Ethical launching: building trust & long-term relationships with customers
Welcome back to another episode of Process to Profitability! Get ready to dive into the world of ethical launching in online businesses with the incredible Nikki Traylor. We'll be discussing the importance of building sustainable businesses, the pitfalls of unethical practices, and how to align our values with our audience when it comes to launching. From understanding the principles and emotions involved in a launch to standing out in a saturated space, we'll cover it all. So grab your favorite beverage, sit back, and get ready to learn how to build a business that not only brings in profit but also respects and nurtures your audience. Let's jump in!
Timestamps:
[00:02:14] Meet Nikki
[00:07:33] Launch tactics that may seem unethical
[00:09:22] Choose your tactics based on your values and your audience
[00:14:15] Ethical launching is good for business
[00:17:55] How to align your launch with your business values
[00:21:09] Common launch tactics that cause big reactions
[00:26:25] Sales psychology in launching and marketing
[00:27:25] Tips for planning your next launch
[00:31:00] Connect with Nikki
Key Topics:
Building a sustainable business requires long-term thinking and building good relationships with customers
Unethical practices often stem from short-term thinking and the desire to make immediate sales
Make customers feel good at every step of their journey, even if they don't buy from you immediately
Building a high-pressure sales approach can damage your reputation
Be honest and respectful if a potential client is not a good fit for your business
There isn't a one-size-fits-all approach to launching
Understanding principles and emotions involved in a launch is essential
The importance of aligning business values with the audience when launching
Tailor copy and messaging to the target audience, rather than blindly copying successful businesses
Prioritize transparency, ethical practices, and delivering results to build a successful online business
Resources:
Bonus Tip: Use Interact to create quizzes for your launches that showcase your expertise and build trust with your audience. They even have an AI builder that helps you write your quiz based on your topic and audience.
[00:00:00] Samantha Mabe: On today's episode of Process to Profitability, I am talking with Nikki Trailor all about ethical launching.
[00:00:07] We have a really great in depth conversation about what we can do to make our launches more ethical and some of the practices that we have seen in our own experience that just feel icky when you're watching somebody else launch.
[00:00:24] She is going to be sharing information about what tactics are definitely unethical, where you might have to make a decision based on your values and the values of your audience, and we talk a lot about what ethical launching is and how we can approach launches differently than a lot of the celebrity entrepreneurs in this online business space do so that we can meet our audience where we're at so that we can make decisions that feel good for us and give our potential customers and clients the information they need to make an informed decision instead of feeling pressured or feeling FOMO about missing out on something while we are launching our program or course or our services.
[00:01:17] Nikki Trailor is a launch copywriter and strategist who helps online business owners make more money from their offers in a way that feels good to them and their audience. She's been the copywriter behind multiple six figure launches has helped coaches sell out brand new offers and even doubled one client's revenue goals, all using her signature three P framework of Personality Principles and Psychology to get result.
[00:01:40] Her mission is to empower more women to stop showing up as watered down versions of themselves online so they can show up, sell out and change the world. When she's not busy helping her clients make bank, you can find her at the climbing wall, dancing on her rainbow colored roller skates, or curled up with a glass of red wine and a puzzle book.
[00:02:06] Hi Nikki, thanks for joining me today.
[00:02:10] Nikki Trailor: Hey, I'm super excited to be here. Thank you so much for having me.
Meet Nikki
[00:02:14] Samantha Mabe: Can you start by sharing a little bit more about your business journey and where you located and how you got to doing what you do today?
[00:02:24] Nikki Trailor: Yeah, of course. First of all, I'm in case you can't tell from the accent based in the UK and I'm actually in London right now.
[00:02:30] So I started my business as a launch copywriter and strategist about two and a half years ago now in the pandemic.
[00:02:37] My whole career, I worked in the travel industry and I actually had what most people would have looked at and thought was a dream job. I always used to tell people what I did and they would look at me and be like, 'Oh, you have the best job in the world.' and in my head, I was always thinking, 'yeah, it sounds really cool', but actually I was just never fully satisfied with what I was doing.
[00:02:55] I always had this kind of entrepreneurial pull, like I wanted to run a business, but I just had no idea how to do that. So I'd sit at my desk and feel frustrated the whole time.
[00:03:03] And then as part of that job, I did a lot of traveling, but also I also did a lot of copywriting on the side for the website. And so writing has always been a part of my job.
