The end of the year has a funny way of sneaking up on us. One minute you’re promising yourself that this is the year you’ll finally get consistent with marketing, and the next you’re staring down December, wondering where the hell the time went.
Before you rush headlong into planning for 2026, this is the moment to pause and evaluate what actually happened in your business over the past year—especially when it comes to marketing.
Not in a vague, “Well, it felt busy” kind of way. But in a clear-eyed, practical, what worked and why way.
Start with a Marketing Reality Check
Begin with a simple review of your marketing efforts from the past year:
- What strategies did you use consistently?
- Which ones brought in inquiries, leads, or sales?
- What did you try that didn’t work?
- And just as important—why do you think it didn’t work?
This isn’t about beating yourself up or declaring something a failure. Sometimes a strategy doesn’t work because it was the wrong strategy. Other times it didn’t work because it didn’t have enough time, clarity, or consistency to do its job.
Patterns matter here. If something worked once but never again, that’s useful information. If something felt uncomfortable but produced results, that’s worth paying attention to too.
Once you’ve looked at marketing as a whole, it’s time to zoom in on how people actually move through your business.
A Simple Breakdown of Sales (and Where Things Go Sideways)
This is kind of old school, but I like the Brad Sugars framework of sales as a simple formula rather than a vague hope that “marketing will work”:
Leads × Conversion × Transactions × Average Sale × Margins
The power of this formula is that you don’t have to fix everything at once. Improving one element can dramatically change your results. More importantly, it makes it much easier to identify exactly where you’re losing people—or money.
Let’s walk through each part of the formula and the most common bottlenecks.
Leads: Are the Right People Finding You?
Leads are the people who become aware of you and raise their hand in some way—by reading your content, joining your email list, downloading something, or requesting information.
Common bottlenecks:
- Not enough visibility
- Inconsistent or muddy messaging
- Attracting people who aren’t a good fit
Ways to unblock this stage:
- Get crystal clear about who you help and the problem you solve
- Create educational content that attracts qualified leads
- Use long-form assets (blogs, newsletters, books) that continue working long after they’re created
If the wrong people are finding you—or not enough people at all—everything else becomes harder. In my estimation, this is the where people have the most trouble: HOW do they find people to get in front of?
Conversion: Are Interested People Taking the Next Step?
Conversion is about engagement. Are people clicking, reading more, opting in, or requesting details?
This is where many businesses lose a surprising number of prospects. It was hard enough to get them to your website or landing page, you don’t want to lose them here!
Common bottlenecks:
- Weak or confusing calls to action
- Too many options and decision fatigue
- Asking for too much commitment too soon
It’s also worth remembering that a large percentage of buyers—often cited around 40%—don’t want to interact with a salesperson. They want information, clarity, and the ability to decide on their own.
Ways to unblock this stage:
- Make the next step obvious and easy; only one decision to make, only one path to move on
- Answer common questions before they’re asked (FAQs showcase your knowledge)
- Let content do the educating instead of forcing conversations
If people are interested but not converting, ask yourself if you are sending the right people to your page, if the content on the page is compelling, and if the next step is clear. I like to have a section header called “Next Steps” which sounds obvious but it works.
Transactions: Are People Actually Buying?
Transactions refer to how often people purchase once they’re in your world. People often stall after they have raised their hands and opted in for more information. That’s fear that is stopping them—will they get the result they are looking for? Will the value be there or will this be wasted money? Is there someone better out there for less money? (Maybe, but if you’re pricing fairly, probably not.)
Common bottlenecks:
- Unclear offers or outcomes
- Overcomplicating the buying process
- Hesitation caused by lack of trust or proof
Ways to unblock this stage:
- Clearly communicate the result or transformation
- Reduce friction in pricing, scheduling, and checkout
- Use stories, examples, and authority-building assets to build confidence
Sometimes fewer words—and clearer ones—lead to more sales.
Average Sale: Are You Pricing and Packaging Well?
Average sale looks at how much someone spends each time they buy from you.
Common bottlenecks:
- Only offering entry-level services (lower priced services)
- No clear path to deeper work
- Undervaluing outcomes rather than hours
Ways to unblock this stage:
- Package services around results, not tasks
- Offer logical next steps or premium options
- Educate clients on the full scope of how you can help
Do you need to raise your prices? How does your pricing compare to others in your business with comparable experience and outcomes? If you often find yourself thinking, “I’m not getting paid enough for this” it may well be true. Check your pricing, but also consider upleveling your products or services for a higher average sale.
Sometimes, increasing your average sale often requires better explanation, not harder selling. Make sure your marketing copy is clear and compelling. Confused people don’t buy.
Margins: Are You Keeping What You Earn?
Margins are the often-forgotten part of the formula. You can have strong sales and still feel stretched if your margins are thin. And no, if what you do involves you personally spending your time, you do NOT want to “make it up in volume.”
Common bottlenecks:
- Over-delivering without boundaries (Beware Mission Creep!)
- Custom work that isn’t scalable
- Time-heavy offers that drain energy
Ways to unblock this stage:
- Standardize and systematize where possible
- Use content to handle education and onboarding
- Design offers that respect your time and expertise
Healthy margins give you breathing room—and sustainability.
Where a Book Fits In (and How I Can Help)
A well-written business book isn’t just a vanity project. It’s one of the most effective tools you can use to:
- Generate leads by attracting the right people
- Educate prospects without constant one-on-one conversations
- Build trust before a sales call ever happens
- Support conversions, upsells, and referrals
A book allows people to self-educate, self-qualify, and decide whether you’re the right fit—on their terms.
As a book coach, I help business owners use books strategically, not just creatively. That means clarifying your message, aligning the book with your business goals, and making sure it supports your entire sales process—not just one step.
If you want to get the jump on 2026, now is the time to identify your bottlenecks and decide how you want people to experience your business moving forward.
The right book can remove friction, answer questions, and open doors—long before you ever have to sell.
And that’s a powerful way to start the new year.
