Why your Sales Page isn’t Converting: The Conversion Cycle

You’ve spent hours tweaking your sales page. Maybe you’ve rewritten the headline for the fifteenth time, swapped out images, or even changed your CTA button color.

And still… crickets.

It’s frustrating, right? You wonder, “Why isn’t this working? What’s wrong with my sales page copy?”

So if you’re considering Dubsado, this post will walk you through:

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Why your Sales Page isn’t converting — it isn’t the whole story.
What is the Conversion Cycle?
Why understanding the Conversion Cycle matters as an online service provider.
Why Referrals Prove the Cycle Works
Breaking Down the Six Stages of the Conversion Cycle
How the Conversion Cycle Makes Sales Pages Work
Three Questions to audit your Conversion Cycle
Conversion isn’t about your sales page headline, your proposal template, or even your pricing.

Why your Sales Page isn’t converting — it isn’t the whole story.

A sales page, no matter how good it is, doesn’t sell on its own. Otherwise, you’d be missing everything that goes into the conversion.

Think about it this way:
A 100% conversion rate means nothing if only one person visits your sales page.

That’s why I’ve learned that conversions rarely about the price. It’s about getting someone to make a decision.

Whether that’s a yes or a no, clients are weighing trust.
Trust in you. Trust in your offer. And the trust that the investment is worth it.

And the biggest shift that will turn up the conversions for you, like it did for me? Understanding the conversion cycle.

Because conversions don’t happen in a vacuum. And they definitely don’t happen if you only obsess over the sale.

What is the Conversion Cycle?

If you’ve ever worked in corporate (or were in business school like me), this is my reframe of that idea — but for online service providers.

Here’s the high-level overview:

1. Discovery: How your next client first comes across you.
2. Stay: What gets them to stick around and engage.
3. Decision: The moment that nudges them from casual lurker to interested buyer.
4. Conversion: The “yes” — the actual sale.
5. Delivery: Making sure the service is as good as the sales pitch.
6. Retention & Referral: What makes people come back and send others your way.

Most people obsess over stage 4. The conversion. The sale. The booked client.

But without the other five stages working together? Your sales are built on vibes.

Why understanding the Conversion Cycle matters as an online service provider.

The reason your sales page isn’t converting isn’t a single moment. There’s a lot that goes before (and after) — it’s not just the ‘yes’ after the discovery call or signed proposal. It’s a cycle.

The best way to understand that? Referrals.

In fact, in 2025 alone, I’ve probably referred out at least $50k worth of work. Why? Because I’ve become the person people DM with: “Hey, do you know someone who does XYZ?”

And 9/10 times, I do. But here’s the kicker — I don’t have the perfect memory. I haven’t worked with every single person I recommend.

The reason I can confidently send people their way? They left a mark.

Not because of their audience size. Not because of their Instagram grid. And not even because of a polished portfolio.

I remember them because they consistently showed up and gave me something solid to remember them by. To think of them as an “expert who delivers”.

That’s the power of the conversion cycle.

Why Referrals Prove the Cycle Works

Think about referrals. Would you recommend someone just because their work looked nice? Nope.

You’d only put your name behind:

• Someone who’s proven they can deliver.
• Someone you trust to be an expert.
• Someone you’re confident will take good care of the referral.

That’s not the result of one post or putting up your website and doing nothing with it.

When you zoom out and see the whole picture, you’ll realize conversions don’t ‘fail’ at one moment. They fall apart because a stage in the cycle is weak or neglected.

Breaking Down the Six Stages

1. Discovery: Be Findable

Discovery isn’t just about “posting more.”

Where are your clients already looking? LinkedIn, Instagram, Threads, podcasts, referrals?

It’s about showing up where your buyers and clients naturally hang out. But the real question is — are you even posting about your offer? Think about it: how many times do you link to your sales page or website in a week?

My tip for you when it comes to ‘Discovery’.

Go into your google analytics (if you haven’t set that up, do that now) and have a look at your top referrers. Every weekend, I go into mine and have a look at where my website visitors came from and compared it all the posts (marketing) that I put out.

This will give you a clue as to which discovery channels you should be focusing on.

And if you’re still struggling with figuring out those discovery channels, perhaps it’s time you audited your marketing.

What’s working for me

I’ll be honest. Figuring out my discovery channels took me nearly a year. I only started actively marketing my business in February 2024. And I started with LinkedIn.

Perhaps it’s a channel that works for other people because while I saw audience growth and a ton of discovery calls? It was one bad-fit lead after another.

