You’ve got the offer.
You’ve built it with care. You’ve poured in your expertise, your story, your process.
And yet… they’re not buying.
Not as many as you thought. Not as quickly. Not with the enthusiasm you imagined.
And you’re left wondering: Did I get this wrong? Is it my price? My marketing? My niche?
Maybe.
But maybe it’s something more subtle.
Maybe — and stay with me here — you’re selling what you think they want, not what they’re actually asking for.
It’s one of the most common patterns we see when we help clients refine their messaging and offers. Not because they’re “wrong” — but because they’re too close to their own work to see the disconnect.
Let’s unpack what’s really happening when your offer doesn’t land — and how to bridge the gap between what you’re selling and what your audience is actually looking for..
First: Let’s Get One Thing Straight
This is not about dumbing your work down.
This is not about people-pleasing or being everything to everyone.
This is about alignment.
You can have the most valuable offer in the world, but if it’s wrapped in a message people don’t connect with — they won’t buy it.
And when there’s a gap between what you’re offering and what people are ready to say yes to, it’s almost always a communication issue.
(And yes — this is something we help clients fix all the time. Often it’s just a few key shifts in copy, structure or framing that make all the difference.)
1. You Built the Offer You Would Have Wanted
This is such a loving trap.
You had your own turning point. A breakthrough. A journey.
You found something that worked, and now you want to offer it to others — which is beautiful.
But here’s the risk:
You end up creating something based on where you were, not where they are.
You might be:
• Speaking at a level too advanced
• Offering too much too soon
• Building around tools or language they don’t yet understand
The result?
They’re confused. They feel like it’s not “for them.” And they quietly opt out.
What to do:
• Revisit the beginning of your ideal client’s journey — what did they actually need first?
• Are you speaking to the now version of them, or the “after” version?
• Can you meet them with language that feels familiar — not aspirational yet unreachable?
We help clients reposition offers like this all the time. The work is powerful — it just needs to meet people where they actually are.
2. You’re Focused on Features — They Want Outcomes
This is a big one.
You’re describing:
• “6 x 1:1 sessions”
• “Lifetime access to the course”
• “Personalised plans and weekly support”
They’re wondering:
• “Will this help me sleep again?”
• “Will I finally feel confident putting myself out there?”
• “Will I get my first client?”
People don’t buy features. They buy futures.
They want to know what’s going to be different after they work with you. What problem will be solved? What feeling will shift? What result can they expect?
And if you don’t spell that out? They keep scrolling.
What to do:
• Lead with the transformation, not the logistics
• Paint the “before and after” clearly
• Use testimonials or stories to bring the outcomes to life
We often help clients rewrite their offer copy through this lens — not changing the work, just changing how it’s described. It’s often the difference between “I’ll think about it” and “Where do I sign up?”
3. You’re Using Your Language — Not Theirs
This one stings a little, but it’s important.
You’re deep in your world. You know the frameworks, the healing modalities, the systems, the strategies.
So you write:
• “Get aligned with your purpose”
• “Step into your expansion”
• “Activate your inner power”
But your audience?
They’re thinking:
• “I feel stuck in my job”
• “I don’t know what I’m good at”
• “I want to feel like myself again”
Your job isn’t to sound impressive. It’s to sound clear.
When the language doesn’t land, the offer doesn’t either.
What to do:
• Listen to how your clients describe their struggles (and mirror it back)
• Use everyday, emotionally honest language
• Save the specialist terms for after they’ve said yes
We help clients build messaging that sounds like them — but still makes sense to the person reading. You don’t have to compromise your depth. You just need to build a bridge to it.
4. You’re Solving a Problem They Don’t Know They Have (Yet)
Sometimes your offer solves something that your audience isn’t actively thinking about.
You’re addressing the root cause. But they’re looking for a quick fix. Or they’re just more aware of a surface-level pain.
Example:
• You’re selling nervous system regulation.
They’re Googling “how to stop feeling anxious all the time.”
• You’re selling brand strategy.
They think they just need a new logo.
This doesn’t mean your offer is wrong. It means the entry point needs work.
What to do:
• Use their words for the initial hook — and educate once they’re listening
• Position your deeper solution as the answer to their more visible problem
• Build your offer page or sales conversation around the symptom and the root
We do this kind of repositioning a lot — finding that sweet spot between meeting the client where they are and guiding them toward what they really need.
5. You’ve Got Assumptions Built Into the Offer
Sometimes, the offer doesn’t land because it assumes too much.
You assume they:
• Already know what they want
• Trust themselves to invest
• Understand the value of your industry or approach
• Have the time or energy to figure it out
But for someone new to your world, those assumptions can feel like friction.
They don’t want to decode what “aligned strategy” means. They just want to know if they’ll get more clients.
What to do:
• Break the offer down in plain terms
• Answer objections gently but confidently
• Give people a simple path to “yes” (one next step, not five)
We often help clients streamline their offers to reduce that friction — creating clarity andconfidence for the buyer.
6. You’re Creating Offers for the “Ideal Client” in Your Head — Not the One Actually in Your Inbox
Here’s a sneaky one.
You have a picture of your dream client — aspirational, decisive, totally aligned. You build your offer for her.
But the people actually DMing you? Emailing you? Commenting?
They’re slightly earlier in the journey. Slightly less sure. Slightly more human.
And while your offer could help them, it’s not positioned in a way that makes them feel safe enough to say yes.
What to do:
• Check your actual data: who’s engaging, asking questions, hovering?
• Ask yourself: “Is my offer creating momentum — or demanding readiness?”
• Adjust your language and flow to support real people — not idealised versions of them
One of our favourite things to do is help clients rework offers that almost work — because a few strategic tweaks can completely change the results.
So… What Do You Do Now?
If you’ve been pouring energy into an offer that isn’t converting the way you hoped, don’t scrap it yet.
Instead, ask yourself:
• Am I using their language — or mine?
• Am I meeting them where they are — or where I want them to be?
• Am I selling the outcome — or just the process?
• Am I solving a problem they know they have?
Clarity isn’t always about rewriting your whole brand. Sometimes it’s about making one good offer speak better.
And that? That’s fixable.
Final Thought: People Do Want What You Offer — But They Need to Recognise Themselves in It
You don’t need to change your mission.
You don’t need to add more.
You don’t need to be louder.
You just need to speak more clearly to the right people — in the way they’re already thinking and feeling.
Your offer is probably closer to landing than you think.
And if you’re too deep in it to figure that out alone? That’s where we come in.
We help people like you refine what you already have — so it clicks, it connects, and it converts.
Because the best offers aren’t the most complicated.
They’re the ones people recognise as theirs.
Let’s build one of those.
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