Axis Foundations

Sales calls absolutely have their place.

As your business grows, your service becomes more expensive or what you're selling requires a bit more explanation, jumping on a call with somebody can make complete sense.

But I dont agree with the idea that every single lead needs to be pushed onto a sales call.

Especially when you're growing an online coaching business.

Sometimes a WhatsApp conversation is enough.

Sometimes a few voice notes are enough.

Sometimes somebody is already sold before they ever speak to you.

And sometimes the hour you've blocked out for a sales call would've been much better spent actually growing your business.

A sales call is a tool, not a requirement

This is how I want you thinking about it.

A sales call is simply one way of helping somebody make a decision.

Its not some mandatory stage every coaching business needs.

If somebody has followed you for six months, watches your Stories every day, has completed your lead magnet, understands your service and you've spent 20 minutes speaking on WhatsApp about what they're struggling with...

What exactly are we jumping on a call to discover?

If theres genuinely more to discuss, fine.

Book the call.

But dont book one simply because somebody told you:

"You need to get every lead on the phone."

You dont.

Your content should already be doing some of the selling

Think about everything we've been building inside Foundations.

Your DCP means you're speaking to the right person.

Your content demonstrates that you understand their problems.

Your Stories allow them to get to know you.

Your client results create proof.

Your profile explains what you do.

Your lead magnet provides value.

Your conversations allow you to understand their situation.

By the time somebody asks about coaching, they shouldn't necessarily be starting from zero.

They might already know quite a lot about you.

Thats the advantage of building a personal brand properly.

The sale doesnt begin when the call starts.

Everything they've experienced before that point matters.

Sometimes WhatsApp is enough

You dont need to overcomplicate this.

Somebody messages you.

You ask them a few questions.

They explain whats going on.

You understand what they're struggling with.

You know you can help.

So you explain how you'd help them.

They ask some questions.

You answer them.

Maybe you send a voice note because its easier than writing an essay.

They understand the service.

They understand the price.

They're happy.

Send them the link.

Done.

You dont need to suddenly say:

"Brilliant mate, lets schedule a 45-minute discovery call for Thursday at 6:30."

You've just had the discovery conversation.

Voice notes are massively underrated

I love voice notes for this.

They're personal.

They're quick.

You can explain something properly without typing six paragraphs.

The other person can listen when they're free.

And most importantly, they can actually hear you.

Your tone.

Your confidence.

How you communicate.

How well you've understood what they've told you.

A thoughtful two-minute voice note responding specifically to somebody's situation can sometimes do more than a scripted 45-minute sales call.

Time matters when you're growing

This is the part I think gets ignored.

Your time is one of your most valuable resources.

Especially when you're still trying to grow.

You've got clients to coach.

Content to create.

Stories to post.

Leads to follow up.

Conversations to start.

Systems to build.

Your own training.

And hopefully some sort of life outside of all of this.

Now imagine you're blocking out five hours every week for sales calls.

Two dont show up.

One wasn't remotely qualified.

One spends 45 minutes explaining that they need to think about spending the same amount each month they'd happily spend on a couple of takeaways.

And one actually buys.

Could that process have been better?

Qualify before you give away your time

This is where having conversations first becomes so important.

Dont immediately send your calendar to everybody who shows the slightest interest.

Understand them first.

What do they want?

What are they struggling with?

How long has it been a problem?

What have they already tried?

Are they actually looking for help?

Does your service make sense for them?

You might realise within ten messages that they're not a fit.

Brilliant.

You've saved both of you a 45-minute call.

You might realise they're absolutely ready.

Maybe you dont need the call either.

Or maybe theres enough complexity that you think:

"This would genuinely be easier to talk through properly."

Now the call has a purpose.

Stop treating a £150 decision like they're buying a Lamborghini SVJ

This one always makes me laugh.

Some sales processes make joining an online coaching programme feel like somebody is financing a Lamborghini.

Application.

Qualification call.

Discovery call.

Follow-up call.

Proposal.

Decision call.

Mate, its online coaching 😂

Obviously £100, £150, £200 or whatever you charge is still real money and you should respect that.

But you dont need to manufacture this massive decision-making process around something that could potentially be understood through a good conversation.

Sometimes making something feel like a massive decision actually creates more friction.

Make it easy to buy from you.

When I would use a sales call

There are absolutely situations where I'd get somebody on a call.

If your service is higher ticket.

If what you're offering is complex.

If there are multiple decision makers.

If somebody has lots of questions.

If you need to understand their situation in more depth.

If you've spoken over messages and genuinely think a conversation would be easier.

Or simply if you know you sell significantly better face to face and the numbers justify the time.

Use the call.

I'm not anti-sales call.

I'm anti pointless sales call.

Could the call be better used somewhere else?

This is something else to consider.

Maybe the call would create more value after they've paid you.

Instead of spending 45 minutes convincing somebody to join, what if that time became an onboarding call?

Now they're already a client.

You can understand them properly.

Talk through their goals.

Explain how everything works.

Set expectations.

Build the relationship.

Answer questions.

Get them excited about starting.

Thats potentially a much better use of 45 minutes.

And it improves the actual service rather than just the sales process.

Build the sales process around your business

Theres no single correct answer here.

One coach might sell entirely through WhatsApp.

Another might use applications followed by calls.

Another might have a lead magnet, conversation and then direct checkout.

Another might have a £1,000+ service where a proper consultation makes complete sense.

What matters is that you've thought about it.

Dont copy somebody else's seven-stage sales funnel because they told you its how high-ticket sales works.

Ask:

Does this step actually need to exist?

Does it help the potential client make a decision?

Does it help me qualify them?

Is it worth the time it takes?

If not, remove it.

Make buying simple

This is ultimately what I want you to take away from this.

Dont create friction for the sake of looking professional.

Have conversations.

Ask good questions.

Understand the person.

Qualify them.

Explain how you can help.

Answer their questions.

And when they're ready, give them a simple way to get started.

If a call helps you do that, use one.

If three voice notes on WhatsApp can achieve exactly the same thing, use those.

Your sales process should make your business more efficient, not eat up half your week.

Because when you're trying to grow, time management matters.

And spending hours every week on calls with people who were never going to buy in the first place isnt a sales strategy.

Its a diary problem.