It was only when I started over on Threads in November, despite starting from zero, that I started seeing traction and actual leads coming onto my website (and email list). So, even though I have over 1500 followers on LinkedIn versus only 300 on Threads, google analytics (and my discovery calls) show that better fit leads come from the latter platform.

As you can see followers does not mean the right-fit clients.

2. Stay: What gets them to stick around.

Once they find you, why should they stick around? This is where consistent, valuable content (and your unique personality) matter. It’s not just about teaching or ‘valuable content’ — it’s about leaving an impression.

You know, that “thought leadership” the LinkedIn folks always drone on about.

The best way to do that though? Have a website that allows them to explore or revisit.

But really, if you didn’t already know, it’s kind of different with sales pages.

Because you want your ideal buyers to make a decision that’s either a “yes” or a “maybe”. With the “maybe”s, your sales page needs to give them a reason to come back and revisit the offer. Stalk your offer, as I like to tell it.

My tip for you when it comes to ‘Stay’.

Again, go back to your google analytics and see how long people are staying on your sales page (and website).

Honestly, it is normal for me and my clients to see an average time spent on a sales page being anywhere from 5 minutes to 9 minutes. That is far above industry standard.

Because really? Conversion likely isn’t going to be an instant decision, unless your offer’s less than 50 dollars. The higher the price? The more time the buyer needs, especially if it’s their first visit on your sales page.

What’s working for me

To be honest, I really need to make a shift with this because I don’t yet have a sales page for all my offers.

At the moment, I’m analyzing which offer is seeing the most ‘yes’es and deciding which of them need a sales page. I mean…I don’t even have a services page yet (that’ll change end of September 2025), it’s just a section on my homepage.

And even if you don’t have a sales page, your buyers should be able to ‘stay’ on your socials OR website. It should feel like you inviting them into your offer universe, with multiple rooms to explore.

Or are you just inviting them onto link-in-bio page with nothing to explore.

And yes, I do write websites and sales pages.

3. Decision: Nudge the Fence-Sitters

This is the small shift from lurker to buyer. There’s a trust gap between where there are at now and deciding to become a client or buyer.

So how can you showcase your expertise?

Maybe carrying them through the unique process on your sales page, reading your social proof or case studies, a freebie, the content you put out, a behind-the-scenes story, or simply answering their DM.

What is going to be that reason that gets them to believe in your offer and click on that CTA? Otherwise your sales page won’t convert.

And it can’t just be something you copy off a random competitor’s sales page (I’ve seen too many of those).

My tip for you when it comes to ‘Decision’.

There’s only two reasons that the client hasn’t made their decision. Either, they truly can’t afford it or there’s a major trust gap that’s causing them to believe that:

• you’re not the expert for them
• the offer promise is not really believable
• it’s not worth the investment

You want to give them a reason to invest today, not 6 months from now.

The best way to combat that? Let your past buyers or clients do that for you by way of case studies. Show them what’s possible, because it was possible for your past clients.

What’s working for me

When I talk about my offers on socials, I notice the highest ‘conversions’ come when I really go all in on the ‘transformation’. When I talk about what past clients went through and what’s possible for the person reading that post.

It’s that nudge that gets them to keep revisiting the sales page and finally click that CTA.

4. Conversion: The Yes

This is where your client experience begins to shine.

Where the proposal is signed, the invoice paid, the spot booked. Make sure they understand that they aren’t making a mistake with their investment. If you’re charging a premium price, you need to be providing a premium experience, something I detailed in this blog post about Dubsado.

But notice: this is stage four, not stage one. If the first three aren’t strong, this one never happens.

My tip for you when it comes to the ‘Conversion’.

Whether it’s a digital product or a 1:1 service, the thing you need to remember?

The buyer has technically said ‘yes’. Yes to their interest in working with you. Which means…you don’t need to convince them that you’re providing the best solution (they already are!).

Instead, you want to give them the confidence that whatever expectations they have will be met. Which means your inquiry process needs to be smooth AF.

The higher the price tag? The smoother it needs to be. Otherwise you’ll be left wondering why your sales page isn’t converting.

What’s working for me

Since I switched from just email+google doc proposal+booking link to doing it all via Dubsado in February 2025? My conversion rate has shot through the roof.

I also think I’ve become really good about discovery calls. Because I’ve stepped into the realization that the client isn’t coming on the call just because. They’re actively showing interest in working with me — so I spend most of the call discussing their project over selling it.

5. Delivery: Blow Their Expectations Out of the Water

Your service needs to be as good (or better) than your marketing (although, I have another qualm with sales pages that don’t talk enough about your process).

This is where sloppy processes or unkept promises will tank your cycle. Delivery is what builds trust for the long game. And what will get you a client or buyer that adds on projects to their initial one.

