenceisallaboutgrabbingyourmarket’sattentionwithoutactuallytryingtosellthemanythingatall.

Soundslikeabigjob,right?Well,there’smuchtobeaccomplishedinthis

phaseofyourlaunch,whichisprettyamazingwhenyoulookathowsimpleandeasythepre-prelaunchreallyistopulloff.

Ingeneral,mytoolofchoiceforthepre-prehashistoricallybeenasimpleemailortwo,althoughthesedayssocialmediahasalsobecomeabigpartofthepre-pre formany launches.And there have been a few timeswhere I’ve usedvideo,andsometimesI’vethrownasurveyintothemix.

TheTenPre-PrelaunchQuestionsWhenI’mabouttoheadintoalaunch,andI’mthinkingaboutmypre-prelaunch,thesearethetoptenquestionsthatarerunningthroughmymind…

1.“HowcanIletpeopleknowsomethingiscomingwithouthavingitfeellikeI’mtryingtosellthemsomething?”Assoonaspeoplethinkyou’retryingtosellsomething,theirdefensesgoup.It’slike inStar Trek—whenever they sensed a threat, it was “Shields up!”Whenyourprospectsfeellikethere’sasalespitchcoming,theyinstantlybelieveyoulessanddistrustyoumore.So the ideahere is tobegin theconversationaboutyourproductWITHOUTovertlysellingit.

2.“HowcanIteasetheircuriosity?”Curiosity, which is closely related to anticipation, is another powerful mentaltrigger.It’sahookthatgrabspeopleanddoesn’tletgo.Ifyoucanstarttoengageyour prospects’ curiosity early on, you’ll keep them interested for the entirelaunch.

3.“HowcanIgettheirhelpincreatingthisproduct?HowcanImakethiscollaborative?”This is really important, and it’s something most people miss. People willsupportthethingstheyhelpcreate.Soifyoucangetpeopleengagedandcreatethefeelinglikethey’repartoftheprocess—possiblyeventhatthey’realmostco-creators—thenyou’venowmovedthemfromprospectstocheerleaders.

4.“HowcanIfigureoutwhattheirobjectionsaretothisproduct?”You can’t sell to people until you overcome their objections to the sale. Youcan’t overcome those objections until you discover what they are. YoumightTHINKyouknowwhat theirobjectionsare,butyoudon’treallyKNOWwhat

theyareuntilyoustartengagingwithyourprospects.Unfortunately,mostpeoplelaunch their products without having any real ideawhat those objections are.Withthepre-preyou’regoingtofindoutwhattheyareearlyon—whenyoustillhavetimetodosomethingaboutansweringandovercomingthem.

5.“HowcanIstarttoengagemyprospectsinaconversationaboutmyoffer?HowcanIbeengagingandavoidthe“corporatespeak”thatwillkillmylaunchbeforeitstarts?”This is closely related to the first question, which was about letting yourprospects know something was coming without being “salesy.” The additionhere is the “engagement” piece—starting the conversation and beingconversational. In other words, this is where you set the stage for the entire“Launch Conversation,” where you create a marketing dialogue instead of amonologue.

6.“HowcanImakethisfunandhumorousandevenexciting?”Makenomistake.EventhoughI’mteachingyouan incrediblypowerfulsetoftools,yourjobofkeepingpeople’sattentioninacrowdedmarketwillalwaysbechallenging. Think about every second you’re engaging them as a ticking“attention bomb.”You have only somany secondswhere you can keep themengaged.I’mnottryingtointimidateyouorbeoverlydramatic,buttherealityisthatthepeopleyou’resellingtohavethousandsofotherthingsbattlingfortheirattention. Think of humor or surprise as an instant attention reset. Every timeyouget your prospects to laughor smile, it sets that ticking “attentionbomb”backtozero,andyou’vegainedsomepreciousextraseconds.

7.“HowcanIstandoutinacrowdedmarket?HowcanIbedifferent?”This is related to question #6. Standing out is about getting your prospectsengagedandkeepingthemengaged.Ineverwantmymarketingtobelikeotherpeople’smarketing. Iwant to be different, unique,memorable. There’s an oldprinciplethatIalwayskeepinmind:Inreality,mostpeople(andbusinesses)arenot havingmuch success. At best, they are getting “average” results. I’m notinterestedinaverageresults,andyoushouldn’tbeeither.Sodon’tdowhattheaveragebusinessisdoing;watchwhatthey’redoing,anddotheopposite.

It’snotveryhardtostandoutinyourmarketandwithyourprospects.Justdothingsalittlebitdifferentlythanyourcompetitorsdo.

8.“HowcanIfigureouthowmymarketwantstobesold?”Thismightsoundlikeaweirdquestion,becauseyoumightthinkthatthefolksinyourmarket aren’twalking around “wanting” to be sold to.Andyou’re right,they’re not.But they arewalking aroundwith problems.And they’rewalkingaroundwith hopes, dreams, desires, and fears. They’re lying in bed unable tosleep because they’re thinking about those hopes, dreams, desires, and fears.Theywant solutions.And ifyouhavea solution, theycertainlywant tobuy itfromyou.

9.“HowcanIfigureoutmyexactoffer?”NomatterhowmuchIwouldlike tomakeProductLaunchFormulaseemlikecompletemarketingmagic, the truth is thatyouneed tocreateagreatoffer. Infact, the termthatIusefor this inPLFis“acrushingoffer.”Notreallyaverytechnicalterm,butyougetmypoint.Ifyourlaunchisgoingtobeasuccess,youneedacrushingoffer.

Andifyouhaveacrushingoffer,you’realongwaydowntheroadtohavingasuccessfullaunch.

Andyourpre-prelaunchisakeytocreatingacrushingoffer.Becauseifyouaskthemtherightway,yourprospectswilltellyouhowtocreateagreatoffer.

10.“HowcanthisnaturallyleadintomyPrelaunchSequence?”Sinceyourlaunch(andPLF)isallaboutsequences,allaboutcreatingagreasedchute that leads right into your launchday, it’s only natural to have your pre-prelaunchtieseamlesslyintoyourPrelaunchSequence.

MyFavoritePre-PrelaunchStrategySo with those questions running through my head, I looked for an elegantstrategytofindtherightanswerswithjustanemailortwo.

Fortunately,Icameupwithanoldstandbystrategythatworks95%of thetime,anditwillalmostcertainlyworkforyou.Therearemanyvariationsonthistheme,buteventhemostbasicversionisextremelyeffective.

Solet’sjustjumpintoanexample.Thisisapre-prelaunchthatIcreatedallthewayback in2005foraproduct Iwas launchingabout trading in thestockmarket. Now before you go thinking this is ancient history and won’t workanymore,IwanttotellyouthatmystudentsinthePLFCoachingProgramare

stillhavinggreatsuccessusingthisexactsequence.Onemorething:Thisexampleisaboutthestockmarket,butunderstandthat

this strategyhasbeen successfullyapplied inallkindsofmarkets. In fact,mystudentshaveuseditinmarketsthatrangedfrom“howtolearnguitar”to“howtogetmoreclientsforyourmassagepractice”to“howtotakecareofyourpetdog.”

“QuickAnnouncementandaFavor”This is so simple and so elegant that the casual reader might miss just howmagical,howpowerful this is,but I’mgoing to trust thatyouwon’tmake thatmistake.

So I started this pre-prewith a simple email that I sent out tomy list. Inrecent years, I’ve done something very similar onmyFacebook page. This iswhatwasintheemail:

SUBJECT:Quickannouncementandafavor…

JeffWalkerhere.We’llbesendingyourTradingUpdateinjustalittlebit.ButfirstIneedtoaskyouafavor…

We’re really close to wrapping up our long-awaited tradingmanual.WewillbereleasingitinearlyJanuary.Butbeforewedo,Ihavetoaskyouacoupleofquestions.Canyouhelpusout?

You can answer the questions here (and get a little more detail on thetradingmanual)atthislink:

http://www.example.com/

Thanksandbestregards,

Jeff

Ofcourse, Igave themareal, live linkto thesurvey . . .but that’s it.Thestart of the pre-prelaunch came in a simple, plain old email thatwas only 80

wordslong.Justthatemailaccomplishedquiteabit.Butbeforewewalkthroughit,let’stakealookatthepagemyreadersweresenttoiftheyclickedthelinkintheemail.Theylandedonasimplewebpagethatsaid:

Hi,We’re VERY close to finishing our long-awaited Trading

Manual.Wehavebeenworkingonthisformorethanfouryears,but

wearefinallygoingtowrapitup.WewillbereleasingitinearlyJanuary.

This course will be entirely focused on “Support andResistance.” It will include two printed manuals, eight audioCDs,andonevideotutorialDVD. It isgoingtobeacompletebraindumpofeverythingthatweknowabout“SUPPORTandRESISTANCE.”

Wearegoingtocoverallthewaysthatweusetogenerateour support and resistance zones, andwearegoing to showyouexactlyhowwetradethosezones.

HOWEVER, we need your help. Before we finalizeeverythingandsenditofftotheprinter,weneedtomakesurewehavecoveredeverything.

That iswhereyoucome in.Please takea fewminutes toanswer this super-short survey—there is really only one thingwewanttoaskyou…

What are your two top questions about Support andResistance thatweabsolutelyNEED toanswer inour tradingcourse?

Thatwasit...asuper-shortemailthatsentpeopletoasuper-shortsurvey.Butifwegobacktothetenpre-prelaunchquestionsupabove,youcanseeIhitabunchofthemhere.

1.“HowcanIletpeopleknowsomethingiscomingwithouthavingitfeellikeI’mtryingtosellthemsomething?”Well, Idefinitely letpeopleknowsomethingwascoming,and Idid itwithoutanyhintofapitch.Iwassimplyaskingfortheirhelp.Iwantedtheirfeedbackonthisproject.

Andthattrulyiswhattheemailwasallabout.Butitalsoaccomplishedalotofotherthings…

2.“HowcanIteasetheircuriosity?”Idid this inafewways—first justby telling themsomethingwascomingthattheycouldn’tgetyet.Andthen,intheemail,Itoldthemtheycould“getalittlemoredetail”byclickingonthelink.

And then there’s the key phrase “We’re really close to wrapping up ourlong-awaited training manual,” which is repeated in both the email and thesurvey. Just by telling people that the manual was “long-awaited” sets theexpectation that people are already curious about and eagerly anticipating thisproduct.Andthis is important,because“buzz,”curiosity,andanticipationfeedon each other. So by starting to build in that perception early on, I’m alreadysettingthestageforthebuildtowardahighlyanticipatedlaunch.

Wasthisproductreallylong-awaited?Idon’tknow.ButIdoknowthatIhadbeendroppinghintsaboutitforalongtime,andIhadbuiltupalistofpeoplewhohadaskedmetocreatethisproduct.AndIknowthatIhadbeenworkingontheprojectforalongtime,andIwasreadytogetitlaunched.That’senoughformetocallitlong-awaited.

3.“HowcanIgettheirhelpincreatingthisproduct?HowcanImakethiscollaborative?”Well, this one is obvious.When my readers clicked through to the survey, Iaskedthemwhattheirtoptwoquestionswereaboutthetopic.I’mincludingmyprospectsinthecreationofmyproductbysolicitingtheirfeedback.Thisisthekeysentence:

“HOWEVER,weneedyourhelp.Beforewefinalizeeverythingandsenditofftotheprinter,weneedtomakesurewe’vecoveredeverything.”

Remember,peoplewillsupportthatwhichtheyhelpcreate.I’mgivingmyreadersachancetohelpcreatetheproduct.

There’sanothersubtlebitofhumanpsychologygoingonhere.Rememberin

thelastchapterwhenwecoveredthereciprocitymentaltrigger?Well,thismightseemcounterintuitive,butwe’re actually engaging the reciprocity triggerhere.Now,youmightthink,“Howcantherebereciprocityatplayhere,sinceyou’reaskingthemforafavor?”

Well, stick with me on this one. First of all, remember that the peoplereadingthiswereonmyemaillistofsubscribers—manyofthemforaverylongtime.And,justbyvirtueofmypublishingtothemeveryday,theyviewedmeasanexpertorevena“guru.”

Andnow,byaskingfor theiropinion,Iamgivingthemmyattention.Andthekeywordthereis“giving.”Bygivingmyattention,Iambuildingupalittlereciprocityinthemindsofmanyofmyreaders.

Doyouseehow,withjustashortemailandashortsurvey,we’restartingtobuildupaconfluenceoftriggersthatwillcomeintoplaydowntheroad?

4.“HowcanIfigureoutwhattheirobjectionsaretothisproduct?”Thisoneiseasy.I’mjustoutrightaskingthemtotellmetheirobjectionsinthesurvey. No, I don’t use the word “objections,” because people don’t think inthoseterms.Butbyaskingfortheir“toptwoquestions,”theywilltellmewhattheirobjectionsare.

When you do this, you’ll always find two or three or maybe even fourcommon themes that keep showing up in the responses. Those themes willcontainyourprospects’primaryobjections.

5.“HowcanIstarttoengagemyprospectsinaconversationaboutmyoffer?HowcanIbeengagingandavoidthe“corporatespeak”thatwillkillmylaunchbeforeitstarts?”First of all, look at the email and the survey.No corporate speak there.Rightfromthestart,thesubjectlineis“Quickannouncementandafavor...“Whenwasthelasttimeabigcorporationaskedforafavorintheiremail?

And as far as starting the conversation—that’s what this entire mini-sequenceisabout.Askingfortheirfeedbackstartstheconversation.

6.“HowcanImakethisfunandhumorousandevenexciting?”Okay,I’mnotsurethatIhitthisoneinthispre-prelaunchotherthanthefactthatI’mlettingmyreadersinonsomethingbeforeithappens.I’mlettingthemintomy creative world. It’s almost like whispering something to someone in a

crowdedroom—everyonewantstoknowwhatyouwhispered.Inthiscase,I’mwhisperingtomyreadersbeforeIannounceittothegeneralpublic.

7.“HowcanIstandoutinacrowdedmarket?HowcanIbedifferent?”Thekeyhereisbyaskingmyreadersfortheirfeedbackbeforetheproductwasreleased,Iletthembecomepartoftheprocess.Andthat’sabsolutelyimportant,becausepeoplesupportthatwhichtheyhelpcreate.

Igavethemasmallparttoplayinthecreationoftheproduct,andthat’sastep toward building an army of people who will support your launch andpossiblyevenbuyyourproduct.

8.“HowcanIfigureouthowmymarketwantstobesold?”Thisiswhatthesurveyisallabout.Inadditiontogatheringthetopobjections,thesurveywillgiveyouallkindsofadditionaldataandinformation.

If you use a survey like this, it’s often good to mix up multiple choicequestions with essay questions. You will get a higher response with multiplechoicequestions,because it’s easier tocheckabox than to type inananswer.However,essayquestionswillgiveyouquiteabitmoreinsight.AndthatinsightwilloftentellyouhowtoconstructyourPrelaunchSequenceandyourLaunchSequence.Often Iwill literally cut-and-pastewords and phrases directly fromthistypeofsurveyandusetheminmyPrelaunchContent.

Thereisanoldsayinginthedirectmarketingworld:“Youwanttoentertheconversationthat’salreadytakingplaceinyourprospect’smind.”Theresponsesyougettoasurveygiveyoutheshortcuttoenteringthatconversation.It’shardtooverstatejusthowpowerfulthisis.

9.“HowcanIfigureoutmyexactoffer?”Again, the answer to this question is in the survey responses. Actually, thissurveyis just thebeginningof theanswertothisquestion.IfI’mlaunchinganinformationor knowledgeproduct, it’s oftenpossible to continue to tweak theanswer all theway up intomy launch, so I’ll gather data throughout the pre-prelaunchandtheprelaunchtohelpmefine-tunetheoffer.

Even if you’re selling widgets, it’s possible to add information-basedcomponentstotheoffer.Forexample,inthislaunchweendedupaddingsomelivequestion-and-answerteleseminarstotheoffer.Sincethecallsaredeliveredafterthelaunch,ittookzeroefforttoaddthemtotheoffer.Andthatsametype

ofbonuscouldbeaddedtoallkindsofdifferentlaunchoffers.

10.“HowcanthisnaturallyleadintomyPrelaunchSequence?”AfewdaysafterIsentthatfirstemailIwrotetomylistagain.Ithankedthemfor the overwhelming response and told them how excited I was to have theproject almost complete.That continued the conversation about this upcomingproductanddidsoinawaythatwasnot“salesy.”Iwasn’tscreaming“Buymystuff,buymystuff!”atthetopofmylungs.Instead,Iwasaskingmylisttojoinmeasco-creators.

Thatpre-pre also showed them that Iwas concernedwithmaking this thebestpossibleproduct,andIwasveryinterestedinwhattheywanted.AndIputtheminthestateofimaginingtheproductasthebestpossibleproductfortheirneeds.

$110,000inMyBathrobeThe great thing about the pre-prelaunch is that it’s a beautiful combination ofbeing simple and powerful. It takes some thought and a bit of advancedplanning, but the actual execution of your pre-prelaunch can be incrediblysimple.TakealookattheexampleIgave—ittookonesuper-shortemailandasurvey.Writing the email andputting together that survey tookabout anhour.(See my Resource Page for services you can use to create your surveys athttp://thelaunchbook.com/resources.)

Therearelotsofdifferentwaystoskinacat,andI’veusedlotsofdifferenttechniques for my various pre-prelaunches, but this “Top Two QuestionsSurvey” technique is a winner, and I suggest you use it for your first pre-prelaunch. It’s a greatway to let yourmarket know something is coming andgathersomegreatintelligenceaboutyourmarketatthesametime.

This survey gave me some fantastic feedback on what the market waslookingfor,whatmyprospects’biggestobjectionswere,andevensomeof theexact language I would end up using throughout the launch as I built themomentumtowardlaunchday.

That launch was my first time selling a physical product—a series thatincluded two books and a package of CDs—and I didn’t have a big fancypublisher behind me. It was just me and my list of email subscribers and asimplelittlewebsite.

Openingthelaunchinmybathrobeatthekitchentable.

Infact,IdidthislaunchfrommykitchentablewhileIwasinmybathrobe.Here’saphotomywifetookjustafewmomentsafterweopenedtheshoppingcart.

Iwassmilinginthatphoto,becauseitwasAFTERweopenedthecart.ButIcertainly had a tense fewmoments waiting for the clock to tick down to theopen.AndI’lladmitthatmyfingerlingeredoverthatmousebuttonagain—justlikeitdoesforeveryoneofmylaunches.IwonderedwhetherIhadeverythinginplace,andIwonderedwhatthatnextclickwouldbring.

Itdidn’ttakelongtofindout…AfterIhitthesendbutton,ittookfewerthanfourminutesforthefirstorder

tocomein.Thesecondordercameinfivesecondslaterandwewereofftotheraces.Inthefirsthourwehadover$27,000inordersandwhenwecloseddownthelaunchaweeklater,wehadover$110,000insales.

Andwediditallwithoutanyaffiliates,anydistributors,anyoutsidesales.Justasimplewebsiteandanemaillist.Ofcourse,therewasalotmoreinvolvedingetting those sales than thepre-prelaunch.Therewasmoregoingon thanasimple80-wordemailandasimplesurvey.Andthat’swherewe’regoingnext—intotheheartandsouloftheProductLaunchFormula.It’stimetoputtogetheryourPrelaunchSequence…

Chapter7

SellThemWhatTheyWant:TheMagicofPrelaunch

Is itpossible to improveyour tennisgamebywatchingtrainingvideosonline?Canyoureplace(orsupplement)tennislessonswithanonlinemembership?Andmore to the point for Will Hamilton, would people pay for online tennisinstruction?

ThatwasWillHamilton’spremisewhenhe startedFuzzyYellowBalls.comwithafriend.Willwasjustoutofcollege,andhewasn’texcitedaboutthelong-term prospects of being a tennis coach. So he set up shop in his parents’basement and started a web-based business. The initial plan was to publishvideosonYouTubeandmakemoneythroughadvertising.Butitquicklybecameapparentthattherewasnofutureinthat.Inanichemarketliketennis,therewasnever going to be enough video views to drive a serious advertising-basedbusiness.

So the next strategy Will tried was creating a membership site withinstructionalvideos.Heandhisbuddypricedthemembershiptothesiteat$25permonth.Butthesitelanguishedandsaleswereslow.Aftertenmonths,theyweregettingclosetowritingoff thewholeideaasafailedexperiment,closingupshop,andmovingon. It seemed like theanswer to thequestionofwhetherpeople would pay for online tennis instruction was “No”—at least not at thevolumetosupportWillandhisbusinesspartner.

ThatwaswhenWilldiscovered theProductLaunchFormula.Andsince itwasdesperate times,Will leapt into action.Heput his first launch together injustafewweeks.Ashedescribesitnow,thatfirstlaunchhadsomeroughedges.Will threwhisprelaunch togetherquicklyandusedonly theverybasicsof theformula.

But as you’ll see in this chapter, even if you get only the core principlesright, the results can be dramatic. That first launch did $35,000 in sales in aweek’stime,whichwasasmuchasthebusinesshadmadesincetheyopenedthedoors tenmonths earlier. And since the productwas delivered digitally, thosesaleswerealmostallprofit.

All of a sudden, FuzzyYellowBalls.com was in business. The future wasclear—and it definitely involved more product launches. For their secondlaunch,Will buckled down and got serious about following the formula, andresultsnearlydoubledto$65,000insales.Andthenextlaunchdidevenbetter—itwas their firstone tobreak the six-figuremark. It closedoutat$105,000 insales.Again,theseweredigitalproducts,sotheprofitmarginwasveryhigh.

Witheachlaunch,Willandhispartnerbuilttheirlistandtheirpositioninginthemarket.Andtheirlaunchskillsgotbetter.ThenextlaunchwasfortheirnewTennisNinjaproduct,andthatonebroughtin$170,000insales.Butitalsodidsomethingelseremarkable:ItattractedtheattentionoftheagentfortennisprosBobandMikeBryan.Twinbrothers,collectivelycalledthe“BryanBrothers”intenniscircles,BobandMikearearguablythemostsuccessfulpromen’sdoublesteam in tennis history. And they were interested in working with Will on aproduct.

TheresultwasTheBryanBrosDoublesPlaybook,whichWillproducedandsoldasafull-blowncoursewithBobandMike.ThelaunchblewawayallWill’spreviouslaunches,doingawhopping$450,000insales.Andafewmonthslater,aftertheBryanBrotherswonWimbledonandthentheOlympicgoldmedal,Willgotachance tohavehisphoto takenwith thebrotherswhileposingwith theirmedals. Here’s the photo—Will is the guy in the middle wearing the twoOlympicgoldmedals:

WillHamiltonposingwiththeBryanBrothersandtheirOlympicGoldMedals

Of course, getting a photo with a couple of Olympic gold medals is one

resultIdefinitelycan’tguaranteeyou’llgetwithProductLaunchFormula.ButWill’s resultsshowyou justhowpowerfulawell-executed launchcan

be. And one of the greatest strengths in his launches are his PrelaunchSequences. That’s what this chapter is all about. Because if you get yourprelaunchright,itmakeseverythingelsecometogether.

(NOTE:YoucanseemyCaseStudywithWill,alongwithanexampleofhisprelaunchvideocontent,athttp://thelaunchbook.com/will.)

BringingaGuntoaKnifeFightOkay,nowwe’rereallystartingtocook.Bynowyouknowabouttheincrediblepower of Story, Conversation, and Sequences. And you’ve gotten a solidintroductiontothecrazyinfluenceofmentaltriggers.YoualsolearnedabouttheSidewaysSalesLetter.Andalongtheway,I’veintroducedyoutosomeregularpeoplewhohave enjoyed tremendous successusing these tools in all kindsofdifferentmarketsandwithallkindsofdifferentproducts.

Now it’s time to get down to thenitty-gritty . . . thePrelaunchSequence.This is where it all starts to come together. This is where you banish “HopeMarketing”fromyourlifeandfinallystarttoactuallyengineeryourresultswitha truly powerful product launch.The thing to remember about your prelaunch(andtheentireProductLaunchFormula)isthatit’snotaone-trickpony.It’stheconfluence of all these tools that create an incredible conversionmachine foryourbusiness.There’sanoldsayingthatgoessomethinglike“Youwanttobringaguntoaknifefight.”I’mnotabigfanofusingviolentmetaphors,butIlikethisone. It remindsmeof that scene from themovieRaiders of theLostArk,where the hero Indiana Jones is suddenly confrontedwith a dangerous villainthreatening him with a scary-looking sword. Indiana Jones watches theimpressivedisplayofswordsmanship,andthenpullsoutapistolandshootsthevillain.Dangeraverted.Gameover.It’samemorablescene.

Well, that’s what the Product Launch Formula brings to your business. Itchanges the game and tilts the odds dramatically in your favor. And I’m notsatisfiedtojustbringapistoltothatknifefight.Imean,ifI’mgoingtohavetofight then I’d rather just go ahead and bring along amachine gun and rocketlauncheraswell!

Ofcourse,thisisn’taboutfightingandyourmarketingisn’tawar.It’saboutdesigningagreatofferforagreatproductthat’sgoingtocreategreatvalueforyour clients.But you can’t possibly deliver that value unless you can actually

makethesaleinthefirstplace.The bottom line is that this launch process is a coordinated, engineered

formulathatwilltransformyoursalesprocess.Thereisn’tonespecificthingthatproduces the outsized results we’re getting. It’s the overall confluence of thetools, tactics, and triggers. It started with your pre-prelaunch, and nowwe’regoingtoreallyturnuptheheatwithyourPrelaunchSequence.

BuyMyStuff,BuyMyStuff,BuyMyStuff!So one of the key cornerstone pieces of the Product Launch Formula isdeliveringvalueandbuildingarelationshipwithyourprospectbeforeyoueveraskforthesale.Itsoundssosimple,butit’scrazyhowfewpeopleactuallydothis in their business. Instead, what happens is people do the equivalent ofstanding on a street corner, shouting, “Buymy stuff, buymy stuff,BUYMYSTUFF!”

Theproblemis thatnomatterwhatbusinessormarketyou’rein, therearetens,orhundreds,orthousandsofotherpeopleoutthereshoutingjustasloudlyasyouare.Theyareallscreamingatyourverysameprospect.It’shardtostandoutwiththatstrategy,anditcontinuestogetmoreandmoredifficult.Thedelugeofmediakeepsgettingbigger and loudereveryday.And therewill alwaysbepeoplewhocanshoutlouder,orshoutlonger,orsellatalowerprice.Youdon’twant tobe fighting thatbattle.Thatwillwearyoudown, and in theend it’s alosing battle for nearly everyone. Even worse, when you’re launching a newproduct or a new business, then you’re automatically going up againstestablishedbusinesseswithlotsofresources.Youneedtofightadifferentbattle,abattlewhereyoucancreateasetofrulesthatareinyourfavor.

Sohowdoyoudothat?It’ssimple.Insteadofscreamingforattention,youattractattentionbygivingvaluebeforethereisanyhintofaskingfor thesale.MyfriendJoePolishhasasaying:“Lifegivestothegiversandtakesfromthetakers.”Ithinkthat’salwaysbeentrue,butit’sneverbeenmoretrueinbusinessthan it is today.And thegreatnews is that the Internet turns theeconomicsofgiving on its head. Giving is a lot easier and a whole lot cheaper than everbefore,becauseyou’regoingtobegivingaway“content,”andyou’regoingtobedoing itonline.Thatcontentcouldbewrittenmaterialorvideooraudiooranyofanumberofothermedia,butthebottomlineisthatitwillcostyoualmostnothingtodistributethatcontent.

Ofcourse,randomlygivingpeoplestuffisnotgoingtodoyouanygood.If

you’re trying to sell coaching services to high-end corporate executives, thensending them a cookbook of vegan recipes is not going to generate muchbusiness for you. You need to structure your content into a sequence thatnaturally builds up to your sale. And that’s the very essence of the ProductLaunchFormula.

YourPrelaunchSequenceYourPrelaunchSequencewillgenerallyhavethreepiecesofPrelaunchContent(which I abbreviate toPLC).Thinkof it as a three-act playwith a beginning,middle,andend.EachpieceofPrelaunchContenthasaspecificjob.Eachoneneedstostandalone,butallthreetietogetherintoonebigstoryarc.Youwanttoavoidjustthrowingoutthreepiecesofunrelatedcontent,becauseyou’rejustnotgoingtogettheresultsyouwantthatway.

