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Hey Maude, I keep having the same frustrated conversation with business owners who have a real audience: thousands (or tens of thousands) of followers, engaged newsletter subscribers, and legit credibility. They’ll put on a free event, get hundreds of sign-ups, and then never hear from the people who showed up. A flood of "This was great! Thanks!!" and then silence. One of them put it this way: _"There's a hole in the middle."_ Another hosted a webinar that drew in 600+ attendees. She ran a free three-day challenge on the back-end of it - 60% show-up rate. People loved it. Then she offered an eight-week cohort at the end: zero buys. The content was great. That wasn't the problem. There’s actually two problems. And you have to get both right. ### Problem 1: Leave people wanting more The session that converts leaves people hungry - they got something real, but they can sense there's more they haven't accessed yet. Most consultants default to one of two mistakes: 1. They give everything away trying to prove their value 2. They keep it so surface-level that people leave with nothing real to act on The first satisfies the curiosity that brought people there. The second doesn't earn their trust. The session that converts opens a door. It gives people something genuinely useful, then makes them aware of exactly how much deeper and further the work can go. ### Problem 2: More value > next transaction This is where most fumble it - even the ones who nailed the session. They pitch something to buy on the spot, which makes the whole experience feel like a setup. Or they drop a link to book a discovery call. The call format isn’t the problem - the framing is. It signals: _now comes the part where I sell you something._ The consultant who got zero buys didn't have a content problem. She had a gap problem. She jumped from a free three-day challenge that gave away so much, people were overwhelmed. But then she completely lost them when the next step was QR code checkout to an eight-week paid cohort. They knew she was smart, but would her 8 week program overwhelm them even more? If they could talk with her and understand fit, maybe they’d buy. But she broke both sides of the bridge: too much overwhelm in the free offer, too much of an ask on the next step. ### The right next step The next step that works doesn't feel like a step at all. It feels like the obvious continuation - like the session was chapter one and they'd be leaving the story unfinished if they didn't keep going. When both of these align, the right people move forward on their own. The wedge offer does what it's supposed to do. Most consultants I talk to have one working. A great session with a clunky next step. Or a smooth pitch attached to a session that left people too satisfied to want more. Getting both right at the same time - that's the work. **⚡️ If you've tried building a wedge offer** (webinar, masterclass, audit, assessment)** and it didn't convert the way you expected,** join my upcoming live session: _Wedge Offers That Converted $370K in Premium Sales_. I'll show you exactly why conversions aren’t coming, and two real examples of what it looks like when they do. **[[Grab a spot →]](https://tally.so/r/1AKpAQ)** 🤘 View image: (https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/b2dc9a2f-54ef-40b2-beb9-86c00426737f/Jay_Melone_-_Profit_Ladder.png?t=1724946092) Caption: Jay Melone ——— You are reading a plain text version of this post. For the best experience, copy and paste this link in your browser to view the post online: https://newsletter.profitladder.net/p/the-hole-in-the-middle

Happy anniversary {{First Name}}! It’s been 3 months since you signed up for the Profit Ladder newsletter. Means a lot that you’ve remained so engaged. To say thanks, I’m giving you a complimentary (no strings attached) shoutout in an upcoming newsletter issue. [Use this form](https://tally.so/r/n91eEG) to share an offer that you’d like the Profit Ladder community to know about. My gift to you. Thanks again for following along 🤘🏼 View image: (https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/cb7948c7-6392-4d34-8ebf-a4d023bd9eb1/Jay_Melone_-_Profit_Ladder.png?t=1751314412) Caption: Jay Melone

Hey Maude, The clients who can't afford you will cost you everything. ——————————————————————————— I built a group version of my work earlier this year. Sold the first cohort at a steep discount while still testing the material and format. Even as a _prototype_, the people experienced it, loved it. Genuine results. Raving testimonials I didn't even ask for. An obvious success story? Maybe. So I ran it back for a second cohort. I adjusted pricing from _beta_ to market-ready. But still way more affordable than what I charge my one-on-one / done-with-you clients. Naturally. Then I looked at the sales data. Er, lack of sales data... The people who had been telling me for months that they wanted to work with me but couldn't afford the 1:1 - ones who specifically asked for something more accessible -- didn't buy. Meanwhile, on the other end of the spectrum, the clients who prefer working with me 1:1 at 5-10x the price of the group? They buy without blinking. I sat with that for a long time. Mostly, because it was revealing a problem I genuinely didn't want to face… I had been building for the wrong person. Before we move on, please hear me when I say this. This segment of clientele - the entrepreneurs without the cash to invest in growing their own businesses - I have the utmost respect for them. I have been them for the majority of my entrepreneurial journey. Hard working. Brimming with grit, passion, and expertise. Phenomenal humans. Just wrong for my business. But let’s back up a sec to understand how we got here… ——————————————————————————— Since COVID, there's been a tsunami of people leaving corporate to start their own consulting practices. The appeal made sense - more autonomy, more ownership, work you care deeply about. What a lot of them ran into instead was the brutal reality of building a business from scratch. Clients don't just appear because you’re selling the same services that used to be your job. And the six-figure income + benefits don’t automatically transfer over either. If only! That group is now a significant portion of your LinkedIn notifications, your webinar registrations, your email list. They’re the people voraciously consuming your content, because they're trying to learn their way out of the problems you’re an expert at solving. They engage because they're building their own presence. They comment. They share. They show up everywhere. But they're operating on tight budgets; i.e. blips of revenue and personal savings. Which means the little they do spend is increasingly going toward AI tools that replace the work they'd otherwise pay you to do. The danger isn't that these folks exist. It’s that you mistake their engagement for real buying intent. You announce your work to a fanfare of fire emojis and "Can’t wait to check it out!!!!" replies. It feels good. And so you start optimizing for more of that: * More content that resonates with them * More offers designed around what they _**might**_ be able to afford * More energy for a segment that will never generate the revenue your business needs to survive If you sell premium services to sophisticated buyers, you cannot build a business on the back of an audience that isn't that. You can try. You can rationalize it as "building a community" or "serving the people who really need my help." You can claim that going upstream is _saturated_. But the economics don't lie. And if you believe them when they tell you you're too expensive… If you let that become the signal that drives your next offer and price point… You're not just losing a sale. You're letting the wrong person shape your business. That's how me, you, and every other quality consultant with real expertise slowly hollow ourselves out, chasing a market that was never going to pay us what we’re worth. And then there's the comparison trap. This one almost broke me. Guessing you’ve felt it, too… ——————————————————————————— A name kept coming up in my world last year. A consultant. Well-regarded, and clearly building something valuable. My clients mentioned them. My partners mentioned them. Once, I heard their name five times in a single week. I looked at what they were selling. A low-ticket offer on the front-end. Couple hundred bucks. Followed by a very affordable year-long program. As a guy building a company called Profit Ladder, I applauded what I saw. And apparently, many others liked it, too. But then curiosity quickly turned to panic… _Why does she have this much traction? Why are prospects, clients, and partners talking about her and not me? She has “lots” of people buying, and I'm only closing 2-3 a month. I'm supposed to be an offer guy. Did I get it all wrong? Should I copy what she’s doing?!_ For a stretch, I genuinely questioned whether I had built the wrong business. Whether the right move was to go back and create lower-priced, higher-volume offers that could capture more of this market. Then reality smacked me upside the head… Their business was built for a completely different crowd. The DIY’er. The scrappy, resourceful solo or freelancer. The amazing entrepreneur who needs and deserves all the help in the world. Just not my person. This consultant wasn’t winning in a market that I'm losing. They’re playing a completely different sport, in a different stadium, in front of a different crowd. The fact that my prospects, clients, and partners kept bringing this person up told me something useful I didn’t want to face: These people are not my buyers. They were drawn to what this consultant had built because it was priced and structured for exactly where they are. That's not a threat to my business. It's pure validation of my own audience problem. My own distracted focus. I’m being vulnerable with this story because I know you’ve faced. Maybe even twice this week alone. Snap out of it. The comparison trap is insidious because it feels like competitive intelligence. It feels like you're paying attention. Like you’re acutely reading the market. What you're actually doing is using someone else's metrics to evaluate your own business - metrics built for a different buyer, a different model, and a different price point entirely. And if you let that run long enough: * You'll discount * You'll add a cheaper tier * You'll build an offer format for people who don’t show up You'll make misinformed decisions that wreck your confidence and run your business into the ground. Don’t do that. Because the clients that actually need your help - and will pay you for it - need you to stick around. ——————————————————————————— To state the obvious: I'm not running the group program back. The testimonials are real and I'm proud of the work. I genuinely adore these people. I’m committed to helping them thrive. And the signals look like they’re on their way. Honestly, they deserve nothing less. But then, I’ll re-center, because the data is clear. I've spent enough time as a business owner to understand the allure of creating services for _everyone_ for the underserved… and the crippling reality of chasing, overdelivering, and too little margin left over at the end of the month to justify it all. The business I'm back to building has fewer people in it. The buyers are further along. And they’re only harder to initially find because they’re not in the channels we default to. Channels we all spend way too much time in. They're not posting 3x per week on noisy social platforms, surrounded by pitch slappers. They’re in curated rooms, surrounded by peers. They’re not DIY’ing every business problem they face. They’re relying on their network to procure go-to experts who deliver real results. They're not safeguarding their cashflow. They’re figuring out how to double their revenue and margin to build a business they can step away from. And if you build for them, too… If your offers target an urgent, expensive problem for the people who actually buy… You’ll trade _“Let me think about it”_ for _“When can we start?”_ ——————————————————————————— I turn 50 in a few months. At this stage of my life and career, and with the environment around us, my interests are as simple as they are extreme. I want to do the best work of my life with people who energize me. And I want to make enough money that I’m comfortable for the second half of my life. I with nothing less for you and your family. Finally, if you read this and felt seen, forward it to someone who needs to hear it. The ones who recognize themselves in this story are exactly who I'm building for. 🤘 **PS.** If you're building for the right audience but scale feels impossible because every sale is a bespoke deal you need to personally close - come see how other consultants are using a simple, repeatable entry offer to close $15K-$50K engagements, faster, without a custom pitch every time. You'll leave knowing exactly why your past attempts haven't worked, and what it looks like when it does. [**[Grab a spot →]**](https://tally.so/r/1AKpAQ) View image: (https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/b2dc9a2f-54ef-40b2-beb9-86c00426737f/Jay_Melone_-_Profit_Ladder.png?t=1724946092) Caption: Jay Melone ——— You are reading a plain text version of this post. For the best experience, copy and paste this link in your browser to view the post online: https://newsletter.profitladder.net/p/the-loudest-ones-never-buy

