Run a fast-cash campaign

1. The origin

A company that coached gym owners once started getting cancellations: many of its gyms, having never made this much money, had been hit with tax bills they had not planned for. They were happy with the service but could not pay both. The answer was a way to raise the cash within a week: a high-ticket offer, with sales training for it, since many had never sold anything expensive. Looking at most of their numbers, each gym could expect 5 to 10 people at $5,000. Recently canceled gyms were invited too, on the view that some of them would change their minds. A few days later the average gym had collected an extra $30,000. Many lost their nerve and sold at $3,000; the few who held at $5,000 took in $50,000 or more. Every one renewed, and the offer became a standing play, because there is no time a business does not need cash.

2. What a fast-cash play is

A fast-cash play is a limited-time offer made to your warmest audience: current customers, previous customers and engaged leads, all people who have given you explicit permission to contact them about what you sell. It is not the nurturing you do to sell new leads your main offer, and it is not the long-term value you send to keep a list warm. It is a promotion, on top of whatever they already pay. Customers will not mind, at least if you do it the way set out here.

The aim is the largest sum in the least time, from the people most likely to buy, which for most businesses means existing customers. Spots are limited (scarcity), the service is high-touch (exclusivity), the price is high (big ticket), and the window is short (urgency). It makes large profits for two reasons: the leads are already paid for, and bigger price tags tend to carry much better margins. A single fixed-price offer caps what any customer can spend.

3. Ten times the ten percent

If 10 percent of your customers pay 10 times the price, your revenue doubles. The customer is already paid for, so everything extra, less the cost of delivery, drops to the bottom line. Sometimes that can mean 2x, 3x or even 4x revenue from one customer in ten buying something more expensive. The claim given behind it is that 1 in 9 Americans is a millionaire, and that wealthy people do not announce it but can afford more if the value is there.

The worst case is that you sell few, still make money and are no worse off. To reach the big spenders, limit the number of buyers and price like you mean it.

4. Why to keep one ready

Broken equipment, leaking pipes, new technology, a cyberattack, legal fees, an extra pay period in a 30-day window: an unexpected drain on cash is the one thing to always expect, and a play like this is a way out. The better use is making even more when you do not need it. In the early days, fast-cash offers were ~15 percent of annual revenue and nearly half of profit, which doubled take-home income. Nobody becomes a billionaire from it, though it can probably buy a nice car in a week or two. It works for business-to-business and business-to-consumer offers alike.

5. Building the offer

Who to send it to. Existing customers, previous customers and your engaged-leads list: the most likely to buy and the cheapest to reach, often free. Because the offer is limited, you can run it several times a year without wearing the audience out. Leave out leads that have gone cold: if you have sent them nothing for six months or more, consider excluding them this time and warming them up for the next. For now, stay with current customers and past customers in good standing.

What to sell. Think scarcity, urgency, exclusivity and a premium price, and list the most valuable things you can do that do not scale:

• Attention. One-to-one time with you or senior people; or many-to-one, where a team supports one customer, which with a top expert is worth even more than one-to-one.
• Personalization. Customized versions of your standard solutions.
• Convenience. Round-the-clock support, extended hours, exclusive times.
• Status. Special parking, perks, badges, public recognition.
• Duration. Longer than the standard: six months to a year.
• Speed. First in line, priority, a promised response time of <10 minutes.
• Experience. White-glove service, a personal cell number, a concierge line, dinners, drinks, gifts.
• Access. In-person experiences, retreats, restricted areas, behind the scenes.
• Network. Introductions to other top customers, where that applies.
• Secrets. Exclusive bonuses, trade secrets, vendors you have vetted: a secret menu, a black book.

Build one to three core components and three bonuses. The bonuses are released one at a time through the campaign, each one widening the gap between price and value, and every buyer gets all of them however early they bought. At a very high price, put in the unscalable things before you cut anything: they are what typically justifies the price. The point is not the cell number itself; it is offering value your customers find remarkable, in amounts you can deliver, at prices that would fill your account in a few days.

How many to sell. Cap it. At first, set the cap where you are sure to sell out, maybe 5 to 10 percent of your customers: with 100 customers, 5 to 10 spots. With 1,000 or more, fulfillment may limit you well before that window, which is fine; you learn to do it better by the next run. With only a handful of customers, approach them all privately and expect a few to take it. Selling out fast makes the next offer more compelling, so it sells out faster.

What to charge. A lot. Take your average order value and add a zero; to be bold, multiply by five again. Think 10 to 50 times your current price, far enough that it no longer compares with your other products. The price selects for people who can afford it, and the only thing that should surprise them as much as the price is the value that comes with it. You will work more for these customers. You can price for more volume instead by scaling the features and bonuses to suit, but the advice is to price high enough that you are glad to deliver the unscalable parts.

