In the last Part we came up with some ideas for our service. Today, we're going to figure out which one to run with and how to launch it.

And we’re finally going to bank some cash - hooray!

Let’s get started:

Validating Your Ideas

Remember those service ideas we came up with in the last Part? The ones based on solving problems for your customers, just in different modalities?

Now we’re going to launch and start generating revenue. But…which idea?

We rejected the ones WE didn't want to do as our first pass. No use if you aren't enthusiastic. That’s a start but likely you’ll have lots left.

Now we're going to find out which of the other ideas we should run with. And we're going to do it in the smartest way possible - by asking our audience and tribe.

Quick aside: If you haven't got an Audience and Tribe in place, I would highly recommend looping back to those playbooks and working those out first. They will make launching services and products much, much easier and save you from making expensive (cost and time) mistakes. It’s a relatively small time/cost investment.

By having an Audience and Tribe, we can simply ask which of our services (and later products) they want. This makes launching infinitely easier, as we'll shortly see.

Here's what we're going to do with our service ideas:

For our Audience, we'll put out a tweet saying, "I'm thinking of launching XYZ. Is this a stupid idea or something you'd be interested in?" If you're more video-oriented (Instagram or TikTok for example), do the same basic message in a short video - "Here's what I'm thinking, roughly what it'll look like. Are you interested?"

We do the same with our Tribe - we put ideas into our emails with a poll asking for feedback.

If enough people say they're interested, we progress. If not, we go back to our list of service ideas and try another.

We keep doing this until we get a definite "yes please!!" from our audience and tribe. You'll know when it happens - you're looking for a disproportionate YES! Anything less, a lukewarm response, isn't worth pursuing.

Gathering Detailed Feedback

We still don't launch though! I know, I know! But it’s worth it!

We will first send out a survey and collect information about what people are interested in. Here's a basic prompt to help you create that survey:

You are an AI assistant specialising in market research and customer discovery. Your task is to help the user create a survey to gather crucial information from potential customers before launching a new service. Use the following context and framework to guide your response:

Context:
Before launching a new service, it's essential to understand exactly what potential customers want and expect. This survey will serve as a market research tool to refine the service offering and ensure it meets customer needs.

Instructions:
1. Ask the user to provide the following information:
   - A clear, concise statement of their customer's primary problem
   - A brief description of the proposed service solution

2. Based on the provided information, generate a list of 10-15 survey questions. The questions should cover the following areas:

   a. Problem validation:
      - Confirm the existence and severity of the problem
      - Understand how the problem impacts the customer's life or business

   b. Current solutions:
      - Explore what solutions (if any) the customer is currently using
      - Identify pain points with existing solutions

   c. Service specifics:
      - Gauge interest in specific features or aspects of the proposed service
      - Determine preferred delivery methods (e.g., 1:1, group, online, in-person)
      - Assess desired frequency or duration of the service

   d. Pricing and value:
      - Understand the customer's budget for solving this problem
      - Explore what aspects of the service they value most

   e. Objections and concerns:
      - Identify potential objections or hesitations about using the service
      - Understand what might prevent them from purchasing

   f. Desired outcomes:
      - Clarify what success looks like for the customer
      - Determine how they would measure the effectiveness of the service

3. Include a mix of question types:
   - Multiple choice
   - Rating scales
   - Open-ended questions for more detailed feedback

4. After presenting the survey questions, provide brief guidance on:
   - How to distribute the survey (e.g., email to your list, social media polls)
   - Recommended sample size for

Put the survey together in Google Forms as a basic tool or feel free to use a premium tool like Typeform.

Once we've collected this information, we're ready for the launch. We can feed information from our survey back into another prompt to come up with our launch offer:

You are an AI assistant specialising in service design and marketing. Your task is to help the user create a tailored service offer based on survey responses from potential customers. Use the following context and framework to guide your response:

Context:
The user has conducted a survey to gather insights about their potential customers' needs, preferences, and pain points regarding a specific problem and proposed service solution. Now, they need to create a service offer that aligns with the most common and significant customer requirements.

