High-Ticket vs. Low-Ticket Sales
And how first-time CEOs can master both.
One of the most energizing parts of building Olympia for me was always connecting directly with customers. I love running demos myself, watching reactions in real-time, and seeing the spark when someone realizes how our product can help them. Through these moments, I realized something simple but powerful: people love to feel important — they want to know a brand truly cares about them and is invested in solving their problems.
This core truth sits at the heart of an essential decision every first-time CEO must make: whether to build a high-ticket or low-ticket sales strategy. These aren’t just different price points — they represent two completely different ways of building trust, delivering value, and growing your business. And that’s what we’ll discuss in this edition. Read on.
What exactly do we mean by "high-ticket" and "low-ticket"?
Low-ticket sales refer to lower price point offerings, typically under $500 per purchase or subscription cycle. Think: self-serve SaaS tools, online courses, simple software add-ons, or consumer apps. Here, success depends on high volume and smooth automation rather than individual relationships.
High-ticket sales typically start at several thousand dollars and can easily reach six-figure deals. These products or services usually solve complex, critical problems and require a highly personalized, consultative approach. Enterprise SaaS, custom AI solutions, strategic consulting packages — these are classic examples.
How to approach low-ticket sales as a first-time CEO
The key to successful low-ticket sales is scale through simplicity. You’re designing a system where customers can understand, trust, and buy without (or with minimal) human intervention. An example is our AI SaaS.
Practical advice for you and your team:
Focus on clear, benefit-oriented messaging. Your landing page should answer "What problem does this solve for me?" in seconds.
Invest in product-led growth tactics: free trials, freemium models, or strong in-app onboarding experiences (at Olympia, we automated onboarding with the help of our own AI assistant).
Automate customer support as much as possible, but always have a human who can provide stellar customer support (this is critical for customer-centric businesses).
Analyze user behavior obsessively. Use heatmaps, onboarding drop-off data, and churn analysis to constantly refine.
Train your team to think like product and growth managers rather than traditional salespeople. The "sale" is happening in the customer’s mind, not across a table.
🌱 Low-ticket sales
Methods:
Product-led growth (the product sells itself)
Automated funnels (emails, retargeting, drip campaigns)
Free trials or freemium offers
Channels:
Website and landing pages
Content marketing (blogs, tutorials, SEO)
Social media ads and organic posts
Email marketing
App stores and marketplaces
How to approach high-ticket sales as a first-time CEO
In high-ticket sales, you're not just selling a product — you're building a strategic partnership. Your buyer is often a senior decision-maker with budgets, politics, and long-term stakes on the line.
Practical advice for you and your team:
Prioritize relationship-building over rapid closing. Take time to deeply understand each client's challenges.
Develop consultative skills internally. Train your team to ask thoughtful questions and listen before pitching.
Create tailored proposals rather than generic decks. Customize value demonstrations to each client's goals.
Involve leadership early. As CEO, your presence in initial calls or demos signals commitment and credibility.
Equip your team with frameworks for stakeholder mapping and multi-threading (building relationships with several people inside the same account). Encourage them to share learnings across the team to improve future deals.
🏔️ High-ticket sales
Methods:
Consultative selling (deep discovery and tailored solutions)
Account-based selling (targeting specific large clients)
Executive involvement and strategy sessions
Channels:
Personalized outreach (LinkedIn, email)
Industry events and conferences
Partnerships and referrals
Private webinars and executive briefings
Teaching your team to navigate both
As a first-time CEO, you might be tempted to blur these two approaches. For example, offering a low-ticket product but trying to sell it with lengthy personal calls, or pushing a high-ticket solution through automated funnels only.
The key is to set clear guidelines:
Define when to automate vs. when to engage personally.
Document and role-play different scenarios — for example, how to handle objections in a self-serve model vs. a consultative one.
Encourage the team to regularly review which approach each segment of your customers needs most.
Ultimately, your job is to empower your team to choose the right path for each type of customer and to execute it with clarity and consistency.
The common thread: make them feel seen
Regardless of the ticket size, customers want to feel valued. Low-ticket customers want to see that you respect their time and design a frictionless experience. High-ticket customers want to know that you understand their world and are committed to a real partnership.
When designing your sales processes and training your team, keep this in mind: ]
Does the customer feel seen, heard, and taken care of?
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#GoldenFindings
Here are a few excellent resources if you'd like to dive deeper into this topic:
PLG Marketing: A Comprehensive Guide for SaaS Companies — Userflow
Practical steps to leverage freemium offers, fast onboarding, and product-qualified leads for low-ticket sales.Consultative Selling: 7 Ways to Win Deals — HubSpot
Actionable tips on asking better questions, focusing on client needs, and building trust in high-ticket deals.The Ultimate Guide to Product-Led Growth Strategy — The Product Manager
A strong strategic overview of PLG principles, ideal for founders evaluating when to adopt product-led vs. sales-led.
#CEOCheck
How could your sales approach change if you focused less on closing and more on helping customers feel important and supported?
Hit reply and share it with me, or ask me a question! I’m here for you.
Warmly,
Victoria
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