Tag Archives: sideways salesletter

Here’s How The Sideways Sales Letter Powers Product Launch Formula

Now that Jeff Walker’s Product Launch Formula launch is over for this year, it’s time for all of us students to get to work on creating our own launch. Over the next few posts as I go through the PLF training once again, I’ll be sharing my thoughts and the lessons I learn (or re-learn) along the way as I prepare to launch a new training program.

So, let’s get started…

How The Sideways Sales Letter Came To Be

For decades, one of the best ways to sell stuff to a mass audience, both in print and online, has been by using a sales letter. Now the typical sales letter uses the Problem, Agitate, Solve framework, which works pretty well as a way of helping people realise they have a problem, and explaining how a product or service can solve that problem for them.

The problem with sales letters (or sales videos) is that they don’t create a lot of value for the people reading them, and therefore they aren’t all that efficient. Typical conversions for sales letters or videos are between zero and 2%, which means there’s a lot of money left on the table

That’s why Jeff Walker came up with what he calls the Sideways Sales Letter.

Now some people looking at a launch sequence without the benefit of owning Product Launch Formula still think you can just take any old sales letter or sales video, split it into 3 pieces, and deliver it as content.

But the problem with this is there’s still not a lot of value created, and it relies on the Problem Agitate Solve framework which still doesn’t work all that well.

The Sideways Sales Letter is completely different in that it teaches, inspires, and sells over a period of time, using what Jeff calls Pre-launch Content (PLC). And he typically uses 4 videos for the content of his Sideways Sales Letters.

How To Structure Your Product Launch Formula Style Pre-launch Content

So how should this Pre-launch Content be structured, and what should you cover in your pre-launch videos (or posts, emails, podcasts or other content). Here’s how I’m going to be doing it for my next launch…

The working title of my new product is currently Digital Message Secrets, and it will show business owners and managers how to use email and text messages in unique ways to sell a lot more of their products and services with very little effort.

PLC #1 – The Opportunity

I’ll be using video for my Pre-launch Content, and my first PLC video will look at the opportunity my audience has once they understand the power of using highly personalised email and text messages to build relationships, and then promote their products and services to (and through) those people.

At this point in any product launch, most people will not be aware there is a going to be a product for sale, but I’ll be doing what Jeff and others do, and subtly ‘hinting’ that the videos they are watching are part of an upcoming launch of a new product.

The goal with this first video is to start to develop trust with your audience by sharing content that is outstanding and truly helps them to achieve a result. As Frank kern says, you want to help them by actually helping them!

Who knew that would actually work LOL?

In your first piece of PLC, you’ll want to do what I’ll be doing and teaching your people how to solve the biggest problem you KNOW they face. Throughout your training, you should sprinkle in mental triggers such as:

Authority (show how you know your stuff)
Likability (just being a nice person)
Social proof (reviews, testimonials, comments from others)
Anticipation (tell what’s coming next)
Proof (testimonials, screen shots of results)
Interaction and Conversation (have Facebook comments installed and invite people to comment below your PLC)

My audience’s biggest problem is generating very targeted leads in a cost effective way. The solution I’ll be sharing with them is a simple way they can re-purpose and re-activate many of the leads they have already generated, instead of trying to attract more new people.

I’ve spoken about this with dozens of people, and when I ask them if they ever have leads or prospects who fall through the cracks and don’t end up buying, they always say ‘YES”. So my first video will show them how to get a good percentage of those people back into the business, and then get some of them to become repeat customers or clients.

Then after I’ve helped them solve what is their biggest problem, I’m going to highlight another problem they are facing (which is being able to follow up with their audience in a low-stress, no-pitch way, that also sells heaps of products and services).

Then I’ll let them know that in the next video, I’ll show them how to solve that problem as well, which will open a mental loop that they’ll need closed before they feel comfortable again.

NOTE: In Jeff Walker’s case, he promises to teach the three types of product launches, and how to know which one is right for you and your business.

PLC#2 – The Transformation

The second PLC video should close the mental loop you opened at the end of the first video, and should teach about the potential for transformation, (in my case, how to follow up regularly while ‘selling’ without always having to ‘pitch’ products and services), and how their lives will be better once they understand how to use these personalised messages in their own business.

The goal for this video is to get people to believe that THEY can achieve the transformation. NOTE: In Jeff’s case he teaches the 3 types of launches and how to choose which one suits where you are in your business. The mental triggers you can use in this video are:

Authority
Credibility (show results and other credibility boosting elements)
Social proof
Proof
Likability
Reciprocity (people will usually want to reciprocate when you do something for them)
The common enemy (if possible, bring up a common enemy and position yourself on their side against this perceived enemy)
Reason why (giving people a reason why makes everything your doing much more believable)
Community (build the conversation in the comments section)

Then at the end of my second PLC video, I’ll be highlighting the next biggest problem my audience faces, and that is in not having enough products or services of their own to fully satisfy their markets desire for more stuff. I’ll promise to help them solve this problem in the third PLC video.

