You’ve got this launching thing down.
You did your first product launch – not a lot of sales, but your list grew, you’re getting rave reviews about your program. Yes!.
You are excited – a little pumped – and extremely proud of yourself. You feel like you finally “get it.”
But you’re feeling something else too.
EXHAUSTED.
You keep thinking, “I’m supposed to do this again?”
How are you supposed to turn back around and do another one? I mean really?
Another one? This year?
The emotional rocking that happens during a launch can’t really be understood until you go through it. Putting yourself out there, putting your energy into a launch, being open to that success or failure. It’s draining on so many levels.
And – if it’s draining for you – it’s draining for your customers too.
But you can avoid launch exhaustion easily.
With what I like to call – A PLAN. (shocker, I know!)
If you need help coming up with your vision and plan for the next 12 months, check out my Launch Planning Bundle, click here.
But since you're here and we’re slowly moving into the end of the year-get ready for next year mode…
Make sure to listen to this special episode of the Fearless Launching show, where I talk through 3 different ways to approach planning your launches.
Here are 3 choices to plan for a year of productive, profitable, and NON-EXHAUSTING Launches.
All you have to do is pick a path and make the plan.
*All these options assume you do have a product you consider your main/primary focus.
If you do not, you need to spend time listening to your audience, determining your own strengths and expertise, and then creating something for those people that sits in the middle!
Path #1: Signature + Upsells
Take your primary product and pick a date each quarter to launch.
Add another product/promotion to sell to the customers after they finish that signature product
Your focus is always on that MAIN product. In order for this to work, you need to give, give, give amazing value at each step of the process. So – even the way you end your program is important… so making the offer to that next product feels natural.
The simple tip is to keep asking yourself if you are taking care of people at every part of the program — the moment of purchase through the finish of the program.
Path #2: Evergreen + Upsells
Turn your main product into an evergreen program that can be on auto-launch.
Add another product/promotion to sell to the customers of that signature product.
Extra credit: Add a mini product offer inside your autoresponder series attached to your primary lead generation (opt-in) that leads them into the signature product.
Do the same thing each quarter. There’s a little on auto, a little on manual mode. You get to focus your attention on lead generation and building relationships with new people and maintaining the ones with your current customers. You’ll also have more time for outreach and tightening up the important systems.
Path 3: Put It All On Auto
Turn your main product into an evergreen program that can be on auto-launch.
Add an offer to your main product customer sequence to the next product they should take after the MAIN one.
Extra credit: Create a mini product and offer it in your opt-in autoresponder sequence. Then, also add emails that invite into your signature product.
Everything’s on auto – but your manual work – the work that matters, must happen in your free content. Your focus is on the marketing–content, outreach, ads (if you do that), pr. Plus, you’ll now have time to set up important systems like analytics and tracking.
Path 4: DYLP (design your launch plan)
Come up with a repeatable planned launch that will happen throughout the year. You choose the frequency – every 6 months, every quarter, once per year. You choose.
Then – pad in around that main launch other smaller promotion type launches – smaller ones that can feed into your bigger, more prominent offering.
Or – don’t pad it all. Just do the main launch. It’s up to you.
Keep it simple.
No matter what you do…
Spend some time TODAY thinking about how you can structure next year, so you don’t get exhausted, your customers will feel taken care of (and not smothered).
Why you cannot disappear when you automate
So you’ve got it made right? Products on autopilot. Money coming in while you sleep? Time to go on a 5-month sabbatical and go off the grid. HALT my friend.
Sadly, this is NOT the way it works.
As it turns out – the more auto your products are – the more hands-on free, valuable training you should do for leads, subscribers.
You need to be relevant, visible, and active to keep yourself established as an authority on your topic.
You need to be around, be active…and stay involved in the conversation.
You can’t just set it and forget it.
Sorry – I know…it’s a utopia we all start to wish for after doing that first really big tough launch.
Here’s How To Stay Engaged With A Hands-Free Product:
- Monthly calls for current customers
- Facebook group or forum for current customers
- Weekly email
- Updated toolkit/optin/tools/resources
- Regular blog posts
- Interviews
- Guest on Summits
- Guest posts
- A weekly free web show
- Quarterly free 15 minute sessions
- Local live workshops
- Free webinars
Time To Get Down To It
Step 1: Choose a path or make your own path – it doesn’t matter what you choose as long as you do make a plan for your promotions, launches, and other types of marketing campaigns.
Step 2: If you choose to automate your product launches, what actions will you take on a regular basis to make sure people know you are relevant, present, and an authority on your topic?
Are you interested in learning more about planning a year of launches? If you're ready to give yourself the gift of a vision for the new year, you'll head over here now and plan with me!
How do you do it? Reading my mind again. I just spent quite a bit of time last night thinking about how I want to move forward next year.
