Not Getting Sales Right Away? Here’s Why That’s Totally Normal
A few weeks ago, I pulled into a service station on a road trip to top up my EV.
Nothing new for me. I've driven all-electric for 5 years. I'm a plug 'n' charge queen who can tell you all about fast and rapid and DC and AC charging.
But the guy at the plug next to me...not so much. He was staring at the charger like it had hieroglyphs on it. Overwhelmed, confused, but also excited.
We had a little chat. Turns out, this was his first ever road trip in an electric car. He didn’t really know how to plan his stops or make sure he wouldn’t end up stranded somewhere outside Milton Keynes. He was worried it might all go wrong.
But also? He’d still gone for it. He was buzzing to give it a go.
Your People Are Like First-Time EV Drivers 🚙⚡️
That little scene stuck with me, because it’s exactly what it’s like when someone’s checking out your course, membership, or offer for the first time.
They’re excited. This is something new. Promising. Possibly game-changing.
But they’re also wary.
What if it’s a waste of money?
What if you’re one of those coaches or course creators who lets them down?
What if they just… can’t do it?
It’s a risk. Especially for someone who’s never bought a thing like this online before.
The Real Reason People Wait to Buy
source: wikipedia
One helpful way to understand the different ways your people might buy from you is to look at the technology adoption life cycle.
It shows that people will try something new at different paces. Some are “innovators” who love to try new possibilities and leap right over risks and into new opportunities. Most people are part of the early or late majority, who wait around to see how something performs before they make a change.
For example, think of how you use ChatGPT or Canva* or Notion.* Where would you put yourself on the scale?
One business example that’s rewarding early adopters for the risks they take is Appsumo*. As a customer over there, you’ll get irresistible deals at sharply discounted prices…but you’re buying things you’ve never heard of. They really know their target customer over there!
Why This Matters for Your Launches and Promotions
When you’re marketing something, it’s really easy to feel like you’re torturing your audience with the echo chamber of doom.
You talk about your course or membership once, then send a few emails. You post a couple of things. And then that little voice pipes up: “Everyone’s seen this. I’m being annoying now.”
But chances are you’re not even close. If we’re looking at the adoption curve, we can find about 50% of potential buyers nowhere near the early stages. Those people aren’t in touch with you yet, but they’re paying attention for sure.
Many of your next buyers are sitting quietly in the background, watching, wondering if they can trust you.
This is why people say consistency matters in your marketing. It’s not about posting at the same time every week, but about showing your next client that you’re still here. You’re serious about what you’re saying, despite the wild things that happen in any launch. So keep showing up, keep engaging.
What To Do When You Feel Like a Broken Record
Next time you feel as repetitive as a UK weather forecast in December, consider that you're not annoying the big majority of people yet. An estimated 50% of people are late adopters, even "laggards" who need a lot of trust and social proof before they ever buy.
What does that mean for you? Keep truckin’ 🚚
This can look like
sharing new testimonials and client stories
reguarly describing what you’ve got on offer and how it works
repetitions and repurposing, rewriting, and re-sharing
inviting ALL customers to join you for a chat, and offering the odd easy-access deal to lower the risks for them
sharing the big picture (your values) and the small picture (why you made product X)
Whatever you do, don’t assume that silence is a forever no. More likely, it just means someone’s keeping an eye on you.
