Traditional market launches just don’t cut it anymore.
Market launches are an area where I find the deepest Gravity in client thinking. We have this patternt deeply engrained in our corporate behavior – all around a press release and a single point in time known as Launch Day.
How can anyone expect sustained buzz when they launch in one day (or week), and then return to business as usual? Successful launches simply do not work that way.
Do you chat with a new prospect only once (for maybe five minutes) and expect an immediate sale? Maybe. But my bet is that when your sale happens quickly (except in small value purchases), your buyer has already spent time learning about you, your products and the available alternatives – before they buy.
Great launches build momentum ahead of the announcement.
That’s the only way to successfully propel a product or company into the market — far above the noise and with sustainable credibility. Successful launches increase in volume over time, just as a single raindrop becomes a downpour. These launches leverage a series of interactions with the market, laying the foundations for market success before the public ”announcement” ever happens. What are those key foundations?
- We have customers who are using our new product or service. (Yes, we sell ahead of the launch!)
- We therefore have references who will tell our story for us.
- We have industry thought leaders who will tell our story as well.
- We have partners who will share their stories of success with our new offering.
- We have buzz and awareness – before we ever hit the market.
Beyond capturing support, evidence and buzz ahead of the actual announcement, there are two other keys to successful launches that differ dramatically from the status quo approaches.
- Announce your success, not availability. Availability is a snoozer in today’s world. And it offers no credible validation. Anyone can announce a promise that they have a product. It’s a yawn. Success gets attention. So wait to announce until you can announce with customer success. Anything ahead of that is wasted time and noise pollution.
- Promote third parties to tell your story. Supprt them in sharing their stories of success with your new products. No one wants to listen to what you have to say: vendors have almost no credibility anymore when it comes to product claims. Audiences want to hear what customers like themselves, industry experts, or their trusted partners think. They want real-world proof – not vendor promises.
If you want to launch with market momentum that powers revenues – forget the way you’ve always done it. Step up and think different!
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