Need Help with Testing my Muse

[mcgordon8750]

So, I've got my Muse and it's similar to the example used in the book about the girl who is selling the yoga DVD for climbers. I'm stuck on something right now and was hoping someone could give me some suggestions.

I'm going to run an Adwords campaign to test my muse. I haven't created my product yet but I have all the necessary components to create a webpage. I plan on capturing emails in exchange for some free information. I want to test the idea BEFORE I start filming the DVD, which I could likely have ready quickly.

So here's where I'm hung up for the moment. Once I get people to the page and they read about this great DVD and want it, how do I then tell them that it's not available right now? How do you get around this issue, without upsetting people and still be able to test your idea?

Any suggestions or help is GREATLY appreciated. Thank You


Long live the 4HWW!

[dvdwlsh]

Simply create a purchase page and, rather than allowing a visitor to complete the order, bounce them to a page that mentions it's unavailable. Track the conversions to this page and you'll have a rough idea of the demand for your product.

I wrote up a case study that covers this, and it may answer your questions. In Part 1, check out the section titled "Accepting orders… without accepting orders."

http://www.muselife.com/2009/01/creating-audio-mixologist-part-1/
http://www.muselife.com/2009/01/creating-audio-mixologist-part-2/

David

[kamakiri]

Use the example from Tim's test page at http://www.brainquicken.com/pxmethod.html I use the same thing for for my test site. Go to Game Brain (http://gamebrain.us), and try ordering the product. I use the point of determining what payment type you will use as a sale, and tally the data that way.

If you are worried about making people unhappy that you don't have the product, don't. People can rarely find the same web page twice in a day, let alone a week later, so you might make a few unhappy, but as I have said before the internet is a big place. Google isn't going anywhere, and the people searching for your product aren't going to go away, unless it is a DVD on how to speak Sumerian or something like that.

Do your test, calculate the results, and move on from there. Be mercenary, and don't look back.

[Teiato]

Simply create a purchase page and, rather than allowing a visitor to complete the order, bounce them to a page that mentions it's unavailable. Track the conversions to this page and you'll have a rough idea of the demand for your product.

I wrote up a case study that covers this, and it may answer your questions. In Part 1, check out the section titled "Accepting orders… without accepting orders."

http://www.muselife.com/2009/01/creating-audio-mixologist-part-1/
http://www.muselife.com/2009/01/creating-audio-mixologist-part-2/

David

Hey Nice Case Study!