Stop. Stop trying to learn everything. Stop collecting certifications. Stop feeling like you’re not ready because you don’t know enough.
Because I’m about to tell you the only four skills that actually matter when it comes to building wealth as a service provider. And if you master these four things, you will never be broke again – no matter if you’re a nine-to-fiver, a freelancer, or you want to create your own digital products.
In fact, skill number four is the one that actually puts money in your bank account, and most of you are completely ignoring it.
Here’s what I know to be true after working with over 3,000 service providers: You don’t need to know everything. You need to know four things. That’s it. Just four.
Why You’re Drowning in Information (Instead of Making Money)
Let me ask you something. How many of you have thought, “I just need to take one more course. I just need to get one more certification. Once I learn this one more thing, then I’ll be ready.”
I see you. I’ve been there. I get it.
Here’s what’s wild, y’all. Most people don’t know this: I couldn’t even read until middle school. I used to throw up, so I wouldn’t have to get up and spell words ’cause I’m a horrible speller. Even to this day, I cannot spell. And we don’t even wanna talk about my grammar.
I say this to show you – we all have things we have to work on. And what I love about the skills I’m about to teach is that they’re all learnable. None of them are natural traits that you were just born with.
It took me a long, long time to learn how to read, and now I just finished 2025 reading 65 books. But what if I had given up in middle school? I would’ve never gotten into law school. I would’ve never been top of my class in undergrad.
Every single skill I’m about to go over, you are capable of learning.
But here’s where most of us get stuck in the overwhelm trap:
You see someone teaching ads, so you think you need to learn ads. Then someone starts talking about SEO, so now you need to learn SEO. Oh, and then Pinterest. So we’d better hop onto that too. And don’t forget email marketing, webinars, and challenge funnels.
Stop. Just stop.
You are collecting skills like little kids collect Pokémon cards when what you actually need to do is go deep on the four that matter most.
Because here’s what I know: The people making the most money aren’t the ones who know the most. They’re the ones who know the right things, can articulate the value of those things to clients, and, most importantly, they can actually close the sale.
Skill #1: Persuasive Messaging (Stop Leaving Money on the Table)
This is the ability to communicate in a way that makes people wanna work with you, buy from you, and trust you.
And y’all, this is where so many of you are leaving money on the table because you know what to do. You know you’re good at it, but you can’t talk about it in a way that makes clients go, “Oh my gosh, I need that right now.”
Persuasive messaging means:
- Knowing how to speak to pain points, not just features
- Understanding what makes your clients stop scrolling
- Being able to write sales pages, emails, ads, and social posts that convert
- Positioning yourself or your client as THE solution, not just A solution
Here’s the beautiful thing: you don’t have to be the one writing every single piece of copy, but you do need to understand the principles so you can lead the strategy.
The $3K Difference in One Sentence
Let me give you an example you may be using for your own business:
Bargain bin messaging: “I help startup businesses run their first ads.”
That’s calling in broke clients.
Champagne client messaging: “I help successful HVAC companies get off the content hamster wheel and automate their lead generation.”
That’s calling in clients with money who are ready to invest.
Same service, different messaging. One makes $2K a month, the other makes $5K a month.
This is a skill you can learn, and when you master persuasive messaging, you become invaluable because you help your clients articulate their value, too.
Skill #2: Traffic Strategy (The Skill Everyone Thinks They Need)
This is knowing how to get the right people to see your client’s offers.
But here’s what most people get wrong: they think they need to be experts in every traffic source. TikTok, Instagram, Facebook ads, Pinterest, email marketing, SEO, blah blah blah.
Stop.
You need to understand traffic strategy, not every traffic tactic.
There’s a difference between being someone who knows where to send traffic and being someone who can execute every single platform. The strategist wins every time.
Understanding Warm vs. Cold Traffic
You need to understand the difference between warm traffic and cold traffic:
Warm traffic: People already know you. They’re on your email list, they follow you on social media, and they’ve engaged with your content. This is relationship-building traffic.
Cold traffic: People who’ve never heard of you. This is ads, SEO, Pinterest, anything where you’re reaching brand new people. This is awareness-building traffic.
You don’t need to master every platform. You need to understand which traffic source makes sense for your client based on where their ideal clients hang out.
When you understand traffic strategy, you can tell clients exactly where to focus their energy and budget instead of spreading themselves thin across every platform.
Skill #3: Funnel Architecture (The Forgotten Middle Step)
This is the skill most people completely ignore, and it’s the reason so many businesses are leaking money everywhere.
A funnel is just the path someone takes from “I don’t know you” to “Take my money.” And most people’s funnels are broken.