Instructions:
1. Ask the user to provide the following information:
   - A brief summary of the survey responses, highlighting the most common themes and preferences
   - The proposed service idea (as it stood before the survey)

2. Based on the provided information, create a tailored service offer that addresses the main overlapping requirements consistently mentioned in the survey. Include:

   a. Service Overview:
      - A catchy name for the service
      - A concise (2-3 sentence) description of what the service offers
      - The primary problem it solves for customers

   b. Key Features:
      - List 3-5 main features or components of the service
      - Explain how each feature addresses a specific customer need or preference identified in the survey

   c. Delivery Method:
      - Specify how the service will be delivered (e.g., 1:1 coaching, group sessions, online course, etc.)
      - Explain why this delivery method was chosen based on survey responses

   d. Duration and Frequency:
      - Outline the length of the service (e.g., 6-week program, ongoing monthly service)
      - Specify the frequency of interactions or deliverables

   e. Pricing Structure:
      - Suggest a pricing model that aligns with the survey responses about budget and perceived value
      - Explain the rationale behind the pricing

   f. Unique Selling Proposition:
      - Craft a statement that distinguishes this service from potential competitors
      - Base this on the specific needs and preferences expressed in the survey

3. Create marketing materials for the service:

   a. Email Pitch:
      - Subject line
      - Opening hook
      - 3-4 paragraphs describing the service, its benefits, and why it's perfect for the recipient
      - Clear call-to-action

   b. Social Media Pitch:
      - A short (280 character) Twitter-style pitch
      - A longer (1-2 paragraph) Facebook/LinkedIn-style post
      - 3-5 hashtags to use with the social media posts

4. Provide suggestions for:
   - Any bonuses or add-ons that could increase the value of the offer
   - Potential upsells or cross-sells based on secondary needs identified in the survey
   - Ideas for a satisfaction guarantee or risk reversal to address any common objections

5. Conclude with brief guidance on:
   - How to test this offer with a small group before a full launch
   - The importance of continuing to gather feedback and iterate on the service

Present your response in a clear, easy-to-follow format with appropriate headings and bullet points. Encourage the user to adapt and refine the offer based on their unique understanding of their audience and business goals.

For example I fed in 200+ survey responses I currently have about an AI Expert community. The prompt took all of that information and crafted an offer package for me.

Here’s the pitch email as an example:

Run your potential customers’ survey answers through the prompt to generate a similar summary of the service you should be providing them.

The Pre-Sale Process

Now take this back to your list and audience for a pre-sale. Set up a basic page. If you have a website, great! Do a sales page and hook it to Stripe. If you don't, use Gumroad, Carrd, Topmate or a similar tool to set up a basic sales page + checkout.

Topmate is great if you are doing 1:1 services as it allows you to take calendar bookings. Caard and Gumroad are solid for non “time-specific” sales.

Then go for the pre-sale.

Set limits on capacity. If it's a 1:1 service, the limits will be lower than if group-based or one-to-many. But still restrict capacity for i) your sanity and ii) to keep quality of delivery high. It's tempting to want to fill your calendar (if getting paid!) but be careful not to overcommit.

Make your first sale lower cost than it will be later. Our goal right now is feedback - we want the first customers through the door and to achieve the goal for them. We'll make money later!

Right now, charge enough to make sure they are committed to the result (don't give it away free - they won't value it!!). Pricing depends on niche and value to them, so it's hard to give a price, but very likely order of magnitude is not 10s and not 1000s - it'll be 100s.

Nailing the Delivery

Now you are going to absolutely nail the delivery. You will overdeliver, in fact.

If you find that they haven't reached their goal by the end of the service, then you will keep going until they do. And then we'll build that extra mile into the product and service moving forward.

Importantly, we use this first pass to learn. What do they need to solve their problem? What supplemental resources? What additional assistance? What blockages do they all seem to hit? What additional content or education do they need from you? We use the first delivery to suss all this out. We are getting paid to build with them.

Also, make sure to collect testimonials and reviews. I personally use Senja, but use whatever works best for you.

Rinse and Repeat

Once you've finished with the first batch, do it again! Increase the price, layer in the social proof you have achieved from first customers. Repeat, learn more, continue to refine.

The more repetitions you do, the more you'll learn about how to solve your customer's problem. And it's this hard-won knowledge that we'll be baking into our products in the next Part.

Next up we're going to talk about how to take all this learning and package it into a digital product. We're moving down our funnel, folks, and it's going to be exciting.

Remember, the goal here isn't just to make sales (although that's nice). It's to deeply understand your customers' needs and how to meet them. That's the key to building a sustainable, successful business.