Every business grows the exact same way (though we try to act like it’s a secret)… through just three levers.
Most business owners are out here attending masterminds and redesigning org charts. Meanwhile, they’re completely missing the fact that every business in history grows through exactly three levers.
Not four. Not seventeen. Three.
These are Jay Abraham’s three levers. I call my breakdown of them the 6-4-6 framework:
Lever #1: Get More Customers (6 Ways)
This is what most business owners chase, but they don’t realize there are only 6 ways to do this:
- Paid - Advertising and paid promotion
- Outbound - Proactive direct outreach at scale
- Referrals - Word-of-mouth from existing customers
- Affiliates & Partners - Strategic partnerships and incentivized promotion
- Earned Media - Free exposure from platforms based on value provided
- Owned Media - Direct communication through your own lists
Pick one & master it before moving on. Stop dabbling.
Lever #2: Increase Transaction Value (4 Ways)
This is the fastest lever because these people already trust you. You just need to stop leaving money on the table:
- Upselling - Better/premium version of what they’re buying
- Cross-Selling - Additional items (products, services, warranties, add-ons)
- Volume/Bundling - More units or packaged sets with discounts
- Financing - Change how they pay to remove price resistance
Every checkout is an opportunity to increase value.
Lever #3: Increase Purchase Frequency (6 Ways)
Get customers to buy more often:
- Subscriptions - Automate purchases through recurring billing
- Loyalty Programs - Incentivize returns through rewards and points
- Reminders - Stay top of mind via follow-up marketing
- Limited-Time Offers - Create urgency to buy now
- New Products - Give fresh reasons to return
- Reduce Friction - Make returning easy and enjoyable
One purchase is a transaction. Repeat purchases? That’s a business.
Here is some simple math on how to grow 33%:
A 10% increase in each of the 3 levers above doesn’t give you 30% growth - it gives you 33% growth through multiplication.
Get 10% more customers, who spend 10% more, and return 10% more often.
That’s the 6-4-6 framework.
Pick one lever. Make it 10% better. Then tackle the next one.