You're selling the wrong thing (and it's costing you clients)

Here's a pattern I see constantly:

You get on a sales call with someone who should be a perfect fit. They have the problem you solve. They have the budget. They even seem excited to talk to you.

So you walk them through what you do. You explain your process. You share your experience and credentials. You answer their questions thoughtfully and thoroughly.

And then they say: "This sounds great. Let me think about it."

And you never hear from them again.

Or maybe it's not sales calls. Maybe it's your website, your LinkedIn, your content. People tell you all the time that you're brilliant, that your stuff is so valuable, that they've learned so much from you.

But they're not buying.

You start to wonder if something's wrong with your offer. Maybe you need to add more to it. Maybe you need to lower your prices. Maybe you need better testimonials or a fancier website or more content.

But here's what's actually happening:

You're not losing these people because your service isn't valuable. You're losing them because you're selling the wrong thing entirely.

Most consultants and coaches describe their work by listing what they do:

This feels right. It's accurate. It's honest. It's what you actually deliver.

But it's not what people buy.

Here's the problem: Your buyers aren't walking around thinking "I need someone to build me streamlined systems." They're thinking:

→ "Why am I working 60 hours a week and still not breaking $20K months?"
→ "Why do all my sales conversations feel like I'm begging instead of leading?"
→ "Why do less experienced people in my industry seem to be passing me?"
→ "Why does everyone say I'm great but nobody's actually hiring me?"

Those are symptoms. And your buyers are acutely aware of them - they live with them every day.

But when you respond to those symptoms by explaining your process, you're speaking a different language. You're answering a question they didn't ask.

They're saying: "I'm in pain. Can you help me?"

And you're responding: "Let me tell you about my methodology."

No wonder they need to "think about it."

When you lead with activity instead of transformation, three things happen - and none of them are good:

1. You become comparable.

Every consultant "builds systems." Every coach offers "weekly calls." When you describe your work by the activities, you're competing in a market where buyers can't tell you apart from anyone else. So they do the only thing that makes sense: they compare on price.

2. You make them do your job.

When you list activities, you're asking the prospect to connect the dots themselves. "Okay, she does brand strategy... so I'll get... a better brand? Which will help me... make more money somehow?"

You're the expert. That translation is YOUR job, not theirs. And when you make them work that hard, most of them just... won't.

3. You invite the wrong conversation.

Activity-focused positioning attracts people who want to negotiate on deliverables. "Can we do 8 calls instead of 12?" "What if we skip the audit phase?" "Can you just give me the templates?"

Outcome-focused positioning attracts people who want to know one thing: "Can you get me THERE?"

But here's what nobody talks about:

When you lead with activity and people don't buy, it doesn't just cost you revenue. It costs you confidence.

You start to question yourself. "Maybe I'm not as good as I thought. Maybe I need another certification. Maybe I'm just bad at sales. Maybe I'm not cut out for this."

You watch people with half your experience and a fraction of your skill seem to attract clients effortlessly. And you can't figure out what they're doing differently.

So you try harder. You explain more. You add more to your offers. You lower your prices "just this once" to get the client in the door.

And the cycle continues.

But the problem was never your expertise or your offer or your prices.

The problem is that you're describing your work from the wrong angle.

You're telling them what you DO when they need to hear what they GET.

So how do you actually shift from activity to transformation?

I use a framework called Before/After/Beyond. It forces you to articulate your work from your client's perspective instead of your own.

BEFORE: The Symptoms and Situation

This is where your ideal client self-identifies. You're not describing their problem (they often don't know what that is). You're describing their symptoms - the things they experience every day and can immediately recognize.

Great Before statements include:

AFTER: The Real Outcome

This is what they're actually buying. Not your process. Not your deliverables. The measurable, tangible result that changes their business or life.

The key word here is real. A lot of what we think are outcomes are actually just activities in disguise:

BEYOND: What Becomes Possible

This is the ripple effect - what opens up once they have the After. This is where premium pricing lives, because you're not just solving today's problem. You're unlocking tomorrow's possibilities.

Here's how to know if your After is a real outcome or just another activity in disguise:

Keep asking "so that..." until you hit something measurable and recognizable.

"I help clients get clarity on their positioning."

→ So that they can... what?
→ "So that they can articulate their value clearly."

→ So that they can... what?
→ "So that their ideal clients immediately understand how they're different."

→ So that... what happens?
→ "So that they close more deals at higher prices without convincing."

NOW we're at an outcome.

Not outcomes (activities in disguise):

Real outcomes (measurable, they know when they're there):

For a deeper dive on pressure-testing your outcomes, check out The "So What?" Test - it walks through this process in detail.

Here's what this looks like in practice:

Weak (activity-focused): "I help business owners with their branding and messaging strategy."

Strong (transformation-focused): "I help B2B consultants who are stuck at $15K months despite being excellent at what they do [BEFORE] build positioning that attracts $30K+ clients consistently [AFTER] - so they can stop wondering where their next client is coming from and start building a business that doesn't require them to work 60-hour weeks [BEYOND]."

One statement. But look at what it does:

This isn't just marketing copy. This becomes your north star for everything - your content, your sales conversations, your offer structure, your pricing.

(And if you haven't nailed the WHO piece yet, start with Why 'Everyone' Is Nobody. Outcome clarity only works when you know exactly who you're serving.)

Here's why this work matters beyond "better positioning":

When your transformation is crystal clear, everything else gets easier.

Marketing becomes obvious. You know exactly what symptoms to speak to because you've articulated the Before so precisely.

Sales conversations shift. You're not convincing anymore - you're confirming. The prospect already knows what they're buying.

Pricing gets simpler. When the outcome is clear and measurable, the value is obvious. You're not defending your rates. You're stating them.

Content writes itself. Every piece of content either speaks to the Before (here's what you're experiencing), the After (here's what's possible), or the bridge between them (here's how).

Clear transformation = clear positioning = clear marketing = premium pricing.

Everything cascades from this one piece of clarity.

Quick question: When's the last time a prospect said "this is exactly what I need" before you even finished explaining?

If it's been a while - or never - your transformation statement might be the problem.

Here's my challenge:
Take 15 minutes today and write your Before/After/Beyond statement. Then hit reply and send it to me. I'll tell you if you've hit a real outcome or if you're still stuck in activity-land.

Fair warning: I'll be honest.

In love, growth, and transformation,
Kasey