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What do most business owners want more of in their businesses?
Clients!
Are you in the same boat?
Maybe your website is up and you created a few offers that should be an “easy yes” for your potential clients.
But getting clients is harder than you thought, and they’re not coming in as quickly as you’d like.
Day after day, you wait for people to hire you or, at the very least, engage with you.
Whether it’s getting blog comments, email subscribers, or a new consultation on your calendar, you want something—anything!—to show you that you’re on the right track with your business.
How do you get traction, get clients, and start building your expert-status reputation?
I’ve got the answer, and even though it’s controversial in the online world, it’s a proven strategy that works, time and time again.
This approach is something I’ve been teaching my clients for years, but I haven’t devoted an entire blog post to it… until today.
It’s time to let the secret out.
Click to TweetHow do you get traction, get clients, and start building your expert-status reputation? Jenny Shih has the answer.Bite-Sized Offer: The counterintuitive, fast-track ticket to selling your services
If you want to create a strong foundation for your business, build an expert-level reputation, and get clients who are excited about what you offer, then you need what I call a Bite-Sized Offer (affectionately known by my clients as a “BSO”).
Even though many resisted it at first (I’ll tell you why in a minute), they soon discovered how powerful and effective this approach is to quickly building their business doing work they love with dream clients.
Why? It’s because a BSO helps with all of the things business owners struggle with the most.
Things like…
- Effortlessly getting new, dream clients in the door and ready to work with you
- Building testimonials from satisfied clients and generating easy referrals for future clients
- Ensuring you’re crystal clear on what makes you different from everyone else in your field, so you easily stand out and get noticed
- Building your reputation as an expert at what you do and someone who provides phenomenal results for those you work with
- Creating compelling copy that draws in your potential clients and convinces them to say YES and promptly pay you
On top of those amazing benefits, selling a BSO also teaches you which marketing techniques work repeatedly for you and your audience. This information is priceless, because it sets the stage for creating online course and programs down the road (if that’s something you’d like to do eventually).
Your Bite-Sized Offer is like a magical doorway that leads to a thriving, successful online business. Can you see why I love them?!
What Is a Bite-Sized Offer?
Now that you know why a BSO is the key to your ultimate business success, let’s talk about exactly what it is.
A Bite-Sized Offer is a small offer that allows your clients to test you out. It’s generally a 90-minute session with a short follow-up call via phone or Skype. I recommend charging around $99, so that it’s a no-brainer decision for someone to hire you.
The key to crafting the right BSO for your audience is to first identify a small, bite-sized, tangible result that you can create for your dream client. No, you won’t help them lose 100 pounds or rewrite their entire website, but you can create one result that will get them moving in the direction of their goals.
Want some examples?
Copywriter: You could could write one page on a client’s website or do a full website copy review with suggestions on how they can make each page stronger and more compelling.
Weight-loss coach: You could help a client uncover her top triggers for overeating and suggest clear solutions to work past those issues.
Web designer: You could design a landing page, a header, or a logo.
Notice how these examples are results-oriented and small enough to do in a single session (with a quick follow-up session for fine-tuning). A BSO is not a long-term offer and not designed to create massive results, and that’s okay!
Your goal is to get on the phone with your clients and serve them phenomenally in 90 minutes (and then answer their questions in a 30-minute follow-up call). That’s it.
Do this well and your business will skyrocket, guaranteed.
But, Jenny, I Can’t Do This Because…
Earlier I mentioned that the Bite-Sized Offer approach is controversial. I’ve heard every argument in the book about why a BSO isn’t the right fit for someone’s business, and I pretty much disagree with them all!
Why? My clients’ results prove to me over and over and over and over that this approach works!
(Are you a past client of mine? Link to your BSO offer copy in the comments below. Let’s show the world how powerful a BSO can be!)
The three most common objections I get are:
- My business isn’t new; how will this help?
- If I charge less, I feel like I’m taking a step backward.
- I’ll never make enough money charging $99 for my offers!
Let’s address these objections one by one:
If You’ve Been in Business for Awhile
A Bite-Sized Offer will work for you if you’ve been in business for awhile and clients aren’t coming as quickly as you’d like.
