How to Survive Launch Season Part 3: Deciphering the Selling Messages

This is part 3 of a 3 part series called How to Survive Launch Season. Part 1: Do You REALLY Need to Buy a Course is available right here, and Part 2: What’s Happening Behind the Scenes is available here.

So, are you ready to start shopping?

And by shopping I pretty much mean wading through the masses of emails, and deciding which of a half dozen webinars is going to be worth an hour and a half of your time. 😉

The emails you receive about a training opportunity are often going to be pointing you at either a sales page, or a webinar, where the creator wants to convince you to buy.

YOU are going to use those emails, sales pages and webinars to determine whether the information in the training will truly help you achieve your goals.

See the difference?

Let’s Talk Email

Because there is going to be so much email.

The emails associated with a large-scale launch can number in the hundreds, between the swipe copy, the different launch phases, and segmentation based on particular links you do or don’t click. (Another thing to remember is that every action you take on an email is being tracked. If you click something, the sender knows, and may be sending you DIFFERENT emails accordingly. Especially if you go to an order page, then click away without buying — you’ll get special emails written for exactly that scenario).

Marketer’s don’t know which bit of copy or information is going to be that final thing that will motivate you enough to take the next step by attending a webinar, signing up for a call, or buying the product — so they’re going to cover all their bases. Sometimes, happily, they will provide options about how much you want to be emailed, and about what topics. (I would count this as a good representation of how they’ll treat your time and attention in the future, by the way!)

When it comes to emails, there is one person I always turn to: Lisa C Baker, owner of Authentic Partnership. She’s an old hand at brokering affiliate partnerships, managing the flow of information during busy launches, and more recently, helping people create mutually beneficial relationships with other business owners to help each other’s audiences. (She’s got a free course on emailing influencers that I HIGHLY recommend — and as I’m sure you’ve guessed it IS a part of a sales funnel. Lisa will always tell you when and if she s going to offer you something for sale, and if it’s not a fit — she’ll tell you AND still like you.)

I asked Lisa what someone reading emails during launch season should be aware of — especially if they are hearing about a program or opportunity created by someone OTHER than the person emailing them: an affiliate or partner. Here’s her input:

“First, there’s a lot of tit for tat. People are agreeing to promote each other to pat each other on the back…and it’s not always because they truly believe in the other person’s product.

However, most people with a big email list DO care about what they promote. They want to offer you stuff that’s truly valuable for you. However, they don’t always evaluate the product itself — sometimes they promote things based on the fact that they met and like the person who sells it. They might tell you to buy a course without ever having seen the course themselves. They might even promote something because that person promised to promote something of theirs later. And they might promote something because they want the commission money.

Start with the basic question: how often does this person promote other people’s stuff? If it’s every week, then you know they’re not evaluating very deeply. If it’s rare, then you know they are careful about what they promote, and they probably really believe in the product.

Then consider how real their email sounds. This is really subjective, but here’s what happens behind the scenes: the person who they’re promoting probably gave them “swipe copy,” which is basically a pre-written email, or series of emails that tells them what to say about the product. If they really believe in the product and actually know something about it, they’ll rewrite the swipe copy to be in their own words, using the swipe as a guideline but making the message personal. If they don’t know much about the product, they’ll copy and paste the swipe copy. If you happen to be on the email list of two different people who are promoting the same thing, then you’ve probably seen this in action: you’ll get the exact same email from two different people, talking about the same product that doesn’t belong to either of them. But even if you only are hearing about this product from one person, you can get a pretty good idea about whether they really mean it by reading the email carefully. Does it sound like their other emails? Do they talk about how this product relates to YOU and the stuff they usually write about, or does it sound more general and generic? This gives you a clue of how much they’ve looked into the product themselves.

Next, consider what they disclose. Hopefully they usually tell you when they’re promoting something in exchange for an affiliate commission on sales, but not everyone discloses that in emails. Look for the fine print, and if it doesn’t say, feel free to ask.

