How To Have A Launch That Respects Your Energy

Sara: Welcome back to the launch playbook podcast where this week I'm thrilled to welcome Tasha booth founder and CEO of the launch Guild, for business owners who want to stay in their zone of genius, and outsource all the nitty gritty parts of their launch. Every week on the podcast, we share strategies for launching that have worked and failed, both expected and unexpected. So we can listen to the show, and walk away with a strategy or two to try or avoid for your next launch. That's why I'm so excited to welcome Tasha today. Through her agency, she's worked on hundreds of launches, and she's going to share some of her biggest takeaways. Welcome, Tasha.

Tasha:  Thank you so much for having me. I'm excited to be here. Yay.

Sara: I'm so geeked out of it. Okay, so as someone who's worked on dozens of launches a year, which I feel like, it's a ton. Yeah. You know, like, not like the numbers you're talking about when we're having our pre chat. I honestly can't wait to dive into this topic with you and geek out over all you have to share. But first, I'm gonna hold myself back when you go ahead and tell us about you and your business.

Tasha: Absolutely. Well, first of all, thank you once again for having me. So excited to be here. I am the CEO and founder of the launch Guild. So we are a full service launch Support Agency. We work with established coaches and course creators. I've got a team of 25 at this point, I think, which is cray cray to me. But yeah, we have project managers and tech DBAs, and Facebook ads, managers and all the things. And yeah, and then I also have a podcast called how she did that, which is for virtual assistants and project managers and OEMs on on business building tips and tools and all the things.

Sara: amazing. I love that you have this full support team. I mean, I know. So we mean, you know that I'm a launch copywriter. And when people come to me, that is the one thing that they're always missing when I say like the country for the strategy, and let's say the launch copy, but I don't have all those other pieces. Yeah. And so always referring them out and sometimes even knowing, like, maybe you just need to go somewhere for a full stop service. Because a lot of people are like, do you really want that? And I totally respect that. It's it's nice to have someone one person managing that all which I'm assuming you have people on your team to oversee project manage, right?

Tasha: Exactly, yeah, we've got project managers for the whole thing. And that's kind of how the launch guild was born. Because I was a virtual assistant. And I kept getting clients that were launching a lot of things and, and I loved it. And I was great at the tech pieces of it. But like you're finding with your clients, like you know, you have clients that need Facebook ads, they need design and all the things. And so I either had to become that person for them, which I didn't always love doing. Or we had to find those people that those people hire those people, which just takes up a lot of valuable time. So having a team that's already been vetted, that already works together day in and day out and has a really cohesive structure is really helpful for people a lot of times.

Sara: Yeah, that's super smart. I don't know this part of me. But so when I used to before I actually officially, let's say became just focused on launch copywriting. I was doing social media strategy and content. And then also running launches for some of those clients as they were starting to go from like service based businesses to launching courses, I ended up working with them because I was like the one person on their team basically. And so I would do the tech and I would do the writing and I would do the social media. And it was exhausting. myself at work, so I started pulling out of it because I was like, I can't hold all those pieces. But and it like any more for myself. And also it isn't. And then for them to like we need different people on the team to release it and their zone of genius, which I think obviously you have caught that happening in your team right now. Yeah. And I think that that's exactly what you're saying is that when when people have come to me, they might be really into like ready to hire a copywriter. But then they're saying, oh, but I still need like all these people and how do we find them? Yeah. And then it just becomes another big exhausting thing to do as part of the launch when it really doesn't need to be. Right totally. Okay, so let's dive into some questions starting with a big one. What do you think is like one major roadblock you think anyone launching could avoid?

Tasha: I think the the overwhelm piece is one that is huge, and that I see way too often. And the overwhelm comes usually in two ways. Either they're overwhelmed because they are launching too fast, meaning that they haven't taken the time to do the front end work, front end and kind of back end work in terms of like before the launch all the things that have to happen in order to make the launch successful or They're trying to do all the things themselves, just like we were talking about, you know, if you even even beginner launchers, even those who have never launched something before, I always suggest getting at least some piece of it getting some support around that because it can be overwhelming on both ends. So either people are not taking the time that they need to actually plan for their launch. So that you know, they have the time to do all the things, or they're not getting the support that they need in their launch.

Sara: Yeah. So tell me a little bit more about what you mean by the front end of the launch for people who are listening. And we don't really know what that is. 

