NBS #15: The 7 Ingredients To Create An Irresistible Offer
No matter what field you're an expert in, you need to learn how to create an irresistible offer if you want to build a successful lifestyle business.
Jun 29, 2024 •
No matter the field you’re an expert in, when building your own lifestyle business, you need to create an irresistible offer to differentiate yourself and avoid commoditization.
But creating an offer is something that eludes (almost) every subject-matter expert. Something every highly skilled professional have in common is that early on in our careers, we are conditioned to value training, processes and certifications above everything else. So it only makes sense we try to sell our services in the same manner.
Unfortunately (for you and I), our potential clients don’t think this way.
Which is why for today’s newsletter, you’ll learn the 7 ingredients to crafting an irresistible offer and I’ll share with you examples of how we implemented each one in my own stem cell practice.
Here’s How To Create An Irresistible Offer:
Before we begin, I’ll ask you to put your marketer hat on.
As we explore each of the 7 ingredients, I’ll explain what they are –in marketing terms– and how we applied them at Rehealth and World Stem Cells Clinic. At the end of this post, I’ll share with you some additional resources for you to continue down the rabbit hole should you feel so inclined…
1. Promise
The promise is by far, the most important part of your offer.
If I had to assign weight to each of these ingredients, I’d give the promise at least 80%. It’s that important. And I strongly advice you spend at least 80% of your time eliciting and articulating it.
In short, the promise is the benefit your clients obtain from your offer.
This was the first eye-opener for me as a physician.
And it is an eye-opener for my clients now as well. It’s so simple, yet so powerful. Instead of spending too much time trying to explain our treatment to our potential patients, we focused on helping them understand what was in it for them.
Now, this does not mean you don’t explain your services or your processes when you create an irresistible offer!
It simply means you place the emphasis of your offer on what’s in it for them.
In my practice
We went from talking about stem cell therapy, its benefits, safety, etc. To talking about quality of life, regaining mobility, less pain, and other benefits which reflected what our patients wanted out of stem cell therapy.
2. Process
The mistake every expert makes –myself included–, is present the process as the most important part of an offer.
Often, it is presented as the only part of the offer. That was what we were doing at my stem cell clinic. The entire lead generation and sales process was built around our process. For us this meant our entire website was built around our technology, our research, experience, etc…
Needless to say, we were not as successful as we could be.
In my practice
We kept all the information about stem cell therapy available in our website.
And we certainly kept addressing every question our patients had about it. But it was no longer what we were selling. I recall telling our team we were not in the business of providing “stem cell therapy”. We were in the business of “changing lives”.
We just happened to do it through stem cell therapy.
What about you? What business are you really in? And are you selling that in your offers?
3. Price
The price of your products and services is part of your marketing.
And, as such, is an essential component of every offer. You cannot expect someone to determine the value of your service without knowing how much it will cost them. And here’s the trick: the price has to match the promise.
A big promise with too small price is perceived as too good to be true.
In my practice
Have you ever been told by your clients you should be charging more for your services?
We certainly did. All the time. But we were scared of raising our prices since, at the same time, so many of our patients already complained and asked for discounts. *In my experience coaching other highly skilled experts who launch their own practice, this is a common concern.
However, the moment we raised the price of our offer (we went from $18k to $25k), our fears went away.
Suddenly, our therapy and clinic were perceived as what they were: top-of-the-line medical treatments.
We began receiving more inquiries, our sales cycle (the time it took from the moment someone inquired to the moment they became a patient) was cut in half, and everything got easier. And here’s the kicker: we set aside some of that extra cash we were getting and created a fund with which we sponsored treatments for children of families who could not afford it.
The more money you make, the more people you can help.
4. Bundles & Bonuses
You use bundles or bonuses to “sweeten the deal” and make your patient’s decision much easier.
But there’s a trick to offering them. It has to be something related to your promise. Ideally, they’ll help your client achieve the promise faster or with less effort. Also, the best kind of bonuses are those that directly address objections.
In my practice
Instead of focusing on the stem cell therapy, we made it part of a complete package (or bundle).
Which meant our offer was no longer a stem cell reinfusion. It became a 5-day therapy which included visits with 3 different medical specialists, lab tests, bone marrow aspirate, 2 or 3 cell reinfusions, cell banking, physical therapy, after treatment directions, and 3+ virtual follow-up visits with our physicians.
