Building Your First Package
Most agency owners build their first package backwards. They start with a list of GHL features and try to bundle them into something they can charge for. The result is a package that sounds impressive on paper but is impossible to explain in one sentence, takes forever to deliver, and confuses the prospect because they can’t figure out what problem it actually solves.
Start with the problem. Work backwards to the features. Scope it tight enough that you can deliver it without drowning, and name it so the prospect understands the value before you explain the details.
Step 1: Start with the Problem, Not the Features
Your package exists to solve one problem for one type of business. Not “improve their marketing.” That’s vague and unsellable. Something specific enough that the prospect feels it in their gut when you say it.
“You’re missing calls after hours and losing leads to competitors who answer.” That’s a problem. “You have 14 Google reviews and haven’t responded to any of them in six months.” That’s a problem. “Every lead that fills out your form waits 36 hours for a response.” That’s a problem.
Write the problem in one sentence from the client’s perspective. If you can’t do that, you don’t have a package yet. You have a feature list.
No element links. This is a positioning decision.
Step 2: Map to the Pillars
Think about which of the five pillars your package addresses. Get Found First, Build Your Reputation, Never Miss a Call, Respond Instantly, Bring Them Back. Your starter package probably covers two or three of these, not all five.
Know which ones and why. This matters because when you’re on a call explaining what your package does, the pillars give you a framework the prospect can follow. You’re not rattling off features. You’re walking them through the gaps in their business and showing which ones your package closes.
Your first package doesn’t need to cover everything. It needs to cover the problem you identified in Step 1, and it needs to do that well.
No element links. This is strategic framing.
Step 3: Define What’s In
Now you list the specific deliverables. These are the GHL features and configurations that make up the package. Be specific. Not “automation” but “missed call text back workflow that sends an SMS within 60 seconds of a missed call.”
What goes in depends on the problem you’re solving. A package built around “Never Miss a Call” might include a phone number, missed call text back, a calendar booking page, and Conversation AI handling inbound chat. A package built around “Build Your Reputation” might include review request automation, Reviews AI for auto-responses, an unanswered review drip, and a review widget for their website.
Keep it tight. Every item you add is something you have to build, test, support, and explain. Your first package should have 4-6 core deliverables, not 15.
Where this connects:
- Missed Call Text Back: the automation that sells itself
- Review Requests: automated review ask workflow
- Conversation AI: AI handling inbound chat and SMS
- Calendar Booking: online scheduling for their clients
- Funnel Builder: if a landing page is part of the deliverable
Step 4: Define What’s Out
This is equally important. What is explicitly NOT included? Saying it upfront prevents scope creep, manages expectations, and protects your margin.
If you don’t run ads, say so. “Ad management is not included in this package. We focus on making sure the leads you’re already getting don’t fall through the cracks.” If you don’t do custom website design, say so. If ongoing content creation isn’t part of the deal, say so.
Write it down. Put it on the sell sheet. Reference it in the agreement. The boundaries you set today determine whether this client is profitable or a time sink.
No element links. This is scoping discipline.
Step 5: Name It So It Sells
Don’t call it “GHL Starter Plan” or “Basic Marketing Package.” Nobody knows what that means and it sounds like something they’ll outgrow in a month.
Name it after the outcome, not the features. “The Never Miss a Lead System.” “The Reputation Engine.” “The 24/7 Response System.” Something the prospect understands without you explaining what’s inside. The name should make them ask “how does that work?” not “what’s included?”
Your package name is the first thing on the sell sheet, the first thing you say on a call, and the first thing a referral repeats to their friend. Make it do work for you.
No element links. This is naming and positioning.
Step 6: Build the Sell Sheet
One page. That’s it. Problem at the top, your solution in the middle, what’s included as a short list, the price, and how to start.
This is what you screen share when you’re on a strategy call. This is what you email after the audit. This is what a referral sends to their friend. If it takes more than one page to explain your package, the package is too complicated or you’re overexplaining.
Keep the language benefit-first, not feature-first. “Catch every missed call and turn it into a text conversation” not “Automated SMS workflow triggered on missed inbound call event.”
No element links. This is sales collateral.
Step 7: Set It Up in GHL
Create the product in GHL so it’s ready to sell the moment someone says yes. Set the price: setup fee and monthly recurring. Connect it to Stripe so payments process automatically. Configure the subscription so billing starts on your terms.
This sounds obvious but most agency owners have their first close and then scramble to figure out how to collect money. Have the product, the pricing, and the payment link ready before you ever get on a sales call. When they say yes, the next words out of your mouth are “I can send you the payment link right now” or “let me pull it up so we can get you started.”
Where this connects:
- Products & Pricing: creating your service package in GHL
- Stripe Integration: connecting payment processing
- Subscriptions: configuring recurring billing
The Sequence at a Glance
| Step | What You Do |
|---|---|
| 1 | Define the problem in one sentence |
| 2 | Map to the five pillars. Which 2-3 does your package address? |
| 3 | List 4-6 specific deliverables |
| 4 | Write down what’s explicitly NOT included |
| 5 | Name it after the outcome, not the features |
| 6 | Build a one-page sell sheet |
| 7 | Set up the product and pricing in GHL |
What This Playbook Does NOT Cover
- How to price the package (see future playbook: Pricing Without Guessing)
- How to deliver the package after the sale (see the Client Onboarding table)
- How to build the specific automations inside the package (see future playbooks: Missed Call Text Back, Review Engine, AI Receptionist)
- How to sell the package on a call (see Your First Five Clients)
This playbook gets you from “I don’t know what to sell” to a defined, named, priced package that’s ready to present the next time someone asks what you do.