Many business owners think that if they have the perfect sales page, they will see sales pouring in. And if the sales aren’t pouring in, it must be the fault of the copy.

I would say 9/10 times, that’s not the case. It’s usually not the copy, and not even the sales page that’s responsible for low sales, and here’s why: Your sales page is the last stop on a much longer customer journey.

So let’s talk about what happens on your customer journey, and see if we can identify places where you’re losing people before they get to the sales page (and then we’ll talk about how you might be losing people ON your sales page).

Here are 10 reasons why your sales page might not be converting and what to do about it.

1. Nobody is finding it

Visibility is the biggest issue - do your ideal clients even know your sales page exists? This is where your wider marketing comes in: building your subscriber list, your social media presence, your content marketing, getting in front of other people’s audiences (hub marketing, as Tad Hargrave calls it). Conversions on a sales page is something of a numbers game. You need a lot of eyes on it to fill the seats in your program.

And, this is where many coaches (and yours truly) fall flat. 

As a “conversion copywriter,” my expertise begins and ends on the Sales Page. But, I know a lot about how sales funnels/customer journeys work, and for the rest, I consulted with my business coach, Caroline Leon, to help fill in the gaps (one of her specialties is teaching coaches how to grow your audience with integrity). Here’s what she says:

What I see time and again is people creating the perfect sales page and then sending one email, posting one time on social media and then expecting the cash to flow in. On average, less than 21% of your subscribers are opening your emails, and less than 10% of your social media followers are seeing your posts. I’ll give you a minute to do the math...not good numbers! 

In order for people to even know your sales page exists, you have to get better at visibility. What does that mean? You probably need to be asking for the sale 10x more often than you currently do. Don’t assume, just because you’ve emailed your subscribers that you can tick that box off of your to-do list. They say people need 7 touch points for a sale.

Most of us are what Caroline calls “conscious business owners” - basically, we don’t want to be salesy, irritating, or pushy. That’s not aligned with our values. But, we’re so afraid of being seen as icky and pushy that we over-correct in the other direction — and become invisible.

There is a happy medium. There is a way to be visible without being pushy or icky. Think about it: The businesses you love and follow, you don’t see their sales emails in your inbox and think “Oh no, not another email!” Because the emails - even the sales ones - have value for you, and you know, like and trust the business and want to support them. And heck, you want to know what they’re offering, because you just might want to buy!

If it’s one thing I’m learning from Caroline, it’s this: You don’t have to be on every channel to sell. But you do have to pick one or two channels, consistently publish content, and ask for the sale ten times more than you think you should.

And that’s scary! It’s scary because we’re business owners with integrity, and we don’t want to “bother” people. But we’re also business owners. And when you’re a business, it’s your JOB to sell. (You don’t see Apple saying “Gosh, we just launched a product. We can’t launch another one - it would bother people!”)

2. The wrong people are finding it 

I remember working on a website for a company that sold package tracking software for large companies and universities, and the problem they had was getting calls from what they called the “Amazon Grannies” - older women trying to figure out where their Amazon package was! That’s not what they did. At all. But, that was the language they were using “track your packages.” When we changed that wording to “package tracking software for organizations” - the wrong-fit calls went away.

The marketing we do around our sales pages works very similarly — you have to use the right language that attracts your right-fit, ideal customers to your page. Or, you can fall into the trap of accidentally attracting the wrong-fit customers who won’t convert. 

If you keep getting wrong-fit leads, here’s how to fix it: 

• Market research: Market research means talking to several people who are your ideal clients, and carefully recording or writing down the language they use to describe their problems, pains, and desires. You can do this with short calls or long surveys, or both (I recommend both). Once you know the real issues your ideal clients are dealing with AND the words they use to describe it, you can…

• Use that language in your social media ads, your blog posts, your guest blog posts, and on your actual sales page.

That’s it. That’s the secret. Do a double-check on what your clients want, what their problems are, and the exact language (we call it “voice of customer data” in marketing) they use to describe it. And use those words to attract more ideal clients.

3. Inconsistent branding 

This is such a common problem and such an easy fix. Check the branding on all of the ads and social media posts you’re using to send people to your sales page, and make sure it matches the branding on your sales page! Use the same image. Use the same colors. Use the same messaging. 

Because, if people see an ad and like it enough to click on it, they will be very confused if they land on a page that looks different than what they expect from the ad. And confusion kills conversions. You’ll see your bounce rates skyrocket if you don’t get this right.

4. Inconsistent messaging

You will also see bounce rates skyrocket if you don’t have consistent messaging. Just like consistent branding, this problem comes up when the messaging (the promise you’re making, the problem you’re solving, the words you use to describe them) on the ad doesn’t match the messaging on the sales page. If your ad says “Make $10K In a Month!” and your sales page header copy is “Shift Your Money Mindset to Make More Money” - you might be selling the same program, but the expectations you’ve set up don’t match.

