---
title: Sell results, not activity
description: Heart surgeons don't charge by the hour, by the incision, or by the stitch. They charge based on the result, and you should, too.
image: https://thesaleswhisperer.com/hubfs/Blog_Featured_Images/pexels-4793375.jpg
---

[Skip to content](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/sell-results-not-activity#main-content)

[![Wes Schaeffer is The Sales Whisperer®](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/hs-fs/hubfs/wes-header-lockup.png?width=1560&height=360&name=wes-header-lockup.png)](https://www.thesaleswhisperer.com/)

- Work With Me
  
  Show submenu for Work With Me 
  
    - [Fix Your Follow-Up](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/follow-up)
    - [Best Day Ever](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/best-day-ever)
    - [HANK The AI](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/hank)
    - [12 Weeks To Peak™](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/12-weeks-to-peak)
    - [48-Hour Fix](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/48-hour-fix)
    - [Start](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/start)
    - [Blog](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog)
    - [The Daily](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/daily)
- [Speaking](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/sales-keynote-speaker)
- [Podcast](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/podcast)
  
  Show submenu for Podcast 
  
    - [Podcast Guests](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/podcast-guests)
- [About](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/about)

Open main navigation

Close main navigation

- Work With Me
  
  Show submenu for Work With Me 
  
    - [Fix Your Follow-Up](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/follow-up)
    - [Best Day Ever](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/best-day-ever)
    - [HANK The AI](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/hank)
    - [12 Weeks To Peak™](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/12-weeks-to-peak)
    - [48-Hour Fix](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/48-hour-fix)
    - [Start](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/start)
    - [Blog](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog)
    - [The Daily](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/daily)
- [Speaking](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/sales-keynote-speaker)
- [Podcast](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/podcast)
  
  Show submenu for Podcast 
  
    - [Podcast Guests](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/podcast-guests)
- [About](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/about)
- [Get The Daily](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/daily)

[Get The Daily](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/daily)

 Jun 13, 2025

# Sell results, not activity

![Picture of Wes Schaeffer](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Wes%20Schaeffer%2c%20The%20Sales%20Whisperer%20black%20white.png?width=50&name=Wes%20Schaeffer%2c%20The%20Sales%20Whisperer%20black%20white.png) [Wes Schaeffer](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/author/wes-schaeffer)

Share: [facebook-f icon](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/sell-results-not-activity) [linkedin-in icon](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/sell-results-not-activity) [Twitter icon](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/sell-results-not-activity) [pinterest-p icon](http://pinterest.com/pin/create/link/?url=https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/sell-results-not-activity) [envelope icon](mailto:?body=https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/sell-results-not-activity)

A $20 million company has a sales and marketing dilemma that is costing them $1 million per year. 

An entrepreneur doing $200,000 has a sales and marketing problem that is costing her $30,000 per year.

They both have the same problem, but the larger company has staff and a board of directors and internal silos and politics and turf protection that necessitates charging $50,000 for the same "fix" that I can help the solo-preneur implement for $5,000.

Many of you will think

> You're ripping off the larger company just because they have deeper pockets!"

Really?

Let's take a look at a few key points, then let me know if you still feel the same way.

- The company will realize a 20x ROI on their $50,000 investment in me.
- The solo-preneur will only realize a 6x ROI on the $5,000 she invests in me.
- The company will require three factory tours, 3-4 iterations of the proposal, 100 emails, seven on-site meetings, and a lot of hand-holding and counseling over 12 weeks.
- The solo-preneur buys within 30 minutes via my online shopping cart and is implementing what I recommend during our first 60-minute call.
- The company has inventory issues, declining morale due to recent layoffs, old habits, and an identity crisis that must be reconciled in order to affect change and produce results.
- The solo-preneur just needs a fresh set of eyes, a sounding board, and a little pick-me-up to accelerate into the stratosphere.

Now do you see why you must charge based on the results and not the activity? 

You must also include in your price an "annoyance fee."

For me, sitting in on meetings and listening to corporate staff go through their death throes as I slaughter their sacred sales and marketing cows is painful, so I build in enough money to make it worth my while.

I could charge the company $100,000, and they'd still have a 10x ROI.

I could charge them $500,000, and they'd still double their investment. (If I asked you for a $5 bill and handed you $10, would you think that was a fair trade?)

In [professional selling,](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/30-day-sales-growth) you must understand the value you bring each customer and charge accordingly.

To understand the value you bring, you must ignore how quick and easy it may be for you to implement your products or services (in an ideal situation) and start by [asking more and better questions](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/professional-selling-skills-17). (Hint: you know you're asking great questions when the prospect can't answer them. I show you how to do that in [this community](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/inner-circle).)

I have a list of questions for salespeople and sales managers that spans eight typed pages.

It's included in the [Sales Growth Program](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/12-weeks-to-peak).

Now go sell something.

## Related posts

[![](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/hs-fs/hubfs/_Podcast_Images/Mark%20Schaefer%202%20on%20The%20Sales%20Podcast.jpg?height=200&name=Mark%20Schaefer%202%20on%20The%20Sales%20Podcast.jpg)](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/mark-schaefer)

[The Sales Podcast](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/topic/the-sales-podcast)

## [Mark Schaefer, Helps You Get Known](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/mark-schaefer)

![Picture of Wes Schaeffer](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Wes%20Schaeffer%2c%20The%20Sales%20Whisperer%20black%20white.png?width=50&name=Wes%20Schaeffer%2c%20The%20Sales%20Whisperer%20black%20white.png) [Wes Schaeffer](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/author/wes-schaeffer) 

 Mar 15, 2017

Branding Tips you'll learn in this episode of The Sales Podcast... What to say "yes" to. How social...