Which is the next step: ask them. Reply to the email and ask for more info about the program. Ask if they’re getting an affiliate commission, and ask if they’ve used the product themselves. Ask for their personal impression of it. Tell them more details about your situation, and ask if it’s a good fit for where you are, and why.

TACTICS TO PREPARE YOURSELF FOR

The marketing story. Every big launch has a story, and sometimes the story you’re reading in the emails isn’t really the full picture. Get ready to read between the lines. For example, frequently an email will say “a lot of people were asking for this” or “we decided to add something new” when really the thing they’re adding was part of the plan all along. In a big launch, you can usually assume every piece was carefully planned ahead of time, so just ignore those “last-minute” changes. They probably weren’t.

The last-minute push. The time crunch in a launch is often artificial: the window to buy is closing, not because the product can’t be available, but because closing the window will make more people buy. In most launches, around half of sales happen in the last 24 hours of the launch, so expect a big push on the last day — and don’t believe statements like “I don’t know when we’ll offer this again.” That’s almost never true. Chances are good they’ll offer it again in about 6 months, like clockwork, and those launch dates are probably already on their calendar. Many promoters will offer big bonuses on the final day in an effort to get you to buy, but NEVER buy because of the bonus. If you want the bonus, you can probably get it separately for a lower price. If you decide to buy, do it because you need that product, not because of a bonus or last-minute special.”

All right — one of the major things, other than a sales page, that an email is going to be directing you to is a webinar — where TONS of sales for online training products happen. Webinars can occur at any point throughout the sales process. Some will be teaching, some will be Q and A, and other times they are bonus content to keep you invested in the selling process.

Let’s get into how to decide if a webinar is worth your time — and how to use it to get the information about a product you really need in order to make a buying decision.

Let’s Talk Webinars

Webinars are often a serious selling tool during a launch, and the vast majority of them are going to be framed as a chance to learn a skill, strategy or secret.

This does two things: it demonstrates that the creator or presenter knows what they are talking about — hopefully enough to be able to effectively teach you a thing! And gets your attention for long enough to sell you the product that goes further on the topic. Consider the webinar like a date — you’re learning if you want to get to know the creator better. They are a chance for you to evaluate the quality of the instruction AND the correlation between what was promised and what is offered. If the webinar is a fluffy, pitch-heavy, self-absorbed waste of an hour, do you genuinely believe that the paid content will be any better? I mean — it might be, but that’s not a risk I’ll take with my credit card.

Deciding which of the many webinars you’ll be invited to, however, can be a bit of a trick. I asked Diane Holmes, expert webinar host, evangelist and founder of the soon-to-be-launched Damn Good Webinars to weigh on how you can tell if a webinar is going to be a good use of your time. There’s no real way to tell BEFORE attending — so that’s where we’ll begin:

“It’s really hard to tell if, ultimately, you’ll learn anything from a webinar. Or it will be worth your while. But the best question you can ask yourself is “who is this webinar aimed at and intended for?”

It’s not about the marketing that got you there. Marketing copy is often written by a separate person or team than the person who created the webinar. (Shocker, right?)

Honestly, I probably signed up for 100 webinars last year, and watched 3. I don’t have time and I KNOW I don’t have time. But that’s how good the marketing copy is.

So, let’s assume you registered, and you’re now watching a webinar that just started. The question to focus on is “who is the webinar aimed at?”

For now, ignore the speaker’s skills and level of charm, ignore the topics that “will be included” and how excited everyone is in chat.

Who is the webinar presenter (or teacher) “talking to?”

What level of subject matter knowledge is the speaker assuming the listener has?

How much grounding and explaining does the presenter do?

Now, how does this match where you are on the subject matter?

If the speaker is giving information you already know, is the attitude “just quickly getting folks up to speed” or is it more “you don’t know this so I need to spend a lot of time on it?” If the information is over your head, does it start to make sense in a few minutes? Or is it still just Greek to you?