Hey Maude, This Wednesday, March 25 @ 1-2 PM ET, I'm hosting a live session. And I want you there. **I've never run this session before.** Here's why it's worth an hour of your day. Most established consultants have built some kind of entry offer - an audit, workshop, masterclass, assessment - to attract better clients without over-relying on referrals and founder-led selling. But it failed to convert the way they expected. The assumptions I hear: _“I didn’t promote it enough.” _or _“It doesn’t work for my market.”_ It's neither. It's a design problem. And few figure out where it almost always breaks down. This session walks through a real before and after example, where fixing the offer design drove $370K in new premium sales. By the end of the hour, you'll know exactly why your entry offer isn't sending you pre-sold, right-fit buyers. And what it looks like when it does. This will not be recorded. Live only. Register here 👇 REGISTER NOW (free) (https://tally.so/r/1AKpAQ) Wed March 25, 1–2 PM ET 🤘 View image: (https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/b2dc9a2f-54ef-40b2-beb9-86c00426737f/Jay_Melone_-_Profit_Ladder.png?t=1724946092) Caption: Jay Melone ——— You are reading a plain text version of this post. For the best experience, copy and paste this link in your browser to view the post online: https://newsletter.profitladder.net/p/hosting-a-live-session-wednesday

Hey Maude, For years, I thought doing research on my offer meant needing a PhD and a clipboard. So I skipped it. Instead, I'd send my landing pages and pitch decks to friends, asking what they thought. But because none of them had ever experienced the problems I solved, I'd not get surface-level suggestions about copy and colors, but most were completely contradictory. I’d implement what I could because it was free, fast, and felt productive. But in reality, it was the most expensive "free" advice, and 100% counter-productive. Today I’m covering what I do now instead, and a simple framework you can use to get buyer insights that convert. ——————————————————————————— ### You're tuning to the wrong frequency If my opening story hit for you, the problem is that we too often listen to peers, friends, and online communities instead of the people who actually have the problem and the budget to solve it. And it makes sense why. Getting feedback from peers is easy. It feels like progress. You post in a Slack community or mastermind group, and within hours you've got 12 people telling you what they'd change. But almost none of them is your ICP. They don't have the problem you solve. They haven't felt the pain that drives someone to pay $15K or $50K for help. They're doing their best conversion copywriter impression - riffing on headlines and word choices - when the real issue is whether your offer speaks to a problem someone is desperate to fix. I watched this happen to a brand strategist I work with. She dropped her offer into one of her marketing communities and asked for feedback. She got back 10 competing ideas that pulled her way off-center. She ran with a few of them, and lost every resulting sales call for the next 3 weeks. She'd rebuilt her offer around what impressed other marketers instead of what resonated with actual buyers. That's the trap. Peer feedback gives you false positives of progress. ICP feedback give you **offers that sell**. ### Ask buyers, not bystanders Instead of asking _"What do you think of my offer?"_ to anyone who will listen, start having real conversations with people who've lived the problem you solve. Forget surveys and polls. Go with actual conversations. I know what you're thinking. _"I don't have time for that"_ or _"I wouldn't know what to ask."_ Spending two hours to save yourself months or years is no-brainer time ROI. And here's exactly what to ask… #### The 20-minute research framework I use this with every client I work with. A single conversation built around five areas that surface what your offer actually needs to be built on: real problems, real language, real buying behavior. * **Start with a recent story.** Ask them about the last time they tried to solve the problem you help with. What triggered it? Why did it become a priority? * **Understand the real impact.** How does this problem affect the business? How does it affect them day to day? If nothing changes in 90 days, what does that cost them? When someone quantifies the cost of inaction, you're hearing the language your offer should use. * **Map their current workaround.** What are they doing today to deal with it? What else have they tried - tools, courses, agencies, hires? What worked and what didn't? This tells you what you're actually competing against. Hint: it's their status quo. * **Learn how they buy.** What's the last thing they paid for to solve this kind of problem? What did they spend? Who else is involved in the decision? Most consultants guess at this. The answers will surprise you. * **Surface their dealbreakers.** What would make them say no, even if it sounded good? What worries them about paying someone to help? What would make it feel safe? This is where you learn what objections to handle before they ever come up. That's it. Five areas. 3-5 conversations (30 mins each) with people who look like your best clients. When you're done, you'll have something no amount of peer feedback can give you: the actual words your buyers use to describe their problem, what they've tried, what they're afraid of, and what would make them say yes. _That's_ what your offer should be built on. ### A note on #feedback channels If you're in any online community with a #feedback channel, be cautious. _"Would love some feedback from the community!"_ followed by an onslaught of unqualified opinions is how strong, sellable offers get diluted. You walk away with tweaks that make your offer read better to other consultants while making it less compelling to the people who'd actually buy it. ——————————————————————————— ### Offers that convert If this sounds like where you are right now - an offer that looks right on paper but isn't converting the way it should - the issue probably isn't your website copy. It's that you designed offers without demand… offers that are hard to buy. This is exactly what founders fix inside the Offer Accelerator. The brand strategist I mentioned earlier? Within one session, we ran a lightning round of research, reworked her offer around based upon buyer insights, and she **closed her very next 5-figure deal**. If you’re tired of hearing _“Let me think about it”_, 👇 GET YOUR CUSTOM OFFER ROADMAP (40 min, free) (https://calendly.com/profit-ladder/offer-clarity) 🤘 View image: (https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/b2dc9a2f-54ef-40b2-beb9-86c00426737f/Jay_Melone_-_Profit_Ladder.png?t=1724946092) Caption: Jay Melone _P.S. Gut check: Think about the last 3 changes you made to your offer based upon feedback. Did it come from your buyer or someone else?_ _Hit reply and talk to me about it. I read and reply to every email._ ——— You are reading a plain text version of this post. For the best experience, copy and paste this link in your browser to view the post online: https://newsletter.profitladder.net/p/feedback-i-didnt-need

