Episode 52 18:35

How to Build a Sell Out Launch Plan

What if your strongest launch plan started with how you sell best, rather than how often you show up online? Building a sell-out launch is not about copying someone else’s challenge, chasing follower numbers or staying constantly visible. It begins with understanding your ideal client, choosing a format that suits your personality and making the value of your offer clear.

In this solo episode, Dawn McGruer explores how to turn those foundations into a practical launch plan, from delivering persuasive masterclasses to sharing your story and communicating outcomes rather than features. She explains why a focused community matters more than a large audience, and how guest appearances, trusted partnerships and affiliates can help you reach the right people.

For female founders who want to grow without the fatigue of constant launching, this episode offers a more considered approach to planning and promotion. You’ll shift your attention from technology and visibility for their own sake to the human decisions behind a purchase, with a clearer framework for mapping your launch before tackling the tools.

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Episode Highlights

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  1. 1:49Think about what suits your personality
  2. 4:42I don't want to be in constant launch
  3. 6:45Share your own journey
  4. 8:00It's about the experience
  5. 9:36Talk about the person
  6. 12:26It's about quality over quantity
  7. 14:58Utilise the power of affiliates

Full Episode Transcript

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This transcript was created automatically and may contain small errors.

Welcome to Dawn of a New Era, a business and marketing podcast with a difference, ranking in the top 5% globally for people who want to start, scale, and grow their own business. Dawn McGruer shares tips to improve marketing, motivation, and mindset, as well as her own real-life challenges and experiences as an entrepreneur. Guests include some of the world's most inspiring leaders too. So if you are an aspiring, established, or serial entrepreneur, this is your go-to podcast to fast-track results and rise to meet today's challenges, and master the art of online influence and business success, and avoid common pitfalls along the way.

Never miss an episode and subscribe and listen at dawnmcgruer.com. Welcome to episode 52 of Dawn of a New Era. And in this episode, we're going to talk about how to build a sellout launch.

And this is something that we hear in the online marketing world a lot about people in constant launch, people who are doing these huge, huge launches are even like a million pound, I heard the other day. And I think when you are looking to market your service or your business, regardless of what stage you are in a business, as an entrepreneur or business owner, or even corporate leader, we need to focus on a couple of the basics. Because looking at the bigger picture and looking at these huge mammoth launches is just absolutely daunting. And to be honest, it's overwhelming.

And for me, who worked very much in the corporate world and then jumped into, obviously, some of the online marketing side of things, when I was seeing these so-called gurus doing these launches, I just was like, this is not for me. And I think when we think about launches, you have to think about what suits you and your personality, because not everybody is going to launch in the same way. But it doesn't mean it can't be an absolutely epic sellout launch. So I know lots of people doing absolutely amazing amounts of figures in terms of launches, but it's all relative to where they are in their journey.

So some people will launch through, you know, a huge challenge, or someone might do a masterclass. Someone might do various different sort of launch patterns using different tactics, anything from sort of doing something over three days to five days. I've even seen challenges over 30 days. Now, what suits someone might not suit the next.

And the preferred method for me for launching has always been about trying to recreate what is the most successful way of selling. Now, for me, it's always been in person. You know, if I think about my ideal client and I think about my products or services, and I'm looking at how to convert them and how to persuade them into, you know, coming on board to a program, I know confidently that if I'm in front of the right person and I'm talking about all of the enticing, you know, benefits to them rather than just the features about the program, then it's easy to convert. If I was in a meeting or I was on stage doing a presentation.

So if we think about doing online launches, what is the next best thing? For me, it's always been about showcasing. So if I'm in a meeting or I'm doing a speaking event, it means that I can absolutely share my expertise, my experience. I can add value.

I can do all of these things. But how do we recreate that massively interactive experience online? Well, masterclasses. Masterclasses could be called a webinar.

It could be an online workshop, whatever you want to call it. Masterclasses for me, the terminology is better than webinar because webinar, I don't know, it has this kind of stigma where people kind of think, you know, it's a bit old-fashioned, I'm going to be sold to. Where a masterclass, you know, genuinely, I will create a masterclass where I will share some huge, huge value and techniques and tips and insights and trends because I'm confident in the fact that if I show people authentically my journey and I talk about what I have done and the transformational journey of my clients, then that in itself is persuasive content. Because even if someone doesn't buy there and then, I have given enough to position myself in their mind.

I've given enough value that they can take away and action, but— The majority of people who are genuinely interested and see that value will go on and buy at that time. And the thing is, is that launching for me, I don't want to be in constant launch. I'm not somebody who wants to show up online every single day. And for lots of people who think about me as a digital marketer, you know, I would say I'm probably part introvert and part extrovert.

I like to work kind of on my own. I like to work a little bit in teams, but I don't want to be out there all the time, yeah? And that's my personality. So if you feel that kind of social fatigue where you just think, Oh, I've got to be live all the time, you don't.