That’s the subject level. What about other aspects of who the speaker is talking to?

We assume a lot about the other person when we have a conversation with someone we know. We also share a lot bout our personality, style, and values (overtly and covertly).

Do you feel that attitude and approach to the topic is in sync with the speaker? Are your values in sync? Does the speaker seem to really get who you are? Your problems? Your goals? Your reason for being there?

If you answer “no” to a few of these questions, clearly this webinar is not aimed at you. You’re not the target audience member, and you’re unlikely to benefit from the webinar.

If you find yourself answer “yes,” then here’s my last question, before you spend an hour or 2 on a webinar…

Will you use this webinar’s information, education, or insight now? Or in a reasonable timeframe?

If not, stop. You honestly won’t remember the content when you need it.

And if the answer is again, “yes,” then this sounds like it’s potentially a great use of your time. Take notes. Pay attention. Ask questions. Be engaged.”

And, if it’s NOT going to be a good use of your time — what they’re selling at the end won’t be either.

Here are some red flags for things that happen in and around webinars that make me stop and think very carefully before pursuing an opportunity any further.

1. No recording. I loathe this. Marketers want you there live, because it increases the pressure to buy. It does NOT (as they will often say) mean you “care enough to invest the time.” There is no good reason to refuse content to people who have jobs, kids or the need for a night’s sleep (Hi Australia!) while the cart is open. If a bonus is only available to live attendees, fine, but if the information is worth sharing, it’s worth sharing with everyone.

2. Generic formula. *DEEP BREATH* Welcome. Where are you from. Are you excited? Are you ready? Let me tell you my story. Can you relate to this? What I am going to tell you is important, and will solve your problems. Here is why the problem is a problem. Do you understand how important that is? Here is some usable information. That information isn’t enough to succeed. I have a program. Here are all the details. Here are some testimonials. This is what it costs. This is a higher number I am calling its value. These are the bonuses. Buy it now because of these special opportunities. Q and A. *EXHALE* In all seriousness — that is a fine and dandy sales webinar — but the RATIOS of content are important. If someone spends most of the time talking about themselves, the topic they say they’re going to teach you about and the program that actually addresses the problem… eh, move along. Webinars where you felt you REALLY learned something and your time was respected — now that’s a powerful sign of some quality content ahead.

3. No reasons not to buy. Most webinars have a moment where they are going to talk about who the program is NOT for. This is really, really important. If what they present is a list of negative character traits that DON’T talk about where you are in your business, your financial life and your goals, then they are merely trying to make you feel bad for not buying. “This course isn’t for people who want easy money!” is a way of subtly indicating that if you DON’T buy it you DO want the easy way out. This tactic is NOT COOL. Someone who is genuinely interested in helping through a course will know who they can help and who they can’t. Look for specifics like: “Don’t buy this course if you have fewer than 1000 subscribers,” or “This course won’t work for people selling software, or for brick and mortar businesses.”

All right, now you’ve read the emails, attended the webinar, and you’re feeling like this might be a really good investment for your business. That’s awesome — but you should do a little bit more work before committing.

Questions to Ask Before Taking the Plunge

I’ve said several times now that just because someone is using tactics that seem kind of gross, it doesn’t necessarily follow that they aren’t offering anything of substance. If they learned how to create sales funnels from someone who teaches those tactics, they might simply not know of less sleazy ways to sell their program. In those cases, you’ll be able to get a better idea of whether they are they’re coming from a good place by asking a few questions. Here’s what I would ALWAYS try to get an answer on before I commit to buying a course or coaching program.

Questions to ask yourself

1. Are they promising to TEACH me something, or promising that I will ACHIEVE something? Be wary if someone is promising that you can achieve a certain metric — that is them saying YOU can do something which they are not in a position to promise, and that is almost always followed by ‘If you do the work.’ You are absolutely going to have to work to see results, but that phrase also takes the burden of responsibility off the creator’s shoulders and puts it onto yours. If they promise to teach you something, however, you’ll be able to tell very easily if they do or don’t.