How to sell it. For most businesses, a high price deserves a one-to-one consultation. If you can't consult, because you have a great many customers or a brand big enough to sell expensive things without one, do what already works; a personal product sold in a personal way wins more buyers. If you sell by automated checkout, build tension, open the cart to everyone at once and sell first come, first served. If you sell by consultation, you will struggle to fit every call into the window unless you have enough capable salespeople (the team is sometimes just you), so open purchasing on day one but push people to book calls, spread them out, and keep the limited spots and first come, first served. If you are not technical but hold cards on file, people can simply reply that they are in, and with their permission you charge the card, book the call, or both; without one, phone them for a card as soon as they reply.

6. The two sequences

Before it starts, brief your team, write every email and text, and have each bonus ready before you announce it. Promote for seven days or less, or until the spots are gone. Pair texts with emails: the texts draw attention, the emails carry the detail.

When you sell by consultation:

When	What goes out
7 days out	A text, preferably: something big arrives by email tomorrow. Nothing else.
6 days out	The announcement email: the one to three core components and a button to book a call. If you are weak at sales or have a hot list, add a price range: a four-figure investment, at least $2,000, or more than a year of your service. A text points to the email.
5 days out	A recap in bullets for anyone who missed it, plus the first bonus if you have one (for example, status: better parking).
3 days out	A sales update: how many have sold, how many remain, first come first served, what it gets them and what it spares them. A text asks for a reply.
2 days out	Spots are running out. The second bonus if you have one (for example, a secret: special training), with its benefits. A text.
24 hours out, morning	A warning, with a few hours or a few spots left. The best bonus, which should be worth more than the whole price and should sell it out if it has not sold out yet (for example, access: a two-day retreat in person at a luxury venue). A text.
12 hours out, evening	Sold out. A text says so.
If someone drops out	One spot open again. A text.

When you sell by automated checkout:

When	What goes out
5 days out	A primer text: something big arrives by email tomorrow.
4 days out	The announcement email: the core components, with the price if you are weak at sales and have a hot list, or a range (a four-figure investment, at least $2,000). A text points to it.
2 days out	The cart opens in 48 hours; first come, first served. A text.
24 hours out	The first bonus (for example, personalization: extra customization) and its benefits. Ask them to set an alarm; you expect it gone in minutes. A text.
60 minutes out	A text: alarm set, payment method ready.
5 minutes	Cart open, with the best bonus announced at that moment (for example, experience: your personal cell), chosen so the benefit is immediate. A text.
60 minutes after	Sales update: sold so far, spots left. A text.
6 hours after	Spots left, and one bonus not yet mentioned (for example, convenience: extended hours) with what it gets them and spares them. This should close it. A text.
12 hours after	Sold out, told to everyone; it shows the promotion was real. A text.
Next day	One spot open again if someone dropped out. A text.

Selling out and then keeping a waitlist of people who tried to buy is preferred. If someone had payment ready and arrived a little late, ask permission to tell them when a spot opens, and to charge them if one does.

7. Example offers

• Consumer, fitness, $10,000. A one-to-one, year-long transformation package. Core: tailored supplements, meals, workouts and a photoshoot. Bonuses: a year-long nutrition plan with an introduction to a meal-prep company that cooks to it; one-to-one workouts three times a week; round-the-clock access to your personal cell.
• Business, marketing agency, $50,000 a year. A year-long personal-brand package. Core: every piece of content scripted, filmed, edited and posted, 4x a year as stated. Bonuses: one more social platform; a lead magnet; an organic funnel built with video sales letters.
• Recurring, the monthly price times 12. A year to the customer's ultimate result. Bonuses: custom work on what they struggle with; something that makes it faster; something that makes success close to certain, which is not a guarantee. This one does exceptionally well with an existing base: it gives extra value for prepaying the year, and typically little beyond the bonuses is needed to get 10 percent to say yes. It is highly recommended.

8. Run it every 90 days

Weekly does not work, and once a year does not really work either, at least for anyone who likes money. Once a quarter has been found the sweet spot, for five reasons, in this order:

1. It clears the pipeline of qualified leads who were on the fence; a strong offer with urgency and scarcity tips them over, so you win customers you otherwise would not.
2. It raises the value of every customer: customers who buy more often are more likely to keep buying, provided delivery holds up.
3. It shows that something new is always happening, which keeps customers engaged.
4. Once a quarter leaves time to deliver and reset before the next one, and puts you into a cadence.
5. Assuming the business is at break-even or better, all the extra revenue from warm leads drops to the bottom line; a small share of revenue may become a much larger share of profit.

Where you feel the list needs longer than twelve weeks to cool between promotions, run it twice a year instead. A weekly email that spotlights one thing and asks only for a reply is a different kind of message; it is on SOP 254, section 9.1.

