opencode-skills-collection 3.1.12 → 3.1.13

package/bundled-skills/offers/references/guarantee-design.md

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+# Guarantee Design
+
+A guarantee directly raises *perceived likelihood of achievement* (the buyer thinks: "they'll only offer this if they're confident") and lowers *effort & sacrifice* (less emotional risk). It's one of the highest-leverage levers in offer design.
+
+The wrong guarantee hurts more than no guarantee. Pick the type that matches your business model.
+
+## The eight guarantee types
+
+| Type | What it promises | When it works | When it backfires |
+|------|------------------|---------------|-------------------|
+| 1. **Unconditional money-back** | "Refund anytime within X days, no questions" | Low-priced info, high-trust audience | High-priced/high-touch; refund risk eats margin |
+| 2. **Conditional money-back** | "Refund if you complete X and still don't see Y" | Courses, programs requiring effort | Sophisticated buyers; harder to honor publicly |
+| 3. **Better-than-money-back** | "If it doesn't work, full refund + $X" | Confident delivery, ample margin | If you fail; the few failures explode publicly |
+| 4. **Service-level / SLA** | "If we don't deliver X by Y, your money back" | Productized services, agency work | Vague SLAs you can't measure |
+| 5. **Performance-based** | "Pay only when X happens" (rev share, results-based) | Sophisticated B2B, high-confidence delivery | Long cycles, hard-to-attribute outcomes |
+| 6. **Anti-guarantee** | "No refunds. Make sure you want it." | Premium audiences, mature buyers | Confused / first-time buyers; reads cold |
+| 7. **Outcome-or-extension** | "If you don't get X by Y, we continue free" | Coaching, services with extendable time | Open-ended cost; choose with care |
+| 8. **Comparison guarantee** | "Beat [competitor]'s result or refund" | When you can credibly compare | When you can't measure the competitor cleanly |
+
+---
+
+## Picking the right one
+
+Decision tree:
+
+1. **What's your buyer's biggest perceived risk?**
+   - "What if it doesn't work?" → money-back family (1, 2, 3)
+   - "What if you don't deliver on time?" → SLA (4)
+   - "What if I pay and get no results?" → performance-based (5) or outcome-or-extension (7)
+   - "Is this real or scam?" → comparison or specificity-based (8)
+
+2. **What's your refund tolerance?**
+   - Can absorb refunds at scale → unconditional (1)
+   - Need to qualify refunders → conditional (2)
+   - Confident enough to add a bonus on top → better-than-money-back (3)
+   - Can't afford refunds at all → anti-guarantee (6) or no guarantee + strong proof
+
+3. **What's your buyer sophistication?**
+   - Premium / mature buyers → anti-guarantee can work; "we don't do refunds" reads as confidence
+   - First-time-in-category buyers → strong refund guarantee; they need permission to try
+   - Sophisticated B2B → SLA or performance-based; they expect commercial terms
+
+4. **How measurable is the outcome?**
+   - Clean and measurable → performance-based, comparison, or outcome-or-extension
+   - Fuzzy / subjective → money-back family with a conditional gate (you completed the work)
+
+---
+
+## Examples by business type
+
+### Course / cohort
+
+**Strong:** "Complete all six modules within 60 days, submit the final exercise, and if you haven't [specific outcome] we refund in full." Conditional on effort, clear on outcome.
+
+**Weak:** "100% money-back guarantee." No conditions = refund magnet for buyers who never engaged.
+
+### Coaching / consulting
+
+**Strong:** "After the first two sessions, if you don't think the engagement will deliver, we end it and refund the unused balance." Mid-engagement off-ramp builds trust.
+
+**Weak:** "Satisfaction guaranteed." Means nothing.
+
+### Productized service / agency retainer
+
+**Strong:** "First month is a paid pilot. At the end, if you don't see [specific milestone], you don't pay for month 2 and we end on good terms." Clear gate, clear out.
+
+**Weak:** "We'll work until you're happy." Open-ended cost. Don't.
