Two things happen every time I’ve launched a digital product. Well, after it sells it’s first few copies.
- First, I receive positive feedback about how helpful and useful the product was. Someone goes out of their way to say a heart-felt thank you and I can see how what I gave them changed their life a little.
- Second, I receive at least one piece of negative feedback or a lackluster comment or a refund request.
You might find this disheartening. After all, why put something out to the world and expect to receive negative feedback? Aren’t we supposed to be wowing our customers and locking them in with our over-the-top products and services?
Of course we are.
But the thing I’ve come to realize about this second response is that no amount of perfecting or optimizing is going to prevent it. (Despite what our product launch fears might tell us.) The reasons are many.
- Your buyer might not actually read your sales page and might not need the product they bought.
- Or, your buyer is not the person my product is designed to help.
- Your buyer might just be having a bad day and take it out on you. Life is not always fair.
- Your buyer might like to prove their own worth by cutting others down.
- And, occasionally, your buyer is not ready yet to receive the help provided in your product and so they resist what’s there and lash out at you.
(This last objection happens most frequently with the products I offer to help people with their resumes and interview prep. Some buyers are simply not ready to accept that no matter how much structure I give them, they are going to have to work to get the job they want.)
Whatever the reason, refunds and rejection happen.
I guarantee the beautiful creation you’ve put together will receive some negative feedback. No matter how perfectly awesome it is for some people, others will buy it and hate it. The only way to avoid the feedback is to keep your creation inside, and this will never help anyone.
So what do you do?
Expect the worst. Reply kindly (or not at all). Issue the refunds. Better yet, hire a virtual assistant to handle this for you, so you don’t have to physically return the money yourself.
Most importantly, allow yourself to be delighted when those first complimentary messages come in. You might even save them in a special folder to refer back to when you receive one of the inevitable negative messages.
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