[00:03:13] And when it came to the pandemic, I had figured that I was going to lose my job. I just knew I felt it coming. Like it was just this horrible period where I was just sat around waiting for the news.
[00:03:23] And at the first, I didn't know what to do with myself. I stumbled on a webinar online that was talking about this whole online business world and copywriting. And I was like, 'I already do this. So why didn't I see if anyone in my network needs any support on that? And just see if I can explore this as an opportunity.'
[00:03:39] And so I did. I put out a call on LinkedIn. I was like, ' the travel industry's in a bit of a mess. I am looking for work as a copywriter. Does anyone need my help?'
[00:03:47] I really loved it, but I was just like, 'okay, this is working for me, but it's not that profitable' because I was charging peanuts that I was doing so much work.
[00:03:54] And then I discovered the launch space and the online course industry and just realized how many amazing people were in there and how many people were really struggling to get their message out there. And I realized that was something I could really help with.
[00:04:05] One of my special skills really is seeing what makes someone really special and different. So I love those conversations that I get to have with business owners where I can pull out their magic and translate that into words. And so I started doing that more and I fell in love with that.
[00:04:18] Samantha Mabe: Yeah. So many of us started out, whether it was because of the pandemic or before the pandemic, trying to figure out what a running a business even looks like. And your story is the same that you just took whatever job somebody sent your way. And then as you discovered what this space was all about, you were able to find something that lights you up and that you're able to help people with. So I love to hear like how people evolved into what they are doing now because we're always evolving as business owners and we're always figuring out the best space for us to be in where we can be the most helpful.
[00:04:58] How did you find launching as Something that you really loved to do for people in courses?
[00:05:05] Nikki Trailor: Yeah. It's funny you ask that actually, because it's not something I ever thought I'd want to be involved with.
[00:05:10] Like when I had the word sales, when I was in my previous job, I would like freeze. I hated the idea of selling. And there was an opportunity that came up in the sales team and I was like, 'Oh God, no, I just don't want to be anywhere near that side of things. Like I hate the idea of it.'
[00:05:23] So it was really surprising to me that launching was the thing that appealed. But I somehow liked the idea of really seeing the results that I could bring people.
[00:05:33] So many people, they come into a launch and it's this really stressful period, like both mentally, physically, like it can be really draining. You're putting so much love and effort into it. And some people really have a lot riding on those results. They're relying on that to bring in their income. So it can be really stressful.
[00:05:48] And I just knowing that I can help support them through that process. That it doesn't have to be stressful if you are outsourcing the right pieces, the bits that you're not good at, and you have someone that really knows the industry and knows what they're doing, it can make that process much more pleasant and just take some of that personal pressure off.
[00:06:07] I'm really good at problem solving. I'm really good at piecing together the strategy of things. When I realized that I was good at it, I was like, this is the direction that I want my business to go in cause I feel like I can really help people with that and build the life that I want as well.
[00:06:22] Samantha Mabe: You're a launch copywriter, so do you just help with the copy or do you go beyond that to help them like map everything out? What pieces do you take over?
[00:06:33] Nikki Trailor: It really depends on who I'm working with. So I have two different ways of working with me. One of them, it would just be the copy. So I take off like an individual sales page or an email sequence.
[00:06:42] But if I do a full launch project, I really like to have a hand in the strategy because I have worked on my process for a couple of years now and trying to really figure out the bits of launches that people struggle with.
[00:06:54] And most of the problems that people encounter during a launch come from not planning properly.
[00:06:58] And because I realized that, I was like 'how can I stop people feeling so stressed during a launch?' And I realized that most of that came from setting realistic goals, setting a realistic time frame because there's so much to do and things always go wrong and making sure that there's some kind of contingency plans in place when like tech gets messed up or like these things that maybe going to go wrong do.
[00:07:18] So yeah, I love helping out with that part of it. And I think, especially for new launchers as well, they don't necessarily have that strategy piece in place. So they are looking for help on that. Even if they don't think they need it, I like to suggest that if they haven't thought about this stuff, it's time to outsource it as well.
Launch tactics that may seem unethical
[00:07:33] Samantha Mabe: Yeah. You share a lot about launching ethically. And I think it's a big conversation right now in the online business space. How do we do business ethically?
