By Amanda Greenthumb, Holistic Health Coach

Dreaming of a sold out program? Are you a wellness entrepreneur getting ready for a program launch? Is this your first launch, or did your last one not go so well? You’re in the right place.

I’ve been there, spending countless hours creating my group coaching program, Balanced and Beautiful. I poured everything into it – it was my baby. I was confident that, with some social media posts and a few emails to my email list, I would sell this thing out in a matter of days.

I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Luckily I had a few people sign up, so I was able to run Balanced and Beautiful and keep moving my business forward.

The day registration closed, I vowed to figure out this whole launch business, and lucky for us, I did!

It turns out that it’s way easier than I originally thought. If you want to sell out your program, it’s about two things: your know-like-trust factor and the value you’re providing.

The know-like-trust factor I learned from my mentor and serious lady crush, Marie Forleo. We’re all inundated with marketing, constantly. The know-like-trust factor totally changes the game. Everyone is wise to marketing gimmicks and highly skeptical of being sold to. Admit it, you hate it too. However, when you know the seller personally, you legit like them and trust their product or service, and that’s when you whip out your credit card, right?

You feel like you’ve done your research, you have some insight that your hard earned money is going to the exact product/service that is the solution to whatever problem you are experiencing. You see the value. You can see all the benefits and how this product/service will change your life.

But how exactly do you launch a program to build your know-like-trust factor while demonstrating how packed with value it is?

I’ve got it down to 3 simple steps, and it’s exactly how I sell out Balanced and Beautiful at every launch.

1a. LIVE IN-PERSON EVENTS

Live events throw you into the role of the expert, which immediately builds your know-like-trust factor. You can collect email addresses for future launches, and you’re adding in value to your target market BEFORE you subtly promote your program.

HOW TO RUN AN IN-PERSON EVENT

1. Find a Venue: Where are they already holding classes near you? Do your referral partners have a space? Where is your target market already going?

 

2. Pitch Your Idea: Select one specific topic that is related to your program. For example, a juicing workshop is specific and is related to a health coaching program. This is much more effective than an overview of how to be healthy. Get specific.

• Focus on the value you are adding to THEIR customers, not how you are promoting a program.
• Give them a take away: a brochure, a PDF print out, a physical copy of the value and break down of the event they are hosting for you. This is just an outline, not enough information that they could run this event without you.
• Set the date now. Less following up, more time for your launch. You’ve got their attention, they are in love with your event, schedule all the details right now. This will save you time following up, on the phone or email, asking questions, trying to secure the details. This way you can focus on your event and selling out your program.
• Figure out who is responsible for marketing for this event. (Think posters, graphics for social media, email for mailing list, social media posts, sign up lists.)

 

3. Run The Event: Practice the entire event before, so you feel comfortable.

• Collect emails via a sign-in form or testimonial form at the end of the event.
• Provide everyone with a take away and/or a sample. In the example of a juicing workshop, bring some green juice. Having a hands-on sample gets everyone involved and adds value.
• Have a call to action – this is their next exposure to your services or products. For our example of a group health coaching program, you could offer free discovery calls to all the workshop participants. Think about your call-to-action as a time to go deeper and find your program participants.
• Bring an assistant. This could be a friend, a family member or someone on your team. Here’s the deal: you’re going to be busy. The assistant’s job is to take pictures for social media, record the event, schedule those free discovery calls, hand out samples and handouts, and to set you up as the expert. Instead of running around getting everyone sorted, you can answer questions and show up fully.

 

1b. ONLINE EVENTS

Webinars are a great way to have all the benefits of a live event, in the comfort of your own home. I use Uber Conference for all my webinars, but do your own research for which platform will work best for you. My Uber line can hold up to 100 callers, but there is no video sharing. However, you can share your screen, if you’ve made slides.

HOW TO RUN AN ONLINE EVENT

1. Sign Up Form: Create this form through your mail provider. I use MailChimp. The idea is when people sign up to get all the details of the webinar and get access to the recording, you can grow your email list. Win-win.

• On the sign up form, include what will be covered, who it is for, and the benefits (aka value) of your webinar.

 

2. Automated Emails: Having everything set up beforehand will save you oodles of time the day of the webinar, so go pro and automate as much as you can.

• After they sign up, send an email with all the details of the webinar: sign in, time and date, anything they need to know before the webinar.
• Send two reminders for the webinar: one that morning and one an hour before. Again, include all the sign-in details and anything they need to bring or know before your webinar starts.

 

3. Promote: It’s time to get people signed up. I promote my webinars on Facebook by posting it on my page AND personal profile. You can also promote it on Instagram (include the link in your bio), and in relevant Facebook groups you are a part of.

• Pro Tip: Do not just post your sign up link in the Facebook group – it looks and feels like marketing. Gross. Instead, post a question. For example: Would anyone like to learn how to make frozen crockpot meals??For everyone who comments yes, reply to every comment with the sign up form. This works because your first post sets you up like a real person who is looking to share information and value.

