9 Elements of a group programme that sells
Over the past six years, I’ve sold just about every kind of group program you can imagine:
A membership that grew to over 250 people
High-touch masterminds
12-week intensives
Short-term sprints
Evergreen programs that enrol clients every month
Cohorts with fixed start dates
Completely unstructured “just show up and I’ll coach you” containers
Fully structured, curriculum-based programs
I’ve tested it all. And I’ve helped hundreds of other coaches, therapists and service providers do the same. And through all of that, one thing has become very clear:
👉 Some group programs are easier to sell than others.
They feel lighter to promote. The right people say yes quickly. Your audience just gets it. You don’t need to convince or persuade or chase.
Other offers? They take more effort. More explaining. More “maybe next time” messages in your inbox.
The harder ones are usually missing something.
Something that helps the right people feel certain. Something that builds trust, clarity, and momentum.
Over time, I’ve identified 9 core elements that make the biggest difference.
You don’t need all of them to sell - but if you're missing one or more, it often makes things a lot harder.
Let’s walk through what they are, why they matter, and how they fit together to make your offer an easy yes. But first, I want to talk about:
Why group programmes are different to sell
There’s a beautiful simplicity to selling 1:1.
You can tailor the offer to the person in front of you. You get to say, “Oh, you’re struggling with X? Great—I can help with that.”
It’s responsive. Intuitive. Personal.
Group is different.
You’re not just selling a transformation. You’re selling a format. A container. A community. A particular experience of learning and support.
Which means your buyer has more to say yes to:
“Do I trust this person?”
“Will I fit into the group dynamic?”
“Will this format work for how I learn, think, and show up?”
“Will I get lost in the crowd?”
“Is now the right time?”
And here’s the thing: If you’re not 100% sold on the value of your group program, your clients will sense it.
A lot of the people secretly believe their group program is less valuable than their 1:1. Even if they love groups, there’s often a part of them that thinks personal attention is “better.”
And if that belief is bubbling under the surface, it will show up in your sales calls, your emails, your content. It weakens your message.
So before we talk about sales psychology or structure or messaging…
👉 You need to fall in love with your offer.
You need to believe in it - not as a second-best option, but as the best path for the right person. Only then can you sell it with clarity and confidence.
Now, let’s move on to the 9 elements…
Layer 1: Relevance (is this for me?)
The first 3 elements are all about helping your ideal clients figure out if your programme is a good fit for them. They need to feel seen and understood in your marketing. Here’s how you do that:
1. Solve a priority problem
Your offer needs to solve a problem that’s already keeping your client up at night. Not a vague frustration, but a real, front-of-mind problem they’ve tried to fix before.
You're not trying to convince someone to care. You're speaking to the ones who already do.
They’ve googled it, bought the book and maybe even worked with someone else. They’re in it - and they’re ready.
You’re not building this for everyone in your niche, you’re building it for the ones who feel the friction and are motivated to fix it now.
That’s how you get clients who take action, show up, and get results.
When your offer solves something urgent, selling becomes simple. When it’s just “nice to have,” you’ll get nods and no action.
2. Attract the right clients
Your group programme isn’t for everyone. And that’s a good thing.
It’s for people who don’t just have the problem - but are a fit for how you work. Think less “target audience” and more “who thrives with me?”
Who gets results? Who do you love working with?
You’ll start to notice patterns.
For me, when I let people in who are too early, they struggle. No audience = no one to sell to. So I had to get clearer about who my offer is really for.
It’s tempting to broaden the net, especially when sales feel slow. But it blurs your message and brings in the wrong people.
Be honest about who it’s for and who it’s not. That clarity doesn’t narrow your offer - it strengthens it.
3. Make the transformation tangible
People don’t buy coaching - they buy change. The clearer your outcome, the easier it is to say yes.
Instead of “I help people feel more confident,” try:
👉 “You’ll speak up at your next team meeting without freezing.”
Instead of “Improve your relationship,” try:
👉 “You’ll have dinner together without it ending in an argument.”