Tasha: Yes. So I think of the launch runway in two parts, right? Most people when they hear the word launch runway, if they've ever heard that word before they think of the marketing piece. So what are all the pieces that people have to warm their audience up in terms of getting them ready and prepped, and nurtured to be ready for whatever product or course or whatever they're launching. So there's that piece, and there's a lot of things that we need to do before the launch even happens to get the audience warmed up, meaning Facebook Lives, podcasts, you know, social media, that sort of thing. But then on the operational side of it, there's all the little pieces that don't seem that big until you start like in the nitty gritty of it. So for example, we think like, Oh, I need to build a sales page, right, but it's never just a sales page. It's whatever, I need to do the copy for the sales page. Oh, and then there's the terms of, you know, terms and services agreement piece of it. And then there's actually I need to design the sales page. And then there's the tech integration. So the sales page and testing the sales page, you know, and the list goes on, and on and on. And so if you are thinking, Oh, I'm going to launch this thing, and I'm going to do it in, let's say even four weeks, that's a lot for just that one piece of the entire launch, just getting that one page ready for the entire launch. So I think that most people, and rightly so because they're not launch specialists like we are right, they're just thinking in terms of, well, I know that I need these pieces, but then it's our job to come in and be like, well, it's a lot more than that. It's all these tiny little pieces that really make it easier for you to be able to sit in your zone of genius, as you know, I say all the time, and really enjoy your lunch as you're going through it.

Sara: My gosh, I love that you call it enjoying the launch. Because I think that's a piece that really my find often when I like talk people when I'm working with them or other like, you know, business friends who are going through it, that is a piece I feel like it's sucked out of launching so often is the joy like becomes no longer fun. And then they don't want to do it anymore.

Tasha: I know. And it's so sad when that happens. Because I'm just like, it doesn't have to be that way. I what lights me up in life is just watching somebody sitting there launch and just shine and be able to like fully be themselves and their launch and show up for their community and for their brand new students and everything and just be in their zone like the entire time. And then you have those people that you know are writing their emails the night before, you know the email for the next day the night before and are staying up late to like schedule social media and finish pages and stuff like that. And you can just like kind of in those launches, you can see like the light start dissipating from their eyes, their launch. And it's so sad. And I know from experience, the first launch I ever did was a launch that I did mostly like probably 90% by myself, even though I had a team I didn't I was not really good at delegating at that time, my own things. And by the by the end of it, like I don't think I showed up on social media for like the last two days with my launch, like I was, I was done with it. I was like, I don't even care anymore, you know. And so we don't want our clients to get to that point. And I think that there's such a better way. And what it means is just that we have to be more proactive about taking our time and strategizing beforehand in terms of what do I need support in? What needs to be done? And how much time do I realistically have to do it? And if you look at your calendar, and you're like, Oh, you know, I need to do all these things. And I don't have the time. I want everybody know that like launches work year round. Like just, you know, if you were going to do a July launch, and you can't actually launch until September, October, it's going to be okay. Right? That's usually better and more supportive than trying to rush the process and then hating it halfway through.

Sara: I really love that you call that out that like it can happen any time of the year. Yeah, cuz I think that sometimes there's been a bit of feeling of like, it's like a magical time certain months. But Uh huh. But they really can like your audience can be ready for you at any time. Right?

Tasha: Yeah, absolutely. 

Sara:  At the work we put in to getting them. They're tired of it. Yes. So speaking about, you know, if someone wants to launch, and you're saying about having this like longer runway to plan, not just like the marketing, but planning all the tech and the copy and all the things that they need to do to actually get ready so that when they show up, and there's like space for them to be in the present moment. What about if someone didn't want to launch quickly? Like how do you how do you I guess differ between, let's say, the full scale large launch like that, but then maybe something just like launching idea that they want to test a beta idea. You have to put six months into that, like, how do we what's the difference there? 