[Read more](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/mark-schaefer)

[![Use Data To Be a Better Human To Sell More To Humans, With Steve Mast | The Sales Podcast with Wes Schaeffer](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/hs-fs/hubfs/_Podcast_Images/Steve_Mastroianni_sales_podcast_546.png?height=200&name=Steve_Mastroianni_sales_podcast_546.png)](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/steve-mast)

[The Sales Podcast](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/topic/the-sales-podcast)

## [Use Data To Be a Better Human To Sell More To Humans, With Steve Mast](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/steve-mast)

![Picture of Wes Schaeffer](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Wes%20Schaeffer%2c%20The%20Sales%20Whisperer%20black%20white.png?width=50&name=Wes%20Schaeffer%2c%20The%20Sales%20Whisperer%20black%20white.png) [Wes Schaeffer](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/author/wes-schaeffer) 

 May 27, 2020

How to sell when the customer is in charge .

[Read more](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/steve-mast)

[![](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/sell_without_selling_wes_schaeffer_the_sales_whisperer.jpg?height=200&name=sell_without_selling_wes_schaeffer_the_sales_whisperer.jpg)](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/how-to-grow-your-sales-without-growing-your-staff-15)

## [How to Grow Your Sales Without Growing Your Staff #15](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/how-to-grow-your-sales-without-growing-your-staff-15)

![Picture of Wes Schaeffer](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Wes%20Schaeffer%2c%20The%20Sales%20Whisperer%20black%20white.png?width=50&name=Wes%20Schaeffer%2c%20The%20Sales%20Whisperer%20black%20white.png) [Wes Schaeffer](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/author/wes-schaeffer) 

 Jun 13, 2025

Now that you have some chalk and some nails let's get some dough, shall we?

[Read more](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/how-to-grow-your-sales-without-growing-your-staff-15)

```json
{
  "@context" : "https://schema.org",
  "@type" : "BlogPosting",
  "author" : {
    "@type" : "Person",
    "name" : "Wes Schaeffer",
    "url" : "https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/author/wes-schaeffer"
  },
  "dateModified" : "2026-07-11T04:50:12.727Z",
  "datePublished" : "2025-06-13T14:35:44.000Z",
  "headline" : "Sell results, not activity",
  "image" : [ "https://thesaleswhisperer.com/hubfs/Blog_Featured_Images/pexels-4793375.jpg" ],
  "mainEntityOfPage" : {
    "@id" : "https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/sell-results-not-activity",
    "@type" : "WebPage"
  },
  "publisher" : {
    "@type" : "Organization",
    "logo" : {
      "@type" : "ImageObject",
      "url" : "https://thesaleswhisperer.com/hubfs/wes-header-lockup.png"
    },
    "name" : "Fixer Wes"
  }
}
```

```json
{
  "@context" : "https://schema.org",
  "@id" : "https://thesaleswhisperer.com/#organization",
  "@type" : "Organization",
  "founder" : {
    "@id" : "https://thesaleswhisperer.com/#wes"
  },
  "legalName" : "TSW Group, Inc.",
  "logo" : {
    "@type" : "ImageObject",
    "url" : "https://thesaleswhisperer.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Wes%20Schaeffer%20The%20Business%20Fixer%20white.png"
  },
  "name" : "The Sales Whisperer®",
  "sameAs" : [ "https://www.instagram.com/fixerwes", "https://x.com/fixerwes", "https://www.linkedin.com/in/thesaleswhisperer/", "https://www.youtube.com/@TheSalesWhispererWes" ],
  "url" : "https://thesaleswhisperer.com/"
}
```

```json
{
  "@context" : "https://schema.org",
  "@id" : "https://thesaleswhisperer.com/#website",
  "@type" : "WebSite",
  "name" : "The Sales Whisperer®",
  "potentialAction" : {
    "@type" : "SearchAction",
    "query-input" : "required name=search_term_string",
    "target" : {
      "@type" : "EntryPoint",
      "urlTemplate" : "https://thesaleswhisperer.com/hs-search-results?term={search_term_string}"
    }
  },
  "publisher" : {
    "@id" : "https://thesaleswhisperer.com/#organization"
  },
  "url" : "https://thesaleswhisperer.com/"
}
```

```json
{
  "@context" : "https://schema.org",
  "@id" : "https://thesaleswhisperer.com/#wes",
  "@type" : "Person",
  "alternateName" : "The Sales Whisperer",
  "image" : "https://thesaleswhisperer.com/hubfs/wes-suit-forward.jpeg",
  "jobTitle" : "Founder",
  "name" : "Wes Schaeffer",
  "sameAs" : [ "https://www.instagram.com/fixerwes", "https://x.com/fixerwes", "https://www.linkedin.com/in/thesaleswhisperer/", "https://www.youtube.com/@TheSalesWhispererWes" ],
  "url" : "https://thesaleswhisperer.com/about",
  "worksFor" : {
    "@id" : "https://thesaleswhisperer.com/#organization"
  }
}
```