Work Toward Completion
A lot of marketers like to blame their short attention span as the reason they never follow through with a project to completion. They’ve even given it a fancy term – shiny new object syndrome.
But this is not a valid reason for you to begin a project and abandon it halfway through. The fact is, your fear is getting in the way of your success. You might label it boredom or failure, but it’s really fear.
If you get halfway through something and abandon it, you won’t know whether or not it could have succeeded for you. But one thing is for sure – if you abandon it now, you’ll never have to see whether or not you’d fail at it.
Completion is imperative in everything you start online. And that doesn’t mean start a project and then abandon it with plans to come back six months to a year later. You need to follow through with each and every one in a consistent manner.
How do you start completing things – especially if you’ve already adopted the label of shiny new object sufferer? There are a few things you can do to combat this dreaded mindset.
First, map out your product launch on a timetable. Too many newbies start thinking about the launch of an eBook, but never plan milestones and dates – so if they feel like leaving it and walking away, they do it – without repercussions.
You want to know things like when the eBook will be complete, along with all other elements – the bonus report, sales copy, graphics, and so on. Plan to push yourself, but not make your deadlines impossible.
You want to give your affiliates and JV partners enough time to create a bonus for your product, as well as review the completed product for their readers. They may even want time to implement it, so they can talk about their success with your advice.
One thing that can help you follow through to completion is to put yourself on the line and announce your upcoming launch to secure your JV partners and affiliates. You never want to launch and then tell people after the fact that it’s available to promote.
This sometimes happens, but if you want more success, it’s best to give others time to plan. You want to create a JV page that you can send people to, and it should include the following elements:
- Brief explanation of what the product is
- Details of what’s included (chapter titles, etc.)
- Price points
- Launch date
- Duration of the launch (end date)
- Commission structure for average affiliates (keep commission bumps private so others don’t get envious)
- Swipe emails
- Bonus ideas
- Sign Up page for links
You also may want to put an opt in form on the page for them to get announcements about the upcoming launch. This gives you a way to cater to them before, during and after the sale.
Set some rules for yourself when you struggle with completing your projects. That may mean a system of rewards for getting items on your to do list crossed off. For example, no logging into Facebook or watching your favorite show until you get your tasks done for the day.
If you’re a perfectionist, then may you have to set a rule that no changes are allowed until the entire project is complete. That way, you don’t sit there editing your eBook for days or weeks, causing you to work at a snail’s pace.
When time permits, always add extra value. Completion, as you get good at it, will come sooner and sooner for you, leaving you extra time between the day you say, “I’m finished!” and the day that you launch.
If you end up with an extra few days or weeks until your launch, have a list of added perks you might have time to develop. These are great to use as bonuses your joint venture partners can give away, or as unexpected gifts your buyers will find when they unzip their files.
This is what’s known as over-delivering, and it will help you build relationships quickly and easily. Once you have the funding, you might be able to outsource some of these perks that go in your product launch, freeing you to work on your next residual income item.