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How to write stories that sell without being salesy
Last week I ran a promo for my “weird pricing experiment.”
And I thought it might be interesting to share what’s happened so far.
First, the entire offer centered around two things:
- Outside perspective on your business.
- The price goes up every time someone buys.
No big idea. No promise. No avatar. No unique mechanism. And no real proof other than a handful of testimonials. So as far as I’m concerned, the entire weight of the offer rested on those two things.
Some outside perspective on your business, and a little bit of urgency.
The result?
Four people booked. I’ve spoken with two. One became a client. And the other expressed interest (but ultimately hasn’t decided). However, that wasn’t the point of these calls in the first place. Instead, I planned to be up to my elbows in near free consulting calls for the next few weeks while collecting testimonials and stacking little case studies for the future.
But instead, people expressed immediate interest in becoming clients.
Why?
Well I think it has to do with the purpose of today’s email.
I wrote about a small win (my pricing experiment), and in my excitement, I tied it to a simple offer and people responded.
The result?
Another small win.
To add to that, last week I went to dinner with a friend who asked how things were going with some of my other coaching clients, and in sharing my excitement, he asked me to help him market his business too.
He said his goal is to double next years revenue, and he’s not sure how to do it on his own.
We haven’t set up anything official yet.
But when he left the table, he was more excited about my plan for him than I was. Which is a good sign. Those are the people I like working with the best. They tend to get better results, and it makes my work, and as a result, my life much easier.
This was the exact same demeanor of my “weird pricing experiment” customer who became a client.
They wanted to learn more from me, I said the price, and there was zero hesitation.
That’s why I focus much more of my effort on marketing rather than sales.
It makes life easier.
Anyway…
Maybe you’re noticing a pattern here?
And maybe as you read this message, and you see me mentioning small wins over here and small wins over there, you find yourself thinking, “Okay, this Kevin guy seems to be making some genuine progress, maybe he actually knows a thing or two.”
If so, consider this…
I’m just like you.
Stacking small, simple wins, and learning as I go.
But I would invite you to consider what affect it has on you to see someone else stacking small steady wins, one on top of the other, as they grow their business right in front of your eyes?
After all, the real point of this story is to let you know that if you want to write stories that sell without being salesy, you can ask yourself one simple question:
“What small wins can I use to show other people that I’m competent and it’s safe to work with me?”
Because, nobody likes going first.
They prefer to see someone else do it first.
That said, if you’re interested in stacking a few small wins for your self as we head full force into 2026, here’s the link:
Kevin Hood