Ep: 05 The One-Outcome Proposal Strategy Service Providers Need for Higher LTV
“If I focus on achieving one specific result, one specific outcome per container, I win and my client wins.”
Emylee
I’m gonna keep this one brutally simple because that’s the point. You do not need a bloated scope to make real money as a service provider. You need a focused result, a clean proposal, and the guts to say, here’s the one outcome we’re going to nail first. Today I’m walking you through the exact timeline of a client who came in for a $2,500 re‑engagement project and, step by step, turned into $15,544 cash collected… plus two warm referrals and promised 2026 work. That’s LTV in action, and this is how you actually engineer it on purpose.
What You’ll Hear in This Episode
I walk through the real numbers and timeline behind a $2,500 project that became $15,544 in LTV.
How I scope for one specific result so clients see quick wins and ask for the next thing.
Why stuffing proposals with “extras” backfires and slows everything down.
How I communicate out‑of‑scope work without drama and roll it into a clean add‑on.
When to pivot into monthly maintenance and why that can be the easiest yes on the table.
The $2,500 Project That Opened a $15k+ Relationship
Here’s the setup. A dream past client referred me a quick‑turn one‑off: migrate from Mailchimp to Kit and re‑engage cold subscribers. It was easy for me, overwhelming for them, and the exact kind of high‑confidence win I can deliver fast. I scoped it to a single outcome: re‑engage Kit subscribers now and set them up to keep engagement going.
What I included: a branded newsletter template, a simple editorial cadence, a quick audit of tags and segments, and light post‑launch support so the team could keep momentum without me. What I did not do: bolt on a dozen “helpful” extras that don’t move the needle on the stated goal. If it didn’t serve re‑engagement, it didn’t make the scope.
Stop Stuffing Proposals to Justify Your Rate
If a prospect asks for A, don’t sell them the entire alphabet. The fastest way to earn trust is to deliver one clear result on a tight timeline. It lets you report on before/after, capture a testimonial while the win is fresh, and naturally open the next conversation. Over‑stuffed scopes blur success, delay delivery, and make renewals weird. No thanks.
Out‑of‑Scope? Cool. Price It, Don’t Pad It
Mid‑project, a big out‑of‑scope request popped up: import an ancient list from another platform into Kit without wrecking list health. That’s not part of re‑engagement for current Kit subscribers, it’s a separate beast. I named it, priced it, and billed it as its own add‑on. He literally upped my suggested price because he understood the effort. Why? Because the original scope was clear. Clarity makes add‑ons easy.
When a “Yes” Becomes the Next Yes
Once the first win hit, we uncovered more opportunities: a full Substack rollout and ongoing ecosystem maintenance across Kit and Substack. Instead of jamming everything into the original container, I:
Wrote a separate strategy + implementation proposal for Substack.
Spun up a lightweight monthly for platform health, tagging, team comms, and analytics.
Later rolled remaining project balances and maintenance into a simple 4‑month plan so the team could breathe and we could keep momentum.
Could I have pitched a giant $10–15k container on day one? Sure. Would he have said yes? Maybe. Would it have been harder to start? Definitely. The small, focused yes gave us speed and trust, which created the space for bigger work.
What I Really Want You to Take From This
You do not need a massive scope to grow revenue. You need a clear result and tight delivery. Get the first yes, deliver a measurable win, and invite the next yes. That’s how you build LTV that compounds without burning your calendar down.
Chapters
01:19 – The LTV question: $15,544 vs. $2,500
03:48 – Why I took a simple, high‑confidence project
06:13 – Referrals beat bios every day
08:40 – Scoping for one result (and why stuffing scopes hurts you)
11:03 – Above‑and‑beyond that actually supports the main goal
13:22 – No fake urgency, just real timelines
15:41 – Out‑of‑scope request handled as an add‑on
18:05 – Substack strategy becomes a separate project
20:31 – Maintenance stacks up as the ecosystem expands
22:57 – Rolling projects into a simple four‑month plan
25:23 – Why small, focused wins unlock bigger work
27:39 – Get the easy yes and let LTV compound
Resources & Mentions
Interested in Being on the Show or Working with Emylee?
Are you a service provider with a bold perspective to share? Apply to be a guest.
Ready to transform your service into a productized, scalable offer? Apply for Sold Out Services.
If you’d like to see a library of all published episodes in a gallery with easy-to-find links to all listening platforms be sure to check out the Sell The Damn Service Episode Library.
