The Pivot from Too Expensive with Emily Crookston

What do you do when your premium offer stops selling, even though the right prospects are still showing up?


In this episode, Jeremy Shapiro sits down with Emily Crookston (ghostwriter, developmental editor, and author of Unwritten) to unpack the toughest stretch of her career: 12+ months without landing a single ghostwriting client. The calls were still happening, but people kept saying no. Then one prospect dropped the line every premium service provider dreads: “You’re too expensive.”


Instead of discounting her core offer, Emily rebuilt her business model and used the new model to convert the same market that was already saying no. The result: BIG growth, easier selling, better-fit clients, and a path to scale beyond her personal time.


You’ll hear how she:

• Went from academia burnout to building a flexible ghostwriting business
• Diagnosed the real problem: demand was there — her offer structure wasn’t
• Created a new tier using Claude to speed up outlines, structure, and synthesis
• Kept quality high by staying transparent, hands-on, and expert-led
• Built a path to lower-priced tools for DIY authors without doing book coaching
• Tracked funnel metrics (email + calls) to spot dips and adjust quickly

If you sell high-end services and you’ve felt stuck, this is a clean example of how to adjust the product, not just “do more marketing.”


🎧 Tune in to learn how tiered offers, smart process changes, and practical AI use can revive a service business without trashing your brand.


👉 Connect with Emily Crookston:

• ThePocketPhD.com (https://www.thepocketphd.com/)
• Emily Crookston on LinkedIn (  / emilycrookston  )

📊 Hosted by: Jeremy B. Shapiro, Host and Author, ⁠⁠⁠⁠Your Business Growth Playbook (https://yourbusinessgrowthplaybook.com/)






Chapters:


0:00 The Worst Business Year: A Period of Shame and Self-Doubt


00:21 Reinventing High-Price Services for Massive Growth


01:06 Welcome to Your Business Growth Podcast


01:20 From Academia to Ghostwriting: Emily's Journey


03:58 Building a Business in the Business Book Market


05:46 The Emotional Rollercoaster of Business Growth


08:28 The AI Pivot: Transforming Services and Pricing


15:09 Becoming an Action Taker: Lessons from Entrepreneurship


17:44 Implementing a New Service Delivery Model


19:25 Challenges and Adaptations with AI


21:21 Inspiration and Industry Perspectives


24:04 Expanding Service Offerings


29:19 Advice for Business Owners


33:23 Key Metrics and Final Thoughts






Keywords: Emily Crookston, Unwritten book, ghostwriting, book ghostwriter, developmental editor, nonfiction ghostwriting, business book writing, premium service business, tiered offers, service tiers, pricing strategy, client acquisition, plateau in business, no clients for a year, AI writing tools, Claude AI, AI assisted writing, sales calls, conversion rate, email marketing metrics, entrepreneurship mindset, Business Growth Playbook, Jeremy Shapiro


#ai #ghostwriting #claude #sales #podcast #funnel #pivot #premiumpricing #bookpublishing






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