[00:07:43] We've seen a lot of things we don't like or that feel like, 'Ooh, I don't feel like that's how I want to do things.'
[00:07:52] What are some of those tactics that you see people using that could come across as unethical to the people that are watching a launch or that are involved in a launch?
[00:08:03] Nikki Trailor: Oh, yeah. So this is where it gets juicy. And I see so many bad things. I see so many people trying to do good things as well.
[00:08:10] But the first thing I want to point out is that when I talk about ethical marketing or like non sleazy stuff, a lot of it is very nuanced. And everyone has a different opinion on what they think is okay and what's not okay.
[00:08:20] What I tend to say is if you're ever struggling with this idea of how to figure out what is okay and isn't, think about how you feel when you're on the receiving end of some of this stuff. And then that helps you understand where your values lie.
[00:08:31] So for me, some of the things that I see a lot is just blatant lying, which is obviously never a great point to start on when you're trying to run a business and build a business and build a community with the people that you're selling to.
[00:08:43] So you get a lot of people who towards the end of a launch, they'll be like, 'Oh, actually, I've decided that I'm going to introduce a new payment plan based on feedback from my audience.' And actually, it's not to do with feedback from that audience. It's just because they think this is going to squeeze a few more sales out.
[00:08:59] And like things like that, where it's not coming from a place of genuine, I'm responding to what my audience has asked for and what they want. That doesn't feel great if someone knows that you're doing that, right?
[00:09:09] I think a lot of it comes down to the intentions of the person selling. Are you doing this from a place of trying to make a quick buck, or are you doing this from a place of, here's how I can serve my community and my audience better?
Choose your tactics based on your values and your audience
[00:09:22] Samantha Mabe: Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. And I think you're right in that everybody's going to have to approach this differently. Because from one person, it might feel, oh, that's icky. And it depends on your audience too.
[00:09:34] I have had clients tell me that they like working with me because they know I wasn't going to push them into something that doesn't feel aligned for their values. But that varies for everybody.
[00:09:47] Nikki Trailor: Yeah. Yeah, definitely. I think I tend to try and put it in the context of like being sold to in the DMs. So that's something I think most of us can relate to, because I'm sure at least like once in a while, most of us have had one of those messages where you can just sense that it's going to turn into a sale.
[00:10:03] And I don't know what it is about that, but to some people that are okay with it, like it works, like people do get sales in that way, but to some people, They really don't respond well and that guard goes up and they just know it's going to turn into a sale and they hate it.
[00:10:15] So if you're one of the people that hates that, don't do that. And if you're one of the people that feels okay with it, consider how your audience feels around it.
[00:10:23] And I think that fundamentally is where a lot of this problem comes from is that a lot of these tactics are taught and they filter down and they filter down and they filter down over the years and people have not felt okay with some of them. But I haven't necessarily questioned it or thought how they can do it better or differently because people ultimately want results.
[00:10:40] Samantha Mabe: I think that's a big piece of this is that we see what, especially like what those bigger businesses who have been in this space for a long time, like the celebrity entrepreneurs are doing. We're like that must be working because they're clearly making money. And a lot of people try to replicate that, but we can't support it. We don't have the teams and the backing. And so like things get lost and that feels icky.
[00:11:06] As business owners, sometimes we don't realize that they are probably coming across unethical to a lot of people, but it's such a numbers game that it doesn't matter to them. Whereas if we are trying to work with people who we really care about, we have to make sure that's a big part of how we do business.
[00:11:26] Nikki Trailor: Yeah. Yeah, definitely. I think it's really easy to try and model yourself on these bigger people who are quite clearly successful in doing things well.
[00:11:33] But actually, one thing that is really honest mistake to make, I think when you're a smaller business and you're trying to model someone who's doing these huge, like eight figure seven figure launches, is actually they have people on their team really honing their messaging down. And almost making sure they're speaking to the right people. They have a team of people like interviewing customers, interviewing people who aren't their customers yet and understanding what they want and how to position that offer.
[00:11:58] And something that to me comes across as really unethical in marketing is when your copy isn't that dialed in and specific to the person you're trying to sell to, because then if people aren't necessarily sure if your offer is a damn heck yes for them, and they feel the FOMO and they feel the pressure to buy, they might be buying something that actually is not going to work for them.