Theframeworkfortheoverallstoryarcisthatyoustartoffteachingpeopleabout the opportunity for change or transformation. Then you follow that upwithsomesolidteaching,andyoushowthattransformationorchange.Finally,yougivethe“ownershipexperience.”Thisiswhereyoustarttopivottotalkingaboutyourproductandtheimpactitwillmakeonyourprospectiveclient.

Throughout thisentiresequenceyouare layering inall themental triggerswe covered in Chapter 5. Since you’re giving out great free content, younaturallywill hit theReciprocity trigger.Andby showingyour knowledge ofthe topic and your ability to give great content away for free, you hit theAuthority trigger. As you move through the launch, you’ll naturally start tobuildTrust.AndasyougathercommentsandcreateaconversationaboutyourPrelaunchContent, you’ll start to buildCommunity. And since you’re takingyour prospects through this entire sequence together, it becomes a sharedexperience that hits theEvents andRitual trigger. Then, as you get closer toyour launch date, theAnticipationwill start to build. In fact, you’ll find thatyour Prelaunch Sequence will naturally trip trigger after trigger, because theprocess is designed to do that. When you do this right, you end up in asupremely influential position, without having to resort to a bunch of salestactics that feel like they belong on the used-car lot. Instead, you’re buildinginfluenceintheexactsamewayhumanshavealwaysbuiltinfluence.You’rejustdoingitinahyper-acceleratedway.

Now it’s important foryou tounderstand that themagic is in theprocess.Successdoesn’tdependonyoubeingagiftedcopywriterormastersalesperson.

Ofcourse,itdoesn’thurtifyoubringeitherofthosetalentstothetable,butattheendoftheday,theProductLaunchFormulaissomethingofanequalizerinthe marketing world. It’s the process that allows people who aren’t ninjamarketerstoputtogetherasuper-effectivesalesprocess.Andattheendofyourprelaunch,ifyoudothiscorrectly,youwillhavegarneredalistofprospectswhocan’twaitforthemomentwhentheycanfinallybuyyourproduct.

Aquickwordaboutformats:You’llfindthatthisisaveryflexibleprocess.YourPLCcanbedeliveredviaemailorasblogpostsorasPDFreportsoraudio.ButmostofmyProductLaunchFormulaOwnershavebeenusingvideoforthelast few years. Video has a number of advantages. Our society has clearlybecomeonewheremostpeople spendmore timewatchingvideo than theydoreading.And it’softeneasier tocraftacompellingvideo than tositdownandwrite a meaty PDF report. And, unless you’re a truly gifted writer, it’s a loteasier for your potential clients to get to know you and feel like they have arelationship with you via video. Finally, video content often has a higherperceivedvaluethanothertypesofcontent.

Withoutgettingtootechnical,Ineedtomentionthattherearetwoprimarytypesofvideo:screen-capturevideoandfull-motionvideo.Screencaptureisavideorecordingofacomputerscreenwithavoicetalkingoverit.YoucanrecordaPowerPoint-stylepresentationorrecordademonstrationofawebsiteorsomesoftware. Full-motion video is like the video you see on TV; it’s shot with acamera.Neitheroneofthesetypesofvideoisbetterorworse;eachonehasitsstrengthsandweaknesses.Forinstance,somepeoplepreferscreen-capturevideobecause they don’t feel comfortable appearing on camera. Others prefer full-motion because there’s often less prep work involved—if you know yourmaterial andyouhave a roughoutline, you could just turnon the camera andstartrecording.

SincevideohasbecomethepredominantformatforPrelaunchContent,fortherestofthischapterI’mgoingtoassumethatyouwillbeusingvideoforyourPrelaunchContent.Pleaseremember,however,thatyoudon’tneedtodovideo.I’vedoneplentyofgreatlaunchesusingnothingmoresophisticatedthanemail.

Okay,let’stakeacloserlookateachstepofyourPrelaunchSequence…

PLC#1:TheOpportunity(ortheJourney)Your first piece ofPrelaunchContent (PLC#1) is critical. It has to grab yourprospects’attentionanddraw them in, so ithas tobecompelling.And itmust

answertheall-importantquestion“Why?”Whyshouldyourprospectcare?Whyshouldtheyspendtheirprecioustime

payingattention toyou?Whyshould they listen toyou?Whatcanyoudo forthem?

Sohowdoyouanswerthosequestions?Howdoyougetyourprospectstositupandlisten?Howdoyougetthemtocare?

Letmegiveyoutheshortanswer.Attheheartofeveryproduct,everyoffer,there is some opportunity for transformation or change. If you’re selling atraining product that will help golfers take five strokes off their golf score,you’reofferingatransformation.Ifyou’resellingaproductthatwillhelppeoplemeet the loveof their life,you’reofferinga transformation. Ifyou’resellingamachine that helps people open themail coming into their office 380%moreefficiently,you’reofferingtransformation.

Somepeoplejustdon’tliketheword“transformation”ortheydon’tseeitintheir offer. That’s fine—you can use the word “change” if you want or even“impact.” The bottom line is you need to focus on the end benefit that yourproduct will create for your prospect. At the most basic level, you are eithertakingawaysomepainfromyourclient...oryou’redeliveringsomepleasure.

Andthat’snotjusttrueforyourlaunches—that’strueinanysituationwhereyou’re selling anything. There’s an old adage among direct marketingcopywritersthatifyouhaveahardwarestoreandyou’resellingdrills,you’renotreallysellingdrills—you’reselling“holesinwood.”Peoplewanttobuyanendresult. Doesn’t matter what you’re selling. People aren’t so interested in theactualtool.Thetoolisjustameanstogetthatresult.Andthat’swhatyouwanttosellthem.

Here’sanotherwaytothinkaboutit. Ifyouwanttotravel toyourfavoritebeach resort, you’re interested in getting there quickly, efficiently, safely,comfortably—andforalotofpeople,asinexpensivelyaspossible.Youprobablydon’t really care exactly what means of transportation you’re going to use.Whatevergetsyoutherefulfillingthoserequirementsisfine.Ifallthosefactorswereequal,itwouldn’tmatterifyouflewonaplaneorrodeonatrainordroveacar.You’rebuyingthedestination,notthemeansoftransportation.

Now if you look at why people don’t buy from you, the first and mostcommonreasonisthatthey’renotinterestedinwhatyou’reselling.Forinstance,you might have the greatest wheelchair in the world—the most comfortable,efficient,reliable,flexibledesigninexistence.Itmightevenbepricedlowerthan

any other wheelchairs in its class. However, if you’re trying to sell thatwheelchairtosomeonewhodoesn’tneedawheelchair,thenyou’renotgoingtomakethesale.

Thesecondreasonpeopledon’tbuyisthattheydon’thavethemoney.Theyjust simplydonot have it, and theyhavenomeans to get it.That reason is adeal-breakeraswell.

The third reason people don’t buy is that they don’t believe you. You’retelling themhowgreatyourproduct is,but they’renotconvinced.Theyeitherflatoutdon’tthinkyou’retellingthetruthortheythinkyou’remistaken.Inotherwords,theydon’ttrusteitheryourethicsoryourcompetence.

Afourthreasonisthattheybelieveyouandtheybelieveyou’rerightaboutthe product and that it actually does work. However, they don’t believe theproductwillworkforthem.Let’ssay,forexample,you’resellingsomewayforpeopletoquitsmoking,andyourprospectcompletelybelievesyouandbelievesyourmethodhasworkedforlotsofotherpeople.Butinthebackoftheirheadthey’rethinking,“Iknowitworksforeveryoneelse,butI’vetried15otherwaystoquitsmoking,andnoneofthemworkedforme.”

ProductLaunchFormulaisn’tgoingtohelpyouwitheitherofthefirsttworeasonsthatpeopledon’tbuy(theydon’twantwhatyou’vegotortheyflat-outdon’thavethemoney),butifyoudothisright,thenitwillhandlethethirdandfourth reasons.They’regoing tobelieveyou.And the first pieceofPrelaunchContentisthecriticalfirststep.

Sohere’sageneralrecipethatworkswellforPLC#1:

1.Showtheopportunity.Show/tellhowtheirlifeisgoingtochangewithyourproduct.

2.Position.Show/tellwhytheyshouldlistentoyou.3.Teach.It’simportantnottojustgoonandonabouttheopportunity;you

havetodelivervalue.4.Raiseobjectionsandeitheranswerthemorpromisetoanswerthem

in upcoming videos. No matter what your offer is, there will beobjections.Youneedtofacethemheadon.

5.ForeshadowPLC#2.Letthemknowthere’sanothervideocoming,andsparktheirdesirebyrevealingsomeofthereallycoolstuffthatthey’regoingtolearninPLC#2.

6. Call to action. Ask for a comment on your launch blog or in socialmedia.

PLC#2:TheTransformationIfPLC#1wasallaboutthe“Why,”yoursecondpieceofPrelaunchContentisallabout the“What”—what is this transformationoropportunityandhowis itgoing to change or transform your prospects’ lives? PLC #2 is more aboutteaching;youwanttoteachsometypeoftiportrickthatistrulyvaluable.

Whatcanyouteachinfivetotenminutesthatwillmakeanimpactonyourprospect?Howcanyou start to change their life rightnowor at least create ashift in theway they lookat their life? Itdoesn’thave tobeahugechangeorhugeimpact—justgetthemmoving.

Forinstance,inoneofmylaunchesforProductLaunchFormula,myPLC#2 was all about the Seed Launch. (You’ll learn about the Seed Launch inChapter9—it’sawayforsomeonetodoasuper-quicklaunchevenwhenthey’restartingwithoutalistoraproduct.)

SoinPLC#2IactuallyteachhowtodotheSeedLaunch.Ofcourse,sincethatprelaunchvideoisonlyabout18minuteslong,Ican’tteachitasdeeplyasIdointheactualProductLaunchFormulaCoachingProgram,butIgoasdeepasIcaninthatamountoftime.AndI’vehadpeoplesuccessfullydoaSeedLaunchbasedonthatvideoalone.

Of course, most of my viewers don’t immediately go out and do a SeedLaunchaftertheyseethatvideo,butIwanttogivethemenoughtrainingsothattheycanat least see themselvesdoingone.And that’skey: IfPLC#2cangetyourprospecttoseethemselveshavingthetransformationthatyoupromisedinPLC#1,thenyou’vedoneyourjob.

Here’sthegeneralrecipeforastrongPLC#2:

1. Thanks and recap. Thank people for their comments and questionsfromPLC#1,andthengiveaquickrecapofPLC#1.

2. Recaptheopportunity.Youwon’t spendasmuch timeasyoudid inPLC #1, but you need to quickly recap the opportunity. Don’t everassumethatyourprospecthasseenorpaidattention toor rememberedPLC#1.Remember,they’vegotbusylivesandyourlaunchisn’tnearlyasimportanttothemasitistoyou.

3.Recapyourpositioning.Youneedtoremindthemwhoyouareandwhythey should listen to you. But don’t take too long with this—do itquickly.

4. PresentaCaseStudyordosomerealteaching.Youneedtodeliversomerealvalueforyourviewer.Teachthemone(ormore)coolthingsthattheycanputtousequickly.

5. Objection crushing. Talk about the top two or three objections andanswerthem.Youwanttogoafteryourprospects’bigobjectionstothechangeortransformationthatyou’repromising.

6. Foreshadow PLC #3. You need to let them know you have anothervideocomingsoon.Buildsomeanticipationforitbytellingthemalittleaboutwhatyou’regoingtoteachinthatvideo.

7. Call to action. Ask for a comment on your launch blog or in socialmedia.

PLC#3:TheOwnershipExperienceSoPLC#1wasthe“why”andPLC#2wasthe“what.”NowinPLC#3youwillstarttoanswerthe“how”question.

In other words, you’ve shown the potential transformation or change—whetherit’sbeingabletoplaythepianoorhavingagreenerlawnorlearningtomeditate.Butusually theystilldon’t seehowthey’re reallygoing tohave thatchange in their lives.Well, theultimateanswer is tobuyyourproduct,andbythe end of PLC #3, they’re going to see that answer. But first you need tocontinuetobuildvalue.

One of the important things you need to do throughout your PrelaunchSequence is tobuild theexcitementand tension.Thinkof it likeamovieoranovel.Asyoumovethroughthestoryyouhavethe“risingaction,”touseatermfromyourhighschoolcreativewritingclass.Thatmeansthatthestoryisclearlybuildingandmovingtowardaclimax.Youwantyourproductlaunchstorytodothe same thing. As you move through each piece of PLC, you want to keepbuildingyourlevelofpacingandexcitement.

Sohere’stherecipeforPLC#3:

1. Express thanks and excitement. Thank your viewers for theircomments andquestions fromPLC#2.Tell themhowexcitedyouare

andhowexcitedallyourviewersare.(AndifyoudidagoodjobinPLC#1and#2,thenyourviewersWILLbegettingexcited.)

2. Quicklyrecap theopportunityandyourpositioning.Don’t assumetheyremember(orevensaw)yourfirsttwovideos—brieflydescribetheopportunity,andremindthemwhoyouareandwhytheyshouldlistentoyou.Don’ttaketoolongwiththis—movethroughitquickly.

3.PossiblypresentashortCaseStudy.4.Answerthetopquestionsyou’vebeengetting.Inotherwords,you’re

goingtoanswer thetopobjections.Youwant todothisevenifyou’vealreadyraisedandansweredthoseobjectionsinyourearlierPLC.Peopleraisethesameobjectionsindifferentwaysbyaskingdifferentquestions.So go ahead and answer those questions that keep popping up in thecommentsonyourblog.

5.Explainthebigviewandhowtomakeithappen.Thisiswhereyoustep back and look at what’s really possible. What’s the ultimatetransformationorchangethatyourprospectcanhaveintheirlifeiftheybuyyourproduct?Lookat it fromall anglesandprojectout into theirfuture.

6.Pivottoyourofferandcreateasoftlanding.Dothisinthelast25%ofyour PLC #3. By now your prospects have fallen in love with you,because you’ve given them huge value. And it’s time for you to startpreparingthemfor theoffer—that’s the“soft landing.”Youdon’twanttogofrombeingtheirbestfriendinonevideotoaused-carsalesmaninthenext.Soyouhavetotellthemthatinyournextvideoyou’regoingtohaveanofferfor them,andtheyneedtowatchif they’rereadyto taketheirtransformationtothenextlevel.

7. Seed the scarcityof your launchoffer.Youwillwant to have sometypeof scarcity inyour launchoffer, andnear the endofPLC#3youwant tomake somementionof that scarcity.You’re not looking to hitthemovertheheadwithit,becausetheystillhaven’tseenyouroffer.Butthisisagoodtimetomentionthattheyshouldbeonthelookoutforyournextemail,becausethisisgoingtobealimitedoffer.

8. Call to action. Ask for a comment on your launch blog or in socialmedia.

Sothat’syour three-partPrelaunchSequence.Whenyoudothisright,you

willbuildawarmrelationshipwithyourprospects,you’lldemonstratemassiveauthority,andyou’llcreateallkindsofreciprocity.And,ofcourse,you’lldelivermassivevalueineverystepoftheprocess.

You’llalsocreatea“launchconversation”asyourprospectsleavecommentsonyourblog.Andthat launchconversationwillcreatesomethingofaninstantcommunity as people start to read each others’ comments (and even start toconverse back and forth). That launch conversation will also give you somestronginsightsintoyourprospects’bigobjections,anditwillgiveyouawaytogaugewhetheryourPrelaunchContentisstrikinganervewithyourprospects.

CaseStudyCautionThere isonethingIhavetomentionhereaboutCaseStudiesandthe law.Butbeforewegoanyfurther,IhavetoclarifythatIammostdefinitelynotalawyer.Nor do I play one on TV. So what I’m about to say is a lay-person’sunderstanding,andyoushoulddefinitelygetanexpert’sopinion.Inaddition,asItypethis,thelatestrules,regulations,andlawsarefarfromclear,andthey’restillbeinginterpreted.

Butthebottomlineisthatafewyearsago,theUnitedStatesFederalTradeCommission published new guidelines about the use of testimonials—specificallytestimonialsthathaveanyresults-basedclaims.

Inthepast,asellercouldincludeadisclaimerthat“resultswerenottypical”when publishing any results from their products. That disclaimer is no longerenough.Idon’twanttogoanyfurtherinmyexplanationhere,because...well,I’mnotalawyer.Andthere’sstillplentyofmurkinessaroundthistopic.

Ibring thisuponlybecause ImentionedusingCaseStudies inyourPLC.WhereCaseStudiesfallwithregardstoresults-basedtestimonialsisstillunclearas Iwrite this.So if you’re indoubt about somepart ofyour salesprocessoryourPLCandyouplantosellintheU.S.,youshouldconsultanattorneytoseeifyou’reincompliancewiththeFTCregulationsandguidelines.

YourPrelaunchTimingAndnowtheall-importantquestiononthetimingofyourPrelaunchSequence:How long should it be? How long between each PLC? The answer,unfortunately,isthatitdepends.

I’vepersonallyhadprelaunchesthatlastedanywherefromthreedaysallthe

wayupto27days.ButIwouldn’trecommendeitherofthoseextremesforyourfirst few launches. I thinkagood startingpoint is seven to tendays.And thattime ismeasured fromwhenyou releaseyour first pieceofPLCupuntil youactuallylaunchandstarttakingorders,whichwecall“OpenCart.”

Ifyou’resellingalower-pricedproduct,saya$27ebook,thenIwouldtendtowardtheshortend—sevendaysorpossiblyevenfivedays.Ifyou’resellingahigher-priced product, say a $297 training course on getting a job on a cruiseship,thenIwouldmovetowardthelongerendandgowithtendays.

Atypicalseven-daysequencemightlooklikethis:

Day1:ReleasePLC#1Day3:ReleasePLC#2Day5:ReleasePLC#3Day7:OpenCart

Aten-dayPrelaunchSequencemightlooklikethis:

Day1:ReleasePLC#1Day5:ReleasePLC#2Day8:ReleasePLC#3Day10:OpenCart

Theimportantthingtorememberisthatthetimingisn’tnearlyasimportantasthePrelaunchContent.Deliverrealvalue,followtheformulaIjustgaveyou,andyou’llbefine.

OneCriticalThingThatMakesThisWorkOkay,bynowyou’reprobablydeepintothinkingaboutallthenitty-grittydetailsonhowtomakethiswork.Butlet’sstepbackforasecondandlookatthebigpicture. Sometimes when people first look at this Product Launch Formulaprocess, they think it’s a bunch of marketing tricks. A big basket ofpsychologicaltacticsthatcastaspellontheirprospects.Now,Iwon’tdenythatyoucan truly cast apowerful spellwhenyouput it all together,but that’snotwhat reallymakesPLFwork.That’s notwhat is going to growyour businessoverthelongterm.

The way you put together a great Prelaunch Sequence is by deliveringmassive value to your market. If you focus on only one thing, it should becreatingvalueforalltheprospectsgoingthroughyourLaunchSequence.

Thatdoesn’tmeanyou’regivingawaythefarm.Thatdoesn’tmeanyou’recatering to abunchof freebie-seekerswhowill neverbuyanything. It doesn’tmeangoingbrokeasyouuseallyourresourcestogiveawayeverythingyou’vegotforfree.

Whatitmeansisgivingrealcontentthatcreatesrealvalueforpeople.Don’tjustteasethem—givethemsomesubstance.TeachthemabouttheopportunityinyourfirstPLC,butgobeyondtheopportunity.Teachrealcontentthatpeoplecanactually use. Every time I do a launch, I get comments from peoplewho areshocked at the amount of content I giveout.WithProductLaunchFormula, Ihavehundredsofpeoplewhohavedonesuccessful launches justbasedon thefree material that I’ve given out during my prelaunch. And I think that’sawesome...becausethere’snowayI’lleverselltoeveryone,soImightaswellcreateasmuchvalueasIcanasImovethroughmylife.

In the end, your success and the success of your business is going to beclosely tied to the amount of value that you create in theworld. And puttingtogetherarockingPrelaunchSequencethatdeliverslotsofvalueisagreatwaytocreatealotofvalue—andyouwon’thavetowaitlonguntilthepayoff.ThatcomesonthelaunchdaywhenyouOpenCart…

Chapter8

ShowMetheMoney:It’sTimetoLaunch!

Susan Garrett is a very competitive person, and she was in a race. She hadsignedupformyProductLaunchFormulaCoachingProgram,andherhusbanddidn’tknowexactlyhowmuchmoneyshehadspenttojointheprogram.Susanwas determined to make enough money to pay for the program before herhusbandsawthecreditcardbill.Andsinceshehadnolistandnoproduct—andthebillwouldcomethroughinlessthanamonth—shehadsomechallenges.

Susanisadogtrainerwhoispassionateabouthelpingdogownersanddogsleadbetterlives.Andshe’soneofthebestdogtrainersintheworld—especiallyinthehyper-competitivesportofdogagility.Infact,Susanhaswonmorethan25 U.S. and Canadian national championships and multiple worldchampionships.

Her success and her skills helped her build a successful internationalbusinessasadogtrainer,sendinghertoEurope,Australia,andNewZealandtoworkwithher students.For someonewhohadahugedesire tohelpdogsandtheirowners,thiswasexcitingandfulfillingwork.

But it also meant that Susan (who lives just outside of Toronto) had agruelingtravelschedule.Andshecouldn’thelpherclientsonanongoingbasis;whenshegaveaworkshopanywhereoverseas,itwasaone-shotdeal.SoSusanwasalreadylookingforawaytocutbackonhertravelschedule—andthenherhusbandsufferedaheartattack.

As sooftenhappens, that health crisis brought their life into focus.Susanwantedtodrasticallycutbackonhertravel,butsheneededanswerstotwobigquestions: How could she continue to reach her clients who were spreadthroughouttheworld?Andhowwasshegoingtoreplaceherlostincomeifshestoppedtravelingtogivetrainingworkshops?

At thatpoint,SusanhadcreatedafewtrainingDVDs,butsaleshadneverreally amounted to all that much. They provided a nice supplement to herincomebutcertainlyweren’tgoingtoreplacetheincomefromherworkshops.

AndthatwasaboutthetimeSusanfoundtheProductLaunchFormula.She

signedupformyPLFCoachingProgramin2008.Andsincedoingsorequiredasubstantialinvestment,shewasdeterminedtodoalaunchandpayforherentiretuitionbefore thecredit cardbill arrived (andherhusbandsawhowmuchshehadspent).

Of course, there were a few obstacles in her way. The first two, as Imentioned,werethatshedidn’thaveaproductoralist.AndthethirdwasthatSusanhadalmostnotechnicalskillswhatsoever.Buttheoneassetshehadwasanenormouswilltosucceed—thesamewillthatdrovehertowinallthosedogagilitytrophies.

SoSusan startedwith her past clients—she had email addresses for about1,200ofthem.Andfromtakingmytraining,sheknewsheneededalisthost,soshe signed up for my hosting service at ProFollow.com(http://www.profollow.com).Shewasabletogetabout700ofherformerclientstojoinhernewemaillist.

Then she pulled together a product—an ebook she based on some oldarticles she hadwritten. She compiled the articles and formatted them into anebook,andshepriceditat$14.97.Thenitwastimetolaunch.

Susan put together a very simple prelaunch. Since she didn’t have techskills, her prelaunch was entirely email-based. Instead of putting together asequenceofprelaunchvideos,shesentoutaseriesofemailsthatprovidedrealvalueandledintothesale.

Susanwinningoneofhermanychampionships

The results were immediate and breathtaking . . . the launch brought in$27,000insales.ThateasilypaidforPLFtraining,anditalsosetherupinhernew business. That successful response also sold Susan on the value of PLF.Afterall,herDVDsaleshadneveramountedtomorethan$10,000inayear,andtheyrequiredalotofworktoputtogether—includingbuyinginventory,workingwithadistributor,andshippingproduct.ThislaunchhadnearlytripledherbestyearofDVDsaleswithalmostnocosts—andshehadpulled theentire launchtogetherinamatterofafewweeks!

Ofcourse,thatwasjustthebeginning.Whenyoudoalaunchlikethat,it’sneveryourlastlaunch.SincethattimeSusanhasbuiltoutanentirelineofdogtrainingproducts,andthey’repricedanywherefrom$47onthelowendalltheway up to $4,997. She’s done a launch for each new product, and her resultshavegottenstrongerwitheverylaunch.Susan’strainingproductsarecompletelyonline,andshehasstudentsaroundtheworld.Shealsohasoneofthemostloyalgroups of clients I’ve ever seen in anybusiness, and she’s becomeone of theacknowledgedleadersinthedogagilitytrainingmarket.

It’sanamazingsuccess story—thebusiness thatwasstarted ina fewdayswitha$14.97ebook(andavowtopayforPLFbeforethecreditcardbillcamein) has grown up. Susan now has a team helping her build her business, andthey’vemadethelivesoftensofthousandsofdogs—anddogowners—awholelotbetter.Alongtheway,Susan’s launcheshavebecomelegendary in thePLFcommunity,andshe’shadsomeofthemostsuccessfullaunchesinPLFhistory.

You can see my Case Study with Susan at this link:http://thelaunchbook.com/susan.

AnAstronaut’sPerspectiveOkay,it’stimetoLAUNCH!

Ifyoumadeittothispoint,yourecognizeonebigcomponentofaPLF-stylelaunch—thereisworkinvolved.Iwishitweren’tso,becauseeveryoneisalwayslooking for an “easybutton.”Well, PLF is an easybutton for creating a greatsalesprocessforyourproduct,butyouhavetoputintheeffort.Theresultsareworththateffort,however,andyourlaunchdayiswhereallyourhardworkpaysoff.

It’shard todescribe theexhilarationof launchday.This is thedayyou’ve

been building toward forweeks or evenmonths. Launch daymakesme thinkbacktosomethingIdidasakid.Iwouldtakeamagnifyingglassoutinthesunand focus the power of the sun on a piece of wood. Eventually the focusedsunlightwas strong enough to burn thewood.Your launch is similar.You’vefocusedalotofenergyonthisday.Infact,that’stheentirepointofthelaunch—to get the attention of those people on your list and in yourmarket and havethemanticipating thisday. Ifyou’ve followedmy formula,you’ve raised theirinterestleveltoapeakstate.Andnaturally,youremotionsandenergyaregoingtobeinapeakstateaswell.

Youarenevergoingtoforgetthatfirsttimeyoupushthe“send”buttonandopen your cart. I have a friend who is an astronaut and has traveled to theInternational Space Station three times. He’s described forme those first fewminutes of liftoff in a space launch—that incredible rush of power andacceleration.Assillyasitmightsound,hisaccountremindedmeofthefeelingthat comeswith awell-executed product launch,where you can get a similarsensationofalmostunbelievablepowerandacceleration.

“They’reHeeeeeeere...andTheyWanttoBuy”Ican rememberone launch Ihelpedaclientwith.Wehadastrongprelaunch,andwewereprettyconfidentwehadawinneronourhands.Alltheearlysignshadbeengood.About36hoursbeforelaunchwestartedgettingalotofpeopleaskingdetailedquestionsaboutthepriceandtheoffer.Infact,onthelastdayofprelaunchthewholetoneofthecommentscominginonthelaunchblogshiftedfromquestions about the content to questions about the offer.That’s always agoodsign.

Butnomatterhowgoodaprelaunchis,youalwayshaveafewdoubtsinthebackofyourmind.Youcan’thelpbutwonder:Arepeoplegoingtoopentheirwalletsandbuy?

Earlier in themorning of that particular launch,we had sent out the salespagelink.Therewasnoactualsalespagethereyet,justatimercountingdownto the open. As the visitors to the site sat andwatched the timer, we sat andwatched the server stats.Those stats toldushowmanypeoplewere sittingonthatpagewaitingtoseeoursalesvideo.Wehadstatsonhowmanypeoplewereonthesite,whatpagetheywereon,andhowlongtheyhadbeenonthatspecificpage.Thenumberscontinued toclimb.With30minutes togo, therewere100peoplesittingonthatpage,waitingforustoopen.With20minutestogo,300

people.Withtenminutes,wewereupto600.That’swhenwe saw the load on our server begin to kick up, because the

peopleonthepagewerestartingtohit therefreshbuttonintheirwebbrowser.Theycouldn’twaituntilweloadedthesalespage.RightaboutthenIsentoutaninstantmessageoverSkype tomy launch team that said, “They’re heeeeeeereandtheywanttobuy!”