Hey Maude, Most entry-point “wedge” offers don’t fail because you chose the wrong format. They fail because you didn’t give your buyer a quick, meaningful win that shows them what “good” looks like. And it’s the same conversation every time a B2B service founder tells me their wedge didn’t work... They start by blaming the format. At the top of the list: audits. And a close second: online assessments (that bomb even harder than audits). I ask how they set it up, and within 18 seconds I hear all of the usual disqualifiers: * Priced wrong (including misuse of free) * Barriers to entry; e.g. multiple people need to say 'yes' * Designed for the wrong person; e.g. a junior who’s 4 promotions away from hiring you * Stripped down value - like most of the shit lead magnets you’ve downloaded and trashed a few days later The result: low-quality leads, limited conversions, and growing guilt from all the time you wasted. And so they blame the idea, _“My clients don’t buy wedge offers.”_ Or they blame the format, _“My clients don’t want audits.”_ I get the temptation to shirk responsibility. But neither is true. A client will **always** opt for an easier first step. Just the same, they’ll happily say ‘yes’ to an audit, assessment, masterclass, sprint… so long as it delivers notable value. Instead, your audit pointed out every gap. It listed every fix in gory detail. Maybe both. Your prospect came to you for relief and left with a document that spells out all of their f-ups, and a long to-do list to fix them all. And this is what most founders confuse about the real job of a wedge. It’s **not** to prove you’re smart. It’s to **quickly solve one urgent problem in a uniquely valuable way**, then stop. You’ve showed them what good looks like and delighted them with value to the point that they **now trust ONLY you to do it right**. Above themselves. Above their team. Above your competitors. That’s how you stretch the gap. Their old way of solving that problem is now unbearable. The stakes have been raised. A new bar has been set that they can’t unsee. They trust you now because the results were real and experience was premium. **Not **because you crammed in 14 lessons and flashed a QR code with a discount that disappears in 4 minutes. And this works whether your wedge is for your buyer, or your buyer’s influencer. If the influencer is who you have in your network, your wedge has to be so helpful and compelling that they sell you upstream. They don’t forward a 32-page audit. They forward a win that makes them look smart for bringing you in. Here’s what separates wedges that fill pipelines, from wedges that go unnoticed: * One urgent problem * One fast outcome * One premium experience * One clear next step * Intentional friction (especially if it’s free) * A buyer or influencer who will champion your premium sale If you want to build a wedge that attracts the right people and pre-sells your signature offer, that’s what you’ll build in the [Wedge Offer Masterclass](https://profitladder.net/wedge-offer-masterclass). View image: (https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/3402c97e-e2c0-4df8-aa68-a16377363a8c/Wedge_Offer_Masterclass_by_Profit_Ladder_-_Tess_Gouws_Testimonial.png?t=1772807735) Caption: REQUEST YOUR FREE INVITE (https://profitladder.net/wedge-offer-masterclass) March 18 (1 spot left) April 15 (14 spots left) View image: (https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/dc2af0db-637d-4df1-8a11-d7879a305344/Group_688.png?t=1772805837) Caption: #### Resources worth considering 🪜** **Cathy is an absolute boss who’s coached countless businesses on effective growth strategies. She’s offering a free session for founders who want her take on [predictable sales](https://www.cathywinston.ie/course/sales-pipeline-predictor-2026). 🪜 My friend Dana is running a free 1h workshop to help you fix the biggest gaps preventing you from a reliable [business development system](https://theconsultantalliance.com/workshop). View image: (https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/b2dc9a2f-54ef-40b2-beb9-86c00426737f/Jay_Melone_-_Profit_Ladder.png?t=1724946092) Caption: Jay Melone ——— You are reading a plain text version of this post. For the best experience, copy and paste this link in your browser to view the post online: https://newsletter.profitladder.net/p/stretch-the-gap

Hey Maude, If you’re here, there’s a good chance you do knowledge work. And unless you already moved to Mars (see you soon), you know about the offensive AI has launched on our work. No worries. I’m not going to terrorize you with more news of AI coming for your lunch. Today, I bring you the other side of AI. Away from what clickbait-thirsty media pubs and influencers thrive on, and toward the massive potential that still sits at your fingertips. View image: (https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/6e99ec4d-0816-4863-b41d-17a1ba21128f/Group_682.png?t=1769867000) Caption: Quick update from my side: The first cohort of the Offer Accelerator Group Intensive kicks off Tuesday. We’re locked and loaded, with six kickass business owners set to develop their most sellable, profitable offers **ever**. Which they’ll **sell by the end of the program**. So exciting! View image: (https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/58b51e5c-7f11-4870-82d1-d718bbb050d7/Offer_Accelerator_by_Profit_Ladder_-_Bruno_Selun_Testimonial.png?t=1771616971) Caption: If you’ve been DIY’ing it and… * not enough people are paying attention * not enough people are booking calls * not enough people are buying I’d love to help you finally fix this, and make 2026 the year you get to say _**“Booked out till 2027!”**_ Let’s do this. SEE HOW IT WORKS (https://tally.so/r/A7LR1y) 9 spots left. Closes in 4 weeks (prices go up). View image: (https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/0ded64be-f57d-48f5-8372-d3be75a9eb1e/Group_683.png?t=1771617155) Caption: On Wednesday night, I sat on my couch and read, [Something Big is Happening](https://shumer.dev/something-big-is-happening) by Matt Shumer. Matt is a technical entrepreneur working deeply in AI. Here’s the gist of his 5,000-word essay: “_AI models will be substantially smarter than almost all humans at almost all tasks by 2026 or 2027._ _Let that land for a second. If AI is smarter than most PhDs, do you really think it can't do most office jobs?_ _Think about what that means for your work._“ — Matt Shumer Not gonna lie, a cocktail of anxiety and uncertainty poured over me while reading it. But here’s the thing… I’m a fucking entrepreneur, and so are you. We’re foremost experts at regularly dealing with **HOLYSHIT!#@$!%WTF^&*$%BBQ?!** And so sure, I was a shook. But I was also motivated. Because, as much as your work is changing and will likely disappear in its current form, the opportunity to do something about it is substantial. But you need to do something about it. Today. “_Here's a simple commitment that will put you ahead of almost everyone: spend one hour a day experimenting with AI. Not passively reading about it. Using it. Every day, try to get it to do something new... something you haven't tried before, something you're not sure it can handle. Try a new tool. Give it a harder problem. One hour a day, every day. If you do this for the next six months, __**you will understand what's coming better than 99% of the people around you**__. That's not an exaggeration. Almost nobody is doing this right now. __**The bar is on the floor**__._“ — Matt Shumer #### Here’s what I did about it I’ve had this itch to AI-iffy at least one part of my work for months now. So I spent 3 hours doing just that. Vibe coding, as the kids say. Dude, let me tell you - with every bit of progress I made, I was equally delighted, terrified, and astonished. And it’s been compounding. Quickly. For context, I was a software engineer for the first 7 years of my career, and worked in tech for the next 13. What I spent 3 hours designing and building Wednesday night… 10 years ago, it would have taken 6 months of work from 1 Product Manager, 4 Engineers, 2 UX Designers, and 1 QA Analyst. Zero exaggeration. #### Start with one, important problem I took one task I do with clients and replaced myself with an AI-built tool. A complicated, hand-wringing, _this hurts my brain _task. A task where my client and I build their financial model of projected revenue, costs, and margins for their new offers. Not only is this a time intensive lift for me, but an important moment for clients. They see their numbers for the first time and say: “_WHOA… This is gonna work!_” But before I’d built this tool, for the past 4 months I’ve been using a Google Sheet to do this work manually. I was lucky enough to have the help of a strategic partner, Peter Giordano. He and I (mostly him) built that spreadsheet over many rounds of feedback and iteration. I spent months using it on my own business and across client businesses. I knew it upside down and backwards. I needed to, because it’s an important problem to get right for my clients. If the math doesn’t math, your offer is dead in the water. I didn’t just choose to wield AI on some random problem. I was intentional about which one I targeted. **My deep expertise from solving this problem manually, enabled me to use AI in a smart, effective way. **Otherwise, I’d have been feeding garbage in and getting garbage out. I’m double-clicking into this because it’s important. Before you run off and build your own AI app to tell you what it means when your dog secretly moves your shoes. Stop and ask yourself: * Am I building something that will take me in a completely different direction? * Or am I building something that will make my current work (and my clients’ results) significantly better? There’s no right or wrong choice right now. This is a moment you can make a big shift, because the tools are that good. You can re-invent fields and leapfrog pre-existing, market-entrenched solutions. But if you’re committed to your work and want to use AI to insulate yourself, choose a problem your clients already need help with. Choose a problem you already solve today. And use AI to solve it better and faster than anyone else. #### The Offer Optimizer It’s not ready ready yet, but let me be a proud papa for a second and show you what I built. It’s called, Offer Optimizer. It allows you to take the offers you design in my Offer Accelerator and build financial models around them. You plug your numbers into your wedge and signature offer(s). View image: (https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/2c7ca06c-45a3-4668-85f6-1a210c362c1f/Offer_Optimizer_-_Offers__Profit_Ladder_.png?t=1771627933) Caption: Then you compare scenarios to see which combo and format of offers will generate the most revenue, most margin, or least amount of delivery hours. You get to pick what you prioritize. View image: (https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/d51df5e9-b231-4778-b664-e57e04a1ca59/Offer_Optimizer_-_Scenarios__Profit_Ladder_.png?t=1771627915) Caption: Then the app helps you run 18-month projections with various flows, conversions, and workload while calculating your month-by-month revenue and capacity. View image: (https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/93cd5929-7135-49c9-9e75-a4b309d1c0c1/Offer_Optimizer_-_Projections__Profit_Ladder_.png?t=1771627950) Caption: I can’t quite explain the zen you feel as you see your numbers, clear as day, in front of you. It’s a catalyzing moment, to say the least. The app isn’t yet production-ready, but I’ll get it there in the next few weeks. Just in time for my three current 1:1 clients and the folks in my Offer Accelerator cohort to benefit from it. (wink, wink) I used [Lovable](https://lovable.dev/invite/QXSQIRI) to build the app. I have friends using [Claude Code](https://claude.com/product/claude-code), which is a bit more in the weeds, but more flexible/powerful. I’ll check that out next. If you build something, will you tell me about it? View image: (https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/7a344af0-3d45-45f4-8917-a64bdf9fa9dd/Group_687.png?t=1769868983) Caption: #### Resources worth considering 🪜** **Once you've nailed your offer and sales are rolling in, it’s time to blow the doors open with website and messaging where your clients see your offer and think, _“I get it. I need this.”_ My friend Caitlin Lang does these 90-minute branding roadmaps, where she helps you communicate the real impact of what you do. It’s $975 (and well worth it) but if you tell her I sentcha, [she’ll knock off $100](https://www.liquidformdesign.com/work-with-me#roadmap). View image: (https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/b2dc9a2f-54ef-40b2-beb9-86c00426737f/Jay_Melone_-_Profit_Ladder.png?t=1724946092) Caption: Jay Melone ——— You are reading a plain text version of this post. For the best experience, copy and paste this link in your browser to view the post online: https://newsletter.profitladder.net/p/delighted-terrified-astonished

