I made a bold move. I stood up to fear and launched That One Damned Phone Call – my first product/service.
I had an amazing amount of support. Lots of enthusiastic tweets. Lots of “what a great idea!” feedback. Lots of visits to my sales page.
And no takers.
Oops. Now what?
I figure I have 3 different options:
1. Bail and Run
- Quietly take the page down and pretend the whole thing never happened.
- (Optionally) drown my sorrows in a bottle of Jack, think about giving up on this “whole stupid business idea” and head into a massive downward spiral, despairing over my future life of living in a cardboard box, eating cat food.
- Then (remembering that there is no such thing as vegetarian cat food) pick myself up and try something else.
2. Stay the Course
- Call into my own conference call and talk to myself. Record it. Talk about the scary thing I decided to do and celebrate having done it. All by myself.
- Write a blog post about how amusing it was to talk to myself on a conference call. (Sort of like Twitter but out loud.) Post the recording. Invite people to sign up for the next call.
- Show up consistently each week.
3. Reconfigure
Re-jig the offer. Change the sales page. Change the price. Same concept; different details.
I know what not to do, right?
20+ years of troubleshooting/systems analyst experience has taught me to *never* change more than one variable at a time when experimenting.
The logical answer is to Stay the Course. In order to evaluate whether or not this is a viable idea, I need to give it some time and consistent effort.
And you’d think that after delaying the damned thing for nearly 5 months that I would be content to wait a couple of weeks to see what happens before making any changes.
That all made perfect sense last night.
Except: I don’t know how I’m going to feel…until I’m actually feeling it
This morning reality set in.
It was time for the call…and no one was going to be playing with me. And (maybe because I’m feeling a little stuffy and under the weather) I didn’t feel like calling in and talking to myself. The idea wasn’t quite as amusing as it was the day before.
I felt somewhat relieved. I was off the hook. I didn’t have to host the call. And I didn’t have to buck up and do something scary.
So much for my brilliant plan to keep *myself* accountable.
The idea of staying the course? Uninspiring.
I expected to feel a bit disappointed. Maybe even a bit embarrassed.
Instead? I felt Determined. Committed. Curious.
And…Impatient.
If it’s gonna fail…let’s get it over with
Now that I’ve put it out there, now that the fear is gone… I have a burning need to know whether or not this idea is viable.
As in: Right. Now.
So I made a few changes. (If you’re not familiar with One Damned Phone Call, now would be a good time to look at it…otherwise the rest of this post won’t make any sense.)
1. I’ll record the call. So if you can’t make it in person, I’ll send you a link to the recording. (Also: you can re-listen if you find that helpful.)
2. I’ll post about this on my blog every Tuesday morning. I’ll have a “theme” and I’ll tell you what *I’m* going to do – and invite you to post what *you’re* going to do. This might help with the whole “I don’t know what to do” problem. (Hint: it doesn’t have to be BIG and it doesn’t have to be super scary.)
El cheapo pricing
When I created this program, I figured that paying *something* was an important part of the accountability process. I know from my own experience, if a call is free (and especially if it might *challenge* me in some way) it’s pretty easy to bail out.
I thought $10 would be enough to get people to show up and take it seriously, and not too much that it would scare people away.
I’m suspecting that the price is landing OK…but the question of “which week do I do this on…and what should I do” are getting in the way.
So how do I make that easier?
Answer: $10 for the entire *month* of September
If you sign up before the 8th…that means 4 calls. Dial into any one…or ALL of them. Doesn’t matter to me.
The “hurry up and act now” clause
I’m giving this until the end of September to see if it will fly.
Think it’s great? Wanna help promote it? That would be awesome. If you think this is a helpful service – tell people about it. Tweet it up, email a friend, post it to facebook.
And my one damned phone call for today?
I promised you (and myself) that I would do something scary today. This is it. Posting this without analyzing it to death. Or second guessing. Or waiting 5 months.
Comments? Feedback? Ideas? All gratefully accepted.
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{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }
The $10 was a little high for me right now…but only because I don’t have an immediate fear to tackle. $10 for the month sounds much better and I like the flexibility of any week.
Don’t give up the idea. And keep it fresh in our minds each week.
I think “Bail and Run” would have been extremely tempting for me in this situation, so I think it’s really awesome you went with “Reconfigure.” Inspires me not to bail and run on my own things!
Just wanted to say, you fixed all my issues with this and while it was a good thing before, it’s a better thing now and I signed up. The long distance fees combined with how much I don’t like phones was especially a problem (the price you were charging wasn’t the issue at all), so the changes you made are great.
Hi Patty!
I sent you $10, cos even though your call was going to be at 2.30am where I am, and I didn’t have a phone call as such to make, you inspired me to make a little step… I am getting ready to have an art for sale page on my site soon (which is partly great, and partly terrifying). As a baby step I am including a picture and a buy button for the first time, within a normal blog post. Thank-you!
