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The Ten Commandments for Creating Offers That Sell Themselves

Turn decades of sermons, counseling, and discipleship into an offer people gladly pay for. Ten non-negotiables, written in your people's own words.

Before You Begin

A quick word before we dive into the Ten Commandments.

There is a myth around Michelangelo's famous marble sculpture, David. Legend has it that he started with one single block of marble and, over the course of three years, created a masterpiece. When asked how he did it, his answer was simple. "The sculpture is already complete within the marble block, before I start my work. It is already there. I just have to chisel away the superfluous material."

In that same way, I want to encourage you. Creating an offer that sells itself is not about fabricating something out of nothing. It is about paying very close attention to what God has already been doing in your life. Who are the people he consistently puts in your path? Where are they struggling most, and what patterns do you already follow to guide them toward a new life?

It is not hyperbole to say you are already sitting on multiple coaching programs that can change people's lives... and earn you the kind of money that helps pay for the kids' college, retire your spouse, or live with radical generosity.

The following are the Ten Commandments for creating offers that sell themselves.

I.Thou shalt know thy one.

Your ministry serves everyone. Your offer cannot. An offer aimed at "Christians who want to grow" moves no one. Pick one person with one urgent, specific problem they are already trying to solve. The narrower the person, the more magnetic the offer. Speak to their bleeding-neck problem, the pain that keeps them up at night, in the exact words they would use themselves.

In ministry"Christian moms who want more peace" is a fog. "Christian moms who snap at their kids before breakfast and hate who they become by 8am" is a person.
Pull from your ministry
  • The one group you already serve better than anyone
  • The problem people keep bringing to you, unprompted
  • The exact phrases they use in DMs, hallways, and prayer requests
  • The symptoms that tell them they have this problem, so they feel seen
Do thisWrite one sentence: "I help [specific person] who is struggling with [specific, urgent problem]."
II.Thou shalt promise transformation.

Your promise answers the only question your reader is actually asking: what is in it for me? Name one outcome. Make it specific, make it believable, and where you honestly can, make it time-bound. Ambition earns attention. Believability earns trust. You need both. Overpromising is a stewardship problem, so avoid it. But do not shrink the promise out of false humility either.

In ministry"Grow closer to God" promises nothing you can measure. "Pray with your spouse every night for 30 days, without it feeling awkward or forced" promises something a disconnected couple would start today.
Pull from your ministry
  • The single most valuable outcome you help people reach
  • A realistic timeframe, in X days, weeks, or months
  • The pain they get to leave behind (the late nights, the guesswork)
  • The clear before and after
Do thisFill the frame: "[Specific outcome] in [timeframe] without [the thing they dread]."
III.Thou shalt reveal the path.

People do not buy a promise they cannot picture reaching. Show them the road. Lay out your process in three to five simple steps so the journey feels doable, not overwhelming. Then name it. A named framework turns your experience into a method, and a method builds authority.

In ministryYou've helped people experience transformation for years. Identify the common milestones and give that process a name.
Pull from your ministry
  • The 3 to 5 stages you naturally move people through
  • The outcome of each stage, what changes by the end of it
  • A memorable name for the whole method
  • The one thing your path does that the usual advice does not
Do thisSketch your process in no more than five steps. Name each step for the result it produces, not the activity. Then name the whole thing.
IV.Thou shalt show thy fruit.

People need proof before they trust you with their money and their hopes. The easiest way to build trust is to pass the microphone to the people who know you best. If you are just starting and have no client results, your own story is your proof. The before and after in your own life still counts.

In ministryThe couple you counseled back from divorce papers. The man you walked out of a decade of shame into freedom. The mom who stopped yelling and started connecting. Those are case studies. Tell them with a starting point, an outcome, and a timeframe.
Pull from your ministry
  • 3 to 7 transformation stories with a clear before and after
  • Who they were, where they started, where they ended, how long it took
  • Any honest numbers you have (people, months, measurable change)
  • If you have no client wins yet, your own testimony as proof
Do thisWrite three stories in this shape: "[Person] went from [specific struggle] to [specific result] in [timeframe]." Get permission before you use names.
V.Thou shalt stand apart.

Your reader has already heard a hundred sermons, read a dozen books, and has tried three separate programs. None of it works (that's why they're curious about working with you). Name the things they've tried, why they've failed, and show how your approach does things differently. Different is better than "better."

In ministryThe old way manages behavior: try harder, sin less, white-knuckle it. It fails because it never touches the heart. Your way starts with identity and lets the behavior follow. Same goal. A completely different mechanism. That contrast is your position.
Pull from your ministry
  • The 3 to 5 alternatives your person has already tried
  • The one thing you do differently, not just "better"
  • The old way versus your way, side by side
  • Your hard-won insight, the thing you see that others miss
Do thisFill two columns. Left: "The old way most people try." Right: "The way that actually works." Fill five rows. The gap between them is your offer's reason to exist.
VI.Thou shalt make the plan plain.

Show them what they are getting and how each piece helps them move forward. Keep it high level and outcome focused so that they see the value without feeling overwhelmed.

