Present the best solution first, then let customer remove features—avoid gold/silver/bronze tiers
Instead of offering gold/silver/bronze packages, James would present: 'Based on what you've told me, if I was you in your position, this is everything I would want.' If the prospect said 'that's too much,' he'd say 'Cool, what do you want to take out?' The restaurant analogy: no one fights with the waiter about the bill being too high—they just don't order the champagne if it's too expensive. This approach positions you as an advisor who's recommending what's genuinely best, not as a salesperson trying to upsell them. Gold/silver/bronze abdicates responsibility—it makes the customer choose without understanding what they need. Presenting the optimal solution first and negotiating down maintains your advisory position.
When to use
Use this in consultative sales or complex B2B products where you understand the customer's needs better than they do. After discovery, present the ideal solution, explain why it's ideal, and then work backward if budget is a constraint. This works especially well when you're selling on value, not price.
Don't do this
Offering 3 tiers and hoping customers pick the middle one, or offering a 'good, better, best' where you secretly want everyone to pick 'best.' This creates choice paralysis and makes customers feel like you're optimizing for your revenue, not their outcome.
1 Founder Who Did This
Presented 'everything I would want if I was in your position' first. If prospect said 'too much,' asked 'what do you want to take out?' No gold/silver/bronze tiers. Positioned as advisor, not salesperson.