Afewminuteslaterwewentliverightontime.Thereactionwasimmediate.Wewereover$100,000 in sales inminutes,wehit $500,000 in the firsthour,andwhenwecloseddownthelaunchafewdayslaterwewereover$3millioninsales.

Ofcourse,noteverylaunchwilldo$3milliondollars.Infact,IdiddozensoflaunchesbeforeIgotmyfirstmillion-dollarlaunch.Butevenifthescaleofyoursuccessisn’tthatbigwhenyoustartout,thehugerushofmomentumwhenyouopenyourcartisjustasbig.

And frankly, I get more excited hearing about my students whose firstlaunch did $3,000 or $8,000 or $27,000 than I do with the million-dollarlaunches.Hearingaboutthose“smaller”launcheswhenpeoplearejuststartingout is a lot more exciting than hearing about the million-dollar launches byestablished companies, because I know oncemy students do that first launch,theirlivesarechangedforever.They’llgettothebiggerlaunchessoonenough,butthey’llneverforgetthatmomentwhentheypushedthatsendbuttonandsawtheirfirstorderscomingin.

LaunchDayNitty-GrittySo first off, the term we generally use for launch day is “Open Cart” day,becausethat’sthedayyouopenyourshoppingcartandstarttakingorders.Andas you might guess, the day your launch closes is called “Close Cart” day.Although you’re often not technically closing your shopping cart on this day,youstillneedaclearendtoyourlaunch.ButI’mgettingaheadofmyself.I’llgettothatinalittlebit.

So if you’ve followed my formula so far, you had a strong PrelaunchSequencethatledintoyourOpenCart.YourPLCconnectedwiththepeopleonyourlist.Youhitthementaltriggerstocreatealotofauthority,socialproof,andcommunity.And in the last fewdaysofprelaunchyou’ve started tohiton thescarcitytrigger.Yourlistknowsthatyouhaveanoffercoming.YourfinalpieceofPLChadastrongpivotwhereyoustartedtoforeshadowyouroffer.Inother

words,yourprelaunchhasalreadycompletedmostof theheavy-liftingforyouintermsofmakingthesale.

Now, the actualmechanics of opening your launch are pretty simple.Youneedtohaveastrongsalespage.Thisistypicallydonethroughasalesvideoorasales letter.And even though the peoplewho have been through yourLaunchSequencehavealreadybeenpre-sold,it’simportantnottoskimponyoursalesmessage.Youhave to startwith theopportunity, and thenyouneed to tell theentirestoryofyouroffer.

Onceyouhaveyoursalespageready,nomatterwhetheryou’reusingasalesvideoor a sales letter, thenext step is simply amatter of sending an email toyourlaunchlisttoletthemknowyou’renowliveandopenforbusiness.Thisisa short, simple email with a link to your sales page. By now you’ve spentenoughtimeandenergyprimingthepump,soyouwantthisemailtogetrighttothepoint.

Here’sanexampleofanopencartemailthatI’veusedwhenIopenedupmyProductLaunchFormulaCoachingProgram:

Okay,IjustopenedupregistrationforProductLaunchFormula.We’renowlive:

CLICKHEREforProductLaunchFormulahttp://www.productlaunchformula.com

(Iopeneditupabitearlytoavoidanybottlenecksandspreadtheloadontheserver.)

Bestregards,Jeff

P.S.Remember...youdon’tneedtopanic.Idon’texpecttoselloutimmediately.However,ifyouwantoneofthosespotsatmyPLFLiveWorkshop,thenpleasedon’tdelay.They’regoingtogofast.Here’sthelink:

CLICKHEREforProductLaunchFormulahttp://www.productlaunchformula.com

Asyoucansee,theemailwasshortandsimple.TheopenoftheemailhadjustonesentencebeforeIgavethelinktothesalesletter.And,ofcourse,whenIsentthisemail,thelinkwasclickable.

NOTE:The“PS”isoftenthesinglemostreadpartofanemail,andIusedittohitthescarcitytrigger,warningmyreadersthattheyshouldn’tdelayortheyriskedmissingoutonmyliveworkshop.

BeforeYouHitSendAttheriskofstatingtheobvious,beforeyousendthatopencartemail,makesureyou’vegonethroughandtested—evenretested—every step. Is your salespage live?Areall thelinks on the page working? Is your order form set up andproofread?Haveyougonethroughtheentireorderprocessthoroughly? Do you know firsthand what happens after anorder is placed? What about the thank you page aftersomeone buys? The confirmation email? The fulfillmentprocess?

Ifeverything is testedand ready togo, it’s time tosendthatemail.AndIhavetotellyou,nomatterhowmanytimesI’vedonethis,Igetnervouseverysingletime.IstillhesitatebeforeIhitthatbuttontosendtheopencartemail.It’sabigmoment, soexpect tohavesomebutterfliesand feel somestrongemotions.Butonceyou’vedoneyourfinalchecks,it’stime.Youarereadytolaunch.

WatchingtheOrdersRollInOnceyourlaunchislive,thefirsthourortwooftenendupbeingsomethingofa

spectator sport. It’s really, reallyhardnot toobsessover theearly results.Youcan breathe a sigh of relief when the first order comes in, because it meanseverythingisworkingproperly.

Afterthat,Iusuallyspendthenexthourortwowatchingstats.Iwatchthetrafficonthesite,thetraffictotheactualorderform,theopensandclicksonthelaunch email, the number of orders, and the details behind the orders (whichoptionpeoplearechoosing).

There’splentyofdata,andyoucanmakeitanearlyfull-timejobtowatchallof it.But after anhouror so, it’s important topullyourself away from thestatsandgetbacktowork,becauseyourOpenCarthasjustbegun.

(OnmyResourcePageI’vegotlinkstomyfavoritestatisticsanddatatools.Youcanaccessthatpageathttp://thelaunchbook.com/resources.)

YourOpenCartStrategySo your open is certainly a big high point, but it’s just a part of your entireLaunchSequence.Typically,youwillwanttokeepyourlaunchopensomewherebetweenfourtosevendays.Sometimesmypersonallaunchesareshorter.TherehavebeentimesI’vecompletelysoldoutallofmyproductinasfewas24or36hours.

Butyou shouldprobably avoiddoingahyper-compressed launch like thatuntilyou’vegonethroughafewlaunchesandyouhavesomeexperience.Withashort-fuselaunch,youhavelittletimetorecoverifyoumakeanymistakes.Foryourfirstlaunch,justplanonkeepingyourcartopenforfivedays.

Your resultswill vary dramatically based on yourmarket, your offer, andyour entire launch strategy. However, typically you’ll get about 25% of yourorders in the firstdayandabout50%ofyourorderson the finalday.Thebigfirstdayisbecauseyou’vebuiltsomuchanticipation.Thespikeattheendofthelaunch is the scarcity trigger kicking in.Obviously, the rest of the orderswilltrickleinbetweenyouropenandclose.

TheBigCloseOneabsolute,cardinalruleforcreatingasuccessfullaunchissettingadefinitivecloseforyourlaunch.Andtheremustbesomenegativeconsequenceifpeopledon’t buy during that limited open cartwindow.Make it clear that somethingbadwillhappeniftheydon’tbuybeforeyourlaunchends—thatyourprospects

willmissoutonsomething.Thatnegativeconsequenceiswhatcreatesscarcity,anditwillgenerateahugespikeofsalesinthelast24hoursofyourlaunch.

IMPORTANT:Lotsofpeopleavoidcreatingrealscarcityattheendoftheirlaunch.Don’tmakethatmistakeoryouwillcrippleyourresults.Infact,youwillcutyoursalesinhalf.Putsomerealteethintotheendofyourlaunch,andyouwilldoubleyourresults.

Sowhatisthatscarcity?Whatisthatnegativeconsequenceifpeopledon’tjump onboard during your launch? There are three primary ways to createscarcityinyouroffer:

1. Thepricegoesup.Youhavea specialpriceduringyour launch, andpeopleneedtojumponboardduringyourlaunchtogetthatprice.Thisisaneasyonetounderstand.A“GrandOpeningSale”orBlackFriday,themega-shopping day after Thanksgiving in the U.S., are two familiarexamples.While this is a good incentive to get people to jumpduringyourlaunchandit’saneasyonetouse,it’snotthemostpowerfulformofscarcityduringalaunch.

2.Removebonuses.Let’ssayyou’resellingaproductthatteachespeopletoplaybluesguitar.Duringyour launchyouhave thespecialbonusofreceivingapersonalSkypeguitarlessonfromyou.Iftheydon’tsignupduringyourlaunch,thentheydon’tgetthebonuslesson.Thiscanbeavery powerful form of scarcity. If you have a strong bonus, this canactuallybeastrongerincentivethanapriceincrease.

3.Theoffergoesaway.Ifyourprospectsdon’tbuyduringthelaunch,thentheygetshutoutoftheopportunity—meaning,theycan’ttakeadvantageof the offer at all, ever. In most cases, with most offers, this is thestrongest formof scarcity—it’s usually amuch stronger incentive thanthepricegoingup.Theonlyproblemisthatthistypeofscarcitydoesn’tfitwellforalotofoffers.Ifyou’reopeningarestaurant,thenyoudon’twant to close down after a week. I’ve personally used this form ofscarcityquiteabit,especiallywithmyonlineprograms(liketheProductLaunch Formula Coaching Program). It makes a lot of sense for myoffer, because I teach the program to groups of students in a similarfashiontoacollegeclass.ThatmeansregistrationisonlyavailableforalimitedperiodoftimewhenI’mstartinganewclass.Ifsomeonemissestheregistrationperiod,thentheycan’tgetin.Thistypeofscarcityisan

extremelystrongincentiveforpeopletojumponboardifitfitswithyourproduct.

One key point: You can combine these three forms of scarcity and layerthemontopofeachother.Ifyoucanhavethepricegoupandbonusesgoawayat the end of your launch, then you’ve just createdmore scarcity and amorepowerfullaunch.

Finally, remember that using these types of scarcity are not aboutmanipulation.Thescarcityhastobereal.

The reason this hard close for your launch works so well is that yourprospectswouldmuchratherputoffmakingadecision.Andthatgoesdoubleifthedecision involves themopening theirwallet andgivingyoumoney. If youhaveagreatproduct that’sgoingtomakeabigimpactontheir lives, thenyouoweittoyourprospectstomakethebestofferpossibletogetthemtoovercometheirprocrastination.Endingyour launchwithanexclamationmark—meaningsomeformofscarcitythatinstillsasenseofurgency—isthewayyoudothat.

BeyondtheOpenandCloseIt’scriticalthatyoudon’tletupduringyouropencartperiod.I’veseensomeofmystudentsmakethismistake,andtheyendupleavinga lotofmoneyonthetable. You need to keepmailing your launch list each day your cart is open.Here’showtouseemailtokeepyourlaunchinfrontofyourprospects.Forthisexample,we’llassumeyourlaunchlastsfivedays.

Onlaunchday,youwanttosendouttwoemails—thefirstwhenyouopenthecart(seetheemailabove)andthesecondaboutfourhourslatertoletyourlistknowthateverythingisupandrunningandyou’reopenforbusiness.

ThedayafteryourOpenCart,youshouldsendoneemail—typicallyasocialproofemail,whereyoutalkaboutthegreatresponsetoyourlaunch.

On Day Three you send a longer email that answers many of the topquestions about the product. As with all your emails during your open cartperiod,youshouldincludeatleastonelinktoyoursalespage.

On Day Four the message shifts to scarcity. You are basically giving a24hourwarningaheadofyourclose.Youshouldbeabsolutelyclearaboutwhenyou’ll close andwhatyourprospects stand to lose if theydon’t act before thelaunchofferclosesdown.

ThenonDayFiveyou’llbemailingtwo(oreventhree)times.Thefirstoneissentearlyinthemorningreiteratingthatyou’regoingtobeclosingthatday.Thesecondemailgoesoutaboutsixtoeighthoursbeforethecartcloses.Thisisadaythatwillbefilledwithfireworksandamassiverushoforders—providedyoufollowthisplan.Unfortunately,I’veseenlotsofpeoplemakethemistakeoflettinguponthelastday.Eithertheydon’tmailtheirlistatallortheyjustmailonce.Thistypicallyhappenswhentheystarttoworrythatthey’vealreadysenttoomanyemailsduringthelaunchandwonderwhatgoodonemoreemailcoulddo.

That’sbadthinking.Don’tmakethatmistake.Youneedtosendmorethanoneemailonclosingday.Trustme...doingsomakesabigdifference.Manyofyourprospectshaveabigprocrastination streak, and they’llwaituntil the lastminute. Infact,afteryoudoyourfirst launchandwatch thefinal rush, I thinkyou’ll agreewithme thatMOSTpeople are terrible procrastinators. It doesn’tmatterwhattimeyoucloseyourlaunch,youwillseepeopleplacingordersrightupuntiltheverylastminute.Sodoyourselfafavor—sendatleasttwoemailsonyourclosingday,andconsidersendingathird.

WhenStuffGoesWrongAsmuchasIwishthateverythingalwayswentperfectlyandthateverylaunchwas ahuge success, sometimes there areproblems.Occasionally a launch canunderperform.SoIwant towalk throughsomeof themostcommonproblemsandgiveyouafewpointersonwhattodowhenyourlaunchdoesn’tgowell.

Thefirstclassofproblemsistechnical.It’spossibletocrashyourwebsiteserverifyousendtoomuchtraffic.Thegoodnewsisthatthisisnotaproblemyou’relikelytohavewithyourfirstlaunch.Ittakesahugelaunchwithlotsoftraffic to cripple a server, andunlessyou’vealreadygot a significantbusinesswithalargelist,you’reprobablynotgoingtobeputtingastrainonyourserver.

However, if you do have a serious business with a large list, then this isdefinitelysomethingtopayattentionto.Icrashedaserverinoneofmybiggestlaunches,anditcostmealotofheartache,plentyoforders,andultimatelyalotofmoney.Italsocostmealotofcustomergoodwill,andmyreputationtookabighit.Makenomistake,servercrashesarenotfun.Youcanseemycurrentlistof recommended web hosts and servers on the Resource Page athttp://thelaunchbook.com/resources.

Another problem that a lot of people don’t think about is collecting the

money—in other words, getting paid. If you’re taking orders online, you’regoingtobeusingsometypeofpaymentgatewayormerchantaccount.Andnomatterwhomyou’re using, if youhave a suddenhuge influxof orders, it canmakethemnervous.Mostlikelytheywilllookatthathugeincreaseinordersasa credit risk and be worried that you might take all that money, not botherdeliveringyourproduct,andthenskipouttositonabeachinTahiti.Andifyoudidsomethinglikethat,theywouldbeliableforalltherefundsthatwouldcomepouring in. Bottom line, a huge increase in orders over your normal ratewillscareyourmerchantaccountprovider.I’vepersonallyrunintothisseveraltimes,bothwithmymerchantaccountsandwithPayPal.Thebestwaytoavoidthesetroublesisthroughalotofcommunicationbeforeyourlaunch.Andyoushouldalsodobusinesswitha“launchfriendly”merchantaccountprovider.Thereareprovidersthatwillunderstandwhenyoutellthemyou’redoinga“JeffWalker-style launch.” For a current list ofmy recommended providers, check out theResourcePageathttp://thelaunchbook.com/resources.

WhatIfNoOneBuys?Sowhat if your launch just doesn’t convert?You open the cart and you haveveryfewsales.AsmuchasIwouldliketotellyouthatthisdoesn’teverhappen,sometimesitdoes.Whenitdoeshappen,it’stimetogointodiagnosismode.

Firstoff, ifyouhavenosalesatall,youneedtostarttestingyourprocess.Start with your launch email. Open up the email broadcast in your emailprogram and try clicking through to the link tomake sure it works. Then gothroughthesalesprocessatyoursiteandmakesureeverythingisworking.Doesthesalespageorsalesletterload?Canyougettotheorderform?Trytoplaceanordertomakesureitgoesthrough.Doeseverythingwork?

Next step is to determine whether you’re getting any traffic to your site.Check the stats on your email broadcast.Did the email go out?Look at yourstats.Didanyoneclick through toyoursite?Whatare the trafficstatsonyourwebsitetellingyou?Howmuchtrafficdoyouhavetoyoursalespage?Toyourorderpage?

Finally,ifeverythingisworkingonthesiteandyou’regettingtraffictothesiteandyou’restillnotgettinganysales,thenyou’vegotaconversionproblem.And in general, there are two primary reasons for conversion problems: It’seither your offer or your salesmessage. It canbe tough to tease outwhichofthesearecausingyourlowconversion,anditcouldpossiblybeacombinationof

both.Firstlet’slookattheoffer.Isyouroffercompelling?Doesitofferasolution

orsolveaproblemthatyourmarketcaresabout?Areyousellingsomethingthatthemarket desperatelywants as opposed to somethingyou think theyneedorsomethingthatyoujustwantedtocreate?Doestheofferaddressyourprospects’hopesanddreams?Doesitaddressthefearsandaspirationsinthemarket?Isitonpointtowhatthemarketwants?

Nowlet’sconsiderthesalesmessageinyoursalesvideoorsalesletter.Doesyour sales message articulate the transformation or the change your productofferstoyourprospect?Doesitmakethebenefitsinyourproductcomealive?Doesitmakethosebenefitsfeel tangibleandconcrete?Isyourbuyingprocesssimple and understandable or is it confusing in anyway?Do you clearly tellyour prospects exactlywhat they’re going to get?What they can expect witheverystepoftheprocess?Howmuchtheproductcosts?Whatyourguaranteeis?

If you determine that you have either an offer problem or a sales copyproblem,thenit’stimetogettowork.It’snottoolatetopullarabbitoutofthehat.I’veseenremarkableturnaroundsrightinthemiddleofthelaunchduetoatweakedofferand/orareworkedsalespage.

KeeptheGoodTimesRolling—WhattoDoafterYourLaunchOneof themostpowerfulandsurprising resultsofdoing these launches is theamount of goodwill that youwill create.Whenyou deliver real value in yourPrelaunchContent,yourmarketwill fall in lovewithyou . . .both thepeoplewhobuyfromyouANDthepeoplewhojustwatchyourPrelaunchContentbutdon’tbuy.

Noteveryonewill loveyou,ofcourse,butabigchunkof themarketwill.Those people are your tribe, and your prelaunch creates a great self-selectionprocessforidentifyingthattribe.

Onceyou’vegonethroughyourlaunchandclosedyourcart,youwillwantto strengthen your relationship with those who bought from you. This is the“post launch,” and it’s critical that you use it to extend yourmomentum andpositioning fromyour launch. Imake ahuge effort to over-deliver tomynewclients,andIsuggestyoudothesame.IalwayshaveafewextrabonusesthatInevermentionedduringmylaunch,andIstartsendingoutthosebonusesshortlyafterthecartcloses.Inthesedayswherewearesooftenunderwhelmedbyourexperienceafterwebuyaproduct,addingsomethingextramakesyoustandout

inthemarket.It’samazingwhatafewextraunannouncedbonuseswilldo.Youdon’thavetogocrazy...justgivemorethanyoupromised.

Oneofthebiggest—andeasiest—winsyouwillhaveinyourmarketcomesfromputting together a solid new-client, follow-upprocess.Andmuchof thiscanbedonethroughautomatedfollow-upemails.

Anotherareayoushouldn’tskimponiscustomerservice.Iprovideworld-classcustomerservice,andit’swortheverypennyIspendonit.Idon’tlookatcustomer service as a cost center, but as a big part of my overall strategicbusinessbuilding.

Finally, don’t forget about following upwith the prospectswho didNOTbuy.Youjustspentconsiderableenergyromancingtheminyourprelaunch,andeveniftheydidn’tbuythistime,theyarestillgreatprospectsforfutureoffers.Don’tletthatromancegocold.Sendthemsomemorecontentinthedaysafteryoucloseyourlaunch.Thenthey’llbeprimedforafollow-upofferorforyournextlaunch.

Sonowthatwe’vegone through the launch, I’vegotsomethingspecial instoreforyou—thesecretsoftheSeedLaunch™,whichisallabouthowtodoalaunchevenifyoudon’thavealistoraproduct.AndI’llshowyouhowIbuiltupabusinessfromasimpleSeedLaunchrightintoa$20+millionempire…

Chapter9

HowtoStartfromScratch:TheSeedLaunch™

Tara and Dave Marino’s lives were turned upside down by the loss of theiryoungchild. It’s anightmare thatnoparentwants toeven thinkabout. I can’timaginethatpain,butIdoknowthepainoflosingsomeonewhoisverycloseandwhopasseswaybeforetheirtime.It’snoteasytomovebeyondthattypeofloss.

Davehadagreat,securejobthatpaidhimmorethansixfigures,yearinandyearout,buthefeltlikehewasdriftingincorporatecubicle-land.Andafterthetragiclossofhischild,hefounditdifficulttogetexcitedaboutanythinginhislife.Tarasoldalittlerealestateontheside,butshewasmostlyastay-at-homemomwithtwoyoungkids.

Tara,however,hadapassion—helpingherfriends,mostlyothermomsandwives like herself, live a more sensual life. When she first heard about theProduct Launch Formula, she knew it was exactly the right tool to bring hermessagetoabiggeraudienceandbuildherbusiness.AndshethoughtitmightevengiveDavesomethingthatwouldsparkanewoutlookonlife.

But Tara faced a huge challenge—she was starting from scratch. Afterhelping her friends, she knew she had the raw material for a program aboutleadingamoresensual life,butshedidn’thaveabookoraseminarorevenaspeech.Andshecertainlydidn’thaveaproduct.

Anotherproblem:Shedidn’thaveanytypeofanemaillistoranyplatformwhatsoever.ShehadafewfollowersonTwitterandsomeFacebookfriends,butthatwasaboutit.

SogivenasituationlikeTara’s,howdoyougetstarted?

GettingPaidbeforeYouCreateYourProductWiththemagicof theSeedLaunch™,youcanliterallycreateabusinessfromalmostnothing...whichisexactlywhatTaradid.

Shepulledtogetheralistofabout200peoplefromherpersonalinboxandsocial media, and she started her prelaunch. The product would be called

“You’rePerfect.”TohearTara andDave talk about it now, thewholeventurewasaragtagprocesstheymadeuponthefly.Butwhenyou’relaunchingyourfirstproduct toa tiny list like theyhad,youcanoftenovercomeanymistakesdue to your close connection with the people on your list. And in her SeedLaunch,Tarawasabletosellfivespotsinhertrainingprogramandmakealmost$3,000insales!

Theproductwasaseriesofsixweeklyteleseminars,alongwithworksheetsandtemplates.ThatmeantTarawascreatinganddeliveringtheproductaftershealreadyhadmadethesale.Eachweekshecreatedthematerialforthecall,thenshe got on the phone and delivered a class.And since the entire processwasextremelyinteractive,shewasabletousethefeedbackfromherclientstofine-tune the next call to exactlywhat they needed.Of course,Tara recorded eachcall, and those recordings became the basis for her product after the initialprogram was finished. The Seed Launch delivered a payday and a finishedproduct.

Nowmakingalmost$3,000fromscratchisincrediblyexciting,butit’swhathappenednextthatmakesthisanamazingstory.BecauseasTaradeliveredthatfirst trainingclass,all the interactiongaveher the idea for twomoreproducts:“ThePowerofSensuality”and“TheBeautyFormula.”Andwiththemomentumfromthatfirstlaunch,DaveandTarawereabletobuildupalistofathousandemail subscribers. Their next launch did almost $12,000 in sales—a hugeincreasefromtheirfirstlaunch.Butagain,thatwasjustthebeginning.Thenextpromotionbroughtin$90,000,andthenanotherdid$190,000.Eachlaunchbuilttheir list and their reputation in themarket. They have now done over a halfmilliondollarsinsalesofTara’sproducts,trainings,andcoaching.

Along theway,Davequithis job.Suddenly the“security”of cubicle-landdidn’tlookallthatgreat.Andwhilenobusinesssuccesscanevertakeawaytheirpainoflosingtheirchild,they’vebuiltanentirelynewlifefortheirfamily.ThatnewlifetookadramaticturnwhenTaraandDaveandtheirtwoyoungsonstookasummertriptoFrance,andtheydecidedtostay!TarahadalwaysdreamedoflivinginFrance,andhernewbusinessandlifestylesuddenlymadeitpossible...sotheyflewhome,putmostoftheirstuffinstorage,andmovedtothesouthofFrance.

(To read the full Case Study of Tara and Dave, go tohttp://thelaunchbook.com/tara.)

WhenYou’reJustStartingOutAt this point I’m sure you can see the power of a well-orchestrated productlaunch. And you’ve seen how Product Launch Formula has been the provensystemthat’sworkedoverandoverforbusinessesofanysize.

But I’ve been at this long enough to know there are some folkswho justdon’t seehowitcanwork for them,especially if they’re just startingout.Youmightbeoneofthosepeople.Perhapsyou’rethinkingthatwhilethisallmakessense,youdon’tknowhowtogetstarted.Youdon’thavealistofprospectsoryoudon’thaveaproducttosell.Maybeyou’rethinkinghowyouwouldlovetolaunchsomething,butyouhaveneitheraproductnora list.Ormaybeyou’vegotabusinessrightnow,butyouwouldliketostartadifferentbusiness.You’rereadytomoveon,butyoudon’tknowwheretostart.Well,thisisthechapterforyou,becausetheSeedLaunchprovidestheanswerstoallthesequestions.

IcallittheSeedLaunchbecauseit’salittlelaunchthatcangrowaproduct,alist,andevenabusinessintoagreatbigsuccess.Thinkofatinyseedthatcanonedaybecomea toweringoak tree thatstandsahundredfeet tall.To lookatthatseedand think itcangrowtosuchan incrediblesizeseems improbableatbest,yetweknowthat’sexactlywhathappens.Andit’snodifferentwithaSeedLaunch. It starts with an idea and a handful of sales, but it can grow into aseriousbusiness.

DisasterStrikesOneSunnyFridayAfternoonBefore I get into the exact mechanics of a Seed Launch, let me give you anexample thatshows justhowitcanworkandhowfar-reaching the impactcanbe.ThisSeedLaunchtookplacein2005,andlikemanylaunchesitwasdrivenby a serious need. In fact, this wasmy launch, and I was starting over fromscratch.

Afteranumberofyearsinbusinesswithavarietyofproductsandservices,Ihadapartnershipbreakapartveryabruptly.I’vehadmanypartnershipsovertheyears, and the one thing you learn about partnerships is that, by their verydefinition, none of them can last forever. In any case, this partnership endedwithoutwarning.OneFridayafternoonmypartnercalledmetosaynotonlywashe leaving thepartnership,hewouldbe takingalmostallofourpayingclientswithhim.

Mostbusinesspeoplehavebeenthroughsomethingsimilartothis.AsIsay,the situation is not all that unusual. But it sure has a way of focusing your

attention. So the first thing I did was sit down and think about what type ofbusiness Iwanted to createnext. I spent a lot of time listingwhat I liked andwhat I didn’t like about the business that had just disappeared. And then IcreatedacriterialistofthechangesIwouldwantinmynewbusiness.AndspentalotoftimeselectingthenicheIwantedtotargetwiththisnewbusiness.Andmostimportant,IfocusedonwhatvalueIcouldbringtothemarket.

Foryears,Ihadfocusedontheinvestingandtradingniche.Allmyproductshadbeenabout teachingpeoplehow to invest in the stockmarket.Although Iloved that business, Iwas burnedout. I hadbeenpublishingmy stockmarketnewslettersanaverageofmorethanfivehundredtimesperyear.AndsinceIdiditallwithoutanystaff,thewholeprocesshadbecomearealgrind.Iwasreadytomoveontoadifferentmarketthathadalotfewerdeadlines.

Andtherewasanotherdrivingfactortoconsider:Ihadrecentlydiscoveredapassionforentrepreneurshipandmarketing.IknewnothingofmarketingwhenIfirst started out, but over the years I had developed a real knack for it. I hadcreatedmy first business out of nothing, built a huge list of subscribers, andinventedthiscrazysystemforlaunchingmyproducts.Infact,Ihadbeensharingmyproductlaunchtechniqueswithsomeotherentrepreneurs,andtheyhadbeengettingoutstandingresults,soIknewmymethodwouldworkforothersjustaswellastheyworkedforme.

