How I Build More Valuable Services and Recurring Offers

Raising a price is easier to think about when I first ask what makes the service worth more to the buyer. I organize that question around authority, the work I take off the client's plate and the specific business purpose of the service. I then use the same ideas to look at recurring offers.

Show why the buyer can trust the work

I describe perceived authority as the confidence a prospect has that you know what you are doing. Content can demonstrate your thinking, while recommendations, case studies and testimonials let a buyer see what other people experienced.

If there are no existing clients to recommend you, I emphasize producing useful content instead of waiting for referrals that cannot happen yet. The point is to make your competence visible, not to assume publishing a certain amount automatically earns a particular price.

Client Ascension related reading: the first-client lesson considers how to begin when you do not yet have case studies.

Take responsibility for a difficult step

In the roofing example, one agency generates leads while another also calls and qualifies them. That includes confirming whether someone wants a roof quote and whether they are financially qualified for the work.

Calling those leads requires labor, either from the roofer or someone they hire. My argument is that taking that responsibility off the client can differentiate the service, rather than leaving the client to organize the step that turns contact information into a useful appointment.

Client Ascension related reading: the logistical intensity lesson examines removing implementation work from the buyer.

Make the larger scope explicit

I compare a funnel agency doing the page build, design, automation and copy with one also handling ad scripts and editing, video sales letter work, email flows, media buying, conversion-rate optimization and weekly tests.

The second proposition does more of the implementation. That gives the buyer a clearer reason to value it differently; it does not establish that every additional task is profitable or that any provider can raise a price without delivering the extra work.

Sell the service for the right business purpose

The same editing skill can serve different functions. I contrast a podcast owner wanting social clips with a direct-to-consumer e-commerce brand wanting product ads to use in paid campaigns.

I want you to think about who buys the work and how they intend to use it. The buyer's purpose and business economics can change what the deliverable is worth, rather than assuming all edited videos belong in the same price bracket.

Client Ascension related reading: the asymmetric offer lesson explores how an offer relates to the buyer's economics.

Recurring payment needs recurring work

For a web designer who wants a monthly service, I start with the requirement that something new must keep happening. My example expands from building a landing page once to creating a new funnel or landing page and lead magnet each month.

The recurring scope also includes weekly split tests across the funnels, static ad creatives to send traffic to them and backend email automations for the leads. That is an ongoing production and improvement service, rather than putting a monthly invoice around an unchanged one-time deliverable.

Reduce the work that stops the client continuing

For a content-editing service, I describe a client who stops producing content rather than simply rejecting the editing quality. One possible response is to include scripting, taking another part of production off the client's plate.

I also return to client fit: work with buyers who take the activity seriously and have an ongoing reason to use the service. These are ways to examine the offer and the customer, not a complete diagnosis of why every client churns.

The recurring model still needs work that contributes to the client's business. I would connect the scope, the buyer and the intended function rather than treat retainers as a payment trick that fixes an unsuitable service.

Adapted by Client Ascension with AI assistance from Daniel Fazio's lesson. The first-person narrative follows the source speaker’s account. Watch the original video