Craft a core offer

Your ICP and jobs-to-be-done are clear. Now you must turn that insight into a single, irresistible package—your core offer. Skip this step and every channel you touch bleeds: ads sound generic, proposals sprawl, and prospects ask, “So what do you actually do?”

I learnt the hard way with my first consultancy retainer. I pitched à-la-carte deliverables, let clients cherry-pick, and watched scope creep swallow profit. When I reorganised the same work into a tightly framed offer—one onboarding sprint, one optimisation sprint, one growth sprint—sales velocity doubled and my calendar finally stabilised.

This chapter shows how to design the same clarity for your service, agency, or productised advisory. We will decide what lives in an entry offer versus a flagship, anchor price to value, erase hidden friction, and avoid the silent killers that sink deals moments before signature.

Your ICP and jobs-to-be-done are clear. Now you must turn that insight into a single, irresistible package—your core offer. Skip this step and every channel you touch bleeds: ads sound generic, proposals sprawl, and prospects ask, “So what do you actually do?”

I learnt the hard way with my first consultancy retainer. I pitched à-la-carte deliverables, let clients cherry-pick, and watched scope creep swallow profit. When I reorganised the same work into a tightly framed offer—one onboarding sprint, one optimisation sprint, one growth sprint—sales velocity doubled and my calendar finally stabilised.

This chapter shows how to design the same clarity for your service, agency, or productised advisory. We will decide what lives in an entry offer versus a flagship, anchor price to value, erase hidden friction, and avoid the silent killers that sink deals moments before signature.

All B2B buyers run a subconscious equation: perceived value divided by price. Tilt that ratio high enough and “maybe later” flips to “send the contract.” Your job is to raise value signals and anchor price against outcomes, not hours.

Attach numeric upside wherever possible. I once helped an analytics firm price its flagship by calculating that unlocking one per-cent conversion lift added €240K in annual recurring revenue for the average client. We promised a conservative three-point lift. The €30K project fee suddenly looked like a bargain.

Include cost-of-inaction figures too—compliance fines, missed deals, employee churn. Buyers weigh those risks even when you do not mention them. Surface the number to frame price as an insurance policy.

Finally, tier your flagship with simple add-ons instead of discounts. A SaaS onboarding specialist can bundle quarterly design sprints or stakeholder workshops at fixed increments. The core stays premium; extras expand average contract value without cannibalising margin.

Bridge: even a fair price fails when the buying experience hurts, so we now strip friction from every step.

Friction hides in paperwork, unclear timelines, and endless decision loops. Erase it. Publish a one-page scope outlining deliverables, responsibilities, and calendared milestones. Provide an example report or prototype so prospects visualise success before they pay.

Simplify contracting. I use a three-section agreement: scope, timeline, and commercial terms. No legalese, no 20-page PDF. Signatures happen the same day because decision-makers can read it on their phone.

Offer payment flexibility without undermining value. For retainers I invoice quarterly up front; for shorter projects I split 50-50—deposit and completion. The structure funds cash flow while signalling confidence. If procurement requires a PO, prepare a template to cut a week of back-and-forth.

Build an onboarding checklist shared in your project hub (Notion, Asana, or ClickUp). When a buyer sees that tasks, owners, and dates are already waiting, hesitation melts. They feel work has started the moment they click “Pay.”

Bridge: you can still lose a done deal if silent killers creep in, so the last section exposes and neutralises them.

Four common killers derail otherwise perfect offers. First, unclear ROI evidence. If you lack case studies, run a pilot and capture baseline metrics now. Second, mismatched stakeholder goals. Marketing loves your copy audit, finance wants cost savings. Align both in your outcome statement.

Third, hidden implementation demands. A data platform overhaul fails if the client’s dev team has no capacity. Flag required resources early and bake them into the timeline or partner network.

Fourth, competing priorities. Even enthusiastic buyers forget you when product launches or board meetings swallow their week. Mitigate this with gentle but firm follow-ups: a calendar hold for the kick-off call, automated reminders, and a short Loom video summarising next steps.

Run every offer through this checklist before it leaves your inbox. A single adjustment today prevents weeks of silent stalls later.

Bridge: armed with a friction-free, risk-proofed offer you are ready to roll it into an AI-ready asset, but that is another chapter.

A magnetic core offer stands on four legs. Separate an entry and flagship ladder so buyers advance naturally. Anchor price to quantified value, not deliverables. Remove every grain of friction from proposal to onboarding. Finally, kill silent deal-breakers before they surface.

Do this and your marketing shouts less while selling more; your commercial team stops rewriting scope for every prospect; and you reclaim headspace to improve delivery, not chase invoices. Sketch the two-tier structure today, draft your one-page scope, and press send on the next prospect email. A clear offer turns growth from hope into a repeatable system.