One rule lives here: Score 4 levers. A buyer weighs four things against the price, whether they know it or not. Raise the first two, shrink the work and wait in the last two, and the same price feels like a better deal.
| Lever | The buyer's question | Higher score means |
|---|---|---|
| Result | "How much do I want what this gets me?" | A more specific, more wanted outcome |
| Belief | "How sure am I that I'll actually get it?" | More proof, a clearer method, less risk on the buyer |
| Speed | "How soon will I feel it working?" | A sooner first win, progress along the way |
| Ease | "How much work, time and risk does it ask of me?" | Less for the buyer to do and decide |
Speed and Ease are scored so that higher is better (faster, easier), so all four read the same way.
When to use it
- After
offer-diagnosis, to decide what to change. - Someone asks "what's weak about my offer?" or "score my offer".
- Before a price rise, to check whether the offer can carry it.
What you need
The offer as the buyer sees it today (the page, the pitch, or the owner's description), the proof the owner has, and the objections. If you only have a description, score that and say the scores would change if the page says something different. If you're missing the basics, ask: "What does the buyer see before they decide? Paste the page or describe it." and "What proof do you show them, and where?"
Procedure
1. Score the offer as it stands today
Score what the buyer actually sees now, not what the owner could show. Proof the owner has but doesn't show scores as hidden proof (Belief 4 to 6 at best).
Use the levels below. Full definitions with examples for services, coaching, courses and products are in references/lever-levels.md.
| Score | Result | Belief | Speed | Ease |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 3 | Describes the activity ("coaching", "a website"), not an outcome | No proof shown, no guarantee, no clear method | Nothing felt for weeks or months | The buyer does almost everything alone |
| 4 to 6 | Names an outcome, but a vague one ("get fit", "grow your business") | Some proof, but generic, unnamed or buried | A result promised at the end, little before | Guidance given, but the buyer still works most of it out |
| 7 to 8 | A specific outcome this buyer clearly wants, in their words | Named results from people like the buyer, shown early | A clear first win in the first week or two | Done with them: plans made for them, regular checking and fixing |
| 9 to 10 | Specific, wanted, and tied to the bigger reason they care | Strong named proof, a clear method, and a guarantee that puts risk on the seller | A visible win in the first days, progress shown throughout | Done for them, or close, with very few decisions on their side |
2. Back every score with evidence
One line each, quoting or pointing at the brief: "Belief 3: one strong result (Mark) exists but the page doesn't lead with it, and there's no guarantee." A score with no evidence is a guess; say so if that's all you have.
3. Pick the one or two to fix
Use these rules in order:
- The objection rule. The top objection at the leaking stage points at a lever (see the objection map in
offer-diagnosis). That lever is in the fix, even if another scores lower. - The lowest score. Most of the gain sits in the weakest lever.
- Cheapest first. Showing proof the owner already has is the cheapest move there is. If Belief is low and real proof is hidden, fix Belief first.
- Two at most. Change one or two levers so the owner can tell what worked.
4. Choose the moves
For each lever you're fixing, pick one or two moves from references/lever-moves.md. Each move says what it costs the owner. Prefer moves that use what the owner already has.
5. Set the target
Write the score you expect after the change, and which move gets it there: "Belief 3 to 7: lead with Mark's result, add a guarantee on strength." These targets are your judgement, labelled (estimate) if you show them to the owner.
Decision rules worth knowing
- Price rises need Result and Belief at 7 or more. Below that, a higher price makes the leak worse. Raise the levers first, then the price.
- Speed is usually the cheapest lever to raise for services. A first win in week one costs little and cuts refunds.
- Ease costs the owner time. Done for you raises Ease and lowers the owner's capacity. Check their limits before suggesting it.
- Don't add features to fix Belief. More stuff doesn't make a buyer more sure. Proof and risk reversal do.
- Never sum the four scores into one number. They aren't additive; a 10 in Result can't make up for a 2 in Belief.
Output (when used on its own)
**Lever scores** (today)
| Lever | Score | Why (evidence) |
| Result | n | ... |
| Belief | n | ... |
| Speed | n | ... |
| Ease | n | ... |
**Fix first:** [lever], then [lever], because [top objection / lowest score / cheapest].
**Moves:** [move] raises [lever] from n to n (estimate). [move] raises [lever] from n to n (estimate).
**Leave alone for now:** [lever], because [reason].
Worked example (illustration, fictional business)
A pottery studio sells an 8-week beginner wheel course for $360. The page says "Learn pottery in a relaxed studio". Twelve past students, one shared photos of a full dinner set she made by week 8, shown at the bottom of the page. People ask "will I actually make anything usable?"
| Lever | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Result | 4 | "Learn pottery" is an outcome, but vague. The buyer wants to make things they'd use |
| Belief | 4 | Real proof exists (the dinner set) but it's buried at the bottom |
| Speed | 3 | Nothing promised before week 8 |
| Ease | 7 | Clay, tools and firing included; a teacher at the wheel each week |
Fix first: Belief, then Speed. The top objection ("will I make anything usable?") is a Belief question, and the proof is already there. Moves: move the dinner set photo to the top (Belief 4 to 6, estimate); promise "your first bowl, thrown and trimmed, in week 1" if the studio can deliver it (Speed 3 to 7, estimate). Leave Ease alone: it's already strong.
Self-check
- Each score matches its defined level and has one line of evidence from the brief.
- Hidden proof is scored as hidden.
- One or two levers picked, with the rule that picked them.
- No total or average of the four scores.
- Moves fit the owner's limits and are marked (new) if the owner doesn't do them yet.
Reference files
| File | Read it when |
|---|---|
| references/lever-levels.md | Scoring, especially for a type of business not shown above |
| references/lever-moves.md | Choosing what to change for each lever, with what each move costs |