Nathan Hangen

Perceived Value: The Afterglow and Why You Need It!

Editor’s Note(s): I’ve got a lot of additional content to present here, and instead of adding yet another post, I’m going to add to the already long one here .

Firs of all, the Beyond Blogging Project is blowing up like crazy. Mike and I are really, really excited to be working closely with 50 of you in order to take your business to the next level.

Don’t get me wrong, you don’t have to be special to get in, but a good attitude is a must.

This is probably the cheapest price you’ll ever pay for hands on coaching, especially for 6 months of it. This is a huge opportunity (not just because I’m there). We plan on creating some all-stars…will you join us? There are very few spots left…we start on Friday. Click here to reserve yours.

I’m also running a free webinar on Thursday (11th) at 2:00 PM EST with Mike and Jordan. We’ll be doing live (and free) blog critiques, as well as talking blogging. We might extend for another hour on Skype or USTREAM. You can sign up here.

Lastly, I’m doing reader interviews, and even though I promised Fiona hers would be posted by now, it will be going up this week. If you’d like me to interview you for my podcast, click here and submit your info.

Now, for the post!

Part 3 – The Afterglow

Over the past week and a half, we’ve been discussing the relationship between price, content, and perceived value.

In the first installment, I told you why you shouldn’t be afraid to raise your prices. In the follow-up, we talked about product launch strategies and the effect that fantastic packaging has on perceived value.

In our final installment, we’re going to discuss the process after the sale, or in other words, how we can keep customers in love with our products once they’ve pulled the trigger.

To keep with the theme, we’ll avoid the topic of content itself, but we will talk about presentation, which is something slightly different.

For example, the Beyond Blogging E-Book was a set of 15 interviews and case studies, enhanced with a 5-step blueprint for blogging success.

That’s content. 200 pages…chapters…case studies…etc.

The presentation, on the other hand, is an amazing design job courtesy of our designer, Jana. It’s presented in landscape mode, single column, with a great looking cover and a cool looking template.

Although, in our case, we created content that we felt lived up to both the launch and the price tag, we also took a lot of care in developing something that wowed people from the moment they opened it.

The Crucial First Step

That moment, is what they call, “the reveal,” and next to the moment in which a prospect becomes a customer, this is perhaps the most critical moment in the buying process.

This is the moment when, what I like to describe as “the buyer’s high,” can either continue throughout the initial use of the product, or crash and burn into utter disappointment and, even worse, buyer’s remorse.

How to Get it Right

There are several things to consider if you want to create a good first impression.

The first of which is what happens immediately after the purchase.

How does your customer get the product? Is it delivered automatically?

Do they have to wait to login?

Is it easy to access? Does your follow up email teach them how?

If your product is a digital product, this part is easy. You can have it delivered via your shopping cart or with a redirect to a secure download page.

If your product is a service, you simply send an email with instructions for access.

The place where people go wrong is by underestimating the difficulty of this process. As a product developer, you’ve seen it every day for months (if not years). As a new customer, you are suddenly thrown into the wild, so to speak.

If your follow information (email, support documentation) isn’t clear, you’re going to fail here.

If this process is easy, you’ve passed the first test.

The next step is what happens when they get the product.

What does your product look like when they open it up?

Is it easily organized?

Does the inside match the outside (presentation)?

Have you created an experience, or have you ruined one?

Getting this right is also paramount to your success. If I’m a customer, and I buy something based on a shiny package and presentation, only to open it and find something that looks like a piece of $hit…then I’m not going to be very happy.

My excitement turns into dismay, and I start looking for things that I don’t like about a product.

However, if I open up the box and the inside looks like I expected it to (or better), then I’m finding reasons not only to love the product, but to ignore what might be wrong with the content.

If you’re writing ebooks…spend the extra time and money to get a nice design.

If you’re selling a service (digital), make sure that the members area looks kick ass.

If you’re selling a physical product, then make sure that your product lives up to expectations. Like I showed in my DE TV minisode, the experience is what counts.

If you do this right, you’re in.

From here, there is one final important step, which is where almost everyone goes wrong…

Follow Up!

Don’t forget about your customer after the sale. Use your email software to remove them from your launch list and put them on a customer list.

Create an autoresponder series that lasts for a month or so and that educates them about the product, gives them a place to send complaints or questions, and reminds them that you’re still there.

This is something that can save sales. It can save customers. It can create brand evangelists.

If you get these 3 steps, or at least 2 of the 3, correct, then you’ve created a product that people will love, regardless of the content.

I know it sounds callous to focus on something other than the content, but the truth is that there’s much more to being a platformer or an entrepreneur than writing good stuff.

You need to learn marketing…how to create emotional triggers…how to package something…how to launch it…as Michael said last week: how to position and create the offer.

This is why big biz hires people for each of these tasks. Unfortunately, we Digital Kings, Queens, and Emperors have to do so much more.

I hope you enjoyed this series, and more than anything, that you can take lessons from these posts and apply them directly to your business.

Of course, there’s plenty more to come, but this is a great place to build from.

Here’s to your empire!

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• Would You Sell Your Soul for Success?

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