Ever wanted a behind the scenes sneak peek into the launch process for a multi-million dollar online program?

We’ve JUST wrapped our final ever group intake of our high level group coaching program Launchpad, with our sixth and final launch.

Let’s peel back the curtains and talk about what goes into the uber-successful launches you see online.. and, also?

Why the “secret sauce” for success may NOT quite be what you think.

Breakdown of Our Launch Process:

Our Launchpad launches have essentially followed the same rinse and repeat launch process since our very first launch back in 2020.

Sure, we have tweaked and refined, added extras and done all of the things we recommend our own clients do with THEIR launches, but at its core? It’s the SAME launch.

Essentially, we run a private training with an application process.

So, we seek applications to our group program and anyone that is accepted is provided with access to a live private training with me where I break down our entire Launchpad methodology.

This sales process has traditionally resulted in FAR fewer applications than a traditional webinar, but the upside is that they are FAR more qualified and also far more likely to purchase.

Usually, we accept around 75% of applications (this is a result of having tight messaging that qualifies people before they even apply) and then from there, around 25% of our accepted applicants will enrol.

A large percentage of applicants from previous launches usually engage in our launches too, which means that on average we have around 100 applicants for any one launch.

Rinse and Repeat:

The first time we launched our program this way? It was a HUGE undertaking. We needed to create the assets, sales funnel, emails, webinar, post webinar follow up, social assets and more from scratch.

Not only that, but I was creating them with a 6-month old first baby who had JUST decided that sleep was optional.

The first launch felt heavy, and it felt hard. Still? We enrolled 40+ clients into our program and it was and still is our biggest launch ever.

Since that launch, we’ve essentially used ALL of the same assets.. launch after launch after launch. It’s come to feel SO light.

We simply duplicate a ClickUp project, the launch tasks and assets populate and 80% of the work is done. Even better, we’ve refined and have a completely reliable conversion rate, so we KNOW that if we can get a certain number of applicants?

We can RELY on a certain sales revenue number.

This launch played out EXACTLY as we’d planned it, and our conversion rates were almost the exact same as previous launches.

Other than our very first launch, our sales revenue has bounced between $250k and $350k a launch and as a result we have been able to make very reliably safe investments in our business which a good read on our current and forecast income.

The Launch Roller Coaster: Of course, having a reliable RESULT hasn’t changed the launch rollercoaster that every course creator (myself included) goes on with every launch.

Our cart opened on Thursday and closed on Monday, and we had a good number of waitlist sales prior to that point – so many, in fact, that I thought that our launch would BEAT our previous ones (and was worried about the delivery and additional team implications that would mean).

By Saturday, I knew my fears were unfounded.

Sales trickled, and I INSTEAD started worrying about getting ENOUGH sales. Again, unfounded – we closed the launch with the exact number we had last time, and all was right with the world.

Launching is a HUGE lesson in energy and emotional management, and every launch? I am reminded of that.

The Numbers: In this launch, we enrolled 24 clients. As always? Our TOUCHDOWN goal was 40, and our target was 25.

A few interesting facts:

• Payment plans: Interestingly, we had FAR fewer pay in full payments, which actually has had a knock on effect on resourcing which I hadn’t anticipated and we have needed to fund all of the resourcing requirements for this upcoming intake without yet having the cash in hand.
  
  This was, however, a pattern that started in our LAST launch. For all launches prior to then, we had 40% pay in full payments. Last launch was 22% and this launch was 16%.

• Cash collected: Our overall cash collected was far less than half of a usual launch, which represents partly the fact that this was a six month intake with a reduced six month price point and partly the greater number of payment plans.
  
  As a result?
  
  Our income for this year will be around the same as it was for last year, and it will be the first year our income overall hasn’t increased by 20-30%. This is something I SORT OF knew with the business decisions I have made lately, but seeing the reality in our business bank account was an entirely different thing!

• Application page: Our application page has pretty consistently converted at 12% for every single launch.
  This is the upper end of our benchmark, and just goes to show how reliably you can start to “bank” on well performing assets after a few launches.

Things that worked:

• Rinsing and repeating: We could have come up with a HUGE-EFFORT-REQUIRED fancy new launch mechanism for this launch, but we didn’t – and the result was still great.
  
  Often, there is a perceived association between NUMBER of sales and AMOUNT of work, and truly?
  
  After the first launch, that just isn’t the case. Yes, you need to do things to mix it up – for us for this launch, it was introducing our six month option and of course the urgency of the last group intake – but it didn’t require HUGE labour and hours.
  
• Personal DMs: Personally helping people with their questions in DM has always been a strategy we use, and it continues to pay off dividends.
  
• Secret upsells + downsells and relying NOT just on new sales: We AREN’T only reliant on front end sales to reach our revenue goals, and that brings a feeling of “lightness” to a launch.
  
  We ALSO make income from evergreen sales, renewals, upsells and downsells and it means that we need far fewer front end sales to reach our goals.

Things that didn’t:

• Not incentivising pay in full sales enough: I’ve touched on this enough, but it was a cash flow error!
  
• No time for affiliates: Usually, we really encourage our Launchpadders to promote the launch and it is a huge source of leads for us, this time we simply ran out of time.
  
  Some of our clients did it anyway, and we had applications from their audience.

So, there you have it! A bit of an insight into our FINAL EVER Launchpad launch.

The secret to big launches?

Doing more of what works, and optimising what doesn’t, based on data.

That’s it.

The secret to OUR success.

Keep Listening!

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