1. Market.

The #1 question you should ask when picking a market is:

"How do they actually get paid, do they invoice for work, or do they get a cut when a deal closes?

Example:

• a restaurant pays for ingredients before a customer walks in.
• real estate agent gets paid only after the house sells.

Now ask both for $8,000 upfront.

• the restaurant owner thinks: “will this bring me more customers?”
• the agent thinks: “why should I pay before I close anything?”

So, pick markets that already spend money to make money, not markets that only get paid after the deal closes.

2. Offer.

The best offer you can sell is not “automation offer”, or “AI offer”, and definitely not “I’ll get you 20 meetings.”

All of these require either a) convincing the prospect they need it, b) heavy social proof, or c) competing in markets where the buyer sees you as interchangeable—either with the thousands of young agency owners filling their LinkedIn inbox, or with freelancers on Upwork willing to do the same work for less. High-paying buyers think in terms of cash flow, not “AI” or “meetings.”

So I’d sell something the buyer has been trying to get them their whole career: access to the right person. Price it at $3.5K–$5.5K upfront. If an intro clearly isn't relevant, replace it. That's your whole guarantee.

I’ll find and introduce you to 3–6 qualified [buyers / candidates / lenders / consultants / partners] in the next 60–90 days for $3.5k–$5.5k upfront. If someone is clearly not relevant, I’ll replace them.

3. Touching the wall