Think about it this way: If the offers and prices you have aren’t turning into clients, then why would you keep offering them?
Instead, take a step back (humbling, I know) and work on writing stronger copy that highlights a more compelling, tangible result in your offer. Then offer that package at a no-brainer price. It’s the exact momentum-builder you need to start getting clients.
If You’re Pivoting Your Business or Want to Try Something New
A Bite-Sized Offer will also work if you’re pivoting your business and trying to take it in a new direction. Instead of seeing a BSO as a “step backwards,” see it as an experiment.
Your BSO is perfect for testing and experimenting with new ideas, new clients, new target markets, or new results. And no—the rest of your site doesn’t need an overhaul to run a small BSO test.
Plus, when you offer a one-on-one BSO, you’re not wasting tons of time or energy in building an expensive offer or course that your clients might not even want. Instead, you create a small, entry-priced offer that allows you to decide if this is the right direction for your business.
No, You Won’t Get Rich Charging $99, but…
If charging $99 makes you uncomfortable, you’re not alone. It’s true that you can’t get rich charging only $99, one client at a time, and I don’t expect you to. In fact “getting rich” isn’t the point of a BSO.
Allow me to explain…
If you’ve been following me for awhile, you know that I’m not here to waste your time or energy, and starting your business with a BSO is not an exception to that rule.
Done right, a Bite-Sized Offer can and will completely change the trajectory of your business and set you up for massive long-term success.
They work, and for them to work, you have to start at $99.
Here’s why:
It makes money a non-issue.
First, charging $99 to start takes the pressure off of you, off of your copy, and off of everything. Pretty much every client I meet can feel great about over-delivering on $99 worth of value for a one-on-one client.
Since money blocks can be such a huge issue for so many business owners (and clients!), we completely eliminate most of the problem by starting low.
When your BSO is super affordable, money becomes almost a non-issue for most prospects.
And when you combine that with strong copy (my clients become excellent copywriters), it really is a no-brainer for people to say yes.
It’s an easy jumping off point for higher package upsells.
For $99, you impress them with how much you help them, and if and when they want more, you offer more (at a higher price, in a larger package).
Although BSOs are not designed to be the starting point for an up-sell, that does often naturally happen.
You’re getting paid in experience.
In addition to getting $99, you are also learning essential information about your clients, what they need, what challenges they run into, and what really, truly helps them the most.
Basically, your clients are showing you how to improve your offers (which you’ll eventually be able to charge more for); they’re showing you what language you can use in your copy to make it even more compelling; and they’re helping you hone your skills even further.
And as long as you’re out there serving clients well, the good news is that you won’t be in the $99 bracket for very long. Here’s why.
Going Beyond Your Bite-Sized Offer
The beauty of a BSO is that it will continue to evolve and grow as you gain experience, fill your client roster, and build your reputation.
You can start by working with 5 to 10 people for $99, then adjust the offer based on your experience and raise the price.
Next, you work with 5 to 10 more people—at the new price. You can then adjust the offer based on your clients’ feedback as well as your own learnings, and raise the price again.
You’re starting small and building organically on what’s working, making adjustments with every iteration. You’re pretty much guaranteeing that every update to your offer (and subsequent increase in price) will be a no-brainer for future clients.
You’ll have the language nailed down. You’ll feel confident that you can deliver stellar results. And you know your clients will turn into raving fans.
Can you see why I’m such a fan of the Bite-Sized Offer?!
It sets you up for your inevitable success in all areas: wowing your clients, improving your copywriting and marketing skills, building your reputation, and growing your business to be sustainable and profitable over time.
I mean, who doesn’t want that?!
You Tell Me!
Alright, we went deep there with the nuances of a Bite-Sized offer, and I hope you see the value in starting here. (Though if you don’t, ask away! Maybe you have an objection I haven’t heard yet and I’d love to help you find the best solution for you!)
If you like this idea and want to give it a try, raise your hand in the comments below!
If you are a current or past client of mine and have your Bite-Sized offer still on your website, post your summary and a link to your BSO so other people can see what it’s all about.
