Anyone that has ever launched a program or product knows that the entire process is kind of like running a race. You have a strategy and training and you've done all of your warm-ups. You are ready to get your promotion “out there.”
You are running smoothly, when all of the sudden, someone decides to put a hurdle right in the middle of the track! How you respond to that hurdle can make or break your race and your product launch.
What if you could have a preview of the hurdles that other racers/program launchers have run into?
Now you can!
Introducing Product/Program Promotion: Problems and Profits — Launching Lessons Learned.
Occasionally, I'll interview industry experts and ask them about their product or program launches. I'm selecting people that I know will share the good, the bad, and the downright ugly so that you can benefit from their experience.
Today, I'll be talking to Andrea Feinberg of Coaching Insight, LLC as she shares her experience launching a program.
Hello and welcome Andrea! It’s nice to have you with us. This publication is for entrepreneurs and independent professionals (coaches, authors, speakers, etc.) and I know they love to hear stories from the trenches. Thank you for your willingness to share some of your mistakes and lessons learned so that others could benefit!
What is your specialty area or focus in your business?
I'm on a mission to pull small business owners away from their daily grind and into their big opportunities; that’s where they’ll find more money, a better-run business, happier life, and the time to enjoy it all.
What were you promoting (book, program, teleseminar, etc.)?
This was an e-program: Million Dollar Team Builder
What did you do that went well in your launch promotion?
The free training (a 4-part series of videos) was well done and well-focused on a real problem that the audience, small business owners, were experiencing every day.
Could you share a bit more about how you ran the promotion? What aspects were effective for you that you would do again in a future promotion/launch?
We did a number of things:
- free video training series leading up to a teleclass promoted via social media, email;
- JV partners helped us to promote, and
- multiple emails with ‘disappearing' bonuses as time passes.
What didn’t go so well and what were your lessons learned?
I launched this while part of a mastermind program run by a well-known information marketer in the coaching profession; part of the program benefits was to have that guru promote our programs to his list (a huge benefit to have both the size of the list and his ‘stamp of approval' on the program to his audience.
Sadly – his audience is not my audience and the program, largely dependent on his promotion and list, failed because there was a mismatch of identified needs between my target audience and his.
Andrea, what a great lesson you learned. I have had similar lessons as I have launched different programs. What will you do or have you done differently as a result of this lesson?
Speak only to my audience and make choices based on that fit; in fact, I'm going through a metamorphosis about targets and becoming more focused on a target that's really me: ex-corporate woman with a business failure in her past who wants only success in the future.
As a business owner, what is one of the biggest challenges you have faced and what did you do about it? Any big lessons learned?
The biggest challenge I faced was with my prior business in the wholesale gift industry. Despite applying heavy-duty smarts to my choice of enterprise and industry, I neglected to include the most important factor: me – my strengths, priorities, and preferred business environment. As a result, despite producing a beautiful product, I disliked my business. It didn't engage my personal strengths, put me in an environment in which I was not mentally challenged and I was not able to enjoy those business activities with which I thrive.
Did this experience influence what you are doing now in your current business?
Completely – my entire focus as a coach is to help clients avoid the mistake I made: build a business to suit the larger focus of your life because that's what you build when you build a business!
When you are working on projects, how do you and your team stay on track?
Clear priorities, communications, and pushing authority down the line so that I can trust that my team is doing a great job with their responsibilities and I don't have to second guess or stand over their shoulders while they work; they're the subject-matter experts on roles that would not be my most productive: web design, video, data entry, financial record-keeping.
With your vast experience, are there any products or tools that you would recommend to make promotion/launches go smoother?
There are so many tools available now; one I use is AWS3 – Amazon's video hosting service and not youtube. I've found it prevents the buffering slow down I've seen with youtube. The other critical tool is the ‘coordination' of tasks and effort.
Do have any future projects you’d like to tell us about?
In late October I'm launching the 30-Day Challenge to Get it Done, a group and e-learning program that guarantees success with a strongly desired goal and it won't cost you a thing. Here is a bit more about it:
If you can't get control of your time, how will you control your business?
Discover 4 obstacles with the time that prevent you from fulfilling your goals, day after a frustrating day.
Get all the details right here http://www.profcs.com/app/?Clk=4871570
I invite you to register for the brief class. It's totally free and power-packed with tools & an Action Guide to learn how to shift time from being a bully to your powerful ally.
Andrea, That program sounds fantastic! Thank you for telling us about it and thank you for taking the time to talk with us. Is there anything else you would like to add?
Delighted to work with Stephanie Calahan on any project for which I can be an effective partner!
About Andrea
Andrea Feinberg is President of Coaching Insight, LLC and is among the pioneers of the coaching profession. A business owner of 24 years, Andrea has an M.B.A. in marketing, is a Certified Professional Behavior Analyst, Certified EQ Mentor, and Certified Strategic Business Leadership Coach. From 2002 – 2006 she co-owned and built the largest Long Island, NY training and networking group for professional coaches, United Coaching Associates.
In 2011 Long Island Business News named her among '50 Most Influential Women in Business.' In January 2012 she was added to ‘Who’s Who: 100 Women in E-Commerce’, in August 2012 included in “Top 5 Coaching Blogs”.
She's published 2 books, “The Essential Coaching Book” and “Time Junkie – 101 Ways for Business Owners to Break the Habit and Get More Free Time NOW!”
You can find Andrea on Twitter: https://twitter.com/coachandrea and on Facebook: http://facebook.com/andrea.feinberg
Until we talk again,
Live Fully — Love Openly — Laugh Often — Leverage Your Brilliance — Connect Authentically — Get Your Message Out — Serve with Impact — Prosper Everyday
*Disclosure: Some of the links on this page are affiliate links. That means that I may get a small thank-you commission (at no additional cost) if you choose to purchase a product from the mentioned company. I only refer you to programs run by people I know or have participated in, but please use your judgment to decide if this is right for you. I also participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates/Influencers Program, an advertising program designed to provide means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. If you would prefer that I not receive the referral commission, feel free to Google the company and purchase directly.
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