If I Wanted to Make $100K Before 2026, I’d Do This
In this episode of the Growth Stacking Show, Dan Martell outlines strategies for building a profitable business that can scale beyond the founder's personal capacity. He explains how to design an effective business model focused on outcome-based pricing rather than hourly billing, and shares insights about targeting mid-market and enterprise clients who prioritize quality over cost.
The episode covers practical approaches to crafting sales offers, managing customer relationships, and systematizing delivery processes. Martell details methods for creating compelling one-page offers, handling sales objections, and implementing a standardized onboarding system. He also discusses the role of social media in customer acquisition and explains how to leverage early client successes to generate referrals and maintain growth momentum.
This is a preview of the Shortform summary of the Nov 4, 2025 episode of the Growth Stacking Show with Dan Martell
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1-Page Summary
Business Model Design
A well-designed business model can drive growth without increasing workload. Dan Martell emphasizes that choosing the right model is crucial - it should function as a profit engine rather than trapping you in stagnation. He advocates for outcome-based pricing over billing for time, allowing businesses to scale beyond the founder's capacity through service standardization and team delegation.
When it comes to target customers, Martell points out that mid-market and enterprise clients often prove more valuable as they prioritize quality over price and readily pay upfront deposits. In contrast, small businesses typically focus on cost-saving, leading to more challenging client relationships.
Crafting an Effective Sales Offer
Martell advocates for concise, compelling sales offers that focus on customer transformation rather than detailed product descriptions. He recommends creating a one-page offer that highlights pain points and their solutions, incorporating a three-step plan with clear milestones to demonstrate expertise.
For pricing strategy, Martell suggests offering two options: including a high-end "anchor" price point alongside the actual desired offer. This strategy enhances the perceived value and affordability of the primary offering, making it appear as the obvious choice for customers.
Sales and Prospecting Strategies
Social media plays a crucial role in customer acquisition, with Martell sharing his success in generating millions in sales through Instagram DMs. He recommends engaging followers with open-ended questions about their business goals and challenges, followed by prompt and persistent follow-up within 30-60 minutes of initial interest.
When handling objections, Martell advises addressing concerns empathetically and proactively, reframing value propositions to align with customer needs. He suggests presenting two scenarios to prospects: one maintaining status quo and another showing potential growth through investment.
Systematizing the Delivery Process
Martell emphasizes the importance of a standardized five-step onboarding process, beginning with a crucial kickoff call to align expectations. He stresses the importance of gathering all necessary information upfront and achieving an early "win" within 5-7 days to maintain momentum. This early success, he notes, can be leveraged to generate referrals, creating a sustainable growth cycle.
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Counterarguments
- While outcome-based pricing can incentivize efficiency and value, it may not be suitable for all types of businesses, especially those with unpredictable or highly variable costs.
- Targeting mid-market and enterprise clients might bring higher value per client, but it can also lead to longer sales cycles and higher customer acquisition costs.
- Small businesses, while often more price-sensitive, can offer opportunities for volume and niche specialization, which can be profitable if managed correctly.
- A one-page sales offer might not be sufficient for complex products or services that require more detailed explanations and trust-building.
- Offering two pricing options can be an effective strategy, but if not done carefully, it might confuse customers or make the lower-priced option seem inadequate.
- Social media strategies like engaging followers with open-ended questions may not be effective for all target demographics or industries.
- A prompt follow-up of 30-60 minutes might not always be feasible or could be perceived as too aggressive by some prospects.
- While empathetic handling of objections is important, it may not always be enough to convert a prospect if the underlying product or service doesn't meet their needs or expectations.
- A standardized onboarding process is beneficial, but it must be flexible enough to cater to the unique needs of different clients.
- An early win is important for client satisfaction, but focusing too much on early results can sometimes lead to shortcuts or a lack of attention to long-term goals and relationship building.
- Relying on referrals for growth can be limiting and may not be sustainable for all types of businesses, especially those in highly competitive or saturated markets.