In ministryFrame each deliverable in terms of benefits, not features. Instead of "6 modules," say, "an exact gameplan for running a stress free and tear free day of homeschooling."
Pull from your ministry
  • The core things they learn or receive
  • The support structure (calls, community, check-ins, audits)
  • What access to you looks like
  • The promise of each major piece, stated as an outcome
Do thisList your deliverables. Beside each one, write the transformation it creates. If a deliverable has no clear outcome, cut it or rewrite it until it does.
VII.Thou shalt remove every excuse.

A bonus is not a gift. It is an objection killer. Identify every excuse, fear or objection that keeps the prospect from saying "yes." Build a bonus that solves for each of those obstacles: not enough time, not techy enough, don't know how.

In ministrySay your offer helps parents lead family worship. Objection: "We are too exhausted by bedtime for one more thing." Bonus: a deck of 5-minute bedtime devotionals they read straight off the card. The bonus does not add noise. It removes the reason to say no.
Pull from your ministry
  • The top 1 to 3 reasons people hesitate to start
  • A specific bonus that dissolves each one
  • The real value of each bonus, named clearly
  • How each bonus supports the main promise, not distracts from it
Do thisList your person's top three objections. Design one bonus per objection. If a bonus does not answer a real fear, it is decoration. Cut it.
VIII.Thou shalt name thy price without apology.

Pricing is about more than numbers, it's about perceived value. Don't price based off how many hours it takes you to help them get to the end result. Price in contrast to the alternatives, or the cost of dealing with the problem for another 20 to 30 years.

In ministryThis is where storytelling is your best friend. Telling the story of what you tried, how long it took, and how much it cost you positions working with you as the shortcut to save time, energy, money, and pain.
Pull from your ministry
  • Your total price, said plainly and without flinching
  • A payment plan option to widen the door
  • The return in their language (money saved, or the cost of another year stuck)
  • What the alternatives cost, including the cost of doing nothing
Do thisWrite your price. Then write the one sentence that reframes it as a return. If you cannot say the number out loud without softening it, that is the muscle to train first.
IX.Thou shalt answer the unspoken doubt.

Every reader carries objections and doubts. Your FAQ section preemptively answers questions and builds trust by showing empathy. Turn negatives into positives. For example, "I don't have time for another program" becomes "students find success in as little as 15 minutes per day."

In ministryFor a porn addiction offer, the question may sound like, "I've tried accountability groups and filters. What makes this different?" The answer could look like, "Most programs try to manage sin through behavior modification. We focus on identity transformation, renewing your mind so you don't even want porn anymore."
Pull from your ministry
  • The top 3 to 5 objections you hear again and again
  • The real reasons people hold back (fit, time, audience size, doubt)
  • The honest answer to each, no spin
  • The negatives you can flip ("small audience" becomes "warm audience")
Do thisList the five objections your person is most likely to raise. Write a short, honest answer to each. Where you can, turn the objection into a reason to say yes.
X.Thou shalt carry the risk.

A strong guarantee makes it easier for your audience to commit. Whether it's a refund policy, satisfaction guarantee, or results promise, remove the fear of risk while showing your confidence in the offer.

In ministryAction-based guarantees often work best to remove risk and protect you both.
Pull from your ministry
  • The type of guarantee that fits (results-based, action-based, money-back)
  • The specific terms (how long, what qualifies)
  • Why you are confident enough to make it
  • Exactly how it lifts the fear off your reader
Do thisWrite one guarantee you would genuinely honor. Keep it specific. Then say why you can make it with a straight face. That confidence is part of what they are buying.

Before You Publish

Run every offer past these five before it goes live.
  • All ten commandments are present. Miss one and the offer leaks.
  • It focuses on one bleeding-neck problem, not ten.
  • It uses specific numbers, timeframes, and results.
  • It is written in your people's actual words, not marketing language.
  • It ends with one clear next step, not a menu.
When the blank page is the problem

Let's build your offer together.

Here is the honest catch. Knowing the ten commandments and sitting down to write your offer against a blank page are two very different things. Most leaders stall right here. Not from a lack of expertise... from staring at the cursor, unsure which of their thousand assets belongs in the doc.

That is exactly what the Custom Action Plan is for. We hop on a live call, one on one. I'll personally interview you so you are not stuck looking at a blank page. Then I'll write your custom offer doc and send it back to you within three business days.

Inside your Custom Action Plan you'll get
  • A fully customized offer doc you can use to land your first client
  • The exact income math that shows you how to hit your financial goals
  • Three-phase pricing to confidently move from founding client prices to premium pricing
  • A messaging kit: headlines, invite messages, and social posts
  • An outreach plan: who to invite from your warm audience, and how to confidently start each conversation
  • Your recommended first move
One student closed his first sale by reading his finished doc out loud, almost word for word. That is the whole point. When the doc is right, the selling gets a lot quieter.

If the blank page has been the thing stopping you, this is the shortcut. I will personally build your custom plan, then hand you the playbook.

Ready to start?
[email protected]
Email "Custom Action Plan signup link" and we'll get you started.