5. Your leads aren’t warm enough

People need to know, like and trust you before they’ll invest - in anything. And 90% of that happens outside of your sales page. It starts at the first point of contact - the first time a prospect becomes aware that you exist, and that relationship continues to grow through your content, through conversations you have on social media, and through outreach. 

If you look at how business and marketing coaches like Rebecca Tracey, Tad Hargrave or George Kao set up their launches, you’ll see them posting multiple times every day, using videos several times a week, sending emails every day - and that’s not even counting paid ads. The first time I remember seeing an ad for Uncage Your Business, I was intrigued. When I then saw a video she posted, I was impressed. I joined her Facebook group. Maybe I took a look at her website at that point (I don’t remember). And THEN, when she geared up for her UYB launch, I watched the videos, I read the posts, and I finally got to the sales page.

By then, I was a warm lead. I knew who she was. I liked her. But I didn’t know if I could trust her to really deliver the value I needed. So I didn’t plonk down the money just yet… but I was so close. (Keep reading to see when and why I did plonk down the money for Uncage Your Business - the only big program I’ve ever bought).

But that’s what you have to do. You have to do the work first, before you launch your program, before you even write your sales page, to get in front of your ideal clients and get them to know, like and (mostly) trust you. Then they’re ready for the sales page (and so are you).

Once your prospect reaches your sales page, then the following can become a problem:

6. Your doorbell is broken 

Sometimes your sales page isn’t converting because…

• It won’t load, or takes too long to load.

• Your https security thingy isn’t set up right (SSL certificate is the technical term, which I learned when mine busted yesterday), so people get a message “this website isn’t safe, you could be attacked by hackers!” - which will send them running.

• Your CTA button isn’t linked to anything, or lands on your 404 page.

Basically, eliminate the technical reasons why people may not be converting first, before you start eyeballing the copy!

7. You’re coming on too strong (asking for too much too soon)

Even when you’ve gotten to Know, Like & (Mostly) Trust through your larger marketing efforts, you can still ask for too much too soon on the sales page by asking for the money too high on the page.

There’s a reason prices are usually placed at the bottom of a sales page (some people don’t even post prices on their sales pages - you have to click the buy button to see the cost. DO NOT DO THAT. But, that’s the subject of another post.)

A long-form sales page is designed to act like a conversation you would have with someone in person. In many ways, it takes the place of that hour-long conversation you might have if you tried to sell your program one person at a time. And in a conversation, you don’t start by saying:

GIVE ME YOUR MONEY!

Not unless you’re trying to rob people! 

So, on your sales page, you want to start it the way you would start a conversation - by talking about THEM (not by talking about yourself). They’re on that sales page because they know they have a problem - so talk about that problem. Show them that you understand where they are right now.

Then, show them that you understand how to help them overcome that problem. Show them that you’ve solved that problem for other people (testimonials, aka. Social proof). Answer their questions (FAQs). 

Once you’ve given them all of those reasons to TRUST you - then tell them the price. Because now they’re wondering about it. Now it’s the natural next step. (They still may not be ready to buy, which I’ll get into in #9).

8. A confused mind says no

Confusion kills conversions. If people are confused about the value you offer, about what you’re delivering, about what they’ll get and how and when they’ll get it - they won’t give you their money. 

The first place you need CLARITY is in your header copy and the ‘subheading’ - somewhere in there, above the fold (before people have to scroll down) should be your Value Proposition. A value proposition is a quick sentence that says: What you do, who you help, and what they’ll be able to do. I wrote a whole post about how to write clear copy that converts here.

Then, there’s a very important section in the Long Form Sales Page that outlines the details of your program or offer. Sometimes it’s a week-by-week breakdown of course materials. Sometimes it’s a day-by-day breakdown. If you watch my video on Tad Hargrave’s Epic Sales Page, you’ll see that he does this by writing half a page about “what a typical day of being in this mentorship program looks like.” 

9. Missing the conversation

Okay, back to what made me finally invest in Rebecca Tracey’s Uncage Your Business Program! Even after I knew that I liked Becca and that her program might be able to help me transition my business from working with tech companies to coaches (hello major niche change!), I wasn’t 100% sure that her program would work for me.

Because I’m a copywriter for coaches, not a coach myself. And UYB is for coaches.

So I went to her Sales Page, and on the FAQs was a section “will this work for me if I’m not a coach?” And the answer was “Yes, if you’re a service-based business, this will probably work for you.” And I felt a little better. But I didn’t buy.