+
+### High-ticket info product (community, mastermind)
+
+**Strong (premium audience):** "No refunds. The application process is rigorous because the value is real. If you're not sure, don't apply yet." Anti-guarantee works here.
+
+**Weak (premium audience):** Generic 30-day refund. Reads cheap.
+
+### Low-ticket info product (template, swipe file)
+
+**Strong:** "30-day no-questions refund." The transactional bar is "I bought it, looked at it, didn't want it." Unconditional fits.
+
+**Weak:** No guarantee. The buyer's risk is too high for the price.
+
+### SaaS
+
+**Strong:** Free trial *or* annual-prepay-with-money-back-in-first-30-days. Reduces friction without locking in unhappy users.
+
+**Weak:** "Cancel anytime" alone — not a guarantee, just standard SaaS terms.
+
+### Direct response / paid traffic
+
+**Strong:** Double-your-money-back or comparable risk inversion. Direct-response buyers expect risk-reversal-heavy offers.
+
+**Weak:** Vanilla 30-day refund. Doesn't differentiate from every other ad on the platform.
+
+---
+
+## Writing the guarantee
+
+The guarantee text matters. Patterns that work:
+
+**Specific terms:**
+> If, after completing the first 4 weeks of the program, you can't point to one specific business outcome you've achieved, email us and we'll refund 100%.
+
+**Confident tone:**
+> We know this works. If it doesn't for you, we don't want your money.
+
+**Acknowledge the awkwardness:**
+> Guarantees feel slimy. Here's ours anyway: if you do the work in modules 1–3 and don't see meaningful traction, we refund.
+
+**Patterns that don't work:**
+
+- "100% satisfaction guaranteed!" — generic, low-trust
+- "Lifetime guarantee" — meaningless without conditions
+- Multiple stacked guarantees — sophistication-collapsing
+- Guarantees full of legalese — buyers skim and assume the worst
+
+---
+
+## Common mistakes
+
+### Promising more than you can deliver
+
+"Double your revenue or your money back + $1,000." If even 1 in 50 buyers fails and gets the bonus refund + writes a public review, the offer is permanently damaged.
+
+Stress-test: what happens if 10% of buyers invoke the guarantee?
+
+### Conditional guarantees with too many conditions
+
+"Refund if you watched all 24 modules, completed the 6 exercises, attended every live call, and posted in the community at least once per week."
+
+Buyers read this as "they made it impossible to actually get a refund." Trust drops.
+
+Two conditions max. Three only if they're closely related (e.g., "completed the course AND submitted the final project AND emailed us a question").
+
+### Hiding the guarantee in the fine print
+
+If your guarantee is your strongest perceived-likelihood lever, *put it on the sales page in 24pt text*. Move it above the buy button.
+
+### Forgetting to test it
+
+Re-read your guarantee text every six months. The wording that worked a year ago may now be undermined by something you've changed about your offer.
+
+### Treating guarantees as a substitute for proof
+
+Strong proof + weak guarantee > strong guarantee + weak proof. Order matters. Build proof first, then layer on the guarantee.
+
+---
+
+## The honest case for NO guarantee
+
+Anti-guarantees ("no refunds, this is final") work when:
+
+- Buyer sophistication is high
+- Application or qualification process precedes the sale
+- Price is premium-to-luxury
+- Brand is established
+- Proof is overwhelming
+
+What you're saying: "We don't need a guarantee because the work is real, the buyer has self-qualified, and we won't engage in transactional refund games."
+
+The wrong audience reads this as cold or scammy. The right audience reads it as confidence. Know your buyer.
+
+---
+
+## The diagnostic
+
+When auditing an offer with no guarantee (or a weak one), ask:
+
+1. **What's the buyer's actual risk?** Make it concrete. ("$2K and I might not get more clients.")
+2. **What guarantee structure reverses that specific risk?** Match it to one of the eight types.
+3. **What's your honest refund tolerance?** Calculate refund rate × refund cost; can you sustain it?
