“Deborah’s not even that great at her Proprietary Process. Yet she still benefited from just one single pillar of the Hudge Factor/NDC Framework—so much so that it completely changed her business”
– Drew Hudgins
/say • wuht’/: the Aha moment; a point of stark realization that life will take a different turn
“Another tier three!” Deborah exclaimed over the phone, her voice brimming with excitement that couldn’t be contained.
This was becoming a pattern—closing premium $16,000 advertising contracts that simply didn’t exist in her business model before our work together.
But perhaps the most revealing transformation came from a single prospect who initially said: “I’m not really in a place where I can afford more than $400 a month.”
Yet when Deborah approached this same lead with her new, crystal-clear pricing structure—the prospect didn’t just buy. He doubled his initial budget commitment, signing up for the $797/month middle tier without hesitation.
The revolution wasn’t just in her pricing—it was in how her entire business was perceived. Her indoor billboard advertising service (ads placed in public restrooms) transformed from a commodity that businesses grudgingly considered into a strategic marketing partnership they eagerly invested in.
All this happened not over months of gradual improvement, but literally in her very next client conversation after implementing the HUDGE Factor framework.
Deborah’s original pricing structure was a complex grid of options that forced prospects to make up to 24 different decisions. It was essentially asking small business owners to become advertising experts on the spot:
The mental calories required to navigate this decision maze led to the worst possible outcome: decision paralysis. Prospects would simply shut down rather than work through the complexity.
Worse, by asking “How many ads do you want?”—she was forcing clients to answer questions they had no expertise to answer. They weren’t advertising specialists; they were small business owners, service professionals, and retailers focused on running their operations.
Deborah was inadvertently positioning herself as just another media sales representative in a crowded market where she competed with:
She presented herself as someone who “sold advertising”—a commodity with nothing proprietary or special about it. This positioning invited price shopping and bargaining from prospects who saw no difference between her service and countless alternatives.
What Deborah failed to leverage was her deep knowledge of the local military community—a revolving door population with unique buying behaviors, patterns, and communication preferences that she understood better than anyone.
How do you sell something that doesn’t fully exist yet?
Michael had only a login page with a handful of Google Docs—hardly the robust platform that his new members might be expecting.
Michael’s original framework contained 7 steps with extensive description text—not a bad start at all—but too complex for quick understanding and had much room for simplification.
If it could be made even simpler, then we could communicate much more effectively in emails.
The breakthrough came during a focused 90-minute session where we completely dismantled and rebuilt Deborah’s approach to selling her indoor billboard service.
We eliminated the overwhelming 24-option grid and replaced it with just three clear tiers:
Each tier delivered clear value without requiring the client to become an advertising expert. The decision was now about their goals and budget—not technical ad specifications they didn’t understand.
We reframed Deborah from an “account representative selling ads” to a “Local Advertising Expert” who acted as a matchmaker between businesses and their ideal prospects.
This positioning leveraged her years in the community and deep understanding of the military market’s unique dynamics. Rather than competing with other media, she now offered something they couldn’t: specialized knowledge of how to reach this specific audience effectively.
Instead of leading with technical specifications about her ads, Deborah now communicated the outcomes her clients really cared about:
The conversation shifted from “how many ads do you want?” to “here’s how we can help you become the go-to business in our community.”
We transformed Deborah’s website from a passive online brochure into a lead-with-purpose sales page that continued the conversation even when she wasn’t physically present.
The site now reinforced her HUDGE Factor framework, allowing prospects to understand her value proposition before they even spoke with her. This meant Deborah no longer needed to carry her “sales binder” to meetings—she could direct prospects to review her professional, conversion-focused site.
The results were immediate and significant:
Before:
After:
Beyond the financial transformation, Deborah experienced something perhaps even more valuable: freedom.
Freedom from explaining complicated pricing models.
Freedom from competing solely on price.
Freedom from being seen as just another salesperson.
Most importantly, she gained the freedom to confidently approach businesses of any size, knowing her framework could clearly communicate value at any investment level.