Launching Strategies for Coaches, Digital Sellers + Physical Products
Episode 450: Show Notes
Have you heard about the virtual party we are having at the moment? One that you are all invited to? It is super easy to get in on the fun! All you need to do is leave a rating and review on our podcast and go share it on Instagram. You then stand a chance to win an awesome prize: either free access to our popular Trello for Business course or a free month to the Creative Template Shop!
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Today we are talking about launching various types of business, sharing a bit about what we are doing with the Creative Template Shop, and what the different avenues of our business entail. We sell courses, run a membership, sell products, and run a coaching business, so between all of that, things can get intense! We are always curious about the behind-the-scenes of a launch and what people are having success with, but the truth is, there are no guarantees. There is no perfect equation. At some point, you just have to jump. What is more important is taking an approach that you feel aligned with and excited about because your enthusiasm and confidence is what will win people over. In this episode, we break down a few strategies that we have used in our various businesses to help us grow—the kind of intel you do not want to miss out on!
What It Takes to Make A Membership Work
Considering the incredible growth we are seeing with our Creative Template Shop Membership, let’s kick off with this one. We launched in January and have since done a launch every month during which we release new templates, and in-between we also drop random bonuses, so we have done about 10 launches for the Shop. It is a $47 membership where you get to unlock unlimited downloads of marketing templates and collateral that you need for your business. But the kind of launches we have done for the Shop is completely different from any other launch, and not only because we launch so frequently. There are two types of ways you might launch a membership: an open membership model or a closed membership model. You see the latter more often in the online space where a membership opens for a set period and then it closes. This is good for when you have a sense of urgency and need to get more people in the door quickly. However, there are ways of creating urgency around memberships that are always open. You might be offered to join an open membership but get something extra if you subscribe at a specific time. This is what we are trying to do with the Shop. We are on a mission to grow our membership to 500 members, and instead of doing an internal promotion, we are externalizing the process by sharing the numbers and testimonials along the way. When we get to our goal, we are rewarding members in a big way! The point is this: even if you have an open model, you still need to have launch plans in place and prepare to constantly remind your audience about your offer. We do this mostly on Instagram stories, in our Facebook group, and through email.
Let’s Talk About Coaching
Abagail has been running her group coaching program since last fall and she has only done two big public launches. Other than that, it has always been open and she would connect with people when they inquired about it. Her secret to creating hype around it involves showcasing people’s stories. Stories have been so vital to her business, not only her own story but also the stories of her clients and members. It is easy to talk about all the amazing things you can offer, but having other people testify about it is so much more believable and impactful. Abagail has shared her story of losing 100 pounds with her husband in one year as well as how her clients with various autoimmune conditions and weight struggles have succeeded. The challenge for her was respectfully sharing these stories. She did not want to make the women feel uncomfortable, yet she wanted to share their progress and hard work. She went on a mission to find out everything that had changed for her clients and did that by personally messaging each of them. It was about having conversations and phone calls. She was blown away with how effective the community was. These stories helped women relate to women other than herself because people want to hear stories that speak to them specifically. Instead of focusing only on her program and all the benefits for members, Abagail just put out all the stories of how women were affected. This has worked super well since she is currently signing up a new client every day!
Why Sharing Your Process is An Effective Strategy
We’ve been working with students for years and we’ve always said to people with physical, product-based businesses that no one is buying your thing for the candle or coffee cup, they are buying it for the connection they have with you and for what you stand for. Emylee truly experienced this herself when she started her product-based business. When you sell something like earrings, you are not changing people’s lives in significant ways like you do when you offer weight loss coaching or a course, so how do you get people to buy your stuff? What Emylee has learned is that people support her business because they like to support her. They like to see the process and the impact the work has on her life and how it is unfolding. Of course, she does make really beautiful earrings too—but that alone was not going to cut it! There is something powerful about showcasing your learning curve and your process, the behind the scenes of the physical product. Emylee purposefully lets people in on this part of her life and it is this they keep coming back for. For product-based businesses, there is also a big chance that someone will try to copy your idea, but do not be worried about this! At the end of the day, people are drawn to you, not your product, and they will still be impressed by your craft. You can also still invest in other people in your industry and support them even if you offer similar things.
