# Offer Anatomy

A complete offer has six components. Skip any one and conversion suffers — usually noticeably.

## The six components

| # | Component | Question it answers | Where it fails |
|---|-----------|---------------------|----------------|
| 1 | **Core deliverable** | What do they get? | Too vague, or pitched as features instead of outcome |
| 2 | **Bonus stack** | What else do they get that makes the core feel undervalued? | Either no bonuses, or inflated/fake bonuses |
| 3 | **Guarantee** | What happens if it doesn't work? | None, wrong type, or over-promising |
| 4 | **Scarcity / urgency** | Why now, not later? | None, fake, or destructively manipulative |
| 5 | **Name** | What is this thing called? | Generic, internal-jargon, or no name at all |
| 6 | **Price + payment structure** | What do they pay and how? | Single number with no payment flexibility |

---

## 1. Core deliverable

The thing they actually get.

### Define it as an outcome, not a feature list

- **Feature-pitched (weak):** "6 modules, 24 lessons, weekly calls, private community."
- **Outcome-pitched (strong):** "A working customer-acquisition system that brings 5 qualified leads per week within 60 days — built with you, not handed to you."

The features still matter — buyers want to know what they're getting — but the *frame* is the outcome. Features support the outcome, they don't replace it.

### Define the scope explicitly

What's in. What's out. What's optional. Buyers buy clarity; ambiguity erodes perceived likelihood.

Example scope statement:
```
Includes:
- 90-day program with weekly live calls (recorded)
- Private Slack with daily founder access
- 12 fill-in-the-blank templates
- 1 90-minute strategy session with a senior strategist

Doesn't include:
- 1:1 calls outside the strategy session
- Implementation of the work (you/your team does this; we coach)
- Tools and software (you provide; we recommend specific stacks)
```

### Match the depth to the buyer's stage of awareness

Sophisticated buyers want the methodology and scope. New-to-category buyers want the dream outcome and proof. Read your audience.

---

## 2. Bonus stack

What you add to make the core feel undervalued at the asking price.

Bonuses do three jobs at once:
1. **Raise perceived value** of the total offer
2. **Lower perceived risk** — even if the core underdelivers, "I got X for free"
3. **Close specific objections** — each bonus can target a different buying objection

### How to construct bonuses

For each major objection your buyer has, add a bonus that closes it:

| Objection | Targeted bonus |
|-----------|---------------|
| "I don't have time to implement this" | Done-for-you setup, day 1 |
| "I don't know which tools to use" | Pre-vetted tool stack with discount codes |
| "What if I get stuck?" | 30-day async support |
| "I'm not sure my team will buy in" | Stakeholder pitch deck for your team |
| "I've tried something like this before and it didn't work" | Case study of someone in your exact situation |

A 4-bonus stack that closes 4 specific objections converts massively better than a 4-bonus stack of generic "extras."

### Don't inflate

"$50,000 in bonuses!" on a $500 offer reads as scam. The asymmetry destroys trust.

Bonuses should:
- Have a stated value the buyer can verify (compare to a comparable product)
- Total to less than 2x the price (e.g., a $1K offer can have ~$1.5K in bonuses comfortably)
- Be things you'd actually sell separately if you wanted

For the full bonus-stacking framework, see [bonus-stacking.md](bonus-stacking.md).

---

## 3. Guarantee

What happens if it doesn't work.

A guarantee directly raises perceived likelihood of achievement (the buyer thinks: "they'll only offer this if they're sure"). It also lowers effort & sacrifice (less emotional risk).

The wrong guarantee can hurt:
- Over-promising guarantees attract refund-seekers
- Generic "100% guaranteed" with no conditions reads as legally unenforceable
- No guarantee at all signals you're not confident

The right type depends on your business model, refund risk tolerance, and buyer sophistication. For the full taxonomy, see [guarantee-design.md](guarantee-design.md).

---

## 4. Scarcity / urgency

The reason to buy now, not later.

Two flavors:
- **Scarcity** — limited *quantity* (cohort size, seats, inventory, batch)
- **Urgency** — limited *time* (cohort deadline, season, bonus expiry)

The bar: **the scarcity has to be real.** Fake countdown timers and "only 3 spots left" lies work once and torch trust permanently. The internet is small; you will be caught.