I absolutely am testimony to that because I'm all about working smarter, not harder. I want my business to be fun, right? So I don't want to show up every day online. I don't want to have to do endless, exhaustive lives.

I don't want to be doing social media all day, every day. It's about utilising your content and showing up in a way that's authentic to you, that's very powerful, and it's about building powerful communities who will see you consistently. And consistently doesn't have to be every day. I'm probably showing up two, three times a week, you know, and that's what works for me.

I'm using LinkedIn as one of the most powerful networks in terms of lead generation. I'm spending 10 minutes a day. So you've got to think about what suits you and what is working for your current customers right now. So if you are selling something, what is the most persuasive, highly converting content?

So, you know, if you are doing things like masterclasses, you know, why would you not use them in a launch? So here are a couple of tips, things that I feel that if you jot down, you can go and sense check and you can build a really solid launch plan. So number one, what's working right now? What would be that best way that you could show up that you feel that you could really, really get your ideal client so excited, create so much desire that they want to take action now.

So for me, that's a masterclass. Number two, you have to be able to share your own journey, because if you're trying to position yourself as a leader, as someone who can take that person through the transformation, you need to give a little bit as well. And it's not just about talking about your client's success. People want to know where you came from, who you are, what you're about, what's your mission, what's your vision.

So have a look at your social media, and is it saying that? I mean, so many corporate brands and brands and businesses I look at online, the content on social media is just utterly boring because it's all about the business. People want to know about the people in the business, the people who started the business, the brains, the minds, the inspiring leaders who are at the forefront of all of these brand identities. And the thing is, is you have to be able to step forward.

It is difficult if you have not been in the online space before to kind of step forward and share about you. And this is really where my podcast, Dawn of a New Era, has allowed me to share more of me, to tell my story and to tell people about pitfalls, challenges, epic fails, because authenticity is about genuine journeys, right? We all have goals, but we have to be able to enjoy the experience of getting to that goal. But there's always ripples along the way.

You know, it's not plain sailing. And one of the things I do a lot is I tell people about things that didn't work because, you know. If someone's going to sign up for a program, they have to totally believe in me because I've been in business for 20 years. People need to hear the story.

They need to know what I do, how I did it, what have been the success factors along the way. You know, what is it that I can do for them? Because if you're telling someone that you can get them to X, Y, and Z, and you're giving them all of those benefits, they need to know that you can build that bridge and you know exactly the steps and the challenges and pitfalls to avoid along the way. And you have to be able to showcase this because it's not straightforward.

I tell people, do not come and join my program if you don't want to put the effort in. Because number one, I do not want to work with people who don't want results. You know, results for me are social proof, but it's about the whole essence and mission and vision about what I do. It's not just a process that someone is following.

It's a life-changing journey and experience, something like a program that someone goes on to, you know, just to do an online course. You hear loads of people who kind of start, but, you know, don't continue. I'm very clear in my proposition that I know that every single person who's put the effort in will win. And the thing is, is you have to be clear and you have to really focus on your ideal client.

Now this takes me on to the next point. When you are looking at launching, you have to talk about the person because honestly, they're more interested in themselves than you and the product or service. Why wouldn't they be? They don't want to know about the features, you know, that you'll get your online portal, you'll, you know, you'll go through X, Y, and Z.

They want to know what they're going to get at the end. What is it?

Do, and is it aligned to their goals, right? So if they've got objectives, you have to put it into their language and talk about you. And this is very important, especially on sales pages. You have to clearly tell people, you know, this program, this product, this service is for you if you are this, you want this, you feel this, right?

And put it into their language. It's a very emotive thing. Anyone who thinks that buying a program, a course, a product, service online is a rational decision, it's not. It is emotionally driven.

Even if you were buying a pen, toilet paper, anything, it's an emotional decision because we will choose something not rationally. You know, if you wanted koala bears on your toilet roll, that is not a rational decision, right? It's emotional. So you have to think when you're talking to these people that it's the emotion about what this experience is going to be.

And the clue here is in the word experience. People don't just want to join an online program. People don't just want to go and do a load of work. People don't want to do a diploma.

People want an experience, and people need to be able to vision or visualize this as like a mini movie running in their head of like where they're at now and where they're going to be, you know? And you need to be able to paint that picture so vividly that people can see themselves there. But it needs to feel truly achievable, right? You need to present it out there, and if it sounds too good to be true, it is.

You have to be honest in the way that you position things, and your proposition has to sing that completely. So when you're looking at who you're going to market, it's about building a community. It's not about numbers. Who cares how many followers you've got?

Who cares how many likes, how many comments? It is irrelevant when you're coming to a launch, right? These are all nice things. These are vanity metrics, but the crux of online marketing.

