The Plan Element
Give customers clear stepping stones across the creek of uncertainty — a process plan for clarity and an agreement plan for trust.
Even after customers like and trust a brand, they won't buy without a clear plan. Making a purchase is a commitment that involves risk — customers can lose money, time, or face. The plan acts as stepping stones across a rushing creek: without them, customers hear the waterfall downstream and walk away. There are two types of plans. A Process Plan describes 3-6 simple steps showing how to buy or use your product, removing confusion and making the path feel easy. An Agreement Plan is a list of commitments you make to alleviate specific fears your customers have about doing business with you. Both types should be given a name that increases perceived value. The plan bridges the gap between customer interest and customer commitment.
- Customers trust a guide who has a plan
- Making a purchase is a commitment — commitments are risky because you can lose something
- If you confuse, you lose — not having a plan guarantees confusion
- Process plans alleviate confusion; agreement plans alleviate fears
- The whole point of a plan is to make customers think: 'Oh, I can do that — that's not hard'
- Name your plan to increase its perceived value
- Create a Process PlanList 3-6 simple steps that describe either how to buy your product (pre-purchase), how to use it after buying (post-purchase), or a combination of both. Even if the steps seem obvious, spell them out — they are not obvious to your customer. Example: 1) Measure your space, 2) Order the items that fit, 3) Install it in minutes using basic tools.Pro tipIf doing business with you requires more than six steps, break them into named phases. A customer seeing three phases feels simpler than seeing twenty steps.WarningMore than four steps in a process plan may add confusion rather than reduce it. Simplify ruthlessly.
- Create an Agreement PlanList all the things your customer might fear about doing business with you, then counter each fear with a specific agreement or promise. This works in the background to build deep trust. Example: CarMax promises no haggling, quality certification, and standards every car must meet.Pro tipThe best way to build an agreement plan is to list every customer objection or fear, then write a direct commitment that eliminates each one.WarningDon't hide your agreement plan. While it doesn't need to be on the home page, it should be easily discoverable so customers find it when they need reassurance.
- Name Your PlansGive each plan a title that increases perceived value. A process plan might be called 'The Easy Installation Plan' or 'The World's Best Night's Sleep Plan.' An agreement plan might be titled 'Our Customer Satisfaction Agreement' or 'Our Quality Guarantee.'Pro tipA named plan frames the value in the customer's mind. 'The Easy Installation Plan' makes three simple steps feel like a premium service.
- Feature the Plan in Your MarketingDisplay the process plan prominently on your website and in marketing materials. The agreement plan can work more subtly — on a dedicated page, in sales conversations, or on physical packaging. Both should be consistently referenced across all touchpoints.
CarMax created a four-point agreement plan addressing every internal fear customers have about buying a used car: no haggling, quality certification for every car, a renewal process for every vehicle, and transparent pricing. They rarely advertise the external problem (needing a car) and instead focus on resolving the internal fear of dealing with a used-car salesman.
A company selling a garage storage system gave customers three simple steps: 1) Measure your space, 2) Order the items that fit, 3) Install it in minutes using basic tools. Even though the steps seem obvious, spelling them out removed the subconscious worry about whether the product would work or sit unopened in boxes.
For an expensive service, the plan was: 1) Schedule an appointment, 2) Allow us to create a customized plan, 3) Let's execute the plan together. This transforms a big, scary purchase into three manageable steps.
Miller drew this principle from story structure where the guide always gives the hero a plan: Yoda teaches Luke to trust the Force, Peter Brand gives Billy Beane a data-driven player selection algorithm in Moneyball, and the apothecary gives Juliet a potion. He observed that the same dynamic plays out in business — customers hover over the Buy Now button wondering if the product will work, if it's too hard, or if they'll be a fool for buying. The plan resolves these doubts.