Now, while our competitors offered a stem cell reinfusion, with us that was just part of the package.
The next thing we changed based on this ingredient were the bonuses.
Our patients had to travel to Cancun, Mexico for treatment. That in and of itself brought up objections. Objections like: travel requirements, choosing the right hotel, transportation within the city, food choices (for patients with food sensitivities), etc. So we included transportation to and from the airport, as well as to and from their hotel for every appointment at the clinic. We also included support when booking a hotel, flights, and even helping them with requirements for things like getting a passport, or travel permits.
This was all included in their quote and it was often quoted as the best part of their trip…
Your turn: what are the most common objections you hear from potential clients? What can you add as a “bonus” to your services that directly addresses or alleviates these objections?
5. Risk Reversal
Also known as a guarantee.
And yes, I know guaranteeing outcomes is tricky on almost every field. Including ours. There was no way we could guarantee a clinical outcome. So we didn’t. But we still found a way to reduce the risk our potential patients perceived about doing business with us.
In my practice
Patients saw two risks in coming to our clinic for treatment.
The obvious one had to do with clinical outcomes. Not much we can do about “reversing” or eliminating that one. But the other risk they saw was the financial one. “What if we invest the money and it doesn’t work?”
When faced with this question most doctors will go on a lecture about how medical outcomes can’t be guaranteed, how every person is different, how most patients improve, etc.
Instead, we decided to offer patients a new treatment, for free, if they did not improve in any of a few predetermined (and objectively measurable) clinical metrics after 12 months of the original treatment.
This turned out to be a win-win since it required patients to submit their progress and check in with our medical team, improving adherence. And it helped them make a decision knowing they’d get another treatment if the first one failed to deliver improvements.
Your turn: what can you guarantee that will help your potential clients feel at ease doing business with you?
6. Scarcity & Urgency
As humans when we don’t have a deadline, we put off making decisions.
And if there’s one thing that’s almost universally true in any kind of service is addressing a problem earlier is better than putting it off. So, if you want to serve your clients in the best possible way, you’ll present your offers with some urgency. And no, I don’t mean you should make up some fake scarcity tactic. But I know for a fact that without a deadline, they won’t take action.
If you don’t believe me, just look at your Amazon wishlist…
In my practice
With a 5-day protocol, we had a very limited number of patients we could see at any given time which created this scarcity component.
In a similar manner, most of the conditions we were treating had an innate urgency component. The longer you wait to treat, the more the symptoms progress. And patients knew this. They wanted to feel better ASAP, not in 6 months. But they still needed to be reminded of this.
So what we did differently was make sure to bring both of these up during our conversations with patients.
In your case this might look like explaining to them how their problem will evolve if they don’t do something about it now. Or if you have a hard limit on the number of people you can serve at any given time, ensure you let them know how many spots you have left.
7. Why
Studies in behavioral psychology have proven humans are more likely to follow directions when given a reason why.
And the interesting part is, the actual reason does not matter. All that seems to matter is having one. And so, when you create your offer, you’ll be more successful when you give them a reason as to why you’re doing it.
In my practice
The mistake is thinking you have to give them a reason why they should get the offer.
But all you need to do is give them a why for any of the other ingredients. In our case, we shared how we came up with our 5-day protocol while every other clinic was offering one-off stem cell infusions. We brought it up during our calls, and added it to our website, our email nurture sequences, and even to my in-person presentations.
By the way, this is specially true when offering a discount.
What’s next?
Frankly, if you just implement the first 3 (promise, process, and price), you’ll be shocked at the difference it makes.
My recommendation though, is take the time to think through all of them. Start with your promise and work it through as seen by your clients. Put yourself in their shoes. What is the problem they seek you out to solve? What’s on the other side of solving that problem?
If you don’t want to use any of these, you don’t have to.
But before you skip any of them, ask yourself: how could I make this work in my business?
If you’re struggling to wrap your head around this concept, you’re not alone.
At first, it feels against what we were taught in training. But allow yourself to be uncomfortable with it for a moment. Let it simmer a bit in your mind and I promise it will not only start making sense, but you’ll see how it is in fact, in the best interest of your clients as much as yours.
If you need more help:
Feel free to DM me on X or LinkedIn and I’ll do my best to help you out.
And, if you’ve begun creating your own offer and want to make sure you’re doing it right, book a 1:1 coaching call where I’ll be happy to help you put it together.
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