Launching vs. Evergreen; the best model for your online service business according to Human Design
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Mentioned in this episode:
The differences between live launching and evergreen (plus the advantages and disadvantages for each)
How your Human Design Energy Type can impact your decision to choose live launching or evergreen sales
The advice I give my clients to help them maximise revenue and “future-proof” their evergreen funnels
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So I have a lot of clients that join NEON in particular that are specifically coming into the space to move away from live launching and into more of an evergreen sales strategy.
They have built a core offer (or maybe a number of them), they’ve been launching, they’ve built a reputation around those offers, and now they’re ready to create some more passive income.
Since implementing evergreen marketing and sales strategies in 2022, I’ve learned a lot about the timing of this shift and what really needs to be in place before a move like that.
So let’s discuss!
What is the difference between launching and evergreen sales strategies?
So, let's start by defining what it means to launch and go evergreen in the context of online services.
Launching usually means a big push to introduce a new (or existing) service or product to the market.
It involves heavy promotion.
It's like a big splash in the pool or the 100m sprint in the Olympics.
Launches are usually:
Time-limited: Launches usually have a set start and end date. This creates a sense of urgency.
High-intensity: They need a lot of work to build hype and drive sales at launch. It’s more of an “eggs in one basket” kinda vibe.
High-income: Launches can generate large sales in a short time.
Requires ongoing planning: New launches need regular planning and execution. You must also generate leads between launches to maximise your efforts.
Going evergreen means offering your service without interruption over time.
It's like a steady stream flowing into the pool or the 10,000m race at the Olympics.
An evergreen sales process:
Is continuous: Evergreen products or services are available to buy at any time.
Usually provides steady income: They provide a consistent stream of revenue throughout the year (assuming you’ve optimised your funnel!).
Involves less intense marketing: While evergreen sales still require marketing, the efforts are generally more spread out.
Flexibility: Changes can be made to the product or marketing approach without disrupting sales. You can adjust your sales process based on the data. You don't have to wait for your next launch to test something.
Launching vs. Evergreen: Pros & Cons
So what are the pros and cons of launching versus an evergreen sales process?
Launching
Pros
Focused effort: You can focus your efforts at a particular time throughout the year and then have time off after launching
Fast revenue generation: Can generate significant revenue in a short period.
Increased brand awareness: Can create buzz and attract new clients.
Limited-time exclusivity: Can create a sense of urgency and encourage immediate purchases.
Data collection: Can provide valuable insights into customer preferences and market demand in a short time period.
Cons
Requires significant upfront effort: Can be time-consuming and resource-intensive.
Potential for post-launch slump: Sales may decline after the initial launch period.
Can be difficult to sustain: Requires ongoing planning and execution of new launches.
Less opportunity to change direction mid-launch: If something isn’t quite working in the launch, there’s less space to actually change that strategy
Evergreen
Pros
Steady income stream: Provides a consistent source of revenue over time of your funnel and sales processes are optimised.
Reduced marketing efforts: Requires less intensive marketing compared to launches.
Flexibility: Allows for changes to the product or marketing approach without disrupting sales. There’s more opportunity to tweak a strategy.
Informed decision-making, client trust and loyalty: Clients are investing because the timing and decision feels right rather than because they felt the pressure of urgency during a launch
Cons
Less urgency: You really need to make sure you've got a banging offer and a solid funnel to ensure you can convert all year round.
Slower initial growth: May take longer to generate significant revenue compared to launches.
Requires ongoing maintenance/review: Requires ongoing review of data to make sure your funnel is optimised.
May be less exciting for customers: Can lack the excitement and urgency of a launch.
Can be challenging to stand out: May require creative marketing strategies to differentiate from competitors.
Evaluating the pros and cons is useful on the surface, but if you know me, you know I’ll always bring it back to your Human Design (and Astrology) to determine what is going to be the best strategy for your unique Design.
Human Design Application
When I first started my business and began selling services, I was in a live launch model and I had everything planned out for the year.
I had built my business like a Manifestor. It was constantly on-off and I was in a perpetual launch cycle moving from one offer to the next.
There was absolutely no space for my sacral to respond because everything was planned out for the year.
I was forcing everything instead of waiting for my sacral response.
I hadn’t realised it at the time, but I essentially built a business that went against who I am to my core; which is a 5/1 Sacral Manifesting Generator, a 7H Cancerian with a Capricorn stellium in my 1st house and a Leo stellium in my 8th house.
Connecting to my Human Design (and Astrology) helped me get clear on the type of business I was meant to create.
Now, I have a predominantly evergreen business model where my sacral can respond without pressure or urgency from my mind and I move into doing some launching when I’ve had a response to do so and/or when I want to gather some data quickly.
This is why I look to Human Design when I’m working with my clients. It allows me to tailor a business and scaling strategy that is most aligned to their energy to ensure a profitable and sustainable business.
So let’s talk about how your Human Design Energy Type might influence your decision to launch or sell evergreen
Manifestor
Manifestors inform and initiate - that’s their strategy. They are the only type who don’t need to wait for something external for them to act.
They must first wait for a true self urge and once they’ve experienced that, they can inform before initiating so that they can have a smooth initiation process.
When operating in their true self, Manifestors inspire and empower others with their vision and they experience “peace” through being able to work in an uninterrupted way.
They are more likely to experience their Signature (“peace”) when they are honouring their surge-rest-surge cycle.
This can be achieved through a live-launch model or with an evergreen model where you can have periods of surging and more of a sales push followed by periods of rest afterwards.
If the evergreen model is one where you're the one who is reviewing the data and making the necessary changes in your funnel (and you don’t have support with that), then I would recommend a live launch model instead so you’ve got space to honour your surge-rest cycle.