Tasha: Yeah, so the great thing about betas is that they can help pretty quickly, and I'll share my own story with my beta for built a profit, which I guess was almost about a year and a half, almost two years ago at this point, it was an idea that started with I kind of had a mini course that was doing really, really well. And people kept asking for the next step. And so the mini course was kind of like the pre beta, I will call that Okay, seeing like the the little taste of it, and then do people want the bigger taste? And when I got that, yes, from people that they wanted that next step, my next step was, uh, let me you know, let me put something out and like, what, what do I want to be in it like, what, what do I think is important? So I just opened a Google Doc, I started, you know, basically brain dumping the things that I wanted to include in it cleaned it up, I actually put my logo on that Google Doc, and that was my sales page for the beta. So it was, you know, super low tech, super duper easy. I just made it branded and everything. And then I just talked about it to people, I think I sent maybe two emails out, I talked about it in my facebook group on social media for like, just a couple days, and I wanted just a couple, not a couple like about 10 to 20 people to go through it, and give me their feedback on it. So the other great thing about betas is that it's a great opportunity to kind of test things to get people's buy in and feedback, because you're probably going to have your beta round be about 50% of what your normal, you know, first launch round is going to be. So for example, if it's a $400 course, maybe your beta is like 197, or $200, or something. And people understand that going in, that it's not the fully polished kind of thing that is going to be the end result. And that they're going to be giving you feedback. So that's a great opportunity to get your something out there. And be able to also build it as you're at, you know, and create it as they're going through it and kind of CO create along with them. So as we got into several weeks into it, and they started saying like, you know, having more questions or saying like, Hey, I really need support around this, I was able to go in and in real time create that for them. And it was it was a great opportunity for me to kind of test and tweak things, before I open it up to the masses spend all this money on, you know, copywriting and design and that sort of thing. 

Sara: Oh, my gosh, you're speaking my language. So for a few things, I want to dig into that. One, I want to say the fact that that the CO creation piece is so important, and I love it. Because really we know that like we listen to the people we want to work with like and serve what they need, it actually helps informs so much not only like you're saying what we're creating, but then when you go and do like the next version of your sales page that's designed, you're going to have all this great customer language because they'll know exactly what they're asking for. So I love that piece. And then the beta launches. So why do you think so many people may be an I've noticed this, like maybe are sort of like reticent to avoid doing the Google Doc, like they feel like it needs to be this polished sales page, right from the get go and all the pieces. What do you think that is?

Tasha: I think it's comparison itis right? I think it's us looking to our right and our left, and seeing all the big names who have been doing it for years, you know, and have all these bells and whistles and thinking that that's where they started. And if we look back on all those big wigs and looked at where they they first started, we'd see a lot more Google Docs, you know, we'd see a lot more word of mouth kind of thing. And grassroots efforts. And I think that it's totally like, we'd see that that's okay, that that's where we start. Is it where we're where we want to end? Of course not, but like, nothing starts, you know, what's that quote around like, if you're not, if you're like, if you're proud of your, you know, the first product that you created, then you waited too long, you know, it's kind of that thing. Where if you're not like embarrassed by your your first effort, once you have like your fifth effort, then you've waited too long, right? So it's just a matter of getting up and doing it, then refining the process again and again. And again.

Sara: It's kind of like putting on I feel like it's like that lens of like a scientist, right. Like, I'm just gonna put out an experiment and take the results and keep moving forward. Yeah, absolutely. But yeah, I think what you're saying about comparison is like really resonates with me. And on a recent episode on the on the podcast, I was talking to Britney McBean, she's another copywriter, and we're both affiliates for Amy Porterfield cdca Academy, this past fall. And that's one thing that we really talked about was, it was so great actually to see behind the scenes as an affiliate. And realize that even like, even though we knew intuitively, she had a team like to really see the extent of the team, she had to pull off that big beautiful lunch. important for us to see you to write say like, wow, that's what it really takes.

Tasha: Yeah, totally. I had a similar experience. Similarly, but different with Amy. So I was on her podcast in July. And you know, I always compare my podcasts to her podcasts for whatever, right. And when I realized like, I spoke to four people on her team before I even spoke to Amy, you know, so there was like, there was like a problem. Cast interview and that like all these steps, and I'm like, Oh, she's got like 10 people working on her podcast. And it's like me and like my editor. Yeah. So, of course, it's going to be different. And I think we can take that same energy, like you were saying, into launches. We can't compare, you know, our level one was somebody else's level 500. It's just, it's not an apples to apples comparison at all. 

Sara: Exactly. And I think it's so good to goose bumps, because it's so important to know that. And I think wherever we are, like, you know, even you and I, like who do our own lunches and like, worth other people's lunches, to see that too, right. It's not even just where we're at. It's also like, you know, the Amy's .

Tasha: Right, exactly.

Sara: Okay, so assuming, let's say, the messaging and offer are really dialed in, for someone's lunch, you know, which means that they know that it's like, tested, it's proven. If someone isn't seeing their launch kind of hit the kind of results that they want, let's say be in numbers of people or in, you know, revenue. What are some strategies that you can suggest to them? Or do you have suggest in the past, it sort of helped them meet their goals? Like, how do they turn it around?