Actionables
- You can refine your value proposition by mapping out a customer's journey before and after using your service, highlighting the transformation. Draw a simple "before and after" roadmap that outlines the customer's state before using your product or service and the benefits they experience afterward. This visual tool can help you communicate the value of your transformation-focused sales offer more clearly to potential clients.
- Develop a habit of sending a personalized video message to new social media followers. Use your phone to record a quick, 30-second welcome video thanking them for the follow and asking what content they would love to see. This approach can deepen engagement and set the stage for a more personalized customer acquisition process.
- Create a "success checklist" for new clients to complete within their first week. This checklist should include actionable items that clients can quickly achieve with your product or service, ensuring they experience an early win. Share this checklist during the onboarding process and follow up to celebrate their accomplishments, fostering a positive relationship that could lead to referrals.
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Business Model Design
Creating a profitable business model is crucial to driving growth without necessarily increasing the amount of work involved.
Designing a Profitable Business Model Drives Growth, Not Harder Work
The Right Business Model Guides, While the Wrong one Traps You
The business model you choose can either act as a profit engine or a trap. Selecting the wrong model keeps you stagnant, preventing you from capitalizing on each sale. On the other hand, the right model ensures that every transaction contributes positively to your cash flow.
Outcome-Based Pricing Enables Scalability
Value-Based Pricing Enables Growth Beyond the Founder's Capacity
The most successful businesses avoid billing for their time and instead charge for the outcomes they deliver. This approach frees the founder from being the bottleneck for growth, as services can be outsourced or delegated to a team that delivers the promised results.
Service Standardization Boosts Scalability and Efficiency
By standardizing services, businesses can bolster both scalability and efficiency. Services that can be sold might include logo design with integration into social media, AI automation coupled with support, or the implementation of productivity software combined with coaching for client teams.
Targeting Mid-market/Enterprise Customers Yields Valuable, Less Price-Sensitive Clients
Larger Customers Prioritize Time and Quality Over Price, Making Them Lucrative
Mid-market customers understand the value of time and quality, making them superior clients as they are less inclined to quibble over costs. They are ...
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Business Model Design
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Clarifications
- Outcome-based pricing is a strategy where businesses charge based on the results or outcomes they deliver, rather than the time or effort put in. This approach aligns incentives between the service provider and the client, focusing on the value created rather than the hours worked. It allows for scalability and can free up the business owner from being the sole driver of growth. This model is beneficial for businesses looking to grow beyond the limitations of traditional time-based billing.
- Value-based pricing is a strategy where the price of a product or service is determined by the value it provides to the customer, rather than its production cost. It focuses on what the customer is willing to pay based on the benefits received. This approach aims to capture the perceived value of the offering and attract customers who prioritize value over price. It helps businesses align pricing with customer expectations and differentiate themselves in the market based on the value they deliver.
- Service standardization involves creating a consistent and uniform approach to delivering services within a business. This process aims to streamline operations, ensure quality and efficiency, and make services easily replicable and scalable. By standardizing services, businesses can enhance customer experience, improve productivity, and facilitate growth. Standardization helps in creating a structured framework for service delivery, enabling businesses to meet customer expectations consistently.
- Mid-market/enterprise customers typically represent businesses that are larger than small businesses but not as large as multinational corporations. They are often characterized by having more resources, a larger customer base, and more complex needs compared to smaller businesses. These customers are generally willing to pay higher prices for quality products or s ...
Actionables
- You can analyze your current offerings to identify which ones could be packaged into standardized services. Look at the services or products you provide and determine if there are any that you can streamline. For example, if you're a freelance graphic designer, create a set of fixed-price design packages for logos, business cards, and social media graphics instead of custom quotes for each client.
- Consider adopting a tiered pricing model to cater to different customer segments. Start by segmenting your customers based on their needs and willingness to pay. For instance, if you run a software business, you could offer a basic version for small businesses and premium features at a higher price point for mid-market or enterprise clients who require more robust solutions.
- Engage in conversations w ...
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Crafting an Effective Sales Offer
To boost sales, an offer must be compelling and easy to understand. Dan Martell and other experts outline strategies for creating effective sales offers that can enhance customer interest and drive up conversions.
