The 10x Return Qualification
Only sell to customers you can make an enormous return for, and turn away the rest.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 3
- Confidence
- 85%
Miller only takes on a customer when he genuinely believes they can easily make a 10x return on their investment, and he qualifies each prospect on a call first, checking for an email list, a fixable website, and a real, solvable problem. If he can't make them a large return, he tells them 'I'm not your guy,' even though they want to buy. He backs engagements with a money-back guarantee because he never wants anyone to say they lost money on Don Miller. Turning away ill-fit buyers protects his reputation and frees energy for perfect-fit clients who refer others.
Origin
Miller applies this to his expensive strategy sessions, where the opportunity cost of a day not writing is high. He guarantees a 10x return, has never had to refund, and uses the practice to build trust in the business community.
Core principles
- 01Only take on a customer if you genuinely believe you can deliver an outsized (10x) return.
- 02Turn away buyers you can't help, even when they want to buy, to protect your reputation.
- 03A results guarantee builds trust because you never want anyone saying they lost money on you.
- 04There is plenty of money and plenty of people who actually have the problem you solve.
- 05Unhappy, ill-fit clients drain resources; perfect-fit clients refer and energize the team.
How to run it
- 1
Qualify on a call first
Before selling an expensive engagement, get on the phone and assess whether the prospect can realistically make a 10x return.
Pro tip Check for concrete assets: an email list to mail, a messy website you can fix, emails you can write, objectives you can set.
- 2
Decline poor-fit buyers
If you can't make them a large return, tell them plainly you're not their guy, even if they want to buy.
Pro tip Sometimes the reason is that they're already doing so well you can't improve on it.
Watch out Selling to someone whose problem you can't solve produces an unhappy client who drains everyone.
- 3
Guarantee the return
For good-fit clients, guarantee the promised return with a money-back offer so they can never say they lost money on you.
Pro tip Protecting the sentence 'I never lost money on Don Miller' is worth more than any single fee.
In the wild
Miller sells expensive strategy sessions only after a call confirms a 10x return is easy, promising to refund the full fee if the client calls to say they didn't make their money.
→ He has never had to write a refund check, and the guarantee built trust across the business community.
Common mistakes
Selling to anyone willing to buy
Taking money from prospects you can't actually help creates unhappy clients who drain resources and damage your reputation.
Is it for you?
Best for
High-ticket service providers who can quantify the return they deliver.
Not ideal for
Low-cost, high-volume products where per-customer qualification isn't practical.
From the transcript
“I will only do this if we really believe that easily, easily, easily, easily you can make a 10 x return on your investment.”
“The main reason I'm writing is I never ever want anybody to say, I lost money on Don Miller.”
From the episode
Donald Miller: How To Make Your First Million, 6 Steps To Grow Your Small Business in 2023
Donald Miller