NOTE: The problem Jeff brings up at the end of PLC 2 is, “Well now you know the 5 major types of launches, but you also need to know the details of how to launch if you are going to do it successfully”, and he lets people know that he’s going to go through The Product Launch Blueprint in the next video (which opens another loop that people will feel the need to have closed).

PLC#3 – The Ownership Experience

In the third PLC video, your goal is to cover the ownership experience and what it’s like if people in your audience really had this transformation, along with what it’s like to own your product or service.

In my third PLC video, I’ll be sharing the simple system I have for turning any business into a ‘Distribution Centre’ for a range of high profit products and services. This system takes very little time, effort or money to implement, and gives exceptional results for just about everyone who uses it.

The mental triggers you can use in this video are:

Scarcity (your launch is coming to an end, and now’s the time to mention the class is coming up, and there will be some kind of deadline or limit to places)
Social proof
Proof
Likability
Reciprocity
The common enemy
Reason why

I’ll be starting off by revisiting the two techniques shared so far, and will then teach them the system for turning their business into a high profit Distribution Centre for a range of other products they don’t have to source or create, stock, handle, deliver or supply customer support for.

NOTE: In Jeff’s content he starts off by saying, “So now you know about the sideways sales letter, and you probably know which launch you are going to do, now I’ll take you through the Product Launch Blueprint” which is an overview of how to do a launch. The Blueprint is awesome, but it cannot possibly give all of the nuance and details on how to run a launch.

At the end of that video, I’ll be letting people know that my new program is starting in a few days, and in the next video I’ll give them all the details if they’d like to join up.

Jeff announces his Product Launch Formula training is opening up for new members soon, and the next video will give them all the details and show them how to join.

PLC#4 – The Open Cart/Sales Video

In the 4th piece of pre-launch content, you release your sales video or sales letter. The format of this content is (courtesy of Frank Kern as taught to him by John Carlton):

Here’s what I’ve got
Here’s what it will do for you
Here’s what to do next

When people have gone through your prelaunch content and you have helped them by actually helping them, and if you present your audience with a great offer, this 3 step process works like gangbusters for converting people into clients and customers.

In his 4th PLC, Jeff releases the sales video that explains a very compelling offer for PLF, and invites people to join.

Once you’ve released your Sales Video, you’re in the ‘Open Cart’ period, which we’ll cover in another post.

For now, remember this…

According to Jeff Walker, this product launch process has helped him make millions of dollars for his own business, and has helped his students make around a billion dollars in sales through product launches.

There are NO guarantees, but when used correctly, the PLF process can probably help you too.

So if you’d like to learn more about how to successfully launch your own product or service by using Jeff’s Sideways Sales Letter process, check out his Product Launch Masterclass by registering here.

Talk soon,

Rocky

P.S. Being able to create a Perfect Product is a great start, but you also need a way to generate sales in a consistent way. Running a Product launch is a proven way to not only build your list, but generate Social Proof and make a large number of sales quickly. To learn how to launch your product successfully, check out Jeff Walker’s free Product Launch Masterclass here.

PLUS: When you’re ready, here are 3 ways I can help you to grow your business using product launches:

1. How To Build A Profitable Launch List.
Building an email list is critical if you plan on doing a launch for your product, service or business. List Warrior will show you a proven way to use free software to build a responsive list of prospects who are ready to buy from you during your launch. Click Here.

2. How To Create The Perfect Product
Creating a product that is perfect for your audience does not need to be difficult. How To Create The Perfect Product shows you how to build high value products your audience will love one after the other. Click Here.

3. How To Attract Buyers To Join Your Launch List So They Can Purchase Your Perfect Product.
Once you have created your Product Launch List and your Perfect Product is ready to go, you need to attract people into your world so they can buy from you. One Minute Free Traffic gives you a proven way to attract buyers with ‘Automated Traffic Machines’ so you can send those people to your optin page, your sales page, your Facebook Group or anywhere else you choose. To learn more Click Here.

And don’t forget to check this out 🙂

How to Earn $20 in 20 Minutes With Any Topic, Niche or Hobby

Disclaimer: If you purchase PLF through my affiliate link I may receive a referral fee from Jeff Walker, however you will pay no more to purchase the program through me than if you went directly to the Product Launch Formula website. If you would like my personal help as you create your first launch using the PLF process, check out my PLF Bonus offer here.