Evergreen and Autolaunch sound different but the same. Look forward to learning more about how to upsell.
oh yea baby, you are talking right to ME! Thank you for writing this post for ME! haha. I am deep in to the “what do I want next year to look like and FEEL like” mode. I know I’m having a Summit in June. and I know I’m leading 3 retreats. But need to know how I want to proceed with my eCourse, and other such stuff on the horizon. Thank you.
WOW-now THAT is a blog post…whew! So many excellent take-aways. Thanks so much, Anne. This is just chock-full of yumminess. Off to start planning…! (and yes, I’d love more info about a planning event w/you-thx!)
Yes! I would like to know more about this process….parts of it I’ve done…but don’t have a nice smooth sequence flowing yet. I am working with a coach but there is so much to learn!!! I am slowly getting the steps in place!
I have been planning like crazy…I am a super newbie, and still in the process of transforming my website and developing a few e-courses for 2013 (one smaller course for each quarter, and one main program I hope to have ready by the fall). So many decisions, and very nervous, but VERY excited to start and share with everyone…!! Yikes! 🙂
We’ll go over the differences of evergreen and autolaunch in the upcoming workshop I mentioned! But basically, one can live indefinitely because it covers universal, timeless themes. Autolaunch is on autopilot but still requires you to monitor performance. There is quite a bit of overlap in the two!
Kat – I told you before I’m a mindreader… and plus – I’m doing this work myself!
xo
Hahah! I love it. I’m so happy when I hear that you are spending time feeling it out – instead of thinking you have to be on the launch train ALL THE TIME.
BTW – isn’t it enough what you have planned right now? I’d ask yourself, when will you let yourself be enough?
We’ll talk about your ecourse in our session…next week, cool?
You got it Tanya. I’ll announce the date of that workshop. We’re going to do some hot seat planning too. 🙂
Kathleen,
I really think the slow steps get you there. Just keep taking them. Look for signs of change, improvement. You might not get hit by lightning or some huge relief…just keep taking steps to put the plan, the sequence and the flow of your schedule.
Read Kaizen – this is a great book that encourages those small steps.
xoAnne
1 decision at a time. 1 ecourse at a time. I love it.
Take your time. No one is pushing you to be more than you are right now.
Also – as you develop the courses, think about the format, your audience, ways to innovate and change the norm of how it’s done.
Hope to see you around more and can’t wait to see what you’ve got cooking!
I am getting ready to launch my first program and Im so excited. I don’t want to get burned out and exhausted before it starts. So, YES! I want to learn from you. I want on that coaching call in November and I want know how to plan for a non-exhausting 2013. Lets do this! Thank your for being awesome:)
Yay! I’ll let you know when it’s happening very soon!
So MANY take-aways from this post Anne, thank you! My wheels are spinning 🙂
Glad you liked it Devani!
Hope to see you again soon!
xoAnne
Anne! this is your best post, well maybe not the best because you give killer content all the time – IT ROCKS! I cannot believe you give this away for free, this is golden and amazing. Now all you gotta do is do it and have support like you. When is your next round of Fearless Launching? Do tell. Thanks again for giving so much. xo
Thanks Hillary! Glad you liked it!
Stay tuned for Fearless Launching!
Very timely post Anne as I am just sitting down to plan out my next year of launches… In the last couple of years I’ve gone from launching to evergreen and now I want to go back to quarterly launches again – or at least to a mix of the two with different products – but I want it all to be a lot more strategic! And planned!!
😉
Cathy
I’d love to know more about launch timing & the psychology behind when are, perhaps, better times to launch than others (are there better months during the year that tend to get better response rates & are there months one should avoid?) Thank you, Anne. Once again – you amaze & excite my inner entrepreneur….woohoo!
When the student is ready, the teacher appears. BAM! I found you at the exact right moment. I’d planned to do 2 new ebooks courses, and services next year. Reading the auotolaunch plan, I’m going pare that back & work t weaving it together for a better flow. Getting out my calendar to lay out the year right now in awrike ( another great suggestion) if you were here Anne I’d throw a huge hug on ya! Warmly Dina
Ps love your workshop title. Mine’s fearless Conversations! Xo Dina
Great post Anne. I’m getting ready to launch in Jan. I’m a newbie, but have built my website, have an auto responder that’s gathering names/prospects, am blogging 3 times a week (inc. a video blog), have set up a Group that meets monthly in London. I’ve got a signature giveaway product too – well maybe 2; I’ve been taught by Amy Porterfield, Nathalie Lussier & Marie Forleo, amongst others. And I’m a do-er!!! Def really interested in what you’re doing as you come so highly recommended & i’ve got a lot more learning to do 🙂
Tell me more! What are you getting ready to launch? How can I help you?
Check out the launch exhaustion post too – you can grab the webinar replay that I recently did!