[00:12:18] So it's so important to make sure that you're not skimping on the copy and the messaging and making sure that you're really speaking to the people whose problems you can actually solve rather than just trying to copy, whatever Amy Porterfield is doing and see what she's saying.
[00:12:32] Who's this for? Who's it not for? And trying to just take those lines from that because you've seen it on a sales page template or someone else's page. I'm really making sure that you can help the people that you're selling to.
Promise results you can actually deliver
[00:12:43] Samantha Mabe: Yeah. I think that's a big piece of this is you just see those really big promises. And I think you're right in that it's a problem with messaging. We don't think our skills are valuable.
[00:12:52] So as a website designer, I can't promise that you're going to get 10 new clients the day your website launches, but I can promise that you're going to feel more confident sharing your website, that it's going to be easier for people to use.
[00:13:04] And so we have to hone in on what is the actual thing that people are benefiting and that we feel like we can actually deliver as a result to everybody instead of here's this big promise and then it falls short for a lot of people.
[00:13:23] And that doesn't feel good for us. It's not a good look for our business and it doesn't feel good for the people who are in it either.
[00:13:29] Nikki Trailor: Yeah. I love what you said about that. Cause I think so many coaches and people who are positioning themselves as experts in this space. They always talking about having that one promise for your offers and making sure it's like a tangible benefit that people get.
[00:13:42] Yes. It's more persuasive. Yes. It really does help people understand what they're going to get. But if you can't necessarily promise that, or that's not the average result you get for your clients, you can't make that claim.
[00:13:52] I think it's really worth looking at your past results for people and seeing. What the middle people are getting, not that one person who made the 10k month within five days. The people that have been working with you for six months, what have they achieved?
[00:14:05] Looking at the results across the board and seeing what is realistic to the normal person who might be joining your thing rather than making some big promise based on one person.
Ethical launching is good for business
[00:14:15] Samantha Mabe: Why should we even care about making sure our launches specifically are more ethical? Like, why is this important to us and our businesses and our potential clients?
[00:14:27] Nikki Trailor: From a business owner perspective, I think it's super important to think about it from the point of view of building a more sustainable business, because often a lot of the unethical practices that you see come from really short term thinking and like trying to get the sale in now.
[00:14:44] Whereas if you're trying to build a business that's gonna keep you going in the future, you want to build a good relationship with your customers or potential future customers. You want to make them feel good at every step of the journey.
[00:14:54] And maybe at some point they will buy from you, but it doesn't have to be now. And I think that's what's so important.
[00:15:00] You don't have to get every single person that comes into your funnel, every single person that lands on your website, every single person in your DMs to buy from you now. It doesn't need to be this high pressure thing.
[00:15:10] And I think it's just going to help you in the long run cause it's not going to damage your reputation. These are people, people that you've spoken to on a sales call, for example, if it's not a good fit, if you've been on that call with them and specifically told them, I don't think this is right for you right now, they're going to really respect that. They're going to probably tell someone that you did that and that they respected that. And it's gonna do so much for the reputation of your brand and your business and really help you out in the long run.
[00:15:31] People that have a negative sales experience with you are going to be telling their friends. The online business space is small, you're going to be commented about in Facebook groups, people are going to see that, there's conversations going to be had on Reddit, all of these places, and you're not necessarily going to know about it, but Already that's turning more and more people off from your business. So from that perspective, I think it's super important.
[00:15:52] But also just, it's all about respecting your audience and treating them like they're smart. And not trying to just manipulate them into something just because it benefits you. I think it's, a lot of it comes down to being a good person and not shaming people into feeling like they need these things when they don't.
[00:16:10] Samantha Mabe: That makes a ton of sense. I have watched so many business owners right now start to call out bad practices and people they've worked with. We are in an age where we're no longer afraid to say this person did not deliver what they promised and I've seen it from a lot of other people.
[00:16:28] There's always going to be like that one client that you can never satisfy that leaves you a one star review. That just is what it is. But we are noticing the businesses that are constantly not delivering results, or they're hiding things from people or they just ghost people.
[00:16:47] And I think that in this space where more and more people are joining online businesses, we have to stand out by really living on our values and being ethical and being really open about things that are important to us and sharing if we do make a mistake, cause that happens, making sure that all of that is on the table because it's going to connect us with the types of people we want to work with.
