If your program doesn't fill, first of all, welcome to the club!

This secret club includes me and almost all of the people you see running successful programs right now.

On one level, when your program doesn't fill, it means absolutely nothing. It means nothing about your future success, your brilliance, or your ability make this business fly.

In this episode I'll share how it felt to me when my own program didn't fill years ago, a mindset process you may go through when a program doesn't fill, and then some questions to help you analyze what might have caused your program not to fill so that you can make changes for next time.

Here's some of what I talk about:

• The stuff I told myself when my own program didn't fill
• Nancy Jane Smith's helpful approach to an anxiety producing situation like this
• How to know when you're ready to do a post-launch analysis (hint: don't do it while you're still in free fall!)
• Specific questions to ask yourself about your launch
• An argument for creating a 1:1 replicable offer first
• How to decide when you're ready to launch a group program
• My pep talk about why this wasn't just a failure
• How you can get my help with your pilot program

Here are the questions to help you analyze post-launch (but only when you're ready to be kind to yourself):

Question #1:

How viable was your niche?

Did you choose a niche of folks who were invested in solving a clear problem? Did you choose a niche that's specific enough? Did you go through a thoughtful process to clarify that niche?

(niching is the MOST important element of this whole analysis. without a viable niche you're gonna do some HEAVY lifting from here forward.)

Question #2:

Did your offer clearly help to solve the problem for that niche?

Question #3:

How clear and effective was your messaging?

How well did you communicate in your sales page and all of your messaging about how your offer helps solve that problem?

Perhaps you didn't talk about your offer and the problem from your participant's point of view. Perhaps you focused on the approach you use, or you wrote or spoke with your colleagues in mind.

Question #4:

Did you get the word out to everyone you know with enthusiasm?

Or did you hide a little bit? If you're not speaking with excitement about your offer in all the places, and you're just hoping people will find it...they won't. If you don't love the hell out of your offer it's hard for others to.

Question #5:

How big is your audience within this niche? (This part is really just math.)

If not enough people know about your work, you can't fill a program yet. (Emphasis on yet.)

It's often not possible to fill a small-group program with less than 100 or 200 people on your email list, unless you're already well known in your community for this particular work.

Question #6:

How many people were you expecting or hoping for? (Maybe it wasn't a realistic expectation yet!)

When deciding whether to start with a 1:1 program or a group program, figure out what level of risk you're comfortable with.

Starting with a replicable, structured 1:1 program beyond private practice is a GREAT option.

Show notes at http://rebeltherapist.me/podcast/162