Switch your focus from doing more to doing less (plus five strategies to get your digital product off the ground)

[00:00:00] Rene: Hey everyone. Welcome to Your First Digital Product, a show that helps maxed-out service providers create their first digital product so they can gain an additional income stream, grow their impact without increasing one-on-one work and experience more time freedom. On the show, I talk to business owners who have launched digital products and dig deep into how you can create, launch, and market your first digital product. I’m your host, Rene Morozowich. Let’s go.

[00:00:28] When I pick up my son from school on Wednesdays, it’s always miraculous when we can go home and stay in for the entire evening. When he doesn’t have any appointments or karate or crew calls for the musical or marching or concert band practice. We can just come home. He can do his homework, and I can wrap up work for the night.

[00:00:47] We can make and eat dinner, watch tv, read and catch up with each other. So while it’s less, less activities and less schlepping, it’s actually way more. More quality time together, more time to decompress, more space, more quiet, more connection, more meaning. I wanna take this idea doing less and have it actually be more.

[00:01:10] And share five strategies about getting your digital product off the ground. The first strategy is to ask people what they need and want. One mistake that I continually make, and I’ve seen my clients make too, is assuming. Assuming I know what knowledge they have to start with, what problems they have, how much time they have to focus on those problems, what’s important to them, what they value, how much money they have to spend, and so much more, I don’t know any of that,

[00:01:45] but I can find out by asking. People, like when you show interest in them, especially when you’re looking to help them solve a problem. Take a few minutes to ask people what they need and want and then act accordingly. Don’t waste time creating something that [00:02:00] you think they want or answering questions that they don’t have.

[00:02:04] Joe talks about this in episode three. I’ll put a link in the show notes. The second strategy is to keep it simple. Often what we’re feeling called to create is in a strong area for us. We know our craft and our trade inside and out, but don’t take for granted that everyone is where you are. It may seem simple to you, but going back to basics is often more helpful because you’re meeting people where they are.

[00:02:28] Recently my partner and I were looking for new windows. We had several people come to the house to show us their products, and almost every time I had to ask them to stop and revisit something they said, to not use all the jargon and acronyms that they knew so well. But to explain it in simple terms that I could understand, not having any background in the industry.

[00:02:49] So your product may not need to be as involved and over the top as you think. It could be something that you know so well that it’s simple for you. The next two strategies relate to this point. Your digital product doesn’t have to be complete before you sell it. Let me say that again for the people in the back, your digital product does not have to be complete before you sell it.

[00:03:12] You can pre-sell your product as a way of doing less. Often when we ask the question, Hey, if I made this product, would you buy it? People say yes, but when you put a product up for sale and ask people to hand over real cash, you will quickly see if people will actually buy it. If people pay and enough people pay, you can create the product.

[00:03:33] You’ll be doing less because you won’t be wasting your time creating a product that no one wants.

[00:03:39] When you’re selling this way, you want to be extra clear with your deliverables and timeline because people paid in advance and now there’s a specific due date. There will be some added pressure to deliver on time, but often that’s exactly the push we need. Plus no time for rabbit holes, additional bells and whistles, and all of the extras that you think you have to [00:04:00] include.

[00:04:01] My next strategy is kind of a hybrid approach. Create some of the product, start selling and drip it out weekly. Remember what I said before, your digital product does not have to be complete before you sell it. When you drip the content out weekly, you give yourself a timeline and a deadline to complete the next part.

[00:04:20] In episode two, I talked about Parkinson’s law and how the task will take the amount of time you allot. If you only have a week, you’ll get it done. Again, no time for rabbit holes and additional bells and whistles. Plus, you can get feedback from current participants and improve the content each week. And then after you’ve done a full run, you validated that people will pay, validated that people are happy, got it done in a specific amount of time, and have a complete product that you can sell going forward.

[00:04:50] You don’t have to drip it out again unless you want. My last strategy for doing less is by making a list. I love lists. Make a list of everything you might want to include in your product, all of the topics and features and must-haves, or things you think you must have at this point. Then step away from the list.

[00:05:08] It’s a funny thing when we step away. We all know this, but every time it happens to me, I’m surprised. I was working on a technical problem the other. Something that should have been super easy. In fact, I was comparing one version of what worked with another version that didn’t work and I didn’t see it.

[00:05:25] I finally forced myself to take a break. What happened when I came back was magical.

[00:05:30] I am sure you know how this story is going to end. The problem was immediately apparent. I corrected it quickly and was able to move on. Things jump out at you when you look at them with fresh eyes. So look at your list with fresh eyes and relentlessly cut things out that aren’t really needed, that add extra work for both you and your customers.

[00:05:49] Things that don’t actually make a difference and add real value. And get a second opinion. Have a friend, colleague, or better yet a potential customer, look at your list and see what jumps out at them. [00:06:00] What matters to them and what doesn’t matter. Cut from there. So to recap, doing less can feel great. To do that,

[00:06:08] ask people what they want instead of assuming, keep your product simple and meet people where they are instead of where you are. Pre-sell the product to see if there is interest. Drip the product content to give yourself a deadline to create it and make a list and then cut out what’s not really important. Do any of these strategies jump out at you?

[00:06:29] I’d love to hear what resonates or what you try. Send me a voice message at yfdp.show/share. The link will also be in the show notes. Thanks for listening.

[00:06:38] Hey, thanks for listening. I’d love to continue the conversation in your inbox. Email SUBSCRIBE to hey at yfdp.show or sign up in the show notes to get bimonthly emails about how you can create, launch, and market your first digital product. Can’t wait to see you there.