A couple of years ago, I bought Ryan Levesque’s ASK method course.
Four days later, I got an email.
It was a chance to join his “Inner Circle.” This is a special coaching group for people who bought Ask. It cost ~$10,000 (from what I remember) and was a chance to work with him and his team.
What’s cool is, he didn’t use the tactic most people use to sell it.
A lot of upsells basically say: “If you like that, here’s your chance to join the super exclusive group! But only 10 spots available! If you really want to succeed fast go now!”
Instead, he shared an in-depth case study of one of his Inner Circle students. And showed how this guy went from earning $17/hour to $25,000/month within a year.
The email sends you to a page that has the full case study story plus a chance to join the Inner Circle.
Below is a breakdown of the email Ryan sent.
Next week — or whenever — I’ll break down the video.
Ryan’s email copy is below in italics. My breakdown is normal font.
Breakdown of Ryan Levesque email for high-ticket upsell
Hey, it’s Ryan here…
And I want to share a story with you…
It’s from an ASK Method Masterclass student…
Jamal.
(Whom you may have heard about…)
You see Jamal is someone who enrolled in the ASK Method Masterclass…
And wanted to get results fast.
So last year he decided to take a BIG LEAP…
He decided to make the biggest investment of his life…
To work directly with me and my team…
As a coaching student in my “inner circle” coaching program…
Couple things happening here:
- He introduces Jamal. The line “Whom you may have heard about” refers to the fact he already shared this case study during his launch. Ryan used this story to sell the normal ASK masterclass. Now he’s making minor tweaks to use the same story to sell his Inner Circle. Simply by mentioning this guy was an Inner Circle member. So you don’t need a million case studies. Use one of someone who bought your high-ticket program. Then you can use that to sell both the lower cost offer and the more expensive one.
- They cover how the investment was the biggest of his life. And how it was a “big leap” for him to do it. This adds drama and excitement to the email. It also connects with where the reader is at. Because they’re going to feel afraid once they see the cost of the Inner Circle. By hitting that fear now, the reader learns they aren’t alone. And they see how those who felt the same way but took the leap ended up getting amazing results.
- There’s a clear promise for what the Inner Circle gets you: Faster results. A vague promise like this is okay early on so long as you get more specific later, which they do.
A year ago, Jamal was making just $17 per hour at his full-time job…
His wife was about to give birth to their second child…
And he wasn’t sure what to do next…
But he knew he was hungry…
He knew he was driven…
And he knew he was ready to go all in…
He just needed a mentor…
He just needed a coach…
And after working with me and my team…
Along with a lot of hard work and hustle on his side…
Here, they provide some backstory. They show the STRUGGLE he had (making $17/hour) as well as his desire to achieve more.
This taps into the same feelings the reader has. They’re not happy with what they’re earing. They want more. And they want someone to guide them, so they don’t waste time.
At this point, people are reading along nodding, thinking “that sounds just like me…”
Finally, it briefly mentions how this was hard work. This does two things:
- It makes the promise more believable. Because you’re showing it’s not a magic bullet, it requires effort.
- It appeals to the reader’s pride. Because the reader knows not everyone is willing to work hard. But this promises that if they are one of the few to put in the work, they’ll achieve what everyone wants but few people ever get. In other words, they’ll be SPECIAL. Showing how someone will be special/better than others if they buy is a wonderful way to close sales.
Fast forward to today, Jamal is making $25,000/month…
Yep, that’s right:
$17/hour to $25K/month in less than one year.
Crazy, right???
I’ll let Jamal tell you in his own words about “the best investment of his entire life…”
==> Click here to watch how Jamal did it
(NOTE: I removed the link because it doesn’t work anymore. But it takes you to watch Jamal’s story and buy the inner circle.)
In this section, they show the concrete transformation he made. They share where his income was before and where it is now. It’s important to make the results real and tangible. Otherwise, people don’t know wtf you’re selling. And it’s tough for them to get excited about it.
It also proves the claim that the Inner circle helps you succeed fast. Because it shows how he had this success in 12 months.
After that, they give you the chance to hear his story in his own words by linking the full case study. Other people praising your product will always be more believable than you praising it. Which is why detailed case studies like his are super valuable.
Finally, they include a testimonial, where he said it was the best investment of his life. This closes the loop on how he was afraid of the “big leap” and reassures the reader the big price tag is well worth it.
P.S. – Do YOU want work directly with me and my team?
If you’re inspired by Jamal’s story…
And YOU would love the opportunity to work together with me and my team…
I shot a video explaining all the details of my Coaching & Mentorship program…
Along with HOW TO APPLY to one of the limited spots available…
Click Here to Find Out More & Apply Today
*IMPORTANT: Spots in this program ARE limited, and made available on a first-come, first-serve basis. AND the deadline to apply is this Friday, July 28th at 11:59PM PT.
So if you’re interested (or even just curious) go ahead and click on that link above now while you’ve got this page open and you’re thinking about it.
If you’re interested in working more closely together with me and my team…
I look forward to seeing your application!
Not all readers will care about the story. Some will already know the value of coaching and be ready to buy that.
So this PS section is for them. It’s a straight pitch for those who are already hot to buy and just need the link so they can do it.
Ways to make this even better
This email is tough to improve. It does a lot with very few words. But here are some things I’d add:
- It could be worth comparing his results to others who used ASK but didn’t get coaching. This could be a great way to both help people feel good about their purchase AND inspire them to join the Inner Circle. For example, you could be like “Tony over here went from broke to 25k/month in 2.5 years, but Jamal did it in less than a year because he had help.” I doubt they have stories that identical, but remember, the promise is all about faster results. So something to put that in context and prove these results are faster would be great. It could even be a line that summarizes the Inner Circle, saying it “helps you achieve more in 6 months than others do in 2 years.” Not only does this make it more compelling, it adds that “exclusivity” feeling. It’s a chance for people to feel “better” than everyone who didn’t join. And as we mentioned that’s a trigger to get people to buy.
- The struggle is a bit vague. It would help to define and paint a picture in the person’s mind of what that struggle looked like. You could do this by adding a quote that shows WHY was making $17/hour so hard. You could also go deeper on the results. Add a quote where he shares what the $25k/month meant for him. That would ramp up the emotion. And doing both these things would help put a clearer picture in the readers head of what the transformaiton looks like. The better they can see it, they more they’ll believe it’s possible and want it for themselves.
- Add images to make it more believable and intriguing. Maybe a screenshot of the $25k/month to show it’s real. Or photos of Jamal with his family showing the time he has to be with them now.