So I had an areaof expertise (marketing andproduct launches) that couldcreatealotofvalueforpeople,andIlovedtheentirenicheofentrepreneurshipandmarketing.ButIhadtwoproblems:Ihadneitheralistnoraproductinthatmarket.Thebigemaillistsfrommypreviousbusinessweremadeupofpeoplewhowereinterestedinthestockmarket;thoselistswouldn’tdomeanygoodinthisnewventure.ButIdidhaveonethinggoingforme—Ihadbeeninvitedtospeak at amarketing conference thatwould take place in just a fewweeks. Idecided I would use my talk at that conference to begin building my newbusiness.

I put together a great presentation that walked through my entire launchprocess—oratleastasmuchasIcouldfitintoa90-minutepresentation.ThenattheendofthepresentationImadeanoffer:Ifanyoneintheaudiencewantedtogodeeper and learn exactlyhow to implementmy strategies, Iwould coachasmallgroupofclientsthrougheverystepoftheprocess.Icalleditthe“ProductLaunchWorkshop.”The coachingwould take place via a series of teleclassesthatIwouldbeconductingaftertheevent.

There isanart form to“selling from thestage,”and letme just say Iwasneitherskillednorexperiencedatthispractice.Somyofferattheendofthetalkdidnotgetanoverwhelmingresponse.Therewerenearlythreehundredpeopleinattendance,andIsoldonlysixspotsinmyworkshop.That’snotaverystrongperformance.Inowknowthata10%responserateisatthelowerendofwhatyoushouldexpectafteryoumakeanofferfromstage,andIhadgottenlessthan3%.

Nevertheless, I realized that while I might not be a great pitchman, Idefinitelyknewhowtodoproductlaunches.AndInowhadreal,liveclients.IwasconfidentthatIcouldgivethemaskillthatwouldforeverchangetheirlives.

ACoupleofProblems...Solved!AtthatpointIhadacoupleofotherproblems.First,Iknewhowtodolaunches,but I didn’t necessarily knowhow to teach them.And second, to get a stronglevel ofparticipation, Iwantedmore than sixpeople in the class.So I invitedseveralofmyentrepreneurialfriends,otherbusinessownersIhadmetovertheyears,tojointheclass.SinceIunderstoodthatitwasfarmoreimportanttogeta“criticalmass”intheclassthantoextracteverylastdollaroutofit,Iextendedthe invitation on a complimentary basis. Many of these people knew of mysuccessfullaunches,andtheywereeagertolearnmyformula...sothiswasawin-winforthem.Igotmycriticalmass,andtheygottolearnmysecrets.Andthatbroughtthetotalclasssizeuptojustover30people.

So that solved my critical mass problem, but I still had the problem offiguringoutthebestwaytoteachthematerial.Iknewhowtodolaunches,butIhadn’ttaughtmyformulabefore.AndIknewfromexperiencethatwhenyou’reanexpertonatopic,youoftensufferfrom“thecurseofknowledge.”Youforgetwhatit’sliketobeabeginner,andyouendupteachingattoohighalevel.

SoIwentbacktooneofmyfavoritetools—theoneItaughtyouwhenwecoveredthepre-prelaunch.Iaskedmyaudiencewhattheywantedtoknow.Aspartofmyoffer,Ipromisedfiveteleclasses.ButbeforeIdideventhefirstone,Isurveyedmy 30 students to learn their most burning questions about productlaunches. I took the responses and split them into five broad categories tocorrespondwith the five calls I wouldmake. For the first call, I took all thequestions for that specific topic, which was a broad overview of the productlaunchprocess,andputtheminalogicalsequence.ThenIsimplywentthroughandansweredeachquestiononthecall.

Before thenextcall, I rananother survey. I askedmystudents if theyhadany questions about thematerial I covered in the first call. And then I askedthem for their top questions about the second topic—creating the PrelaunchSequence.Onceagain,Iarrangedthosequestionsinacompellingsequenceandwentthroughallthequestionsontheteleclass.

I continued that process for each call—wash, rinse, repeat. After I hadcompletedallfiveteleclasses,IaddedanextrabonuscallwhereIansweredanyadditional questions my students had. And then, because I’ve always beenobsessedwithover-deliveringonmypromises,IaddedafewextraCaseStudycallswhereIwalkedthroughexamplesfromsomeadditionallaunches.

Intheend,IthinkIendedupdoingnineortencallsinsteadofthefiveIhadpromised.Wewentdeep,andItaughteverythingIknew.Andthatledtosometerrific testimonials and several successful Case Studies from my students.ThosetestimonialswerepartlybecauseIhadover-deliveredandpartlybecausemy material (which later became Product Launch Formula) was trulyrevolutionary. But there was also a third very important reason my studentslovedthecoursesomuch,andit’scriticalthatyouunderstandthisthirdreason.

Simplyput,eventhoughIhadnevertaughtthematerialbefore,Ididagreatjobteachingit.Andthereasonwhywasn’tbecauseI’manatural-bornteacher.ItwasbecauseIletmystudentsguidetheprocess.Icontinuallyaskedthem,bothonthecallsandinthesurveysbeforeeachcall,whattheyneededtoknow.Whatwasn’tclear in thematerial Idelivered?WhatdidIneedtogobackandcovermore thoroughly?Whatunansweredquestionsdid theyhave? In effect, I usedthat first group of students from my Seed Launch to learn how to teach thematerial.

Inmycurrentpositionintheindustry,Igettoseealotofproductscometomarket.Andmanyofthemarenotverygood.UsingtheSeedLaunchremovestheworrythatyou’regoingtocreatealousyproduct.Itgivesyouaninteractiveprocesstobuildyourproduct,andwhenyouinvolveyourclientsbyaskingfortheir inputyouendupwithagreatproduct.Simplyput,younaturallybecomeattuned toyourmarket’sneed.There isnoguesswork.Youavoid the curseofknowledge.Andyoudelivertruevaluetoyourclients.

YourSeedLaunchSolet’sgettothenitty-grittyoftheSeedLaunch.

Thisistheideallaunchifyou’rejuststartingoutandyoudon’thavealistor

aproduct. It’salsogreat ifyouhavean ideaforanewproduct,butyouaren’tsureofthedemandforitoryouwouldliketogetpaidforaproductbeforeyoucreate it. What you’re going to find is that the Seed Launch is enormouslyflexible. The one real limitation is that this style of launch doesn’t work forphysicalwidgets.But ifyouhaveaknowledge-or learning-basedproduct, thenthis is a perfect fit. If you want to teach how to lose weight, build a betterrelationship, findabetter job, runyour firstmarathon, trainyourdog,bring inmorechiropracticpatients,getmore followers insocialmedia . . .oranythinglikethat,thenyou’regoingtolovetheSeedLaunch.

Thegoodnewsisthatbynowwe’vealreadylearnednearlyallthetoolsandconcepts thatyouneed inyourSeedLaunch.Theevenbetternews is that theSeedLaunchisthesimplestlaunchofall.Andthebestnewsisthatyou’regoingtoendupwithyourownproductbythetimeyouwrapitup,andit’sgoingtobeagreatproductthat’sperfectlytunedtoyourprospects’needsanddesires.

TheSeedLaunchtakesadvantageof twophenomenathatveryfewpeopleareawareofunless they’vedonesome list-baseddirectmarketing.The first isthat, on apercentagebasis, smaller lists aremore responsive thanbigger lists.And I’mnot talkingaLITTLEmore responsive—Imean they’reaLOTmoreresponsive.Forinstance,Ioncedidalaunchtoalistof299people.Iwastryingtomakeoneofthemostdifficultsaleseverbytakinganonlineservicethathadoriginallybeenfreeandchargingforthatexactsameservice.Andthenewpricewasnotinexpensive,but$100peryear.

Onthefaceofit,Iwaslookingatanextremelydifficultsale.Butthelistwasverywarm(inotherwords,Ihadaverystrongrelationshipwiththepeopleonthelist).Intheend,Ihad297outofthe299signupfortheproduct,whichgavemeaconversion rateof99.3%.That’soneconversionstat that I’mprettysureI’llneverbeabletotop!(Andmyresultswerecertainlynottypical!)Butmoreto the point, if the list was three thousand people, then I wouldn’t have hadanywherenearthatconversionrate.

The second little-known leverage point the Seed Launch capitalizes on isthat inevery list there’sapercentageofpeopleknownas“hyper-responsives.”Theseareyourravingfans.Theyopenupeveryemailorletteryousendthem.They’lleagerlybuywhateveryouoffer.Thesepeoplearethefirstyouhearfromeverytimeyousendanemail,thefirsttocommentonyourblog,thefirsttopassalong your social media updates. The good news is—these hyper-responsivesexistinnearlyeverylist.

Andwhen you combine the fact that small lists aremore responsive andtherearehyper-responsiveslurkinginthatsmalllist,youhavetheseedsof...well...aSeedLaunch.

Ofcourse,youmightbewonderingwhyI’mtellingyouallaboutsmalllistswhenIsaidyoucoulddoaSeedLaunchwithnolist.Well,thefirststepinyourSeedLaunch is tobuild some typeofmicro-list.That listmighthaveonly30people,but itwouldbebetter if it containedmore likeahundredpeople.Andthreehundredwouldbeevenbetter.

But the good news is that pulling together amicro-list like this has neverbeeneasier,andyourmost-effectivetoolissocialmedia.Theprocessofgettingthose first subscribers is as simple as starting topostgoodcontent aboutyourtopic on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and whatever new darlingemergesinthesocialmediaworld.

Sincesocialmediamovesfasterthanbookscanbepublished,andsincetheSeed Launchwill still be working decades after I write these words, I’m notgoingtogiveyouexacttacticsonhowtobuildamicro-listviasocialmedia.Butat the end of the day, you attract followers by publishing relevant interestingcontent about your topic. It can either be content you create or content youcurate(i.e.,stufffromothersthatyoufindandrepost).Eitherway,itdoesn’ttakelongtoattractasmallfollowing.Again,aimforonehundredtothreehundred.It’sreallynotveryhard.

TheentiregoaloftheSeedLaunchisnottomakeamilliondollarsbuttogetyouinthegame,helpyouautomaticallycreateagreatproductandlearnaboutyourmarket,andsetyouupforabiggerlaunchjustabitfurtherdowntheroad.

So just like IdidwithmySeedLaunchof theProductLaunchWorkshop,youroffer isgoingtobeaseriesof teleseminars.Thatmeansyouandallyourclients call into a “bridge line.” This is a simple phone call youmake into aspecialnumber.Thebridge line issetupso thateveryoneelsecanhearyou—sortoflikeaconferencecall.Essentially,youcangivealectureoverthephonetoyourstudents.Ifyouwant,youhavethecontroltounmutethelinessoyourstudents can speak on the call. I’ve done teleseminars where I presented tothousands of people, butwhenyou’re deliveringyour product after yourSeedLaunch,you’llprobablyhaveonlyafewdozenpeopleonyourcalls.

A quick note: You could choose to do webinars instead ofteleseminars.Onawebinar,yourstudentswillbeabletoseeyour computer screen in addition to hearing you speak.Webinarscanbegreatbecausetheygiveyouthecapabilitytoteachvisually,butthey’realsoslightlymorecomplicatedtodeliver.Youcouldevendoaseriesoflive,inpersontrainingsifyouraudienceis local.Buttheeasiestwaytostart iswithteleseminars.Youcangetmoredetailsonbridge linesandteleseminar services on the Resource Page athttp://thelaunchbook.com/resources.

Solet’sjustsayyou’regoingtodoaseriesofthreeteleseminarsaboutyourtopic.(Again,youcoulddoanynumberthatmakessense,butmostofthetimethreetofivecallsworksbest.)Planondoingoneperweek.Alsoplanondoingasurprise bonus “Question and Answer” call just to make sure that you over-delivertoyournewclients.

Abouttheactuallaunch...sinceyou’regoingtobesellingtoasmall,warmlistthatalmostcertainlyhasanumberofhyper-responsives,yourlaunchdoesn’tneedtobeelaborate.JustusewhatItaughtyouinChapters6and7.

But you do need to have a good offer, and you need to do a good job ofexplaining the benefits people will receive from your class. That means youfocusonthetransformationorchangepeoplewillexperiencebygoingthroughyourtraining.Youmustshowyourclientshowyou’regoingtohelpthemreachtheir dreams and aspirations and/or avoid their fears and frustrations. So, forexample, if you’re going to teach someonehow to playguitar, don’t focus onhow quickly they will learn to switch between all the primary open chords;instead, focus on the transformation theywill go through.Whatwill the finaloutcome be?Will they finally be able to play songs for themselves and theirfriends?Will theygain theconfidence to startplayingwithotherpeople?Willtheyfinallyfeellikearealmusician?Willtheygetmoredates?

Solet’sgettoyourlaunch.WiththeSeedLaunchyouwanttokeepthingssimple,beginningwith thepre-prelaunch. In fact,yourpre-prewilldoa lotoftheheavyliftingforyourlaunch.Gobackandreviewthepre-prelaunchchapter,thenrunaclassicpre-pre“ask”campaignwhereyouaskyourmicro-listtotellyoutheirmostburningquestions.Youcandothiseitherbyputtingtogetheranactualsurveyorviaemailorsocialmedia.Thatsurveywilltellyoualotabout

thehopes/dreams/fears/frustrationsofyourmarket...anditwillbeinvaluableasyouputtogetheryouroffer.And,ofcourse,yourpre-preisashot-across-the-bow—it sets the stage for your offer and starts to build awareness and evenanticipationofyourcomingoffer.

After the initial survey in your pre-prelaunch, your next step is an emailfollowup,whereyoutalkaboutsomeofthefindingsandconclusionsfromyoursurvey. You can share some of your own journey of transformation, such assomeofyourearlychallengesandhowyouovercamethem.Andat theendofyouremail,youcantalkalittlebitaboutyourupcomingclass.

Afterthat,yournextemailiswhereyoumakeyouroffer.Generally,youwillwant todirectpeople toa sales letteror salesvideo.But remember,youdon’tneed to oversell. The people on your micro-list will feel like they have apersonalrelationshipwithyou(andformanyofthemthatwilllikelybetrue).Soyouwantyour salesmessage to reflect that.Of course,you still have toworkhard to explain the benefits, and you still need to focus on the ultimatetransformationor change that your newclientswill experience.But youdon’twant to comeacross as aused-car salesman,because thatwon’t resonatewithyourmicro-list.

Yourgoalinallofthisistoget30people(60wouldbeevenbetter)tosayyesandbuyyourproduct.Youwantthatmanypeoplebecauseyouwanttohavealotofinteraction.Andattritionisasadfactofhumannature...you’llalmostalwayshavesomepeoplewhojustdon’tshowuporparticipateinanyway.Soifyoustartwith30people,thenyou’llstillhavesomestickingaroundattheend.Ifyoudon’tsell30spots,dowhatIdidwithmyProductLaunchWorkshopanddiscreetly invite a few people to participate on a complimentary basis.And ifyoucomeupshortof30, that’sokay.Tarastartedwithfive,andIstartedwithsix.

A quick note on prices and sales: I’ve seen Seed Launches for productsbetween$50and$3,000(dependingonthemarketandoffer),soyourfinancialresultsaregoing tovarydramatically fromperson topersonand fromoffer tooffer.Butremember,thisismoreaboutbuildingagreatproductandgettingyouinthegamethanitisaboutthemoney.

Now,asyoudeliveryourproduct,rememberthatfeedbackandsurveysareyourfriend.Isurveypeoplebeforeeachcall.Iaskthemwhattheirtopquestionsaboutthenexttopicare.Sobacktothat“learnguitar”example.Ifthefirstcallisabout “how to strum the guitar,” I would briefly explain the topic in one

sentence, then ask, “What are your top two questions about strumming theguitar?”

Yourjobisn’ttogetonthephoneandanswereveryquestion.Youwanttogo through theresponses,group theminto themes,andrewrite themintogoodquestions thatyoucanexpandinto teachingpoints.Thenput themina logicalandcompellingorder.Onceyou’vedonethat,you’rereadytogetonthephoneandgiveagreatpresentation.

After that firstcall,yousendoutanothersurvey.Firstyouask if thereareany additional questions about the topic of the first call (e.g., “How to StrumYourGuitar”).Thenyouaskforthetopquestionsonyournexttopic.Repeatthisprocess before and after every call.The happy result is that you’re building aproducttoperfectlymatchwhatyourmarketwants.Andalongtheway,you’regettingdeep insight intoyourmarket andhow to talk toyourmarket . . . andthat’sgoingtopayoffinabigwaywhenitcomestimeforyoutodoyourfirstbiglaunch.Itmightseemalmostcriminal,butyou’regettingpaidtogatherallthismarketresearch.

Ofcourse,you’regoingtoberecordingthesecalls—somethingmostbridgelineswill do for you automatically. If you do five calls, and then add in yourbonus Q&A call, you’ve now created six audio recordings. And you can getthoseaudiorecordingstranscribed.Eachhourofaudiowillequalabout15to20printedpages,soyou’llhavethemakingsofabook(orebook)that’s90to120pages long. Now you’ve got audio and a book and there’s your multimediaproduct.BOOM!Youjustgotpaidtocreateaproduct!

Youwillalsowanttofocusongettingyournewclientssomestrongresults,because they’re going to be great candidates for Case Studies as you moveforwardandgetreadytolaunchyourproductinabiggerway.

Sothat’stheessenceoftheSeedLaunch—simple,fast,flexible.Anditsetsthestageformuchbiggerlaunchestocomeinyourbusiness.It’stheperfectwaytodipyourtoeinthewater,learnhowtoteachyourtopic,learnaboutthehopes,dreams,andfearsofyourtargetmarket,andcreateagreatproductwithoutmucheffort.

FromSeedLaunchtoEmpireAnd just to showyouwhereaSeedLaunchcango, there’sapostscript to thestoryofmyProductLaunchWorkshopSeedLaunch.EventhoughIwasabletoconvinceonlysixpeopletobuymyProductLaunchWorkshop,IfeltlikeIhada

winneronmyhands.Thepeoplewhowent through the training loved it.Andonce they started to putmy teachings to work in their businesses, the resultsstarted to roll in. It was the beginning of the huge tide of Product LaunchFormulasuccessstoriesfromnearlyeverymarketandnicheyoucouldimagine.

Now,beingtheperfectionistthatIam,ItookallthematerialIhaddeliveredinthatfirstworkshop,andIre-createdit inamorepolishedversion.IusedallthelessonsIhadlearnedaboutteachingthematerial,andIaddedinsomeofmystudents’CaseStudies.AfewmonthslaterIfinishedthecreationofthefirsteverProductLaunchFormulacourse.

And, of course, I had to put together a product launch for it. That wasOctober,2005.Intheone-weeklaunchthatfollowedIdidmorethan$600,000insales.SincethattimeI’vedoneover$20millioninsalesofPLF,andInowhaveover ten thousandPLFOwners.Andyou’repartof this storyaswell,becauseyouwouldnotbeholdingthisbookinyourhandifitweren’tforthatfirstverymodestSeedLaunchthatIdid.ThatjustshowswhatcanhappenwhenyoustartwithaSeedLaunchandcontinuetoleverageupyourlaunches.

Onethingtorememberaboutthosenumbers:EventhoughIhadpreviouslyrunasuccessfulbusiness,Iwasstartingoveragain.Ihadenteredacompletelynewmarketwith a completely newproduct. The big list I had frommy priorbusinesswasofnouse tome. Iwas starting fromscratchagain, and theSeedLaunchishowIstartedout.

However, Ihadonemore“secretweapon” inmyarsenal tohelpbuildmynewbusiness,andthatweaponletmecomeoutofthegatewiththat$600,000launch—thebiggestlaunchIhadeverdone.SohowdidIdoitinabrand-newmarket?InamarketwhereIhadnopresenceandalmostnolist?

Mysecretwastheenormouspowerofthe“JVLaunch,”andthat’swhatthenextchapterisallabout…

Chapter10

HowIMadeaMillionDollarsinaSingleHour:TheJVLaunch

Soexactlywhereisthelinebetweenfearandpanic?Theminuteswerecountingdowntowardtheopencarttimemuchtooquickly,andIwasfartoostressedandsleep-deprived.Ithadbeenmorethan48hourssinceIhadgottenanythingmoresubstantial than a catnap. I was getting bombarded with emails and instantmessageswithquestions,comments,suggestions.ThetraffictomysitewaslikenothingIhadeverexperienced.Thiswasn’tmyfirstrodeo—Ihadalreadydonedozensoflaunches.Butthestakeswerealothigherthistime,andIwasplayingonamuchbiggerstage.

Theclockwastickingdown,andIstillhadlotstodo.Ineededaheadline.Ineeded to test the order process. I needed to mail my list. I needed tocommunicatewithmy partners.Arrrrrgggghhhh . . . Theminutes kept tickingawaytowardtheopenat10AMMountainStandardTime.

It had been a little more than six months since my prior business hadimplodedduetoapartnershipbreakup,anditwastimefora“revenueevent”—meaningtimetomakesomemoney.Iwasreadytobebackinbusiness.Butthistime Iwanted abusinesswhere I had complete control,where I didn’t have apartnertoconsulteverytimeIhadanewideaorplan.

And Iwas ready to leave the stockmarket niche behind. I had loved thestockmarketwhenIstartedthatbusiness,butIhadcometorealizethatIlovedmarketingevenmore,andIwasreallygoodat it. IknewIdidn’twant tobeamarketingconsultant.Afteryearsofbeinganinformationentrepreneur,Iwasinlovewithpublishingand teaching. Iwas in lovewith the inherently leveragednatureofthebusiness;myincomewasn’ttiedtothenumberofhoursIworkedbuttohowwellIcouldsellmyproducts.AndIwasalsoinlovewiththeimpactI couldmake. Instead of helping a few dozen people as a consultant, I couldimpact thousands as a publisher. And I was clearly legit—I’d beenmaking aliving with a marketing-driven business on the Internet for longer than mostpeoplehadaccesstotheInternet.

I had only one issue. It was a crowdedmarket. There were thousands ofpeoplewhoweretryingtomakealivingasanInternetmarketingexpert.Someof themwere wildly successful, but themajority of them could barely affordtheir business cards. And it was a market in which I had no positioning ortraction.EventhoughIhadlongbeendoingbusinessonline,eventhoughIhadacompletelyrevolutionarynewwaytosellonline,eventhoughIhadbeenmakingmoremoneyonlinethanmostoftheso-calledInternetmarketinggurus...well,noneofthatmatteredbecauseIdidn’thaveapresenceintheniche.Allmyemaillistsandwebsiteswereaboutthestockmarket.Mytensofthousandsofemailsubscribers in the stock market niche wouldn’t do me any good starting abusinessintheInternetmarketingniche.

However, Ididhaveanace in thehole. Itwasonlyonecard,but itwasapowerfulone,andIwasgoingtoplaythatcardwitheverythingIhad.

A couple years earlier, in February 2003, I had attended an Internetmarketingseminar.WhenIwalkedintothatseminar,IfeltlikeIhadfoundmytribe.

Doingbusinessonlinebackinthosedayscouldbelonely.Ifoughtthegoodfighteverydayoutofmyhomeoffice,butalmostnooneunderstoodwhatIwasdoing. The idea of an online business was completely foreign to almosteveryone.

Butatthatseminar,IwassuddenlyamongacoupleofhundredotherpeoplewhodidthesamethingIdid—theyallhadthesamehopes,dreams,challenges,and frustrations.Andat thebackof that conference rooma small groupofusforgedabond thatwould last foryearsandchangeanentire industry.But thatwasallinthedistantfuture.

Intheshortterm,Ilearnedoneimportantfact—thattheproductlaunchesIhadquietlybeendoinginmystockmarketbusinessweretrulyunique.Nooneelse was doing anything like them. Before that seminar, I didn’t realize howunusualmyproductlauncheswere.Ihadrecentlydonethelaunchthatbroughtin$106,000insevendaysandhelpedmebuymyhouse.ButIdidn’trealizejusthowunusualthatresultwas,andIdidn’trealizehowunusualmystrategieswere.IhadassumedthatIcouldn’tbetheonlypersondoingthesetypesoflaunches.Ihadfigureditoutonmyown,soIassumedothersmusthavedonethesame.ButI was wrong. Each time I mentioned one of the launches I had done in mybusiness,everyone listeningwouldgosilentand theirearswouldperkup.Mylaunchesseemedtodefythenormallawsofmarketingandbusiness.

Ileftthatseminarwithlotsofnewfriendships—someofthemwithpeoplewhowereleadersintheInternetmarketingindustry.Thesewerepeoplewithlistsandconnections.AtthattimeIwasstillpublishingaboutthestockmarketandyearsawayfromthinkingaboutpublishingintheInternetmarketingniche.ButIlovedtalkingtomynewfriendsbecauseofoursharedpassionformarketingandbusiness-building.At somepoint, I startedhelping a fewof themput togetherproduct launches, and they enjoyed some spectacular successes with thoselaunches. Word slowly filtered throughout many of the major players in thenascent Internetmarketing industry that this guy JeffWalkerhad abrand-newtechniquethatcouldbringincrazyprofitsinaveryshortperiodoftime.Ididn’tknowitatthetime,butIwassowingtheseedsformynextbusiness.

MyFirstJVLaunchOne of the critical components of any launch is your list of prospects. As Ishowedyou in theSeedLaunchchapter, it’s entirelypossible todoa smaller-scale launch when you’re first starting out without a list (or with just a tinymicro-list).Butifyou’regoingtomakeabigimpressioninthemarket,youneedalist.Nowtherearelotsofwaystobuildalist,butthesinglefastestwaytodoitisbyusingtheliststhatotherpeoplehavealreadybuiltandcurated.That’stheessenceofaJointVentureLaunch(alsoknownasaJVLaunch).

InaJVLaunchyouhavepartnersmailtheirlistsandtelltheirpeopleaboutyour launch. If youmake a sale to one of the people your partner sends yourway,youpayyourpartneracommission.

ThewaythisgenerallyworksisthatyourJVpartnerswillmailtheirlistandencourage their readers tovisityourPrelaunchContent. Inmost JVLaunches,theJVpartnersactuallysendtheirlisttoyoursqueezepage,sothatthevisitorshavetojoinyourlistbeforetheygettoyourPLC.Throughoutyourlaunch,youfollowupwithyournewprospects.Youuse special affiliate tracking software(seetheResourcePageathttp://thelaunchbook.com/resources)onyourwebsitetotrackwhichJVpartnerreferredeachprospect.ThenwhenyouOpenCartandstartmaking sales, your software automatically tracks who referred each newclienttoyousoyoucanpaycommissionstotherightpartner.

OneofthemostpowerfulbyproductsofdoingaJVLaunchlikethisisthatyouendupbuildingaserious“launchlist”outofallthoseleads.Andafteryoudothelaunch,yougettokeepthatlist.Thisisthesinglefastestwaythereistogrowalist.Ofcourse,listsizeiscompletelydependentonyourniche,whoyour

partnersare,andthesizeoftheirlist,butit’spossibletoaddthousandsofpeopletoyourlistinjustafewdaysduringaJVLaunch.

And that’sexactlywhathappened tome.Because Ihadbuilt relationshipswiththeleadersintheInternetmarketingindustry—andoftengavethemlotsofhelpwiththeirlaunches—theseexpertswerereadyandwillingtohelpmeout.SowhenIcameoutwithmyfirstpieceofPrelaunchContent,IhadmanyofthemajorplayersonboardandmailingtheirlistsaboutmyPLC.Withinacoupleofdays,Ihad8,000people joinmylist.Anditdidn’tstopthere.MyJVpartnerskeptmailing throughoutmy prelaunch, and I built a list ofmore than 15,000emailsubscribersduringthelaunch.Thatwasabreathtakingnumber.Inmyoldstockmarketbusiness,whereIwasoperatinginamuchbiggerniche,ittookmeyearstobuildalist thatsize.AndnowIhaddoneit inamatterofdaysinmynewbusiness—allthroughthepowerofmyJVpartners.

AndthereIwasonOctober21,2005,justafewminutesbeforeitwastimeto Open Cart on my launch, and yes . . . I was scared. And there was animportantreasonforthatfear.

Itwasn’tthatIdoubtedmycapabilities.IknewIcouldputtogetheragreatlaunch,andIknewIhadagreatproduct.AndthefeedbackIhadgottenduringthe prelaunch toldme that everything aboutmyofferwas resonatingwithmyprospects.Soitwasclearthatmylaunchwashittingonallcylinders.

