This article is part of the WorkflowMaps Certified Strategist course.
Numbers do not sell. Stories do. FixFlow gives you the numbers. Your job is to make them feel real. The Anchor-Cost-Bridge framework is how you do that.
WHY NUMBERS ALONE ARE NOT ENOUGH
Saying "this bottleneck costs you £18,400 per year" is accurate. It is factual. And for most clients, it is forgettable.
Saying "right now, every client waits 12 to 15 days from contract signing to going live. That means for almost two weeks, they have paid you but are not getting any value yet. We found that 92% of that time is just waiting, not working" makes the client feel the problem before they see a number.
The difference is that the first version tells the client something. The second version makes them experience something. People take action on what they feel, not just on what they know.
The key principle: make clients feel the pain before you show them the cost.
THE THREE-PART FRAMEWORK
Part 1: The Anchor
Set the baseline. Describe the current situation in concrete, specific terms that make the impact tangible.
Formula: "Right now, [describe current state] which means [impact on business or people]."
Example: "Right now, your team spends 30 to 45 minutes per day copying lead data from forms into your CRM. That is 12 hours per month not spent on strategic work."
Example: "Right now, every proposal sits in your inbox for 3 to 5 days waiting for approval. Potential clients are in limbo, possibly talking to competitors."
The anchor does not include a number yet. It describes the situation so the client recognises it as real and feels the weight of it.
Part 2: The Cost
Quantify the problem using simple, transparent maths the client can verify themselves.
Formula: "Here is what that is costing you: [show simple calculation]."
Example:
12 hours per month x £30 per hour = £360 per month
£360 x 12 months = £4,320 per year
That is what you are currently spending on copy-paste work instead of strategy.
Keep the maths visible and simple. When clients can verify the calculation themselves, they own it. They often adjust it upward because they know better than you do how often something happens or how long it actually takes.
Part 3: The Bridge
Show the path from the current state to fixed. Include the specific solution, the investment required, and the return.
Formula: "If we [specific fix], it costs [implementation cost] and saves [benefit]. That means [ROI framing]."
Example:
"If we automate this with Zapier, it costs £300 to set up and £20 per month to run. That eliminates the £4,320 you are currently spending on manual entry. Year one savings after setup: £3,780. That is a 12x return on the investment."
The bridge connects the problem to the solution with clear, honest maths. It is not a sales pitch. It is a logical conclusion from the numbers the client has already agreed on.
THE REFRAME: WHAT COULD YOU DO WITH THAT?
After presenting savings, make them personal by connecting them to goals the client has already mentioned.
"This saves your team 12 hours per month. What could they do with an extra 12 hours? Launch that referral programme you mentioned during our session? Actually take a lunch break? That is 144 hours per year. Three and a half full working weeks."
This shifts the conversation from abstract savings to concrete possibilities. It connects the ROI to things the client actually cares about, using their own words.
HANDLING COMMON OBJECTIONS
"Those numbers seem optimistic."
"Let me show you exactly how we calculated this. If you think my estimates are off, let us adjust them together right now."
Pull up the workflow map, show the time inputs, walk through the calculation. Inviting the client to challenge the numbers is a strong move because when they adjust them themselves, they own the result. And they often make the number bigger.
"That is a lot to invest upfront."
"Let us break it into phases. Phase 1 costs only £X and eliminates 70% of the problem. At that rate it pays for itself in three weeks. We can assess Phase 2 once Phase 1 is delivering."
Breaking a proposal into phases reduces perceived risk and makes it easier to say yes to the first step.
"How do I know this will actually work?"
"Let us build in a checkpoint. We implement Phase 1 and measure results after 30 days. If it is working, we move forward. If it is not, we troubleshoot together before committing to anything else."
Offering a checkpoint reduces fear of commitment. It reframes the decision from a leap of faith to a measured step.
USING THE FRAMEWORK IN YOUR VIDEO
You do not need to follow the framework rigidly. Use it as a structure, not a script. The goal is to move the client through: feeling the problem, understanding the cost, and seeing a clear path forward. If you can do that naturally in your own voice, the framework is working.