+4. **Does the guarantee match your audience sophistication?** Premium buyers want anti-guarantee; first-time buyers want unconditional.
+
+Most offers don't have the wrong guarantee — they have *no* guarantee at all. Adding any guarantee is almost always a lift. Adding the right one is the lever.

package/bundled-skills/offers/references/offer-anatomy.md

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+# Offer Anatomy
+
+A complete offer has six components. Skip any one and conversion suffers — usually noticeably.
+
+## The six components
+
+| # | Component | Question it answers | Where it fails |
+|---|-----------|---------------------|----------------|
+| 1 | **Core deliverable** | What do they get? | Too vague, or pitched as features instead of outcome |
+| 2 | **Bonus stack** | What else do they get that makes the core feel undervalued? | Either no bonuses, or inflated/fake bonuses |
+| 3 | **Guarantee** | What happens if it doesn't work? | None, wrong type, or over-promising |
+| 4 | **Scarcity / urgency** | Why now, not later? | None, fake, or destructively manipulative |
+| 5 | **Name** | What is this thing called? | Generic, internal-jargon, or no name at all |
+| 6 | **Price + payment structure** | What do they pay and how? | Single number with no payment flexibility |
+
+---
+
+## 1. Core deliverable
+
+The thing they actually get.
+
+### Define it as an outcome, not a feature list
+
+- **Feature-pitched (weak):** "6 modules, 24 lessons, weekly calls, private community."
+- **Outcome-pitched (strong):** "A working customer-acquisition system that brings 5 qualified leads per week within 60 days — built with you, not handed to you."
+
+The features still matter — buyers want to know what they're getting — but the *frame* is the outcome. Features support the outcome, they don't replace it.
+
+### Define the scope explicitly
+
+What's in. What's out. What's optional. Buyers buy clarity; ambiguity erodes perceived likelihood.
+
+Example scope statement:
+```
+Includes:
+- 90-day program with weekly live calls (recorded)
+- Private Slack with daily founder access
+- 12 fill-in-the-blank templates
+- 1 90-minute strategy session with a senior strategist
+
+Doesn't include:
+- 1:1 calls outside the strategy session
+- Implementation of the work (you/your team does this; we coach)
+- Tools and software (you provide; we recommend specific stacks)
+```
+
+### Match the depth to the buyer's stage of awareness
+
+Sophisticated buyers want the methodology and scope. New-to-category buyers want the dream outcome and proof. Read your audience.
+
+---
+
+## 2. Bonus stack
+
+What you add to make the core feel undervalued at the asking price.
+
+Bonuses do three jobs at once:
+1. **Raise perceived value** of the total offer
+2. **Lower perceived risk** — even if the core underdelivers, "I got X for free"
+3. **Close specific objections** — each bonus can target a different buying objection
+
+### How to construct bonuses
+
+For each major objection your buyer has, add a bonus that closes it:
+
+| Objection | Targeted bonus |
+|-----------|---------------|
+| "I don't have time to implement this" | Done-for-you setup, day 1 |
+| "I don't know which tools to use" | Pre-vetted tool stack with discount codes |
+| "What if I get stuck?" | 30-day async support |
+| "I'm not sure my team will buy in" | Stakeholder pitch deck for your team |
+| "I've tried something like this before and it didn't work" | Case study of someone in your exact situation |
+
+A 4-bonus stack that closes 4 specific objections converts massively better than a 4-bonus stack of generic "extras."
+
+### Don't inflate
+
+"$50,000 in bonuses!" on a $500 offer reads as scam. The asymmetry destroys trust.
+
+Bonuses should:
+- Have a stated value the buyer can verify (compare to a comparable product)
+- Total to less than 2x the price (e.g., a $1K offer can have ~$1.5K in bonuses comfortably)
+- Be things you'd actually sell separately if you wanted
+
+For the full bonus-stacking framework, see [bonus-stacking.md](bonus-stacking.md).
+
+---
+
+## 3. Guarantee
+
+What happens if it doesn't work.