Generator
Generators have consistent access to life force energy (through their defined Sacrals), ONLY when they are doing what they truly love.
If they feel lit up by their work, they’ll have energy for days.
Generators are most magnetic when they are waiting (even though this feels uncomfortable) and then responding to life.
They are not here to initiate or force their sacral energy, which usually leads to misaligned opportunities or a waste of liquid gold energy.
For Generators, a model where everything is planned out a year in advance takes you out of your response.
If live launching, I recommend “loosely” planning launches in advance but ultimately, waiting for your response when it comes to when to execute.
For example, you might tentatively schedule a launch sometime in October but the final details of this fill themselves in as you have a sacral response.
If you have an evergreen strategy then you can build out a sales funnel and then do “sales pushes” and mini launches throughout the year as you have a sacral response (as a sacral, I love this strategy and it feels really good for me!)
Manifesting Generator
While they have the same strategy as a Generator to respond, Manifesting Generators move at a faster pace than the Generator and they typically skip steps and through that process to find efficiency.
This is a gift of the Mani Gen - creating efficiencies.
They learn things quickly and can give themselves permission to “not complete” anything that no longer feels aligned. They are quick to know what's not working and respond accordingly.
They also love to work on multiple things at once and are multi-passionate in that way.
As with the Generator, it's so important that you're not creating strategies that take you out of your sacral response and so planning things out a year in advance probably isn’t ideal.
Instead, you could create an evergreen sales funnel and then “launch” throughout the year as you have a sacral response. Live launches work well too, you just want to leave room for your sacral response instead of initiating.
Projector
The Projector's role is to guide others (in particular, the sacrals!) and their energy so that they can achieve their “signature” which is their true self theme.
They are masters at knowing how energy is to be used efficiently and they are really here to become an incredible resource and source of wisdom for all Energy Types.
The key to being a Projector is to wait for the invitation before guiding. And what’s required to receive an invitation is to be seen and recognised for the gifts and wisdom you can share.
Evergreen strategies work really well for Projectors who are “non-energy beings” - i.e. their energy is designed to be used wisely and intentionally.
Building out evergreen strategies means you’re able to get paid all year round for your gifts (which contributes to a Projector feeling their “signature” which is Success) and it means that your business isn’t reliant on high-energy launches in order to create revenue.
When (and if) live launching, I recommend creating a lot of space and ensuring you’ve got a robust visibility strategy all year round so you don’t feel pressure to turn into a Generator/Manifesting Generator to have a successful launch!
Reflector
Reflectors are natural observers who adapt and reflect the energy of their environment.
You see, Reflectors have a knack for seeing, or more so “sampling”, energetic themes they are picking up from others in an intimate setting or from the broader collective; and then “reporting” on them in some way or another, big or small.
Reflectors are inherently wise and intuitive, with their ability to be sensitive to the world around them.
A Reflector's strategy is to prioritise their environment and then wait a lunar cycle before they move on a decision.
Why a lunar cycle? Because as beings of the moon, they are highly influenced by the moon's transit, which successfully moves through each energetic quality available in Human Design in a 28-day cycle.
For this reason, I recommend a predominantly evergreen strategy where you’re able to get paid all year round and the sales funnel can do some of the nurture and conversion work for you.
If live-launching, I recommend making it a longer launch where you’re giving yourself a lot of space to warm up your audience with your content, as well as in the open cart period so that you don’t feel pressure to act quickly or to show up like a Generator/Manifesting Generator.
What to consider when making your decision and my recommendations
In almost all cases, I recommend at least 1, but preferably 2-3, live launches first because as we spoke about, you receive data so much faster than in an evergreen sales strategy.
When you’re live launching, you can also test things for your evergreen funnel.
For example, say you launch 3 times, you’re able to test 3 different top-of-funnel masterclasses to see which one converts the best.
Based on that data, you can then use those assets (the masterclass and the emails) to build your funnel.
I don’t recommend building a funnel right out of the gates before you’ve thoroughly tested the offer in the marketplace because gathering data in an evergreen sales strategy takes time and there are a lot of variables that are being tested at once (messaging as well as conversions).
For example, we usually don’t make any changes to a funnel until we’ve had at least 150 people come through it.
For my clients who are really interested in selling in an evergreen way, I offer them the perspective that even though they might be launching, this is part of the overall build of a funnel as it's an important part of testing.
That way, instead of them being in the energy of “urgh, I have to launch”, they’re able to see it as an overall long-term strategy and in my experience, this helps them to embrace launching a lot more!
As with most things, there really isn’t a “right” or “wrong” way when it comes to business, it’s more a matter of what works for you.
When considering launching vs evergreen consider how you want to exist within your business.
Do you love creating content, regularly, that often links back to any one of your offers?
Well, evergreen would be a good fit for you.
Or do you prefer to “switch off” from social media for an extended period of time?
Then perhaps high-energy launches where you can maximise sales and work with your clients in your “off” period is what’s going to align for you.
Then there is always the option of a little from column A and a little from column B. If you’re new to business, then launch and learn before you start to go evergreen in your business.
Constantly Converting By Design
Want your business to convert consistently and predictably? (While your mind and body feel fully grounded and deeply regulated because you’re finally being guided by your unique Human Design Energy Type).
Constantly Converting By Design is open for enrolment!
Over 12 weeks, you'll learn how to create, position and SELL your offers consistently and in a way that leverages your uniqueness and strengths.
P.S. One of the things I teach inside Constantly Converting By Design is my whole content system which can be executed according to your Human Design and implemented in a way where you can easily repurpose content and leverage things more and more over time.
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I’m Jazze Jervis
Jazze Jervis is a business coach supporting high achieving service providers to increase their visibility, scale their brands and increase profits with *personalised* strategies, human design and astrology so they can experience “richness” without the sacrifice.
