Jun
30
By Request… The Golden Minute
I am not generally in the habit of saying something is exclusive content for my list and then handing it around to all and sundry like cheap wine at a book launch. I sent what follows to my list when I was in Cuba and got a lot of emails from nice people asking me to put it online where people could link to it. Among the askers was GirlPie, and I have made it a professional rule to pretty much do whatever she says. (This includes, but is not limited to, considering writing a goddamn screenplay.)
Basically, blame GirlPie.
***
Today we’re talking about the golden minute. I recently made up this phrase while ranting my face off to the poor, unsuspecting James Chartrand. She thought she was just going to talk about her weekend plans and I hammered her with a marketing rant. (Note: don’t be friends with me. I don’t deserve it.)
What is the golden minute, you ask? I will answer with a story.
Recently, I got it in my head that I want to buy an RV. (Recreational vehicle or travel trailer for those not “in the lifestyle”.) I went to an RV dealership and checked out my options and fell immediately in love with what is now internally referred to as the IttyBiz Tour Bus. (It has two bedrooms, Mom! On a BUS!)
So I look at the hundred thousand dollar trailer park on wheels and promptly head home to research everything I can about being an RV chick. (It should be noted that Jamie said it was okay if we paint the thing pink and put the IttyBiz logo on the side. My husband is the king of the world, I tell you.) I look up all the lingo and whether we should get a fifth wheel or a travel trailer or a Class A bus thingie.
I find an article about saving money as an RVer. It’s a normal blog piece — maybe 700 words, a few bullet points. Nothing too exciting but at that precise moment in my life, it’s EXACTLY what I’m looking for. I am so happy I could die.
At the end of the piece there’s a link to the author’s ebook called — and I’m not making this up here — 111 Ways To Get The Most Bang For Your RV Lifestyle Buck. I click. It’s ten bucks. I am beside myself with glee and buy it without hesitation.
And… the point! The golden minute!
When a new fan arrives, there is about a minute when they will do whatever you ask. Not every visitor, no. But every potential fan. They are stoked. They want you. Badly. They are hungry and desperate and a little bit breathless with excitement. They have Found! Something! Awesome!
Have something for them, right at that minute.
Launches are great. Building anticipation is unbeatable. Getting people really excited about your coming product is an excellent tool in your tool belty thing. But brand new fans need you now. Not six weeks from now. Not when your designer gets back to you with the mockups. Not when you finally find the perfect copywriter. Now.
What do you have that your new fans can get now?
An ebook would work. It can be free or not. An audio download, same deal. An entry level priced home study. A series of videos. Whatever. Give them something while they’re in that golden minute.
Keep in mind, your golden minute product will probably never sell tremendously well. That’s not the point. You’re not launching the shit out of it. You’re buying insurance so that when that rare jewel of a new fan shows up, you won’t have to let them down.
I think I was so drunk at the time that you just took advantage of me, which is why I was completely unsuspecting. And I never got to talk about my weekend. I feel used. I want my money back!! Where’s the manager? I need to complain!!!
On a more serious note, you know what I’ve noticed? People miss the golden minute because they think they have to work hard to convince other people to buy.
“Would love to work with you.”
“Great! I’m awesome at this, I rock at that, I can give you everything you need.”
BAD MOVE. Try this instead:
“Would love to work with you.”
“Excellent. You can have X, Y or Z. Click here to confirm. Thank you!”
Damn you’re good!
I just needed to say that.
Thanks for the inspiration and the work ahead.
Damn you’re good!
Great post and information, definitely got me thinking, but I want to see pictures of the pink RV.
I’ve had that golden moment. If someone is offering the information I need, right then and there at a price I like, I’m sold. And more importantly, I’m HAPPY! It’s good to remember that when it comes to selling my own stuff. It’s funny that, when it comes to information I need, I’m willing to spend more money for immediate gratification than I would on a physical book.
