Not necessarily. Especially if you’re using a pre-recorded webinar or masterclass in your inbound funnel, which does the majority of the positioning, objection handling, etc.

It also depends on the nature of the offer itself. Some offers are really straightforward and it’s a just a yes/no decision, so calls are unnecessary.

Remember: it’s not about trying to “convince” someone or hard-sell. By the time you get on the phone with someone, they’re basically already sold and just need to clarify a few things, or tackle a really specific issue.

But as a counterpoint, I actually enjoy getting on calls with prospects so I can talk about their problems / challenges, figure out what actually grabs them, what falls flat, and which assumptions I need to change (and potentially how I need to adjust my offer).

So to answer the question – no you don’t have to do sales calls, and you definitely don’t need to hard-sell on the phone (ever), but the better answer is that there’s almost no higher ROI activity than talking directly with your prospects and customers – especially in the early days.

The main thing is that the scope of work is already pre-determined, which means that you can just run the same process & workflows for each client. Workflows, SOPs and processes that already exist and don’t need to be co-developed with the client.

This is why a productized service can deliver the same or better outcome in 30-90 days than a bespoke, “custom” project that takes 6-12 months. (And also why it’s substantially more affordable and higher ROI for the client).

Definitely not in its current form. 

Maybe it’s a risk down the road if AI can actually think strategically and accurately coach people with human intuition… but we’re a long way from that.

Now, to be clear, we use AI extensively, across all of our workflows (both internal and for client outputs). But it’s not something that replaces anyone’s role, instead it’s like having a pedal-assist E bike, for work tasks.

You can cover way more distance, way more quickly. But you still need to steer it, and know where you’re going. It needs an experienced, human operator. 

In fact, the more we integrate AI into our production line, the less worried I am about being “replaced”.

It’s one of the leanest business models that exists, and starting a high-ticket business costs close to nothing. And in the beginning, the biggest “cost” is your own time. 

The only material expenses down the road are marketing (content production, and PPC if you want to scale more quickly), and contractors if you provide services. 

But this won’t be out of pocket – the kinds of talent you’ll be recruiting will just bill you per-project, so it’s built into your cost structure anyway.

As soon as your offer deck is ready, you can start bringing in customers. (I walk through how to find your first 5 customers quickly, even if you have no existing audience).

And in the beginning, you don’t actually want a big polished website / funnel for your own service – since it’s likely going to evolve several times before you land on the winning variation.

One of the things I’ve come to realize over the years (decades) now is how little the “macro” cycle matters at the local or individual level, things like recessions, political tumult, even conflicts might seem all-consuming if you’re watching the news, but in reality, they only affect a small percentage of the population at any given time.

For example, I actually started The Lazy Marketer, and experienced the vast majority of my company’s growth during the 2008 Great Financial Crisis. 

And zooming out, remember that only 12% of households during the 08 Crisis experienced financial difficulty. Yes, we all knew someone, but 88% of people were ultimately unaffected.

Last, if anything, macro stuff is actually more of an “opportunity generator”. If your competitors get scared off and tighten their belts and stop marketing – then you can steal their would-be customers for pennies on the dollar. 

Same with industry-level shocks (like Google suddenly killing the independent publishing model with HCU). While this obviously sucks if you’re directly in the crosshairs… all it really does is shuffle the gameboard, creating new winners somewhere else.

The key is to stay agile and lightweight. Which is one of the key advantages of selling high ticket products & services… you can pivot on a dime, with minimal cost or disruption.

I provide unlimited strategic guidance, via email, for 6 months following the completion of the Accelerator. Limited to 1 question per email, and one active email thread at a time.

Need help with your core positioning? Having trouble closing prospects? Can’t find quality contractors? 

I’m happy to help with those types of problems, and will respond to any business-level questions like that. I aim to respond within 72 hours on business days, whenever possible.

No problem! They’ll all be recorded, and you can access them anytime afterward. However, I encourage you to attend as many live sessions as you can, so you can participate in the live Q&A.

You’ll have permanent access to the recordings & resources, even after the 30 day process concludes.

Understood. Just email me directly at chris@chrisrempel.com with “High Ticket Accelerator” in the subject line