But since it was a JV Launch, I felt an extra layer of responsibility.Mypartnershadtrustedmewiththeirsupport,anditwasmyjobtomakethattrustpayoff.I’llcoverthisinmoredetailalittlelater,butyouhavetotreatyourJVrelationshipslikegold.Andthat’swhyIwasextranervousastheminutestickedawaybeforemyopen.

Ofcourse, ifmypartnershadanydoubtabout theresult, theywereblownawayintheopeningminutesofthelaunch.Withinthefirsthour,Ihadalreadydonemorethan$70,000insales.Bytheendofthefirstday,afteronly14hours,thesaleswereover$200,000.WhenIcloseddownthelaunchaweeklater,thefinalsalestotalwasjustover$600,000.Notabadwaytostartanewbusiness—especiallysinceitwasinabrandnewmarket,withabrandnewproduct,andIhadspentzerodollarsonadvertising.AndIdidallthisfrommyhomeofficeoutinthemountainsofColorado,andmyonlystaffwasmywife,Mary,helpingmewithcustomerservice.No,notabadwaytostartanewbusiness.

Ofcourse,thedevilisalwaysinthedetails,andasistruewithanybusinessventureIcertainlyhadcosts.Allthosesalesdidn’tflowdirectlyintomywallet.

OneofthebiggestcostsinaJVLaunchisyouraffiliatecommissions.YourJVpartnersarenotgoingtomailtheirlistsaboutyourlaunchoutofthegoodnessoftheirheart.ThecorepartoftheJVLaunch,whichmakesitworkforeveryone,isthatyoutrackwhotheleadsandsalescamefrom,andyoupaycommissionsonthesalesyoumaketothoseleads.Inthiscase,Iwaspaying50%ofthesaletomy referring partner. Back with that very first launch of Product LaunchFormula,thepricewas$997,soIpaidacommissionof$498.50foreverysalethatapartnerreferredtome.

Ioftenhavestudentsaskmewhat’satypicalcommissiontopayJVpartners.Myanswer isalways thesame:There isno“typical.”Acommissionvariesbylaunch, bymarket, by niche, and even by partner.What you pay, and exactlyhowyoustructureyourJVcompensation, isabusinessdecision. Iwasable topaya50%commissionbecausethemarginonmyproductisrelativelylarge.Inmy business, the costs are all involved with actually generating the lead andmakingthesale.Butotherbusinesseswillbedifferent.Ifyou’resellingphysicalgoods (computers, barbeque grills, humidors, etc.), then the commissions youpayaregoingtobea lot lower.Thereareevensomemarketswhere the initialcommissionsarealothigherthan50%.Suchcanbethecasewherethereisalotmore revenue in the “back end” sales—that is, the follow-up sales after theoriginalsale.

Nomatterhowyoustructureyour JVcompensation,onebigadvantageofthistypeofpromotionisthatyoupayyourcommissionAFTERthesaleismade.Comparethattostandardadvertising,whereyouspendabunchofmoneybeforeyouevenknowif theadvertising isgoing towork.Nomatter if it’sTV,radio,newspaper, online, direct mail, yellow pages, or some other medium, yourmoneyisspentandyou’relefthopingtogetareturnonthatupfrontinvestment.WithJVoraffiliaterelationships,youpaybasedonlyontheresults,andyoupayafterthesaleismade.

AffiliateorJVPartner:What’stheDifference?Soexactlywhat is thedifferencebetweenaJVpartnerandanaffiliate?They’reactuallyprettymuch thesame. Ineach

case,you’retalkingaboutsomeonewhoisgoingtopromoteyour product and get paid a commission if one of theprospects they refer to you buys something. So if AffiliateJohnsendsProspectAlice to yourwebsite to lookat yourproduct, and Prospect Alice buys your product, then you’llpay Affiliate John a commission. You set the level of thecommission (as either a percentage of the sale or a fixeddollaramountpersale),andthatcommissionlevelispartofyouragreementwithAffiliateJohn.

The mechanics of this arrangement are the samewhetherwe’retalkingaboutJVpartnersoraffiliates,andyoucanreallyusethetermsinterchangeably.However,theterms“JV” or “JV partner” generally imply a closer relationship. IknowalmostallofmyJVpartnerspersonally,andduringalaunch I’m communicating with them closely—always viaemailandoftenonthephoneorvia text.Manyof themareclosefriendsofmine.

WhyJVLaunchesWorkWhenyoulookatalltheadvantagesofaJVLaunch(farbiggersales,crazyfastlistbuilding,hugepositioninginyourmarket),thismightsoundliketheanswerto everyone’s problems. However, there are some core elements you need tohave in place before you even think about a JV Launch, and there aremanymistakestobeavoided.Solet’swalkthroughthisonestepatatime.

Thefirstthingyouhavetorememberisthat,justlikeyou,yourpotentialJVpartners are in business to make a profit. If they’ve built up a substantial,responsive list, that is a considerable asset they’ve put a lot of time andinvestmentinto.Theoddsareveryhighthattheyunderstandjusthowpowerfulanasset their list is,and they’renotgoing tobe interested inmailing their listaboutanyoldlaunchthatcomeswanderingdownthelane.Inotherwords,justbecauseyouputtogetheraLaunchSequenceandanoffer,don’texpectthemtobefallingalloverthemselvestopromoteyourlaunch.Thefactis,iftheyhaveastronglisttheyprobablyhavemoreopportunitiestopromoteoffersthantheycanpossibly accommodate. That’s reality. (And if they don’t have a strong list,they’renotgoingtobeaverygoodpartner,soyoushouldn’tbebotheringwiththem.)Alistcanbemailedtoonlysomanytimes,andanyonewithasubstantial

listmost likelygets requestseveryday topromotesomeoneelse’sproduct.Tohaveagoodlististopossessascarceresource.

This iswhereawell-constructedLaunchSequenceshines.SinceaLaunchSequence is such an incredible conversion machine, you’re going to begenerating some outsized results. And that generally means outsizedcommissionsforyourJVpartners.OneofthewaysthisismeasuredonlineisinEPC—or “earnings per click”—which is the amount of commissions someonegetsforeveryonewhoclicksthroughtoapromotion.Soifsomeonesends100clicks,andthoseclicksgeneratecommissionsof$450forthepartner,thenthat’sanEPCof450/100,ora$4.50EPC.

Ioftengetthequestion“What’sagoodEPC?”Thereisnosingleanswertothat question because an EPC will vary depending on the market and offer.What’simportantisthatifyourlaunchcangenerateastrongEPCrelativetotheotheroffersinyourmarket,thenit’sgoingtobealoteasiertoconvincepartnersto mail for you. And again, a solid PLF-style launch is an EPC-generatingmonster.

Don’tTestwithYourPartners’ListsIfyou’regoingtohaveanysuccessintheJVgame,youneedtobuildlong-termrelationshipswithyourpartners. I seeplentyofpeopleapproaching this likea“oneanddone”typeofrelationship,butthatmakesitreallytoughtohaveanytypeoflongevityinyourbusiness.

Thereality is thatwhenyourpartnerspromoteyouroffer, they’regoingtobewatching their numbers,meaning they’re going to bewatching their EPC.Andthey’realsogoingtobewatchingwhattypeofexperienceyouprovideforthepeopletheyreferredtoyou,becausethatexperiencewillreflectonthem.Ifthey tell thepeopleon their list togowatchyourvideos, andyourvideos areboringandcontent-free,itwillnegativelyimpactwhatthosevisitorsthinkaboutyourpartner.Soyourpartnerhasrealskininthegame.Mailingforyourlaunchhasrealcostsandsubstantialriskstoyourpartner.Andiftheresultsfromtheirpromotionaren’tgood,thentheyprobablywon’tbepromotingforyouagaininthe future.Before you ask someone tomail for you, you need to be sure youhaveanofferthatconverts.

Fortunately,there’saneasywaytomakesureyourlaunchwillperformforyourpartner,andthat’s todoanInternalLaunchfirst. Inotherwords,firstrunthelaunchforjustyourlist(evenifyouhaveaverysmalllist).Thatwayyouget

totestyourLaunchSequencesandyouroffer.That’showyoucanbesureyouhaveawinnerbeforeyouaskyourJVpartners to takeachanceonpromotingyouroffertotheirlist.

WhenItellmystudentstodoanInternalLaunchfirst,manyofthemwanttoskipoverthatlittlebitofcoaching.Theywanttojumpdirectlytotheexcitementandglory(andbigdollars)oftheJVLaunch.Thereareseveralreasonstoavoiddoingthat.WhenyoudoanInternalLaunch,itgivesyoutheopportunitytotestout all your systems and get some experience under your belt. That’s reallyimportant,butwhat’strulycriticalisthatyouhavetheopportunitytotestyourofferandyourPrelaunchSequencetomakesureyou’vegotawinner.Thisisthedeal—youneverwanttotestanofferwithapartner’slist.Youdon’twantyourpartnersbeingyourguineapig.Ifyouhaveanofferthatisn’tgoingtoconvert,youwanttobetheonetakingthatbullet.

Remember,your relationshipswithyourJVpartnersshouldbe treated likegold. You need to nurture and cherish them so they turn into long-termrelationships.Isaidthisabove,butit’ssocriticalthatitbearsrepeating:Ifyouask a JV partner to mail an offer and it doesn’t convert, then there’s a goodchancethey’renotgoingtomailforyournextoffer.Ontheotherhand,ifyou’vegotatestedandprovenoffer(i.e.,anofferthatyourananInternalLaunchfor),and you can show them your results, then they’re going to be a lot moreinterestedinmailing.Andthey’regoingtobealotmorelikelytogetsomegreatresults.And thebetter their results, themore likely they’llmail foryou in thefuture.

GettingJVPartnersIt’sobviousthattheJVLaunchhassomereallyhugebenefits,sohowdoyougoaboutgettinggreat JVpartners?This isabig topic, and I’ve spententiredaysteachingaboutfindingandnurturingJVrelationships.ButI’mgoingtodomybesttobreakitdownforyouinafewpages.

Firstofall,youhavetorealizethatyoudon’tneedthousands,orhundreds,oreventensofJVpartners.You’veundoubtedlyheardofthe80/20rule,whichsays that 80% of your results come from 20% of your effort. Well, when itcomestoaffiliatesandJVpartners,it’sgenerallymorelikethe99/1rule,where99% of your results come from 1% of your partners. In my business, we’reextremelyselectiveaboutwhowetakeonaspartners—wetakeononlytoptierpartners.Andevenso,thevastmajorityofoursalesinanygivenlaunchwillbe

generatedbyourtoptenpartners.Itgetsevenmoreselectiveat thetop,wherethe top three affiliates might generate a quarter of our sales. The way thesenumberssplitoutinanygivenlaunchwillvarywidely,butmypointisthatyourtopaffiliateswillgeneratethemajorityofyoursales.Andthatmeansyoudon’tneed a lot of affiliate partners; you need only a few good ones. I often havestudentsaskmehowtheycangetahundredorathousandaffiliates.Ialwaystellthemtonotworryaboutgettinga lotofaffiliatesbut toget three tofivehigh-qualitypartnersthatwillreallysupportthem.

Finding potential partners is easy. They are the other people who arepublishinginyourmarket.JusttypethetopkeywordsearchforyourmarketintoGoogle.Forexample,ifyoursiteisaboutteachingpeopletoplayguitar,justdoasearchfor“learnguitar.”Gotoeachofthetop50listingsandlookaroundtheirsiteforawaytooptin.Iftheyhaveanopt-inbox,thenthey’rebuildinganemaillist,andtheyareapotentialJVpartner.At thispointyoushouldgoaheadandjointheirlist.Ofcourse,ifyoujoin50lists(andyoushould),you’regoingtobegettingalotofemail.Youmightwanttosetupaspecialemailaddressforthissothatyourregularinboxwon’tbefloodedwithallthatemail.

Afteryou’reonthoselists,watchwhattheysendtotheirsubscribers.Trackwho and what they’re promoting. Watch to see if they promote only theirproductsoriftheypromoteproductsfromotherbusinesses.Evaluatethequalityoftheirmarketingaswellasthequalityoftherelationshipthey’rebuildingwiththeir list.Followtheminsocialmedia.Try toreverse-engineer theirmarketingandtheiroffers.

What you’re trying to do is create a target list of potential partners.Remember, you need only three to five high-quality partners, although youmight need to approach50potential partners to find those fewwho are reallygoingtorockforyou.

As you go through this process, remember that good JV partners alwayshave more people who are trying to get them to promote than they couldpossiblysupport.That’sarealityofbusiness.TheirJVsupportistrulyascarceresource.Sowhenyouaskthemtopromote,you’rejustanotherhungrymouthlookingforameal.Thatmeansyouneedtocreatesomevaluefor themifyouwanttostandout.

OneofthebestwaystobuildvalueforpotentialpartnersistohaveagreatLaunchSequencethatgeneratesalotofcommissionsforthem.Butevenbeforeyouget there, youneed to findotherways to create value just to get on their

radar. One of the very best ways to build value for them is to promote theirproductfirst—ifyougenerateabunchofsalesforthem,thentheywilldefinitelytakenotice.Anothereasythingyoucandoisbuytheirproduct,putittouse,andthengivesomeconstructivefeedbackand/orapositivetestimonial.Youcanalsogivethemregularfeedbackontheirblogandinsocialmedia.Thebottomlineisthat there are a hundredways to create value for a potential partner—and themorevalueyoucreate,themoreyou’llgetback.

AMillionDollarsin53MinutesTherearefewthingsthatcanmakeasbiganimpactonyourbusiness(andyourfinancial life) inas short aperiodof timeasa successful JVLaunch.And theimpact goes far beyond the sales you generate in the launch. The long-termeffectof the increasedpositioning in themarket and the rapid list growthwillreverberateinyourbusinessforyearstocome.

Butifyou’regoingtohavesuccesswithJVLaunchesandJVrelationships,thenyouabsolutelymustrememberthetwothingsI’vehammeredonthroughoutthis chapter. First, you need to build long-term relationships with your JVpartners.Andsecond,youneedtocreatereal,long-termvalueforthosepartners.Thatdoesn’tmeanit’sgoingtotakeyouyearstobuildthoserelationshipsorthatyouareyearsaway fromdoinga JVLaunch.Thiscanallhappensurprisinglyquickly,butittakeseffort,andyoushouldbethinkinglong-term.

WhenIdidmyfirstJVLaunch,it literallycreatedabusinessforme.Thatwas the launch Imentioned at the start of this chapter,when I first rolled outProductLaunchFormulain2005andthelaunchgeneratedjustover$600,000.Iwas instantly in business with sales, and I had a bunch of happy partners towhomIpaidsomebigcommissions.Italsogeneratedalistofmorethan15,000people.Anditgavemehugepositioninginthemarket.AfterthatlaunchIwasseenasoneof the leaders in the industry, andProductLaunchFormulawasarecognizedbrandinthemarket.Salescontinuedtocomein,andinmyfirstyearIdidoveramilliondollarsofsales.Thoseresultsall tracedbacktothatinitialJVLaunch.

However,thatwasjustsettingthesceneforwhatwastocomenext.Inearly2008 I startedworking on an all newversion: ProductLaunchFormula 2.0. IremadetheproductfromthegroundupbasedoneverythingIhadlearnedsinceIfirstreleasedPLF.Infact,itwasgoingtobeanentirelynewoffer,withgreatlyexpandedcontent,over-the-topbonuses,andlivecoachingcallswithmeandmy

coaches.Withthisnewoffer,Iincreasedthepriceto$1,997,andnaturallyitwastimeforanotherbigJVLaunch.

Aftertwo-plusyearsofsupportingandnurturingmyJVrelationships,Ihadalotofsupporttocallon.Duringprelaunch,wegeneratedover34,000optins—atrulyamazingnumbertogetoveramatterofdays.AsIreviewedallthedatacoming in during the prelaunch, it sure looked like itwas going to be a greatlaunch.Butyoujustneverknowexactlywhat’sgoingtohappen,andasusualIhadplentyofnervesgoingintolaunchday.ItseemedlikeeverypossibleJVintheknownworldwaspromotingmylaunch,andPLFhadbeenaprovensellerfor years. But this was a new offer and a new price point, so I was plentyanxious.

LaunchdaywasMarch27,2008.Asusual,thedaysleadingintolaunchdayhadbeenablur.There’salwaysalottobedone,especiallyduringaJVLaunch.Andthemorningoflaunchdayfoundmewithmyusualsetoflaunchnerves,butIdidn’thavemuchchance todwellon them; therewere toomany last-minutedetails to tend to. I remember that the minutes leading into the launch werecompletechaosaswetouchedupthesalesletterandtheorderform.Andthenitwastime.Allsystemswerego,andIhitthe“send”buttonontheemail.

I didn’t have long to wait. The orders started coming in within seconds.TheywouldpileinasfastasIcouldrefreshthestatsonmypage.Lateron,whenIwentbackandanalyzedthedata,Ifoundonesinglesecondwherewehadmorethan$12,000insales.$12Kinonesecond!Wehitamilliondollarsinsalesin53minutes.Andthesalesdidn’tstopthere.BythetimeIcloseddownthelaunch,afterbeingopenforonly34hours,wewereat$3.73millioninsales.

Of course, thatwasn’t all profit.By that time I had a small teamof threecontractors (although Iwas stillworkingout ofmyhomeoffice andmy teamwasall“virtual”).AndIhadaffiliatecommissionstopay.Andtherewereothercosts.Since I’vealwaysofferedagenerousmoney-backguarantee, Iknewwewould have some returns.But the numberswere still completely staggering. Iclearly rememberedhow, just a fewshortyears earlier,myultimatedream formybusinesswastomakeanextra$10,000ayeartohelpsupportmyfamily.Oreven more recently, when I had to start over again after my first businessimplodedfollowingthat fatefulcall frommybusinesspartner.AndnowhereIwassittingwithalaunchthatdidnearly$4millioninjust34hours.Unreal.

That’sthepoweroftheJVLaunch.It’sjustaboutthemostpowerfulweaponinthewholePLFarsenal.There’sonlyonethingthatsurpassestheJVLaunch,

andthat’stheBusinessLaunchFormula…

Chapter11

CreatingaBusinessfromtheEther:TheBusinessLaunchFormula

How do you reinvent a business when world events throw you a great bigcurveball?Whensomeone fliesaplane intoabuildingand it jeopardizesyourentirebusinessmodel?RuthBuczynskiisalicensedpsychologistwhorunstheNational Institute for the Clinical Application of Behavioral Medicine(NICABM.com).NICABM is a pioneer and leader in the field ofmind-body-spiritmedicine,andthey’vebeenanaccreditedproviderofcontinuingeducationforhealthandmentalhealthcareprofessionalsforover20years.

Since starting the company, Ruth has helped tens of thousands ofpsychologists, counselors, socialworkers,doctors, andnursesbuild their skillsand better help their patients, primarily through live conferences. Herconferenceshadupto1,000attendeesfromaroundtheworld,andshebroughtintopexpertstoprovidecutting-edgetraining.

Ruth’sbusinesswasdoinggreatuntilSeptember11,2001.Theterrorattacksthatdayturnedalotofpeople’s livesupsidedown,bringingaboutallkindsofunforeseen consequences.One of the impactswas that a lot of people startedcutting back on their business travel. That hurt many businesses, includingRuth’s.Her primary source of sales and revenuewas her conferences—and itwasbecomingmoreandmoredifficulttoconvincepeopletogetonaplaneandtraveltoliveevents.Whileherbusinesswasstillprofitable,Ruthdidn’tlikethedirectioninwhichhersalesandprofitsweretrending.

And life had another huge challenge in store for Ruth.Around that sametimeshelostherlong-termpartnertoalengthybattlewithaterminalillness.

As Ruth emerged from a period of intense grieving, she looked at herbusinesswith fresheyes,andsheknewsomethinghad tochange.Profitsweredown,anditwasgettinghardertofillherevents.That’swhenRuthlookedtotheInternet as a possible newpath for her business. She decided to start creating“virtual”eventsinsteadoflive,in-personevents.

Ruth primarily sells to licensed practitioners. A small percentage of her

clients are lay people, but most are accredited health care professionals. Sheoffers continuing education credits for psychologists, physicians, nurses,counselors, and social workers. Her marketing needed to have a veryprofessional look and feel but still make the sale. It was a perfect fit for theProductLaunchFormula.

SurgeonGeneral’sWarning:YouDon’tKnowWhoIsWatchingYourPrelaunchRuth’sonlineconferencewassuccessfulrightfromthestart.InmanywayssherunsaclassicPLFlaunchforeachofhersummits.She’llpublishthreepiecesofPrelaunch Content—generally videos, but occasionally a PDF report. Forinstance, in her recent “Brain Science” training, her first piece of PLCwas avideo,TheTwoThingsYouCanDoTodayforYourBrain.Thatvideogeneratedmorethan1,000comments.

AfterRuth runsa standardPLF-styleprelaunch, sheopens registration forhervirtualevent.Theeventisaseriesofwebinars,andpeoplecansignupandattendthewebinarsforfree.WhereRuthmakeshersalesisatthe“Gold”level,which includes the recordings of thewebinars aswell as transcripts and otherbonuses.

It’sworthnoting thatwhileRuth is a licensedpsychologist, she isnot the“expert” in her trainings. Instead, she brings in world-class experts such asDanielAmen,RamDaas,andDanielGoleman.

It’salsoworthnoticingthatRuthactuallygivesawaythebulkofhercontent—ifyou’rewillingtobeoneachwebinarlive,thenyoucanlistentoallofthemwithoutspendingasingledollar.ButlotsofpeoplepayfortheextrabenefitsandbonusesthatcomewiththeGoldlevel.

Because of the success of thismodel,Ruth has expanded. She nowholdsthree or four different virtual events a year, including one on mindfulness, asecondonbrainscience,andanotheronthetreatmentoftrauma.

Toputthisallinperspective—Ruthgeneratesenormousnumbers.Inoneofherrecenttrainings,shehad9,000people(from70countries)loggedintolistentooneofherwebinars.Thosenumberstakeonanevenlargersignificancewhenyouconsiderthatthevastmajorityoflistenersarelicensedpractitioners.Ruthisnotreallymarketingtothegeneralpublic,soshehasamuchsmalleruniverseofpeopletosellto.

AndRuthrecentlysawanothermeasureofherimpactwhenshewasinvited

toameeting(alongwithother leaders inherfield) todiscussways tohelp theU.S.Armywithmental health services for their troops.WhileRuthwas thereshemet theSurgeonGeneralof theUnitedStatesArmy (a three-stargeneral),whotoldRuth,“Ireadyouremails.”

Inotherwords,theSurgeonGeneraloftheU.S.ArmywaswatchingRuth’sPrelaunchContent!

Of course, the biggest news is that Ruth’s business not only survived hertransitionfromlive,in-personseminarstowebinar-basedtraining,butitthrived.In the last threeyearsherbusinesshasgrownby160%,andshedirectlyhelpstensofthousandsofpeopleeveryyear.AndthosehealthcareprofessionalsuseRuth’strainingtohelphundredsofthousandsoftheirpatients.

RuthBuczynski

Ruth’sstoryisoneofacompletereinventionofherbusiness.Thedeliveryof her product changed from a live conference to a virtual conference. Hermarketingshiftedfromdirectmailtoanonline-basedlaunch.Alongtheway,sheincreased her profitability, expanded her reach, and lowered the risk in herbusiness.

TheProvenFormula...ExpandedOkay,sobynowwe’veestablishedthatPLFisanincredibletoolforlaunchingyourproductsandservices.NowIwanttotalkabouthowtotakeittothenextlevelwithwhatIcalltheBusinessLaunchFormula(BLF).ThisishowyoutakethecoreProductLaunchFormulaconceptsandusethemtobuild(orgrow)anentirebusiness.

I’vesharedmostofmypersonal story in thepreviouschapters—thecrazyjourney from Mr. Mom staying home taking care of a couple of babies to

buildingamultimilliondollarbusinessthat’simpactedhundredsofthousandsofpeople. If I had sat down andwritten a novel telling this story, no onewouldbelieveit.

Butthestoryisfarbiggerthanme,becausePLFisnotjustaboutlaunchingproducts.It’saboutlaunchingbusinesses...andevenhelpingpeoplecreatethelifeoftheirdreams.

You’ve learned about John Gallagher, whose family was on food stampswhenheborrowedthemoneytogetProductLaunchFormula.He’snowbuiltaseriousbusinessthatsellsawholelineofproductsandemployssixpeople.

AndSusanGarrett,whohasgonefrombeingabletohelpjustafewdozenpeopleayearwiththeirdogstoprovidingthesameservicestothousandsofdogowners.Susanhasalsobeenabletodrasticallycutdownontheamountoftravelsheneeds todo,while increasingher incomedramatically. Inotherwords,shehelpsmore people, has a better lifestyle, andmakesmoremoney—not a badcombination.

AndWillHamilton,whowent from a just-out-of-college tennis instructorwith a struggling tennis instructionweb site toworkingwith some of the toptennisprosintheworld—helpingthembringtheirknowledgeandwisdomtotheworld.

Outofrespectformyclients’privacy,I’mnotgoingtodisclosethetypesoffinancial results each of them are seeing in their business. But most peoplewouldfindthesizeoftheirsalesandprofitsdownrightshocking.

Sohowhavetheydoneit?

TheBusinessLaunchFormulaWithmy Product Launch Formula Coaching Program, I’m in the business ofteachingpeoplehowtostartandgrowtheirbusinesses,specificallytheironlinebusinesses.Iteachthemhowtodothatinthecontextofaproductlaunch.Buttherealityisthatthetraininggoesmuchdeeper.Infact,thewayIliketothinkaboutitisthatIhelpthemreprogramtheirbusinessDNA.OncetheylearnthestrategiesandtacticsbehindPLF,theyusuallystarttoapplythosetoolsineveryareaoftheirbusiness.

WhensomeonecomesintomyPLFprogram,mypersonalgoalforthemistodoayear’sworthofsalesinasingleweekwiththeirlaunches.That’saprettyloftygoal,andnoteveryonehitsthatgoal.Infact,italmostneverhappenswith

theirfirstlaunch.Butthethingis,yourfirstsuccessfullaunchisnotgoingtobeyourlastlaunch.

And that’s why there’s an entire group of PLF students—like JohnGallagher, Susan Garrett, Will Hamilton, and Ruth Buczynski—who take thelaunch to an entirely different level. They’ve used what I call the BusinessLaunchFormula.Thisisthewayitworks…

FoodStampstoSixFigures(andBeyond)Let’sstartwithJohnGallagher.AsI toldyouearlier,hisfirst launchwasforaboardgame that taughtkidsaboutedibleandmedicinalplantsandherbs.Thatlaunchgeneratedahugeamountofgoodwill,anditalsohelpedaddalotofnewleadsontohislist.Hetookthemomentumfromthatlaunchandusedittosellhisherbalkit,whichwasaphysicalproductcontainingthenecessarycomponentstocreatehomeremediesfromherbs.

Allof thishelped raisehis statureandpositioning in themarket,which inturnhelpedhimbuildhislistevenmore.Andwitheachlaunch,thetremendousinteractionwithhislist(i.e.,thelaunchconversation)helpedhimpinpointwhathis next product should be. Why guess about your next product when yourprospectsandclientsaretellingyouwhattheywant?

SoatthatpointJohnputtogetheramajornewproduct:themembershipsiteLearningHerbs.com.Naturally he did a launch for the site, and it was a hugesuccess.Heusedalltheknowledgeandskillshehadpickedupfromhisearlierlaunches and had his best launch to date. He acquired hundreds of payingmembers for his site. Subsequent launches have raised that number ofsubscribersintothethousands.Theyeachpayabout$12amonthforaccesstothemembershipsite.

That site gave him a very significant and automatic monthly recurringincome—arevenuestreamthathecouldcounton.That regular revenuemeanthecouldbegintohirepeople,andheslowlystartedtobuildhisteam.

That launch not only grew his list but expanded his positioning in themarket. John isnowamajorplayer in theherbaleducationmarket.Ofcourse,Johnhasneverpositionedhimselfastheexpert;he’smorethepersonwhobringstheexpertstohisfollowers.Neverthelessonthebusinesssideofthings,Johnisclearlyaleaderinhismarket.