+
+A guarantee directly raises perceived likelihood of achievement (the buyer thinks: "they'll only offer this if they're sure"). It also lowers effort & sacrifice (less emotional risk).
+
+The wrong guarantee can hurt:
+- Over-promising guarantees attract refund-seekers
+- Generic "100% guaranteed" with no conditions reads as legally unenforceable
+- No guarantee at all signals you're not confident
+
+The right type depends on your business model, refund risk tolerance, and buyer sophistication. For the full taxonomy, see [guarantee-design.md](guarantee-design.md).
+
+---
+
+## 4. Scarcity / urgency
+
+The reason to buy now, not later.
+
+Two flavors:
+- **Scarcity** — limited *quantity* (cohort size, seats, inventory, batch)
+- **Urgency** — limited *time* (cohort deadline, season, bonus expiry)
+
+The bar: **the scarcity has to be real.** Fake countdown timers and "only 3 spots left" lies work once and torch trust permanently. The internet is small; you will be caught.
+
+Common honest scarcity formats:
+- Cohort closes Friday (because the cohort actually starts Monday)
+- Founding-member pricing for the first 20 customers (because you're capacity-constrained)
+- Seasonal product or service (because demand is seasonal)
+- Bonus expires at launch end (because the bonus is your time)
+- Capacity-based service tier (because you literally can't take more clients)
+
+For full guidance on creating real scarcity, see [scarcity-urgency.md](scarcity-urgency.md).
+
+---
+
+## 5. Name
+
+What this thing is called.
+
+A named offer beats an unnamed offer for three reasons:
+1. **Repeatability** — buyers can tell their friend about it
+2. **Distinction** — a name makes it a *thing*, not a generic service
+3. **Pricing power** — branded offers can charge more than the same delivery sold as a service
+
+### Naming patterns that work
+
+- **Outcome-named:** "The 30-Day Activation Sprint" — names what they get
+- **Methodology-named:** "The VAULT Framework" — names how you do it
+- **Identity-named:** "Founder Marketing OS" — names who it's for
+- **Compression-named:** "5-Day Cohort" — names the timing/structure
+
+### Naming patterns that don't work
+
+- **Generic descriptors:** "Marketing Coaching Program" — forgettable
+- **Internal jargon:** "Tier 2 Standard" — buyer can't repeat
+- **Course-bro:** "The Money-Making Machine" — pattern-matches to scam
+- **Pun-overload:** "GrowthGoGetter" — reads as low-status
+
+### Practical test
+
+Can a buyer text a friend: "I just signed up for *the [name]*. It's $X and you get [one-line outcome]"? If yes, the name works. If no, rename.
+
+---
+
+## 6. Price + payment structure
+
+The price is the obvious part. The structure is the underrated part.
+
+### Price isn't a number, it's a comparison
+
+Buyers compare the price to:
+- The dream outcome (does this get me the result I want?)
+- The next-best alternative (what else could I buy?)
+- The cost of doing nothing (what does the status quo cost me?)
+- Other items in your own catalog (anchor pricing)
+
+You can move price perception without changing the number by:
+- Showing the cost of doing nothing more vividly
+- Anchoring against a higher-priced alternative
+- Sequencing other items in your catalog at higher prices first
+
+### Payment structure is its own lever
+
+Same total price, different structures convert very differently:
+
+| Structure | When it works | Trade-off |
+|-----------|---------------|-----------|
+| **Pay in full** | High-trust buyers, lower price points | Highest perceived commitment, smallest buyer pool |
+| **Pay in 2-4 installments** | Mid-range price, hesitant buyers | More buyers, payment defaults |
+| **Monthly subscription** | SaaS, ongoing services | Annuity revenue, churn risk |
+| **Pay-after-results** | High-confidence delivery, sophisticated buyers | Cash flow lag, fewer disputes |
+| **Down payment + balance on delivery** | Services with milestone-based delivery | Balance risk on backend |
+| **Free trial → paid** | Low-friction SaaS, info products | Conversion drop-off |
+
+Often the right move isn't lowering price — it's adding a payment plan. Same $6K price, "$6K today" vs "$2K × 3 monthly" converts very differently.