From “Cut What Is Not Working” to “Cut What Is Not Fun”
You have often heard us and other people advise you to drop what is not working and stick to what is, but we are changing it to, “Cut what is not fun.” Why? Because it can be difficult to determine exactly what is or is not working, while you know what feels good and what does not. And it boils down to the same thing. Maybe the reason why it is not working is that it is not fun, simple, or easy. This is not because the strategy is wrong or because it does not work for someone else, but for you, in your business, in the season you are in, it might not be the right thing. When considering whether something is fun, simple, and easy, think about your skills, capacity, and goals and how easy or hard it is to implement the idea. Sometimes you just need to get out of your own way. A huge part of us simplifying this year involved changing our mindsets about what simplifying meant. Just because you decide to keep things simple, that does not mean your business is faring worse or is not as valuable. Simplicity can be profitable: you do not need a big team to have a big impact. When you start doubting yourself, you can easily fall into the trap of trying to do what everybody else is doing instead of what feels good to you. You can also wrongly believe that ‘easy’ means you are not working hard enough. We often convince ourselves things have to be hard and complicated but this is not true. Yes, initially you might have to ‘do it scared,’ but there comes a time when you should feel settled in your business and not be anxious every day. The reason why mindset matters so much is that you affect other people whether you realize it or not.
Hush the Doubtful “Not Enough” Voice
Abagail recently started her email list and it has been great, but she has to constantly stop herself from beating herself up about not doing enough. She worries she is not creating enough blog content or emails, but the truth is her audience knows they have to follow her on Instagram if they want daily updates. When you sign up to her email list, the welcome email tells you to go follow her on social media since this is where she hangs out. In that context, who cares if her audience does not get an email for two weeks if they are engaging her on Instagram every day? Emylee experiences the same doubt regarding whether she has done enough. And a good question to ask yourself is, “For what?” The things that fall off your to-do list typically fall off for a reason, and maybe you should let it be because they are probably not going to have the impact you think they will. Will two more blog posts really move the needle? Will making three pairs of earrings turn you into a billionaire? While it is great to have aspirations to do more, consider whether doing those things from a place of anxiety will truly be fruitful. Should you be chasing after all the things at once? You will not have fun doing any of it when you are stressed out and you’ll miss out on the joy of the journey.
Give Yourself Some Credit—Or We Will!
If you need accountability intimidation, we are speaking to you, girlfriend! You do not give yourself enough credit. You have worked really hard to do what you have done in your life and business, so you deserve to get what you want. Nobody apart from you needs to understand why you do what you do. You are amazing and capable, and you can launch and relaunch your business and feel good about the steps along the way. And if you completely change your mind and start over, that is fine too! If you need someone to push you, we are here. We might be sassy and tell you things to your face that might surprise you for a second, but we want you to succeed. We started this business to help women make more money, take care of their families, and go on vacation. You deserve to reward yourself, buy things you like, and live the life you want. So, go do just that. Before you go, be sure to go check out our Instagram highlight called “Our Trip to the Moon” so you can see our progress to reach our goal of 500 Shop members by July 31st, 2020.
Quote This
We find that the people who are most successful are not afraid of doing what is working over and over again.
Highlights
What It Takes to Make A Membership Work. [0:05:38.1]
Let’s Talk About Coaching. [0:12:09]
Why Sharing Your Process is An Effective Strategy. [0:17:02.1]
From “Cut What Is Not Working” to “Cut What Is Not Fun”. [0:25:01.1]
Hush the Doubtful “Not Enough” Voice. [0:35:19.1]
Give Yourself Some Credit—Or We Will! [0:41:34.1]
ON TODAY’S SHOW
Abagail & Emylee
The Strategy Hour Podcast
We help overwhelmed and creative entrepreneurs break down their Oprah-sized dreams to create a functioning command center to tame the chaos of their business. Basically, we think you’re totally bomb diggity, we’re about to uplevel the shiz out of your business.
KEY TOPICS
Launching, Memberships, Coaching, Product-based businesses, Stories, Process, Creative Template Shop, Trello for Business
