Why ‘Sell It Before You Make It’ Will Transform How Stylists Create Digital Products

So you've decided to create the perfect digital course or product. You have killer modules, your videos are crisp, detailed and clear. Come launch day, and you can't contain your excitement. You hit publish, then broadcast and watch for the numbers.

But hardly anyone is tuned to your channel, and those who are don't stay long. Is sharing your creativity with the world supposed to be this hard? That's what 'Sell It Before You Make It' is here to change.

Building First, Selling Later aka The Big Mistake

Like most stylists, you can't wait to turn your idea into a product. For the most part, you spend more time strategizing your production process than you do checking who else is as excited about the product as you.

You hibernate for weeks, maybe months, crafting your dream course.?

Why, then, isn't your audience as delighted when you unveil the fruit of your hard labour—aka your spanking new product??

What went wrong??

A common adage among entrepreneurs, loosely attributed to a line from the 1989 movie "Field of Dreams", is: Create something amazing, and the customers will come.?

But let's be real.

Taking this approach is like cooking a gourmet meal as a private chef without first consulting your clients. What if they're allergic to your secret ingredient??

Likewise, your prospective styling clients appreciate your work more when you create a product they find useful.?

One that solves a problem they have.

Makes things easy for them.

Shortens the time it takes to accomplish a task.

And you can only provide these solutions when you understand what they're grappling with. Hence: Sell your audience on the idea (for the solution), then get to work and produce the tangible thing.?

You already know they like what you're developing. So there is zero risk of ending up with yet another product nobody wants.

The New Strategy is to Sell First, Create Later?

'Sell It Before You Make It’ is the complete opposite of the old strategy where you create first and then look for buyers. This method is a winner because:

• It doesn't assume you know what your target buyers want.
• It allows buyers to tell you what they want.
• It provides a way for you to create a custom product your customers love.

Think of it as a four-pronged technique, where you:

• Detail a concept to your audience.
• Assess their interest in the product.
• Use their feedback to finetune the product.
• Presell your product.

To put this concept into perspective, consider this case study:?

Elle works as a stylist. She decided to introduce a workshop idea, Capsule Wardrobe Confidence, to her email list. Framing it as a beta program, she extended a discounted price for early adopters. In less than 2 days, 25 interested customers signed up for Elle’s program. This approach validated her idea, and she received invaluable feedback, which she used to customize the content. This initial work she put in yielded a polished course that sold out during its official launch.

Will Anyone Buy My Product?

It's normal to worry that no one will sign up for your product before seeing the real thing.

Remember the first step you took to introduce your concept to your audience? Their feedback gave you the confidence to go ahead with the production because the idea resonated with them. So you'll definitely have some people grabbing up your offer without missing a beat.

But here's where 'Sell It Before You Make It’ really shines.

If no one likes your idea, you have nothing to lose.

You haven't invested time, effort and resources into making the product yet. So you can go back to the drawing board and refine your offering or design something completely different, paying attention to the things your audience wants to see in a product.?

Keep coming back to your audience until you have mostly positive feedback. Then start building.

Involve your audience in developing the product. This way, it won't feel like a big failure if you don't launch a perfect product. Most people don't expect a product to be flawless at the first launch attempt anyway.

Why It Works

Customers often feel a stronger connection to your brand when they see that you value them enough to consider their input when developing a new product. Most tend to remain loyal, too.

Ready to Sell First and Create Later?

Feel confident to try this unconventional strategy to launch a new product. Why not share your idea with your audience in your next email, live, post or update? Need someone to hold your hand while you do it? Get in touch [email protected].