Design an offer people understand
See this course’s project requirements
A business practice packet: a customer-problem brief, one-page offer, validation record and justified decision, setup checklist, outreach plan, and operating scorecard. Use the supplied fictional café case or clearly identified permitted real evidence. A supported proceed, revise, or stop decision is a complete learning result.
Keep your working files in your own notebook or software. Save a private description, checklist, and work link in My Proof.
What to include
- A problem brief with classified source notes, a customer-problem statement citing at least two notes, one counterexample or evidence gap, and a useful follow-up question. Use the four supplied fictional notes or clearly identified real evidence you have permission to use.
- Draft a one-page offer with customer, result, scope, exclusions, price, timeline, and next step. Identify assumptions separately from supported facts.
- A validation record showing the test, the decision rule chosen beforehand, classified observed results, and a justified decision to proceed, revise, or stop. Include a limitation and one bounded next test. Use the supplied practice case or clearly identified real-world evidence.
- Draft a setup checklist naming requirements to verify, responsible official sources or support, status, and next actions. Keep unresolved items marked pending.
- Build a sales-process plan with a sample prospect list, outreach draft, stages, and dated follow-ups. Use fictional records for practice.
- Create an operating scorecard with costs, capacity, cash timing, and review dates. Label assumptions and explain one decision using sample results.
Review and revise
Use these criteria to check your work and choose what to improve.
- Claims can be traced to source notes. Fictional inputs, reported behavior, opinions, assumptions, and missing evidence are distinguished.
- The problem and offer fit the customer situation supported by the notes and acknowledge counterevidence.
- The original decision rule is applied accurately. A justified negative finding or revise/stop decision meets the criterion.
- The next test changes one defined element, sets a rule in advance, and names resource limits.
- Plans are internally consistent and record unresolved checks honestly. Assessment depends on reasoning and the work produced, not sales or outside approval.
Want more background?
The idea in everyday life
An offer is a bounded promise, not a list of capabilities. Define the result, starting condition, delivery method, time frame, price, exclusions, and what the customer must provide. A buyer should be able to tell quickly whether the offer is for them.
Customers want a useful result at a price and level of risk they can accept.
One step at a time.
Use the sample or information you have permission to use. These steps help you build your weekly project.
- 1
Define the result, what is included, what is excluded, and the delivery timeline.
- 2
Choose a simple pricing unit—project, package, subscription, session, or product—and calculate direct costs.
- 3
Explain why the customer can trust your offer, how you will deliver it, and any way you can honestly reduce their risk, such as a clearly limited trial.
- 4
Create a one-page offer using words the customer uses. End with one clear next step for them to take.
See how it works.
In the fictional case, Priya drafts a two-week scheduling reset for one café location: import availability, build a reusable template, train one manager, and support the next schedule for $450. Payroll, time-clock integration, and ongoing schedule management are explicitly excluded.
Did you cover these?
- The headline names a customer and result.
- Scope, timeline, price, and exclusions fit on one page.
- The promise is achievable without relying on outcomes outside your control.
What to finish
A one-page offer draft with scope, price, timeline, supported evidence, labeled assumptions, and a proposed next step.
Watch for this
Listing features while forcing the buyer to infer the result and total cost.
How can I tell I understand it?
You can use the checklist to explain who the offer serves, its total price, its boundaries, and which claims still need evidence.
Quick knowledge check
Answer all 3 questions. Get at least 2 right and the lesson completes automatically.
You’ll get an explanation for each answer. Signed in? Your results save to your account.
Pass the check. We’ll save the progress.
Answer all 3 questions above and get at least 2 right. You can review the explanations and try again.
Go to the knowledge checkOptional course overview video · same video as Lesson 1
An Introduction to the SBA
From U.S. Small Business Administration. Watch here or open it on YouTube .
When the SBA describes planning support, map the offer's customer, delivery, costs, and revenue into the smallest useful version of a business plan.Tools, templates, and lesson sources
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Sources and further reading
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