Tasha: Yes. So I think, first of all, having two different emails after the launch, and you probably work with people on these a lot of time. So number one is the down sell email, right? There's always an opportunity maybe to take a smaller slice, like maybe there are people that are kind of, I think I heard Mariah cause the other day, call it like the turtles, you know, turtles, the hair, right? So maybe the turtles of the group that are super high fact finders that need more information before they say yes, so maybe those people are ready for a smaller bite. So you may want to do some something like a down sell email, where you offer them the first step, whether it be the first module, or maybe you have a mini course that kind of gives them that quick win, that will prep them to be ready, the next time your course launches. The other thing is an email asking why they didn't buy, you know, so there might be a myriad of reasons why they didn't buy and you giving them an opportunity to share that will help you number one, see that it's probably has like very little to do with like them thinking you're an awful person, you know, not wanting to buy your thing and like, you know, really hone in on the reasons that they didn't buy? And is this the right thing that you need for your audience? Or were they just not reading and I think it's also, especially when it's our first or even our second or third launch. It's also just about kind of the momentum of it. I know that you know, since I first launched builds profit verse, you know, where it is now, I now have an audience is probably triple if not quadruple the size, that sort of thing. So a lot of times, it just takes people kind of to see that you are consistent, and you consistently show up for them, even in the off times, even when you're not launching something, and then being able to see that will make it easier for them to trust you and to say yes, the next time you launch.

Sara: Yeah, that's a really good point. There's a lot of like relationship building over time that takes place as well. Right? Yeah. Do the thing I think around launching and I'm sure you've seen this is that I feel like in the launch, it's not only the revenue goal from what people that say buy from the thing that you're launching, but there's all like, I almost call it the afterglow effect. Yeah. Try not to like there's all these other opportunities or strategies or things that come your way after you have just been in this, you know, more determined or, like more out there area of visibility when you're watching.

Tasha: No, I definitely agree with that. I know I keep using built profit as the example but I just went through that launch like a month ago. So it's like top of mind for me. Yeah. But um, with with that launch, I actually had an uptick in in the sale of like, a lot of my mini courses a lot of my templates as well, because more people were coming to my website and so even if they weren't, you know, quite ready for built a profit, they picked up something else along the way. And those people who were like past built to profit, I ended up being able to sell out my higher ticket my, like 12 month group program, because of the fact that people you know, went to my website, and they were like, let me check out this bill to profit. Oh, this isn't for me, does she have anything else? For me? The answer was yes. You know, so I think like looking at what are the other things that maybe your audience not necessarily if you don't have them already, like don't go about building like 12 different things. But just know if you have other things in your arsenal, you're probably going to get people that are interested in those things as well.

Sara: For sure. I found that about a year ago I launched like last month I decided I wanted to launch a little mini course like a little workshop course around do not like voice to customer research. And I didn't maybe give myself like a week to put it out it was definitely beta and I think like 50 people signed up and maybe eight came five bought I think it was something like that, which I was really happy with. But there was all this like after effect of it which was like people bought my done for you service, my list really grew so and referred me and then you know a few people who had been who would just like join my list or heard about it being shared because I had like some business friends sharing it and some client sharing it. They ended up like joining in, you know, maybe like six months down the road. So I think that there's all this impact that we get, it's not just tied to that like I want to make You know, a five figure launcher here. Exactly. Other things, get opportunities that come our way. So what do you think is one of the most effective ways to launch them? Because there's so many ways out there, right? Like the tiny offers the webinars, the challenges, what do you see as a really effective way to go about launching?

Tasha: So this is gonna sound like a terrible answer. But I think the most effective way is the way that feels good to you. Answer, yeah. So there are, you know, 500 Million Ways to to launch and put together a launch at this point. And I think the thing that feels like maybe a little bit of a reach, maybe it makes you grow a little bit, but doesn't feel so foreign to you that you don't feel comfortable in it, and it doesn't feel comfortable in your body. I think that that's really important. So we have some clients who you know, love doing Facebook Lives. And so they do more of a live launch where they do you know, a challenge, like a five or three day challenge or something like that. And that's really the driver home, whereas some people are just like, No, I don't really like doing Facebook Lives, I want to do a webinar, I want to do you know, a podcast lead into my launch or something like that. So I think however, works for you and feels really good for you is the way that you should watch.

