Slow Sales? Should You Cancel Your Launch?
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The Mid-Launch Freak-Out Every Entrepreneur Knows
You’ve done the work:
Sent the emails
Posted the Stories
Shared your best content yet
And yet… crickets.
No Stripe notifications. No “I’m in!” DMs.
Just you, staring at your screen, wondering if it’s time to throw in the towel.
If that’s you right now, here’s the truth: even the most successful launches have quiet days.
And those quiet days? They don’t mean your launch is broken.
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Why Slow Sales Don’t Mean You’re Failing
Every launch has a natural rhythm. If you’ve never heard this before, let me introduce you to The Launch Cycle:
1 | THE EARLY SPIKE
This is when the “ready to buy” crowd jumps in immediately. They’ve been waiting, watching, and probably already decided before you opened cart.
2 | THE MID-LAUNCH LULL
Sales slow down — sometimes to zero — and doubt creeps in. This is where most entrepreneurs panic.
3 | THE FINAL RUSH
As your deadline approaches, urgency kicks in. A surprising number of buyers wait until the very last day (sometimes the last hour).
Here’s the kicker:
If you pull the plug during the lull, you never get to see the final rush. And you break trust with the buyers who were counting on that clear deadline.
When (and When Not) To Cancel Your Launch
I’m not saying never cancel or pivot. Sometimes it’s the right move — but most of the time, the urge to quit is just fear talking.
Valid reasons to pivot or pause:
Major tech failures that will take too long to fix
Unforeseen life emergencies
Discovering a genuine mismatch between your offer and audience mid-launch
Bad reasons to cancel:
Feeling uncomfortable because nobody has bought in 48 hours
Assuming silence means nobody’s interested
Comparing your “lull” to someone else’s highlight reel
4 Things To Check Before You Panic
If your sales are slow, run through this checklist first:
1 | CHECK YOUR REACH
Sometimes it’s not your offer or your messaging — it’s simply that not enough people are seeing your stuff.
Look at:
Story views on Instagram
Email open rates and click-throughs
Website page views (Google Analytics is your friend here)
Example: One of my clients saw her open rates tank mid-launch. Turns out her DNS records had been accidentally deleted during a website update. We fixed it, and her deliverability bounced back — along with her sales.
2| CHECK YOUR URGENCY
Have you given people a reason to act now instead of later?
Think:
Clear deadline (and reminding them of it often)
Limited spots
Bonus expiring
Price increase
Pro tip: Urgency only works if it’s genuine and relevant. Don’t tack on a random bonus that has nothing to do with your offer.
3| CHECK YOUR POSITIONING
Ask yourself: does my offer solve a right now problem?
People buy to either:
Move away from pain
Move towards desire faster
If your offer feels like a “nice-to-have” instead of an essential solution, it’s too easy for your audience to put off buying.
4 | KEEP GOING (Even When It Feels Pointless)
I know — it’s not sexy advice. But often the only thing between you and more sales is… more showing up.
Your audience isn’t watching your every move. If you feel like you’ve “already said it”, most of them haven’t even seen it yet.
Repetition is part of the game. Change your angle, tell another story, but keep talking about your offer until the deadline hits.
The Buyer Psychology You’re Forgetting
A huge chunk of your audience will always wait until the last day. Some will even decide weeks in advance that they’re buying… and still wait until the last minute.
Why?
They need the urgency of the deadline
They’re busy
They’re weighing other investments
If you change your plan mid-launch, you risk losing those sales entirely.
Avoid The Mid-Launch Meltdown
Here’s how to make the “lull” less panic-inducing next time:
1 | Set realistic expectations: Know that the lull is coming — plan for it.
2 | Map your content: Have posts, stories, and emails ready for the mid-launch phase so you’re not creating from a place of stress.
3 | Track your data: Numbers tell the real story, not your feelings in the moment.
4 | Remind yourself: Your job is to hold the vision until cart close.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Slow sales mid-launch aren’t a sign you should quit — they’re a sign you’re in the normal, messy middle. The entrepreneurs who can sit with that discomfort (and keep showing up) are the ones who get to see the final rush.