What if you sell people access to your templates via a monthly self-hosted platform?

#207 · Warning: Do Not Sell Templates In 2026

What if you sell people access to your templates via a monthly self-hosted platform?

He explains that he always sells implementation rather than templates because implementation lets him move easily into strategy consulting and an operations context, whereas selling templates makes him just an API endpoint that builds and returns a spec. From a value‑creation view, templates are a simple input‑output process, while implementation involves discovery, scoping, proposal, payment, onboarding, building, and revisions—much more involved, which lets him charge far more. Raising the average order value means he makes more per client; since leads are scarce, he prefers to sell them something expensive to justify the acquisition cost. Selling templates is a high‑volume, low‑average‑order‑value approach that is risky because narrow specialization makes you vulnerable to automation. Implementation insulates risk and is more enjoyable; he’d rather close a $9,500 deal than sell a $350 template.

templatesimplementationpricing

Related answers

youtube ↗AI & Automation

Do you remember the video where you explained what should or shouldn't be automated, or could you summarize it again?

I don’t recall the exact video, but the rule is: never automate the first touch points with prospects or clients—those are the moments closest to revenue. Automating lead responses can cut your close rate by about 5%, which compounds to a significant loss over time. Exceptions exist (e.g., time‑zone handling), but generally you should handle prospect questions yourself. Instead, apply human leverage at key onboarding steps; pure template‑selling leaves money on the table, whereas pairing templates with a white‑glove perception captures most value. Think 80/20: automate simple, procedural items like onboarding emails (if they sound human) or AI‑generated assets that look good, but keep the high‑touch, money‑close activities human.

automationhuman touchonboarding

youtube ↗Pricing

How can I justify my price when it feels like I’m selling a simple template?

I agree with Luke’s points: perceived value versus actual value matters. Actual value is usually the dollar impact on the customer’s bottom line—for example, if a TF system would earn them $100,000 versus $90,000 without it, the opportunity cost is $10,000. You should base your price on that bottom‑line impact: for revenue‑centric solutions charge about 20‑30% of the revenue you drive; for cost‑saving solutions you can charge up to 50% of the savings. Delivering quickly doesn’t reduce value—just as a plumber isn’t paid for the time spent knocking a pipe but for the knowledge of where to knock. Ultimately, price reflects the real value you provide, not just how the client feels.

pricingvalueopportunity costperceived vs real

youtube ↗Client Acquisition

What value should I be offering clients, and how can I clearly communicate that value instead of just trying to sell?

The value you deliver always comes down to three pillars: top‑line revenue, bottom‑line profit, and reduction of chaos. Think of it this way: you build a system that could generate $15k a month for a client while they spend 100 % of their time on it. If you can achieve the same $15k with half the time, or even scale it to $150k with full effort, you’re dramatically improving the top line. You also boost the bottom line by cutting unnecessary software subscriptions, reducing payroll, or trimming headcount. Finally, you lower chaos by giving founders organized systems that let their teams run themselves. If you can’t demonstrate any of those three, you shouldn’t be selling. That’s why many AI‑agent businesses fail—they sell tools without provable value.

valuerevenuechaos

youtube ↗Pricing

What pricing model should I use for lead generation automation services?

He explains that the best pricing models are nuanced and combine multiple elements: an upfront setup fee, a monthly retainer, pay-per-meeting, and possibly a revenue share. He describes his former business partner Grender, who uses all three—setup fee, monthly retainer (around $5,000 per month), and either pay-per-meeting or revenue share—on annual contracts. He prefers month-to-month arrangements to avoid being tied down, charging per meeting and differentiating fees based on client value—for example, higher compensation for meetings that lead to larger deals (e.g., $15,000 versus $5,000). He cites a community member who introduced a lead that resulted in a $700,000 deal, noting a 5% revenue share would yield $35,000. He concludes by thanking viewers for joining his journey to 300,000 subscribers and looks forward to reaching 1 million.

pricinglead genretainerrev share