Sara: Oh, I love that you say that so much. I feel like that's an ongoing conversation. Yeah, and I and so many people lately, I feel I'm, it feels like a lot more people are talking around, protecting your energy around launching. And it doesn't have to be that like, you must follow this, like a dizzy formula that like, there's really more about tuning into what's right for us that is coming out this conversation. I'm really here for

Tasha: I'm here for you. Because I think that that's where that like launch overwhelming launch stress has come from for a lot of people, you know, feeling like, you know, I should or I have to, I had and I tell this story a lot, but I love it. So, like years ago, I was in therapy, and I don't even remember what we're talking about in therapy. But like I kept saying, you know, I know I should do XYZ, I know I should be XYZ. And she said, Tasha, stop shooting on yourself. Yeah. She was like, you know, there's there's no should there is what is and what you want to do, you know, and think more in terms of that, like, that's the thing that's going to feel really good and supportive, instead of trying to fit fit into somebody else's box.

Sara: Yeah, that is a really good point of it. No, I tell this story before to you, and I'll share it with you some for chatting here. But I had this, this really great client for years. And every time we did a live webinar, which you really want to do because her biz coach told her like, you must do it this way. Let's call it she would get sick. Yeah, like like, like strep throat or like flu or like really horrible migraines when it came to like these live webinars, like once even I swear, like, she had like, we had like a random ice storm in like, you know, end of April. I mean, we are on the East Coast, but still. And it just so happened to follow that time. It just seems like things kept happening, but mostly like physically to her and she'd be so burnt out from it and emotional from it. And I was like, What if we you didn't do a live webinar? Like what if you recorded it? Yeah, you could show people live in the chat. Right? Like you're, you can be live in the chat to answer questions, but you're not live presenting it. Like how would that feel? really nervous about it, but we did it. And I'm sorry. Like, I can't remember exactly like, I don't know if she did, let's say better in her lunch. But she did at least the same. Yeah, as her live on it, but she felt better. Right? Like she was still done having energy to show up on social media and answer in which then brought more people in. And she just also wasn't like, burnt out exhausted sick for like six weeks later, while she's like delivering the course.

Tasha: Yeah, exactly. And it totally has to do just around like, what protects your energy, you know, and what feels really aligned to you. And I think the other thing that people do is they, you know, they let's say somebody like really loves Instagram stories, right? really loves Instagram, and, and for whatever reason, when they get to launches, they're like, Okay, I need to throw away everything that I was doing that was working, where my community is hanging out, and I need to do this thing because this person told me to, like know, lean more in to what's already working to where you're already doing to where your audience already knows to expect you. And like what what amazingness that could be you know, if you could just do like more and amplify what your art what you've already.

Sara: I just like Turn it up yet. Right? I love it. So are there any strategies that you've seen people like there aren't really doing and you kind of want to shout from the rooftops about and wish more people knew and like, built into their launches?

Tasha: Oh, yes. So personalization is like, I just need to like put it on a shirt. I like personalized. Yes. And what I mean by that is I and not so much this year because I think people are realizing maybe they need to like stop doing what they were doing before but um What I mean by personalization is I've seen so for a while, so many people were like taking Facebook groups out of their launches, like really automating it to the max. And I understand that because I know that it's, you know, time consuming to have a Facebook group and, and to show up that way for people. But at the same time, like there is such a need, especially this year, but any year especially, you know, a need for connection, and community that I think it's so important and that when you can infuse that into your launch, and then even into your launch runway and then into the deliverables of your launch or of yours of your product, people are going to come in droves. So I'll give you a couple examples of how I do this and how I suggest that my clients do this. So one of the things that I love is Bonjour. Oh, and if people listening, haven't heard of it before, it's basically this video platform where you can record personalized videos for people or two people. So what I do, I've done it a couple different ways. But now that my audience has grown, I can't do it for webinars anymore, because I you know, I get too many webinar registrations was a good problem to have. But I used to do it for webinars when I had smaller webinar registrations where I would send everybody like a 22nd personalized video. And I would just say like, hey, Sara, I'm so excited that you signed up for this webinar, I can't wait to see you there. Click the link below and tell me one question that you have that you want me to answer live on the webinar, right. And so what that does is like, people watch that, and they're like, Oh, my gosh, she said my name, you know, like, that's right. Everybody loves when people save their names, you know. And so that would be the reply that I'd get all the all the time, like, Oh, my gosh, I can't believe you like said my name, like you made this for me, right. And so what it does is it helps them to, to know, and to see that we're seeing them as individuals with individual needs and concerns, and desires and goals and everything, rather than just $1 sign or just a number. You know, like I had X number of people sign up for my webinar, we're seeing them as individuals. And then if you can continue infusing that into, you know, even like your challenges, and definitely in into your communities and how you show up for your communities after they've purchased, you will get a you know, a lifelong Sam, basically, of yours. And I just think that that's so key.