+
+---
+
+## Putting it together: an example
+
+A B2B fractional CMO service.
+
+| Component | Weak version | Strong version |
+|-----------|--------------|----------------|
+| **Core** | "Fractional CMO services" | "8-week marketing audit + 90-day execution plan, delivered by a CMO who's done it for 3+ similar companies" |
+| **Bonuses** | None | (1) 1:1 weekly check-ins for 90 days; (2) pre-vetted execution-partner introductions; (3) board-deck for marketing strategy section |
+| **Guarantee** | None | "If after the 8-week audit you don't have a clear 90-day plan you'd run yourself, you don't pay the audit fee" |
+| **Scarcity** | None | "We take 2 engagements per quarter — next slot opens [date]" |
+| **Name** | "fCMO Consulting" | "The 90-Day Marketing Reset" |
+| **Price** | "$15K, paid up front" | "$15K → $5K to start, $5K at week 8, $5K at week 16" |
+
+Same delivery. Same person. Different offer. Different conversion.
+
+The point: most "we need to lower our price" conversations are actually "we have one of six components missing or weak" conversations.

package/bundled-skills/offers/references/offer-formats.md

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+# Offer Formats by Business Type
+
+The right offer format depends on what you sell. The same six components (core, bonuses, guarantee, scarcity, name, price) get assembled differently by business type.
+
+This reference is organized by business type. Find yours, then use the format as a starting point — not a fixed recipe.
+
+---
+
+## Service / freelance
+
+You sell your time and skill.
+
+### Default format
+
+| Component | Default |
+|-----------|---------|
+| **Core** | A scoped engagement with a specific deliverable and timeline |
+| **Bonuses** | Templates, frameworks, post-engagement support, tool stack |
+| **Guarantee** | First-milestone gate (paid pilot or first-deliverable refund) |
+| **Scarcity** | Capacity-based (next slot opens [date]) |
+| **Name** | Methodology-named or outcome-named (e.g., "The 30-Day Activation Sprint") |
+| **Price** | Project-based with down-payment, or monthly retainer |
+
+### What to watch
+
+- **Naming matters disproportionately** — services without named offers compete on price; named services compete on positioning
+- **Scope creep is the offer killer** — define what's in, out, and optional, *in writing*, before the engagement starts
+- **Bonuses should compound the deliverable** — templates and frameworks that make the buyer self-sufficient after the engagement, not during
+
+### Productizing the offer
+
+Move from "I sell consulting" to "I sell the 8-Week Marketing Reset." Same delivery, different offer.
+
+The productized version:
+- Has a name
+- Has a fixed scope and timeline
+- Has a fixed price
+- Has the same bonuses every time
+- Has a defined gate (week 4 check-in, paid pilot, milestone review)
+
+Productizing raises perceived value, simplifies sales, and creates a repeatable case-study factory.
+
+---
+
+## Course (async, cohort-based, live)
+
+You sell structured learning.
+
+### Default format
+
+| Component | Default |
+|-----------|---------|
+| **Core** | The curriculum + delivery format |
+| **Bonuses** | Templates, swipe files, case studies, community access |
+| **Guarantee** | Conditional money-back (completion-gated) |
+| **Scarcity** | Cohort scarcity (enrollment closes [date]) |
+| **Name** | Outcome-named or methodology-named |
+| **Price** | Pay-in-full or 2–4 installments |
+
+### Async vs cohort-based
+
+| Decision | Async | Cohort |
+|----------|-------|--------|
+| **Pricing** | Lower ($297–$1,997) | Higher ($1,497–$5,000+) |
+| **Scarcity** | Bonus expiry, price increases | Cohort start date |
+| **Guarantee** | Generous unconditional | Conditional on completion |
+| **Conversion mechanic** | Email funnel, evergreen webinar | Launch window + cohort deadline |
+| **Default bonus** | Templates, swipes | Slack + office hours + 1:1 review |
+
+### What to watch
+
+- **Completion is the marketing asset** — every completer is a case study. Engineer the first win in week 1.