Hey Maude, Fair warning: For the first time in 110 newsletter issues, today’s is a completely personal topic that may cause some stress to read. Read till the end, where I make it up to you with a story that will warm your heart. ——————————————————————————— For my entire adult life I’ve shut out politics. I’ve shut out the news. As in, I can’t hold a conversation about either topic. As in, third graders know about elected leaders, world events, and (especially) tragedies days before I find out. It’s a decision I made in my late teens. That, I didn’t need to participate in what I find to be overlaid with the ugliest parts of humanity. Power, greed, violence, separatism. And in large part, it served me well. The doom and gloom many others carried, never landed in my lap. For 30+ years, I’ve focused on family, friendships, nature, sports, and business. I prided myself on being someone who **didn’t** open the conversation about the car crash on the parkway, the baby who was abducted, taxes, or the 8th public figure of the week involved in another “scandal.” How exhausting. As corny as it may sound, I subscribe to the belief that your energy really does flow where your attention goes. So I steered clear of anything that pulled it down. But over the past 12 months - and certainly this past week - this world we’ve created has become impossible to tune out. And it’s not like I’m sitting here watching CNN. Hardly. It’s that the environment I built around me - carefully tuned to only let in the _right_ information - is breaking down. My own backyard, where immigrant families are being torn apart while neighbors I mistook as friends show their true colors. My safe spaces are crumbling… My work. TV shows. Football games. Technology outlets. Business-first channels. Questions my sons are asking me. Conversations around the dinner table. All overrun with a general sense of unease. Of panic. And a way of living, which I fought my entire life to resist, is becoming harder to avoid: us vs them. I hate that notion. It is the literal opposite of how I aim to exist in this world. In my heart of hearts, I believe we’re all one. But there’s a growing population of people with wealth, power, or fame who don’t see it that way. They don’t celebrate diversity. They don’t play well with others who don’t look, speak, act, vote, or live how they do. They don’t share my longstanding belief that everyone is doing the best they can. Everything is a fight with them. Absolute power or bust, as they singe the world around them. And while I’ve never been a guy that’s tried to change their minds, let alone save them… I don’t know if I can ignore them anymore. But I can do something. I can remain true to my beliefs and values. I can surround myself with people who put love above hate. Who would sooner create a world that’s filled with peace and equal abundance, than one to be controlled and won (as if that’s a thing). I’m sorry if this email upset you. I’m sorry if this newsletter was one of your safe spaces, where you came to tune out the world. Next week, I’ll go back to talking about offers and business growth so we can all make enough money to buy a big island away from egomaniacs and AI. But today, I chose to use this little platform of mine to share some hard truths I’ve been battling with. And now, to make up for any anxiety I may have caused you, let me share a very personal experience that brought me so much joy this week. I bought [this card game](https://howdeepwillyougo.com/) to spark more deep, meaningful conversations with my family. The very first question: **What motivates you in life?** Without hesitation, my 15-year-old Brody said, “Jason.” (his 17-year-old brother) With tears in my eyes, I asked him, “Why Jason?” He said, “Because he’s a good person.” This meant the world to me, on a couple levels. Brody has been struggling since COVID. He never rebounded from the happy boy he was. He went from the kid that lifted up friends, classmates, and teammates, to continually disappointed with the world. And subsequently, he’s closed lots of doors around him. But his bond with his brother has only gotten stronger. Especially in the last year, where Jason - entirely on his own - has built a relationship with God. And as his light has continued to shine brighter, it’s helped cast away some of Brody’s shadows. It gets better. Dozens of Jason’s friends are following suit. They’re not drinking and doing drugs. Not mistreating one another. Not doomscrolling TikTok drama. They’re waking up at 7 AM and going to church. They’re going to youth group to pray and volunteer. They’re sitting at the library to talk about the bible. All on their own. Without needing to change anyone, but quietly inspiring others in their wake. What Jason is doing for his brother, his Dad, family, and community is all that any of us can do. To be ourselves. To be a light. To model love and kindness. And hope that the world reflects it back to you. ——————————————————————————— P.S. Instagram is still a source of positivity for me. Here are several accounts I follow that lift me up. [Good News Movement](https://www.instagram.com/goodnews_movement/) [Humans Choose Kindness](https://www.instagram.com/humanschoosekindness/) [The Daily Show](https://www.instagram.com/thedailyshow) - slightly more political, but with tons of comic relief [Unforgettable Bloopers](https://www.instagram.com/unforgettablebloopers/) - pure, light-hearted comedy [Ocie Elliot](https://www.instagram.com/ocieelliott/) - love their music, but also how they post songs singing to each other [Love Animalsgram](https://www.instagram.com/love_animalsgram/) If you follow more accounts like these and few negative, drama, within a few short weeks your feed will become a refuge, too. 🤘 See ya next week, View image: (https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/b2dc9a2f-54ef-40b2-beb9-86c00426737f/Jay_Melone_-_Profit_Ladder.png?t=1724946092) Caption: Jay Melone ——— You are reading a plain text version of this post. For the best experience, copy and paste this link in your browser to view the post online: https://newsletter.profitladder.net/p/hes-a-good-person

