Top 10 Reasons Why Your Prospects Are Wasting Your Time On Calls (and What to do About it)

Coaches and consultants reach out to me all the time with a common problem, struggling to find people who will pay for their services. Does this sound familiar? 

You may have leads, you may be getting on sales calls but no one is buying. 

This is a very common position for coaches and consultants who haven’t yet built an expert platform. If this is you, it is likely that you are stuck in the trap of the generalist, a tough place to generate serious income. 

There is a concept I teach called the Ladder of Influence where I break down the 4 levels of influence and how to ascend up so you can win more business. It's a 30 page PDF that you can download a copy of for free here.

Back to the issue hand. If you are getting on the phone with people who aren’t buying, it's usually one of ten things broken down into 3 core areas- offer, marketing and sales.

Offer Problems: What you are selling is the problem 

The first system I teach in my Expert Accelerator method is known as your offer or impact system.This is who you serve (a.k.a your dream clients), what you sell (a.ka your package) and how you get your clients results (aka your solution). When you have an offer issue, it could mean:

#1) You are going after the wrong client.

You may have a great service but are not going after your perfect client. This could mean you need to literally change your target market- shift to clients who have greater levels of income, go after B2B rather than B2C, change industries, niches or any number of things.

I had a client who was struggling to sell to newer business owners. We shifted him to selling to 7 to 8 figure companies and his business exploded.

There is opportunity everywhere but it's essential you are going after the right people.

#2) Your genius isn’t aligned with what you are selling.

I can’t tell you how many frustrated coaches and consultants came to me selling something that doesn't align with their greatest strengths. It’s common because when you first start your business, you tend to mimic what everyone else is doing. But it doesn't really work so you get frustrated.

You have a unique genius. It comes so naturally to you that probably don't even recognize it and likely discount it. You need someone outside of you to shine the light on what this is so you can figure out where you fit in the coaching and consulting world.

If you don't get this right, it's like pushing a boulder up a steep mountain, at some point, it will roll back down and take you with it and you will end up back at the bottom and starting over once again.

I had a client who came to me exhausted and fed up with her business. Her genius was not aligned with what she was selling. We shifted this and she generated six figures immediately and felt energized and fulfilled because she was finally using her abilities to their full potential. 

#3) Your pricing is wrong and/or your offer isn't irresistible.

You could be charging too little and therefore your prospects are not taking you seriously. Or maybe your pricing is fine but your offer is not compelling enough for them to invest. Having an irresistible offer is essential to your success.  And if the offer is compelling enough, you can attach a five or even six figure price tag just like I teach my clients to do. 

#4) Your solution is confusing.

Can you powerfully articulate how you get your clients results? Have you codified a step-by-step solution? Do you feel confident in explaining that to others. Remember that the more clarity you have, the easier you can convey that in a sales conversation. If it’s not clear, they won’t buy.

I had a client who already had a great program but he didn't know how to present it and it cost him sales. Once we fixed it, he went from struggling to enroll to getting prospects saying yes on a consistent basis.

Marketing Problems: Your messaging is off and/or your positioning is weak

The second system I teach in my Expert Accelerator method is known as marketing or influence system. It is comprised of your positioning (aka how you are perceived), your messaging (aka what you say) and your audience (aka who pays attention). When you have an issue in this area, it could mean any of the following:

#5) Your positioning is weak.

You are not seen as the expert. If there is one thing you take away from this entire newsletter, let it be this, people will not buy from someone who they view as being at the same level as them. If someone sees you as a peer, you will struggle to close them. You must be seen as an expert in something. Essential to your success, is shifting perception so that you are viewed not as a peer to peer but rather as peer to mentor. 

#6) Your messaging is off.

There is so much noise online. If your messaging is off, you will continue to attract the wrong people into your sales conversations and they won’t buy (or you will close the wrong person and regret it later!). This is not a good scenario. You have to be very intentional with your messaging because words have power and a resonance.

Your messaging should magnetize your perfect people to you and quite frankly repel anyone who isn’t.