P.S. Forgot to mention I’ve done the RV thing. I sported around the US for a couple of years in a vintage Toyota Dolphin. It’s important to master the (ahem) “blackwater” situation. Once you get that down, it’s a lot more fun.
Great advice. I should really spend today trying to work with this; at the moment, my sales page requires the Golden Quarter-Hour, I think. :)
This is awesome.
Also awesome? A pink tour bus with the IttyBiz logo. Like, awesome waffles with awesomesauce awesome.
Does this mean you’re giving up on the pink jet? I so hope not!
Great simple advice as always.
Under no circumstances am I giving up the pink jet. I just happen to also be in need of ground transportation. The jet is safe.
Need water transportation too?
You can come sail away with me anytime onboard my pirate ship Naomi.
All I have to say about it is that GirlPie is always right.
Oh this is so true – I see it in myself like that all the time too, but don’t think of it applying to my readers/visitors/fans.
Thanks for the reminder!
I’ve found that GirlPie is to blame for MANY wonderful things. :)
I liked reading this when it was (*cough*) exclusive (*cough*), and I liked reading it again just now. Excellent stuff to keep in mind.
Although I misread one line and had to back up…because I read it as “They are hungry and desperate and a little bit breathless…Have something for them, right at that minute. LUNCHES are great.”
Tough to push a sandwich through the Internet.
The idea of the Golden Minute is so breathlessly “right” and “right now” that I might have to hunt you down, lock you in your swanky new RV and claim it for my very own. Thank you for being much more generous than I, and sharing your fantabulous ideas with all of us.
Also, is GirlPie God? Has anyone seen them in the same place at the same time? I rest my case.
Thank You Girlie Pie. I am trying to come up with my golden moment idea right now.
As always, great stuff.
I’m getting ready (I’ve been getting ready FORever) to launch a blog (I spend most of my time writing for other people’s blogs) & I am taking your Golden Minute advice to heart. It wasn’t part of my plan to have something available fro download (free or otherwise) right off the bat, but I think I’ll make it a priority for this new project and my almost-ready-but-not-quite business site/blog. Very excited. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction and delivering that gentle kick in the aspedistra. ;)
You just gave me the title of MY eBook! Getting to the Ask: The Golden Shower Golden Minute.
It was when I read this that I just *put the damn product UP!*
Even this article was secret-ninja-copy wasn’t it?
*goes back to analyze…*
I’ve had that Golden Minute many times, I just never knew what to call it. Now I do, and now I will create my own. Thanks for the awesomeness, as always.
Wow … glad to know I’m not the only one who does everything @TheGirlPie tells me to do! :)
I couldn’t agree more with the ‘golden minute’ rule. I have lost many a prospective client b/c I did not immediately return their phone call.
RVs are badass!
This post just gave me a great idea for my brand new blog! Thank you Naomi.
And on the RV thing…is a teardrop trailer big enough for your crew? The thought of a pink one is adorably overwhelming. I’m lusting after one right now, but I seem to like the retro paint jobs, usually with a bit of aqua!
I hear you. I also do pretty much everything GirlPie says. She’s the reason you know me as Johnny B. Truant. Seriously.
If you paint that RV with the IttyBiz logo, it’s a tax deduction. Do it.
This little nugget will go to far better use than does cheap wine at a book party, however sundry we may be. [Note to self: bring better wine when Naomi's book launches.]
I’m just grateful for this link to paste into comments of other blogs when I lecture them on the $$ they missed when I couldn’t find any outlet for the GoldMo* they incited ~!
Bonus? Another swell example of your advice in action: you’re always telling us to listen to our audience. Your being open (here) to a lot of emails from nice people asking for something shows us: a) it’s okay to make exceptions;
b) audiences like feeling heard;
c) a taste of what’s on the special list might attract new sign-ups (let us know if you see a bump); and
d) you walk your talk. How refreshing.