Here’s the thing: you can have amazing messaging, and you can have incredible traffic, but if the journey from awareness to purchase doesn’t make sense, people will bounce.
What Funnel Architecture Really Means
Funnel architecture means understanding:
- Where someone enters the journey and what they need to see next
- How to nurture cold traffic into warm leads who are ready to buy
- What’s missing in the customer journey that’s causing people to drop off
- How to guide people from one stage to the next without overwhelming them
You don’t have to be the one building every landing page or setting up every automation, but you need to understand how the pieces connect.
When you can look at a business and say, “Here’s where you’re losing people. Here’s why they’re not buying. Here’s what we need to fix,” you become invaluable.
That’s the power of understanding funnel architecture.
Skill #4: Selling (The One That Actually Deposits Money)
Here’s the truth bomb: This is the skill that actually makes you money, and it’s the one most of you are terrified of.
You can be brilliant at messaging. You can be a traffic genius. You can be a funnel architect extraordinaire. But if you can’t sell, you’re broke.
Let me repeat that: If you can’t sell, you’re broke.
And I’m not just talking about getting on sales calls. Selling shows up everywhere:
- When you pitch a package to a client
- When you respond to objections
- When you present your pricing
- When you ask for the close
- When you write your sales page copy
Most service providers are so scared of selling that they don’t ask for the sale, they apologize for their pricing, or they hope the client will just magically say yes without them having to lead the conversation.
How to Sell Without Being Salesy
Here’s what good selling looks like:
You get on a call with a potential client. Instead of just talking about what you do, you ask strategic questions:
- What’s your biggest challenge right now?
- What have you tried so far?
- What would it be worth to you if we could solve this?
- Why now? Why is this important to solve right now?
Then you listen. You actually listen to what they’re saying. You identify the real problem, not just the surface-level symptom.
And then you say something like this:
“Okay, so let me recap what I’m hearing. You’re struggling with X, Y, and Z. You’ve tried A and B, but they haven’t worked because of C. Am I right?”
“Awesome. So here’s how I can help you with those things.”
You quickly bullet point your solution. And then you ask:
“So is that what you’re looking for? Yes? Awesome. My next onboarding date is on X date. Are you ready to get started with that timeline?”
And then they may ask you, “But how much is it?”
“Great. So this package starts at $8,000, and with you, we’ll start you at $8,000. You can do 50% before as your deposit, and then the day that we start the contract, the rest of the payment will be due. So I can send over your contract and invoice, and we can get this started. Does that work for you?”
See how you’re leading the call? You are already assuming they’re gonna say yes. So many of us are already assuming they’re gonna say no, and you’re setting yourself up for failure. Start assuming they’re gonna say yes.
This is a skill you can learn.
Why Being Good at Selling Changes Everything
Here’s what’s beautiful about being good at selling:
You can help your clients get better at selling, too. You can look at their sales process and say, “Here’s where you’re losing people. Here’s how we fix it.” And that makes you invaluable.
And when you can sell, you can go anywhere and work, no matter what happens. If the internet shut down today, I would not stress because I know I have these skills, and I can take these skills and get a nine-to-five. I can go do this door-to-door. I can take my skills and apply them to any position, and I can make money.
How These 4 Skills Work Together (And Why You Need All Four)
Did you catch how all four of these work together?
Messaging gets attention
Traffic brings people in
Funnels guide them through the journey
Selling closes the deal
You can be brilliant at messaging, traffic, and funnels, but if you can’t sell, you’ll still be broke.
You can be an incredible salesperson, but if you have bad messaging, no traffic, and a broken funnel, you’re working way too hard for too little.
But when you master all four, you’re unstoppable.
You become the growth partner businesses desperately need. You can consult at premium prices. You can help clients make more money while working less.
And the best part? You don’t have to do all four. You can specialize in one or two and have a solid understanding of the others. But having all four in your toolkit? That’s when you become irreplaceable and highly paid.
How to Apply These Skills to Your Business (Even If You’re Not a Copywriter or Ads Manager)
Now I know some of you may be thinking, “Okay, Brandi, but I’m not a copywriter. I’m not running ads. I’m not building funnels, and I’m definitely not a salesperson. How does this apply to me?”
Here’s the thing: You don’t have to be the one doing these things, but you need to understand the strategy behind them.
For My OBMs
You don’t need to write the copy, but you should be able to look at the sales page and say, “This isn’t converting because the messaging is off. Here’s what you need to change.”
You don’t need to run ads, but you should understand enough to say, “We’re spending money on traffic, but the funnel isn’t converting. We need to fix the funnel before we scale the ads.”