Marketing. The essence of social media and the success of social media is all down to building the right people each and every day, reaching your ideal client, telling them about your journey, showcasing yourself as a leader, giving them social proof, testimonials from your clients, being there consistently, showing people that your business is growing and scaling. So right people, right time, not about quantity, it's about quality. I would rather somebody launched to 50 amazing, targeted ideal clients and you will sell, guaranteed, rather than 5,000 absolute rubbish people because you've just built a list on numbers, you've built a community on, you know, let's get as many people into this group as possible.

You want to just strip everything back and think, genuinely, have I got a powerful community of people who are absolutely 100% my ideal client? Now, the other thing is, is what is the best way to get people onto your course, your program, whatever, when you're launching? Well, to borrow audiences, to guest in other people's groups on social media, to showcase yourself. Now, what that does is just the sheer fact that someone has invited you into the group already tells the group that you are safe, you're solid, you are to be trusted, and that the other person has an affinity to you.

So if this person who is inviting you has this lovely audience of people, quality doesn't have to be quantity, right? Then these people are already invested in that person, and it's, you know, just the whole social proof of being invited in by this other leader. You know, this is a great positioning tool, and it's an amazing way to get conversion. Now, think about when you are empowering these people to join, you may want to make sure that you've got ideal clients because you want your program or course or whatever to flow.

Whatever your product or services, it doesn't matter. You have to think about the right people, the right audiences. What is it that will actually tip them past, Oh, I'm not sure, to, I absolutely want to be here, right? You have to be able to talk emotionally about all aspects of what this is, and you have to be very genuine about it and very transparent.

If it's going to be difficult, tell them. If it's going to be for a particular market, tell them. Tell them exactly who it is for, and maybe tell them exactly who it is not for, because you should never be scared of repelling audiences. You only want to have people in your tribe who are part of what you want to be creating.

It doesn't always have to be just ideal clients, but it could be powerful partners. It could be affiliates. It could be all sorts of people. Now that brings me on to my last and final point.

When you are planning out your launch plan, think about, obviously, who could be an ideal person to invite you into their group, right? Now, anybody who's maybe sharing masterclasses or coming on board as part of your program to deliver it, these people can be affiliates. And by affiliates, I mean you give them a commission for if they pull anyone through their own audiences into your product or service, right? And you pay a commission.

Why not? You know, it's marketing. So when people ask me about the average commission, they vary. I mean, we pay 10%, and the thing is, is like on a £2,000 program, which is an average of what we do, that is £200 a sale.

Now, that is a great incentive for somebody because, you know, if somebody is pulling through and gets 10 sales, they get £2,000. Now, we also build in for our affiliates giveaways, competitions, yeah, to incentivize them even further with great prizes from holidays to hampers to vouchers, because these people are the strongest people to get other people on your program, okay? So if they've got audiences who already trust them. Then it, you know, it goes without saying that, of course, it's going to be easier for them to convert.

And if they believe in your program too, then you've got your own sales team. So don't go it alone. You know, when you're looking at how to build a sellout launch, work your way through everything from the best way to launch, how to build the audience, how to talk to your ideal client, how to reach them through other people's audiences, how to incentivize these people to become your affiliates. And once you start mapping this out, you start to think about taking your mind away from the tech and just actually looking at real life actions that will build a really sustainable but hugely profitable launch, okay, and business that goes with it.

So think about when you want to launch. Think about how long you want it to be for. Think about the strongest way that you can show up and the way that you know that you can deliver this persuasive content that people can buy. So think through the actual steps.

Forget tech. Forget all of the other things that go with it and think about it like human to human. How would you get somebody to buy your product or service? What are the stages you would have to do?

If you don't have an audience, how are you going to get 50 solid people in that network? How are you going to deliver the masterclass? So just start mapping it all out first of all, because at the end of the day, if tech is not your thing, if there's three things you've got to do that you don't know how to do, which could be setting up landing pages for people to sign up for a masterclass, it could be setting up the emails to go with it, and it could be actually hosting the masterclass. Those things can be outsourced, right?

And you can be in your genius zone. So forget the tech and map it out and let me know how you get on, and I shall see you in next week's episode. Thank you for listening to Dawn of a New Era podcast, and for your free checklist to find out how to boost your business for growth, profit, and success, and join our community. Go to dawnmcgruer.

com.

About The Billionaire Brain® Podcast

The Billionaire Brain® Podcast with Dawn McGruer, formerly Dawn of a New Era, explores the psychology, neuroscience and behaviours behind extraordinary success in business, wealth and life.

Through solo insights and conversations with founders, investors, millionaires, billionaires, authors and experts, Dawn explores how identity, thinking and behaviour shape what we create. New episodes are released regularly on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube.

  • Episode · 52
  • Published · 29 July 2021
  • Run time · 18:35
  • Host · Dawn McGruer

About Your Host

Dawn McGruer is an entrepreneur, 5× founder, award-winning keynote speaker and Forbes Books author of The Billionaire Brain®.

With more than 25 years in entrepreneurship, Dawn's work explores the intersection of founder psychology, neuroscience, wealth, identity and business growth.