Thathasallowedhimtocreatevideocourseswithsomeofthetopexpertsinhisniche.Sonow,acoupleoftimesperyear,Johnwilllaunchanentirelynew

productthatheco-createswithatopexpertintheindustry.InadditionJohnwilltypically relaunch hismembership site once per year. Thismeans that two orthree ormaybe four times per year, John does a launch.And since he alwaysdelivers huge value in his prelaunches, each launch grows his list and hispositioninginthemarkettoanevengreaterdegree.

Whenyou’reconstantlydeliveringvalueintothemarket,you’reconstantlybuildingarelationshipwithyourclientsandprospects.You’realsostimulatingtheconversationwithyourclientsandprospects,andthatmeansyou’realwaysgettingideasfornewproductsandpromotions.Andthat’sawinningformulaforacontinuallyexpandingbusiness.That’stheBusinessLaunchFormula.

ADog’sLife...MadeHappierSusanGarrett’sversionlooksalittlebitdifferent,buttheunderlyingstrategyisverysimilar.WhenshefirstgotherhandsontheProductLaunchFormula,herinitial goalwas tomake enoughmoney to pay for her PLF tuition before thecredit card bill arrived. So she took a bunch of documents that she’d alreadywritten over the years and put them into a simple ebook she sold for $14.97.That initial launchmade$27,000 in sales—considerablymore thanher tuitioncost.

ButthemoreimportantthingSusantookfromherfirstlaunchwasthattheprocessworked.Andwithhercompetitivebackground,sheknewshecouldgetbetteratit—alotbetter.

Shortlyafterherfirstlaunch,sheproducedanewtrainingDVD.Inthepasther DVDswere primarily sold through distributors, but now that she had thebeginnings of an email list, she decided to sell it herself. She put together asimplelaunch,andinthreedaysshesoldmoreDVDsthanshehadeversoldinanentireyearthroughherdistributor.

After that Susan decided to get serious about creating new informationproducts. She’s now created a series of video training products that are allofferedonline.Withthesedigitalproducts,shedoesn’thavetoworryabouttheexpense of producingDVDs or the hassles ofworkingwith a distributor. Shesellshertrainingcoursesdirecttoherclients,andtheyaccessthemonline.

She opens her trainings several times per year. She always uses PLF todelivergreatvalueduringherprelaunch—andtofillupherprograms.Andherbusinesshasgrowntoanimpressive16timeslargerthanitwasbeforePLF.Thishas allowed her to build a small team that helps her continually increase the

valueofhertrainings.Alongwiththefinancialsuccessofherbusiness,Susanalsohasasimpler,

nearlytravel-freelifestyle.Nowshetravelsonlyforcompetitions,soshe’sabletospendmore timeathomewithherhusband.Hersuccesshasallowedher toexponentiallybuildherpositiveimpactontheworldandtakenherclosertoherultimategoalofhelpingalldogsanddogownersleadhappierlives.

FromCollegeGradtoNewMediaMogul?Will Hamilton’s path in his business is yet another example of the BusinessLaunchFormula.Hestartedwitha$35,000launch—ahugewinthatgavehimaviable business after a year of struggle. And he usedwhat he learned in thatlaunch to set up his next three launches that brought in a total of more than$340,000.

Those launches locked in his positioning as the leader in his market ofonline tennis instruction,andtheydramaticallybuilthis list.Nolongerwashejust some kid fresh out of college with a tennis web site. He had become adominantplayerinthetennisinstructionmarket.

Will’s launch results and his positioning from those launches helped himlanddealswithtopprofessionaltennisplayers—firsttheBryanBrothers(theall-timetoppromen’sdoublesteam),andthenwithPatRafter(formerlyranked#1in theworld).And that’s not the end of the partnerships and deals;Will is intalkswithother topproplayersand isevenconsideringmovingoutsideof thetennisnichetoworkwithproathletesinothersports.

Launching:NotJustforProductsAnymoreAllfourexamplesinthischaptershowjusthowpowerfultheBusinessLaunchFormulais—it’saboutbuildinganentirebusinessbasedonwhatyou’velearnedintheProductLaunchFormula.

TheessenceofPLFisgivingfirstandaskingforthesalelater.Youbuildarelationship as a trusted advisor (or even friend) before the transaction. Youdeliver great value, and you do it in away thatmakes the sale before you’veevenaskedfortheorder.Inmanyways,thisisn’tmuchdifferentthanwhattheverybestsalespeoplehavealwaysdoneforthousandsofyears.

However,with ProductLaunchFormula you’re able to do that on a scalethatreallywasn’tpossiblebefore.It’slikecombiningtheeffectivenessofaface-

to-facesalewiththereachoftelevision.Andno, it’snotaseffectiveasagreat in-personsalespresentation.And it

doesn’thavethereachofahugeTVnetwork.Butitbringsmuchofthepowerandadvantageofboth.

And the Business Launch Formula is a natural extension of PLF. It’s amatterof taking thoseprinciplesof the launchandextending them tobuildanentirebusiness.

SixKeystotheBusinessLaunchFormula

Key#1:AlwaysDeliverHigh-ValuePrelaunchContentinYourLaunchesFirst,youwant todeliverhighvalue into themarketwithyour launches.Thatmeans delivering great Prelaunch Content that provides value all by itself,whetheryourprospectbuysornot.This isn’tnews—I’vehammered thispointprettyhardthroughoutthebook.

Not all your prospects will buy from you during your launch. In fact, inalmosteverylaunchthevastmajoritywon’tbuy.Therearelotsofreasonswhy,but a commonone is that the timing just isn’t right. Ifyou’re sellingweddingdresses,andyourprospectisn’tgettingmarriedinthenextyear,you’reprobablynotgoingtomakethesale.

However,inourcurrentmarketwhereeveryonecanbeapublisherinsocialmedia,whereeveryonecanhaveanoutsizedvoiceiftheysochoose,thebenefitsofcreatinghundredsorthousandsofravingfansisfarreaching.Therelationshipyou build during your launch can have an amplified effect. Each one of yourprospects has a potentially viral impact onyour business, so creating fanshasneverbeenmorecriticaltoyoursuccess.

Andmakenomistake—deliveringrealvalueinyourprelaunchhasalastingeffect. I’ve had people watch me through several launches before they werereadytobuy.Butwhenthetimewasright,theyrememberedme.Ihaddeliveredhuge value and built up a significant level of trust, and they came back andbought.

Key#2:AlwaysBeBuildingYourListandBuildingYourRelationshipwithThatListOnceyouhaveawarmlist(evenasmalllistofafewhundredsubscribers),you

realizethatyouarenowincontrolofyourdestiny.Theabilitytowriteanemail,send it toyour list, andsee the responsewithinsecondswillchangewhatyouthinkispossible.Andatthatpoint,yougetveryfocusedonbuildingyourlist.

Ofcourse,toevenusethephrase“yourlist”issimplistic.AsImentionedinChapter3,youwillhavemanylists.Butinbroadconceptualterms,I’mtalkingabout your list universe, which will become the most valuable asset in yourbusiness.Andtotheextentthatyoubuildyourlistandyourlistrelationship,youwillbuildyourbusiness.

Every interaction with your list will either build on or detract from yourrelationshipwith the list.That doesn’tmean that you should just send contentand never ask for the sale. It means providing value AND making the sale.Remember thatmoving someone from being a prospect to being a clientwillincrease thevalueof that relationshipmore than almost anything else.Once aprospectbuysfromyou,theywillbemorelikelytobuyinthefuture,andthey’llbemore likely tobuyatahigherpricepoint.Theywillalsobemore likely toreferclientstoyou.

Key#3:MakeMoreThanOneOfferIthappenstoalmosteveryonewhogoesthroughthePLFprocess.Inthemidstofyourfirstlaunch,yougetatleastonegreatideaforyournextofferorproduct.That’sbecauseofthelaunchconversation—yourlaunchprocesscreatesagreatdeal of interaction with your prospects, and you’ll get lots of ideas andsuggestions.Andmanyofferswill likely lend themselves to periodic launches(suchasRuthBuczynski’sannualsummits).OftenPLFOwnerswilldothreeorfourlaunchesperyearandsometimesevenmore.

In my various businesses, I have found the sweet spot to be somewherebetweentwoandfourlaunchesperyear.TypicallyoneortwoofthoselauncheshavebeenbigJVLaunches(seeChapter10)thatdramaticallybuildmylistandmake lots of sales.And the other launches are smaller Internal Launches thathelpmerefinenewoffersandproductsbeforeIrollthemoutasJVLaunches.

Key#4:TheCircleofAwesome:SeedtoInternaltoJVThere is a cycle of launches that works really well. I call it the Circle ofAwesome.Iknowthat’snotthemostgrammaticallycorrectterm,butIinventeditwhenIwaswithmyson.Andwhatitlacksingrammar,itmorethanmakesupin,well...awesomeness.

It goes like this.You have an idea for a new product, so you use a SeedLaunchtohelpbirththeproduct.TheSeedLaunch(seeChapter9) isgreat forgettingyourfirstfewclients,makingsurethere’sademand,andcreatingagreatproduct.

After the Seed Launch, you take the finished product and do an InternalLaunchtoyourlist.DuringyourInternalLaunch,youbuildoutafullPrelaunchSequenceandreallydialinyourlaunch.Byitsverynature,theInternalLaunchwillusuallybringyoumuchgreaterfinancialresultsthanyourSeedLaunch.

ThenifyouhavegoodresultswithyourInternalLaunch,youmoveontotheJVLaunch.YouhavethedataandmetricsfromyourInternalLaunchtoshowtopotentialpartners,andyouhaveyourPrelaunchandLaunchSequences largelydoneandtested.TheJVLaunchhasalotmoremovingparts,butsinceyou’vedone most of the work already in your Internal Launch, it’s a lot moremanageable.AndtheresultsofasuccessfulJVLaunchareoftenexponentiallylargerthanyourInternalLaunch.

And just to bring it full circle, after you go through that sequence oflaunches,you’llusuallyhave several ideas foryournextproduct.That’swhenyougobackand test oneofyournew ideaswith aSeedLaunchand start theentire process over again. The only difference is that this time around you’llhave significantly more experience, probably a much larger list, and lots ofhappyJVpartnerswhowillbereadytopromoteyournextJVLaunch.

It’sonebigcircle,anditcanbeprettyawesome.

Key#5:RelaunchesandEvergreenLaunchesRelaunchescanbeveryeffective—justlookatthewayBarryFriedmandidit(inChapter4).HeranhisShowbizBlueprintclassoverandover.Thesmallclasssize kept the interaction level high, whichmeant he could charge a premiumprice.Italsokeptthedemandhigh,sohewasabletocontinuerelaunchingtheoffer.

Part of the effectiveness of your relaunches will be dependent on yourongoing listbuilding. Ifyouhavenewleadscoming intoyour list,andyou’vegot a proven Launch Sequence, then you’ve got a great opportunity.You caneitherrunperiodicrelaunches,oryoucanuseanEvergreenLaunch.

Evergreenisreallybeyondthescopeofthisbook,butitmeansthatasnewleads come onto your list, they will get to move through their own LaunchSequencebasedonwhentheyjoinedthelist.

Key#6:TakeCareofYourClientsandLaunchtoThemAgainThisisauniversaltruthofbusiness:It’saloteasiertoselltosomeonewhohasboughtfromyouinthepastthanitistogenerateanewclient.

Theexactnumbersonthisvary,buttheyarealwaysdramatic.Basedonmyexperienceinmyvariousonlinebusinesses,it’saboutFIFTEENtimeseasiertoselltosomeoneasecondtimethanitistogetanewclient.

Thatmeansyouwanttomakesureyoutakecareofyourclients.I’mabigfanofover-deliveringonmypromises.ThisissomethingIplanoutinadvance.WhenI’mdesigninganewoffer,Iwillactuallyholdbackonsomebonusitems.Iwon’tputthemintheoffer,norwillItalkaboutthemduringthesale.Andthensometimeafterthepurchase,Iwillsurprisemyclientswiththeextrabonuses.

Even the most grizzled customer is delighted to get an extra bonus thatwasn’t promised. And it’s often shockingly easy to surprise and delight yourclients—youdon’thave togetcrazy to surpriseanddelight themwhenyou’resendingextragoodies.

It’s not hard to impress your clients.Give themwhat you promised, givethemgreatcustomersupport,andthengivethemanextrasurpriseortwoalongtheway.Dothosethingsandyouwillbepaidback100times.Andyourclientswillnotonlybereadyforyournextlaunch,they’llberavingfanswhosupportyouduringthatlaunch.

TheFormulaThatLaunchedaThousandBusinessesTheBusinessLaunchFormula isa lotbigger than Icoulddo justice to in thischapter.Outofnecessity,thischapterisanoverviewfromthe30,000-footlevel.But this is the proven process I’ve seen my clients use over and over withconsistent success.What they’re doing is taking the Product Launch Formulaandsteppingituptoahigherlevel.Insteadofasinglelaunchofaproduct,it’saseriesof launches thatcreate theirbusiness.Each launchbuildson thesuccessfromtheprior launch.Thelistgetsbigger, theoffersgetbetter, therearemorepastbuyers tosell to, theJVpartnersupportgetsstronger.That’s theBusinessLaunchFormulainaction.

Chapter12

CreatingaBusinessYouLove

Anaturalpartofmybusiness is that Igetan insidepeek into theworkingsofmany businesses, and the entrepreneurs who create and run them. And that’swhat the next two chapters are about. It’s one thing to build a business—butquiteanothertobuildabusinessandalifethatyoutrulylove.AndI’venoticedthat a lot of people end up with a business they just tolerate. Worse are thepeoplewhobuildbusinessestheyreallydon’tlike,orevenhate.Eitherway,it’snotagreatsituation.

It’s understandable. Lots of people are like I was when I started out . . .desperate to get the business going and get their head above water. Anyprofitablebusiness looksgreatwhenyou’re struggling topay thebillsandputfoodonthetable.

But for most people, once they start to get the money figured out, thebusinessbecomesaboutmorethanjustprofits.That’swhenmostpeoplemightask,“Isthisallthereis?”

The way I look at it, if you’re going to pour your heart and soul into abusiness, then youmight as well create a business you love. One of the bestthingsabouthavingyourownbusinessis thatyouget tolargelymakeupyourown rules for the business,within legal and ethical boundaries, of course. Sowhynotmakeupasetofrulesthatyoucanwinby?Whynotstacktheoddsinyourfavor?

Andattheriskofmysoundinglikethecarpenterwhohasonlyahammerinhistoolboxsoeverythinglookslikeanail,ProductLaunchFormulaisthetoolthatwillgetyou thebusinessyou love.But the first step is to figureoutwhatyouwantyourbusinesstolooklike…

Your“BigWhy”Togettoabusinessyoulove,thefirstthingyouneedtofigureoutisthe“why”behindyourbusiness.

If it’s just toget rich, that’s fine.Makinga lotofmoney isgreat. I like to

think of money as stored up freedom and energy, and I love having lots offreedomandenergy.Asthesayinggoes,thereareproblemswithhavingtoolittlemoneyandproblemswithhavingalotofmoney.Iliketheproblemsthatcomefromhavingmoneybetter.

WhatI’venoticedaboutmoneyisthatoncepeoplegettoacertainlevelofmonetary success, they usually start looking for other things in their life. Forexample, a huge driver in my life is making a positive impact in the world,primarilythroughhelpingentrepreneurs.Iknowotherswhoaredriventobuildagreat team—to provide jobs and plenty of room for their employees to grow.Somepeoplemightbeaboutcreatinggreattechnologies.Ortrainingpeople.Orreducingsuffering.

Icouldgoon,butyougettheidea.Atsomepoint,there’susuallyahigherpurposethanacquiringmoremoneyandstuff.

Thethingis,itdoesn’tsomuchmatterwhatyourspecific“why”actuallyis.Theimportant thingis thatyoufigureitout.Asthesayinggoes,“Ifyoudon’tknowwhereyou’regoing,anyroadwilltakeyouthere.”

InmyPLFLiveworkshops,Ihaveaprocesstogetmyclientstotheir“BigWhy,”and this isoneof themostpowerfulexercises in theentireevent.Onceyougetyour“why”figuredout,youbecomeeminentlymorepowerful.

AttracttheClientsYouWantTherealityisthatnotallpeoplearecreatedequal,andthat’sdoublytruewhenitcomestoclients.Somepeoplewillmakegreatclientsforyou,andsomewon’t.Therewillbepeoplewhoresonatewithyourwork,yourproducts,youroffers...andotherswhowon’t.

I’mnotpassingjudgmentonthosepeople.Iknowsomepeoplewilllikemeandmystyle,otherswon’t.SomewillthinkI’mnotformalenough,thatI’mtoorelaxed,thatIshouldweardifferentclothingorbeyoungerorolderorwhatever.That’sokay,becauseIknowthatduringmylaunchprocessI’llnaturallyattractclientswhowillendupbeingthekindofpeoplethatrelatewelltome.

In fact, I have this deep-rooted belief that I continually attract amazingpeopleintomylife.

NowIguarantee thatsomepeoplewill roll theireyesat that lastsentence.Orthey’llthinkthatit’sasillyconceit.Butthat’sokay,becausetheoddsareverystrong that those are peoplewho doNOT resonatewithme.Theywon’t be a

goodfitformeandmybusiness.Seehowthatworks?Itwillbethesameforyourbusiness.Allofushavepeopleweconnectwith

betterthanothers.Infact,that’soneofthejobsofgoodmarketing—youwanttoattracttherightpeopleandrepeltherest.

Thatword“repel”mightturnoffsomepeople,butthelastthingyouwantisa lot of prospects and clientswho aren’t a good fit for you. I’ve learned thislessonoverandover.ItwasdrilledintomyheadmostrecentlywhenIspokeattwoconferences.Bothwerelargeconferenceswithmanyhundredsofattendees.And on the surface, they seemed like theywould have similar audienceswhowouldbeveryreceptivetomytraining.

The first group was wildly enthusiastic—and they hung on every word Isaid. They participated when I asked something of them. They were full ofquestions.Theenergyintheroomwaspalpable.IlovedeveryminuteIwasonstage, and when I finally stepped down I was swarmed by people askingquestionsformorethantwohours.

Iwason fireafter that talkand lookingforward to thesecondconference.Unfortunately,thatturnedouttobeaverydifferentroom.Thesecondgroupwasattentiveandrespectful,butthatwasaboutit.Icouldn’tgetthemtoparticipate.Therewerefewquestions.Theroomfeltdead.

AsIsufferedthroughmypresentationatthatsecondconference,itcouldn’thavebeenmoreclear—thepeopleinthefirstaudiencewere“mypeople.”EventhoughmostofthemhadneverheardofmebeforeIwalkedonstage,theywerea perfect fit for my message. On the other hand, the people in the secondaudiencewereclearlynotmypeople.Theywerelovelypeople,butonthewholewejustdidn’tfiteachother.

Thedifferenceinthoseconferenceswasthemarketingthatputthepeopleinthe room.For the first conference, themarketingwasverycongruentwithmyapproach to business.And, in retrospect, the oppositewas true of that secondconference. Themarketing andmessaging that put that second group in theirseatswas apurehard sell—which is verydifferent from theway I talk tomyclients.

And the differences didn’t stop in the conference room, because I trackedthepeoplewhobecameclients after those talks.Theoneswhocame from thefirstconferenceweresimplybetterclients.Theyrequiredlesscustomersupport,theyhadalowerrefundrate,theyparticipatedinthePLFcommunitymore,theygotbetterresults,theymadebetterCaseStudies,andtheyendedupjoiningmy

elitecoachinggroupsatahigherrate.Thepointofthisstoryisthis:YouwanttobesureyouattractYOURpeople

into your business. Fortunately, you already have the tool you need to attractthosepeople—theProductLaunchFormula.Whenyoufollowtheformulaandauthentically tell your story through your Prelaunch Content, you will attractyouridealclients.It’spartoftheprocess.

LookthroughtheCornersWhenmysonfirststartedracingmountainbikes,helearnedanimportantlessonfromhiscoachthathebroughthomeandsharedwithme.Hetoldmeto“lookthrough the corners.” In otherwords,when you’re on a bike hurtling down asteepmountainsingletrack,youdon’twanttolookatthetraildirectlyinfrontofyourwheel.That’sarecipefordisaster.Itmeansyou’llalwaysbereactingatthelastsecond.Soonerorlateryou’llcometoanobstaclewhereyouwon’tbeabletoreactquicklyenough.

Instead,youneed toextendyourvision furtherdown the trail.Moveyourhorizonlineasfaroutasyoucan.Asyouenteracorner,lookthroughthatcornerto seewhereyou’regoing toexit the turn.Even if the treesareblockingyourview,focusintentlyandtrytoseethroughthemforacluetowhat’scomingnext.Lookbeyondthecorner.

Business is the sameway—youneed tobe looking further ahead than thenextdayorweekormonth.Don’tchaseeveryshinyobject,don’tbedistractedbyeverynewtactic.Ifyou’regoingtochangecourseorpursueanewdirection,makesureyou’redoingsoforasoundstrategicreason.

Iseetoomanypeoplecontinuallycompromisetheirpositioning,theirbrand,and their reputation by chasing after the latest tactic or the last dollar. It’sdownrightsadtoseepeoplethrowingawayalltheworktheyputintoabusinessbyfocusingontheshortterm.Thegoodnewsisthatifyoutakethelongview(andthesedays,thelongviewseemstobeanythingpastthenextthreemonths),thenyou’llinstantlystandapartinyourmarket.

TheMastermindPrincipleTheideaofthe“mastermind”issomethingNapoleonHillwroteaboutinThinkandGrowRichallthewaybackin1937,andit’sanincrediblypowerfulconcept.Infact,Iwouldn’tbewhereI’mattodayifIhadn’tactivelyengagedinseveralmastermindgroupssincetheearlydaysofmyfirstbusiness.

Theway amastermindworks is simple:Youget togetherwith a groupoflike-mindedentrepreneursandyousupporteachotheringrowingyourbusiness.This isn’t a “networkinggroup,” although there is often somenetworking thatnaturally occurs as a byproduct of being in the group. It’s all about sharing,brainstorming,andholdingeachotheraccountable.

Often there will be “hot seats,” and if you haven’t ever been throughsomething like that, it’s prettywild. Basically, one person presents an idea orproblem they have in their business, and then the entire group does a bigbrainstormabouttheidea.

Ifyouhavetherightpeopleinthegroup,thehotseatusuallyendsupbeinglike a massive shark feeding frenzy. When you put 20 or 30 creativeentrepreneurs intoaroomandthenthrowabusinessprobleminfrontof them,well, that’s like putting blood in the water. And don’t accidentally leave anyarmsdanglingovertheedgeoftheboat!

(Andweallknowit’smuchmorefuntosolveotherpeople’sproblemsthanworkingonourownissues.)

I’vebeeninavarietyofformalmastermindgroupsovertheyears,startingin1999.Somewerepaidmembershipsthatareprofessionallyfacilitated.Othersweregroupsof friendswithout a central facilitator.The formatsvaried—somewere primarily email-based, others phone-based. And the most powerfulrevolvedaroundin-personmeetings.

I’vealsocreatedhigh-endpaidmastermindsforsmallgroupsofmyclients,whichhasgivenmedeepinsightintowhatittakestocreateagreatmastermind.(AndmyPlatinumMastermindhasbecomeabandofbrothersandsisterstome.I’veneverexperiencedamorepowerful,tightercommunity.)

What I’ve learned over the years (both from being a participant and anorganizer)isthatnotallgroupsarecreatedequal.Thereisnoinherentmagicinputtingtogetheragroupofrandompeople.It’sallaboutthequalityofthepeopleandthelevelofcommunityinthegroup.

Agreatmastermindhasgreatpeoplewhoaregivers.Thesearepeoplewhofocusoncreatingvalueforothersbeforetheylooktotakevalue.Thisistheveryessence of a mastermind; everyone is there to focus on helping their fellowmembers, and they know their rewards will naturally come as part of theprocess.

However,beingagiverisn’tenough.Youalsoneedmemberswhohavethementalhorsepowerandtheemotionalintelligencetobeabletocontributetothe

groupatahighlevel.Youdon’twanttobethesmartestpersonintheroom.Andthebestmastermindshaveastrongethosandanalmosttangiblesense

ofcommunity.Thegrouphasapowerfulsenseofidentity,andthere’safeelingof“we’reall in this together.” I’vebeen ingroupswhereI feela realsenseoflossifImissameeting.IfI’mofflineforseveraldays,theemailsfromthegroupwillbetheveryfirstthingIlookatwhenIgetbacktomycomputer.

Whenyouget therightpeopleandagreatcommunity, it’spuremagic.Asthesayinggoes,“Arisingtideliftsallboats.”Andthat’sexactlywhathappensinagreatmastermind.Aseachmemberfocusesonhelpingtheothersinthegroup,they can’t help but benefit. They end up getting the ideas, connection, andaccountabilitythatdrivestheirbusinessandlifeforward.

Sohere’smyadvice:Get ina strongmastermind.Askotherentrepreneursyouknowforarecommendationofagroup.Therearesomefree(ornearlyfree)groupsyoucan join, though theycanbe tough to find.They’realmostalwaysundergroundtosomeextent.Thepaidgroupsareusuallyeasiertofind(andtheyusuallyhaveamore formal structure).Oryoucan formagroupyourself.Youmighthavetotryoutafewgroupsbeforeyoufindtheonethat’srightforyou.Butthepayoffisenormouswhenyoufindtherightfit.

TheMostImportantThinginBusinessAtarecentPLFLiveworkshop,Ihadanattendeecomeupandaskmewhatthesinglemostimportantthinginbusinesswas,theonethingthathasmeantallthedifference for me and my success, the one thing he should focus on as hisbusinessgrows.

That’sareallytoughquestion!What’stheonemostimportantthingtofocuson in your business?The one thing thatmakes all the difference?My answerwasthis:opportunitycost.

Wikipedia says that opportunity cost is “the cost related to the next-bestchoiceavailabletosomeonewhohaspickedamongseveralmutuallyexclusivechoices.”

That’sabitdifficulttounderstand,inmyopinion.Ijustthinkofitas“whatyouhavetogiveupwhenyouchoosebetweentwoormoredifferentchoices.”

And the cost is NOT restricted to financial cost. For an entrepreneur, thebiggestopportunitycostisoftentime.

When you first start out, you will likely have limited capital. And since

you’ll be doingmost everything yourself, you’ll definitely have limited time.PickingtherightopportunityisHUGELYimportant.Makingthewrongchoicecansetyoubackweeks,months,orevenyears.

That’swhatopportunitycostisallabout.Youhavetorealizethatchasinganopportunityhasagreatercostthananyfinancialexpenseitrequires.Idon’twantto scare you into inaction, because taking no action has aHUGE opportunitycost.Ijustwantyoutorealizethatwhenyoudecidetogodownoneroad,thereareseveralotherroadsthatyouwon’tbeabletogodown.

And once you start to have success, then the issue of opportunity costbecomesevengreater.

Thisisthedeal.Themoresuccessfulyoubecome,themore“opportunities”youwillhave.Thisiswhatwecall“dealflow.”Youstarttohavesuccess,youbuildupaseriesofassets,youproveyourworth—andallofasuddeneveryonewantstodoadealwithyou.

Anddealflowisagoodthing.That’showtherichgetricher.That’soneofthe reasonswhy it’s easier togo from$100,000 to$1,000,000 than it is togofromzeroto$1,000.

Butasyougetintothedealflow,it’seasytogetdistracted.Youhaveonlysomuchtime,energy,attention,assets,etc.,andeverytimeyoumakeachoicetopursueanopportunity,youaregivingupsomething.

Usually,forentrepreneurs,thatsomethingistime.IjustheardmyfriendDeanGraziosiusethisanalogytoexplainopportunity

cost: It’s like having a bookshelf that’s completely full. If he finds anotherbeautifulbookhewantstobuy...well,hecan.Butthatmeanshehastogetridofoneoftheotherbooksalreadyonhisshelf.

Soremember...havingchoicesinyourbusinessisgreat.Butthosechoiceshave an opportunity cost. Making the right decisions around that opportunitycostisoneofthebiggestfactorsinthesuccessofyourbusiness.

Don’tBeTooCoolforSchoolIfyou’regoing tobe inbusiness,andyou’regoing tohave long-termsuccess,thenyouneed tobeaperpetual student.Yourmarket, clients, andcompetitorsaren’tgoingtostandstill,andyoucan’taffordtoeither.