Hey Maude, There’s one gap in my sales process that’s cost me more business over the past 15 years than anything else. It’s one of those mistakes that’s simple to spot after the fact. And as obvious as it is to fix, I keep avoiding it. **And every time I do, I lose the deal.** I’m spelling it out today to hold my own feet to the flame. And if it hits home, use my story and what I’m doing differently to your advantage. View image: (https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/6e99ec4d-0816-4863-b41d-17a1ba21128f/Group_682.png?t=1769867000) Caption: The first cohort of the Offer Accelerator closes tomorrow: Monday, Feb 9. View image: (https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/7a4f06cb-9322-473d-be76-396c0a752901/Offer_Accelerator_by_Profit_Ladder_-_Miro_Workspace.png?t=1770509767) Caption: I’m thrilled to share that more folks have signed up than I planned on! And so I’ve decided to make room for 2 more. If you want to claim one, apply today: APPLY TO THE ACCELERATOR (https://tally.so/r/gDdKBO) On Tuesday, the price goes up. More details **[here](https://tally.so/r/gDdKBO)**. (or hit reply if you have questions) View image: (https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/5572f73c-090e-4f39-918f-5d255e5dfc9c/Group_683.png?t=1769877037) Caption: I had a discovery call with a prospective client this past week that followed a frustrating pattern I’ve allowed to fester for way too long. This person has been circling their offer for months. They’ve rewritten their website copy a couple dozen times. Tried new pricing. Repacked it. Posted about it on LinkedIn. And built a few new shiny lead magnets. Some weeks they felt close, then the next they’re spiraling when no one buys. I have 4-5 of these conversations every week. I hear the same stories, hopes, challenges, and failed attempts. This is a good thing. Because I know I can help these smart, creative consultants solve an urgent, expensive business problem in the most effective, efficient way. I know the questions to ask surface their problems, diagnose the related impact, and connect it to what I do. It all checks out. And when I stick to the plan, they say ‘yes’, we work together, and their business turns a big corner. Everyone wins. The problem is, I break the plan more times than not. They share their own vague interpretation of the problem. Or they minimize it. But instead of really hearing them, I think, _“Yep, I know where this is going. I can help.”_ And right then, I start speeding through my process, taking shortcuts. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Check, check, check. I don’t dig. I don’t slow down. I don’t back up. And I certainly don’t make them sit with what they just said. **I keep things pleasant**, and then jump to the work I do to fix their “obvious problem.” Where I assume they’ll be eating out of my hands and sending a deposit before I even tell them what they’ll leave with. Instead, I lose the sale. Every time. It plays out the same exact way… _“Thanks, Jay. I’m gonna spend a bit more time experimenting. I think I’m close. I’ll circle back.”_ Or, _“This sounds great, Jay. I need to get some more cash in before I can justify spending money on your services. Let’s talk in a few months.”_ That’s not on them. Not even a little. It’s entirely on me. Not to be dramatic… It’s not like the work I do saves lives. But by letting them DIY it for another 3 or 6 months, I’m letting their problems worsen. And the reason I back off… the reason I don’t dig? It’s simple. I don’t want to come across as being _manipulative_. Like I’m using their stories and pains against them to win their business. I’d rather keep rapport. Remain chummy. Make them feel _lighter_, I suppose. But that’s me choosing my own comfort over being useful. I think: _“If they like me, they’ll come back when they’re ready.” _Nope. Deep down, they knew they needed help. But when I prioritized being friendly over helpful, they lost trust in me. And that’s hard to win back. If you went to a mechanic and said, _“My tire is flat.”_ But the mechanic told you your car looked great, wished you luck patching it yourself, and sent you on your way, you wouldn’t praise them for being polite. You’d chalk them up to being useless, and go to the next shop. So here are a few simple (not easy) habits I’m forcing myself to hone, until they’re second nature: **When they hide behind vague language** Make them translate it into reality. Ask for the last three examples, or the last 30 days, or the numbers. _“When you say inconsistent pipeline, what happened last month?”_ **When they minimize the pain** Reflect what they already told you and hold the mirror up. _“You said you’ve been circling this for months and deals keep stalling. How is that not a big deal?”_ **When they describe the problem** Don’t switch topics. Stay there long enough to find the cost. _“What’s that costing you in time, money, or energy right now?”_ **When they say they’re “close,”** Have them define what close means. Did someone convert? What happens if you’re still circling _close_ 18 months from now? That’s the difference between a friendly conversation and a discovery call that actually helps someone see the unobvious gaps. And then make the right decisions that get them the results they need. View image: (https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/7a344af0-3d45-45f4-8917-a64bdf9fa9dd/Group_687.png?t=1769868983) Caption: #### Resources worth considering 🪜** **Get an honest assessment of your [revenue operations](https://www.revopsinflection.com/contact) within your B2B SaaS company from a long-time PE-backed operator. 🪜** ** 🤘 See ya next week, View image: (https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/b2dc9a2f-54ef-40b2-beb9-86c00426737f/Jay_Melone_-_Profit_Ladder.png?t=1724946092) Caption: Jay Melone ——— You are reading a plain text version of this post. For the best experience, copy and paste this link in your browser to view the post online: https://newsletter.profitladder.net/p/polite-calls-lost-deals