Plus: how brilliant of you, as you enter the new online arena of “The Freewheeling RV Lifestyle!,” to share a post that is SEO heaven for the gazillions of others interested in RVs… Aside from searches, your stylish, useful comments on those RV Lifestyle blogs/sites will certainly lead that huge audience here… where they’ll certainly learn how to turn their RV trips into Itty Bizzes of their own with the help of your high-ROI products ~
You’re like a maui onion of marketing lessons: layers upon concentric layers of fresh, crisp, sweet/hot learning (that may bring a tear to your eye.)
Your pal,
the one who needs a keyboard with a word limit built into it,
~GirlPie
*GoldMo: If it’s a made-up word, it’s more easily trademarkable… be my guest, anyone?
PS: Looking forward to which part of your pink IttyBiz RV you name “The Golden Moment” ~
PSS: Seriously, I need that word-limit keyboard…
My husband and I went RV’ing in New Zealand for our honeymoon. It was the happiest, most epic-ly awesome vacation ever. We watched the spring lambs frolic in the countryside while we drove by, and we cooked bacon and eggs every morning in the RV. The best perk of an RV is that if you feel sleepy while driving, you can pull over and take a little snooze practically anywhere.
Love your blog!
Ooh, yes Shilpa, and a cup of tea too:) We bought a campervan (couldn’t really call it an RV) to travel round NZ too and it was excellent. I hope you bought the van too Naomi and not just the ebook, you’ll love it!
It used to be the Golden 90 seconds, but our attention span keeps getting shorter.
The golden minute has sold me heaps of e-books using that exact principle. When you take an article that is targeted to a specific niche and give the customer 95% of the answer they are looking for, they feel like it’s almost their duty to buy the product at the bottom just so they can hear the punchline.
This is also the theory behind the upsell as well. Most of us are terrible at the upsell, because the digital world is not as saavy at it as the person behind the real register.
There is no human contact. Sure you can add a pop-up at the last minute, or buying options, which will grab a bunch of extra cash, but there is no substitute for having that warm body in front of you, begging you to grab more beef jerkey, playing cards, or tampons.
You are so right, that this is the tiny moment where magic can happen. The customer is looking around to buy something, because they KNOW that they are on a commerical site. I think the “diammond in the rough” products on Ittybiz are a great example of this.
Good luck with your giant, pink camper.
-Joshua Black
The Underdog Millionaire
I don’t know how many times I’ve had that jittery, I must have it, I must have it now golden minute. If I could ever talk my hubby into going on the road, I’d be right there with you. Love the idea of ittybiz going on tour.
Please tell me your not moving!!!!!!
What would I do without you?
I’m not moving. I just might spend a few months of the summer on a bus. You and puppy are totally safe.
Hi Naomi, this is an excellent piece. Its the type of thing that they don’t teach you in school but yet it is one of those things thats profound beyond words.
Funny thing is that I’m a marketer myself and I’ve never really thought about this before. But after reading your post it becomes evident to me that at least 75% of my online purchases occurred within that golden minute.
Do you think that the Golden Minute is purely a product of the information age?
So that one “golden minute” is all it takes? What about relationship building stuff? All the cyber wining and dining and all it really takes is “Hi, buy this??”
I gotta go back to bed… :(
Dan
Hey Dan,
Its not saying that relationship building is bad its just a great example of someone who’s mastered the art of embodying one of life’s intangibles. To put it into perspective, are you willing to say that you have never made an impulse buy?
I wonder if there are any economists in the house right now? If there were they’d probably say that impulse buys represent irrational behavior.
Case in point, using myself as an example…Without fail whether I’m going to iTunes to browse or to listen to a track or album that I’ve heard about I always end up buying at least one album that I’d never even thought about before visiting iTunes. Did that artist build a relationship with me first? Nope, all it took was reading the first page of the artists reviews or listening to one or two track samples and that was all she wrote.
The perfect strategy would therefore include both tactics targeted at the little nuances of life such as the golden minute and the more predictive based techniques that assume consumers progress through certain stages before making a purchase.