Sara: I really love that. Yeah, that's one thing. A few of my clients have tried, let's say like the past year or so as they can't like sending a video to people, not everyone, but people who actually, you know, like the last 40 hours of launch, which you know, tends to drive, you tend to lose a lot of people because sales come in during that time. Some of my clients were trying for the people who like clicked but didn't purchase. Yeah, we're sending personalized videos. So those people just to kind of say like, hey, I've noticed that maybe you're interested, like not trying to be a creep here. But, you know, are there any questions that you have? I'd love to hear from you. And they were getting like, you know, some great responses and like finding out more, or at least why people weren't buying. And then also like some more people were signing up, because I think just that active, reaching out, and being heard and open to it, like really helps people know that you're not it's not just like, not just a number, right?

Tasha: Yeah, totally. Nobody just wants to be a number. Yeah. And that's what I actually did last time for my launch. I did it for people who clicked and I did it like the day before. And it was still, you know, a lot of like, it took a lot of time I not done Yeah, but I had blocked it out in my calendar of like, I'm just gonna sit in the seat, like for like four hours and get this done.

Sara: You know, that's why it's like, I mean, doing those type of strategies that were exactly why we need that space, right during the launch that your team can create, and that you work so hard to put into place so that you can show up and do those things. It really makes such a difference.

Tasha: It totally does. Yes.

Sara: And are there any strategies for launching that? Let's say you haven't tried yet or that you've seen people that you your team has been working with that you would like to try yourself? landing kind of interesting these days.

Tasha: Yeah. So the actual so I talked a little bit about like, launching more live, you know, in terms of things, but the actual live launch method, I think I want to we've we've been talking about and toying with. And I like one of my team members is actually like going through the whole process right now because I don't even know the ins and outs. But so many people have, like, come to us this past year and been like, I want to try this. And I'm like, I want to try it too. So I'm excited about that. And from what I understand is like it just really ups the personalization and like the being there and the connection piece, which I'm totally about anyway, so I'm excited for that.

Sara: So tell us a little bit more about like, what it entails, like from what you know, right?

Tasha: Yeah. So, from what I know, it's Well number one, you definitely have to have a team to support you on this because it's like once a person registers for the launch, the team is out there like introducing themselves like in you know, Instagram inboxes and then like sending them the workbook through like Facebook Messenger, like not not as like a bot but like individually through Facebook Messenger and you know the people that are most engaged during each day of the channel. Because it's like a three to a 10 day challenge normally, so the people that are most engaged like the the person who's watching then goes and sends them like a voice message, you know, to their Facebook and is like, Hey, you know, I'm so glad you had great questions tonight like any other questions I can answer for you like that sort of thing. So it's a lot more about like, the community and the, the the high, I guess, connection pieces during the actual launch. 

Sara: Nice. And I really liked that you called out that we need a team for that. Going out and try to do that yourself. 

Tasha: Do not do this yourself, or you will burn out on like day two, please don't do it yourself. 

Sara: Like, personalization times. Like, I really, really like that strategy. And I can't wait to see like how it unfolds. I'm gonna be watching you go. There's one recently I saw that I really liked and it was Hillary wise. And she is like a creative director and former reader. And what she did was something was she has this like group program where it's like hot seats, creative direction, and like you bring your coffee and things like that. And so doing a webinar to get people into it. She's like mighty people to hot seats. I thought that was kind of cool. Because it was like, Oh, yeah, she's putting into action, exactly what she wants you to, you know, go ahead and purchase with her. And so you can experience for yourself. And I thought that was kind of fun.

Tasha:  love that idea. I love that I saw somebody Oh, I forget what her name is. And you might know her. I feel she's from the south. I feel like she's like from Kentucky. And I think her name's Kendall or Kendra or Kent something with a K. Okay, anyway, she does like an entire 24 hours, where she shows up, like every hour on the hour and does a teaching session on something like some topic in her subject matter. So my gosh, I've never heard of this. 

Sara: And so like, No, I'm googling after we've done this.

Tasha: And first of all, I love my sleep, I get like 10 and a half hours asleep and I and I take a nap. So I'm just like, how could this How can I make this work and still sleep that much? Yeah, but I'm just like, this is really, really cool. And she'll You know, when it's like the middle of the night, like she'll show up in her pajamas, you know? And, and so yeah, that might be something I might have to like stair step it and make it like six hours to try it.

