Are you thinking about launching something for Black Friday, but you’re a service provider and unsure what that would look like for you? Maybe you’re feeling pressured to create something new, or you’re an introvert like me wondering how you’ll find the energy to maintain a launch during the busiest time of year. I adored today’s guest, Wanda.
In this conversation, we talked about how we can start planning Black Friday to build consistent, recurring revenue alongside a cash injection. We covered different strategies, when to start planning, and why today’s episode went live on a Monday (her challenge starts today!). There’s no pressure to join, but it felt silly to air this on Tuesday when her challenge begins Monday. If you’re interested, definitely check it out, but you’ll love this episode regardless.
We also talked about longer launch times, energy management, selling without discounting services, and common Black Friday mistakes. Tune in and let me know what you think.
PSST: This conversation with Wandi is from my podcast. For the full breakdown and some serious game-changing insights, don’t miss out—tune in and catch all the details!
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Table of Contents
Who is Wandi Ruiz?
Wandi is a business mentor who offers coaching. She built a six-figure business while working a nine-to-five as an engineer with a baby on her boob (her words and I LOVE it!). She has a two-year-old like me, and now she helps women innovate and build consistent 5 to 15K cash months—all strategy, no fluff. Today, we’re talking about planning Black Friday to stack recurring revenue so you can get some of that too!
Can you explain what your two-month planning Black Friday launch timeline looked like, and do you think a longer launch period is better for introverts?
Everyone can do this, and it might sound strange, but the longer your launch is, the more confidence you’ll have because you’re entering with belief in the transformation you’re providing. You know your ideal client will be lucky to have you—they need you more than you need them. Your ideal client, or as I like to say, your dream client, is the one who is willing and eager to pay you. When planning your Black Friday launch, focus on creating content for that dream client—this will change everything for your business.
Black Friday launches are similar to evergreen models. If you start launching in the first week of October, your Black Friday launch might end on Cyber Monday, but depending on your offer, it can become evergreen. Evergreen means no set open and close dates, and can apply to bonuses, promos, or anything. There’s no reason why your Black Friday launch can’t bring in a cash injection well into 2025. This isn’t the norm, and that’s why I created the challenge, Kara—because people don’t talk about it. Most people don’t have 15 masterclasses ready to bundle, and that’s okay. I don’t enjoy creating masterclasses every month. While it’s a great business model, it’s not for me.
In 2023, I wanted to try something fun with a long launch, and it can be fun. You can do whatever you want, but think about what you’re selling—whether it’s a digital product or one-on-one services. Yes, you can sell services on Black Friday without discounting them. Just because it’s not typical doesn’t mean you can’t do it, and for introverts, this can be really playful.
What does a two month launch or Black Friday launch look like?
The launch principles always apply. If you think about the buyer journey—attraction, warming, and converting—your content should guide your dream client through that process. That doesn’t change; it’s just a matter of how you approach it. We had a teasing phase, and instead of a presale, we used specific bonus dates. Since I wasn’t offering a membership, digital product, or masterclass bundle, my bonuses were focused on close proximity offers.
I know my dream client doesn’t care about adding one-on-one calls to my packages, but they go crazy if I add an extra month. You need to consider what bonuses resonate with your dream client and how they support each other in your offers. Use that to your advantage during Black Friday.
For me, it was about promoting these behind the scenes as a Black Friday offer and engaging in DMs. I started teasing mid-October, promoting Black Friday offers and encouraging people to DM me for details. By November, I was hard-selling, and based on previous launches, I had already been nurturing leads who were perfect for these offers. The launch ran until the second week of December.
How detailed does your planning Black Friday strategy get and do you leave a lot of room to make changes?
I didn’t mention this earlier, but I’m a mechanical engineer by background. In corporate, I focused on new product launches, which required a lot of detail, and it was awful in the beginning. If you want attention to detail in your launch plan, focus on who the offer is for, the transformation it provides, why it’s different from others, and the key features—things you can actually use in your content and sales conversations. Being overly detailed about what you’ll post on day 13 of your launch will change anyway.
