Most business owners I meet tell me the same thing:
“We need more leads.”
And on the surface, that sounds reasonable. More leads = more sales = more growth.
But here’s what I’ve learned after years of working with small and medium-sized business owners:
In most cases, it’s not a marketing problem. It’s a positioning and buying journey problem.
And until that’s fixed, throwing more money, time, or energy into marketing is like pouring water into a leaky bucket.
Let me show you what I mean.
The Real Issue Behind “We Need More Leads”
I was working with a client recently who had invested heavily in marketing:
- Google Ads running consistently
- Social media content going out weekly
- A decent-looking website
- Even some paid lead generation campaigns
On paper, everything looked right.
But results? Inconsistent at best.
Leads came in… but they were the wrong type.
Enquiries didn’t convert.
Sales cycles dragged on.
And the team started saying things like:
“The leads aren’t very good.”
Sound familiar?
Here’s the truth:
Bad leads are often a symptom—not the root cause.
When we dug deeper, the issue wasn’t visibility. It wasn’t activity.
It was this:
- Unclear positioning
- A weak or generic value proposition
- And a buying journey that didn’t match how their customers actually make decisions
Once we fixed those three things, the same marketing channels started producing dramatically better results.
What Positioning Actually Means (And Why Most Get It Wrong)
Positioning is one of those words that gets thrown around a lot.
But in practical terms, it answers a very simple question:
“Why should a customer choose you over the alternatives?”
Not in theory.
Not in your head.
But in the mind of your customer.
Most businesses default to:
- “We offer great service”
- “We’re reliable”
- “We care about our customers”
Which is exactly what everyone else is saying.
That’s not positioning. That’s background noise.
Strong positioning is specific. It’s relevant. It speaks directly to a problem your ideal client already knows they have.
For example:
- Not “we supply coffee”…
- But “we help cafés increase repeat customers through a brand their customers connect with.”
Now we’re in a different conversation.
The Cost of Weak Positioning
If your positioning is unclear:
- Your marketing messages don’t land
- You attract price-sensitive or poor-fit clients
- Your conversion rates drop
- Your sales process becomes longer and harder
Which leads you right back to:
“We need more leads.”
When actually, you need better alignment.
The Missing Piece: Your Customer’s Buying Journey
Even if your positioning is strong, there’s another layer most businesses miss:
How your customer actually buys.
Because customers don’t wake up one morning and say:
“Today’s the day I engage a [insert your service].”
They move through stages.
Typically something like:
- Unaware – They don’t realise there’s a problem yet
- Problem-aware – They feel the pain but can’t define it
- Solution-aware – They’re exploring options
- Decision-ready – They’re comparing providers
Most marketing completely ignores this.
Instead, it jumps straight to:
“Buy now.”
“Book a call.”
“Get a quote.”
Which only works for a small percentage of your market—the ones already ready to buy.
Everyone else? They disengage.
Where Marketing Efforts Get Wasted
This is where I see businesses burning time and money.
They invest in:
- Paid ads
- Social content
- Email campaigns
- Networking
But:
- The message doesn’t match the audience’s stage
- The offer doesn’t match their level of awareness
- The journey from interest to decision is unclear
So what happens?
- Leads drop off
- Conversion rates stay low
- ROI looks poor
And the conclusion becomes:
“Marketing isn’t working.”
When actually:
Marketing is doing exactly what it should—highlighting a broken system underneath.
A Better Way to Think About Growth
If you want your marketing to work, you need to build it on solid foundations.
Here’s the shift I coach clients through:
1. Nail Your Positioning First
Get crystal clear on:
- Who your ideal client actually is (not “anyone who will pay”)
- The specific problems you solve
- The outcomes you deliver
- Why you’re different in a way that matters
If this isn’t sharp, nothing else will be.
2. Map the Buying Journey
Ask yourself:
- What does my client think before they speak to me?
- What doubts or objections do they have?
- What information do they need to move forward?
Then build content, conversations, and offers that guide them through those stages.
Not push them. Guide them.
3. Align Your Marketing to That Journey
Now—and only now—does marketing become powerful.
Because:
- Your messaging resonates
- Your content feels relevant
- Your offers land at the right time
And suddenly:
- Lead quality improves
- Conversion rates increase
- Sales cycles shorten
Often without increasing marketing spend.
A Simple Test for Your Business
If you’re not sure where the issue sits, ask yourself:
- Are we getting enquiries but not converting them? → Likely a positioning problem
- Are we getting the wrong type of enquiries? → Positioning + targeting issue
- Are people engaging but not taking action? → Buying journey problem
- Are we constantly saying “we need more leads”? → System problem, not just marketing
The Coaching Insight: Where the Real Leverage Is
As a business coach, this is one of the highest-leverage areas you can work on with clients.
Because when you fix:
- Positioning
- Buying journey
- Message-to-market alignment
You don’t just improve marketing.
You improve:
- Sales performance
- Team clarity
- Pricing confidence
- Customer experience
It becomes a multiplier across the entire business.
Final Thought: Stop Pouring Into the Leaky Bucket
If your marketing feels harder than it should…
If you’re working harder for every lead…
If growth feels inconsistent or unpredictable…
Pause.
Before you spend more on marketing, ask:
“Is the problem really visibility… or is it clarity and alignment?”
Because in most cases:
You don’t have a marketing problem.
You have a positioning and buying journey problem.
Fix that—and your marketing starts working the way it’s supposed to.
Next Step
If this has landed for you, here’s a simple action:
Map one of your core services across the buying journey.
- What does your client need to hear at each stage?
- What proof do they need?
- What would make saying “yes” easier?
Do that well, and you won’t just generate more leads.
You’ll generate the right ones—and convert them far more effectively
If you want to dive deeper into how to get this right in your business, I’d love to have a chat. Book a free 15-minute call, and we’ll see if working together makes sense — no pressure, no pitch.