Common honest scarcity formats:
- Cohort closes Friday (because the cohort actually starts Monday)
- Founding-member pricing for the first 20 customers (because you're capacity-constrained)
- Seasonal product or service (because demand is seasonal)
- Bonus expires at launch end (because the bonus is your time)
- Capacity-based service tier (because you literally can't take more clients)

For full guidance on creating real scarcity, see [scarcity-urgency.md](scarcity-urgency.md).

---

## 5. Name

What this thing is called.

A named offer beats an unnamed offer for three reasons:
1. **Repeatability** — buyers can tell their friend about it
2. **Distinction** — a name makes it a *thing*, not a generic service
3. **Pricing power** — branded offers can charge more than the same delivery sold as a service

### Naming patterns that work

- **Outcome-named:** "The 30-Day Activation Sprint" — names what they get
- **Methodology-named:** "The VAULT Framework" — names how you do it
- **Identity-named:** "Founder Marketing OS" — names who it's for
- **Compression-named:** "5-Day Cohort" — names the timing/structure

### Naming patterns that don't work

- **Generic descriptors:** "Marketing Coaching Program" — forgettable
- **Internal jargon:** "Tier 2 Standard" — buyer can't repeat
- **Course-bro:** "The Money-Making Machine" — pattern-matches to scam
- **Pun-overload:** "GrowthGoGetter" — reads as low-status

### Practical test

Can a buyer text a friend: "I just signed up for *the [name]*. It's $X and you get [one-line outcome]"? If yes, the name works. If no, rename.

---

## 6. Price + payment structure

The price is the obvious part. The structure is the underrated part.

### Price isn't a number, it's a comparison

Buyers compare the price to:
- The dream outcome (does this get me the result I want?)
- The next-best alternative (what else could I buy?)
- The cost of doing nothing (what does the status quo cost me?)
- Other items in your own catalog (anchor pricing)

You can move price perception without changing the number by:
- Showing the cost of doing nothing more vividly
- Anchoring against a higher-priced alternative
- Sequencing other items in your catalog at higher prices first

### Payment structure is its own lever

Same total price, different structures convert very differently:

| Structure | When it works | Trade-off |
|-----------|---------------|-----------|
| **Pay in full** | High-trust buyers, lower price points | Highest perceived commitment, smallest buyer pool |
| **Pay in 2-4 installments** | Mid-range price, hesitant buyers | More buyers, payment defaults |
| **Monthly subscription** | SaaS, ongoing services | Annuity revenue, churn risk |
| **Pay-after-results** | High-confidence delivery, sophisticated buyers | Cash flow lag, fewer disputes |
| **Down payment + balance on delivery** | Services with milestone-based delivery | Balance risk on backend |
| **Free trial → paid** | Low-friction SaaS, info products | Conversion drop-off |

Often the right move isn't lowering price — it's adding a payment plan. Same $6K price, "$6K today" vs "$2K × 3 monthly" converts very differently.

---

## Putting it together: an example

A B2B fractional CMO service.

| Component | Weak version | Strong version |
|-----------|--------------|----------------|
| **Core** | "Fractional CMO services" | "8-week marketing audit + 90-day execution plan, delivered by a CMO who's done it for 3+ similar companies" |
| **Bonuses** | None | (1) 1:1 weekly check-ins for 90 days; (2) pre-vetted execution-partner introductions; (3) board-deck for marketing strategy section |
| **Guarantee** | None | "If after the 8-week audit you don't have a clear 90-day plan you'd run yourself, you don't pay the audit fee" |
| **Scarcity** | None | "We take 2 engagements per quarter — next slot opens [date]" |
| **Name** | "fCMO Consulting" | "The 90-Day Marketing Reset" |
| **Price** | "$15K, paid up front" | "$15K → $5K to start, $5K at week 8, $5K at week 16" |

Same delivery. Same person. Different offer. Different conversion.

The point: most "we need to lower our price" conversations are actually "we have one of six components missing or weak" conversations.
