Video Business Academy makes 30%+ of its revenue from resells, and none of it carries ad cost.
That number exists because the word has a definition inside the business. Most coaches sell one package. The client finishes, the relationship ends, and next month starts from the sales team's number again. One sale, one client.
What is a resell?
A resell is a second run of a program, or the next offer, sold to a client you already have. The client has been through sales, been onboarded, and seen the inside of the program. You are offering the next thing to someone who trusts you, with no ad spend, no setter and no first objection to handle.
We use resell as the umbrella word for every sale to an existing client, because a coaching business needs one number for it. Under that number sit five offers that do different jobs.
Upsell, resell, extension, downsell, continuity: which is which?
| Offer | What it is | Who buys it | The rule we use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upsell | The next problem, solved: a second offer | Winners, the clients who hit the promised goal | From $10K a month to $25K: a new package, never more of the same |
| Resell | A second run for a bigger result | Clients who want to go again with a new target | Same program, new goal |
| Extension | More time in the same program | Clients close to the goal who want a bit longer | Sold before the end date, at least 60 days out |
| Downsell | A lighter version: the video training only | People who did not buy the main offer or will not renew | Low maintenance, sold rarely, covers the closer's time |
| Continuity | Ongoing monthly access | Clients who want to stay after the program | $97 a month works only as a downsell, with no live calls |
One rule sits underneath all five: sell the next problem, not the same thing. Once someone hits the promised goal they feel done and want the next chapter. Nobody buys a second copy of a result they already have. The next thing to sell is what that result made possible.
What share of clients buy?
When the next offer is relevant, up to 30% of everyone buys it, and of the people who won, 40% or more. The close rate on those conversations runs 40 to 50%, lower at higher volume. At Video Business Academy that took lifetime value from $4K to $50K+, with clients staying 2 to 3 years.
At Acquisition Ace, a premium version of the main offer at almost double the price sold 1,000+ times in a little under a year. It costs nothing extra to fulfill. With the upsells and resells around it, the offers we built have added $5M+ in extra revenue. Disclosure: Diego also builds Ben's website.
Results depend on program, price point and starting retention. Figures are from named engagements, not a guarantee. How we handle claims.
Why is a resell cheaper than a new client?
Marketing and sales cost money every time. A sale to an existing client costs none of it: no ad spend, no setter, no funnel. The buyer already knows the program and the seller already knows their numbers. One offer went to 30 to 40% of revenue from upsells and resells after one hire, a resell closer, was put on it.
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: from $10K to $25K, a second offer. People close to the goal who want a bit more time buy an extension. That took us to a 30% resell and upsell rate and clients who spent up to $50K in total.
When does the resell conversation start?
Sixty days before the end at the latest. Later than that and you have missed the extensions and the resells, because the client has already decided they are done. The client success team sees on the dashboard who is on track, who has won and who is close, and the conversation starts from there.
The worst version of a resell is $97 a month for the same access. People who paid a lot to get in prefer another high-ticket offer, so it rarely sells. Build a real next package instead.
How do you measure it?
Tag payments and divide. Three things do not count: a discount to stop a cancellation, a refund you talked someone out of, a new offer sold to cold traffic. Count those separately, or the resell number flatters a program that is losing clients. A resell is a client with a result choosing the next thing, at a price you set.
The dashboard needs five lines, in this order.
- Tag every payment as new or existing. Existing means the client has paid you before, for anything.
- Resell share: existing-client revenue divided by total revenue, per month. Video Business Academy sits at 30%+.
- Split existing-client revenue by offer: upsell, resell, extension, downsell, continuity. The mix shows which offer is missing.
- Winner rate: of the clients who reached the promised result, how many bought the next offer. Aim for 40% or more.
- Give the number an owner on the client success team, reviewed with the founder.
Further reading: When to start the renewal conversation · Build a resell offer from your existing program · Resell, glossary