+- **Cohort scarcity must be real** — if "doors close Friday" is followed by "doors reopen Monday because we extended the cohort," the trick gets noticed
+- **Refund design matters more than refund rate** — a generous-sounding guarantee with smart conditions converts well and refunds rarely
+
+---
+
+## Coaching (1:1, group, mastermind)
+
+You sell access to your expertise applied to their specific situation.
+
+### Default format
+
+| Component | Default |
+|-----------|---------|
+| **Core** | Sessions + asynchronous access + specific outcome focus |
+| **Bonuses** | Resources from your library, intro to network, post-engagement check-ins |
+| **Guarantee** | Outcome-or-extension or first-two-sessions out |
+| **Scarcity** | Capacity-based (N spots / quarter) |
+| **Name** | Identity-named or outcome-named (e.g., "Founder Marketing Mastermind") |
+| **Price** | Monthly retainer or 3/6/12-month engagement |
+
+### 1:1 vs group
+
+| Decision | 1:1 | Group / mastermind |
+|----------|-----|---------------------|
+| **Pricing** | $1,500–$10,000+/mo | $497–$2,500+/mo |
+| **Scarcity** | Capacity (4–10 1:1 clients) | Cohort size (8–30 members) |
+| **Guarantee** | First-two-sessions out | Trial period, no refunds after |
+| **Bonuses** | Custom resources, intros | Group access, peer accountability, library access |
+| **Default delivery** | Weekly or biweekly sessions | Monthly group calls + community |
+
+### What to watch
+
+- **Identity is the offer** — group coaching is often more about being in the room with peers than about the coach's instruction. Name the room, not the coach.
+- **Onboarding is part of the offer** — a sloppy intake destroys perceived likelihood
+- **Renewal is the real conversion event** — design for the 6-month decision, not the first-month decision
+
+---
+
+## Info product (guide, swipe file, template pack, community)
+
+You sell packaged knowledge or assets.
+
+### Default format
+
+| Component | Default |
+|-----------|---------|
+| **Core** | The asset(s) + lifetime access |
+| **Bonuses** | Adjacent assets, walkthroughs, templates |
+| **Guarantee** | Generous unconditional (30-day no-questions) |
+| **Scarcity** | Bonus expiry, price-increase scheduling |
+| **Name** | Outcome-named, often punchy and specific |
+| **Price** | $29–$497, pay-in-full |
+
+### What to watch
+
+- **The first-impression matters disproportionately** — the buyer opens it once. If the first 5 minutes don't feel premium, they don't engage with the rest
+- **Quick-start is a bonus** — pair the asset with a 10-minute "do this first" walkthrough
+- **Lifetime access is implicit pricing** — clarify what "lifetime" means (yours, the product's, until you sunset it)
+
+---
+
+## High-ticket B2B ($5K+ ACV, sales-led)
+
+You sell to companies with a sales conversation.
+
+### Default format
+
+| Component | Default |
+|-----------|---------|
+| **Core** | A multi-month engagement or annual contract |
+| **Bonuses** | Onboarding, training, integration, dedicated CSM |
+| **Guarantee** | SLA, performance-based, or pilot-gated |
+| **Scarcity** | Quarter-end pricing, capacity (N onboardings/quarter), tier limits |
+| **Name** | Internal-stable (e.g., "Enterprise Plan") + named engagement type (e.g., "Strategic Onboarding") |
+| **Price** | Annual contract with quarterly payment, often custom |
+
+### What to watch
+
+- **Buying committee, not buyer** — the offer has to land with the champion, the economic buyer, and the influencer simultaneously
+- **Procurement is the offer** — your terms (payment, NET 60, security review, MSA) are part of the offer; rigid terms lose deals
+- **Pilot offers convert sophisticated buyers** — "30-day paid pilot, decide to continue at end" reduces decision risk
+- **The CSM is part of the offer** — buyers consistently rate post-sale relationship as part of the offer-perceived-value
+
+---
+
+## Agency retainer
+
+You sell ongoing service delivery.
