Why No One Is Buying Your Course/Service (It's Not Your Pricing)
A client I'll call Rachel launched her signature course last month. She'd spent six months creating modules, filming videos, and building the perfect customer journey. The launch day came and went with three sales.
"I think my course is too expensive," she told me on our emergency call. "Maybe I should drop it from £997 to £497."
I looked at her sales page. The headline read: "Transform Your Life With My Proven System." The course description was eight paragraphs about her journey and qualifications. Nowhere did it explain what specific problem the course solved or what outcome people would get.
Her pricing wasn't the problem. Her messaging was complete gibberish.
The Comfortable Lies We Tell Ourselves About Poor Sales
When courses don't sell and services aren't booking out, we reach for the most comfortable explanation: price.
It's too expensive. The market can't afford it. People don't value quality anymore. If we just made it cheaper, more accessible, more affordable, then surely people would buy.
Here's why this is bollocks, (excuse my French): people spend £5 on coffee every day without thinking. They'll drop £200 on trainers they'll wear twice. They'll pay £80 for dinner and not blink.
But they won't spend £500 on something that could actually change their business because they don't understand what you're selling or why they need it.
I've seen people fail to sell £97 courses and then successfully launch £2,000 programmes. The difference wasn't the price. It was the clarity.
The Real Reasons No One Is Buying Your Course
Reason 1: You're Solving a Problem No One Has
Last year, a client spent four months creating a course on "intuitive business planning." She was convinced entrepreneurs needed to connect with their inner wisdom to make better decisions.
She sold six copies.
Then she reframed it as "How to Plan Your Business When You Hate Traditional Planning" and sold 150 copies in eight weeks. Same content. Different problem.
Most course creators fall in love with their solution before validating the problem. You think people need what you're offering because it worked for you. But your problem isn't everyone's problem.
Reason 2: Your Messaging Is About You, Not Them
Check your sales page right now. How many times do you use the word "I" versus "you"?
"I've helped hundreds of clients..."
"My proven system..."
"I discovered this method when..."
Your potential customers don't care about your journey. They care about their destination. That also goes for lengthy about pages, or "here are our company values" sections. Believe it or not, customers don't actually care. They want to know if they get free shipping, how long it will take for them to be ripping the packaging open, and if they don't like it – can they return it, for free?
The principle works everywhere. Lead with their outcome, not your story.
Reason 3: You're Trying to Help Everyone
"This course is perfect for coaches, consultants, service providers, and anyone building a business online."
Congratulations. You've just convinced exactly no one to buy.
When you speak to everyone, you speak to no one. The most successful courses I've seen solve specific problems for specific people.
Not "marketing for coaches." "Client attraction for relationship coaches who hate selling." Not "productivity systems." "Time management for working mothers with ADHD."
Reason 4: You Haven't Proved You Can Get Results
Your sales page lists your qualifications, your story, and your passion. But where are your results?
I don't mean testimonials saying "Rachel is amazing and really cares." I mean specific, measurable outcomes.
"Sarah went from £2K months to consistent £8K months within 12 weeks." "Tom's email list grew from 200 to 2,000 subscribers in six months." "Lisa closed her first £5K client using the scripts from module 3."
If you don't have results yet, you're not ready to sell a course. Start with done-for-you services, get people results, then package what worked into a programme.
Why Dropping Your Prices Makes Everything Worse
When Rachel told me she wanted to halve her course price, I asked her a question: "What do you think about £10 courses on Udemy?"
"They're probably rubbish," she said immediately.
"Right. So what will people think about your £497 course when everyone else charges £997?"
Price isn't just about money. It's a signal of value, quality, and results. When you drop your prices, you don't just reduce your profit margins. You reduce people's perception of what you're offering.
Plus, cheaper products attract price-sensitive customers. These are the people most likely to ask for refunds, least likely to implement, and most likely to leave bad reviews because they expected £2,000 value for £200.
The goal isn't to be affordable. The goal is to be irresistible to the right people.
How to Diagnose What's Really Wrong
Before you change your pricing, check these things:
Traffic Problem: Are people actually seeing your sales page? If you're getting <50 visitors a month, poor conversion isn't your main issue.
Clarity Problem: Can a 12-year-old read your sales page and explain what you're selling and who it's for? If not, fix your messaging before anything else.
Proof Problem: Do you have specific, measurable results from real clients? Testimonials about how lovely you are don't count.
Problem-Solution Fit: Are you solving a problem people actually have and are willing to pay to fix? Or are you solving a problem you think they should have?
Positioning Problem: Are you trying to help everyone or are you laser-focused on a specific person with a specific problem?
Most poor sales come down to one of these issues. Usually clarity.
What Actually Fixes Poor Sales
Get Brutally Specific About Who You Help
Instead of "business owners," try "female coaches in their 40s who left corporate jobs to start coaching businesses but are struggling to get their first clients."
Yes, it's narrower. Yes, you'll exclude people. That's the point.
Lead With the Problem, Not the Solution
Your ideal client doesn't wake up thinking "I need a course on intuitive business planning."
They wake up thinking "I'm so tired of winging it and hoping for the best. I need a plan that doesn't make me want to throw my laptop out the window."
Show Specific Results
Not "this will change your life." Not "you'll feel more confident." Specific, measurable outcomes.
"By week 4, you'll have a waiting list of 20 people wanting to work with you." "You'll book 3 discovery calls from every Instagram post using the templates in module 2."
Test Before You Build
Stop building courses in isolation. Test your idea first.
Run a live workshop. Sell a small group programme. Do done-for-you work with a few clients.
If you can't get people to buy a £200 workshop, they won't buy a £2,000 course on the same topic.
The Uncomfortable Questions You Need to Ask Yourself
Before you blame your pricing for poor sales, ask yourself:
Can you explain what you're selling in one clear sentence?
Would you buy your course at any price based on your current sales page?
Are you trying to help everyone because you're afraid of excluding anyone?
Do you have specific, measurable results to prove your method works?
Are you solving a problem people actually have, or one you think they should have?
When was the last time someone who wasn't your mum told you they desperately needed what you're offering?
Are you using pricing as an excuse because fixing the real problems feels harder?
If you're still reading, you probably know your sales problem isn't your price. It's your positioning, your messaging, or your market validation.
The Clarity Sprint is designed to diagnose what's really stopping people from buying. In 90 minutes, I'll audit your offer, identify the actual problem, and give you a specific plan to fix it.
Because sometimes the most expensive mistake isn't charging too much.
It's spending months fixing the wrong thing.
If you enjoy my writing – you’ll love my Substack.
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