Productizing a core service into a $10–50K “entry offer” to land bigger retainers.
The industry is slow to catch on, but there are few better alternatives to selling clear, specific outcomes vs. time-based, customized projects.
Executive Summary
Stop giving away your best thinking in pitches. Instead, package a core service into a $20–60K productized entry offer. Why it matters: it gives clients a low-risk way to test you while paying you. It removes risk and builds trust.
The deeper truth: agencies win more long-term retainers when they start small, prove value fast, and scale up. The shift is from open-ended retainers to paid validation. The opportunity is to design a signature “foot-in-the-door” offer that solves a client’s immediate pain and naturally leads to ongoing work. Plays: create a sharp entry product, price it between $20–60K, align it with client KPIs, and use it as your new growth engine.
Our program Beta™ was designed to help you do this in less than 30 days.
Why Productize?
Lots of good reasons. Clients want less commitment upfront. Long commitments upfront take trust, and a good front-end offer makes it easy to say yes and move forward. Retainers feel heavy. But they’re happy to fund a discrete, clearly scoped project to see if you’re the real deal. And AI disrupts the game, killing the time/value connection. Unless you are charging for outcomes, you're likely going to be in trouble.
I have been productizing for more than 10 years, first helping create more than 500 new products for clients, then roughly the same amount for agency owners, consultants, and others in the professional service industries.
In my brand consultancy, I achieved 45% net profit margins after I got rid of the stuff that had poor profitability, and after I started selling service products.
The Relevance
For independent agencies, endless pitching is a drain. A paid “entry offer” turns your biggest vulnerability (giving away ideas) into your best sales tool. And selling outcomes is the only way forward. So why not structure those offers into something standardized, repeatable, and scalable?
The Insight
When clients buy once, they’re more likely to buy again. The real job of your entry offer isn’t profit — it’s proof. Deliver a quick, undeniable win, and bigger checks follow.
The Shift
Procurement and marketing leaders are pushing for trial-sized engagements. Agencies that productize their services (vs. bespoke everything) are closing faster and scaling margins.
The Opportunity
Build a $10–60K entry product that:
Solves a real, pressing client problem.
Can be delivered in 30–60 days.
Naturally opens the door to ongoing retainers or bigger projects.
The Plays
Productize the Painkiller → Audit, diagnostic, or sprint that hits a client pain point.
Price with Intention → $20–60K is low-risk for the client, but high enough to prove seriousness.
Design for Expansion → Structure deliverables so the next logical step is a retainer.
Make it Fast → Deliver in under 60 days to build momentum.
Brand It → Give your entry offer a memorable name (Blueprint™, Sprint™, Accelerator™) so it sells like a product, not “time.”
If you w
ant to get help, I'd like to help you productize at least one core offering with you. We'll get it done in less than 30 days (or as little as a week).
EMAIL me if you are interested.
Tobias