Live product launching may seem like a no-brainer. That’s how tons of other entrepreneurs sell their products, right?
James Wedmore, Marie Forleo—they launch only once or twice a year! Sure, once you’ve been successfully in business for 10–15 years and made a name for yourself, a once- or twice-per-year launch may work just fine. But…you’ll notice that they’ve both added additional programs that you can purchase throughout the year, too. Why? Because launching just once or twice a year isn’t cutting it!
You already know this, but it’s a good reminder: Just because other people are doing something doesn’t mean it’s the best way to run your business. Before you go “all-in” on live product launching, you need to truly understand the (ahem, unnecessary) risks you’re bringing to your business.
Live Launches Are a Financial Gamble
With a live launch—and whether you kick it off with a webinar, a challenge, a four-part video series, or whatever—your entire audience is on the same enrollment period. So, while there’s the potential for major revenue gains, it’s also why live product launching is so risky.
Imagine gambling your entire revenue (and your salary—and your team’s salaries) on one or two weeks per year. And you’re choosing those weeks blindly! What happens if there’s a major event or social upheaval or large-scale health issue or, heck, even a massive weather pattern? People’s attentions are turned away from purchasing and you’ve lost your opportunity to sell.
And let’s talk about the people who find you and your offering outside of your launch week.
You’re betting that your audience, whenever they opted in to your list, is willing to wait three or even six months to purchase something. Sure, there are SOME people who fall into that camp. But think about it: When you identify that you need something, how long willing are YOU to wait?
What’s much more likely is that people will sign up for your list and—if they don’t have the option to purchase your solution from you pretty soon after they find you—they’re going to Google and they’re finding another solution.
And, with a lot of live launching tactics, you’re also betting that your audience is able and willing to accommodate your schedule. “Find out about this offer between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. EST next Thursday.” Goodbye, prospective international buyers! Fingers crossed our West Coast friends can join us!
Live Product Launching Is Stressful
If the financial gamble wasn’t stressful enough, the days and weeks leading up to the launch are unnecessarily tense. The logistics, the ads, the schedules, the landing pages, the emails, the integrations—you’ve got ONE CHANCE to get it right. No wonder it’s stressful!
On top of that, you’re putting all kinds of time and energy into people who haven’t paid you anything. You’re constantly coming up with new content, programs, and challenges for your audience with 0 guarantee they’ll purchase from you when the time comes.
And when you’re always thinking about the next launch, you’re always thinking about what freebie or challenge or event you can create for this not-yet-purchaser audience.
Think about it: Who deserves all that time and attention and content? The people who HAVE paid you!
Live Launching Leaves Little Room for Iteration
When you’re only launching a couple of times per year, you only have the chance to use anything you learn four to six months later when you relaunch.
And this almost completely eliminates the opportunity to make the tiny changes that can have a massive impact on your revenue. For example, our team has tested button colors on our sales page to see if color impacts clicks (it does). We also test headline copy, subject lines, email messaging, CTAs, and more.
Being able to continuously test even the tiniest elements on each step of the funnel allows you to see major increases in open rates, click through rates, and, ultimately, purchases. Even a 2% increase in opt-ins can be a game-changer!
Only being able to iterate once a year, though, means it’s monumentally slower for you to see what works and what doesn’t. You may be sending your entire audience through a launch sequence that performs so much worse than it should.
The Stress-Free Alternative to Live Launching
While live launches are stressful and a gamble, they’re also really exciting. You’re able to connect with your audience, show your expertise, and build your KLT (know, like, trust) factor. That high energy of the live event can often lead to higher conversions.
But what if you could capture that excitement, that energy, and those conversions—without the high stress and risk to your revenue?
The Circuit Sales System is designed to do just that—giving you the consistency of evergreen with the excitement, energy, and urgency of a live launch.
Once you have the system in place, growth is just a matter of turning the dials. The more people you have entering your Circuit, the more sales you’ll see coming out—on repeat, on autopilot, and as long as you want it to.
And then if you want to add live events on top of your Circuit, great! But they’re not a must.
Learn more about building your own Circuit >>
Watch more
The pressure of a once-a-year live launch became too much for entrepreneur and CSS student Ruth Soukup. Check out Ruth’s full story to find out how implementing a Circuit allowed her to tack back the reins of her business, get the right people into her programs, and drive more conversions.
Your Turn!
What do you love or loathe about live product launching? Tell us in the comments!