Stack Mobility

People can migrate up your stack, e.g. followers can become customers

One of the most important aspects to understand about The Stack is that all prospects will have a natural band that best matches their particular needs. They are unlikely to stray far from that level.

Photo by Lindsay Henwood on Unsplash

For example, If they are a corporation with a large budget, they may think nothing of paying a four- or five-figure fee for you to come in and deliver a critical workshop to their executives. But if you were to offer the same client an ebook — even though the subject matter may be practically identical — they could be turned off.

Why? Because, just like in Ken McCarthy’s football game analogy, they are not just buying the content, but that content packaged in an appropriate way. If they expect your full and best attention, an ebook will not cut it.

Likewise, a teenager who wants to pick up a new skill may happily devour your free YouTube videos and blog posts, but may not be in a position to pay for one-on-one coaching. Each prospect has their natural level.

However, do not make the mistake of assuming that, because the teenager is not a paying client today, he is unimportant. While he spends those long nights poring over and learning from your free material, you are earning mindshare. Your brand gets burned into his mind. Fast forward two years and that teenager may be one of the founders of a startup business. And if those founders decide they need to invest some of their backers’ cash into improving certain skills, if you are at the front of mind you may land a valuable consulting engagement.

Remember I shared the example that my book “Convert!” was bought by a marketer who wanted to increase traffic and conversions on his friend’s website. That was an original sale worth maybe $1 to me that turned into a long-term relationship that generated six figures in revenue.

So what can we learn from these examples? First, when you have a range of offerings that covers the various levels of The Stack, your prospects can freely select the option that best suits their needs. Plus, at whatever level customers start their relationship with you, they can migrate over time.

Those are two very powerful arguments for offering a spread of options. You do not just have one market; you have a spectrum and you cannot meet everyone’s needs with a single offering. The end result of this section should ideally be a range of products and/or services that cover every level of The Stack that you can naturally serve.

Case Study: Ditching Imposter Syndrome