PS. It’s at
http://tangerinemeg.com/2010/09/02/live-bold-list-18-sunshine-women-white-flowers-and-courage/
Oh wow. I had some concerns about posting this one. What lovely comments to wake up to!
@Thea – thank you!
@Christina – yeah…there’s a reason I put “Bail and Run” as the first option. It can be so easy to just assume that there is only 1 issue: your idea sucks. I found it *really* helpful in this case that I had such positive feedback about the idea in the first place. Otherwise…yeah…I may have ditched the whole thing. Thank you for your feedback and support.
@Tangerine Meg – your comment totally made my day! I am delighted to hear that you took a little step. I know how hard that can be to do and I’m touched that you found my stuff inspiring.
Wow…. thanks so much for putting this out there. I’ve had my own experience with this very thing just last week! Apparently I forgot to hit send on the email that would have let people know about my thing and didn’t realize it until the day before it was to happen. Not surprisingly, only 1 person registered.
My solution? I got in touch with the 1 person (she’s a friend) and asked if she’d rather I refund her $ or reschedule for a couple of weeks away and try again.
We opted for try again- so that’s where we are.
Interestingly, I’ve been so stuck after the first ‘failure’ that it’s been really hard to give this the push it needs to actually make it on the second try.
I’m so grateful to you for sharing your story and letting me know I’m not the only one who has put something out and had no takers! It really helps!
Patty-
No one showed up? Oof – so hard. (like waiting on my 40th b-day party for people who never showed.)
Kudos to you for going with the reconfigure path (and also for remembering to change only one thing at a time).
I love the idea and I think $10 a session is entirely too cheap for the service you’re offering.
I have about a thousand scary big things for which I could use an accountability buddy, so this call would be perfect … except for the timing. Most of my clients have their project conference calls at 10am weekdays. These calls can last anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour. In the interactive world, this meeting time is pretty common.
Here’s a suggestion: offer two (or more) times. One in the morning and another in the afternoon. Maybe on different days. And maybe with an hour between the initial call and the “yay” followup? Obviously, if this suggestion doesn’t resonate with you, or you don’t have time for it, feel free to toss it right in the recycling bin.
I’ll be tweeting the hell out of your new page, so look out for customers!
((hugs))
-casey
Oh, I’m so glad you decided to reconfigure, because I didn’t know you were doing this until today (9/2) and now I’ve signed up for the rest of September. Yay! I plan to get my accountability boost each Wednesday and then head over to Eileen and Briana’s HopscotchDistillery.com for Work Party Wednesday to celebrate. A double-feature!
One question/suggestion/bossy bit: I visited the One Damned Phone Call page directly thanks to a tweet (HT @casey_cole). Then I clicked around a bit to read some blog entries and other stuff, and then discovered that there wasn’t a quick-and-easy way to find the ODPC page, say, from your home page. The easiest way was to go to the 9/1 blog entry and click on the link within that post.
…which is a roundabout way of saying I really think you should have an easy way for people to find it, no matter what page they land on. You could add a link in the top navigation, a button in the sidebar (either one but I’d probably say the right-hand one), an additional icon in your Keep in Touch widget (I have one in my sidebar at wendycholbi.com for my weekly Open Office Hour, f’rinstance), or a “sticky” post that will always appear first even when the ODPC-related post slides away down your blog timeline.
OK, end of bossiness. Please take what’s useful and jettison the rest. And I’ll go add next Wednesday’s One Damned Phone Call to my calendar! Thank you for letting us in on it!
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@Liz – ugh. So sorry you had to go through that…it feels kinda icky, doesn’t it? Nice that your taker decided to wait. I’m sending you the energy to give it another go.
@Casey – no one showed up for your 40th? Sitting and waiting? That *sucks* big time! Thanks for the hugs, the support and the suggestions. Are you telling me that 10am Pacific time on Wednesdays in September isn’t perfect for everyone?
I will give alternate times/dates some thought.
@Wendy – so glad you decided to join us! Thanks so much for the suggestions about putting up an obvious link.Doh! I made myself a little button for the right hand column. (Yay for 10 year old copies of Fireworks!)
And yes…work party at the Hopscotch Distillery! Here’s to super productive Wednesdays!
Oh my. Your monster-button is diVINE! I loves it!
Plus, way to take positive action with the quickness!
My to-do list is quailing in terror of next Wednesday, *muahaha* Bring on the damned phone call!
Oh and here are some more exclamation points in case I haven’t used enough!!!!!!!!!!
(clearly I need some food…)
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I have, indeed, always wondered what happens! Really. People don’t talk about that kind of stuff in polite company. THANK YOU for telling what happens, and happened, and what you chose and are choosing to do about it. This. Is. Why. I. Love. Your. Blog.