[00:17:17] Nikki Trailor: Yeah, that's exactly it. And I just want to put this out there as well that like by saying that, we're having a conversation about ethical launching and I'm always the type of person who's trying to do this better, who's trying not to manipulate people, who's trying not to piss people off.
[00:17:30] But at the same time, I might not do things perfectly a hundred percent of the time. And if someone calls me out on something that I'm doing, I'm going to take that on board.
[00:17:38] It's an industry that's constantly shifting and what's okay today might not be okay tomorrow. And it's okay. It's great to have these conversations.
[00:17:44] I think it's perfect that we're opening this up now and that people aren't afraid to call it out if they see it, because it is going to make us get better eventually. It will be a slow process, but I think it will help the industry overall.
How to align your launch with your business values
[00:17:55] Samantha Mabe: So when you are helping somebody with their launch, what is your approach to launching and making sure that what you're doing is in line with that business's values and what's important to them?
[00:18:10] Nikki Trailor: My whole stance on launching in general is that there really isn't a one size off approach.
[00:18:15] I just think there's so many people that teach this like rinse and repeat strategy and yes, it works, but it doesn't mean it's right for everyone. And there are other ways to make it work and get good results. So you don't have to be just copying other people.
[00:18:29] For me on a personal level, like when I approach a launch, I have what I call my 3P framework. And the first step of that is principles. So when I start a project with someone, I get on a really long kickoff call with them to really understand their business, to understand their audience.
[00:18:42] And as a part of that, I try and ask a few questions about their principles, how they feel when they're launching and how they feel when they're participating in someone else's launch and try and understand what it is they do and don't like about the process because I think it's super important to make sure that kind of lines up.
[00:18:57] If someone is really against countdown timers, there's no way we're going to be using a countdown timer because they're not going to feel good about using that.
[00:19:04] And the other things that I check as well is how comfortable they are with a other tactics? In terms of whether they want to do a webinar, are they okay selling live? How comfortable are they with the sales process so that I can understand like how we get that messaging and check so that it is salesy without being salesy?
[00:19:20] And so the second part of my framework is personality and just making sure everything lines up with them. And that is making sure that a, the copy sounds like them and is aligned with their values and things that they would actually say. And also that the launch like feels good to them.
[00:19:34] If they have particular constraints, say that they're like a mom and they only work certain hours a day, or they have a chronic illness, whatever that looks like for them what's their time frame? And when can they realistically be launching?
[00:19:45] And then the third part of that process is psychological principles. So this is where the ethics question really comes in. Because most copywriters are heavily trained in like persuasion, biopsychology, and using those as a way to increase your conversions during your sale, which basically just means make more sales.
[00:20:05] And some people have problems with people using these and some people don't. So it's a real balancing act between understanding like, The principles that you need to use to encourage people to buy, like some people do need a little push but it must come from a place of empowerment and not pushing them into something that they were never going to buy.
[00:20:22] It's all about gathering all the data that we need to make, help them make that decision ethically along the way. So things like urgency and scarcity. So scarcity being that there's only a certain limited number of spots, for example, and urgency being that there's a deadline. They're not necessarily unethical but they can be, if they're used wrong, in that you can be creating that feeling of FOMO in someone, and they might be buying from a place of, I was never going to buy this, but I feel like I'm going to miss out. So you have to make sure that the messaging you're using with those things is okay, and is helping a reader make a decision rather than it being like, if you don't buy now, you're never going to get this again feeling.
[00:21:02] I use a mixture of those three things, but trying to always bring in what's important to the person I'm working with and what's important to that audience.
Common launch tactics that cause big reactions
[00:21:09] Samantha Mabe: Yeah. So you mentioned things like countdown timers and urgency and scarcity that we're all taught to use. Are there certain tactics that you see people have a big reaction to one way or the other like those? They're not necessarily unethical, but so for some people they really want to steer away or you have to be really careful about how you use them.
[00:21:34] Nikki Trailor: Yeah, countdown timers is the big one, right? Because so many people, they see it and they switch off. It depends on your audience and kind of the types of buyers you have in your audience. How sensitive they are, how oversold to they are?
[00:21:47] The easiest way to find that out is just to get on a call with them, have some market research interviews and figure out how they feel about that.
