Feature Downsell Process
Take something away, lower the price, ask 'how about now?' — never offer the same thing for cheaper.
Lower the price by changing what the customer gets, never by discounting the same thing. Remove features from highest to lowest perceived value — counterintuitively, removing something customers LOVE while lowering price only slightly often gets them to re-upsell themselves on the original expensive offer. Four types: Product/Service Quantity (fewer units or sessions), Product Quality (older versions, cheaper materials), Service Quality (change response time, availability, personalization, DFY vs DIY), and Removing Entire Features. Name your combinations with aspirational names — 'First Class,' 'Business Class,' 'Economy.' Name the cheapest 'The Minimum' to trigger a psychological response.
- NEVER negotiate the price — if they want to pay less, change what they get
- Remove features from highest to lowest perceived value
- Maintain the position of a helpful guide, not a pushy closer
- Name your feature combinations with aspirational names
- Temperature check after two downsells: '1-10, how bad do you want this?'
- Barter with reviews, testimonials, and referrals for discounts
- Identify Removable Features by ValueList all features of your offering and rank them by perceived customer value. You will remove from highest value first — this counterintuitive approach often causes customers to re-upsell themselves when they realize what they are losing.Pro tipRemove the guarantee first — it is often the most valuable feature, and some customers will actually prefer no guarantee at a lower price.WarningNever offer the same thing for less. That is discounting, not downselling. If customers discover others got the same thing cheaper, trust is permanently destroyed.
- Choose the Downsell TypeSelect from four options: Quantity (fewer sessions, shorter duration), Product Quality (older versions, different materials), Service Quality (response time, availability, DIY vs DFY, in-person vs remote), or Remove Entire Features (drop the guarantee, remove a communication channel).Pro tipDIY downsells can include a free orientation: offer a free session that teaches them to use your product themselves, then sell the DIY version at the end.
- Present and AskRemove a feature, state the new lower price, and ask 'Deal?' or 'Fair enough?' After two downsells, do a temperature check: 'On a scale of 1-10, how bad do you want this?' If 8+, switch to Payment Plan Downsells. If 7 or below, ask 'What would a 10 look like?' and recombine features.Pro tipYou can alternate between feature downsells and payment plan downsells in the same conversation, making you very difficult to refuse.
- Standardize Over TimeAs you learn customer preferences, create named packages: 'The Whale Package,' 'First Class,' 'Business Class,' 'Economy,' 'The Minimum.' Standardized packages are faster to sell and easier for teams to execute.Pro tipName the cheapest option 'The Minimum' — it triggers a psychological response that makes people want to upgrade.
A painter offers the full painting service as the primary offer. When declined, offers paint supplies and spray machine lease as the DIY alternative at a much lower price.
Offer a discount in exchange for advertising value: reviews on multiple platforms, a video testimonial, social media posts, and introductions to two friends.
Hormozi developed this from the core principle that if one customer gets the same thing for less, others find out and trust is destroyed. A car insurance salesman who dropped from $5,000 to $400 for the same product taught him that discounting kills trust. The solution: change what they get, never the price for the same thing.