I would love to launch a thing. I expect to launch a thing (or maybe two) in the next year or two. But, in the past, launching certain things has seemed difficult, and I had no idea what I’d do if it didn’t pan out. I’m all about contingency plans and information. Helps me relax. Without contingency plans and information: not so much. So helpful to have your thoughts, experiences, tips *before* embarking on said scary path.
Just went and bought the $10 option. I want to support you, and this. I’m expecting to be out of town much of September, and I’m too lazy to read above, but I think maybe I can listen to some recordings, or something. =)
So here’s to all the procrastinators out there…me included! I’m in for September, and agree that it’s a ton of “value” for $10.00.
You are very brave and I love how you reframed this to be a learning thing instead of crawling under a rock and crying for a week like I might have done in your situation.
See you Wednesdays!
Sorry for the quotes on “value;” I DO think it is a great deal but hate that term, sounds like icky marketing speak.
Justification done. Back to coffee. Mwah!
Patty – I’m sorry things didn’t turn out as you’d hoped for the call. What amazes me, though, are the incredible conversations that have followed because of this post. You have a following. Okay, so no one was quite ready to buy in when you put an offer out there. At least they’re paying attention. And that says loads!
On a similar note, two years ago I created a 7 part telecourse on dealing with aging parents. I was so excited about what I had to offer and what I wanted everyone to learn. And no one signed up. (Trust me, I know the feeling.) Anyway, I decided to run the course anyway . . but to personally invite a small group of incredible friends to participate – for free. My new goal was to record all the sessions and potentially turn that into a product that I could sell for real money. It was great! It gave me the opportunity to really hone my message on certain aspects of the course. And it showed me what was on people’s minds when it came to their relationships with their aging parents. They got information and recordings out of it. I got great input, great experience, and the material for a product. I’m not saying this is how you should do it, but it worked for me. Besides, once I got over the ego blow, it was kind of fun.
Anyway, all the best my friend. I love what you’re doing! – g
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Patti,
I love to see how you responded with creativity and innovation. I strive for that, but too often just pretend it never happened when an offer falls flat. There are so many factors that need to align, I’m thrilled to see people jumping on board.
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@Wendy – thanks!
@Laila – The launching of Things is scary business. I see people doing it all the time like it’s no big deal – and all we seem to hear is the massive success stories. Surely there are others who have been disappointed in the results. Contingency plans? I’m with you on that. Very helpful. But also? You can’t ever know *exactly* what might happen. Thank you so much for your support!
@Simone – I’m starting to approach *everything* in life as a learning experience. Otherwise I’m afraid I’d spend all day everyday under the bed shaking. See you Wednesday! (Also: I’m not so keen on the icky marketing-speak either.)
@Gail – Yay you for working past all the ego stuff involved in the whole “no one signed up” mess and making the situation work for everyone involved. It’s not always easy to find a creative solution, but sometimes one shows up that turns out even better than you planned. Thanks for the perspective.
@Christine – Thank you. I think you have a point about so many factors needing to align…it’s all more complicated than it looks.
This reminds me of Adyashanti’s story of his teacher and how she knew she was to teach, so each week she set out cushions. For a year no one came. Then one person showed up. Adyashanti learned from her, and now he brings insight to huge numbers. He tells the story in one of his talks, either Spontaneous Awakening or True Meditation, can’t remember which.
Patty
I love the honesty and humour in this post (two of my favourite “h” words)! And, like so many of your commenters, know firsthand what it feels like to build it and…. be waiting for them to come. It doesn’t quite seem so sexy without Kevin Costner.
Say, I was struck with two thoughts when I read this.
1. what a hotdang idea! I love it – it’s innovative, a bit quirky, and oh so damn practical.
2. as set up now, it only would work for a US/North American audience, because of (a) the timeframe. 10am on Monday being some godawful time on Tuesday in the southern hemisphere (I’m not sure what time, but “very dark outside”) and (b) the way you’ve constructed the call with the two call ins (one “pre-action” and one “post action”)… so even if some brave soul in NZ or Australia were to get up for the call, they may not be likely to do many actions at that hour…. Just a thought — should you want to factor in the 1% of additional people you may get if you want to attract us colonials!!!
Thanks for this post – really made me feel less alone, which is one of the side effects rarely spoken about for solopreneurs like us!
Hugs from Australia!
Patty, I love you! You rock — you are incredible and you don’t even know it! I LOVE your idea and think you’ve hit the nail on the head for how to help us do that one scary thing! So practical! I just gotta figure out which thing off the list I’ll do…
@David – thank you for this. Yes. Sometimes it takes time to build an audience.
@Jill – I hear you on the whole “alone” thing. It’s definitely one of the downsides of the solopreneur journey. And yeah, the whole “picking the right time” thing is a challenge with this global community. I love having friends down under. Hugs back from BC.
@Teresa – thank you so much!
If I weren’t international (therefore unable to afford the call), I’d really think about this. Any chance of Skype calls in the future? It’s a fantastic idea and offer!