My tip for you when it comes to the ‘Delivery’.

Delivery is honestly a lot simpler than people make it out to be. It’s not about being the best service provider (although ideally, yes) or having the fanciest onboarding or off boarding process (even if you’re not using a CRM).

It’s about ensuring the client is kept in the know and is always aware of the next step. And not expecting them to finish off reviews in 24 hours (guilty!)

As I’ve hired more and more service providers, I’ve noticed that I like things to be as hands-off as possible. I’m hiring someone because I think they’re the expert. So I’d rather not have them include me at every little thing (but I’m not every type of buyer). When it comes to the specific service you’re providing? You need to figure out why the client is hiring you for your expertise.

Does that mean shit has to be on time? Again, ideally, yes. But as long as it’s communicated to the client well ahead of time? You’re good to go.

I’ve had service providers miss deadlines, don’t let me know (perhaps because they’re anxious) and then come back with apologies. I’d rather they tell me 2-3 days prior about missing the deadline. Because that way, your client doesn’t have to be left wondering.

That’s really all a smooth delivery process requires. Because the person who gets hired or rehired isn’t the best service provider, but the best person to work with.

What’s working for me

I’m not going to lie — my delivery process really suffered when I was charging lower prices. Because obviously, I didn’t have the time to actually handle my clients.

2025 is the year I’ve really figured out my business. Because I’ve finally stopped treating it like it’s not — like I’m just a freelancer. The one thing that’s really helped? Making sure that clients are given updates every single week, no matter the length of the project.

There’s still some things I’m figuring out (like accounting for the time the client needs for reviews), but hey, it’s a work-in-progress.

6. Retention & Referral: The Multiplier

This is the part most people ignore, but it’s where growth explodes.

A client who comes back or refers others to you is worth 5x the effort of constantly finding new people. In fact, a big chunk of my revenue comes from past clients — because it’s always going to be easiest to sell to them.

And please remember to get some testimonials out of them. You need the social proof to tell your future clients why you. Or better yet, case studies that detail those projects.

My tip for you when it comes to the ‘Conversion’.

Yes, for some clients, your offer is going to be a one-time thing your client invests in. But for others, your offers should all compliment each other.

Because when a client works with you, sees how good your work is, and how much you care? It’s very likely that they want to continue working with you.

And of course, continue referring you.

You also want to make sure they’re aware of what you’re unto — whether that’s through updates, socials, or your newsletters because that’s how they remember to refer you.

What’s working for me

It is very normal for nearly every client to spend on average $10k-$25k with me. I’m not talking about a one-time project. But I’m talking about as the years go by.

Because I’m always checking in on them. And honestly, that’s easy because I love revisiting their websites and sales pages to see how they’re doing and if anything’s new with their business.

I’ve also made returning super easy. For eg: if a client provides a video testimonial? They get a 10% discount on any future invoice.

And referrals? Yeah, they make a chunk of my lead generation these last three years because my clients are always kept in the know. They’re either on a newsletter they opted in for and/or I’ll just dm them every other month because I really love seeing how their business is growing (and checking in on how they’re doing).

Because that’s really how the cycle compounds.

How the Conversion Cycle Makes Sales Pages Work

If you’re only focused on the “conversion” part of sales, you’ll always feel like things aren’t working.

But when you strengthen every stage of the cycle, you’ll:

• Attract more of the right clients.
• Build stronger relationships (even with people who never buy).
• Increase your referrals without hustling for them.
• Convert more often—without needing a huge audience.

Three Questions to audit your Conversion Cycle

If you’re stuck refreshing your sales page and wondering why people aren’t buying, ask yourself:

1. Am I consistently building trust?
2. Am I showing up in places where my ideal clients already hang out?
3. Am I giving them a reason to remember — and revisit — my offer?

Because conversions don’t just happen on a sales page.

A sales page is where the decision happens.
The conversion cycle is what gets them ready to make it.

And understanding that? That’s the difference between someone buying vs not buying.

Or you know, hire me to write your copy (: It’s literally what I do best.

Conversion isn’t about your sales page headline, your proposal template, or even your pricing.

It’s about the full cycle — discovery, stay, decision, conversion, delivery, retention/referral — all working together.

When you zoom out and build strength across all six stages, you’ll stop stressing about “the one client who ghosted.”

You’ll have a system where conversions keep flowing because your cycle is always in motion.

Because at the end of the day? Conversions happen when trust does.

And just so you know, this blog post is a combination of a few different newsletter editions. You should subscribe to get these in your inbox every Wednesday.