“Launch Mode” a.k.a. a socially acceptable euphemism for chaos.

At least, this is how it feels to many of us. We say things like “well, I’m in the middle of a launch right now, so…” or “That will have to wait until after the launch.” We use “the launch” as an excuse for missing details, avoiding conversations, and scarfing comfort food. (Okay, maybe that’s just me.)

Because we’re in crisis … ahem… LAUNCH mode.

Running a launch campaign means we are currently trapped under the emotional weight of watching the numbers, sending the emails, A/B testing the funnel and struggling to find the right words to persuade. We’re stressed out, not sleeping, and asking everyone we’ve ever been in a mastermind group with to proofread our sales page copy.

Why? We’re running a launch campaign, for crying out loud! And that’s a BIG DEAL, right?

Um, no.

At least, it doesn’t have to be such a big deal. Launching doesn’t have to be a life-altering, cosmic event complete with hype and hyperbole and haagen-dazs.

You can make launching normal. It can be a routine, regular part of your business life that doesn’t overtake everything else. In fact, you can make your whole sales system a simple and efficient operational process that feels like “business as usual” to everyone in your organization. No fuss, no muss. (But you can still have a pint of chocolate truffle ice cream if you want, I promise.)

How do you work this miracle? Take the chaos out of your campaigns, chart a course for your year, and create consistency for your organization and your audience.

Make launching normal by taking the chaos out of your campaigns.

While a certain amount of chaos is part of life, there’s no reason for sales campaigns to feel like a hot mess of crazy. The chaotic experience is actually a result of limited planning and delegation that creates the feeling that you’re making things up as you go along.

In other words, you can avoid the chaos if you really want to.

I believe that planning cerates confidence, and confidence is the biggest chaos killer out there. When you’re confident in your product and confident that you’ve nailed your messaging and your story, you can avoid all kinds of chaotic moments of self-doubt and craziness.

So, take a deep breath. Remember why you’re amazing at what you do and why you believe this offer is incredibly important to the world. And – most importantly – decide that you’re going to wait until the END of the campaign to evaluate your results, rather than jumping into reaction mode (chaos alert) in the middle when things appear to be floundering.

Confidence is a mindset, my friends. You’ve got this.

Make launching normal by charting your course.

There’s an old saying out there that goes like this: “Proper prior planning prevents a pitifully poor performance.” It’s a bit annoying, honestly, but it’s true. The more you plan, the better prepared you are to navigate challenges, make course corrections, and achieve your goals.

That’s why I’m a huge advocate for planning. It might feel hypothetical or even like a waste of time, but it’s essential when you want to create sustainable, scalable sales systems in your business.

Start by mapping out the campaigns you’ve planned for the coming year. Perhaps you plan to promote your course or workshop twice in the next 12 months – once in April and once in October. Lovely, you’ve started your plan.

Now, consider what you need to publish before each campaign to prep your audience and create interest in your work. Go ahead and add this content (and the process of creating it) to your plan.

Then, step back for a moment and notice any gaps you have in your calendar. Look for times when you’re not running a campaign, and you’re not building toward a campaign. These are your open moments – time when you can build awareness, grow your audience, or slip in another campaign of some kind. Once you fill those gaps, you’ll have a general plan you can use to guide your marketing activities all year long.

Feels pretty good, doesn’t it?

Make launching normal by creating consistency.

Sustainability requires a simple, steady pace that fits your available resources and works within the limits and constraints of your business. One of the reasons campaigns feel so chaotic is the frantic pace that feels so foreign to the way we normally do things. You can avoid all of this drama by creating consistency over time.

What do I mean by consistency? I mean doing things the same way both during a campaign and in those non-campaign moments.

Things like:

• Publishing the same number of blog posts in a time period
• Running ads to promote an email freebie (a.k.a. lead magnet) when you’re not promoting a campaign
• Evaluating your metrics on a regular cadence (weekly, monthly, etc.)
• Engaging in social media at the same pace and frequency

A couple of things happen when you force this kind of consistency on your team. First – everyone gets used to the pace. It becomes “business as normal” and doesn’t feel exhausting and mind-numbing.

Second – when you make launching normal instead of a stressful event, everyone’s skills improve because practice makes perfect. The consistent pace eliminates many of the mistakes that happen when things “ramp up” artificially during a campaign. People just know what to do and they get better at actually doing it.

I recommend creating consistency in your message too. The story you tell during your campaign will ideally feel like an extension of your normal work rather than a change of direction for purposes of promoting or selling something. Your audience will respond more naturally this way AND your team will feel comfortable engaging with prospective clients because the message is so completely relevant, consistent, and on brand.

Marketing actually is a normal function of your business.

If marketing doesn’t feel normal to you – if it feels more like something you do “when you remember” or “when you have time” – then you need to do a little work here. You need a Simple Sales System to help you create consistency in your marketing efforts and your results.

When everyone on your team knows what to do (and how to do it) to market your business, you will be amazed at how simple it feels. The chaos will disappear and you’ll be able to focus on scaling your business and your impact. The first stesp is to decide to step past the chaotic status quo and make launching normal, calm and strategic.

Sounds great, doesn’t it? I’m offering a workshop designed to help you create the Simple Sales System you need to make your marketing sustainable and scalable. You can learn more about it here.

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