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Kevin C. Whelan

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December 16, 2020

How to sell more of anything when it launches

Have you ever noticed movies are teased out in cinemas more than a year in advance—often before shooting is even completed?

As you get closer to the premier, trailers get longer, more frequent, and more vivid.

You could call this pre-selling or marketing, but I call it “priming the pump“.

I work with a client in e-commerce who comes out with new products a few times a year. As soon as the idea is formed, we start talking about it.

We talk about it in vague terms at first. Being a little coy and playfully mysterious with the details. We don’t even talk about expected launch dates yet.

As things get closer, we talk about more details of the product. How it works, how it’s made, what’s included, etc.

Eventually, we get more specific about the date it’s due. Spring of ’21, then April of ’21, and then finally, April 1st, ’21.

Save the date.

The point is to get people thinking about it long before it’s even available to purchase. You want people to buy in their minds long before they are able to actually buy it.

It’s like a faraway object that becomes clearer and more detailed as the date nears.

It just feels different.

Any time we do this, the products sell extremely well. You can see it in the comments on social media, people are eager to learn more and can’t wait to get their hands on it.

When the day comes that it’s finally available, it launches with gusto. Big success.

When we don’t do this process early and often enough, not so much. It’s more like a soft launch.

If you’re planning on selling a new product or service, even if it’s just an idea, talk about it way in advance.

Plant the seed and wait. Nurture it.

Maybe you end up creating the product/service, maybe you don’t. But as that becomes clearer, so too are the details you share.

If you want something to sell when it launches, prime the pump, prime it early, and prime it often.

Oh, and by the way, I might be launching a mini course next year for marketing professionals on selling strategy and advice instead of execution.

Stay tuned for more info. Notice what I did there?

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