In my business, I’ve gotten to know a lot of super-successful businessowners, and I can tell you this:Everyone at the top is a constant learner.You

can’tbetoocoolforschool.Now that might sound self-serving since I’m in the business of teaching

peopleaboutgrowing theirbusiness,but it’s the truth.And the reality is that Ispendatonoftimeandmoneyonmyowneducation.Ihaveto.It’smyjob.Thepayoffs inbusinessareenormous,butoneof thecostsforgreatsuccess is thatyouhavetostayontopofyourgame.

Youhavetogotoschool.Andyou’regoingtohavetokeepgoingbacktoschool.

NoOneCanBeanIslandThisone issimple—youneed tobuildstrongrelationships inyour industry. Infact,eventhoughIusedtheword“competitor”inthatlastsection,Idon’treallyuse that word in my business. I think in terms of “partners” and “futurepartners.”

I know there are some businesses where there truly is competition. Forinstance,ifyouownagym,theoddsareverystrongthatyourclientsaregoingtobelongtoonlyonegym.Inthatcase,thatwouldmaketheothergymsinyourlocalareadirectcompetitors.

Butinthecurrentmarket,withmoreandmorepeoplebecomingknowledgeworkers,andmoreandmorebusinessesbecomingknowledgebusinesses,therearefarmoreopportunitiestocooperatethantocompete.

My current business has literally been created by doing promotionalpartnerships with businesses that might be considered direct competition. Butinsteadofcompeting,wesupporteachother.Theendresultisthatwedon’thavetoworryaboutsplittingupthepie.Insteadweworktogetherandgrowamuchbiggerpie.

I suggest you start thinking of ways your competitors can become yourpartners.Tryitoutforawhile,becauseyournetworkisyournetworth.

YouNeedtoBeintheInformationBusinessIn this book, almost all of the examples I’ve used have been “informationbusinesses”—businesses that deliver a product that teaches or trains peopleaboutsomething.Itcouldbedogtrainingortennisorjuggling.

Butnoteverybusinesswillbeaninformationbusiness.Afterall,someoneneedstosellcarsorrealestateorcleanpeople’scarpets.

However, in our current world, nearly everyone needs to be in theinformationbusinesstosomedegree.Andaddinganinformationcomponenttoabusiness—either as part of the selling process or as part of the product—willbecomeahugepartofalmosteverysuccessfulbusiness.

For instance, Joe Polish initially grew his carpet cleaning business byoffering a free report that educated consumers on the fraudulent sellingtechniques that many carpet cleaning businesses used. That report ended upgeneratingahugeamountofexposureandsalesforhisbusiness.Hedidn’thavean information business, but he used a knowledge product to build his offlineservicebusiness.

We live in a connected, information-rich world. People expect to beconnectedandtohaveinformationattheirfingertips.Andinthatenvironment,nearly every business should be in the publishing business at some level . . .eitheraspartoftheirmarketingoraspartoftheiroffer.

TheHumanTouchThisissomethingIstumbledontowhenIstartedmyfirstbusinessbackin1996—it’s a lot easier to sell with the human touch. I’ve always been happy justbeing me and not pretending to be some big corporation. I never referred tomyself as “we” inmy emails, and that setme apart from the very beginning.Back in the earlydays, everyonewas trying to sound like somebig importantcompany, but Iwrotemy emails to the people onmy list in the same voice Iwouldusewhenwritingtomyfriends.Itworked.

Peoplewant to connectwithpeople, not faceless corporations.Theydon’twant to get an email written in what I call “the corporate voice” or “airlinespeak.”You knowwhat I’m talking about: “The aircraft door is now closing.Please read the safety card that has been placed in the seat pocket in front ofyou.”Thissoundscold,impersonal,officious.Sure,therearerareexceptions;ifyou’re in amission-critical situation, your clientswillwant to know that youhavetheresourcestobackupyourservices.Buteventhen,they’llstillwanttointeractwithahuman.

That “corporate voice” is death to sales.Peoplewant to buy frompeople.Forgettheroyal“we”whenspeakingtoyourclients.Talktothemoneonone.Thiswillmakeiteasiertosellyourstuff,andrunningyourbusinesswillbealotmoreenjoyable.Again,thePLFprocessisallaboutcreatingaconnectionandaconversation with your prospects, and communicating in a way that builds a

relationshipwithyournewclients.

PlayingbyYourRulesHavingagreatbusinessstartswith realizing thatyou’re incontrol.Thismightsound obvious, but somany people create a business that’smodeled on otherbusinessestheysee.Orwhattheythinkabusinessissupposedtolooklike.

Remember,yougettomakeuptherules.Youdon’thavetodobusinessthewaytheotherpeopleinyourmarketdobusiness.Youdon’thavetodobusinesswithclientsyoudon’tlike.Youcancreateabusinessyoulove.

Anditallstartswithgettingclearonwhatthatbusinesslookslikeandwhatyourlifewouldlooklikeifyouhadthatbusiness.That’swhatthenextchapterisallabout…

Chapter13

ARecipeforaBigLife

After I graduated from Michigan State University with a business degree, Ilanded a job with Motorola in Tempe, Arizona. I had a couple different joboffers,but IpickedMotorolamostlybecauseI liked the location. Igrewup intheDetroitarea,andIhadneverbeenwestof theMississippiRiver,but IhadalwaysfeltapulltomoveoutWest.

It’s a long drive fromMichigan toArizona. It tookme four days.On thethird night, I stayed in a tiny hotel in a town I’d never heard of—Durango,Colorado.Ihadneverseenmountainslikethatinmylife,andIwasimpressed.In the morning I called my parents to tell them about my trip so far, and Icouldn’tstoptalkingaboutDurango.

Afterafewminutes,mydadsaid,“Wow,itsoundslikeyoujustwanttostayinDurangoandnotgoanyfurther.”Afterall theseyears,Istillrememberhimsayingthat,becauseitstruckmeassuchaludicrousideaatthetime.TheideaofmylivinginDurangoseemedaboutaslikelyasmewalkingonthemoon.

I grew up in a wonderful, supportive family. My parents did a great jobraisingmysiblingsandme.Theygaveusagoodstartinlifeandmadesurewewenttocollege.Andthepatternformylifeseemedtobeset:getaneducation,finda“goodjob,”andthenworkatthatjobfortherestofyourlife.That’swhatallmyextendedfamilydid.That’swhatallmyfriends’familiesdid.That’swhateveryoneinmymiddle-classsuburbanneighborhooddid.

For some reason, though, I’d always had a yearning to own a business. Ihaveno ideawhere that came from, but I remember having that strongdesireevenwhenIwas10yearsold.ButIhadnorolemodelsforstartingandbuildingabusiness.Ihadnoframeofreference.Ididn’tknowhowpeopleactuallydidsomethinglikethat.ItwentagainsteverythingIsawinmylife.SooffIwenttoTempetofollowthatfamiliarpatternfortherestofmylife.

ButonceIgottoTempeandIstartedmyjobatMotorola,IquicklylearnedIdidn’t fit in the corporateworld. Iwas a round peg trying to fit into a squarehole. It justdidn’twork.And that’s abig reasonwhy, just a fewyears later, I

found myself quitting my job, walking away from the corporate world, andstayingathometotakecareofacoupleofyoungchildren.Ihadwashedoutofthecorporateworld,nevertogoback.

MovingtoDurangoI’mtypingthistoyoufrommyhometownofDurango,Colorado.MywifeandImovedourfamilyhere14yearsago.MydadwasrightallthoseyearsagowhenhesaiditsoundedlikeIwantedtoliveinDurango.IliveherebecauseIcanliveanywhereintheworldthatIwant.

My business is 100% online, and my team is virtual, so that effectivelyuncouplesmybusinessfromtheconstraintsofgeography.IcanworkanywhereIhaveanInternetconnection.

Durangomight not bemost people’s first choice, but I love it. Themostbeautiful mountains in Colorado are almost in my backyard, and the greatdeserts of theAmerican Southwest are just a couple hours away. I have easyaccess to great skiing, incredible mountain biking, and beautiful river trips. IlovethepeoplewhochoosetoliveinDurango,andit’sbeenafantasticplacetoraiseourkids.

Eachmorning, I get upwhen Iwake up. The only time I set an alarm iswhenIwanttogetuptothemountainearlyonaskiday.OrifIneedtocatchanearlyflight.(ItravelonlywhenIwantto—ifit’sforbusiness,I’monmywaytomeetsomeamazingpeopleorgotoaworld-classtraining.)

PartofthejoyoflivinginColoradoissharingmypassionfortheoutdoorswithmykids.Bothof themaregreatmountainbikers and skiers, and they’vebeendownsomeofthegreatestwildernessriversintheworld.

I don’t tell you anyof this to brag—I justwant you to understandwhat’struly possible in your life. I’ve got a business that’s helped thousands ofentrepreneurs,I’vegotagreat teamthatenablesmetorunthebusiness,we’vegot raving fans for clients, I have an income beyond anything I could havedreamedof,IgettolivewhereIwant...andIstillhavethetimetoenjoythebeautifuloutdoorsjustoutsidemydoor.

Of course, sometimes when people hear this, they think it’s just that I’mtruly special.Ormaybe I’ve got somemagical powers.Or I had some insiderconnections.OrIgotinordinatelylucky.

Unfortunately, Ihavenomagicpowers.AndwhenIstarted thisbusinessI

hadnoconnectionswhatsoever.AndIcertainlydidn’tstartwithanyadvantageoranymoney.

SohowdidIgofromasimpleMidwesternboy,corporatefailure,Mr.Mom,tohavingthelifeofmydreams?

It’s because of the business I created with the Product Launch Formula.Sure,there’sbeenplentyofhardworkandmorethanafewluckybreaks,butit’sallintheformula.

And here’s the thing—I’m not the only one who’s done it. Many of mystudents and clients have achieved similar results. You’ve already read aboutseveraloftheminthisbook.

Sohowdoyoubuild a business and a lifewhereyou can livewhereyouwant,workwhenyouwant,havethelifestylethatyouwant?

StartwiththeVisionWhenIwasabouttostartmyfirstbusiness,IwentthroughanexercisewhereIcreatedmyideallifeinmymind.Ireadaboutthisexerciseinatrainingproduct,andIthinkthisiswhatsetupallmysuccess.Itdidn’ttakelongandwaseasytodo.IwrotedowneverythingIwanted—income,lifestyle,materialthings,travelexperiences.Thelistwasn’tverylongbecauseIhadnoideaofthepossibilitiesbackthen.Comparedtomylifestylenow,myvisionwasverymodest,butthatlistgavemethedirectionIneeded.

Thefunnythingis,assoonasIfinishedtheexercise,Ituckedthelistawayinthebackpocketofmyjournalandforgotaboutit.ThenacoupleofyearslaterIstumbledacrossthelist—andrealizedIhadachievednearlyeverysinglegoalI’dwritten down.That’swhen I became a real believer in creating that futurevisionofmylifeinmymind...andwritingitdown.

Oncemybusinessstartedgrowing,Irapidlyrevisedandaddedtothelist.IwrotedowneverythingIwantedinmyfuture:mytargetincome,theamountoftimeIcouldbeawayfrommybusiness,howI’dspendmyfreetime,thestateofmy finances,what I’d bedoing inmybusiness, the impact I’dmakewithmybusiness,thetypeofpeopleI’dworkwith,etc.

If you choose to go deeper, you can write down what you want in yourfuturerelationships,physicalandemotionalhealth,education,home,family,etc.

It’s important to understand that there is no right orwrong answerswhenyougothroughthisexercise.Andwhatyouwritedownisnotforever;youcan

changeitatanytime—andyoumostdefinitelywill.Thisisyouridealvisionofyourfutureliferightnow.Youcandothisexerciseforanytimeframeyouwant,butIusuallyusethreeyearsorfiveyearsfromthepresent.Remember,thislistisawork inprogress. I’mcontinuallyupdatingmyvisionformyfuture life,andyoushoulddothesame.

So go ahead and do it. Turn off your phone, your email, your instantmessenger. In fact, it’s probably a good idea to just turn off your Internetconnection.Trustme,everythingwillstillbetherewhenyouturnthembackonin30minutes.Closethedoor,orgetoutofyourhomeandgotoacoffeeshoporlibrary.Usepaper andpencil oropenupablankdocumentonyour computer.Writedownwhatyourideallifewilllooklikeinthreeyears:

WhatyourincomewillbeWhatkindofcaryouwilldriveWhereyouwillliveandinwhatkindofhomeWhoyourclientswillbeandhowyouwillservethemWhatyourphysicalandmentalhealthwillbelikeWhat your relationships will be like—with your friends, partner, kids,

parents,coworkers,etc.WhatyourspirituallifewillbelikeWhattripsandexperiencesyouwillhaveWhatyouwillhaveaccomplishedpersonallyandprofessionally

Onemore hint: This ismore powerful if youwrite everything down as ifyou’vealreadyachievedit.

Don’tunderestimatethisprocess.Everythingsignificantyoucreatewillfirstbecreatedinyourmind’seye.

Nowthatyou’reclearonwhereyou’regoing,let’stalkaboutsomespecificsofhowtogetthere…

TheSecurityofBeinganEntrepreneurTo create the life of your dreams, the first thing you need is security. Lots ofpeoplewhoarethinkingofstartingabusinessworryaboutleavingthesecurityofthepaycheckworld.

Unfortunately, there isno longeranysecurity inapaycheck. I’msureyouknowofpeoplewhoworkedloyallyforacompanyformanyyears,onlytobe

laidofforhavethebusinesscloseitsdoorsandshutdown.Theworldhaschanged,and theonly truesecurity isyourability tocreate

value and get paid for that value. Once you create your own business, youunderstand what security truly is. Even after I lost my first business to apartnershipbreakup, it tookmeamatterofweeksuntil Iwasbackonmyfeetandhadstartedanewbusiness.

The greatest investment you will ever make is the investment in yourbusiness skills.When you can create a newbusiness from the ether, then youcontrolyourdestiny.Andofall thebusiness skillsyoucanhave, theoneskillthatpaysoffbetterthananyotheristheabilitytomarketandsellyourselfandyourbusiness.

AnditshouldcomeasnosurprisethatIthinkPLFisthebestwaytosellinthisdayandage.

SharpentheSawThiswasoneofStephenCovey’ssevenhabitsforpersonalsuccess—youneedtotaketimeawayfromworktorechargeandrefresh.Youcan’tcontinuallyoperateat a high level if you’re working 100% of the time. No one can always beoperating at peak efficiency and creativity. Unfortunately, I see lots ofentrepreneurs creating a life where they do nothing but work. They literallynevertakeadayoff.

There’sanoldjokeamongentrepreneursaboutthebiggestbenefitofowningyourownbusiness.Thepunchlineisthatyouonlyhavetoworkhalf-time—anytwelvehoursofthedaythatyouwant.

That’snothealthy.Inthelongrun,yourbusinessandyourlifewillsufferforit.Andit’snotarecipeforlivingabiglife.

Sure,therearealwaysgoingtobesomelongdays—especiallywhenyou’restartingout.But ifyouneverhave timeaway fromyourbusiness, thenyou’redoingsomethingwrong.

My friend Joe Polish uses the analogy of a race horse. If you owned amillion-dollarracehorse,youwouldexercisegreatcareinhowyoutreatedthathorse.Youwouldfeeditwell,makesureitwaswell-rested,carefullymonitoritsworkouts,giveitaclean,comfortablestable,andscheduleregularcheckupswithavet.

Inyour lifeandyourbusiness,yourbody isyourmillion-dollar racehorse.

Don’tyoudeservethesamecare?Idon’twanttogetintobeliefsystems,butmostofuswouldagreethatwe

onlygetone shot at this life . . . at least inour current form.Sohowareyougoing to spend that one precious life? Are you going to take care of yourmultimilliondollarbodyandmind?

Willyoumakesureyoueathealthy,nutritiousfood?Getenoughsleep?Getoutside?How about exercise?Meditation? Stretching or yoga?Regular healthcheckups?

Workingmorehoursisnottheanswertoyourproblems.Youneedtoworkbetter and smarter, and one of the keys to doing that is continually refreshingyourmindandbody.Youneedtosharpenthesaw.

We’reintheHimalayasOnethingyoucan’tavoidwhenyoubecomeanentrepreneurarethehighsandlowsinyourbusiness.Ofcourse,thathappenstoeveryonewhetherornottheyhave theirownbusiness,but formostpeople thehighswillgethigherand thelowswillgetlowerwhentheybecomeanentrepreneur.

Most of uswouldn’t trade this life for anything—we love the control wehaveoverourdestiny.Welovenotansweringtoanyone.Welovebeingabletocreate.Welovethebigwins.Butweknowthatwewon’twineverytime;therearegoingtobesomelows.

My friend Lisa Sasevich likes to say we live in the Himalayas—asentrepreneurs, thepeaks andvalleys arebigger than they are forotherpeople.Whenwestraponourentrepreneursuperherooutfit,lifeisdifferentforusthanitisfornormalcivilians.

Thatmeanswehavetobecarefultomanageourmentalstates.It’sonethingto have a bad week or two if we’ve got a paycheck job—in most cases, thepaycheck will keep coming in. But if we’re running our own business, andespeciallyifwehaveateamthat’sdependingonus,weneedtobeabletopullourselvesoutofthefunk.

And,ofcourse, I’mnodifferent thananyoneelse. Ihavemyshareofupsanddowns.ButwhatI’vedoneiscreateaprocessforthis.IkeepalistofthingsthatwillpullmeupwhenI’mnot inpeakstate.Everyonewillhave theirownlist, but after comparing my list with those of many of my students andcolleagues,I’venoticedthere’softenalotofoverlap.

Here’sapartiallistofthestuffthatworksforme.Takewhatworksforyou,leavetherest:

Exercise: This is at the top of the list. Nothing changesmy state for thebettermorequicklythangettingmyheartrateup.It’sevenbetter if it’soutside(asopposedtobeinginagym).

Meditate: This is a close second to exercise. It doesn’t have to becomplicated,justcloseyoureyesandfocusonyourbreath.Fiveminutesisallyouneed,buttwentyminutesisevenbetter.

Getoutside:Fewthingswillliftmeupfasterthanbeingoutsideinnature.Haveanadventure:Goonabigmountainbikeride,haveabigskidayor

surfingday.Goforahike.Visitamuseum.Travel.Serveorgive:Dosomethinggoodforsomeoneelse.Ithinkit’simpossible

tofeelsorryforyourselfwhenyou’reactingselflesslyandhelpingotherpeople.

Begrateful:Fewthingswillliftyouupfasterthanrecognizingandfeelinggratitudeforallthemanygoodthingsinyourlife,whicharesometimeseasy tooverlook.Take time tositdownand listallyourblessings.Youmight want to start with your breath and your life . . . they’re notsomethingtotakeforgranted.

That’smylist,oratleastpartofit.Yourswillprobablybedifferent.I’manintrovert. If you’re an extrovert your list will probably look quite different.What’s important is thatyourecognizewhenyou’re inafunk,andyouhaveastrategyforliftingyourselfoutofit.

StayinYourGeniusZoneMycoachDanSullivan(ofStrategicCoach®)talksabouttheconceptofUniqueAbility®.What’s theone thing (or twoor three)youwereputonearth todo?Whatcanyoudosowellthattimeseemstodisappearwhenyou’redoingit?

Whatdoyoudothatotherpeoplefindexceptionalbutcomessoeasilyyoucan’tunderstandwhythey’resoamazed?

Thosearethethingsinyourgeniuszone,oryourUniqueAbility®.Inyourbusiness,youwant toworkon those thingsatwhichyou’regreat.

Don’t spend your time on the stuff that’s difficult for you. Work on yourstrengths,notyourweaknesses.Hirepeopletodothethingsthatarenotinyour

geniuszone.Onceyougetridofactivitiesyouaren’tgoodat,thenextthingtoeliminate

are the thingsyouareproficient atbut still aren’t inyourgeniuszone.Again,otherpeoplearebetterthanyouatthosejobs,sohirethem.Eventually,youwilleliminate the tasksyouareexcellentat—becauseeventhoughyou’reexcellentatthem,theystillaren’tinyourgeniuszone.Doingthosethingstakesyouawayfromdoingyourgeniusactivities.

The more time you spend in your genius zone, the better for you, yourbusiness,yourclients...andtheworld.

YourMostScarceResourceYourmostscarceresourceisfocus.

Theworldwillconspire todistractyou.Yourphone,email, textmessages,instantmessenger,socialmedia,andmorewillallpullyouawayfromwhatyoushouldbedoing.

Many people wake up and instantly look at their phone. They checkmessages,checkemail,checkvarioussocialmedia.That’sahugemistake—theonlythingthat’swaitinginyourphoneissomeoneelse’sagenda.Ifyoucheckyourphoneoryouremailrightawayinthemorning,you’velostcontrolofyouragenda.Therewillbeemailsormessageswaitingforyoutorespond,andonceyoustartrespondingyou’velostcontrolofyourday.

Youshouldstartthedaybyfocusingonyourhighest-valueactivitiesbeforeyou get caught up in other people’s agendas for you.What are your highest-valueactivities?TheonesthatareinyourgeniuszoneoraUniqueAbility®.

ClientsYouLoveImentionedthisinthelastchapter,soI’mnotgoingtospendalotoftimeonit,buthavinggreatclientswhomyouloveworkingwithandservingisafantasticshortcuttolovingyourlife.

I frequently hear people complain about their clients—but the thing is,they’rethepersonwhopickedthoseclients.

Remember,ifyouwantdifferentclients,thenchangeyourbusiness,changeyour product, change yourmessaging, change yourmarketing.You’re the oneattractingthoseclients,andmakingthedecisiontoworkwiththem...sopickgreatones.

Myhighest-levelclientsare thepeople inmyPlatinumMastermindgroup,andIlovespendingtimewiththem.It’sasmallgroupthatImeetwithseveraltimes ayear, and space in thegroup is severely limited.Toget intoPlatinum,membersgo througha rigorousapplicationprocess.My teamand I screen forpeoplewhofitthegroupcultureandwhoIreallywanttospendtimewith.Everytime I leave one of those meetings I’m more energized than I was at thebeginningofthemeeting.Infact,ItrytosetupmyschedulesoIalwayshaveaPlatinummeetingdirectlybefore I leadoneofmy largeworkshops, because Iknow the meeting will leave me on fire with energy as I head into the bigworkshop.AsI typethis,we’reinourfourthyearwithPlatinum,andmanyofthemembershavebeenwithmesincethebeginning.

Ofcourse,that’sjustoneexample—thelargerpointisthis:Youcontrolwhoyourclientsare.Youdothatthroughyourmarketselection,offerselection,andmarketing.

Don’tcompromiseonthis.AttractingnewandbetterclientsiswhatProductLaunchFormulaisallabout.Nowgogettheclientsyouwant.

YouCan’tGetThereAloneWhen I started out, I had this fantasy that I could build my business all bymyself.

Ifiguredmylifewouldbealotsimplerthatway,andsinceitwasavirtualbusinesswith a virtual product, I figured I could really scale up the businesswithoutcreatingateam.

Infact,Ididn’thireanyoneoruseanycontractorsforthefirst10yearsIwasinbusiness.Thatwasabigmistake,anditendedupholdingmeback.Inowseethatwasaboutasmatureasatwo-year-oldsaying,“Icandoitallbymyself!”

The reality is that you can’t build anything great by yourself.And if youeventry,thenyou’regoingtobespendinghugechunksoftimeworkingoutsideyourgeniuszone.

Onceyoustartbuildingateam,yourlifewillgetmorecomplicated.That’sinevitable—any time humans are involved, things get more complicated. Youwillhave to learn tobea leader foryour team (ifyoudon’t alreadyhave thatskill).Andinmanyways,youwillhavetoanswertoyourteam.

OnethingthatwillmakethisprocessaloteasierisifyousticktoapolicythatmyfriendEbenPagancalls“starsonly.” Inotherwords,youwant tohire

only stars—the people who are in the top 10% of any skill set. In fact, youshouldprobablytakethisfurtherandhireonlythosepeoplewhoareinthetop1%ofanyskillset.

Stars will make your life easier. They will be self-motivated. They willrequirelesssupervisionandtraining.Theywillhavelessdramaintheir life.Ifthey’regoodat their skill set, but they’vegot a lot ofdrama, then they’renotstars.

TheMagicWordAs you become more successful, there’s one word that will become moreimportantthananyother.Thatwordis“no.”

AsWarrenBuffettsaid,“Thedifferencebetweensuccessfulpeopleandverysuccessfulpeopleisthatverysuccessfulpeoplesay‘no’toalmosteverything.”

InChapter12Isaidthattheideaof“opportunitycost”isthemostimportantconsiderationinbusiness.That’swhatwe’rereallytalkingabouthere,butonamore personal level. As you become more successful, build more personalpower, and grow into the role of leader, other people will find you moreattractive. It can’t help but happen—it’s automatic. There’s a huge vacuumofleadershipintheworldrightnow,andpeoplearelookingforleaderstoplugintoandfollow.

Thenextstepisthatmorepeopleandmoredealsstarttopopupinyourlife.Manyoftheopportunitieswillbeveryattractiveandwouldhaveimpressedyouifyou’dhadthosesameopportunitiesearlierinyourlife.

However,youmustbeverycarefulaboutwhatyousay“yes”to.Youhaveto become increasingly more selective. You need to get better at saying no.Anythingthatdoesn’tadvanceyoutowardyourfutureandyourbiggervisionforyourselfissomethingthatwilltakeyouoffyourpath.

I’mnotsayingyoucan’tbeafriend.I’mnotsayingyouhavetoabandonthepeopleandthingsthatgotyouwhereyouare.AndI’mcertainlynotsayingyoucan’tlendahelpinghand.Youjusthavetobeverycarefulofyourtimeandyourenergy. Every new opportunity you say “yes” to closes the door on anotheropportunity.

DrinkingtheAbundanceJuiceWhenIfirststartedpublishingmyfreeinvestingnewsletter in1996, therewas

anotherwebsitepublishingaverysimilarnewsletter.However,eventhoughwetargeted the same niche, our sites were very different. They charged for theirnewsletter; mine was free. They had a much more professional-looking site;minewas very amateurish. In fact, back then I couldn’t even afford to buy adomainnameorwebsitehosting,somysitewashostedonafreeserver.

That competing sitewaspublishedby aguynamedFrankCollar. Iwouldoftenlookathissiteandwanderthroughallthepages.Itwasmyultimatedreamtohaveaprofessionalsitelikethatandpublishapaidnewsletterlikehedid.ButIdidn’tknowhowIwouldgetthere.Ididn’tknowanyofthetechstuffrequiredandIdidn’thavemoneytohirethepeoplewhodid.AndIdidn’tknowhowtosellstuff.Mostimportant,Ididn’thavetheconfidencetoaskpeopletobuymystuff.

In any case, one day I got an email from Frank.He askedme how I puttogethersomeofthestockmarketchartsonmywebsite.Thatemailgavemeashock. Iwas surprised that Frank even knewwho Iwas or thatmy site evenexisted,soononelevelIwasflattered.

Onanotherlevel,Frankwasadirectcompetitor.ItwaslikehewasCokeandIwasPepsi(althoughinreality,Iwasmorelikesomegenericcola).WewereintheEXACTsamebusiness.Andthosechartsonmysiteweretheonlythingthatwaspullingintraffictomysite.Thesedays,it’sasimplethingtopostanimagelikeastockcharttoawebsite,butitwasadifferentworldbackthen.I’dspentthebetterpartofadayandmorecashthanIcouldaffordfiguringouthowtodoit. Ihad invested time,effort,andhard-earnedmoneytocreate thosechartsonmywebsite,andIsawthemasmyonemajorassetinmybusiness.

Soas I lookedat that email fromFrank, Iwonderedwhat todo.Should Igivehimmytradesecret?ShouldIturnhimdown?OrshouldIjustignorehisemail?

In the end, I decided I might as well help him out. I knew that if I hadfigureditout,hewouldcertainlybeableto.Andwhyputhimthroughthedayoftedioustrial-and-errorthatIwentthroughtolearnhowtodoit?

SoItook20minutesandItypedupacompletesetofinstructionsforhowIcreatedandpostedmycharts,andIsenttheemailofftoFrank.

