The Top Tip for a Successful Launch [for service-based & coaching online entrepreneurs]

You’ve heard the stories.

 

The stories about the people who tried to launch and no one bought. Where they put ALL of this time/money/energy into live launching their coaching container or their new service, and heard crickets. Where they tried to pretend that everything was great when in reality only 1 person signed up to their group coaching program.

 

You’ve also heard the stories of people who have 6-figure launches. Who sell out their group program before the cart even closes. Whose very first launch somehow (purportedly) net them $50k cash.

 

I know you’ve heard the stories. You might have even lived some of them.

 

And I know that sometimes, especially when you haven’t formally “launched” before, the whole concept can be terrifying.

Because what if you end up like the first group of people?

Potentially even more terrifying (especially for your inner child) when you really stop to consider it: what if you end up like the second?

 

Now, there is so. much. information. out there about how to launch, and there are absolutely some true experts in this space.

And while I do teach how to launch inside of EXPAND: Level 1 , I’ll leave the entire “how to launch” conversation for another day, and instead give you the most valuable strategy I have to help you create a successful launch (aka one that actually sells your stuff).

Are you ready for it?

The Top Tip for a SUCCESSFUL Launch of Your Online Services & Coaching Programs

(Even if it’s your very first launch!)

But first: the 7 Phase Transformational Journey

Before we get into the depths and details, there’s one thing you really need to understand: the Transformational Journey, the system I use to align your Offers, Messaging, Marketing and Sales Strategy so that anything you sell will be an “easy YES!” for your true Ideal Customer.

I go more in-depth with the Transformational Journey in S1E2 of my podcast, Selling Chocolate, but here are the 7 phases of the Transformational Journey as a quick refresh:

• Phase 1: Your customer doesn’t know they have a problem
• Phase 2: They realize they have a problem
• Phase 3: They begin to “dip their toe” into solving the problem
• Phase 4: That “toe-dipping” solution doesn’t solve the whole (or potentially even any of the) problem
• Phase 5: They hit a “rock bottom” moment (“why is nothing working?!”)
• Phase 6: They are catalyzed out of the rock bottom, and they are now ready to invest whatever time/energy/money they need to in order to fully transform
• Phase 7: They solve their whole problem and they fully transform

As I said before, I go in-depth on how the Transformational Journey relates to every element of your Sustainable Sales System in S1E2 of my podcast, Selling Chocolate, and I even show you how you can use this framework to create an Offer Suite that sells with ease in S1E3.

Tune in to Selling Chocolate on your favorite podcast listening platform here.

You’ll still be able to get immense value out of this article even without fully understanding this system, but when you understand the Transformational Journey and how it relates to your Offer Suite and Messaging in particular, you’ll be able to go even deeper with what I’m about to present to you and therefore have an even more successful launch.

Alright, now we can get into the meaty stuff!!!

 

Begin With the End in Mind

Before you actually get into the launch planning process (& therefore before this tip I’m about to tell you is relevant), you have to actually know what you are launching.

Seems obvious, I know, but…you’d be surprised 😉

I’d also recommend doing the work to understand whether what you’re selling is a Phase 3 Offer or a Phase 6 Offer (explained in S1E3 of Selling Chocolate podcast), because that will influence this next part: you need to know what the Transformation is of that Offer.

 

When I say “what the Transformation is,” I essentially mean: what is your Ideal Client getting from or as a result of this offer? There’s some additional nuance to this conversation on Transformations, but this will suffice as a starting place.

For example, the Transformation of my 4-month group coaching program, , is that you will create your first $8.3k-10k month while laying the foundations for your sustainable success. (btw, this is a Phase 6 Offer)

The Transformation of my self-paced marketing course, Marketing, Magnified, is to create content that connects with and converts your audience into paying, soul-aligned clients and customers. (Phase 3 Offer)

Basically, in EXPAND: Level 1, you’re getting the foundations for sustainable success (that will help you create your first $8.3k-10k+ month). In Marketing, Magnified, you’re getting the foundational formulas that will help you write content that connects and converts. This is the Transformation.

 

Once you have your Transformation in mind—even if it’s only 70-80% “done” and you’re still going to want to edit it some—you can then implement this “top tip” (if you know me at all, you know I hate using the word “tip”—I just can’t think of a better word right now lol) to ensure you actually have a successful launch event.

 

Finally: THE Top Tip for a Successful Launch

I’ll tell you the tip first, and then I’ll tell you what I mean by it.

The Transformation of your Conversion Event needs to be a sub-transformation (what I often call a “micro-transformation”) of the Transformation of your Offer.

That was a lot of “transformations,” so hang with me.

 

Most live launches include some sort of live event (often called a Conversion Event), whether that’s a 3-day Challenge, an Open House, a Workshop, you get the picture.

And where people often go wrong when they are launching, is that they either…

1. Make the Transformation of this smaller Conversion Event the same as the Transformation of their Offer (which is a HUGE no-no, for many reasons, not least of which is that your audiences’ brain is going to pick up on the fact that there is NO WAY this free or $97 one-hour workshop is going to get them a Transformation that actually takes 3 months to get inside a group program), OR
2. Don’t align the Transformation of this smaller Conversion Event with the Transformation of their Offer (aka the direct opposite of today’s top tip), leaving a disconnect and forcing a “logic jump” between the Conversion Event and the Offer

Some people also don’t have a Transformation at all for their Conversion Event, but that won’t be you now that you’re here hanging out with me 😉

 

Think about it this way: if I put on a Conversion Event, let’s say a 1-hour workshop, called, “Create Sustainable Success in Your Business,” you might attend because you like me and sustainability sounds like something you want, sure.