Hey Maude, Ever had a prospect demand a detailed proposal on a 48-hour deadline, then send a 4-word rejection after you delivered the whole thing? That’s what we’re digging into in this week’s issue. First, a quick update from my side. View image: (https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/6e99ec4d-0816-4863-b41d-17a1ba21128f/Group_682.png?t=1769867000) Caption: Behind the scenes, I’ve been working hard to expand my premium, 1-on-1 Offer Accelerator into a group format. It’s ready, and I’m so excited to tell you about! Same results my VIP clients received over the past 18 months: You leave with everything needed to confidently sell premium clients your most compelling, profitable offers ever, without chasing or custom proposals. And you’ll be in an intimate, curated room of other growth-minded business owners. View image: (https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/53c1c551-3a4f-4a0b-9632-d5d3d2124fc5/Offer_Accelerator_-_Group_Intensive_Timeline__Profit_Ladder_.png?t=1769875029) Follow image link: (https://tally.so/r/gDdKBO) Caption: After 6 structured weeks, you’ll walk away with: * Entry-point Wedge Offer that attracts and pre-sells premium clients * Signature Offer premium clients buy without custom proposals * Projected revenue, costs, margins that prove your new offer stack * Sales-ready one-pagers that help you win premium clients immediately There are **3 spots left** in the founding cohort. **Closes Feb 9**. Investment: $2,500 (after Feb 9: $5,000) For more details and to grab one of the remaining spots, apply here: APPLY TO THE ACCELERATOR (https://tally.so/r/gDdKBO) Now, let’s talk about why sending custom proposals with a hyper-personalized playbook will put you out of business. View image: (https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/71bf4a92-f6af-45fe-bc55-d2209e2826a5/Group_683.png?t=1769877008) Caption: A consultant (let’s call her Rachel) in a community I’m part of shared an experience that triggered me and everyone else inside. A prospect reached out for fractional marketing services to stand up a new ABM (account based marketing) function. After a few frenetic emails back and forth, the prospect asked for a proposal in 48 hours because she _“needed to decide yesterday.”_ Then came the kicker… She wanted it detailed enough that a junior marketer on her team - with zero ABM context - could follow. In other words, she asked Rachel to do free work in the form of a mini ABM playbook. Rachel did what most well-intentioned operators do. She leaned in, believing that what separates her from others is how personalized and bespoke she treats each client engagement. Six hours of work later, Rachel produced a lengthy, detailed account of everything she would do… along with pricing, terms, etc. Two days later, the prospect replied with a curt _“Thanks, going with someone else.”_ This is the part that gets under your skin as much as it does mine. Because it feels so casually unacceptable. Someone asks for the world, you over-deliver, and they treat it like they were buying apples… _Meh. Not this one, but that one._ But as hard as this is to internalize, it wasn’t the prospect’s fault. It was Rachel’s. Here’s the advice I offered her, which I wish someone offered me 12 years ago. A bespoke approach can be what clients love **once they’re working with you**. But while they’re buying, **bespoke + process overload creates friction**. The buyer isn’t asking you to prove you’re smart. They’re asking you to help them feel confident. Confident that you’ve done this before. Confident with what they get by the end. Confident (and clear) what their investment is - time and money. The prospect asked Rachel for a playbook because she wasn’t confident in Rachel or clear that her goals would be met. Within that initial email exchange (which should have been a call), Rachel failed to surface the prospect’s pain and the impact it caused. She failed to summarize, simply, how her services work to solve those exact problems. Something that sounds like: _So the way it works is simple. I do this thing so that you can have these results within this much time. The investment is $X, and if you’re interested in starting, the next step is Y._ That’s it. Address questions from there. Fill in details as needed. Handle objections. And most important, get the ‘yes’ on the call - or schedule the next call to give them time to think about it. If you can’t get them to express serious interest on the call, that means your offer needs work. And not only will your proposal **not** fix it - making it detailed and bespoke only makes it worse. 🔥 Did Rachel’s experience trigger you, too? View image: (https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/7a344af0-3d45-45f4-8917-a64bdf9fa9dd/Group_687.png?t=1769868983) Caption: #### Resources worth considering 🪜** **My friend Jac invited me inside her Honeybees Group to talk about Offers that Close Faster. If you’d like to join the (free) session, check out [Honeybees](http://honeybeesgroup.co). I’ve heard great things from several friends inside. 🪜** **My friend Catherine is hosting her annual GROW conference. It’s one of my favorite events to attend, and this year it’s hosted at a warm, sunny resort in Galveston, Texas. [See you there](https://www.theghgn.com/GROW-2026)? 🤘 See ya next week, View image: (https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/b2dc9a2f-54ef-40b2-beb9-86c00426737f/Jay_Melone_-_Profit_Ladder.png?t=1724946092) Caption: Jay Melone ——— You are reading a plain text version of this post. For the best experience, copy and paste this link in your browser to view the post online: https://newsletter.profitladder.net/p/they-wanted-a-free-playbook

Hey Maude, It’s Saturday night. I’m writing this issue later than I want to be… scrambling not to miss tomorrow’s deadline. And I already missed last week’s newsletter for the first time since I started publishing in October 2023. The missed issue bothered me more than it should have. It wasn’t because I think I owe the internet more f*n content. It was because these small habits are part of my discipline, and how I built what I’m grateful to have. Posting on LinkedIn, writing these issues, and showing up consistently enough that trust compounds. So when I miss, my brain does what it always does when something matters. It catastrophizes… _All the trust I’ve worked for is going to evaporate overnight._ _Everyone will move on while I’m busy building._ I know it’s ridiculous. And still, those stories sound pretty damn believable in my head. ### The big bet Here’s where I’m going with this. I’m in the middle of a big build. The next chapter of Profit Ladder. For the last 18 months, my 1:1 done-with-you Offer Accelerator has produced the exciting results it has for one main reason: I facilitate and think with each client one-on-one. I can hear the nuance, challenge the assumption, and get the offer to click with them in real time. I’m transitioning that into a group intensive. A group naturally means less one-on-one time with me, which means the “offer brain” that lives in my head has to be accessible to the room at all times. The curriculum has to carry the thinking. The structure has to create momentum. The systems have to make the experience feel structured, practical, and useful. So that’s what I’ve been doing… * Rebuilding the curriculum without dragging out timelines * Adding activities, examples, and deliverables without slowing ROI * Creating a format for the group and smaller pods so people stay engaged * Rebuilding the onboarding so the gang feels excited from minute one I ultimately want to stick to the promise my 1:1 format has always delivered: optimized offers they can sell immediately. This is the kind of work that requires long, uninterrupted stretches. Which is impossible when I keep stopping to ~~feed my LinkedIn addiction~~ _remain consistent on LinkedIn_. I worked on the group intensive all weekend. The whole time, there was a voice in my head saying I needed to stop what I was doing and write the newsletter before it was too late. That’s pure fear pulling me off-center. And so at around the 250-word mark of this newsletter, I wrote this down because I needed it in plain language. “**The newsletter builds trust. LinkedIn builds trust. Trust compounds over time.** **My writing streaks feel safe. My writing streaks mean I’m disciplined. But streaks are not the business.** **A big bet that pays off creates leverage, and leverage changes everything. But big bets require sacrifice.**“ — And that last part is the punchline: Anything important that’s worth doing requires sacrifice. It’s the part that’s easy to say and harder to live, especially when the sacrifice feels like abandonment. These small habits do real work for me. They keep me connected, keep my name familiar, and keep trust warm in a way I can see day to day. So when I’m making a big bet, it messes with me, because the work needs quiet focus and quiet is what my fear signals as danger. I have to keep reminding myself that this group intensive will have more impact on me and the clients I work with than a few missed LinkedIn posts and a month or two of infrequent newsletters. If I do this well, it changes everything: 1. The expanded impact I’m able to make for more business owners 2. My revenue, margins, and capacity - as well as my expertise and energy And that’s the entire reason I created Profit Ladder. Because I believe our offers should do some of the heavy lifting to market and sell our work. So we’re not the only engine keeping the whole thing afloat. Building this next generation of my offers is me modeling what I coach… even when my nervous system tells me to go feed the algorithm monster. Alright then, back to work. See ya next Sunday 👋 P.S. If you’ve been stuck in the small stuff because the big bet feels risky, have you found any good strategies or tools to help rewire your brain? View image: (https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/b2dc9a2f-54ef-40b2-beb9-86c00426737f/Jay_Melone_-_Profit_Ladder.png?t=1724946092) Caption: Jay Melone ——— You are reading a plain text version of this post. For the best experience, copy and paste this link in your browser to view the post online: https://newsletter.profitladder.net/p/fear-of-being-forgotten

