One of the members of our Learning Community asked about how to do a “beta offer.”
What is usually meant by a “beta offer” is an early version of an offer that is run, sometimes at a reduced price, sometimes for free, for a variety of reasons. We’ve seen this in the world of apps, where you might get access to a free beta version of an app, when they are still working out the bugs, asking for feedback from the early users, before a wider release.
Beta is a not a specific thing
It’s really important to not let a word get in the way of our thinking about it. A “beta” isn’t a “thing.” If you create a new offer, you may just offer it as a regular offer. Offering it while calling it “beta” doesn’t fundamentally change anything about it, other than how you’re thinking about it, and how you’re asking your audience to think about it.
If you’re feeling uncertain about the offer, and want to test it with folks before you feel like you can stand behind it, that’s usually a good reason to call it “beta.” But that doesn’t make it a different animal. “Beta” speaks more to your perspective/framing of how you’re thinking about the offer, rather than anything in particular about the offer itself.
Regular offer: Hey, this is my offer! I stand behind it, and want you to take me up on it if it helps you.
Beta offer: Hey, this is an offer I’ve developed! I feel decently confident about it because of my experience and history, but I’m not 100% sure, I’m still testing/working out a few of the kinks. You can have it for a special price, and/or by agreeing to give feedback or a testimonial.
There are no rules about how one sells an offer in beta form. You can charge for it, or not. You can ask for a case study/testimonial feedback after, or not. You can do whatever you want.
Beta is not required.
You don’t *have* to do beta. It’s just a gentle way of releasing something new into the world, before committing to it fully. A lot of folks make a lot of noise about needing to be fully committed for something to be successful.
Hogwash. If you’re not confident, sure, sometimes it’s an internal thing from prior history. But sometimes you’re not confident because confidence isn’t justified. Unjustified confidence is an emotional lie, either to yourself, or to your audience, or both.
Embracing a lack of confidence, while also embracing a willingness to experiment and try something new, means that you have a great chance of ultimately becoming successful.
Where are you with your new offer?
So…. given all of that, I want to ask you the same that I asked of our community member– where are you in your relationship to this offer?
Some possible places people can land in relating to a new offer:
- I’m new at what I do, and I’m new at this kind of an offer, so I’m feeling really uncertain about the whole thing. In this case, many people offer a beta as a way to make themselves comfortable, to avoid feeling like they need to be super-confident when they aren’t, and to introduce it gently to friends and community to get help launching.
- I’m decently skilled and experienced at what I do, but this offer is a new format/approach/incorporates things I’m not entirely clear about. In this case, the business owner is just trying to test out a new format, and wants to get feedback to make sure it works the way they hope it will.
- I’m skilled and experienced at what I do, I feel confident about this new offer/format because I’ve experienced in other contexts and it’s worked really well, but it’s a departure from what my audience is used to getting from me. When a business owner has a lot of experience and confidence, but is taking a new direction which their audience may not be used to, a beta offer is a great way to test to see if the current audience will want it, without making a huge commitment to a new direction.
I’m sure these are not the only stances, but you can see that depending on your relationship to the new offer, you may choose to do your beta differently.
I’m so curious to hear what your experience is with beta, either offering a beta, or being on the receiving end of a beta.
With love,
Mark Silver, M. Div.
Heart of Business, Inc.
Every act of business can be an act of love.
Virtual Retreat October 22
Six times per year I hold a Virtual Retreat for our Learning Community. Maybe twice per year, I run one that just anyone can join.
These Virtual Retreats have a few intentions:
They clear out clutter in your heart and emotions, so that you can make clear decisions.
To support you in a deep dive spiritual practice.
To embrace the spiritual heart of your business, without needing to be productive, to let your heart find the path forward.
This is a surprisingly profound format that I’ve led more than 100 times since 2005.
It’s pay from the heart. You can attend as much or as little of the retreat day as you like. It will be gentle and nourishing, based in Sufi spirituality, while encouraging each participant’s deepening into their own personal path, whatever it is.