[00:21:52] Some of the software you use now for countdown timers, you can, they can click a button and switch it off. So if they don't want to see the countdown timer, you can give them that option. So you can still use it for people that are comfortable with it, but you don't have to be using it. So that's something that I think is really great that has actually come out of this conversation being opened up.
[00:22:10] The other thing that I see a lot of people actually have a problem with, which I don't think is necessarily unethical at all, but it's just like the number of emails that people send during a launch. And understanding how comfortable with people are with being sold to at that frequency.
[00:22:23] So again, that's like something that some people might feel is high pressured, but if you're doing it right and you're writing the right copy, that is just more empowering than it is here by my stuff, shouting from the rooftops about how great you are, then that can feel better to the person reading it.
[00:22:38] But also, the space is saturated and you just have to be doing enough to make sure you're standing out and delivering enough value that people want to open those emails because otherwise, yeah, it's going to feel like you're bombarding people.
[00:22:50] Samantha Mabe: It's such a fine line with a lot of these things. Like for you and I who offer services and even for some courses, depending on what they are, when you talk about scarcity and urgency, there is a cart close date. There is a deadline or there are a limited number of spots and so we're not using those to pressure somebody into buying. It's more of this is information that you need to have.
[00:23:15] Yeah, if we, or even if you were to say this is. This launch and the price is probably going to go up next time, if we can find a way to use those things in a way that's I'm just giving you this information so that you can make an informed decision without being like, if you don't buy now, it's going to cost 7, 000 more next time and scaring people into something that they wouldn't necessarily.
[00:23:43] Nikki Trailor: Yeah, absolutely. That's super important. And something that I've started doing for clients and for myself as well, it's just really reiterating that people like if they're not in a position to be buying this, the program's not going to disappear unless it really is the last time that you're selling this thing. It's going to be available in a few months or even after the cart closes if it's on evergreen. They're going to be able to get their hands on it when they're ready.
[00:24:05] But I don't want people buying from a place where they're going to have to take a loan out to pay for the thing, or they're going to be worrying about what their next paycheck is coming from. So I do try and add comments like that into emails.
[00:24:15] Samantha Mabe: I really like that approach because I have seen so many people who are like pressuring you into buying, this is the last time this is going to launch. There are only so many spots or we're almost sold out.
[00:24:27] And then when you look at it a couple of days later, they're saying the same thing. So it's not from a genuine place, whereas if you can genuinely say this is the last time it's going to be at this price and you follow through on that, then you're being more helpful of just giving people that information to help them decide instead of I'm just going to say this because this is a tactic and this is like a way to pressure you into making a buying decision.
[00:24:55] Nikki Trailor: Yeah. So much of it again, comes back to integrity and just being honest and giving them all of the information, but being real about that information.
[00:25:03] I said before, I hate like fake payment plans. That drives me insane. Fake scarcity or telling people that there's only a limited number of things when there's actually not endless people can join: horrible. Just don't do that.
[00:25:15] And I say that with confidence. Normally I'll be like, you can do this if you're comfortable, you can do that if you're not comfortable, but that is just, that should definitely not be a thing. It's all about honesty.
Give people the ability to opt out of your launch
[00:25:23] Nikki Trailor: And the other thing I would say as well, it's giving people permission to opt out of stuff. If they don't want to be seeing sales emails, because for instance, they're not in a financial position where they're ready to be sold to. I will purposefully opt out of those promos because I know that I get sucked in and I know that I react really to the psychological triggers.
[00:25:40] So giving people the option to do that, where they can take themselves out of the launch sequence and still get your regular newsletters and your value emails. So important.
[00:25:50] Samantha Mabe: Yeah. And I think it's really interesting that you call yourself a launch copywriter and you make this big point instead of like a conversion copywriter, you're not writing copy that is trying to use all of that sales psychology that we have heard about in the online space that people might be familiar with.
[00:26:07] Okay, I've heard of sales psychology and not realizing like in a lot of ways that is putting pressure on people to buy something or tricking them into buying something almost instead of here's my offer, here's what it does. And here's how you can get it right now.
Sales psychology in launching and marketing
[00:26:25] Nikki Trailor: Yeah, exactly. I have actually trained in conversion copy. That's how I got my start in the copywriting space and the launch space. And I've also learned from a lot of the big names in that space who are teaching a lot of the psychological principles.