But there’s also something a bit “off” with what I’m promising here. Are you going to leave this one hour and have a fully sustainable business? No. And now I’ve just lost a bit of your trust.

Then, say inside that Conversion Event, I start promoting my offer, , which has the Transformation of “create your first $8.3k-10k+ month while pouring the foundations for your sustainable success.”

Well now your brain is confused, because it’s like, “But wait, I thought I was learning how to create sustainable success here, in this workshop? Now you’re telling me this isn’t enough, and I have to do more?”

And now I’ve lost even more of your trust, making it even harder for me to convert from this event.

 

On the contrary, if I put on a Conversion Event in the form of a live workshop called, “How 6-figure Biz Owners Get More Leads” (which I did earlier this year—you can catch the replay here), your brain is like, “Oh hey, that’s for me! I need more leads!” And because it has a pretty fair idea of what you’re actually going to GET from this event, you’re now more likely to actually follow through and attend said live workshop.

I have your trust and attendance? Check 1!

Then, in the event, when I start talking about my 4-month group coaching program, , which has the Transformation of “create your first $8.3k-10k+ month while pouring the foundations for your sustainable success,” your brain will be like, “Well now that I’m learning how to get more leads, I also want to be able to successfully sell to and convert those leads, which is part of what Carly will help me with inside of EXPAND.”

I’ve garnered even more of your trust, because I’ve followed through on what I said I was going to do (show you how 6-figure biz owners get more leads), and I have a potential conversion happening. Check 2!

 

The Results

In this second scenario, I have successfully positioned the Transformation of my Conversion Event as a micro-transformation of the Offer I am selling via the Conversion Event. In doing so, I have…

• Positioned my Offer as the logical next step, making it easier to actually sell
• Garnered a lot of trust from my audience, who now perceives me as an expert who can actually help them solve their problems, making it easier to actually sell
• And can actually feel good (& not sleazy) about selling because I know that I am really serving my audience by giving away real value and I know that they’re going to get even more value inside of , making it easier to actually sell

 

But does this actually work?

Well, let me see.

There’s my client who held her first Conversion Event and got 4 people into a 4-figure group coaching program, plus two 1:1 clients off the back of the increased visibility that came from the launch.

Or the one who got 8 people into a live round of her first ever course and filled her entire 1:1 roster as a result of a Conversion Event.

Or the one who got 6 people into her very first paid Conversion Event.

Or the one who got 8 people into her brand new membership as a result of a Conversion Event.

Not to mention my countless personal stories of converting from Conversion Events (like the time I had an $80k month with about half of that revenue coming directly from a Conversion Event).

 

In short: aligning the Transformation of your Conversion Event with the Transformation of your Offer makes it easier for your audience to see investing in your Offer as the logical next step, which then makes it easier for you to actually sell that Offer from that Conversion Event (& the ensuing launch).

 

This strategy of creating a “micro-transformation” that positions your Offer as the next logical step also works for things like:

• Free lead magnet → Offer
• Group Coaching → 1:1 Coaching
• Phase 3 Offer → Phase 6 Offer
• Summit or Podcast topic → Free lead magnet or paid Offer
• Blog post, TikTok, YouTube video, or any other form of content → Free lead magnet or paid Offer

…you get the idea.

Basically: anywhere you can, align your Transformations so the “first step” your customer would take (like signing up for your free lead magnet) is a micro-transformation of the Offer that’s getting sold from that “first step.”

 

A final look at the WHOLE picture

Of course, there are more pieces to the puzzle of “success” than just creating good messaging by aligning the Transformations for a Conversion Event.

• There’s creating an Offer that your people actually want, and positioning that Offer at the right phase along the Transformational Journey as well as knowing how to talk about it in the way your customer would talk about it, not in the way you as an expert might talk about it (this is what I refer to as “broccoli vs. chocolate”).
• There’s knowing how to market a Conversion Event, an Offer, and/or a Launch, so that you effortlessly and exclusively attract in your truly aligned Ideal Customer (& therefore don’t have to waste your time on things like justifying your price points or trying to convince someone that they need what you sell).
• There’s being equipped to intentionally, authentically, and consistently sell, which I’ll tell you right now, most people who have not yet created their first $10k+ month need support with and real strategy for.
• …and honestly, a good amount more.

And that’s exactly what I help with inside .

 

EXPAND: Level 1 is a 4-month Group Coaching program helping you create your first $8.3k-10k+ month while pouring the foundations for your sustainable success.

Including monthly Group Coaching, strategy “deep dive” workshops, the last Training Library you’ll ever need again (yes, seriously), and more, EXPAND: Level 1 is for the person who wants to expand their visibility, impact, and income so they can…

1. Lay the foundations for genuinely sustainable success in their business so they can operate from their zone of genius and blow past their upper limits (p.s. “sustainable success” = consistent 5-figure months doing work you love doing in the way you love doing it)
2. Streamline & simplify their offers into ones they LOVE selling and their audience LOVES to buy, so they can skip comparisonitis and find freedom to carve out their own lane as the exact type of business owner and person they’ve always wanted to be
3. Find the right words that’ll easily (& not sleazily!) sell their stuff so they focus on growing their audience of truly aligned customers, delivering a stellar experience with their brand, and scaling their business exactly how they want to
4. Develop their strengths-based marketing strategy so they can find more ease and flow in their sales process, and come to actually enjoy content creation (or have the money to outsource it if they’re too far gone for that!)
5. Learn to sell with so much ease that they feel confident telling their grandma, their potential customer, and everyone in between what they’re selling, why it’s so great, and how much they’re charging for it (& therefore make more sales than ever before!!)

 

If you’re ready to create your first $8.3k-10k+ month, and you want to do so sustainably, then , and apply to join here.

 

To your sustainable success!

Carly Jo #WholeCo