Impressive Product Launches in 2021

Your company already made a big bet to get your initiative ready to launch. How you launch it can make or break your whole initiative. 

What is usually a big enough bet for a product launch? Something that significantly changes our approach to the market. We are not talking about your typical release.  We are talking about things like: 

• a big release that packs an innovative set of features,
• an overhaul of positioning,
• new pricing and packaging,
• a major new partnership, or
• an acquisition.

What do these have in common? 

• Months of work to get these initiatives ready for a launch.
• And a significantly different way to approach how we talk to prospects about what we do and how we compare to the competition

This means that an effective launch touches almost every part of your business, your partners and your Customers. But how does a product launch change if it is virtual or hybrid?

I have participated and run a bunch of product launches at a few different companies. This year, Filo is helping our Customers manage product launches in a time where they would rather not or cannot bring people together in person for the launch. We’ve seen some stunning results.

Filo's flexibility allows companies to brand and configure virtual spaces to suit their needs. When it comes to virtual product launch training specifically, Filo is an excellent solution. Our collaborative nature allows for:

• Creating Rooms that take a deep dive into specific features of the product with assets like video walkthroughs, case studies and testimonials
• Allowing the ability to mix and match content between livestreams, recorded videos, meetings and webinars
• Constructing spaces for self-studying and mentorship via breakout rooms
• Incorporating ways to gather feedback from the team via polls and quizzes
• Encouraging engagement and interactivity
• Forming a centralized hub for all supporting assets

Another great benefit of Filo is the persistent space. Filo allows the virtual space to live on past the launch day, creating a great asset to refer to later.

Succeed at launch and you can seize the market opportunity you targeted. 

But, if you manage the launch poorly, your teams and partners may set the wrong expectations with your prospects and Customers. This will lead to a lot of friction in your business until your teams get the kinks worked out on how to manage your new reality. This can slow you down for weeks or months...maybe longer depending on how you address the gaps in readiness. This gives your competition the chance to grab the advantage instead of having capitalized on it yourself.

It’s showtime--Launch Day!

It’s showtime! Let’s focus on the big day itself. We need to get people to pay attention, learn, practice, and most importantly, get excited about the new way of doing things.

Creating Cohesion of a Distributed Team

How do you get everyone on the same page without needing to get them in the same room?

Be prepared. 

You are going to need a lot of content delivered including pitch decks, Customer testimonials, pricing and packaging materials and press releases.

You need your team armed with three vital ingredients as a result of your launch:

• Enthusiasm: a team that is excited about what they offer translates well to prospects and Customers.
• Readiness: your team has to be competent to present the vision and answer questions to earn the business.
• Confidence: confidence is infectious...it will spread throughout your team and to your partners and Customers.

Bring the energy.

Your Leadership has to show up strong and be a great example for all three of the points above. The CEO and other execs have to win over your team with how important the launch is and why. How does it help accomplish the company’s vision? What problems can we solve for our Customers now? What examples can we tell our prospects about to help add proof to your aspirations? This starts with a session for everyone to get the summary together. Then Leadership needs to lead breakout sessions with teams from all geographies and all departments. Pair your most senior leaders with managers and directors and their teams to deliver details, answer questions, and practice. 

Be engaging.

By now, you’ve figured out this has to be engaging for your team. You have to make it interactive so they are actively learning. You have to make it collaborative so the team knows how to work together in these new circumstances. It’s critical that everyone participates; ask for participation and reward participation. The most important part of making sure the messages are landing is to have them practice. When they role play, your team can coach and tune their approach.

Launches are a milestone in a longer process, not the start and not the end. Use the launch to set up what you expect from the team over the coming days, weeks, and months. This should include targets for product sales, adoption, and check ins for how well the team is retaining and refining the new approach. As you progress, tell the team how they are doing against the targets and how you are adapting to what the team is learning after the launch.‍

Contact us if you’d like a demo. We love assisting teams with connection and collaboration to win together.