Produces two documents from one set of inputs: a client-facing services menu (three tiers, add-ons, pricing notes) and a consultant-only pricing rationale guide, plus a risk-reversed test offer when a prospect will not yet sign a retainer. Prices default to UGX with a USD equivalent.
Use When
- We don't know what to charge and want Starter, Growth and Premium packages with clear inclusions and add-ons, priced in UGX or KES.
- We need a private rationale for our rates: cost to serve, how to justify them, answers to price objections and when to walk away.
- Clients keep choosing the cheapest tier and we want a path to move them up.
- A prospect will not sign a retainer and we want a risk-free test campaign offer: result guarantee, pay-per-appointment, revenue share or deferred fee, with a one-page offer and an expectations sign-off.
Do Not Use When
biz-dev-proposalfor a full proposal and statement of work for one named client.direct-response-economicsfor break-even, margin and allowable cost-per-acquisition maths on a client's product.biz-dev-positioningfor the niche and promise the prices should reflect.- Stop before publishing prices or guarantees the consultant has not approved; never promise a result the offer terms cannot back.
Required Inputs
| Artefact | Source/provider | Required? | If absent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Consultant name (personalises Document 2) | Consultant | Yes | Ask; leave [Consultant Name] visible until supplied. |
| Country, for pricing currency | Consultant | Yes | Default to Uganda: UGX pricing with USD equivalent. |
| Services the consultant actually provides | Consultant | Yes | Ask; do not list a service the consultant does not deliver. |
| Current client load (number of active clients) | Consultant | Yes | Omit capacity notes and flag the gap. |
| Years of experience | Consultant | Yes | Write the rate justification without experience claims. |
| Cost-to-serve sheet, approved price ranges and any guarantee terms | Consultant; playbook-agency-operations growth roadmap; finance engine margin check |
Conditional | Show the indicative ranges as unapproved drafts and mark margin not assessed. |
Workflow
- Confirm who the menu is for and the approval boundary; route a one-client scope to
biz-dev-proposal, product break-even maths todirect-response-economics, and an unsettled niche tobiz-dev-positioning. - Ask the intake questions in the build method; stop until the services and country are confirmed.
- Draft Document 1: introductory paragraph, the Starter, Growth and Premium tiers with inclusions, exclusions and monthly investment, the add-on list and the pricing notes.
- Apply the menu design rules before publishing Document 1: at most three core programmes, aligned rows, buyer-situation tier names, one true badge, a named contact and WhatsApp route below the table.
- Price from the cost-to-serve sheet and value delivered, then check margin with the finance engine; pair each programme's fast-signal component with a slow-compounding one.
- Draft Document 2 (internal only): rate justification, the five objection responses, the Starter-to-Growth path and the walk-away signals.
- If the prospect will not commit to a retainer, build the 7–10-day risk-reversed entry offer instead of discounting.
- Check both documents against the Quality Standards and the
anti-ai-slopgate; correct any unsourced salary or market figure, untrue badge or unbacked guarantee and rerun the check. Stop before publishing prices or guarantees the consultant has not approved.
Outputs
| Artefact | Consumer | Acceptance condition |
|---|---|---|
Document 1: # Services Menu — [Agency Name] (three tiers, add-ons, pricing notes) |
Prospects and clients | A client can self-select without a conversation; exclusions are specific; exchange-rate caveat present. |
Document 2: # Pricing Rationale Guide — For [Consultant Name] |
Consultant only | Marked internal-use only; five objections, upgrade path and walk-away signals present. |
| Risk-reversed test offer: one-page offer and expectations sign-off (when needed) | Wary prospect | One of five structures chosen; the fee, not an outcome promise, carries the risk. |
Evidence Produced
| Evidence | Format | Acceptance condition |
|---|---|---|
| Price basis note | Table: tier or add-on, cost to serve, value rationale, margin check | Every price traces to the cost-to-serve sheet or is labelled indicative and unapproved. |
| Figure source log | Table: figure, source, date | Salary, exchange-rate and market figures carry a current, dated source or are removed. |
| Menu design check | Checklist | The six menu design rules marked pass or fail. |
Capability and Permission Boundaries
Read and search only; analysis is read-only. Publishing, spend, live account changes, outreach and personal-data processing need explicit, action-specific client authority. Prices and guarantees go out only after the consultant approves them.
Degraded Mode
Without the consultant's approved price ranges and cost to serve, return the narrowest qualified result and mark the affected checks not assessed. The tier structure, inclusions, exclusions and Document 2 guidance can still be delivered, with the indicative UGX ranges labelled as unapproved.