Concise Sales Offers Are More Compelling Than Detailed Websites or Pitches
An effective sales offer should clearly communicate the transformation customers seek from your product. Martell emphasizes the importance of brevity, suggesting that your offer should be distilled into one page that sells the result, focusing on the customer's transformation rather than the product itself.
Highlight Pain Points and Present Solutions
Presenting your solution includes agitating the customer’s pain point and offering a promise as a solution. The one-page offer should clearly agitate this pain and paint the promise as the direct opposite. Including follow-up questions can further underline the promise of your offer.
Three-Step Plan With Milestones Conveys Expertise and Guides Prospects
Using a three-step plan with milestones and dates can demonstrate your expertise, reassure customers that you have experience solving similar problems, and guide them through the buying process.
Two Pricing Options: High-End "Anchor" Enhances Affordability Perception
Offering two pricing options can effectively increase the value perception of the real offer by including a high-end option as an “anchor.”
High-End Option Boosts Real Offer's Value
When you provide an expensive option that exceeds the customer’s needs alongside your actual desired offer, it can make the latter appear mo ...
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Crafting an Effective Sales Offer
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Counterarguments
- Conciseness may oversimplify complex offers, potentially leading to misunderstandings or a lack of necessary detail for informed decision-making.
- Focusing solely on customer transformation might neglect the importance of product features or compatibility with customer needs.
- Highlighting pain points too aggressively could turn off customers who prefer a more positive, solution-focused approach.
- Follow-up questions could be seen as intrusive or pushy, which might deter some customers.
- A three-step plan might not be suitable for all types of products or services, especially those requiring a more flexible or customized approach.
- Offering only two pricing options might not cater to the full range of customer budgets or ...
Actionables
- You can refine your sales pitch by practicing with a friend who has no prior knowledge of your product. Explain your offer to them in under two minutes, focusing on the transformation it provides. Ask for their feedback on clarity and whether they understand the value proposition. This exercise will help you distill your message to its essence and ensure it resonates with potential customers.
- Create a visual roadmap of your product's benefits, using symbols or icons to represent pain points and solutions. For instance, if you're selling a time management app, use a clock icon to symbolize the pain point of wasted time and a checkmark to represent the solution of achieving more daily. This visual aid can serve as a guide when explaining your offer, making it more relatable and easier for customers to grasp the transformation they'll experience.
- Experiment with crafti ...
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Sales and Prospecting Strategies
Effective sales strategies are crucial for turning prospects into customers. Dan Martell shares actionable insights on using social media for reaching new customers, the importance of persistent follow-up, and the art of addressing objections to close sales successfully.
Using Social Media to Reach Strangers Effectively Finds New Customers
Dan Martell emphasizes the importance of using social media to talk to strangers, generating revenue through platforms like Instagram. Martell has successfully used Instagram DMs to sell over $3 million worth of services by engaging with people from the back of his boat.
Ask Open-Ended Questions to Engage Followers and Uncover Sales Opportunities
Martell suggests asking followers open-ended questions to engage them in conversation. These "opens" help determine if they're just interested in content or in growing their business. For example, he's taught a fitness influencer to engage with social media followers through chat, revealing potential sales opportunities.
Qualifying Prospects by Targeted Questions on Goals and Challenges
He believes in qualifying potential customers by asking targeted questions focused on their revenue, team, impact, and goals over a 12-month timeline. Martell encourages questions that help prospects imagine celebrating future achievements, allowing them to envision the success they could attain by partnering with his services.
Persistent Follow-Up Turns Leads Into Sales
Prompt Follow-Up Within 30-60 Minutes Capitalizes on Initial Interest
Martell points out a common mistake of not acting immediately when someone expresses readiness to move forward. He suggests following up within 30-60 minutes to maintain the momentum and capitalize on the initial interest. Quick follow-ups through short messages keep the opportunity alive.
Follow-Up Keeps Opportunity Alive
Persistence is key in keeping the dialogue open and the sales opportunity active. Martell recommends following up at strategic intervals: after 30 minutes with a question, 60 minutes, the next morning, 24 hours, three days, and seven days, to keep the conversation flowing and maintain engagement.
