It’s 9 beliefs your prospect has to agree with, in order, before buying:
1) Possibility
2) Beneficial nature
3) Attainability
4) Personal attainability
5) Prior failures not their fault
6) Personal beneficial nature
7) Advantageous or urgent timing
8) Personal advantageous or urgent timing
9) Personal appropriateness
Write your “One Buying Belief” first, then list the 9 sub-beliefs that lead to it – and you know what goes into every section of your sales page or every email of your sequence.
Here’s a really cool (and unique) framework that can bring you more conversions, sales, and profits in your business.
It’s called “The Sequence of 9 Agreements”…
And it was developed by one of the best marketers of all time, Dan Kennedy.
Dan’s idea, in a nutshell:
Get your prospect to agree with the right set of beliefs… in the right order… and making the sale becomes almost inevitable.
So what are these beliefs?
Well…
According to Dan, they’re relatively universal for most people.
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Send Me the Rapid Lead Activator →Beliefs 1–3: Can this work, and is it worth it?
BELIEF #1: Possibility
“Hmmm, interesting… YES, this could actually work”
Yes, I know this might seem obvious…
But DO NOT assume your ideal prospects automatically believe it’s possible for them to get the outcome they really want.
Many don’t.
So – as the first step in your marketing – you have to make them realize that “YES, this IS something that could actually work”.
And how do you do that?
With your BIG PROMISE.
Once people believe change is possible, it’s time for…
BELIEF #2: Beneficial Nature
“YES, this could be beneficial for me”
You see…
Even IF people believe change is possible, that doesn’t automatically guarantee they’ll see value in it.
Either because they simply don’t realize it…
Or they just don’t care enough about it.
So it’s YOUR job to highlight that the benefit they’ll get from this is BIG enough to move them to take action.
Otherwise, they’ll just say “So what??”… and move on.
Don’t let ’em!
BELIEF #3: Attainability
“YES, this is actually practical for me to attain”
Again…
DO NOT assume people automatically realize this…
Many don’t!
Why?
Because it’s one thing to realize the beneficial value of doing something…
And it’s a completely different thing to realize if it’s actually practical to attain.
For example:
Someone who weighs 400 pounds probably realizes that dropping 100 pounds is Possible and Beneficial…
But might not believe it’s actually Attainable.
So, once again, your marketing message has to instill the belief that “YES, this IS possible”.
However, that’s often not enough because of …
Beliefs 4–6: Can it work for ME?
BELIEF #4: Personal Attainability
“YES, this is actually attainable for ME” (against all odds)
This is very close to Belief #3…
But it also takes into account the past history of our prospect.
(including their failures, frustrations, fears, etc)
Because the sad truth is that most people have FAILED multiple times before in life.
Therefore, their “Fear of failure” and associated criticism is often stronger than the possibility of gain.
So you need to showcase lots of social proof elements from people similar to your prospect…
So that they actually realize it IS possible for someone like them to change.
To drop 100 pounds… make 6-figures… date a smokin’ hot girl… or get relief from their pain.
And this also ties in beautifully with…
BELIEF #5: Prior Failures NOT Prospect’s Fault
“YES, this is profoundly different from anything I’ve tried before”
Here’s the thing…
If you REALLY want to build emotional rapport with people, it’s not enough to simply logically point out how they’ve failed in the past.
YES… they will realize that…
But you’ll just make them feel ashamed, frustrated, and anxious about potential change.
Which means they’ll default to doing nothing.
Not good.
Instead, this is where you need to empathize with your prospect through stories…
And lots of “Reason Why” elements that explain why prior failures weren’t their fault.
(a concept made famous by John E. Kennedy and Claude Hopkins in the early 1900s)
Plus…
This is also where the “Unique Mechanism of Problem” comes into play.
(popularized by Stefan Georgi’s RMBC Method)
But wait, there’s more…
BELIEF #6: PERSONAL Beneficial Nature
“YES, this is exactly what I need!”
Again…
This might seem similar to Belief #2: Beneficial Nature…
But it actually goes deeper than that.
Because – in addition to highlighting the benefit they’ll get from your solution – you also bring up more “Reason Why” elements on why taking action makes sense for THEM.
This isn’t just about general benefits like “make more money”, “get healthier”, or “have better relationships”…
It’s about making them visualize deeper-level benefits custom-tailored to THEM.
And if, at this point, you’re like:
“But Csaba, how do I know how to custom-tailor benefits to them?”
Well…
This is where PROPER customer research comes in… where you go DEEP on a single Ideal Customer Avatar.
Beliefs 7–9: Why now – and why this?
BELIEF #7: Advantageous or Urgent Timing
“YES, now I understand why this is super urgent!”
Once you’ve shifted enough beliefs…
And made them realize how your solution is PERFECT for them…
It’s time to make them realize how NOW’s the time to do something about their problem.
Now…
If you’re reading this, you probably know that Urgency / Scarcity is necessary to sell effectively.
This is the part where you use these techniques to compel them to act.
And the more specific reason(s) you can use on why NOW’s the best time to buy, the better.
But that’s often not enough because of…
BELIEF #8: PERSONAL Advantageous or Urgent Timing
“YES, now I understand I have to get this NOW!”
Now look…
It’s one thing to give them generic urgency…
But it’s waaaay more powerful if you can make it feel like they PERSONALLY have to act now!
(overcoming their objections related to “I’ll buy tomorrow”)
Because – just like previous beliefs – lots of people don’t automatically realize how this can apply to THEIR UNIQUE SITUATION.
So you wanna make them feel like:
“Oooooh shit, I gotta get this… like… RIGHT NOW… otherwise I’ll regret it!”
This is what master copywriters do sooooo well…
And fortunately for you, this is actually a low-hanging fruit.
