Product Launch Manager – How To Hire A Good One

So, you have a product to launch, you have your list ready, you are busy with everything in your life and you want to hire a Product Launch Manager to make your launch a outstanding success.

So, what do you do? Where do you go, and how do you know they are right for you?

I see launches happen all the time in the Internet Marketing world. I like to watch them and see if they do anything innovative that I could use in my own launches. Every so often, a launch comes along that is an absolute disaster. It’s like an accident waiting to happen, and the people running the launch are totally clueless as to the damage they’re doing go themselves, the client’s reputation and the product name.

I’ve seen it happen twice on two high profile launches in the last 2 months, one of which I was consulted upon after the launch started, but with my intervention it luckily limited the damage that was done and the client did in fact make a good profit out of it.

So, what should you do to make sure you have a proven Product Launch Manager that will work for you to build you name, your brand and your reputation in the marketplace?

Follow these simple steps and you will be well on your way to having a successful launch, and saving yourself a lot of headaches and expense in the process.

How To Hire A Good Product Launch Manager:

• Make sure your prospective Manager has launched their own products.
  Many people can launch products for other people, but they don’t have anything riding on the launch. A Product Launch Manager who has launched their own products will know first hand what it takes to have a product of their own go through a launch. Knowing what it’s like to do their own product launch will help you because they understand how you are and how important it is for you to launch successfully.
• The prospective Manager has experience launching other people’s products and has a good relationship with them.
  Understanding the Launch process from their own point of view is important. Knowing how to correctly handle Your launch process is just as essential – you have to have the two.  Understanding the client’s needs for the launch can make or break a launch.  A good Product Launch Manager will have a good relationship will most, if not all of their clients. With this in place, you can identify if you are going to have a good relationship with them or not.
• You find your prospective Manager by referral.
  You can find a so called Product Launch Manager on many sites like Craig’s List, Elance.com, etc.  The problem with these sites is that these are the places where clients with very little money look to hire someone.  If you are looking for a budget Launch Manager, then you’ll definitely get what you pay for.   This brings me to the next point.

• Your prospective Product Launch Manager may not be the cheapest in the marketplace.
  As I mentioned above, you will get what you pay for.  In any business, you wouldn’t hire someone for a beer and a hotdog as payment.  If you needed heart surgery, you wouldn’t expect to get it for $20.  No, you know the value of the operation, and you pay accordingly.  Hiring a Launch Manager who will accept a low or no fee and a share of the profits may get you a somewhat ok launch.  But if you are expecting to do a high 5, 6 or even 7 figure launch, then you need to hire the appropriate services to get what you want.  Sometimes you don’t expect to do as much is possible on a launch.  I’ve worked on launches where I’ve had 1023% improvement on the client’s expectations.  If they had hired someone and gone for the cheaper option, then he would have got what he expected.  Paying appropriately for a good Product Launch Manager can give you returns you never expected.

• The prospective Manager has learned from the best, and continues to do so.
  Check to see who your Launch Manager studies.  If they don’t study the marketplace and the ever changing trends and innovations, then your launch process could be stagnant and be a disaster.  Online marketing changes very rapidly, and marketing that is used today will be obsolete in maybe 3 months.  Your Manager needs to know what is happening in the marketplace, what is changing and evolving and both in marketing techniques and technology.

• The Product Launch Manager is always looking to improve the Product.
  You have created your product.  You more than likely love your product.  But being attached to your product doesn’t always allow you to see the bigger picture and see where you can improve your product.  When you launch a product, you want to make sure that you give the customer the very best product that you can.  You want them to take one look at your offer and say to themselves that they would be stupid not to take it.  If there are ways to improve the product and the offer, then your Launch Manager should be able to spot them.  This is one thing I always do with clients, and some of them thank me when I do so, especially when we can increase the price!

• The Launch Manager has an eye on the next product for you.
  A good Product Launch Manager will see the best way to launch your product and improve it, etc.  An excellent Launch Manager will ask you about your next product that you are going to launch to your list, as well as look at the opportunities to re-launch your current product.  A good business owner knows the value of the backend product, that they can sell another product to a customer after the initial sale, so they can increase the lifetime value of the customer.  The hardest part of your business is getting the customer to buy from you.  Once they have, then it’s easier to market other products to them, and increase how much they spend with you.

• Lastly, the Product Launch Manager understands Human Psychology.
  Buying is an emotional thing.  Most, if not all, people buy with their emotions first and then justify the purchase with logic later.  Understanding the psychology of a customer is key in making your launch a success, as the Launch Manager will know what psychological triggers to use, and when to use them, in your launch to have maximum benefit.

So there you go.  These are just some of the steps you need to take to make sure you have a great Product Launch Manager on your team to make your launch an outstanding success.  Follow them for success, and avoid them at your peril.

Filed under: Product Launches

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