How to turn your failed launch into your highest converting DM response
Mom bought. Friend bought. Third refunded. Use it.
You're staring at your Stripe dashboard at 2:17 AM.
$1,847 last month.
Your goal was $10K.
Your coach friends are posting about their "$87K launch."
Your rent is due in four days.
You close the tab and open LinkedIn.
Time to post another success story.
Time to share another client win.
Time to pretend everything's working.
But then you remember that restaurant thread.
The owner finally cracked. After 200 comments of business advice, he shared the real numbers:
$50 daily revenue
$15,000 in debt
First baby due in 3 months
7 months of bleeding money
Haven't paid themselves once
The thread exploded.
5,000 upvotes.
Offers to help.
Local food bloggers scheduling visits.
GoFundMe already at $8K.
You're sitting on your numbers too.
That failed launch.
That refund request.
That month you made less than you spent on your coach.
But in your DMs… you’re still talking about "quantum leaps" and "next level transformations."
What if your struggle is more valuable than your success stories?
Today, we're tapping into why vulnerability outsells victory… and how to share struggles without seeming desperate.
The strategic vulnerability formula that attracts instead of repels
Why people help humans, not heroes
How to turn your worst numbers into your best connections
Let's make your struggles work for you...
3 Ways Vulnerability Becomes Value
Most coaches hide their struggles. The smart ones strategically share them.
Here's how to do it right:
1️⃣ Share Numbers, Not Narratives
❌ Before: You post vague struggle stories.
"It's been challenging but I'm pushing through and staying positive! Remember, the darkest hour is just before dawn! 💪"
This is what everyone says. It means nothing. It connects with no one.
✅ After: You share specific data.
"Last month I made $1,847. My goal was $10K. Here's what I learned from missing by 82%..."
Or even better:
"My first launch: 3 sales. One was my mom. One refunded. Here’s the #1 thing I changed for launch #2 that got me to 47 sales. What’s the number 1 thing you’d do differently from your last launch?"
Specificity creates credibility. Even when the numbers aren't impressive.
How to share numbers strategically:
Be exact (not "about 2K" but "$1,847")
Include the gap ("goal was X, reality was Y")
Always follow with the lesson learned
Never apologize for the numbers
Make the struggle past tense when possible
2️⃣ Make Your Struggle Their Permission
❌ Before: You hide the failed launch because it makes you look bad.
Meanwhile, your ideal client is sitting on their own failed launch, feeling like they're the only one who's ever made $500 from a "$10K launch."
They think everyone else has it figured out. They think they're broken.
✅ After: Your mess becomes their message of hope.
"My first launch? 3 sales. Mom, best friend, and someone who refunded. But here's what I noticed - the refund person wrote a detailed page about what they actually needed. That feedback became my entire business. What feedback are you sitting on that could make your next launch a success?"
Your struggle gives them permission to admit theirs.
How to position struggle as permission:
Share the specific failure they're hiding
Include the embarrassing details
Normalize it ("everyone has one")
Position yourself as "recovered, not perfect"
Start reframing their mindset towards what went right
3️⃣ Use Vulnerability as a Filter
❌ Before: You try to attract everyone by seeming perfect.
You attract no one because perfect isn't trustworthy.
Perfect coaches don't understand messy businesses.
Perfect coaches judge imperfect people.
Perfect coaches have never been where you are.
✅ After: You use strategic imperfection to attract the right people.
"Fair warning: I'm not the coach who never struggles. Last week I cried in my car after a sales call. But I've learned how to make that happen less and recover faster. What pattern keeps showing up in your calls that you feel if you changed… your calls would be more successful?"
The wrong people run. The right people lean in.
How to use vulnerability as positioning:
Lead with what you're still figuring out
Be specific about what you ARE good at
Let them self-select based on honesty
Make imperfection part of your brand
Show growth, not just struggle
That's it.
Here's what you learned today:
→ Numbers beat narratives for credibility
→ Your struggle is someone's permission slip
→ Strategic vulnerability filters better than false perfection
Start with just one.
Share one specific number from your business that you've been hiding.
Add what you learned from it.
Use it to help prospects comfortable sharing their struggles in the DMs.
P.S. Tomorrow I'll show you why asking for help books more calls than offering it. Plus the word-for-word message that makes prospects want to solve your problems AND hire you.
Ready to turn struggles into strategies?
Your failures are more valuable than your successes.
You're just sharing them wrong.
Today's paid member mega-prompt helps you transform any struggle into a connection-creating DM.
Paid members get:
✔ The Strategic Vulnerability Framework prompt
→ Turns any failure into an attractive message
→ Shows how to share without desperation
✔ The "Numbers Not Narratives" formula
✔ 10 vulnerability angles that attract ideal clients