You’re ready to roll and birth some beautiful new product or service into the world: it’s time to launch! BUT … keeping all the moving parts in your head can be stress-city, which is why I lean on my work wife Trello to organize everything from product creation to email sequencing needing copy.

(Oh, and Trello pricing? It’s fo’ free. (Need to know how to use Trello? Click this post, or keep reading — I spill my favorite $29 Trello course for small businesses below).

Read on for some launch basics, and a video about how to use Trello to launch!

What in Sam Hill are Launches and Sales Funnels (& Why You Need This System)

Raise your hand if you’ve ever given up information on a website to get something for free in return?

via GIPHY

You were likely part of a sales funnel, my girl.

Now, a sales funnel can stand on its own, sure. Exhibit A: You get a Facebook message from an old buddy whose bio mentions Rodan + Fields …  she claims she’s just wanting to casually chat it up and “catch up” on a 20-minute phone call. Suuuureeeee. ANYWAY, girlfriend’s entering you into a sales funnel to nurture you away from Birchbox samples and over to R+F.

Shaped like — who knew — a funnel, your sales funnel gradual siphons down your crowd into the narrowed purchasing crowd: the ones who resonated most with what you were selling, and are now on the way to becoming brand evangelists.

What is a launch?

It’s just like it sounds: Bursting a new product or service out from your business canon of awesomeness and giving it lift-off. You’ll need a sales funnel to court your target audience along the path to purchase — ’cause otherwise, they don’t know about how fantastically your offer can solve their problem.

A sales funnel connects the dots of your latest launch to your dreamboat clients, nurturing them through some personal interaction & education on the new service or product. It’s a launch safeguard, ensuring you’re not missing any opportunities, and keeping your tribe inside the funnel allllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll the way down to deciding upon whipping out their credit card.

A launch can be this big

… or this big.

A sales funnel can be this big

… or this big.

It doesn’t really matter.

Advanced Tip: If this isn’t news to ya, and you’re ready for the AP class, try stacking your sales funnels that lead into various launches. After they get through one funnel, maybe for a low-cost product or service, drip your purchasers into a new funnel!

The Many Ways to Launch

Yeah, yeah: we’re all accustomed to the 45-minute content-full webinar, followed by 15 minutes of pitching. BUT, there are loads of ways to launch! Maybe it’s a three-part video series, a Facebook Live series, a week-long online challenge … anything your cute self dreams up.

And WHAT can you launch? Goodness gracious. Sky’s the limit!

Try these ideas on for size:

a website revamp / your new shop / revised packages / the 3 consulting slots you need to fill this month / the 10 spots you have available for clients each quarter / a live workshop / a course, duh / etc.

Advanced Tip: Are webinars-with-pitch launches over? Nah. I don’t think so. Are there a lot of miserable teachers *trying* to give webinars and sell things? You betcha (everyone-gets-a-trophy generation much?). But me? I love webinar pitches. For two reasons:

1. I learn LOADS. By the time the host starts pitching, I’ll hear ‘em out: maybe they really can get me from Point A to Point B in less time, and maybe it’s for a price that fits into my monthly educational budget. 
2. B2B is slammed full of webinar pitches, but it’s not so saturated that it’s leaked into the B2C space.

How to Use Trello to Stay Organized for Your Launch

I love the rush of a launch: it’s 15 moving parts, a zillion caveats, and art-meets-science.

BUT, it’s a beast.

(Which is why I send my clients champagne to go ahead and start chilling as part of their welcome gift.)

Trello is my work wife, and the best FREE project management system I’ve tried, and I’ve tried ‘em all. Basically, if Pinterest and Evernote and the Notes app on your iPhone had a baby, it would be Trello. I have boards for my editorial calendar, business operations, client load, and even a board called “Housewife Life” (so I don’t forget my meal plan, honey-do list, or when the dogs need to go to vet).

Staying organized and tracking your launch is paramount: you’ll need to test, tweak, and repeat, over, and over, and over again as you launch.

So for me, I can remember the steps if I write them all down in something like Trello.

Here’s a launch strategy video about how I use Trello to stay Kate-Middleton-level-poised when I’m scooting launches for multiple clients (and myself!) around the board like monopoly pieces:

Okay, bounce-pass, your turn! What is something you could launch to give a new (OR old!) product or service some gumption?

Click here to start using Trello for free!

Other Resources I Like:

Trello for Business course by ThinkCreativeCollective, $29

This Femtrepreneur post, and Mariah’s 90-day Course Launch Checklist

You may also be interested in: