MM#27: Validate all day, err day'

Marketing Mondays breaks down the latest marketing news you need to know for the week, and helps you start the week strong.

In this issue, let's talk validation.

How we validated the Sales Page Makeover ✨

A month ago, I completed a landing page & lead generation workshop for Taylor's Bizpod – a startup incubator for their students.

It was a 4-hour workshop, and I poured everything into it. Case studies. Examples. Do-it-together.

I received the feedback form a few days later:

Looks like participants LOVED the workshop.

I don't say this to toot my own horn. When I went through the feedback, two thoughts came to mind.

"Wow, students found the workshop useful"
"Taylor's University was willing to PAY me to conduct the workshop"

If they were willing to pay for us to conduct the workshop, then it should be valuable for other people too, right? Thus, the idea to use the by-product; the workshop content, and turn it into a new product.

"What if we helped people give their sales page a makeover, as a workshop?'

It was validation time.

Without having the product yet, we created a sales page, put a product button, made a video, mentioned the pre-sale, and sent a few emails to the Daily CMO newsletter.

Ding!

Holy sh*t. Someone signed up for the workshop.

By the time it came to the workshop start day, I had 3 paid sign-ups for Sales Page Makeover. A few more joined later. It wasn't a huge number, but THIS IS IT! We validated the workshop. Today, we have a new product.

Validating is getting people to PAY you.

It's not sending out surveys, then getting excited when people say, "Yeah, will totally support you, bro". What people say they do, and what they actually do is 100% different.

My question for you: Are you stuck in marketing tactic hell? Or are you doing the real, but uncomfortable work of asking customers to buy your product?

3 key takeaways Launching Sales Page Makeover

A rejection is an opportunity to learn WHY someone didn't buy, and WHAT they will buy. One of the keywords from a survey we sent out: "I want to see proof"
Proof is important. People want to know if something will work for them before they put their money down. Don't have proof yet? Work 1-on-1 with a client, and use their success as your proof.
"Start with your passion" is stupid advice. Instead, identify a small viable market, find out their problems, and where they go to spend money to try solving those problems.

Sales Page Makeover workshop is now closed. I'm still working with the current participants, and not sure when we'll reopen again. For now, sign up for the waitlist on the site.

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