Have questions? Other ideas? Post them in the comments below. I can’t wait to read ‘em.
Hi Jenny,
You are explaining the idea very well. I have a client that deals services of therapists. The therapists offer an introductory session, which is short and low priced. The intro session, I’ve understood, doesn’t really make any money for the therapist or the business dealing the services. It serves as a kind of a gateway to the “actual” services. Usually a person who gets the intro will eventually get full therapy too.
I recently put together my own coaching/consultation packages for building better online presences. I also have a BSO, an introductory package. I even made it so that if someone buys the intro package they will get a discount from the “bigger” packages. Makes the intro even more enticing.
Good tips, as usual!
Love that you’re already putting it into action. Woot!
Ok. My business is service based. I manage paperwork for real estate agents to include Listing Coordination ($150) and Contract to Close Management ($300). What kind of BSO would you suggest for my type of business?
You know your clients and your work best! Like I say above, “The key to crafting the right BSO for your audience is to first identify a small, bite-sized, tangible result that you can create for your dream client.”
What would be a small, bite-sized tangible result you could provide that would give people a great chance to feel you out and get something incredible out of it? That’s where you begin.
Hi Jenny! I’m almost convinced. Here’s my question: $99 seems low for my market (lawyers) and compared to my package price ($1500 for six sessions). Do you advise $99 no matter what? Or could I up mine to something like $149 or $199 which I think is still pretty negligible to most successful lawyers? Im concerned people in my target income bracket would actually think $99 means I’m not worth their time.
Oh Kara – just do it already! You wont be sorry!
…and if you can easily sell it and create a ton of value for them at $199 – do it.
I still have my bite sized offer up on my “Work with me” page – but disabled the “buy now” button this week. I sold enough of them to learn a ton about my audience and now need to make it bigger and better. Next BSO here we come! (and for a higher price and more sessions because it just makes sense.)
It was fun to go back and read the copy I wrote just a few months ago – it doesn’t fit anymore BECAUSE I’ve learned so much about who I want to work with and what they care about. So, on to bigger and better but oh-so-glad the BSO was there to teach me all that it has.
(I know you wont want to do this, do it anyway, just to see what happens. Call it an experiment if that makes it more fun. Challenge yourself, I dare you!)
Go get to know your people BETTER. They’ll be happy you did, and you’ll be happier. -Caryn
Caryn you are my bossiest friend by far.
You can certainly do a BSO for $199!
Thanks Jenny!
I’ve created a few BSOs since I did the MIWO program with Jenny, and I can swear that they work! And I’ve been able to upsell higher-priced packages to a few of my past clients who continue to come back for more!
Here’s one of my offers: http://www.nestintheforest.com/soul-sadhana/
(and it completely follows the template that Jenny offers during MIWO)
I LOVE LOVE LOVE your page!! As a yoga teacher who is trying to build an online business, I have been looking and looking for examples of success that are closer to my area of work. You are inspiring!
I’m just getting started with BSO’s. I feel so blessed I found you and get to work with you through this awesome program.
I help women create awesome, drama-free relationships. They learn to create loving partnerships grounded in effective communication, shared values, deep intimacy and trust.
Here’s the link to my BSO for single women looking for their life partner.
And here’s the one for women who are struggling in their relationship. That one is still in progress but almost there.
Jenny,
I absolutely love this post and your idea. Thank you for your generosity in sharing it with us!
My question is this. If I’ve been marketing my hourly rate at $200 an hour for a while, do you take that option (and similarly priced packages) off your site and replace with this one? Also, how do you position it? Like a “sale” or “promotion”? Again, have been marketing consistently at a higher price. Thank you!!
In general, I have my clients create packages that offer a specific, tangible result instead of offering services by the hour. There are a lot of reasons for this. You can read some of them in these two posts:
https://jennyshih.com/2016/06/questions-must-ask-youll-get-clients/
https://jennyshih.com/2013/02/why-you-shouldnt-sell-coaching-and-what-to-sell-instead/
When you shift out of hourly and into packages focused on results, you blitz past your current conundrum. So my suggestion would be that instead of doing a sale or promo (not something I recommend), it would be to reconfigure how you work with clients into a packaged-focused model. Start with a BSO and then work your way up!
