One of the reasons I started this blog was to serve as some measure of inspiration for those trying to start their own online business.
If you believe everything the so-called gurus tell you then starting online is an easy, unchallenging process that involves a minimum of work, creativity and discipline, and leads in a short period of time to millions dropping into your bank account as you watch on your laptop screen from some sunkissed exotic beach. In other words they tend to show you the director’s cut instead of the blooper reel.
Reality is somewhat different. Not only does it involve hard work, but the fact that you are probably working alone means there is also a mindset minefield to negotiate if you are to keep consistently progressing.
It has been said that at the start of his tenure as British Prime Minister in the Second World War Churchill used to throw bad news at the House of Commons as if he were throwing raw meat into a den of lions.
So here goes.
Today was to be the launch day for my first internet marketing product, complete with upsell and downsells. Unfortunately not everything was ready and in place as this day dawned.
Often it is the upsell that makes most money when a product is launched. The downsells also produce some extra profit as prospects refuse the main product but are sufficiently interested to buy the downsell. Even a free downsell can contribute by gathering the contact details of prospects who may make a purchase at a later date.
As I am having my first launch in this niche I was relying on the help of affiliates and Joint Venture partners. Building the income from a product is important if you want to attract their help.
The problem is though the downsells are complete, they had not been fully incorporated into the sales funnel. I could have sold the main product and the upsell, but the prospects would not have seen the downsells.
Then there is the behind the scenes setup. To support the promotion of the product by affiliates and JV partners I had set up JV resource pages which included promotional emails, social media tools and banners. However in all honesty it would have been better if there had been more resources available.
So, faced with the situation of being ready but not optimised for a launch there were two possibilities.
I could have gone ahead, but feel that I would have let my JV partners down by not giving them the best opportunities to earn maximum commissions. Not the best way to start in a niche as competitive as internet marketing.
Or I could postpone the launch. Unfortunately this could mean my JV partners will regard me as unreliable and unable to meet a deadline. Their level of support may drop somewhat.
Neither scenario is what I would have hoped for, but I had to make a decision. So I have decided to postpone. This means the launch will be pushed back to later in the year. As I see it this course of action still gives me the chance to make the launch as good as it can be, the alternative would not have done so.
So, there is a glimpse behind the scenes at my blooper reel. Building a business online is not without challenges. Realise this, try to plan for it and be ready to make some decisions if things don’t go as you had hoped.