After the teasing phase, especially if you’re starting in mid-October, you’ll likely already have some market research from your DMs. As you move into the conversion phase, you need to address objections and struggles in your content—that’s how people feel like, “She’s in my head,” because they’ve already told you their concerns. You might need to shift things along the way. If you don’t feel like going live on a Friday, change it. It’s not about strict schedules—it’s about offer awareness and ensuring your dream client knows this is happening. If you’re clear on that, you’ll still serve them to the best of your ability.
How do you manage your energy during a longer launch to avoid burnout?
What I tell all my clients is that if you’re going to launch, do it at least six weeks in advance. Depending on offer awareness and whether the offer is new or not, you can adjust the teasing phase or open cart phase as needed—just follow your intuition. I’m not usually big on that, but the average buyer is getting smarter. People need to see or hear about what you’re selling 7 to 21 times, and that number is from 2021. You have two seconds to stop someone from scrolling, so a longer launch doesn’t hurt.
I don’t want people to feel discouraged on day 10 if no one has bought yet. When thinking about the energy behind a launch, stay grounded in knowing your audience, believing in your offer, and understanding they will be lucky to have you. You’re going to change their lives, and that energy, no matter the result, is what matters—detach from the outcome.
How can we incentivize people to buy without offering a discount, and how did you handle later start dates, like when you sold something on Black Friday but started working with clients in September? Did you just tell them to save their spot?
The first thing to note for Black Friday is that you can still generate a cash injection while building recurring revenue. Recurring revenue is the money you bring in each month without starting from zero. For example, if Kara wanted to work with me starting in March, I would secure her spot with a deposit, and she’d start later. I incentivize my dream clients during Black Friday by offering an extra month for my signature program, Limitless Mastermind, and private mentorship.
Depending on the person, I might add one-on-one calls or a December kickoff before the new year. You can always tailor incentives to what your ideal client needs. Additionally, I always offer pre-extended payment plans because my ideal clients are often in the early stages of their business, maybe still working a nine-to-five, and need flexibility. For instance, if Kara wanted to join my private mentorship in March, she could start paying now at a lower rate and continue payments after March until the program ends.
I know many coaches don’t agree with this approach, and I love it! For me, it’s about giving clients the flexibility they need while still winning. People can pay deposits starting in November, even if they won’t work with you until later. You can offer payment plans without discounting your prices. I used to be the person who would rush into Black Friday, offering 50% off one-on-one services, and of course, no one joined. So I don’t recommend that approach anymore.
What are some Black Friday mistakes that you see, solopreneurs and small business owners fall into?
The first issue is FOMO on Black Friday. You start scrolling, see others doing sales, and feel the need to join in without planning. Some people drop everything, even spending time with family, to throw together a last-minute offer. You might make money, or you might not, but you’re straining relationships by doing that.
The second issue is a lack of planning Black Friday, jumping into a launch without a clear strategy.
The third is discounting prices. Unless you already have something to discount, your time and services are valuable, and your dream client will be lucky to work with you. Discounting your prices doesn’t make sense.
Mastering Planning Black Friday
I loved talking with Wandi, and I’m excited to be joining her Black Friday challenge this week, so maybe I’ll see you there. This conversation about planning Black Friday might have sparked some ideas for you.
One thing I love is seeing people run their business differently than I do. I mentioned in the episode that I don’t really do DM selling, but it’s something I might try since I’m also not a big fan of sales calls. I’m always open to new approaches, and I love the idea of launching without necessarily saying what you’re launching—not in a vague, scammy way, but in a conversational way.
As an introvert, I can’t deny how powerful conversations are for growing a business.
I hope you enjoyed this conversation too. Hopefully, it’s inspired you to think about Black Friday—whether you’re sitting it out, leaning in, or planning a hard launch or something longer. Whatever you decide, I can’t wait to see it. I have more Black Friday/launch experts coming on the show, but next week, we’re diving into AI. I know you guys love that topic—who doesn’t? Talk to you next week!
Craving more of Wandi’s insights? This is just a sneak peek—tune into the full episode for all the details!
LINKS MENTIONED:
- Sign up for Wandi’s Black Friday Bootcamp challenge
- Follow Wandi on Instagram
- Learn more about working with our marketing agency here
- Follow me on Instagram
