This is Part I in a 3 Part Series, because there are basically 3 parts to a product launch.

So, let’s start by answering the question I get most often: When should I begin marketing my new cannabis product? The answer is 90 days prior to the “official launch” of the product.

The first phase of a product launch is called “discovery”. You have to figure out what it is your audience will buy, so you maximize the probability of purchase.

The second phase is the build up… build up anticipation and knock down rejection before you get to the third phase, the sales phase. When you launch your cannabis product you want to get sales, not just a slow trickle.

These articles are written to get you there.

So how does discovery take place? Well, it’s taken me awhile to figure this out, but it’s a solid method. Nothing can happen with a cannabis product without the discovery phase. It’s critical. I think it’s the most important part, but often overlooked. It just comes down to asking the right questions and listening to people who hit your target avatar. You have to ask your target, not your family and friends. You have to start from a position of understanding what your intended audience is feeling and thinking when it comes to their needs and wants. That’s how you create value.

So, what questions to you ask? Well, it depends, but here are 6 that will get you started:

1. If you could wave a magic wand and get any result when it comes to _________ , what would it be. Now, when this question is answered, it needs to be specific. Your job is to close that bridge.

2. Picking up from the above answer… what is the thing that I can do that helps them approximate or reach that magic wand result in their mind?

3. Why haven’t they met that result? There is a gulf between, and in that gulf is a myriad of frustrations and life.

4. What have you tried so far to get that result?

5. What would it mean to you if you achieved that result? How would it affect your life?

6. What would it mean if another year went by and you didn’t achieve that result?

In other words what will doing nothing cost you? These questions will allow you to read the mind of your audience. You want people to say, “Whoa, this is what I’ve been looking for”. You will be amazed to see the consistency in the answers for these questions.

I think it was Steve Jobs that said, “When you can describe your customers pains better than they can, that’s when you win, that’s when you will create something good”. So, what happens when you don’t know enough people for such questions, well, use your social media by posting a survey.

You can also look at Amazon. Look at the one and two star product reviews and see what people say is missing. The same goes for the higher star reviews, to see what it is that people like about the product. Be creative to get these questions answered.

Throughout your journey as a cannabis entrepreneur, you will have to bring yourself back to this mindset. Be prepared, because the purpose, at times, will be foggy. Discovery is all about open-ended questions. Just LISTEN.