[00:26:38] And as I've gone through that journey and I've learned more, and I've learned, and I've sat through other people's launches, I figured out what feels okay to me and what doesn't. I am okay with using some of those principles, but I'm also really careful about how I use them. And I think that's so important.
[00:26:52] I would rather say that I'm going to do my damn best to help you with your launch and do what I can and sell in a way that feels good to you and it feels good to your audience so that you can be proud to send people to that sales page and you're not going to be sat feeling uncomfortable thinking, Oh, is someone going to be reading this and like really just sitting in their pain points and, stewing over this and feeling like they have to buy when they're like not in a good financial position.
[00:27:12] I don't want you as my client to be worrying about that stuff. So I want you to be able to send that link and feel like this really embodies my work and my values. And if people like that, then they're going to buy from me if they're ready.
Tips for planning your next launch
[00:27:25] Samantha Mabe: If somebody isn't hiring somebody to help them with their launch, how can they replicate some of these things to make sure that their launch is more value led and is more ethical when they're planning things, when they're writing things, when they're getting all of this set up?
[00:27:43] Nikki Trailor: Yeah, the first thing I would say is obviously be honest first and foremost.
[00:27:47] The second thing is, I talked a little bit about this before, but really have conversations with your audience and have conversations with people that have been through your programs and understand what results they've got genuinely.
[00:27:58] That's something that's often left out is that people see these outsized results and they're like, Oh, that's great. That's going to be possible for me. But then actually, that person's been in business for three years longer. So of course they've got like a bigger audience, they've got better results or whatever it might be.
[00:28:13] So really speaking to your clients and to your audience and understanding like where they're at and where they need to get to. And then making that clear on the page so that it's super clear who you're able to help, what specific position they're in, how long have they been in business, what type of business do they run all of those things and just make it super clear.
[00:28:33] The other thing is super easy. You can get launch templates, you can get a lot of copy templates, and a lot of those will be rooted in these buyer psychology principles that we've been talking about, but just consider adding phrases that remind people that they don't have to join now and that your offers are going to be available. I think that's a really easy way you can make this feel a little bit better and a bit less salesy.
[00:28:56] And then the other thing would be to give people permission to opt out both of your emails and of any countdown timers if you do use them.
Use testimonials from a variety of clients and results
[00:29:04] Nikki Trailor: Testimonials. This is one thing that I see a lot of people do really badly is that they only highlight the really outsized testimonials. And there'll be like the huge results that one person has got or maybe five people have got. And then they don't talk about what someone who's earlier on their journey was able to achieve because it doesn't seem as impressive, but actually like having testimonials on your sales page, paint a picture of all kinds of different people, all kinds of different levels of success. It can be like less tangible wins and still help someone make an informed decision. So it's really important to have all of them on that.
[00:29:40] Samantha Mabe: I think that's where testimonials and case studies can come in handy to say this is where they started. This is their experience. This is where they ended up. Really help people make an informed decision to say, okay this person has been in business for 7 years. They have 10, 000 people on their email list. Obviously, I am not going to get those same results, but I see myself in this other person who is in a similar place and I'm happy with what they are achieving in this program. So it might be something that I want to invest in.
[00:30:15] Nikki Trailor: Yeah, exactly. Testimonials that talk about the experience of working with you and your expertise and how they felt in your community, how supported were they through your program are just as important, just as persuasive, but they're also not making bold fake claims that people can't attain either.
[00:30:31] Samantha Mabe: Yeah, I think that is so important and I love that you mentioned that's a super easy way for us to do this more ethically.
[00:30:38] Like we can do little things to make our launches more ethical, make them feel better for us and really give our audience the information they need so that they can feel like they can trust us, whether it's now that they want to purchase or if it's in the future.
[00:30:57] Nikki Trailor: Yeah. So beautiful summary.
Connect with Nikki
[00:31:00] Samantha Mabe: So where can people connect with you and learn more about what you do with launches and what's the best place for them to find you?
[00:31:09] Nikki Trailor: Yeah, you can definitely connect with me on Instagram. So I don't post necessarily that regularly, but I'm always in the DMs. I love having conversations with people. So yeah, hit me up. It's just at nikki_trailor.
[00:31:22] Samantha Mabe: Thank you so much for coming on today. I'm excited for people to connect with you and let us know how they are maybe changing the way they think about launches and the things that they're doing.
