When I started my business, I was recommended someone to follow whose content frankly blew my mind.
Every weekend, a new thoughtful piece showed up in my inbox.
I followed their point of view.
I attended their free classes.
I bought some of their lower-priced programs—which were excellent. (I also bought a higher-priced program that… wasn’t. But that’s a story for another day.)
Then, something shifted.
The essays stopped coming regularly—and when they did, they were mostly recycled.
Instead, I started getting sales emails. A few at first. Then more. And then every email was a sales email. Some had old program dates still in them, copy-pasted from previous launches.
Soon, every time I saw their name in my inbox, I cringed.
What am I being sold now? Wait—wasn’t this the thing they said they’d never sell again “like this”? And where were the essays that originally drew me to their work?
They’d drifted too far to one side of the serve-to-sell ratio.
Too many experts get stuck on one side of the equation
Some only sell.
Every post is a pitch. Every conversation nudges toward an offer. Their podcast, their freebie, their next thing. Constant promotion.
And they wonder why people hesitate, delay, or quietly disappear. Sales cycles get longer, you get ghosted more often. Because trust hasn’t been built or overselling has burned out that original trust.
Others get stuck in serve mode.
They share insights, show up regularly, answer questions, offer support. But they never make the ask. They don’t extend a clear invitation.
So people admire them… and move on to hire someone else or invest in something else.
Neither extreme works.
Serve without sales, and your audience stays inspired but static.
Sales without serving, and people either tune out or you burn the trust you worked so hard to earn.
The best businesses do both.
They build trust and move people forward.
They serve generously, then make clear, timely invitations.
And they repeat that cycle over time: deepening trust, making thoughtful invitations, and reinforcing the sense that their trust in you is well-placed.
Newer audiences take longer now
People who are new to your world might not just buy your highest-priced offer after one strong piece of content, or even a great conversation.
They need more touch points. More time. More evidence that you get them, that what you’re offering is the right fit, and that they are ready to make the investment. Especially in a shaky economy, when budgets are tight and every investment takes more thought.
That’s not a problem—it’s a signal to adjust your serve-to-sell ratio to meet this moment.
That might look like more nurturing interactions: more stories, more ideas, more "live" or multi-media ways to interact with you. It may also mean making smaller, lower-stakes invitations to keep the conversation going. Not in the “engineer a yes” sales psychology kind of way. Just offering the clear next step.
- An email exchange
- A personal invitation to your free workshop or coaching project
- A quick 5-minute audit before a deeper paid session
- A low-cost workshop before someone commits to a bigger program
We must match the pace to which trust gets built and retained.
Find your rhythm
For most experts, this isn’t a 50/50 split. You don’t need to pack a call to action into every piece of content. You don’t need to keep people in a constant sales funnel.
But you do need rhythm.
Think of it more like the 80/20 rule.
Serve regularly. Invite intentionally.
Personally, I serve all year so I can have a sales push twice a year for the Deeper Foundations cohort. That rhythm works because the trust is already there. The people I invite in have been around. They know how I work, what I stand for, and who is the right fit for this particular program.
By the time I open enrollment, many people just need the details to confirm timing and fit.
So if things feel quiet—or sticky—it’s worth asking: where are you in the cycle?
Are you showing up with generosity, but avoiding the invite?
Or are you in sell mode, but skipping the parts that build real connection?
Trust and invitation go hand in hand.
One builds awareness. The other builds momentum.
Together, they move your business forward.