I hope your holiday season has been AMAZING so far!
As promised, I’ve got your 2023 New Year Transformation Challenge Checklist right in this post…
to help you cross all of your t’s and dot your i’s before you launch — but first…
Can we take a quick second to CELEBRATE your wins from this year?!
Even if you didn’t hit all of your goals or you ran into some rough patches, that’s what this game is all about.
If you keep showing up, you can’t lose…
And here you are, ALREADY showing up to hit next year’s goals!
Let’s get after it.
** QUICK NOTE** If you’re running a New Year transformation program or challenge, I generally recommend starting it on Jan 16th or later. This way you have plenty of time to market after the holidays and make any adjustments you need to without the stress.
The following checklist is set up for a 28-day program, but it can easily be tweaked to accommodate however long your program will be.
YOUR 2023 TRANSFORMATION PROGRAM CHECKLIST
>>> 1: PRE-CHALLENGE: PROGRAM CREATION
A lot goes into creating a transformation program – be sure to give yourself plenty of time to do this. You don’t want to rush to finish it at the last minute or spread yourself thin.
(NOTE: If you need a done-for-you challenge, I have several here)
- Meal Plans/Guides (Important: if you’re not a registered dietitian, be sure to have everything approved by one before you give it to your challengers!)
- Printable Grocery Lists
- Complete Recipe Book
- Client Success Manual (include guides for dining out and meal swaps)
- Daily Inspiration (emails / text / whatever communication you use)
- Goal & Measurement Worksheets (and create a plan on how you’re going to get before & after measurements, and goals)
- “Getting Started” Checklist for Participants
- When all the documents are finished, convert them to PDFs/Playbooks
- Map Out Your Client Experience (how are you going to support them – call/text/check-ins, hold them accountable, get them back on track if they fall off, track habits and progress, overdeliver, etc)
- Scoring/Challenge Rules/Prizes (make sure you account for these if you’re going to be using this strategy!)
- ***Plan AHEAD and know exactly how you’re going to convert your challengers into your coaching program (This gets forgotten WAY too often – make sure you plan for this!)
>>> 2: PRE-CHALLENGE: MARKETING
You can have the BEST program in the world, but if no one knows about you, you won’t be able to help anyone! If you’re running your program in January, NOW is the time to start marketing if you haven’t already started.
(NOTE: If you need help with marketing resources (I’m talking emails, sales funnels, ads, and more … I’ve got a VERY special announcement TOMORROW for my 2023 New Year Marketing Bonanza FLASH SALE! )
- Decide on your Early Bird/Fast Action Bonus for the first X# of sign-ups (optional)
- Create your Facebook Ads & submit them for approval AHEAD of time (IMPORTANT)
- Create your referral incentives and referral verbiage
- Create your marketing funnel (sales page, application/checkout, upsell, thank you)
- Write at least 4-6 marketing emails for your warm email list
- Create your social media posts & organic content strategy
- Teaming up with affiliates? Strategic partners? If so, get your strategy in place.
- Make sure you (& your team) have a process for lead follow-up & conversion/sales
- Have a plan in place to get social proof, reviews, and testimonials
- Track EVERYTHING!
>>> 3: PRE-CHALLENGE: GET READY
This is where you give your program a final once-over before you step on the gas!
- Create a member area or use Google Drive to easily share your program with your new clients
- Load your daily inspirational emails into your auto-responder to get them ready/scheduled
- Review/final edits on all of your program and marketing materials
- Order goal cards (to send in the snail mail) for your new clients & create your script. (CafePress is usually a winner)
- Make sure your ENTIRE team knows what’s happening and when it’s happening.
>>> 4: PRE-CHALLENGE: GET SET
- Create a private group on Facebook or a community for your participants (I typically recommend this only if you have more than 25 clients who joined)
- OPTIONAL: Plan an orientation for clients just before the program starts (Friday, Saturday, or Sunday).
- If you’re not going to do an orientation, a welcome video would be a great personal touch. You can upload it right into your group.
- You may also want to consider a personal check-in (call or text) to make sure everyone has everything they need and is ready to rock on their first day!
>>> 5: THE CHALLENGE BEGINS: GO!
- The Friday before the challenge, send emails to your challengers with their usernames and passwords so they can access their resources (this ideally would be automated)
- Hold your orientation and complete your pre-challenge check-ins if you’re doing them
- Before Measurements & Pics: make sure you get them for each participant
- Roll out everything as planned, and make adjustments as needed
>>> 6: DURING THE CHALLENGE
- Be sure to POST DAILY in your group. Answer questions, give cooking or workout tips, and keep up the excitement!
- Check in with your challengers weekly or bi-weekly, one-on-one (message, text, phone call)
- ALWAYS make your MIA calls if clients do not show up for more than 3-4 days or have dropped off the map!
- OPTIONAL: Plan your post-challenge celebration party (virtual or in-person)
- OPTIONAL: Over-deliver with random participation bonuses, small gifts, and freebies
- Follow your conversion plan to get your participants signed up for your MAIN coaching program
>>> 7: END OF CHALLENGE
- Take final measurements & pics
- Follow up with anyone who has NOT yet enrolled in your coaching program, and do your absolute best to get them signed up!
- Gather social proof and get testimonials and reviews
- OPTIONAL: Host a celebration party/awards ceremony for all your participants
>> 8: AFTER THE CHALLENGE
- On Tuesday or Wednesday after the program ends, ask everyone to complete a survey. If you’re looking for question ideas, these will help <<
- Promote your before and after pics – along with success stories! – on social media and in your email newsletter. Add them to your site, sales pages, or your regular rotation as you see fit!
Remember: You don’t have to do EVERYTHING on this list. Keep it simple and set yourself up for success.
Being organized and having the details ironed out ahead of time is EVERYTHING.
It’ll help you over-deliver and create an amazing experience for your participants that will send your retention rates through the roof.
More than that — it’ll help you do it ALL with a lot less stress.
WIN-WIN!
One last tip: I track everything in Asana. If you track your tasks as you go (in Asana or a similar platform), you’ll be saving yourself even MORE time on your next program launch.
Hope you find this checklist helpful.
Alicia