Hey Maude, Over the course of 2025, I had the chance to work with hundreds of consultants, coaches, fractionals, and agency owners. Smart, passionate people doing legitimately good work. Almost all of them were stuck on the same thing: Turning their skills and services into a clear, compelling offer that actually sells. It’s, quite literally, the only thing you need to sell your services and make money. Your offer. Not your website or an optimized LinkedIn profile. Your offer. But creating a good offer, let alone an irresistible one, is _**not**_ a skill most people develop. They whip something together, then pour their energy into “more marketing” and hope the best. So over 2025, I saw, worked on, and overhauled hundreds of offers. And three mistakes showed up more than any others. That’s what I’ll cover today. Enjoy. And always reply back with ideas or questions. ——————————————————————————— ### Offers that sell for you If I handed you 10 perfect-fit leads, could you confidently tell me what you’d sell them, how it works, and the profit you’d pocket by the end? I’m opening spots for my first Offer Accelerator group intensive, where founding members will develop clear, compelling, profitable offers to take to market. You’ll calculate the numbers to prove your revenue and margins, and customer research to back them up. Plus, offer one-pagers so you can start bringing sales in immediately. Founding members get a significant discount. 📌 Reply **FOUNDING** for details. ——————————————————————————— And now onto today’s issue… ### The three offer mistakes that kept repeating ##### 1. Not knowing when enough is enough Many business owners try to sell the full transformation as the first engagement. They bundle in more services, more outcomes, more teams, and more best practices, all in an attempt to prove value and justify a premium price. What it actually does is overwhelm the buyer. Your prospect came to you with a specific problem they want solved now. They did not ask you to fix their entire organization, rewire every process, and future-proof the business in one very long and very expensive engagement. When an offer tries to do everything, it feels over-promised and under-believable. The strongest offers focus on getting one meaningful win quickly and cleanly. Leave the bells & whistles along with every best practice to the side, and instead focus on delivering results that feel obvious and worth paying for. Once that first win lands, selling the next step becomes easy. Where momentum replaces your need to persuade. ##### 2. Selling the service instead of the offer This one is subtle, but fatal. Most founders sell the plumbing. The process. The phases. The access. The frameworks. And… ugh… the jargon. But, that’s the service. The offer is something else entirely. It’s the packaging. It’s the outcome. It’s what the client gets for their investment. When buyers hear a service-heavy pitch, they’re forced to do too much mental work. They have to translate activities into value and imagine what success might look like. And believe me, more case studies is not the answer. Because that was still a different company, with different people. They care about themselves and their results. Instead, strong offers remove that burden by clearly stating five things: * The promise it delivers on * The specific results or deliverables included * The type of return they can expect and by when * How long the engagement takes * How much it costs When these five things are clear, the offer becomes something a buyer can evaluate and say yes to with confidence. Which brings us to the third mistake. ##### 3. Making “it depends” the answer to everything _“It depends”_ sounds thoughtful and honest. In practice, it usually signals that the offer hasn’t been fully baked. When pricing depends. Timeline depends. Scope depends. Outcomes depend. The buyer is left holding all that uncertainty. They can’t picture the finish line. They can’t explain the investment internally. And they certainly can’t feel confident committing. They’ll likely (justifiably) start to wonder how much of an expert you are if ever detail, question, or objection they raise is met with a long song and dance by you. The best offers absorb uncertainty so the buyer doesn’t have to. That doesn’t mean your delivery never adapts. It means your offer has a clear starting point, a clear endpoint, and a clear investment. Specificity builds trust. It signals experience. It tells the buyer you’ve done this before and know what it takes to get them a win. Customization can still happen. It just stops happening before the deal is closed. ### Your takeaways Clear offers outperform clever marketing every time. Your job is not to sell everything you can do. It is to sell the next obvious win. **Action to take this week:** Write your offer on a single page using the five elements in mistake #2 above. If any part still “depends,” that’s your next iteration to sharpen. See ya next Sunday 👋 View image: (https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/b2dc9a2f-54ef-40b2-beb9-86c00426737f/Jay_Melone_-_Profit_Ladder.png?t=1724946092) Caption: Jay Melone ### P.S. Meg is a stand-out authority on helping business owners [get recommended by AI](https://clappingdogmedia.com/webinar/). Join her free, live workshop to make sure ChatGPT, Gemini, etc is endorsing your business. ——— You are reading a plain text version of this post. For the best experience, copy and paste this link in your browser to view the post online: https://newsletter.profitladder.net/p/top-offer-mistakes-i-saw-in-2025

Hey {{first_name|there}}, You made it to the final email in this little welcome series. I hope it got your gears going. Now it’s time to make moves. I’m going to make your next step dead simple - a 100% free masterclass where you’ll develop an entry-point offer that sells for you. It’s the Wedge Offer Masterclass - a live, interactive session that’s exclusive for B2B consultants. If you’re approved to join, you’ll work alongside fellow, seasoned business owners to create a simple, scalable offer that * Pre-sells your premium work * Diversifies revenue * And frees up your time **Here’s when you should join:** If you’ve always won new clients by referrals but they’ve been thinning out lately. If clients love the work you do but it’s harder to convince cold leads to buy. If the only way to win more clients is to do more prospecting and pitching. If every client requires their own bespoke, customized proposal. If you want to scale where every sale doesn’t demand more of you. You’ll fix all of that, and more, in the masterclass. Ready to rock? REQUEST YOUR FREE INVITE (https://elinkfb4.newsletter.profitladder.net/ss/c/u001.0QsE-RmeE3Vb5uMqD9DBSz4WJt7AUJ9vjNDNLpKyTBoEX5i92CtwHSR1l83N5TUpp9TRJIIBh_Uw6QPCZvORzQ/4n4/DYnX4XkwQX2CsPS4iUqKVQ/t0/h001.SnKVAM2XluhWLlpGp9UPl1I4jTQgDy1SrlLMomJGyrU 📌 P.S. If you’re feeling stuck or overwhelmed about developing your offers on your own, **hit reply** and mention “accelerator.” I’ll fill you in on how we can work together to build & launch your revenue engine. ——————————————————————————— And with that, we wrap up the welcome series. Hope you’ve appreciated it. From here on out, I’ll see you each and every Sunday inside my weekly newsletter. 🤘🏼 View image: (https://elinkfb4.newsletter.profitladder.net/ss/c/u001.Tyml8yqtAbwmh7ha0Tw3jmTXOUrL5G-cSPeImPN6D_i6SNihc5NSEvbRe-NBGuHgOCoTkvC36Jarj69Llup9RsSugQbTWmZGUh0UjU60jZ9zvfVJFfl00Od5ZVa1notNF0ECxabDSMTKpeEM61NkmBuYdAsDdVg8IDOdW_M0Iqptq57KSWZIVsvnIDBpJt_nJbPaSKdNkjTa2WqT2tNQzgCCF8IhwBZoyhISbOmv4I8--wNqlhu7qypYhJ7mUCt0kzSZAtwbzptkcMOp7w6wiw/4n4/DYnX4XkwQX2CsPS4iUqKVQ/t1/h001.67eee94FWFTrSmIXklO7LAH151Tuh-_w-3iCh9Ty258 Caption: Jay Melone

Hey {{first_name|there}}, We’re almost at the end of this series, so let’s recap the big ideas: It starts with having a clear, compelling _signature offer_ - the work you want to be known for. Your high-touch, big-ticket services. Then, you attract and convert more of your best-fit clients with a smaller wedge offer. One that’s productized, easy to buy, and delivers a quick (valuable) win. And once clients experience your wedge, they sell themselves on taking the natural next step to your signature offer. That’s what it looks like to evolve your vague, hard-to-sell services into a revenue engine powered by killer offers. View image: (https://elinkfb4.newsletter.profitladder.net/ss/c/u001.Tyml8yqtAbwmh7ha0Tw3jmTXOUrL5G-cSPeImPN6D_i6SNihc5NSEvbRe-NBGuHgOCoTkvC36Jarj69Llup9RsSugQbTWmZGUh0UjU60jZ9zvfVJFfl00Od5ZVa1notNF0ECxabDSMTKpeEM61NkmMW1LCQ9YyFYI2pRRuM39HiKnlwF1I3v7KnmJ0xYfqbVbCOYXWIwBHeICZhpRHBaGEJeOJnK08Io3BgYeWRxNar-wdN-6xdyCQ-e_0ejGTi8Ab9QXc_LL4Bv9lbCa7hnzixWnlqm9fKzy9Nx-MvLIVE/4n3/X7p_L0O2QeqCm6gmNWSBMQ/t0/h001.psQAMsiYn-ns46BAh4_ZmH_58TZG8RsjqySqIX2XO3w Caption: And here are the very real results from one consultant who recently did this: * Swapped low-fit leads in her pipeline with premium buyers * Boosted close rates from 20% to 55% (while increasing prices) * Sold 5 wedge offers in her first 30 days of launch * Upsold $47,000 in premium services 4 weeks later Read those stats again. Imagine them showing up in _your_ business… **Now ask yourself:** What’s stopping me from having them? (Hint: It’s not “more marketing”) Hit reply with your answer. I read & respond to every email. View image: (https://elinkfb4.newsletter.profitladder.net/ss/c/u001.Tyml8yqtAbwmh7ha0Tw3jmTXOUrL5G-cSPeImPN6D_i6SNihc5NSEvbRe-NBGuHgOCoTkvC36Jarj69Llup9RsSugQbTWmZGUh0UjU60jZ9zvfVJFfl00Od5ZVa1notNF0ECxabDSMTKpeEM61NkmBuYdAsDdVg8IDOdW_M0Iqptq57KSWZIVsvnIDBpJt_nJbPaSKdNkjTa2WqT2tNQzgCCF8IhwBZoyhISbOmv4I8--wNqlhu7qypYhJ7mUCt0kzSZAtwbzptkcMOp7w6wiw/4n3/X7p_L0O2QeqCm6gmNWSBMQ/t1/h001.vhsMsjhn4xQj45ua7b95v4-eu_T5XpVaIy5orJPkZjs Caption: Jay Melone