I didn’t buy until I emailed her and SHE ANSWERED BACK with a personal email that I knew didn’t come from a template. And we had maybe a couple emails back and forth. 

This let me know that I could trust her. Really trust her. Trust her to help me with my business, but more than that, I could trust her to care about helping me with my business. 

And good gravy, have I seen just how much she cares about her clients over the past two years. She offers so much support, so much of her time and expertise. She is a genuinely generous person (and that’s one of my core values too). 

What people get wrong with their sales pages is that they expect the sales page to do ALL the work to make the sale. And sometimes they don’t even have a way for leads to contact them listed on the page!

There’s a line somewhere in The Prosperous Coach that says “No client was ever created outside of a conversation.” For coaches, especially, I have found this to be true.

10. You’re copy is crap

Okay, there, I said it. Sometimes it really IS your copy that is flubbing your sale! So let’s talk about what might be happening.

• You’re underwhelming people with how you position your value

This is the opposite of “overpromise and under-deliver” - it’s when you’re so careful not to over promise that your copy gets tepid. This tends to happen when you use phrases like “might” or “may” or “possibly.” Like you’re leaving room for this to fail. Don’t be afraid to make BOLD statements, as long as they’re not hyperbole. Like, don’t say “This Course will CHANGE YOUR LIFE!” But do say “This course will make you fall in love with your business again.” 

• Your offer isn’t compelling enough

It might not be the way you’re selling, but what you’re selling. Did you do market research before launching the program? Did you find a problem to solve that was severe enough that people will pay what you’re asking to make it go away? It’s a two-parter: Do they need what you’re selling, and do they need it so much they’re willing to pay what you’re asking? It’s pain and severity of the pain.

• Your copy is vague

This is where I see coaches run into trouble most often, and why niching down becomes so important. Vague happens when you’re not being specific enough to paint a clear picture in the prospect’s mind about what they’re going to get, and what they’ll be able to do when they get it. (This goes back to that value proposition we talked about!). Usually, the cure for this is the “So you can…” statement.

Here’s an example of a vague line of copy:

“We’ll work together to identify your next best step and utilise every tool at our disposal to get you moving in the right direction.”

We’ll work together How? My next best step to what? Every tool - which tools? The right direction to where? WHERE ARE YOU TAKING ME?!

And that’s a line of copy I’ve seen so many coaches write variations on, because that’s what you do. You help people figure out how to get out of the muddle they’re in so they can (SO THEY CAN!) get clarity and move toward living their best life. But that’s not all you do. There are details you can fill in to be more specific and add clarity to your offer.

Try:

“We’ll work together in a combination of 1:1 coaching and group sessions to narrow down what career paths you’re drawn to, identify your strengths and passions, and help you find clarity on which way you want to go. Then we’ll create a step-by-step plan for you to move toward your newly-defined goal, with strategies to navigate your personal and professional hurdles.”

That’s clearer, right? That makes you feel like you’ll get the support and structure you need to reach your ideal outcome (a career that’s more aligned with your passions and purpose, maybe). 

• Your testimonials are “nice” but not strong

Social proof is such a  huge part of what makes a good sales page work, but you don’t just need any old testimonial. You need strong testimonials. And this is something I learned from Rebecca Tracey, because the testimonials I had on my site were “nice” - not strong. 

A nice testimonial is …

“This was a great course. I got so much out of it and [coach’s name] was so supportive.”

That tells the reader NOTHING other than that it was a pleasant experience. The reader can go buy an ice cream cone for $2 and have a pleasant experience. They need to know they’re getting more than that from you.

A strong testimonial is…

“This course gave me so much clarity that I finally know what I want to do with my life. And, it gave me concrete next steps to follow that were doable - and I’ve already started doing them. I’ve signed up for college classes in my chosen field, I’ve gotten a mentor in that profession, and I feel like I’m finally on my way to doing what I’m meant to do. Thank you!”

In other words, a strong testimonial is one that talks about the tangible results they’ve gotten as a result of your program. There is nothing more compelling than sharing the results you’ve gotten for others (you can even put case studies into your sales page, if you’ve got them!).

Okay, that was a LOT of ground to cover. 

To sum all of this up, sales pages don’t work because:

• You’re not doing enough on the visibility side of marketing your program.

• You’re not using client language to describe the problem and desired outcome.

• You’re not being consistent between your ads and sales page.

• You’re confusing people!

• You’re freaking them out (by coming on too strong, too fast).

• You’re not giving people a chance to have a conversation with you.

• You’re not expressing the value you offer clearly enough.

If you need support in how to grow your visibility and build your list, you don’t need a copywriter, you need a coach or a course (or both). I highly recommend these affordable resources from Caroline Leon, Tad Hargrave and George Kao.