+
+### Default format
+
+| Component | Default |
+|-----------|---------|
+| **Core** | Monthly deliverables + dedicated team + reporting cadence |
+| **Bonuses** | Strategy sessions, tool access, audit credits, library access |
+| **Guarantee** | Month-1 paid pilot or 90-day out clause |
+| **Scarcity** | Capacity (N clients / vertical / quarter) |
+| **Name** | Tier-named ("Growth," "Scale," "Enterprise") + service line |
+| **Price** | Monthly retainer with discount for annual commit |
+
+### What to watch
+
+- **Onboarding velocity is the offer** — agencies that take 6 weeks to start delivering lose to agencies that deliver something in week 1
+- **Reporting is part of the offer** — clean, monthly, action-oriented reporting reduces churn more than additional deliverables
+- **Tier upgrades are the easiest revenue** — design tiers with clear value-step-ups so upgrade conversations are obvious
+
+---
+
+## Self-serve SaaS
+
+You sell a tool with tiered subscriptions.
+
+### Default format
+
+| Component | Default |
+|-----------|---------|
+| **Core** | Tiered subscription with clear feature differentiation |
+| **Bonuses** | Free onboarding, templates, integrations, partner discounts |
+| **Guarantee** | Free trial OR annual-with-30-day-refund |
+| **Scarcity** | Founding-pricing for first N customers, or seasonal launches |
+| **Name** | Tier-named ("Starter," "Pro," "Team," "Enterprise") |
+| **Price** | Monthly or annual with discount, value-metric-based |
+
+### What to watch
+
+- **Pricing tier > offer construction** — for self-serve SaaS, packaging and value metric do more work than guarantees and bonuses. Use the `pricing` skill.
+- **Free trial design IS offer design** — length, gated features, credit-card-required vs not, automatic conversion. Each is an offer decision.
+- **Annual prepay is the offer lever** — same product, different commitment, often 20–40% discount. Many SaaS conversion lifts come from improving the annual offer, not the monthly.
+
+For SaaS, this skill is supplemental. Read [`pricing`](../../pricing/SKILL.md) first.
+
+---
+
+## Direct response / paid traffic
+
+You sell from a sales page or VSL to cold traffic.
+
+### Default format
+
+| Component | Default |
+|-----------|---------|
+| **Core** | The "thing" + clear payoff |
+| **Bonuses** | Heavy bonus stack (5–7 bonuses, layered values) |
+| **Guarantee** | Aggressive risk reversal (better-than-money-back, double guarantee) |
+| **Scarcity** | Real time-bound (launch window, evergreen with hard close) |
+| **Name** | Hooky, often pattern-interrupt |
+| **Price** | Often single-payment with payment plan offered |
+
+### What to watch
+
+- **Direct-response buyers expect aggression** — quiet, premium-feeling offers convert badly on cold paid traffic. The aesthetic of the page matters as much as the offer.
+- **Refund rates can be 10–20%** — bake this into the math. If margin can't survive 15% refunds, restructure.
+- **The first 7 seconds determine the rest** — hook, then offer
+
+This format is high-skill. If you're not from a direct-response background, hire someone or partner with someone who is.
+
+---
+
+## Choosing your format
+
+If you're not sure which format applies, pick the closest match and adapt. The biggest mistake is borrowing a format from a different business type (e.g., applying direct-response bonus stacking to a premium B2B service — wrong audience, wrong aesthetic).
+
+Two diagnostic questions:
+
+1. **Who buys it, and how sophisticated are they?** Premium B2B and direct-response cold traffic both buy, but they need different offers.
+2. **What's the dominant constraint?** Service businesses are capacity-constrained, SaaS is pricing-tier-constrained, courses are cohort/season constrained. Match the scarcity format to the real constraint.
+
+For worked examples by business type, see [examples.md](examples.md).