Sara: And then maybe like yeah, maybe like the day in the work life.

Tasha: Yeah. Like, I don't know if I could do 24.

Sara: We and I saw on Instagram, I think is that you got where some of you got one of those like lovesac things like those big. And from there.

Tasha: I'll be like curled up on it.

Sara: This is reality. Okay, so I have one more question for you. Is there a launch strategy that you wish would be sort of like left behind? Like, you know, 2020 has been a crappy year? for lots of reasons. Yeah. Is there? Why do you want to, like leave behind in 2020 as you move into the new year?

Tasha: Oh, anything involving high pressure? 

Sara: Yeah, you know, I mean, by that.

Tasha: Yeah. So I anything that involves, like, if you don't buy this, right, this second, like your life will never be great. You know, and I you know, I think that that's a little bit like a little bit a lot. But at the same time, I've seen it in in different ways. And I always take it from the perspective of I want to call in the right people who are ready for this at this time. But I never want anybody to like actually feel bad as like a human being as a person for deciding that right now is not the night the right time, right. And I always try to remember about the fact that like, they, you know, they may not be ready now. But like a year from now, they may be primed and ready and maybe perfect. And so making people feel bad about like not signing up for it, then I think is just a strategy that that has been played out. And kind of like I know, you know, I think some people call it kind of that bro marketing in terms of like the heart, they're really up for it. And I just don't think that that has a place for you know, for for it in, in the launch world. 

Sara: Yeah, I agree with you on that big time. And I think I really respect and I feel like more and more people are doing this to you. I really respect when people call it like, I'd love you to join me. But if you don't buy this right now, like you're still gonna be okay, yeah, you're still launch and I'm still gonna be here for you supporting you in your inbox or like through other offers or, you know, there's there's still other opportunities for you. And I just I really appreciate when people say things like that, so it doesn't feel like do this or else right. Or else

Tasha: Or else Yeah, and that's that's the hard part. Because, you know, there there are reasons that are very, very valid for people not buying right then and there. But if you if they see the care and attention you continue to take for your audience, and the fact that like you respect them for whatever decision is best for them in that moment.

Sara: I think you'll definitely get more buyers down the road than if you shame them for not saying Yes, right away. I think that's where like that relationship piece. And that persuasion piece comes back in when we look at the people who are coming in not as subscribers or buyers but as people yeah, like as humans. It's like complex lives and needs and respecting that about that. Yeah, so just I'm gonna sneak in one more questions as I was done.

Tasha: I love that.

Sara: So when you're talking about this high pressure, you know, ditching the high pressure like that bro marketing piece, how do we do that? But still keep it in the things about like urgency or scarcity? Yeah. How do we do that in a way? That's more respectful?

Tasha: Yeah, great question. So I think that the urgency and the scarcity can be built in by the bonuses that we have, you know, by the price points, like, I always like to say, I will not be offering it with these bonuses at this price point, again, instead of like, I'm never gonna be offering it again, which is a lie. And so I, you want to be careful about the languaging that you're using. But I think that there are things that like, if if this is the right person, and they're kind of on the fence about it, is there a bonus that can support them and getting over that fence and making that commitment? And so that's where kind of the scarcity and urgency comes in for me. 

Sara: Yeah. And what kind of bonuses Do you see doing really well? Or do you like to include in a launch anything that you choose?

Tasha: Yeah, so I had a coach once, who told me to choose bonuses based off of what people were kind of stuck on in terms of saying yes to to it, right. So what are those quick win things that they don't, that they're afraid that they're either not going to get from the course or that is kind of like urgent to them? Right, that second kind of thing to like, get them started. So for me, one of them that worked really, really well, the first round, were social media templates, because virtual assistants are known for being like, what do I talk about on social media? Like, I gave them like 101 topic starters, you know, that were like fun topics and things about their products and stuff, and that sort of thing. And then social media templates that took my graphic designer, probably like 14 seconds to make, you know, but no, really like, ah, I don't have to do this, like, this isn't a big hump for me. So any of those things that are going to just get them kind of over that hump in terms of being a quick win for them and feeling really supportive.