You should be able to get on a sales call with a potential client and confidently present your services and ask for the sale.
For my OBMs, this is how you go from an OBM to a consultant. You already know all the things, but when you start showing up like this, you move into consulting – no longer OBM – and you’ll get paid more, and you’ll be doing less.
For My Podcast Managers
You don’t need to run ads, but you should understand how to use the podcast as a traffic source that feeds into your client’s funnel.
You should understand messaging so you can help them with episode topics that actually convert into clients.
And you should be able to sell your podcast management services at a premium price by demonstrating the ROI you provide.
See what I’m doing here? I’m adding the strategy layer on top of the execution.
Execution is cheap. Strategy is expensive.
So even if you’re still doing execution work – and that’s totally fine – you need to add this strategy layer. You need to be able to lead your clients through these four areas.
A Real Example of Strategic Consulting
That’s why one of my consulting clients pays me $10K a month. She has a team. She has people doing all the things. But she needs me to look at her messaging, her traffic, her funnels, her sales process, and say, “Here’s what’s working. Here’s what’s not. Here’s what we need to do to change it.”
I’m not doing the actual work, but I understand the strategy behind all four of these skills, so I can lead her team.
And here’s the really cool part: when you understand all four of these skills strategically, you become better at selling your services because you can articulate the value you bring.
You can show clients exactly how you’re gonna help them make more money. You can handle objections because you understand the strategy behind what you do. That confidence that comes from mastering these four skills – that’s what makes you irreplaceable.
Your Action Plan: What to Do This Week
Alright, so here’s what I want you to do this week:
Step 1: Audit Yourself
Which of these four areas are you the strongest in? Messaging, traffic, funnels, or selling?
And be honest: which one are you avoiding because it makes you uncomfortable?
You don’t have to be an expert in all four right now, but you should be working towards a solid understanding of each.
Step 2: Add the Strategy Layer
If you’re currently just executing, just doing the tasks, I want you to start asking strategic questions:
- Before you write a social post, ask: Does this messaging speak to your ideal client’s pain points? Those champagne client pain points, not the bargain bin clients?
- Before you run ads, ask: Do we have a clear funnel that converts for this traffic?
- Before you build a landing page, ask: Does the customer journey make sense from awareness to purchase?
- Before you get on a sales call, ask: What questions do I need to ask to position myself as an expert to make this an easy yes?
That’s how you start thinking like a strategist instead of a doer.
Step 3: Invest in One of These Skills
Pick one of the four – messaging, traffic, funnels, or selling – and go deep on it for this quarter. Not surface level. Deep.
If you’re not sure where to start, I would start with selling. Because even if you’re not great at the other three yet, if you can sell, you can make money while you’re learning the rest.
When you truly master one of these four skills, you can apply it strategically to any business. You’ll never be broke. I can promise you that.
And when I say go deep, this doesn’t mean go buy courses or anything like that. That means pick up a book. There are so many books on selling.
If you need a suggestion, just DM me on Instagram @brandimowles. I’ll ask you a few questions, and I can lead you to the best book that’s gonna serve you and where you’re at now.
Ready to Master These 4 Skills? Here’s How I Can Help
If you’re sitting here thinking, “Brandi, I wanna develop these skills. I wanna add the strategy layer. I wanna get confident selling, but I need help actually implementing and stepping into the strategist role” – that’s exactly what we do in Strategist Society.
We don’t just teach you the concepts. We help you apply these four skills to your specific services.
- We help you reposition yourself as a strategist, not just a doer
- We work on your messaging so you can charge premium prices
- We help you understand traffic and funnels so you can lead your clients strategically
- We get you confident in selling so you can actually close those high-ticket deals
Head to thestrategistsociety.com to book a Strategist Success Audit with me. We’ll look at where you are on these four skills and map out your path for becoming irreplaceable.
The Bottom Line: Stop Collecting Information and Start Implementing
Listen, you don’t need another certification. You don’t need to know everything.
You just need to master these four skills and learn how to talk about ’em in a way that makes clients say, “I need you.”
That’s it. That’s the formula.
Stop collecting information and start implementing the stuff that actually matters.
Go out and do the dang thing. Serve your clients, scale your business, and soar into the success you deserve.
—
This post is based on an episode of the Serve Scale Soar podcast.
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Meet Brandi
Brandi Mowles is the host of the Serve Scale Soar® podcast which is a podcast dedicated to helping service-based entrepreneurs scale their online business to five-figure months so they can soar into six-figure years. Brandi is a wife, mom and in less than one year, created a six-figure business. Now she is spilling all her secrets so you can too.