(although most marketers don’t make the most of it)
And finally…
BELIEF #9: Personal Appropriateness
“YES, now I understand why this is my ONLY salvation”
This is where you create RABID, RAVING FANS.
Once you get to this point…
You can be 95% sure that their beliefs have been shifted enough to finally establish the so-called “One Buying Belief”.
And once you get here, there’s usually no turning back.
People WILL toss and turn in their beds at 3 am in the morning, thinking about your solution…
…until…
…They FINALLY…
…Get it.
That’s the “Golden Thread” you need to weave to really convert them and turn them into happy customers.
And there you have it:
Dan Kennedy’s Sequence of 9 Agreements.
Pretty cool, right?
How do you use the 9 agreements in your own marketing?
The coolest thing about this framework is that almost nobody knows about it…
(Not even some of the most well-educated direct response people)
Even though it’s one of the best step-by-step processes I’ve seen to reliably take someone from “cold lead” to “red hot buyer” fairly quickly.
And it works pretty much every single time…
Regardless if you wanna use it in a long-form sales letter…
A multi-part email sequence…
A webinar funnel…
A one-on-one sales call…
Or even in a book.
If you’re targeting the right people with it who are a good fit for your offer, then it simply WORKS.
Why?
Because it systematically instills the exact key “sub-beliefs” you need to instill in someone before they realize:
“Gee… now I understand why your solution is the ONLY solution out there that’s different and superior to everything else I’ve tried before… and it’s the KEY to getting what I really want”
^ ^ Wouldn’t it be great if YOUR leads realized that?
I bet it would…
And that’s exactly what using Dan Kennedy’s Sequence of 9 Agreements gives you.
“Mental opt-in” to all the things that really matter for someone to turn into a raving fan.
(NOTE: You still have to have a match between your offer and your audience’s problems and wants… otherwise this won’t work)
What do the 9 agreements look like for a real offer?
So now that you understand why this framework is so powerful, let’s look at a real-world example, shall we?
In fact…
Let’s do it for Breakthrough Conversions Academy itself… my emotional response marketing system that teaches this in much more detail.
Step 1:
We need to know what’s the ultimate “One Buying Belief” we need to instill.
In this case, it’s the following:
The Most Effective Way To 3x Your Conversions Is With The “Neuroplastic Belief-Shifting Framework”
That’s the key belief I want people to believe before giving them the offer.
Once I’m clear on this, it’s time for…
Step 2:
List out all 9 sub-beliefs that will lead people to this conclusion.
For Breakthrough Conversions Academy, this is what a rough first version would look like.
1 – Possibility: Re-discovering the old-school fundamentals is the best way to be successful today
2 – Beneficial Nature: Once you understand the fundamentals, everything will suddenly make sense!
3 – Attainability: It’s actually easier than you think! I did the work for you… going back in time and breaking down 100+ sales letters, to extract and systematize their wisdom for YOU
4 – Personal Attainability: It doesn’t matter if you’re not a pro copywriter or marketer… because once you discover these secrets, you’ll be ahead of the game
5 – Prior failures are not the prospect’s fault: a lot of so-called “gurus” try to sell you watered-down versions of these fundamentals that don’t work. It’s not your fault, you’ve been misled to focus on their shiny new tactics
6 – Personal beneficial nature: Since people are more jaded than ever… and can see past hypey copy… using the “Neuroplastic Belief-Shifting” Framework gets you raving fans who’ll buy from you and love you at the same time
7 – Advantageous or Urgent Timing: But you can’t delay any longer because “winter is coming”… and those who don’t know these secrets will be left out for the wolves, or will lose their job to someone else (or AI)
8 – Personal Advantageous or Urgent Timing: If you don’t get this, you’ll be left in the dark… and you’ll keep on “scraping by”
9 – Personal Appropriateness: This is the ONLY thing that can help you consistently sell more (for yourself or your clients) – without using aggressive sales tactics or hypey marketing
Why map the beliefs before you write?
Now…
Is this the best copy in the world?
Of course not.
But it’s not meant to be.
The #1 job of this list is to give you clarity on what sub-beliefs you need to shift… in what order… to make people realize:
“Gee… now I understand why your solution is the ONLY solution out there that’s different and superior to everything else I’ve tried before… and it’s the KEY to getting what I really want”
So it’s more like a “get clear on the concept” before “executing” type of thing.
And the best part?
Once you’re clear on this…
Writing that long-form sales page you’ve been dreading…
Or that 2-week email sequence you’ve been putting off (because you didn’t know what to write about in each email)…
…Suddenly becomes E.A.S.Y…
Because you now understand EXACTLY how to structure your message for maximum conversions…
Or what to put in each email for the sequence to be effective.
And that’s why I think this framework is so powerful.
So go test it yourself.
I’m confident you’ll be blown away by the results ;)
Map your own 9 agreements (this week)
1. Write your One Buying Belief in one sentence. “The most effective way to [result] is [your mechanism].”
2. List the 9 sub-beliefs that lead to it. Rough is fine. Mine above is a first draft.
3. Give each belief a home. A section of your sales page… or one email in your sequence.
4. Check the order. If urgency (7–8) shows up before they believe it can work for them (4–6), move it later.
If you’d like frameworks like this on tap while you write, my Conversion Operating System (COS) puts 200 pages of tested conversion strategies and marketing frameworks into your AI tool.
Free book + AI assistant
Turn the Leads Already Joining Your List Into Buyers – Faster
The Rapid Lead Activator reveals the psychology-based framework I use to write welcome sequences that sell – without hype. Normally $9.99 on Amazon, yours free. Plus a bonus AI assistant that writes your first 5 welcome emails for you – in minutes, not days.
Send Me the Rapid Lead Activator →-Csaba