WithinjustafewminutesIgotanemailbackfromFrankthankingme.Hewentontotellmethathehadmanyyearsofnewsletterpublishingexperienceintheofflineworld,andhehaddonea lotof testingofhisonlinenewsletter.Heshared a lot of great information about some of those tests—including some

criticalpricingtests.AndhewentontotellmethatifIeverwantedtopublishapaidnewsletter,thenhewouldbehappytohelpmeoutwithhisknowledgeandexperience.

Inthatmoment,whenIreadthatemail,mylifechanged.I realized that we were operating in a brave new world, where in many

(most?)cases,cooperationwasmore important thancompetition.Years later, Iwouldcointheterm“AbundanceJuice”todescribethisphenomenon.

Simplyput,youhavethechoicebetweenanabundance-basedmindsetandascarcity-basedmindset.Choosewisely, because your choicewill impact everyareaofyourlife.Inmyexperienceifyoupicktheabundancemindset,there’salotmorejoy,fulfillment,and...well,abundance.

AfewmonthslaterFrankdidindeedhelpmelaunchmypaidnewsletter.Hisadviceandexperiencegaveme theconfidence to create thatnewsletter, and itbecameahugesuccessforme.(Thatwasthe$34,000launchItoldyouaboutinChapter1.) Then a couple of years later,when hewas tired of publishing hisnewsletter,FrankactuallyGAVEmehis listofpayingsubscribers. I tookoverservicinghissubscribersandmadea lotofmoneydoingso.AllbecauseIhadhelped him outwith a simple favor.All because I had shared theAbundanceJuicewithhim.

One of my core beliefs is that you will be far happier if you drink theAbundance Juice and adopt the abundancemindset. And in addition to beinghappier,yourbusinesswillgrowfasterandlarger,youwillattractbetterclientsandpartners,andyou’llhaveamuchbiggerpositiveimpactontheworld.

SoIinviteyou...goahead,drinktheAbundanceJuice.

ALifeWellLivedInmy opinion, there is no other business building systemwithmore amazingsuccessstories in the lastdecade thanProductLaunchFormula. Ihavewalkedyou through the entire formula in thepagesof this book. Inotherwords, I’vegivenyouthetooltocreateyourbusiness.

But, as the saying goes,with great power comes great responsibility. I’vegivenyoualotofpower.

Butmakenomistake—buildingasuccessfulbusinesswillnotautomaticallyleadtoahappyandfulfilledlife.There’splentyofmiserableentrepreneursoutthere.ThetrickistocreateabusinessANDhaveagreatlife.Togetthere,you

need to be intentional with the business you build and the life you create. Itdoesn’thappenbyaccident.

DancingYourWayaroundtheWorldSebastienNightwasborninFrench-speakingGuadalupeintheCaribbean,andhenow lives inFrance.He firstwent throughmy training in2010.Since thenhe’sbeenusingPLFtobuildhisbusiness.InitiallyhewasintheFrench“datingadvice”market,wherehetaughtshymenhowtoapproachwomenandaskforadate.Eventually,SebastientransitionedtoteachingFrench-speakingpeoplehowtobuildtheironlinebusinesses,andhe’snowknownas“theFrenchMarketer.”Sebastienhasdonedozensof launches,andhe’sbuiltupaseriousbusiness.Infact, he’s one of themost prominent online publishers in the French-speakingworld.

Aswithanyentrepreneur,he’sputinalotofworktogettowherehe’sat.Buthe’salsocreatedan incredible lifestyle.Ahighpoint so far is thathewasabletofulfilltwolifelongdreamsofhisfiancée,Cecile—dancingandtravelingaroundtheworld.

LastyearSebastientookasix-monthtriparoundtheworldwithCecile,andthey danced the entire way. They visited Australia, Brazil, India, Argentina,South Africa, Thailand, Durango, and New York. While they were in India,SebastienproposedtoCecile—andshesaidyes!

DuringthetripSebastienworkedonedayperweek.Likemine,hisbusinessiscompletelyvirtual, sohecouldworkanywhere in theworld.Theentire tripwasfinancedbyoneofhis launches,andhe’salsogoing tobepayingfor twogreatweddings(samebrideforboth,butoneinFranceandoneinGuadalupe).

Thethingis,ifyoupullSebastienaside,he’lltellyouthatthemostexcitingpartisthathehasfriendsandfamilywhohaveseenhissuccess,andthey’renowfollowinghisexampleandcreatingtheirownbusinesses.

(ToseemyCaseStudywithSebastien,aswellasthevideoofhisround-the-worldtripwithCecile,gotohttp://thelaunchbook.com/sebastien.)

Chapter14

It’sYourTimetoLaunch

Sothat’stheProductLaunchFormula.Nowit’syourturn.Theformulahasbeenproven thousands of timesover.All ofmypersonal success has beenbuilt bydoingexactlywhatItaughtyouinthisbook.I’vebuiltseveralbusinessesnow,and every one of themwas based on the Product Launch Formula. In fact, Ilaunched the latestone just a fewweeksago, and itgotoff toanother roaringstart,thankstotheverystrategiesI’velaidouthere.

What’smoreimportantisthatthisistheexactformulamyclientshaveusedto generate more than $500 million in sales. That’s a half-billion dollars insuccessstories.They’vedoneitinnearlyeverymarketornicheyoucanthinkof,with products that range from cage fighting to meditation workshops to taxpreparationtomarchingbandaccessories.

DeathofLaunchesBackwhenIfirstpublishedPLFin2005,theonlinemarketingcommunitywasstillarelativelysmallone.Mostofthebigplayerskneweachother.Andittookonly a few months until some people started talking about the “death oflaunches.”ThatwastheexactphraseusedinamajorwhitepaperthatcameoutlessthanayearafterIreleasedPLF.Someofthose“intheknow”predictedthatthe PLF model was so powerful, it would collapse under its own weight.Conventional wisdom said that once everyone in the marketplace had seen alaunchortwo,thewholelaunchideawouldstopworking.Astheoldquotegoes,“Wehavemettheenemyandheisus.”

The truth is, the launcheshaveonlygottenbiggerandbettersince then.Amoreaptquotewouldbe“Thereportsofmydeatharegreatlyexaggerated.”

Sowhathappened?

TacticsComeandGo,StrategyIsForeverMilitary(andbusiness)leadersnearlyworshipTheArtofWarbySunTzu.Thebook is thousands of years old, but that doesn’t stop every new generation of

leaders from reading it. That’s because the book is about strategy, not tactics.Andstrategynevergoesoutofstyle.

ThereasonPLFkeepsworkingisthatit’sbasedinstrategy.Iteachplentyoftactics as part of the formula, but those tactics are always used to serve theoverallPLFstrategy.Andfrankly,tacticscomeandgo.Forexample,whenIfirststarteddoinglaunches,streamingvideodidn’texist.Forthatmatter,blogsdidn’texist.Nordidsocialmediaorwebinars.Butnowweuseall those tools inourlaunches.

Toolschange,tacticschange.Strategyendures.Creating a close connectionwithyourprospectwill nevergooutof style.

Building up the anticipation for an event will never go out of style. Mentaltriggerssuchassocialproof,authority,community,andreciprocitywillnevergooutofstyle.Buildinginfluencebydeliveringmassivevaluebeforeyouaskforthe sale will never go out of style. The exact way you actually deploy thosethings has changed and will continue to change. But the PLF strategy keepsworking.

TurnYourComputerintoaMoneyMachineSometime around 1994—I don’t recall the exact date—I received anadvertisement for a product called “Turn Your Computer Into a MoneyMachine.”Now,I’lladmitthat’saprettycheesyname,butitcaughtmyattentionenoughsothatIopeneditupandstartedreading.IsupposeIwasintheperfecttargetmarket for theadat the time—thiswasbackwhen Iwas inmystay-at-homedadphase.Wewerestrugglingtomakeendsmeet,andIreallyneededanykindofamoneymachineIcouldget.

Theadarrivedviaemail,anditwasreallylong—itmusthavebeen10pagesormore.After I read it throughonce, I felt like Ineeded to read itagain, so Iprinteditoutonmydotmatrixprinter.Becausethatprinterwasslowandtheadwassolong,itseemedtotakeforevertoprint.

Over the nextweek I read that ad over and over. It talked about creating“specialreports”andsellingthemonline.Ittalkedaboutthewondersofhavingapublishingbusinessandsellingdirecttoconsumers.

The idea seemed nearly unbelievable to me. However, the publishingbusinesshadbeenaroundforcenturies,soIfiguredithadtobeprofitable.AndIknew of small, independent publisherswho seemed to bemakingmoney. Forexample, when I looked for books on some of my interests like whitewater

kayakingandmountainbiking,allthepopularonescamefromsmallpublisherswhoweregrassroots,mom-and-popbusinesses.

Ontheotherhand,Ihadnevercreatedorpublishedanythinginmylife.Andevenmorefrighteningwastheveryideaofselling.Ihadnoexperienceinsales.Infact,ifIlistedtheabsolutemostunlikelypossiblecareerchoicesformyself,saleswouldprobablybeatthetopofthelist.

And therewas anotherbigproblem—”TurnYourComputer Into aMoneyMachine” cost $99.50. At that time we were supporting a family of four onMary’s lonepaycheckfromhergovernment-fundedjob.WhenIput togetherabudgetforourfamily,wehadalittlemorethan$400leftasdisposableincomeper year. Spending nearly a quarter of our yearly “spending money” onsomethinglikethisfeltlikeariskyproposition.

Butthatadmadesomuchsense.Theentireideamadesomuchsense.AndIwasdesperateforachange.Ispentafullweekreadingthroughthatadagainandagain.EverynightIwouldlieinbedthinkingaboutit.Iwouldwonderifitcouldpossibly work for me. What could I publish about? Would I actually followthrough and do it?Would I be able to sell anything? Or would it be anotherfailureinmylife?

Perhapsyou’vebeeninasimilarplacebefore,wonderingaboutapotentialfork in the road. Lots of times, I procrastinate when it comes to makingdecisions.ButthiswasonetimeIacted.Isuspendedmydisbelief,filledouttheorderform,andmaileditoff.

TheRoadLessTraveledRobert Frost has an elegant and very famous poemabout paths taken and nottaken.Anditseemsabitsillyanda littlegrandiose to invokethatpoemwhenI’mtellingyouaboutansweringadirectmailad.Butthatoneactionmadeallthedifference.

Theproductwassimple—itcameonasingle3.5-inchfloppydrive.Ittaughtthe basics of direct marketing for information products. It was mostly aboutselling stuff on CompuServe and AOL—a couple of old, online services thatactedassomethingofagatewaydrugtotheInternetbackintheearly1990s.

Itmighthavebeenoldschool,butthatoneinformationproductopenedupawholenewworldforme—theworldofdirectmarketingandcreatinganonline,information-basedbusiness.Andthatworldhasbeenamazinglygoodtome.Ofcourse, themoney and success didn’t come instantly, or even quickly for that

matter.But itdidcome . . . andyouwouldn’tbe reading thisbook if Ihadn’tansweredthatad.

A number of years ago I sent an email to Sheila Danzig, the creator andpublisherof“TurnYourComputerIntoAMoneyMachine.”Itoldherwhatherproducthaddoneformylife,andtheimpactithadmadeonmyfamily.Itwasajoyful email forme to send, and Iheardback fromher thenextday.Shewasthrilledtogetmyemailandhearhowshehadcontributedtomysuccess.

Iknowthatfeeling,becauseIgetthosetypesofnotesandemailsfrommyPLFstudents andclients everyweek—and reading those success storiesnevergetsold.

Just this morning I received an email from FranzWeisbauer, a FulbrightScholar and a doctor in Vienna, Austria. He’s an internist with a clinicalspecializationinechocardiography(ultrasoundoftheheart).In2010,hecreatedan online training platform (along with his colleague Dr. Thomas Binder) toteach echocardiography to doctors and sonographers. Normally, this type oftrainingwouldrequiretravelingtothreeweekendseminarsthatcost$500each.The story of this launch is not unlikemany you’ve already read in this book.When Franz and Thomas first released the program with “Hope Marketing,”theyhadfewsales.Theyhadagreatproduct,butitwasn’tsellingataleveltomake it aviable,ongoingbusiness.ThenFranzheardme speakaboutproductlaunchesatanevent.HeenrolledinmyPLFtrainingatthenextopportunityandrelaunchedhissitewithafullPLF-stylelaunch.Thelaunchwasahugesuccessand completely transformed his business. And it didn’t end with his initiallaunch—thebusinesshasgrown to ten times itspre-PLF level.Butvolumeofsalesisonlyonemeasureof thesuccessofabusiness.It’saneasilycalculableone,butnumbersdon’talwayspaintthewholepicture.Anothermeasureistheimpact—the number of lives that have been saved by the doctors andsonographerswhohavegonethroughFranz’straining.

It’sthatrippleeffectthatgetsmesoexcitedthatsometimesit’shardtosleepat night. I taught Franz how to launch his product, then his training helpedthousandsofdoctorstotreattensofthousandsofpatients(andsavedlotsoflivesalong theway).Who knows the positive effect all those patients, with a newchapteraddedtotheirlife,willhaveontheworld?

YourFirstLaunchThenextstepisuptoyou.Mygoalinthisbookwastoshowyoutheprocess.A

secondarygoalwastomakeyourealizethatyoucandothis.I’veseenitworkoverandoverformystudents...studentsfromeverywalkoflifeandfromallaroundtheworld.

Thekeyis totakethatfirststepandtokeeptakingbabysteps.IfIcangofromMr.Momwithzeroentrepreneurialexperiencetotensofmillionsofdollarsin sales, you can certainly do it as well. If JohnGallagher can go from foodstampstoasix-figurebusiness,youcandoitaswell.IfTaraandDaveMarinocangofromheartbrokenparentstoahalf-milliondollarsinsales,youcandoitaswell.

Don’texpecttomakeamilliondollarswithyourfirstlaunch.Don’texpectto equal some of the outsized results I’ve told you about in this book. Don’tcompare yourself tomymillion-dollar launches.Compare yourself tomy firstlaunchthatdidamodest$1,650insales.

Expect tomake somemistakes and learn a lot.Expect it to be a lotmoreworkthanyouanticipate.Expectsomefrustrationsandsomelatenights.

Andexpectyourfirstlaunchtobeunforgettable.

ALongStrangeTripThat’sBarelyStartedIt’sbeenanamazingride.

AndeverystepofthewayI’vebeenforcedtokeepthinkingbigger.Tokeepfindingabiggervisionformyself.

I’mnot surewherePLFgoes fromhere. I continue toworkwithmyPLFOwnersastheylaunchtheirbusinessesandproductsineverynicheandmarketimaginable.I’venowgotstudentswhoareusingitinthenonprofitworld.Otherskeepurgingmetotakeitintothecorporateworld.

Theone thingIknowis that Iwould love tohearaboutyour launch.AsIsaidabove,hearingthosepersonalsuccessstoriesnevergetsold.

IlongagomadeenoughmoneywhereIcouldtakemyfootoffthegaspedalandcoastintosemi-retirement.ButhereIam,somewherearound70,000wordsintothisbook—becauseIwantedtoreachmorepeople.IwantedtoreachYOU.

PLFisproven.Itwillworkforyou.JustfollowthestepsIgaveyouinthisbook.Startbuildingyourlist.TapintotheextraresourcesIhaveforyouonourmembership site for this book. Follow along on my blog. Plug into the PLFcommunity.

And thenwrite tomeand tellmeaboutyoursuccessstory.Youcan reach

meatjeff.plf@gmail.com.

LinksandResources:Your membership site for this book:http://www.thelaunchbook.com/member My personal blog:http://www.jeffwalker.com

Acknowledgments

The18yearssinceIstartedmyfirstbusinesshavebeenanamazingride,andIoftenwonderhowIgotsolucky.ButIdidn’tgetherealone.I’vehadsomanypeoplehelpmeonthisjourneythatithumblesme…

Thisbook isdedicated tomywife,Mary,whohasalwaysbelieved inandsupported me so fiercely that it shocks me to this day . . . and to my twoincrediblechildren,DanielandJoan—Idon’tknowwhatIdidtodeserveyou.

To Mom and Dad, who gave me such an incredibly loving, strongfoundationformylife...andtoJim,JeanMarie,andJon.IloveyouandthankyouforwhoIam.

ThankstoVirginiaandespeciallyJoeJablonsky,whobelievedinmewheneveryone elsewaswonderingwhy Iwas home taking care of the kids.And aspecial thanks toCatherine Jablonskywhowasanunwavering supporter in somanywaysinthoseearlyuncertainyears.

I’vegotsomanyotheramazingpeopletothank…ReidTracy,BrianKurtz, andRickMcFarland gaveme great feedback on

this book and helped shape the early chapters. Scott Hoffman, BrendonBurchard,Michael Hyatt, and Chris Haddad helpedmewith feedback on theoverall book concept.Thanks toVictoriaLabalme for being sodarn relentlesswithherbiggervisionofthisbook.

Thanks tomy entire Plat Plus groupwho helpedme brainstorm somanyaspectsof thisbook . . .andheldmeaccountable through its longandpainfulbirth.

This book wouldn’t have been possible without my publisher MorganJames,whogracefullydealtwitheverycurveballandmisseddeadlineIthrewatthem. Thanks toDavidHancock,Rick Frishman,MargoToulouse.And a bigthanks to my editor VickiMcCown, who killed dozens of my most grievousclichésbeforetheymadeittoprint.

Somanypeoplehelpedmealongmypathintheearlydaysofmybusiness,including Sheila Danzig, Mike Reed, Frank Collar, Paul Myers, and DonCassidy.

JohnReeseandYanikSilver toldmeIneeded tostart teachingpeoplemyproduct launch techniques, and JohnnamedPLF forme.That advice changedmylife,anditchangedtheworld.

I’vehadsomanyincrediblepartners,teachers,andcoachesovertheyears—andmost of themhave become close friends:my coachDanSullivan and hiswifeBabs,TonyRobbins,EbenPagan,FrankKern,PauloCoelho,JeffJohnson,Rich Schefren, Ryan Deiss, Dean Graziosi, Mike Filsaime, my muse AndyJenkins,StevenPressfield,myDWDbuddyLisaSasevich,TomKulzer,ChrisKnight, Chalene and Bret Johnson, Brian Clark and Sonia Simone, DonCrowther, Marie Forleo, my study buddy Dean Jackson, Joe Polish, JohnCarlton,MikeKoenigs,KennyRueterandTravisRosser,JasonVanOrdenandJeremyFrandsen,ChrisZavadowski,JasonMoffatt,YaroStarak,PerryBelcher,JBGlossinger,RandyCassinghamandalltheHotshots,AudriandJimLanford,JohnRhodes,ClayCollins,RayEdwards,JeffMulligan,EdDale,DaveTaylor,Tim Carter, Eric Wagner, Martin Howey, Greg Poulos, Jason Potash, PamHendrickson,myHWcommunity,CharlesRichards,GregClement,TreySmith,theFT-Talkcommunity,HollyLisle,BethWalker,ShannonWaller,Anne-MariePratt, Denise Gosnell, Brian Sacks, Tellman Knudson, Marlon Sanders,MaryEllen Tribby, David Frey, Chris Attwood, Janet Attwood, John Jantsch,MikeHill, JonathanMizel, JayAbraham,DanKennedy, andGail Kingsbury.And,ofcourse,theBuddies(LFODMF).

ThankstoDianeWalker,whohasbeenmyamazingeventplannerforeveryliveeventI’vedone.

Can’t forgetmy PLFCoaches, especiallyAlanDavidson, JamesKlobasa,MarkCoudray,RidgelyGoldsborough,HubertLee,KurtKoenigs,LouD’Alo... and especiallyMarc Evans—you’ve all helpedme helpmy students. Thankyou.

SpecialthankstoTedPasternack,who’sbroughthisspecialmagictoeveryPLFeventI’veeverputon.Andahugeappreciationtoallthe“PLFLive”andPlatvolunteers,includingGail,Leslie,Mel,Anthony,Michael,Jeremiah,Matt,Rebecca,Erin,Cindy,Joan,andGarrett.

AndabigsanitythankstoBillyFoster,BryanDear,andMacThomson.Another sanity check toChrisBarnes, PaulWheeler,RickRouth, and I’ll

neverforgetJonNicholas.Iwouldn’tbewhereI’mattoday,andIwouldn’tbeabletobringPLFtothe

worldwithoutmyincredibleteam,includingMarc,Mary,Shereen,Daniel,Mac,Pedro,Joy,Chereth,Larry,JR,andPaul.SpecialthankstoBettySampson,whoisthetruefaceofthecompanyandsetsthestandardforcustomersupportintheindustry...KristenArnold,whoismytirelessbackupbrainwhousesherbestcat-herdinginstinctstokeepmeinline.AndJonWalker,whoI’vebeenworkingandplayingwithlongerthananyone.

And what can I say about my Platinum and Platinum Plus mastermindgroups . . .my brothers and sisterswho are in the trenches fighting the goodfightwithmethrougheveryepicwinandseeminglyinsurmountablechallenge.I’mblessedtohaveyouinmylifeonadailybasis.

And, of course, the real stars of the show aremy PLFOwners . . . whocontinuetoinspiremeeverysingleday.Thankyou.

Glossary

Please note: Some of these terms have multiple meanings and uses. Thisglossarygivesdefinitionsonlyasthey’reusedinthisbook.

Affiliate Partner—a company or person who promotes another company inreturnforacommissiononsales.Alsosee:JointVenturePartner.

CalltoAction—whenyouaskordirectyourprospecttodosomething.Thisiswhenyouaskforsometypeofcommitment—whetherit’ssubscribingtoyourlist,leavingacomment,clickingalink,orbuyingyourproduct.Typically,allcommunicationyousendtoyourlistwillhavesometypeofcalltoactionattheendofthepiece.

Circle of Awesome™—system of alternating between Seed Launch, InternalLaunch,andJVLaunchsothattheresultsbuildoneachother.

Client—someonewhohasalreadyboughtfromyou(asopposedtoaProspect,whoisonyourlistbuthasn’tboughtyet).

Conversion—the event where your prospect takes action based on yourmarketing. You’ve asked your prospect to take some action, and theconversion is when they commit to the action. It can refer to someonesubscribingtoyourlist,oritcouldbemakingapurchase.

Customer—seeClient.InternalLaunch—alaunchtoyouremaillist,whereyoudon’thaveanyoutside

JVPartnersoraffiliates.ThisistheclassicPLF-stylelaunchasdescribedinthefirsteightchaptersofthisbook.

Joint Venture Partner (or JV Partner)—almost synonymous with AffiliatePartner, although this term implies a closer working relationship with thepartner.

JVLaunch—a launch that is primarily driven byAffiliates and JointVenturePartnerssendingtrafficintoyourlaunchsequence.

Launch Conversation—the interaction between you and your prospects (aswell as directly between your prospects) that naturally occurs during yourPrelaunchSequence.Thisinteractioncangiveyouenormousinsightintoyourmarket—including the big objections to your offer and what parts of yourmessagingareresonatingwithyourprospects.

LaunchList—theemaillistyoubuildduringyourPrelaunchSequence.LaunchSequence—youroveralllaunch,includingyourPrelaunchContentand

yourOpenCart.List—your database of people you’ll be marketing to. Lists can be based in

directmail,socialmedia,oremail.However,inthecontextofthisbookwe’llfocusprimarilyonemaillists.

List Host—a service for hosting and sending email to your email list. Forrecommended services, see my Resource Guide herehttp://thelaunchbook.com/resources.

Offer—what you’re promoting to your prospects. Your offer includes yourdeliverables (including bonuses), your price, your payment terms, and yourguarantee.

Pre-PrelaunchSequence—also known asPre-Pre, this is thewarm-up periodbeforeyourprelaunchsequencestarts.

PrelaunchSequence—aseriesofhigh-valuecontentreleasedbeforeyoulaunchtobuildexcitementandanticipationforyourproduct.Thecontentcanbeinavarietyofformatsincludingvideo,PDFreport,email,blogposts,etc.

Natural Search Traffic—the visitors who come to your site through yourlistings in the search engines. Also referred to as “organic” or “natural”traffic.

OpenCart—the timewhen you release your product for sale.OpenCart canrefertotheactualdayandtimewhenyoustarttakingordersandalsototheentireperiodwhenyourlaunchofferisavailable.

OrderPage—thepagewhereyourprospectsactuallymaketheirpurchase.Thisiswheretheyputintheircontact informationandpaymentdetailsandclickthe buy button. Typically, your Sales Page will have an “Add To Cart” or“BuyItNow”button,andthatbuttonwillleadtoyourOrderPage.

OrganicSearch—seeNaturalSearchTraffic.PaidSearch—paidplacementatornear thetopof thesearchenginerankings.

Thisadvertisingisgenerallysoldonaquasi-auctionbasis.PaidTraffic—similar to Paid Search, except it’s on non-search engine sites,

suchassocialmediasites.PLF—ProductLaunchFormula®.PrelaunchContent(orPLC)—thematerialyoureleaseduringyourPrelaunch

Sequence.Itcantakeavarietyofformatsincludingvideo,PDFreport,email,blogposts,etc.

ProductLaunchFormula®(orPLF)—pureawesomeness.Prospect—someonewhoisonyourlistorwhoislookingatyourmarketing,but

whohasn’tboughtyet.Oncetheybuy,theybecomeaClientorCustomer.Rank—whereyouappearintheOrganicorNaturalSearchlistingsforagiven

searchterm.Canalsobeusedinagenericglobalsense—e.g.,“greatcontentcanhelpyourankinGoogle.”

SidewaysSalesLetter™—akey component of the ProductLaunchFormulathatreferstotheserial,sequencednatureofthePrelaunchSequenceandtheentirePLFsalesprocess.

SalesLetter—awrittensalesmessagethatmakestheofferforaproduct.SeedLaunch™—asimplePLF-stylelaunchthatisprimarilyusedifyoudon’t

have aproductor a list.Canalsobeused if youhave a concept for anewofferorproductandwouldliketomarkettesttheideabeforeyouspendalotoftimecreatingtheproduct.

SalesPage—thewebpagethathostsyourSalesLetterorSalesVideo.SalesVideo—avideothatmakestheofferforaproduct.SqueezePage—asimplepageonyourwebsitethathasasubscriptionformfor

yourlist.Visitorstothepagehaveonlyonechoice—theycaneithersubscribetoyourlisttoseemorecontent,ortheycanleavethepage.Forrecommendedservices for easily building squeeze pages, see my Resource Guide herehttp://thelaunchbook.com/resources.

Teleseminar—aconferencecallwherethehostcanpresenttoalargenumberofpeople.EveryonecallsintoanumberandentersaPINcodetoaccessthecall.The host of the call has controls that can mute everyone while he or shepresents during the call. Teleseminars can be used to teach or presentmaterial, and they’re also great for making sales presentations. Forrecommended services for teleseminars, see my Resource Guide here

http://thelaunchbook.com/resources.WebHost—aserviceforhostingyourwebsite.Forrecommendedservices,see

myResourceGuideherehttp://thelaunchbook.com/resources.Webinar—similar to teleseminarsbutpresentedover thewebsoattendeescan

seethepresenter’scomputerscreen.MostoftenusedtodisplayaPowerpointor Keynote presentation. For recommended services for webinars, see myResourceGuideherehttp://thelaunchbook.com/resources.

AbouttheAuthor

JeffWalkerhasliterallytransformedthewaystuffissoldonline.Alongthewayhe’sbecomeoneofthetopentrepreneurialandmarketingtrainersintheworld.

Back in the old days before he started teaching his “Product LaunchFormula”, almost no one in the online entrepreneurial world talked about“product launches” and the idea of a “million dollar day” seemed almostludicrous. But now, in the post-Product Launch Formula world, the milliondollar (and multi-million dollar) launches hardly raise an eyebrow. They’vealmostbecomeroutine.

But his techniques are not just for big gurus—he’s taught thousands ofstudents(whooperateinhundredsofniches),andthey’vegeneratedmorethan$500millioninsales(andthatnumbergrowseveryday.)JefflivesinDurango,Coloradowherehepursueshis passions for all kindsof outdoor fun.He liveswithhiswifeMaryandtheirdogJenny.Andeventhoughthechildrenareoutofthe house, Jeff still has lots of adventures with them (especially on skis andmountainbikes).

YoucanfollowJeffonhisblogatJeffWalker.com,andgetfreetrainingonmarketingandlaunchesatProductLaunchFormula.com.