How to Get Attention from Rich People

Business summary: how to sell to rich/luxury buyers (top decile playbook)

Market logic (why “rich people” are the sales target)

Rich buyers face many of the same problems as everyone else—but on a much larger scale, so the value of solutions scales up.

Rich buyers also tend to have large teams and complex operations. For example:

• A wealthy person may have 4–5 staff
• An executive team of ~15
• An extended team of ~150

Budget concentration (core targeting KPI concept)

• One rich person can have 15× the budget of the average person.
• The top 9% hold 45% of total industry budget.
• Implied allocation statement:
  • Top 10%: ~60% of available capital
  • Mass market: ~40%
  • Mass-market budget share is described as “coming down not going up.”

Strategic takeaway

Position your offerings toward the luxury market or affluent niche (roughly top ~10%), where spending power is concentrated.

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Concrete case studies (evidence of execution)

1) Health & safety consultant (Ray)

Initial approach (mass market):

• Targeted “anyone and everyone”
• Used workshops/posters

Move to a top-end segment:

• Identified a top-end segment: a specific type of food processing with dangerous work environments
• Ran workshops with a very well-known company
• Cadence: one workshop every 90 days

Stated results:

• Day rate: $2,000/day → $20,000/day (10×)
• Client spend: $20,000 → $400,000 (20×)
• Outcome: the business “exploded”

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2) Property deal-sourcing specialist (Sydney client)

Original positioning:

• Deal sourcing for “anyone who wanted an investment property”

Luxury shift:

• Became exclusive to Big Four accounting firm directors+
• Removed credibility assets except those from that segment:
  • “Got rid of all of his case studies and testimonials other than” Big Four clients

Distribution change:

• Ran introduction workshops at cafes/restaurants near Big Four offices

Commitment requirement:

• Clients must commit to a 3-year journey
• Buy at least 6 investment properties

Result:

• The business “massively transform[ed]” by focusing on buyers with money to spend.

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The “3 principles” sales framework

1) Powerful pitch (“Social / Hook pitch”)

A fast, six-part hook that can be delivered quickly:

• Name
• Same (simple definition of what you do)
• Fame (credibility/recognition/common trust signals)
• Pain (the frustration you solve)
• Aim (what you do/offer)
• Game (big-picture mission/why you care)

Practical rules emphasized

• Keep it short: under 40 seconds
• Rich people meet “100+ people a month”—so you must be memorable and clear
• Ask permission before pitching to reduce resistance and increase receptivity, e.g.:
  • “Would it be okay if I share 30 seconds…”
• Be respectful of time: don’t “be that guy”

Actionable output: build a default pitch using the N–S–F–P–A–G structure and rehearse it for fast delivery.

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2) Contextual adjacency (show up where “the right buyers” expect you)

Core idea: people judge you not just by what you say, but by what surrounds you (brands, locations, people, signals). The framing is that you can have 3, 4, or 5 markers before you even speak.

Examples of contextual markers:

• Books/courses/thought leaders you engage with
• Educational institutions you studied under
• Location (e.g., London neighborhoods like Mayfair / Chelsea / Barn…)
• Member clubs/hotels/restaurants frequented by rich buyers
• Surrounding brands (strong contrast signals; e.g., “Rolex/Ferrari in Dubai” vs similar branding elsewhere)
• Suppliers/shared ecosystem (rich buyers’ banks/consultants/accountants/lawyers)
• Mutual contacts and introductions

Tactical “hack”

Use LinkedIn/Instagram to find:

• Mutual contacts
• Overlapping thought leaders
• Shared “inner circle” signals

Goal: have multiple context markers so trust forms quickly.

Actionable output: audit your social presence and meeting setup; adjust venue, associations, and credibility signals to match the buyer’s world.

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3) Land and expand (build to big deals through a proof journey)

A step-by-step process to earn trust before scaling deal size.

Phase sequence (the playbook)

• Start small with free value to create proof
• Do a review process (make it shareable)
• Expand into paid proof projects
• Repeat: proof → review → expansion → bigger deal

Key tactics

1. Generate proof via education/research

   • Education: insights they don’t know
   • Research: data/info they can’t access; consolidate and share key insights

2. Run minimal-friction “sprints”

   • Example: a fitness trainer suggests a run/workout rather than contracts/payments up front

3. Force a visual written review

   • Provide findings in a written, printed document
   • Rationale given: rich people have limited time/headspace and often share materials with assistants/advisers/spouse
   • Claim mentioned: “50% of the human brain dedicated to visual processing” (to support why visual/printed matters)

Deal-shaping questions and sequencing

After proof, let the rich buyer help construct the deal:

• “What do you want that to look like?”
• “What’s the price point/budget that you’re comfortable with?”

Always have a backup deal you can propose instantly.

“Trust test” constraint tactic (highly specific)

Rich buyers test trust and results. After delivering two paid proof projects (examples given as $10k / $20k / $100k project sizes—range, not exact targets):

• Use constraint/scarcity, e.g.:
  • “I’m getting busy / oversubscribed… should we double down on bigger things or part ways?”

Expected outcome: many push to expand and offer the larger deal path.

Recommendation engine

Big opportunities often come from recommendations:

• Ask: “Do you know any big deals in your network I should pitch?”
• Even if they don’t have one immediately, they may introduce you to someone who does.

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Key metrics / KPIs explicitly mentioned

• Day rate growth (Ray): $2,000 → $20,000/day (10×)
• Client spend growth (Ray): $20,000 → $400,000 (20×)
• Workshop cadence: every 90 days
• Property specialist commitment requirement:
  • 3-year journey
  • ≥ 6 investment properties
• Pitch length target: < 40 seconds
• Target market allocation (budget concentration):
  • Top 10%: ~60% of industry buying capital
  • Mass market 90%: ~40% (declining)

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Practical “what to do next” checklist (actionable)

• Target the top 10% spending buyers (luxury/affluent niche), not broad mass markets.
• Rewrite your offer positioning for a specific high-impact segment (e.g., dangerous/high-commitment niche like Ray’s food processing shift).
• Build the Name–Same–Fame–Pain–Aim–Game pitch and keep it under 40 seconds.
• Prepare 3–5 contextual adjacency markers (location, brands, thought leaders, suppliers, mutual contacts).
• Launch a proof journey:
  • Free education/research or a low-friction sprint
  • Create a printed, visual review document
  • Move into paid proof projects
  • After the second paid proof, use the constraint/oversubscription tactic to push toward larger deals
• Ask for network-based big-deal referrals once trust is established.

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Presenters / sources

• Presenter/source: Daniel Priestley (referenced in pitch examples, e.g., “I’m Daniel Priestley…”)