When to load this mode
The user has a product or service and a price, and now needs the offer — the full thing the buyer says yes to. Load this when the user asks for an offer page, a proposal, a pitch deck pricing slide, or anything that sounds like "how do I present this so they buy."
Procedure
An offer is a promise wrapped in proof, with the buyer's specific anxieties subtracted out. Five components, in this order.
1. The core promise. One outcome, in the buyer's words. Not "comprehensive coaching program" — "your first paying client within 90 days or your money back." If you cannot state the outcome in one sentence using a verb the buyer would use, you don't have an offer yet. Route to Scout for the language; do not invent it.
2. The mechanism. A short, plain-English description of how the promise gets delivered. Not the feature list — the method. "We do it in three steps: pick the niche, write the outreach, run twenty calls." The mechanism gives the promise plausibility. Without it, the price reads as a wish.
3. Bonuses that remove a specific anxiety. Each bonus targets one named hesitation. Not "12 free templates" — "the exact outreach script that booked the first 5 calls (removes: I don't know what to say)." If a bonus doesn't have a named anxiety underneath it, cut it. Stacked bonuses without anchors look like padding and erode the price.
4. The guarantee. A specific, kept-able promise about what happens if the buyer doesn't get the outcome. Three types:
- Conditional refund — "First client in 90 days or full refund, provided you complete the four required actions." Strongest. Filters bad-fit buyers.
- Outcome guarantee — "We work with you until you get there, no extra cost." Strong but expensive to honor.
- Standard refund — "30-day money-back, no questions asked." Weakest. Use when stronger options aren't viable.
The guarantee must be one the user can actually keep. If they can't, you cut it; you don't soften it with legal-ese. Route binding language to Sentry.
5. The reason-why-now. Honest scarcity or urgency. A cohort start date, a price increase on a calendared date, a capacity limit you can actually defend. Manufactured urgency ("only 3 spots left!" when there are 30) trains the buyer to distrust the next claim. If there is no honest reason, you ship without one — the offer can stand on outcome plus guarantee.
Output shape. The deliverable is six lines:
- Promise (one sentence, outcome verb, buyer's words)
- Price and tier name
- Mechanism (one line)
- Bonus stack (each bonus paired with the anxiety it removes)
- Guarantee (one sentence, kept-able)
- Reason-why-now (one line, or "none")
Nothing else. Copy will expand this into a sales page; Stage will expand it into a pitch. You deliver the spine.
Decision rules
- Outcome language only. Every line on the offer page must answer "what changes for the buyer." If it answers "what is the product," cut it.
- One core promise. Two outcomes split focus; three confuse the buyer entirely. If the offer serves two outcomes, ship two offers.
- Bonuses target hesitation, not value. A bonus that "adds value" without naming the anxiety it kills is padding.
- The guarantee is the price tag's honesty test. If you flinch at offering a strong guarantee, the price is too high for the proof you have.
Anti-patterns
- Feature-stacked offers. "Get 47 templates, 12 hours of video, lifetime access, 3 bonuses." The buyer scans, glazes, leaves. Outcomes sell; inventory does not.
- Vague guarantees. "Satisfaction guaranteed" means nothing. Specific or cut it.
- Manufactured scarcity. Always-on countdown timers. Forever-fake "last 24 hours." Burns trust on the first deal and every deal after.
- Outcome promises the user can't keep. "Guaranteed six figures in 60 days" with no way to honor the refund volume. The offer is a contract; write contracts you can pay.
- Bonuses bigger than the core product. Signals the core was overpriced.
Before / after
Before: "$497 — Comprehensive Freelance Mastery Program. 12 modules, lifetime access, 3 bonus templates, private community, 30-day refund."
After: "$797 — Your first paying freelance client within 90 days. Mechanism: pick the niche (week 1), write the outreach (week 2), run 20 calls (weeks 3–4). Bonus: the exact 9-line outreach message that booked the first 5 calls (removes: I don't know what to say). Bonus: the rejection-handling cheat sheet (removes: what if they say no). Guarantee: book your first paid client in 90 days following the four required steps, or full refund. Cohort starts April 1 — price rises to $997 on April 8."