Thank you Jenny! You are the best!
I’m also just getting started with BSOs and love my offer! I coach midlife working women who feel frustrated because they’re just going through the motions at work at at home. They want more meaning in their lives! I help them get clear about what they want and make changes to create the life they’ve been hoping for. Here’s the link: http://www.suzyrosenstein.com
As a weight loss coach for foodies, I thought there was no way I could give someone the help they needed with a bite-sized offer. Most of my clients have struggled with their weight for years, and require at least a couple of months of coaching to resolve their issues with food and weight. But I knew Jenny was the expert, and that I should take her good counsel and gave it a try. I definitely have had clients benefit from this and have gotten clients where I wouldn’t have otherwise. Some have then bought my bigger package afterwards. My BSO is here: http://sharibroder.com/work-with-me/weight-loss/
The BSO process is great!
I’m a business coach for committed artists, makers and creatives who want to earn money from they make. They’ve got a great body of work but feel frustrated that they aren’t selling more and aren’t sure what to do about it. I help them grow their business so they can earn an income from their creative endeavors.
Jenny, thanks for sharing all that you do! It’s so helpful!
Cheers,
Kate
I have a service based business -web development for designers. I am just wondering how I can use this for my biz. Any thoughts you can share. Thanks!
Like I said to Sherri above… You know your clients and your work best! Like I say above, “The key to crafting the right BSO for your audience is to first identify a small, bite-sized, tangible result that you can create for your dream client.”
What would be a small, bite-sized tangible result you could provide that would give people a great chance to feel you out and get something incredible out of it? That’s where you begin.
Use the examples in the post as a brainstorm starting point.
I recently created a BSO for my brand coaching and graphic design biz… I work with work-at-home moms helping them grow their own great brands, and coach them to up-level into creating amazing branded graphics for all their content offerings.
My BSO is an “Express Brand Audit” for $79 CAD (~$60 USD). It’s a questionnaire and 30 minute call that helps them identify what’s working with their current branding, and how to push it to the next level.
I haven’t had any bites yet, but I haven’t done much marketing yet either.
I was hesitant at first about the BSO and thought, how can I help my client in one session? But, I have really loved the BSO process and what it teaches ME! And, when I focus on one tangible change for my client, it also takes the pressure off to solve everything for them. By using the BSO, I learned my niche needed a little fine-tuning and it was easy to update, so here is my shiny new BSO: http://kpbbalancedwellness.com/work-with-me
Hi Jenny!
Thank you for the awesome post. I have some great ideas that I’ve gotten feedback from ideal clients in a business group, so I feel like I have narrowed down a good BSO for my web design business. Next, I read the comments and looked at some examples. I’m just a little confused.
I did my Work With Me page according to your post, FB live video and comments a few months ago and have two packages with components there now. In the examples I checked, I just see the BSO in most and not their other larger packages. For example, at Kristi’s site she just has her offer copy and the BSO but no other packages.
Is this how we should set up our Work With Me page? With just the BSO? Where do the other packages go?
I hope it is okay to ask this question… if it encroaches on the MIWO program, I understand if you don’t want to answer. I don’t want to overstep the bounds.
I generally suggest that all offers go on one page because it then gives you prospects a much clearer picture of all that you do which gives them more opportunities to sell themselves on working with you!
Thank you, Jenny!
OKAY! I can see I have work to do to pay attention to my values (again) and clarify my goals for my work. From there, I will implement a BSO as part of my momentum forward. thanks so much!
Awesome, Charlotte! I was so glad you could join the live call today and I could help you get moving!!
Hi Jenny
I’m a photographer and in our industy bite sizes offerings AKA a mini shoots is very common.
Offering a shoot that is 30 mins instead of 90mins
But I’m just not getting anyone book even these, because what I need to charge to be profitable bearing in mind I’m working for more than 30mins what with my editing and ordering and delivery
My compitores are doing this so what appears to be less and less money that everyone who comes to me says I can get it down the road for a ¼ of the price with 5 times as many pictures
Hwo do I deal with this?
