Evergreen is not the answer 🫢


pre-s:

Coming August 26th... our new course, Calm Launch Formula, will be available inside our coaching program, WAIM Unlimited! The done-for-you resources we've created for you inside this course are beyond anything we've made before, but we wanted every single step of creating your calm launch plan to give you a leg up. We're talking: sales page formula and copy written for you, sales emails written for you, launch plan created for you, pre-launch content strategy done for you... and so much more! More details coming in the next three weeks, so if you want to sell digital products with bigger launches and less stress, get excited!

In case you missed last week’s introduction email about this series, you can read it here.

👋👩🏻‍🦰 Also, hi! It's Caroline behind the keyboard today.

***

In the online business world, people love to paint the evergreen sales model as the ultimate dream.

And I get it—you fall asleep, wake up to sales, and money magically deposits in your account without you lifting a finger. Sounds pretty perfect, right?

Evergreen is pitched as the easy, "passive" money cool guy, while launching is pegged as its unpredictable, pressure-filled, way-too-intense cousin.

But here’s the thing—evergreen is NOT actually easy (anyone telling you that is bending the truth), and launching does not have to be pressure-filled.

Let me break that down further.

For evergreen to work consistently, you have to meet your customer at the exact right moment they're interested.

You need to know where they’re coming from (whether they’re a warm or cold lead) and that often means crafting a complex, ever-running automated machine to catch them at their peak buying moment.

Sounds exhausting, right? We’re not saying it doesn't work, but it’s definitely not the simple stroll through the park some make it out to be.

A simple (launch) plan

On the other hand, you have an open and closed launch model, which can be a much simpler way to get your fundamentals in place.

Why? Because you get built-in urgency from the limited-time window. You get to create one experience for your audience and one SIMPLIFIED launch strategy that everyone goes through simultaneously, reducing complexity.

Does it mean you're not squeezing out every ounce of revenue from your list? Maybe. But that's why the idea of enough money is so powerful. If it means you hit your sales goals with far less stress, isn't that worth it?

Now, if you're a CEO-style, "I'm building an empire" entrepreneur with the mental bandwidth (and the team) to manage complex email segmentation, automated countdown timers, pre-recorded "live" webinar sign-ups, Meta ad campaigns, and dozens of automated email triggers, more power to ya!

But that's just not WAIM's style. Around here, we’re aiming for calm. Simple. Peaceful. We want less time working and more time living.

Which means we need sales strategies that don’t require a PhD in marketing automation to work effectively.

Through trial and error, we discovered that we could actually LAUNCH in a way that gave us evergreen results.

How?

Well, we offer two buying options for our core product, WAIM Unlimited, and they're both monthly payment plans. They both amount to the same total, but one is a faster payoff.

These plans allow us to distribute our launch revenue evenly into monthly recurring revenue. (Yes, since we have a lifetime product, we need to continue launching to keep our revenue stable, but when launching feels predictable and repeatable, that notion is not daunting in the least.)

This "recurring revenue launch model" means we a) have predictable (and growing!) monthly income, b) only have to think about hard-selling twice a year, and c) our creative energy is not wasted on complex strategies; instead it's spent making our offer better and connecting with our customers.

Which brings us to Lesson 1 of our series...


Calm Launch Fundamentals Lesson #1: SIMPLIFY

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the marketing tactics you “need” for a successful launch, erase that idea and replace it with this truth:

If you have an offer people love, you do NOT need a complex playbook of launch tactics.

(And if you don't yet have an offer people love, don't worry, WAIM Unlimited can help with that. 😉)

Our simplified playbook has just 8 things, and we also write down our own no-no list:

❌ No paid ads.
❌ No webinars.
❌ No waitlist.
❌ And for the past few years, no social media. 🫢

We told you what it doesn't include, but how about what it does include? (Seriously screenshot this list and focus on these SIMPLE 8 things for your next launch.)

  1. Pick launch dates early: We choose our launch dates 6 months out, giving us plenty of lead-up time.
  2. Share valuable content: For 4 months leading up to the launch, we share strategically crafted free content. This builds trust, credibility, and goodwill. Two months before the launch, we focus our free content around a specific launch theme.
  3. Pre-launch content: Four weeks prior to launch, we share pre-launch content.
  4. Open cart for two weeks: Our cart opens for two weeks, from Monday to Monday (our newsletter day).
  5. Send several sales emails: Over those two weeks, we send 9 sales emails to ONE main segment of our subscribers. No complex segmentation necessary—just opt-out links for those who don’t want the emails.
  6. Craft strategic storytelling: Instead of juggling ALL the launch tactics, we focus on strategic storytelling that connects with our ideal customers' needs. (More on that in Part 3 of this series!)
  7. Improve offer: We pour our hearts into delivering for our members, surveying and talking to them often so we know what they think in their own words.
  8. Mobilize happy customers: We mobilize our happy customers to advocate on our behalf by becoming affiliates.

That’s it. 8 things.

No intricate sales automation sequences. No math equations about ROAS or CAC. Just planning, value, connection, and effective execution.

We focus on the fundamentals, and it’s CALM.

AND, the interesting part is, we last launched 5 months ago, yet we still wake up to sales magically depositing in our bank account thanks to our payment plans.

Evergreen is a tempting dream, but consider calm launching as your potential path to the freedom you seek.


taking action ⚡️

Share your low and high goals for your next product launch

Since we’re all about taking action around here, your action step this week is to:

Set your sales goals (low and high) for your next launch.

We always set TWO goals for our launches: a low goal and a high goal.

A low goal is a number you feel very confident you can hit. This helps you set your expectations and plan cash flow accordingly.

A high goal is a bigger number that is still within the realm of possibility, but would be extra exciting if you hit it. This number can be a great motivator as you lead up to your launch!

Now hit reply and share these goals with us!

When you put your goals into into the universe and tell someone about them, they become real which means it is much more likely that you'll take steps to hit them!

- Jason and Caroline

new on youtube! 🎥 interview with michelle rohr from secret o.w.l. society

Michelle has an incredible story of running a Calm Creator Business. She's a rule-breaker (which we love) and does things her own unique way to build a business that feels intuitively aligned with who she's becoming. Check it out on our YouTube channel!

latest from the pod

215 - This is the #1 key to getting MOMENTUM in your business

This week, we discuss how our Un-Boring Business Roadmap evolved into the Calm Business Trifecta, emphasizing repeatable launches, an engaged audience, and a peaceful schedule. Tune in to learn how focusing on calm launching can transform your business and reduce overwhelm.

LISTEN ON: APPLE | SPOTIFY | WEB

Caroline interviewed on The Tillage Podcast!

From the host, Shirlee: "Discover how to listen to your inner voice to determine if your drive is rooted in self-love or fear, and learn practical tips for creating a system to protect yourself from striving too hard. This episode is a must-listen for anyone looking to thrive in their personal and professional life without sacrificing their peace and balance."

👩🏻‍🦰 : I absolutely loved chatting with Shirlee for this podcast! If you are a sensitive soul who loves setting goals but doesn't want to sacrifice your well-being in the pursuit of those goals, I hope you get some great nuggets from our conversation!

LISTEN ON: APPLE

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