2. Does the money-back or other guarantee *really* cover me? Look for no-questions asked guarantees, and be wary of ‘if you fulfill a long list of obligations’ ones. When there is a free trial period, note the day before it comes due on your calendar, so you have time to evaluate the content, and don’t get trapped.

3. What kind of personal support do I get, and for how long? Sometimes you will get access to a Facebook group, group calls or other kind of ‘hands off’ support. That *can* be fine — but is it enough for YOU? See Andy’s point in part 1 about access to the creator — that can often be the most valuable element of a given course, although some of the bigger organizations do have truly excellent support teams who will be available to you.

Questions to ask them

1. How many of your students achieve the OBJECTIVE of the course or program? This is important to ask rather than how many COMPLETE the course. Who cares how many people watched all ten videos? What matters is how many people actually achieved XYZ. Sometimes you’ll hear that “there’s no way to know, because not everyone tells us.” Okay, maybe — but if there is a way under heaven or earth for a creator to find that number, and it’s a good one, they would do so, thenproceed to sing it from the freaking mountaintops. 😉

2. Can you share specific examples of people who have achieved the objective. Ideally, you want someone who is currently DOING what you want to be doing. If it’s possible to talk to someone who has taken the course, that is fantastic, BUT I do agree that it’s not reasonable to ask a former student to field calls from potential students. If you aren’t convinced by the testimonails and case studies, feel very free to go to social media and ask if anyone has taken the course, and what their impressions where. Going to google and typing “Course Name” + Reviews is another good move.

3. What is the time and money investment for me as a student to see the results? You know you are going to have to invest time, and possibly money to see the objective. That is fair. The creator should have a pretty solid idea of what range of each you’ll need to invest, and be willing to share it with you.

If you can answer all of these questions, and you feel good about the opportunity you’re considering, then it’s quite probably a good investment for you!

That said, there is often so much panic and frenzy I the launch environment, that it can be challenging to separate what you actually feel from all the emotions being triggered by the marketing machine.

So I have one final expert opinion for you. If all of the above has you feeling 90% ready to go, then Jessica Glendinning is a yogi, marketing strategist, and writer has this to say:

“Trust your gut.

And by that, I mean trust the part of your instinct that feels calm and positive about the purchase decision you’re about to make.

If your heart is racing and you’re in a panic because the cart is about to close and “OMG I can’t decide if this is the right course for me, but what if I miss out and never get the chance to have all these amazing-wonderful-lifechanging-business growing things happen that the program promises, and what if I’m a miserable failure forever, and what if this is my last chance maybe EVER…”

Stop. Take a deep breath. And check in with whether the program is something that you’re genuinely excited about, or if you’re just battling another severe case of FOMO.

Chances are good that it’s the latter — most people marketing on the internet are really good at finding your vulnerability and making you feel desperate. And if it’s the former, and you feel really good about the money you’re about to spend? Hit that buy button without remorse.”

And if there is so much going on, or you feel enough pressure that you can’t be totally sure what your gut is telling you — you can read her 3 simple practices to help you relax and recharge. Seriously. If you are feeling ANYTHING other than calm and well-prepared, do one of these exercises before you hit buy.

Final Thoughts

A course, or coaching program or mastermind group is not what is standing in between you and your goals. You are going to do what you are going to do anyway. Training, collaboration and support can help you. A lot. But choose what you spend your money and time on wisely, because you usually can’t get either back.

I strongly believe that if you are a brand-new business owner, spending time TRYING things is going to greatly inform the decisions you make about buying information. When you don’t know what you don’t know, you’re vulnerable to exploitation, but when you have a glimmering of what you don’t know, you can make choices to work with and learn from great people who can help shave months or years off your path to your goals.