Hey Reader,
Custom proposals might feel like the gold standard for impressing clients. But here’s the hard truth: they’re likely killing your momentum.
In 2017, the SaaS startup where I was head of marketing ran out of money. The very first call I made after finding out (well, after my boyfriend) was to the CEO of software development agency and host of a well known podcast that we were partnering with on a content series. I called to let her know that the project was dead.
She asked me, “What are you going to do?”
I told her I wasn’t sure that I might try to find another job, but I was considering going out on my own.
“If you start your own business, I’ll be your first client. We need marketing help and I’ve always liked how you work.”
We had a follow up conversation, she asked for a proposal, and BOOM! I had my first client.
For the next few years, I thought that’s how business was done.
Hell, I thought creating customized proposals for every prospect was smart.
A business comes to you and says, “I think we need your help.” You have a conversation, put together a custom proposal, and then get to work.
Sounds good, right?
It took me a few years to realize how unsustainable that approach really was.
Inconsistent revenue: When the number of people reaching out asking for help slowed down, I had no idea what to do.
Lots of wasted time: Often, I’d create these complex custom proposals only to have prospects ghost me or change their mind at the last minute.
No repeatable systems: I was always doing something slightly different for every client, so each project took tons of time and energy.
Lackluster results: Because I was always doing something new, I couldn’t prove or improve my results —which gave me increasing imposter syndrome.
All on my shoulders: Because I was reinventing the wheel with every client, I couldn’t outsource or scale effectively.
In scarcity mode: I often felt desperate for business so I worked with ANYONE even if they were rude, cheap, or just bad fits for my work.
This approach meant I wasn’t in the driver’s seat of my business. And it sucked.
So what’s the answer? What do you do instead?
Why you need an Intro Offer
Having an intro offer can change the trajectory of your business by giving you more control over how you land new business, what you do with them, and how you turn project clients into longer-term engagements.
Saves Time
A standard intro offer makes it easier for a prospect to get started, saving you hours of proposal creation, and letting you systematize the way you quickly start to deliver value and solve problems.
Builds Confidence in Buyers
When prospects see a tangible, outcome-focused offer, they feel more certain about the value they’re buying into. This sets you up to turn an intro project into a long-term engagement.
Simplifies Marketing
When you do a bunch of different things for a bunch of different types of people, it’s really freaking hard to create marketing strategies that work. It’s harder to know what to say and damn near impossible to attract ideal clients with any consistency.
Speeds Up Sales
This systematized offer makes it easier for prospects to say yes, especially when they’re still building trust with you. Especially because after you’ve delivered a few of them, you’ll have measurable results to make it even more enticing.
Classify it as intro, entry-level, or opener offer, the point is that it simplifies the process of a turning a stranger into a customer, while setting you up for longer-term, higher-value, retainer based work.
What Makes a Great Intro Offer:
Okay, so now, hopefully,canva you’re bought into the idea of needing an intro offer. But what the hell should it be? Here are a few things to consider:
Focused on Outcomes
Too many of you try to sell the process or mechanism of your work (number of hours, style of coaching, list of deliverables). The best offers focus on the measurable outcomes that it will deliver—revenue increased, time saved, achievements created.
Instead, focus on the specific, measurable, urgent results you can help someone achieve.
Tangible Deliverables
While the offer should focus on outcomes, buyers like to know what they’re going to get. Make sure you outline the specific assets you will create for them. You want the list to make them feel like they’re getting a deal and that they’ll be walking away with materials that make their life easier, richer, better.
Easily Repeatable
You want to be able to templatize this offer, so that you can deliver it effectively over and over again. I always say, “You can’t improve a process that doesn’t exist.” This is your way to develop a repeatable process that allows you to prove and improve your client results over time.
Sets You Up for Long Term Engagements
The best intro offers let you build trust and authority with your clients by delivering real value, while also showing them how much more you could do for them—positioning you as a strategic partner.
My favorite approach for this is to pair a small project with an assessment. You solve a small urgent problem for them, while analyzing their current state to deliver a report about the opportunities they have to improve even further. This report can then function as your proposal for continuing your work together.
If you don’t have a standard intro offer for your business, now is the time to go back to the drawing board and create one. It really is the secret to building a sustainable, scalable business. And it’s satisfying as hell once you’ve got one.
Are you ready to stop wasting time and start attracting more clients who see your value right away? Let’s work together to create your high-value, repeatable intro offer.
In love and growth,
Kasey
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