Yes, I launched my program, Flourish + Thrive, made $27k during this crazy Coronavirus pandemic.

This is not to make you compare or brag – I want to show you that you CAN launch a high-ticket program or service during this time, regardless of what others might say or think. And you can pivot during a launch too.

Here are some quick facts about the launch, so you understand what was going on:

• The expectation was to generate 38-40k from this launch.
  
• This launch was planned over 3 months ago, built around a previous program I wanted to create.
  
• I have a background in sales.
  
• There was a VIP option and a regular option. I modeled this after multiple group programs.
  
• There was a 10-day cart open/cart close. Most of this happened on Instagram.
  
• I had a particular person in mind with specific problems in their business that this was aimed toward. 
  
• I used countdown timers, polls, and a waitlist as a part of my strategy.

Now let’s dive into what I did, how I did it, and some tips for you to implement when launching a coaching program in the future:

Be Flexible With Your Payment Plans

I hired an OBM during this time and am continuing to expand my team. I haven’t had to back out of a single contract and continued to pay my coaches on time. As a coach, I no longer have things on my plate so I can show up where I need to be. 

The point here? Don’t fall into the trap of this idea that people aren’t willing to invest during this pandemic. 

Three days into the launch, I had to pivot to offering payment plans with flexible deposits. Instead of the original $1200 payment plan, I created an extended payment plan that only required a $100 deposit upfront to secure their spot. Then, it broke down to $720 per month for five months. This helped get people in the door knowing they wouldn’t have to make quite as large of an investment. 

This contributed to most of the success of my launch. 

You, too may have to be open to the idea of adjusting payment plans to allow people to invest when they otherwise wouldn’t right now if they had to pay in full. 

I created an exit clause for clients as well if they were unable to make payments. I wasn’t going to hold people to contracts during a time when money is tight for a lot of people. 

Sell in the DMs

Flourish + Thrive spots were filled by my selling exclusively in the DMs. That’s right – I didn’t have to hop on a single sales call. 

How? I positioned my content on Instagram to talk heavily about the program and this launch so it was visible to my audience. It wasn’t something that just came out of the blue. This made it easy to start conversations in the DMs and get people on board.

Outsource Where You Can!

In the middle of launching this program, I brought in an OBM who helped me execute this launch successfully. I also had a graphic designer who did everything for me on the sales page and every graphic you saw related to the Flourish + Thrive launch.

My coaches were behind-the-scenes with me as well, checking everything I was posting and helped with planning. 

I could not have done it without any of their help. Period.

Warming Up Your Audience for the Launch

Before even launching the program, I warmed my audience to the program for two whole weeks. Within that, I banked on story takeovers.

How I set this up: I had a folder, my slides ready with captions, and I told them when to post them. I also banked on the fact that I have been doing a lot of community building so I could get crazy visible during the launch.

Some social proof for you that this works: Before the launch, I was averaging around 600-800 views on my profile. During the launch, I began to consistently sit around 11,000 profile views. 

 Another factor that plays a massive role in warming your audience is building and promoting your landing page like crazy. This is how you collect emails and funnel them into the community. I redirected my landing page to the private Facebook group after they signed up. 

The last factor in warming – and the most common mistake people make during this time – is showing up CONSISTENTLY. I talked about this offer 5x a day for 10 days. 

Be Aware of the Mid-Launch Slump

What the public didn’t see was my meltdown. Was I crying, telling my coaches I didn’t know if I could do this? Yes. 

But here’s the thing: My coaches came in with solutions and support. This is why I tell people to have a coach during a launch, because you WILL have a mid-launch slump. This is my third launch, and melting down isn’t a part of my personality. But launching in the middle of a pandemic was new to me. 

I could have quietly exited my launch and forget the whole thing. Instead, I decided to look for solutions that would tip people into committing to Flourish + Thrive. It is a make or break moment in your launch and business. 

Entrepreneurship is not for the faint of heart, and you’ll be unsure at times. Ask for help!

Launch a Program that Will Stand the Test of Time

Stop launching a program that you don’t love just to fill seats and make money. Flourish + Thrive will be an offer that I won’t remove.  

Simple as that, but super important. 

Am I happy that I finished this launch? Absolutely.

Is it a pride thing? Absolutely. 

I could go on and on with more tips, but these are some of the most important and non-negotiable keys to launching successfully – pandemic or not. 

What questions do you have about launching? What struggles are you running into with launching right now? Leave them in the comments!