Proactively and Empathetically Addressing Objections Overcome ...
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Sales and Prospecting Strategies
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Counterarguments
- Social media engagement may not always translate to sales, as some platforms may not be conducive to the target market or demographic.
- Open-ended questions can sometimes be too vague and may not lead to productive conversations if not carefully crafted.
- Qualifying prospects with targeted questions can be perceived as intrusive or aggressive if not done tactfully.
- Prompt follow-up might be seen as pushy or desperate, potentially turning off some prospects.
- Persistent follow-up could lead to diminishing returns if perceived as harassment, especially if not balanced with respect for the prospect's time and space.
- Proactively addressing objections might not always be possible if the salesperson lacks sufficient understandin ...
Actionables
- You can create a personalized hashtag campaign on social media to track engagement and identify potential customers. Start by crafting a unique hashtag that relates to your product or service and encourage your followers to use it when they share content related to your brand. Monitor the hashtag to see who's engaging and reach out to them with personalized messages that reference their shared content, showing you value their interaction and are attentive to their interests.
- Develop a habit of sending a personalized voice message as a follow-up to online inquiries. After someone expresses interest in your product or service online, record a quick voice message thanking them for their interest and mentioning something specific from their inquiry. This personal touch can make you stand out and show that you're not just sending automated responses, potentially increasing the chance of a sale.
- Implement a "Choose Your Path" email strategy to provide prospec ...
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Systematizing the Delivery Process
Dan Martell articulates the critical need for a structured approach to onboarding new clients, aiming for efficiency and consistency.
Five-Step, Standardized Onboarding Process Ensures Consistent, Efficient Results
Martell emphasizes the importance of a standardized onboarding process anchored by a kickoff call and upfront information gathering.
Kickoff Call Aligns Expectations for Successful Engagement
Martell stresses that a kickoff call is indispensable after a purchase is made, as it aligns expectations and explains the delivery process to the new client, establishing a foundation for a successful engagement.
Gathering Inputs Upfront Ensures Smooth Process
He advocates the practice of collecting every essential asset or piece of information from the client up front to avoid delays and ensure a smooth start to the service provision, instead of gathering these details as the work progresses.
Achieve a Client "Win" In 5-7 Days to Create Momentum
Martell advises on how to maintain momentum and how client satisfaction can catalyze growth through referrals.
Reviewing Progress Maintains Focus On Moving Clients Forward
Daily team or individual reviews on each c ...
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Systematizing the Delivery Process
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Counterarguments
- While a structured onboarding process is beneficial, it may not be flexible enough to cater to the unique needs of every client, potentially leading to a one-size-fits-all approach that may not be optimal for all situations.
- A kickoff call is useful, but it may not be the preferred method of communication for all clients. Some clients may prefer written documentation or a more interactive digital onboarding experience.
- Gathering all information upfront can be efficient, but it may also overwhelm clients or create a high initial barrier to entry, especially if the information required is extensive or complex.
- The goal of achieving a client "win" in 5-7 days may not be realistic for all types of services or products, particularly those that have a longer natural maturation or implementation period.
- Daily reviews of client progress might be too frequent for some projects, leading to micromanagement and an unnecessary administrative burden that could slow down the process.
- Relying heavily on client referrals for growth assumes that all clients have the capacity and willingness to provi ...
Actionables
- You can create a personalized welcome package for new clients to make them feel valued and set the tone for your working relationship. This package could include a welcome letter, a simple roadmap of your service process, and access to a private client portal where they can track progress. For instance, if you're a freelance graphic designer, your welcome package might contain a branded PDF outlining the design process, timelines, and how clients can provide feedback.
- Develop a mini-course or tutorial that clients can access immediately after signing up, aimed at helping them achieve a quick win related to your service. For example, if you offer social media management services, provide a short video series on optimizing their current profiles, which they can implement even before your full services begin.
- Implement a feedback loop early in the client relationship by scheduling a brief, informal check-in call after the first week. Use this opportu ...
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