At Video Business Academy the promise was a videographer's first $10K month. Clients who hit it bought the next offer: $10K to $25K.
That moment is what this script is for. Once someone hits the promised goal, they feel done and want the next chapter. You cannot sell them the same thing again. The next thing to sell is their next problem.
When should you pitch the upsell to a coaching client?
The day the milestone lands on the client board. Results tracking marks the client as having reached the goal, and that mark is the trigger. You need triggers and data, not vibes. A coach who waits for the program's last week sells to people who already left in their head.
There is an outer limit too. Start the next-offer conversation no later than 60 days before the program ends. Later than that, you have missed the extensions and the resells. A client close to the goal but not there gets an extension conversation instead.
Skip anyone who is behind or upset. You cannot upsell someone who is angry or lost in your program. They get a check-in first.
What does the message that books the call say?
Two lines and a booking link, from the client success manager the client already knows. Send it in the chat the program uses, or as a voice note. Long messages are one of the things client success managers get wrong, and nobody reads them.
Example message. Congrats on your first $10K month, that is the goal of the whole program. I'd love a short call to hear how you did it and talk about what comes next for you. Here is my calendar: [link].
The same day is the right time to ask for proof. People who really have results are not afraid to talk about you in a video. Ask for the review or the success interview in a separate message, so the call stays about them.
What do you say on the upsell call?
Six parts, in this order. A closer who only sells to existing clients runs the call, or the client success manager where there is none. The client does most of the talking.
- Name the result with the number: 'You came in at [starting point] and you are at [result]. What changed?'
- Let them tell the story. Write down the words they use; they are the copy for the next offer.
- Ask what is in the way now: 'Now that you are here, what do you want next, and what stops you?'
- Play the new need back in their words: 'So the next step is [their goal], and the problem is [their obstacle].'
- Offer one next step that solves that problem, with the price and a start date. One offer, not a menu.
- Handle the answer. A yes gets the contract and an onboarding date. A not-now gets a date for the next conversation, written on the board.
Step three carries the call. Most coaches skip it and pitch what they planned to sell anyway. The survey we run in every offer asks the same thing in writing: if something could be done for you, what would it be?
Once someone hits the promised goal, they feel done and want the next chapter. You cannot sell them the same thing again. The next thing to sell is their next problem: at Video Business Academy, from $10K to $25K, a second offer. People close to the goal who want a bit more time buy an extension.
What should you offer a client who just hit the goal?
The next problem, solved, and priced on the bigger result. It is the same but different: the step after what they first bought. Match the offer to what the client says on the call.
| What the client says | What you offer |
|---|---|
| I hit the goal and I want the next level | The upsell: the next problem solved, priced on the bigger result |
| I am close, I need a bit more time | An extension: more time on the same program |
| I want to run it again, bigger | A resell: a second run for a bigger result |
| I can't do the next step right now | A date for the next conversation; no discount |
Two offers almost never work here. A discount on the same program makes no sense. Neither does $97 a month for the same access; people who paid a lot to get in prefer another high-ticket offer.
How many winners should buy the upsell?
If the next offer is relevant, up to 30% of all clients buy it, and 40% or more of the clients who won. Close rates on these calls run 40 to 50%, lower at higher volume. None of it carries ad cost.
If far fewer winners buy, look at the offer before the script. A good script cannot sell an offer that misses the new need. Read back what your recent winners said in step three, and rebuild the offer from their words.
Result from a named client with written permission. Typical clients of this cohort saw a range of outcomes; nothing here is a guarantee. How we handle claims.
Further reading: The resell closer: one hire that took resells to 30 to 40% of revenue · How to ask for proof the day a client hits a milestone
Diego Miescher