Boring messaging puts people to sleep. Generic messaging is empty and will disappear into the void. Great messaging will provoke, inspire, and/or motivate people into action. This messaging is impactful and generates trust, connection and ultimately pulls the right people to book a call with you. It all goes back to having the right offer (impact system) with the perfect mix of message, market, match.

#7) Your audience is made up of the wrong people.

Back to the offer (impact system). If you don’t have the right people in your audience, then it’s no wonder you are on the phone with people who aren’t buying from you. Think about who is paying attention to you. Are they who you should be marketing to? If not, you need to build one that will and focus on creating a high amount of relevancy with them.  

Sales Problems: You suck at sales 

This one might sting a bit but so many people aren’t good at sales. If this is you, don’t worry, this is an area you can improve upon. The third system I teach is sales (your money system) which is everything that happens before (nurture), during (pitch/close), and after (follow-up). When someone is struggling in this area is usually because:

#8) You don't know how to structure a successful sales conversation.

You may not understand the emotional arch of a sales journey or how to lean in and ask the right questions or even how to listen to what’s for what’s not being said. So many factors go into having a great sales conversation and none of them have to be pushy, salesy or manipulative. You can have a sales conversation that is warm, inviting and generates amazing clients.

I had a client who really struggled with sales even though she was an expert and had amazing results. Once we fixed her sales conversation, she confidently started selling $18K to $65K packages. 

#9) You aren’t demonstrating authority.

This really ties into the other two systems I teach. You need to own your expertise, be able to powerfully articulate what you bring to the table, position your services against others, showcase your solution and ultimately demonstrate that you are the very best person to solve their problem. If you are leaving this aspect out of your sales conversation, it really hurts your pitch. 

#10) Your pitch is weak.

This goes back to your offer (see how they all build upon one another!). Is what you are selling compelling? Is your offer irresistible? Can you present this in a way that gets people excited to buy even if it has a big price tag? I've pitched ultra high end programs and had prospects say, “That seems reasonable.” That's the power of a great pitch.

As you can see, there are a number of different reasons you may be getting on the phone with people who aren’t buying. Oftentimes, it's a combination of several of these that are causing the issue. I fully understand how frustrating it can be as a business owner to deal with this because the reality is this...

If multiple areas of your business (aka offer, marketing or sales) are not dialed in, your bottomline will suffer. 

The good news is you can turn things around. It starts with awareness. By looking at this list, perhaps you have already identified one or more areas of weakness that are affecting your sales.

Next comes transformation and  committing to make the changes so that your business goes from puttering along, to running like a well oiled machine. If you are curious about what it looks like to scale an ultra high end coaching or consulting business take a look here. 

Client Success Spotlight: Executive Coach from Billing by the Hour to Confidently Selling Five Figure Packages

Meet my client Michelle, an Executive & Leadership Coach. She has been coaching for more an a decade yet was billing by the hour and stuck the "churn and burn" model.

She dreamed of having one clear solution for her clients in a high end package that required a real commitment of time and finances. We helped her codify her next level solution, create $20K+ packages and position her as a credible expert to deliver outstanding results. She became rock solid in her sales conversations, owning her expertise and confidently closing clients. The outcome? She sold multiple five figure packages in one week, landing a deal that will generate six figures with one organization this year alone.

Michelle is just one of the many success stories we have. If you'd like to learn more about how Expert Accelerator can help you successfully step into selling and scaling ultra high end services, apply for a strategy call here.

Have You Downloaded Our 30 Page Guide on the Ladder of Influence?

Discover the secrets to influencing others to buy from you so you can scale your authority and grow a 7+ figure coaching or consulting business.

Inside, you will gain valuable insights as to what is holding you back (your level of influence) and how to ascend up the ladder of influence so you can grow your impact and income. download a copy of for free here.

About Jessica Yarbrough

Jessica Yarbrough has quickly developed a reputation of being one of the best business strategists for coaches and consultants who want to sell and scale ultra high end services. Her background is in international business and she has built multiple companies.

Jessica is a genius at showing entrepreneurs how to build an expert platform, rapidly raise their value, build their credibility online and attract high paying clients. She travels the world teaching and inspiring entrepreneurs and helping them grow their influence and make the income and impact they desire.

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