 

4. Prepare and Run Event: same rules apply as the live event

• Practice
• Take away: PDF or recipes after webinar with the call recording
• Call to action for next exposure to your program
• Pro Tip: After the webinar is over, change all your automated emails immediately. Say something like, “Oops, this webinar already happened! But here is the recording,” and include whatever take away you’re providing. People will sign up after and we still want to support them.

 

2. REFERRALS

I love my referral partners and you should too. They will send you clients, are amazing resources for collaboration, already have a large paying client base, provide you with an instant know-like-trust factor as their audience already knows, likes, and trusts them, and they can promote for you.

HOW TO GET REFERRALS

1. Research: Start with anyone you personally know, branch out to local professionals.

• Where is your target market already?
• Look for those who have similar but different careers. (i.e. If you’re a health coach, think massage therapist, yoga instructors, family doctors, naturopath doctors, acupuncturist, personal trainers, a gym, or even counselors).

 

2. Contact and Follow Up: First contact will be a written letter, an email, or a cold call.

• Focus on wanting to know about their business so you can refer YOUR clients to them. Say something like, sometimes your clients have problems that are outside the scope of your practice and you NEED to have people to refer them to, but you want to make sure they will get supported in a way that will mesh well with your service and vision.
• Book the coffee or tea date. This should be in person, build up that know-like-trust factor.

 

3. The Meeting: Start off the meeting by asking them questions, their mission, how they work with clients, what it would look like for your clients, what they love about their industry, what projects they are currently working on, and who they love working with.

• Get super clear on who you want them to refer to you, and make it easy for them. Describe your target market in detail, paint the picture so they will know when that person crosses their path.
• Provide a takeaway. Give them a sample of a brochure or a printout of your program with your bio, picture and contact information. If they are interested in becoming your referral partner, just drop a bunch of these off for them the next day. This is what they will hand the potential client when they recommend your program.
• After the referral is made, ask for an email connecting you to the potential new client, or who to look out for. This gives you the ability to contact them.
• Show your gratitude, but don’t break the law. Yup, it’s illegal in some places to give gifts over $20 after a referral is made. I love sending a handwritten thank you note: simple, not illegal, but full of gratitude.
• Pro Tip: Could any of these new referral partners be a guest speaker in your new program? Could you run a live event in their space? Would they love to know about your upcoming webinars?
  

 

 

3. REACHING OUT

• This is where most coaches fall short, but not you. Taking it to the next level by making it a goal to fill those seats will set you apart. I like to write a numbered list with how many seats I want to fill and post it in my workspace. I am talking about sending messages, emails, texts, calling old friends, and networking your buns off.
• By making real connections and building real relationships, you guessed it, you’re building your know-like-trust factor and adding value with a personal touch.

 

HOW TO REACH OUT

• How many people? Make your list and post it
• Start with your low hanging fruit. Who will most easily say yes?
• DO NOT start with you, ever. Ask questions about their life, what’s going well, what are they working on the next few months, how is their career, home life, relationships, eating, anything that your program will cover.
• Find their need by asking open-ended questions.
• Offer nuggets of wisdom, but resist the urge to help them fix anything on this call. This is what your program is for.
• Eventually they will ask you what you’re up to, and this is when you can talk about this amazing program you are currently launching. Focus on the value and how your program is the perfect solution to their current problem.
• If they give you a big fat no, it’s ok – it’s not time for them right now. But ask them if they could help you and pass on the details to anyone they think would be a good fit. People love helping. Get over not wanting to ask for help, seriously. Pull up your big girl panties and say the actual word HELP to someone who just told you no.
• If they are remotely interested, schedule your next exposure, live event, webinar, or another call. You can ask them on a scale of 0-10, 0 being completely uninterested and 10 ready to sign up now, where are they. Anything other than a 0 means they are interested. They just need to see the value – that’s your job.
• Keep track of everyone who is interested. Make a list and keep following up until they are on your Signed Up list. Don’t bother them every day; instead, ask them when they will have time, and get them to set the date and time.

 

This is exactly how I’ve done it.

These 3 steps (events, referral partners, and reaching out) are specifically designed to build your know-like-trust factor and add value to your target market, which is essential for turning them into paying clients and sell out your program.

Think about the last program you bought – what made you pull the trigger?

I bet you felt like you trusted and liked the program creator. Did you see all the value? You probably saw exactly how the program was going to change your life and fix whatever problem you were struggling with.

The world needs your program – you playing small isn’t serving anyone. Trust in yourself and be open to feeling exposed. Your tribe is waiting for you and your amazing program. You can do this. Don’t stress, everything is progress.

What is your program offering? Share it in the comments below. We’d love to see what you’re up to.

 

About the Author

Amanda Greenthumb is a Mom, Certified Health Coach and blogger at amandagreenthumb.com She believes we are what we eat and backyard food production can heal hearts, bellies and the earth. Amanda is the creator of Balanced and Beautiful an 8 week group coaching program for busy, powerful women. They master the art of letting go, fall in love with whole foods while getting mega doses of nutrition and taking the utmost care of themselves to feeling flowingly abundant and full of gratitude. Follow Amanda day to day at:

https://www.instagram.com/amandagreenthumb/

https://www.facebook.com/amandagreenthumb