Understanding The Strategy Behind Product Launch Formula

The beautiful thing about using a product launch, instead of doing what most businesses do which is try to grow one customer at a time, is you stop using what Jeff Walker calls ‘Hope Marketing’…

… and start using a proven system for generating a bunch of new leads (people who you can market to later on if they don’t buy straight away) and sales (which give you money to spend and use to grow your business now).

The way you’ll be doing that is to create a structured sequence of pre-launch content (which ideally should be in the form of videos with accompanying PDF documents, but it doesn’t have to be) that teaches people a number of valuable techniques or insights that:

Give them actionable strategies they can use and benefit from immediately (you’re giving people results in advance)
Position you as an expert who can help them to solve their problems or achieve their goals (so they see you as the only person who can help them)
Build anticipation for the product or service you have coming so people are standing in line waiting to buy from you when you open the shopping cart
Allow you to sell in a non-slimey, non-hyped way, that is extremely effective (so you are authentic, and don’t come off as a typical online marketing get-rich-quick ‘huckster’ or used car salesman)

When you combine this process with a Crushing Offer that makes it easier for people to say yes to buying from you instead of no, you could literally make more sales in a week than you usually make all month (or even all year if you run a JV launch).

If you’d like to learn more about creating a profitable product launch for your business, then download our free Guide – 5 Steps To A 6-Figure Product Launch.

PLUS: When you’re ready, here are 4 ways I can help you to grow your business using product launches:

1. How To Build A Profitable Launch List.
Building an email list is critical if you plan on doing a launch for your product, service or business. My 1-2-3 List Building Cheat Sheet will show you how to build a responsive list of prospects who are ready to buy from you during your launch. Click Here

2. How To Create A Signature Product Out Of Thin Air In 72 Hours Or Less
Creating your product does not need to take weeks or months. My 72 Hour Product Creation Guide shows you how to build high value products one after the other in 72 hours or less. Click Here

3. How To Outsource Your Product Creation And Make It Hands Free.
Outsourcing the creation of some or all of your products and bonuses is a great way to save your time for the more important (and more fun) things you’d rather be doing. Grab my Hands Free Outsourcing Cheat Sheet to learn more. Click Here

4. Work One-On-One With Me
If you’d like to work directly with me to run a launch for your business… just send me a message by emailing me at rocky [at] localwebsolutions.com and put “One-on-One” in the subject line… tell me a little about your business and what you’d like to work on together, and I’ll get you all the details!

Also, check this out 🙂

Jeff Walker’s free Product Launch Formula training.

The Single Biggest Product Launch Mistake (And How To Avoid It)

One of the biggest mistakes business owners make before they launch a new product or service is not doing enough market research to find out what people truly want to buy.

That’s why the first rule for any Product Launch is this: Find Out What Your Customers REALLY Want

There’s simply no point in creating and launching a product that nobody wants to buy. Most business owners do at least some market research during the start up phase of their business.

But after that, it’s easy to get sidetracked. Sometimes many of us are in a hurry to get things out there, which means we launch products and services without ever really seeing if the market wants or needs them.

You see, some of the easiest money you’ll ever make is when you create or source products and services that hordes of people your market are ALREADY buying.

Then all you have to do is create a similar product (no copying or staling of course!) and put it in front of your prospects and customers. And the best way to do that is by using a product launch.

So how do you find out what your market is already buying?

There are a number of ways, but here’s two of the best:

Survey your existing prospects and customers and ask them what their biggest ________ problem is right now. Just enter the type of market you serve where I’ve put __________ and ask them.

And when your people tell you what their biggest problems are, find the most pressing, or the one with the largest number of of people experiencing it, and then create or source and launch a product or service to serve that need.

The second way is to run a search in the Amazon.com marketplace for your general keyword (like “gardening”), and sort by “bestselling” products. If you see a few similar products dominating the first few pages of results, that’s a pretty good sign that the product is popular.

Bonus product launch tip: Another way to find out what’s hot is to follow the money.

Marketers don’t pour advertising dollars into products that aren’t selling. So look at pay per click ads on Google, ads in your local newspaper, ads in niche magazines, banner ads on big sites and similar paid advertisements to see what’s being sold.

Once you’ve found the perfect product or service idea based on what people in your market are clamouring to buy, create or source it and launch it to the starving crowd. And sit back and watch the money go into your bank account…

I don’t want your education on how to create profitable product launches to end there. There’s so much more to know and there’s so much we can get into on the important details. So I’ve created a free Step-by-Step Guide that shows you how to create a 6-figure product launch and a multi-part email course. It’s eight emails over two weeks. Click here to sign up.