value-ladder-design

name	value-ladder-design
description	Use when planning a course product line. Value ladder = tiered offerings from low-ticket entry to high-ticket premium.

Value Ladder Design

Value ladder: $9 micro → $99 foundations → $297 cohort → $997 systems → $4.9K mastermind. Each tier opens path to next.

Standard value ladder

1. Tripwire ($9-29) — small bet, fast satisfaction
2. Core product ($79-149) — foundational education
3. Premium ($297-497) — cohort or accelerator
4. High-ticket ($997-2,500) — done-with-you or systems
5. Elite ($5K-25K) — masterminds, 1-on-1, consulting
6. Enterprise ($25K+) — agency-style, white-label

Goal: 10-15% of customers ascend to next tier.

Ladder economics

If 1,000 buyers at $99:

• 15% ascend to $297 = 150 × $297 = $44,550
• 5% of those ascend to $997 = 8 × $997 = $7,976
• 1% to $5,000 = 1 × $5,000 = $5,000

Total from 1,000 buyers: $99K (first tier) + $57K (ascensions) = $156K

Ascension is the high-ROI lever.

CardPrepAI ladder example

Proposed:

• $9 Card Grading Quickstart (tripwire)
• $99 Foundations (core)
• $297 Pro Grading Cohort (premium, monthly cohort)
• $997 Submission Systems (high-ticket)
• $5,000 Mastermind (elite, 6 months)

Where this fits in the X3 empire

Foundation for CardPrepAI education portfolio.