Decision Rules
| Condition | Action | Failure or risk avoided |
|---|---|---|
| A new prospect will not yet commit to a retainer | Build a 7–10-day risk-reversed test offer from the risk-reversed entry offer reference (one of five structures, one-page offer, expectations sign-off), then move a successful test onto a menu programme. | Discounting the menu to win a sceptical first client, or promising outcomes instead of putting the fee at risk. |
| Pushed on price | Explore scope reduction first ("start with the Starter package and add platforms once we have proven the results"); if discounting, trade term length, prepayment or case-study rights and show old price, new price and saving with the real reason. | Eroding the rate card with silent discounts. |
| More than three core programmes, or unrelated items in one table | Keep three core programmes (Nelson, 2019); move audits, training and add-ons to a separate list or tab. | A menu the buyer cannot compare. |
| A badge or "most chosen" claim is proposed | Use one badge only, and only if literally true. | A false claim on the price page. |
| Justifying the rate against an in-house hire | Use a current, dated local salary source plus training, management time and tools; if none is available, ask the client what the role would cost. | Quoting a remembered salary range. |
| The client has sales data | Use Bodnar and Cohen's (2012) ROI formula: (Total Lead Value − Cost of Customer Acquisition) ÷ Cost of Customer Acquisition. | Arguing on cost instead of value. |
| The enquiry shows a walk-away signal (guaranteed follower or sales numbers, daily promotional posts only, three agencies in 12 months, constant same-day demands, no agreement or deposit) | Decline or disengage. | A future dispute and reputational damage. |
| The client proposes payment by results, commission on media or a "results only" fee, or the pay model is under review | Choose the model with remuneration models and evidence: base fee covering cost-to-serve plus a capped, measurable bonus; cite ISBA 2024 (27% said PBR improved agency performance, register ISBA-REMUNERATION-2024) as a caution, not a benchmark. |
Cash-flow risk from fees tied to outcomes the agency does not control. |
| A Starter client reaches month 3 | Present a results summary, name one gap Growth would close, and offer a 90-day Growth trial. | A generic upsell or an open-ended ask. |
Quality Standards
- All three tiers are clearly differentiated in scope, volume, and price; a client can self-select without a conversation.
- "What is NOT included" sections are honest and specific, not defensive in tone.
- Add-ons are priced individually so clients can build their own package.
- Pricing notes include the exchange rate caveat as specified.
- Objection responses are conversational, confident, and non-defensive, not scripts to be read verbatim.
- Red flags list is practical and actionable; each item has a clear reason.
- Document 2 is clearly marked as internal-use only.
- The menu has no more than three core programmes, aligned rows, one true badge, a contact route under the table and no unsourced salary or market figures.
The ninth release check (Starter-to-Growth upsell guidance) is in the build method.
Anti-Patterns
- Showing a single option or naming tiers "Basic/Pro". Fix: three aligned options named by the buyer's situation or outcome, with the preferred programme in the middle.
- Burying the price where the buyer expects it. Fix: in conversation go problem, cost to profit, solution, price; on a premium site show ranges on an "Investment" page.
- Treating Nelson's anecdote that clients chose his top package unprompted as a planning rate. Fix: plan from cost to serve and value; treat it as one agency's anecdote.
- Treating "leading with the dearest plan raises revenue per visitor" as a rule. Fix: test it as a hypothesis (Wiebe, 2011).
- Promising guaranteed follower counts or sales. Fix: put the fee at risk through a risk-reversed offer, never the outcome.
- Accepting a one-month trial of the full retainer. Fix: recommend a three-month minimum with clear milestones.
References
- Pricing menu build method: read when writing the tiers, add-ons, pricing notes, menu design rules, rate justification, objection responses, upgrade path or walk-away signals.
- Risk-reversed entry offer: read when a prospect needs a low-risk first engagement (result guarantee, pay-per-appointment, revenue share or deferred fee) before any retainer.
- Remuneration models and evidence: read when choosing between retainer, fixed fee, unit, commission, payment-by-results, value-based or hybrid pay, or reviewing a pay model at renewal.
- Agency growth roadmap: read for the paths table, cost-to-serve sheet and programme design behind the prices.
biz-dev-positioning: read when the niche and promise the prices reflect are not settled.biz-dev-proposal: read when one named client needs a full scope and terms.- Anti-AI slop production gate: read when drafting the client-facing menu copy.
- Repository agent guide: read when checking the engine-wide market, safety and anti-slop gates.