Hey {{first_name|there}}, At a certain point, the problem is no longer leads or revenue. It’s the weight of everything you’ve built. Custom proposals. Shifting scope. And clients who love the work but need you at every step. And now that your calendar is full, growth feels impossible - unless you give up even more of your time. This is where productizing your services creates your next stage of business scale. When you productize your services they become focused on one problem for one type of clients you know intimately. Productized services are also packaged clearly - less like a service and more like a product. A set of work you (or anyone) can fulfill repeatably. And by doing so, your delivery gains velocity. But so does your sales… You stop selling bespoke, one-off projects and start selling clear, compelling outcomes. And when clients know what they’re buying, what they’ll get, and when they’ll see a return they buy, quickly. Net net: Productizing will not only scale your operations and profits, it scales your ability to attract and convert more of your best clients. These are the offers I want to help you build. So stick around - we’ll keep digging into this. Or if you’ve already heard enough, come build your first productized offer in the Wedge Offer Masterclass. [It’s free](https://elinkfb4.newsletter.profitladder.net/ss/c/u001.0QsE-RmeE3Vb5uMqD9DBSz4WJt7AUJ9vjNDNLpKyTBoEX5i92CtwHSR1l83N5TUpQBsC2Zl2CqwTo21L4TCMvA/4n2/XdTe2E-zRzG7o7_xr-g_cw/t0/h001.PqNoDMBKXBed31gUaKvOKFfnpsArXzTdbtRuHvGZuJs 🤘🏼 View image: (https://elinkfb4.newsletter.profitladder.net/ss/c/u001.Tyml8yqtAbwmh7ha0Tw3jmTXOUrL5G-cSPeImPN6D_i6SNihc5NSEvbRe-NBGuHgOCoTkvC36Jarj69Llup9RsSugQbTWmZGUh0UjU60jZ9zvfVJFfl00Od5ZVa1notNF0ECxabDSMTKpeEM61NkmBuYdAsDdVg8IDOdW_M0Iqptq57KSWZIVsvnIDBpJt_nJbPaSKdNkjTa2WqT2tNQzgCCF8IhwBZoyhISbOmv4I8--wNqlhu7qypYhJ7mUCt0kzSZAtwbzptkcMOp7w6wiw/4n2/XdTe2E-zRzG7o7_xr-g_cw/t1/h001.9sIg7n0cCsJA04hWMAbVZKBJ9d3UxVUZhvu8bkdtZII Caption: Jay Melone

Hey {{first_name|there}}, For years, I tried to grow my former consulting business with more services, more marketing, and a **lot** of frenetic prospecting & pitching. It burned me out. Like… years of sleepless nights burnt out. Like… close my office door and cry at my desk burnt out. Like… On my knees, I give up burnt out. After some much needed time away, I came back and started asking myself one question that changed everything: _“What if this was easier?”_ I started selling _smaller and more tightly packaged_ versions of my premium services. These _[wedge offers](https://elinkfb4.newsletter.profitladder.net/ss/c/u001.abxWMkWoZ3u8wgMBfemJURIMLS_RhurOYU5sFTci_3rrBA3AtupSmnURmaT-Dn8u84LXDpQ7yx7rR-gfb2C7pfu682Mhf6k6G8Ld6tst_Fs/4n1/nyQ3azyOTG6dTUNG9vEbjA/t0/h001.rcO90H_tW5rEHAlgyQeusOhwwq3-kkUim1IizB1_Uxo gave prospects an easy "yes," delivered quick wins, and sold them on buying my signature offer. Those breakthroughs I experienced and systems I created for that consulting business became the foundation that led to Profit Ladder, where I help B2B consultants productize their services into repeatable, profitable offers that unlock real scale. **So hit reply and tell me… **_What about your business feels hard to scale?_ View image: (https://elinkfb4.newsletter.profitladder.net/ss/c/u001.Tyml8yqtAbwmh7ha0Tw3jmTXOUrL5G-cSPeImPN6D_i6SNihc5NSEvbRe-NBGuHgOCoTkvC36Jarj69Llup9RsSugQbTWmZGUh0UjU60jZ9zvfVJFfl00Od5ZVa1notNF0ECxabDSMTKpeEM61NkmBuYdAsDdVg8IDOdW_M0Iqptq57KSWZIVsvnIDBpJt_nJbPaSKdNkjTa2WqT2tNQzgCCF8IhwBZoyhISbOmv4I8--wNqlhu7qypYhJ7mUCt0kzSZAtwbzptkcMOp7w6wiw/4n1/nyQ3azyOTG6dTUNG9vEbjA/t1/h001.pGwiYg0qCrNpRu_2KcSuWm6LSKnWDCYg2vUcIHho7Ow Caption: Jay Melone P.S. If you're curious you can [read my full backstory](https://elinkfb4.newsletter.profitladder.net/ss/c/u001.r8gqpFpTby_dcmWmayB8rHSGVdPWkOVn8v-fF5AYgCEabels05P2FKPMvj24KNNS/4n1/nyQ3azyOTG6dTUNG9vEbjA/t2/h001.J_NFdvl-PntMiuGStkoP7Gy8dqtUbxI6vcysvp0i5lI and how it all came together.

Hey {{first_name|there}}, Glad you’re here. Really. I started Profit Ladder to help B2B consultants like you build a _revenue engine_… where your offers are so clear and compelling, they sell for you. Where they’re so productized, you swap out all of the custom proposals and delivery with profitable work anyone can fulfill - while you focus on true scale. This welcome series is short, punchy, and built for people who want momentum, profits, and the freedom that comes with. Over the next few days, I’ll send you strategies that help you: * Fill your pipeline while you’re deep in client work * Attract premium clients with a clear, easy on-ramp * Eliminate custom proposals (really) * Grow & diversify revenue without increasing your workload * Scale your work and profits * Let you step away without things grinding to a halt So here’s where you and I begin… **Hit reply and tell me**: What’s the #1 frustration you’re facing when it comes to scaling your business? Talk soon, View image: (https://elinkfb4.newsletter.profitladder.net/ss/c/u001.Tyml8yqtAbwmh7ha0Tw3jmTXOUrL5G-cSPeImPN6D_i6SNihc5NSEvbRe-NBGuHgOCoTkvC36Jarj69Llup9RsSugQbTWmZGUh0UjU60jZ9zvfVJFfl00Od5ZVa1notNF0ECxabDSMTKpeEM61NkmBuYdAsDdVg8IDOdW_M0Iqptq57KSWZIVsvnIDBpJt_nJbPaSKdNkjTa2WqT2tNQzgCCF8IhwBZoyhISbOmv4I8--wNqlhu7qypYhJ7mUCt0kzSZAtwbzptkcMOp7w6wiw/4mz/U4EHajcyThOxdorxH1XkhQ/t0/h001.HJGbVqQtkHyRx9hN3sqz5dppaoTEf3183i3G0RvCb9Q Caption: Jay Melone 👉 P.S. If we’re not already, _[connect on LinkedIn](https://elinkfb4.newsletter.profitladder.net/ss/c/u001.szjbsd2ArrrGu8-NosIKmGET-A4VH62hdeAzsa2bA5057-CrUbskXe5SNo_BgqIKPm_oVoBl0tPOvB3fvxsjIDSStRvH9Uz2sHoYvjcmBkgwD5l-zoppLDCr_5ELLoRvxjP0ABL5WWxndPOj-H9gLIE2R5UrHqXxsPrnKkok1wzSXHFbaJ9hq4lGyqHICdQK/4mz/U4EHajcyThOxdorxH1XkhQ/t1/h001.Va6-plkhnDeiVZvZfgkGCSKKVb9fWTeHPs3rzmU2I64