9. What a year of it returns

The worked case is a gym with 166 members paying $150 a month: $25,000 a month in recurring revenue. A gym like that often runs a 25 percent margin, so $6,250 a month or $75,000 a year of profit. Fast-cash offers should run at at least 90 percent gross margin; the 10 percent left still pays for spoiling the buyers. Returns might look like this:

Quarter	Buyers	Price	Cash	New customers
Q1	10	$6,000	$60,000	3
Q2	13	$5,000	$65,000	2
Q3	8	$6,000	$48,000	1
Q4	14	$4,000	$56,000	2
Year			$229,000

Revenue goes from $300,000 to $529,000 a year, and net income from $75,000 to $281,000: a 76 percent rise in revenue that is called a quadrupling of net income.

Flag: the year's figures. The year is said to bring 22 new customers; the quarters add up to 8. 166 members at $150 is $24,900 a month, given as $25,000. $281,000 against $75,000 is 3.75 times, called a quadrupling. This page does not settle which reading is right.

10. The sample campaign

A sample seven-day campaign, built for booking consultations, runs from a Sunday seven days out to a Saturday last day, with texts paired to the emails. A strong offer should sell out by day three or four. If it has not sold out, or at least sold a large share, consider adding to the offer before sending the rest. Any longer than seven days loses urgency; any shorter misses sales.

Day	Text	Email
Sunday, 7 days out	Ask whether they would like help reaching their goal while saving a lot of money, ask for a thumbs-up if so, and say something they will like arrives tomorrow	—
Monday, 6 days out	Morning: did the email arrive? Evening: replies are pouring in; here is the booking link	1: the announcement
Tuesday, 5 days out	A joking meme, along the lines of: do not be like this person	2: the recap
Wednesday, 4 days out	This offer will not come round again; here is the booking link	—
Thursday, 3 days out	—	3: more than half the spots gone
Friday, 2 days out	Down to the last couple of spots; when can we talk?	4: two left, and a new bonus
Saturday, last day	—	5 (morning): the deadline; 6 (evening): a spot has come back
After selling out	It sold out; something like it will come again	—

What each email does, in order:

1. The announcement. You want to invest in something that will benefit them, so for ten existing customers, this week only: 20 percent off what they pay for a whole year, plus premium features, in exchange for prepaying the year. Book a call, or reply to have the card on file charged.
2. The recap. The same terms; it is only for prepaid annual memberships, added to the end of their current program. About half the spots are gone with five days left.
3. The update. Over half the spots are gone; it is only for existing customers; the features again, and how to book.
4. Two spots left. Eight have joined; a further premium feature is added.
5. The deadline. It answers people waiting for the next one, cites 41.7 percent of people spending more on phones and cars than on their goals, and adds one more bonus for the last two.
6. A spot came back. Someone dropped out; can you call them now?

Flag: the deadline and the offer. The sample emails set the deadline at midnight Saturday, and the last-day email at 7 in the evening. The sample also sells a prepaid year at 20 percent off, where the price is set at 10 to 50 times your current one. This page does not settle which reading is right.

11. After the campaign

Deliver what you sold. At the end, collect reviews, results, referrals and resells. Let the list cool down and go back to giving value. Set the next date. And once the cash is in, pay your taxes on it.

12. What this page does not decide for you

• The multiple. 10 to 50 times is the range; this page gives no figure for your offer.
• The cap. 5 to 10 percent of customers is a starting point, limited by what you can deliver.
• Consultation or checkout. Both sequences are given; the choice turns on how many customers you have and how many salespeople.

13. The checklist

Step	What to do
1	Pick and assemble the list: past and present customers
2	Pick the offer; load it with unscalable value
3	Pick a price to match: 10 to 50 times
4	Consultations: open at once and have people book and buy before the deadline. Checkout: build anticipation, open the cart, close it fast
5	Prepare the emails and texts, with calls to action that fit the offer
6	Messages, in order: the announcement; the recap; a warning at two days; another at 24 hours; the cart opening; a sales update; the last two spots; sold out; a returned spot if someone drops out
7	Send the sequence and collect the cash
8	Deliver
9	Collect reviews, results, referrals and resells
10	Cool the list down; go back to giving value
11	Set the next date and repeat

14. What this page does not cover

The ultra-high-priced option that sits permanently on a menu is SOP 77, the umbrella page for the ten pricing plays, and showing an expensive version first is SOP 68 — Run the anchor upsell. Getting cash in during the first 30 days of a new customer is SOP 57 — Compute the payback period and shorten it, and assembling the offers into one model is SOP 59. Prepaying a membership in exchange for free time is SOP 75 — Apply a continuity discount and the three-plus-twelve rule.

Email and text-message marketing consent rules are not covered on this page.