Sara: I like that, in my I have some an offer called the list playbook. And it's about like launching your list building funnel. It's like one of those tiny offer things. And my bonuses I put in were around tax, you know, because even though, you know, I didn't want to do tech, I don't touch tech anymore. When I do that customer research, right? Like that is the thing stopping people from actually actually putting up their welcome sequence for lead magnet? Like, how do I connect it to my you know, MailChimp or ConvertKit. So I hired someone to do some like recordings for me for that. And that was my bonus to make sure that they actually were able to put the thing into like play.

Tasha: Oh, I love that. Yeah, it gets some gets them through that hump. Yeah. Love it. Yeah.

Sara: Yeah, I hear a lot about bonuses to the idea of like, doing something that accelerates their success as well or like, gives them access to you in a way that you might not have, like, maybe even like limited time, one on ones or like a special, like small group session or something like that.

Tasha: Yeah, I've done that before, to where, you know, if they either pay in full, or if they pay, you know, if they're in the early bird, those, you know, the people that pay within the first couple days, doing some bonus, where it's like a 15 minute, one on one on one SOS call with me. So they just have to use it within the year. And it's a call that is like, okay, let's say you get your first client, and then you're like, Oh, my gosh, I need help with XYZ thing. You just put your call with me, you know. So something like that can be really supportive, too.

Sara: Perfect. And I love that because that feels like that's not real marketing. But we're still having those things about, like urgency or scarcity to help make people make a decision now, but if they can't, knowing that it'll still be there later. Right? And there'll be okay, Tasha. So before we started recording, you mentioned to me that you created the Launch Manager certification. Can you tell us a little bit about that?

Tasha: Yes, I am so wildly excited for this. So the reason that I built this was because one of the things that we found as our team gets bigger, was that there was such a huge difference in the project managers on our team, specifically who had extensive launch experience and those who had project management experience, but not necessarily launch experience, and how the like, how different the experience was in terms of how they could support their clients and our clients within the launches. So we are super excited to be launching this Launch Manager certification that is going to help those who already have either technical experience or admin VA experience or project management or OBM experience, really be able to accelerate how they understand launches as a in a holistic way. So how they understand the tech for it, how they can communicate with the tech VA, not necessarily not necessarily do the tech, but how they can communicate with the other people and really speak intelligently and look intelligently about everything that's going to be in a launch in order to be able to be really supportive. So we're going to be digging into like launch strategy. And you know, what, what are those components that should be in a sales page? And what are the things that they should be looking for, in terms of conversions for Facebook ads, and everything like that? So yeah, I'm so excited about the program. We're going to kick off in March 2021 for our first cohort and it's going to be amazing.

Sara: Really is and I'm already thinking like oh like my get my visa I have an amazing tech VA, who I want to, like keep working with and grow with. And I think something like that.

Tasha: Yeah. That was one of the other things as I was doing the market research for this, I had several people reach out to me and they were like, Can I just send you my project manager for a week? And can you turn that person into a launch VA, or, you know, a launch strategist, or Launch Manager? And I was like, Well, you can't send them to me. But you know, I can't, you know, this is what we're we are working on. And so that's when I kind of knew that I was onto something that it's not just like small teams that are looking for this. It's big teams to who you know, who have been doing really great stuff for a while. But it's just such a difference when you've been on the inside, inside and outside of the launch for a really long time. And like, how you understand, you know, all the mechanics of launches.

Sara: Yeah, that sounds amazing. I can't wait to see how that unfolds for you. So where can people go to learn more about working with the launch guild?

Tasha: Yes. So our website, the launch guild comm has everything there. And also has all of our social links and everything. And we are actually filling up pretty quickly already. for next year. We've got people who have put them down their deposits for like spring launches. And we're like, wow, this is a lot. But it's super fun. So we love when we get to start with people, you know, earlier rather than later, because, you know, I believe in longer launch runways as we talked about. But yeah, the launch go calm.

Sara: This is so exciting. So thank you so much for joining me today, Tasha. One thing I really loved about this episode is really how you share these strategies around personalization, and also protecting your energy and giving that permission slip to do a launch that feels right for you, and allows you to show up. So thank you so much for coming and bringing your insights from all these hundreds of launches you've worked on, and we really appreciate it.

Tasha: Thank You

Sara: Thanks for tuning in to the launch playbook podcast. If you want to get weekly launch secrets in your ears. I hope you'll hit subscribe on iTunes so you'll never miss an episode. Because who knows? It could reveal just a thing you've been looking for to make your next launch a success. And be sure to leave a five star review in iTunes telling me how this episode inspired your launch plans. Until next time, keep putting your big ideas out into the world. I'm rooting for you