First, don’t ever worry about what your competitors are charging. You focus on what you deliver and how well you deliver it and get paid accordingly.
Second, usually when people say they aren’t getting clients it’s because they’re not putting themselves out there enough. For newer business owners, I estimate that it will take 15 hours of marketing to get 1 new client. Have you put in 15 hours of solid, quality effort into marketing, effectively presenting yourself to potential clients and talking about the work you do? If not, that’s your #1 job!
I’m currently trying to figure out what results my clients are most interested in getting, and I’m wondering if the BSO can be used as a short-term promotion, as a way to test a variety of services (to see what my clients REALLY want). What I’m imagining is planning a few different BSOs and then offering each one, one at a time, as a way to see which one gets the most traction.
There are a few downsides to using a bunch of different BSOs to “test” what people need. The biggest one is this: If you aren’t getting clients currently, and you don’t have good marketing or a big enough list, then simply having more offers won’t solve this problem.
The second downside is that when you go “out there” to look at what your clients want, you’re forgetting the most important part of the BSO equation: YOU! My entire philosophy is underscored by the idea that your business should bring you delight and joy and be focused on what you love to do and who you love to work with. If you’re waiting to see what other people respond to, you’re not focusing on your joy and your gifts.
That’s why I’m a huge fan of starting with YOU and then creating the offer you most want to create… then working from there.
I am a new Life Coach, really new. I am loving your thoughts, ideas and system. I’m wondering… I don’t really have a niche, I “help empower woman to attain their goals” I think. How could I set up a BSO with such a broad clientele? I don’t have any clients yet. thank you
Great question, Dorrie! It sound like you would need to niche a bit further to really reach your people and create the right offer for them.
Check out these three articles for ideas on some next steps:
https://jennyshih.com/2015/10/if-you-dont-have-a-niche-youre-working-too-hard/
https://jennyshih.com/2018/07/4-secrets-to-finding-your-niche/
https://jennyshih.com/2017/10/ultimate-troubleshooting-guide/
First of all – I’m SO glad that I found you via FEA. Your content is extremely helpful!
I am a tech virtual assistant + OBM. Are there any suggestions for a BSO that I could offer?
Hi Anna. I’m so glad you found your way here, too!
I don’t make recommendations for BSOs because the offer must spring from YOU. You know in the class how I taught that you start with YOU? What you love, who you love to work with, what problems you love to solve, what results you like to create? That’s where you need to begin.
Generally, when I give examples, people jump on my ideas and skip over asking themselves what they want. And when that happens, the process doesn’t really work like it’s supposed to.
Our most successful clients usually brainstorm a dozen or more ideas and find the one that makes their hearts say YES!! (even if they’re also a little scared to deliver it).
If you haven’t yet grabbed the BSO extended guide, you can do that at https://jennyshih.com/bso It could help your brainstorming process.
I recently got a certification where I can build someone’s funnel, the pages, implement the automation etc… and even set up their course on a specific platform that’s a CRM. I love the idea of the BSO but I struggle to come up with a BSO for what I do. There are a lot of demand for done for you services on the platform but they do not take 1 day. The platform offers a 40% commission. The price is very good compared to all the separate tools you would have to purchase separately. Do I create a strategy BSO that would lead to the customer hiring me for more work or do I create a BSO relating to the platform but they’ll have to subscribe to the platform?
HI Jocelyn. A few things about a BSO…
– BSOs are a part of a whole business growth strategy, and it’s not designed to plug-n-play into another strategy. It’s like saying, “These chocolate chips are yummy. How would I put them into an omelette?” I’m not saying that you can’t find a BSO but I am saying that a BSO isn’t just a chocolate chip you plug into an omelette recipe. (I hope this cooking analogy works for you!)
– BSOs should deliver a tangible result on their own, not be designed specifically to feed into another offer.
– I have a very thorough free guide on BSOs that I think will help you see if they could help you and how. You can find it at jennyshih.com/BSO
Give that guide a read and see where it takes you next.