Here’s one I use:
👉 “Create a group program that serves your clients deeply in under three hours a week.”
Focus on what shifts in someone’s day-to-day.
What they see.
What they feel.
What’s different?
That’s the transformation they’re buying. Make it vivid - and they’ll feel ready to take action. You can learn more about how to do this in the video below.
Layer 2: Trust (can I trust you to help me?)
People won’t buy your group programme if they don’t believe that it (and you) can actually help them. The next 3 elements focus on the thing you need to have in place to help build that trust.
4. Build trust and credibility
People buy from people they trust.
Yes that means results, testimonials and credentials - but it also means your lived experience. Your story, quirks and values.
I often talk about how big launches used to leave me sick and depleted. Or how my membership once grew too fast and lost its magic. Those lived experiences make the work real, not theoretical.
Your people want to feel that you get it. Not just that you're “qualified,” but that they resonate with you too.
5. Create your own method
You don’t need a trademarked framework or acronym, but you do need a clear way of doing things. A lens, a process, a perspective - something that’s recognisably yours.
It’s what makes you stand out in a sea of sameness.
Even if you’re talking about common ideas, they’ll feel different when shared through your voice, values, and lived experience.
In my case, these 9 steps? This is my method. I’ve packaged up what I know works and layered it in a way that makes sense. Even if other people talk about these ideas, I’m the one sharing them through my lens - and that makes them uniquely mine.
6. Share a strong point of view
This is the why behind your method.
Why do you do things this way?
What’s the story that shaped your approach?
What feels broken in your industry - and how do you do things differently?
I often talk about why I don’t run big launches anymore. How they drained my energy. Why slow, spacious, repeatable marketing works better for me—and my clients.
Sharing this helps the right people feel seen. It also helps the wrong people opt out - which is a good thing.
Layer 3: Action (why now?)
I’ve already talked about how important it is to attract people who want to solve their problem now, rather than later. These last 3 elements are all about how you give them that final invitation to solve this problem now - not later.
7. Understand their tipping point
People can live with discomfort for a long time. What shifts them from “maybe later” to “I need to fix this now”?
That’s the tipping point.
It’s not always pain. Sometimes it’s a moment of realisation. For my ideal clients this tipping point could be:
Looking at a packed 1:1 calendar and thinking, ‘this isn’t sustainable.’
Finishing a launch that flopped and thinking “never again.”
Watching someone else launch a group offer and realising you could’ve done it too.
Your job is to name those moments. Speak to them. Because that’s what moves people.
8. Choose a format that fits
Even the best offer will fall flat if it’s not delivered in a way that fits your people. That means carefully considering things like call times, curriculum length and pacing to ensure the best results for your clients.
Busy professionals probably aren’t going to show up for 90-minute calls at random times during the work day.
Exhausted parents might not be able to handle a big live curriculum.
Neurodivergent people may need short, snappy lessons they can take at their own pace.
In my program Amplify, I break the content into bite-sized chunks, and support is layered in where it’s needed. That’s what helps people stay engaged and get results.
9. Offer a clear, doable roadmap
A simple roadmap gives people confidence.
It shows them you know what you’re doing and helps them visualise the journey.
You don’t need to share every detail - just the milestones that help someone say,
“Yes, I can see how this works.”
It also reduces overwhelm—because most people aren’t stuck from lack of interest, they’re stuck in the spin of too many options.
When people can picture the path, they’re far more likely to walk it.
What if people still say “maybe next time”?
If you’re hearing this a lot, it usually means one of two things:
1. It’s a practical blocker.
They genuinely don’t have the time, money, or capacity right now.
Respect that.
2. It’s a perceived value gap.
A few things could be going on here:
They’re not convinced it’s worth it.
Or that it will work for them.
Or that they’ll follow through.
They probably won’t say this directly. Instead, they’ll say:
👉 “I just need to think about it…”
👉 “Maybe next round…”
If it’s a value gap, don’t push harder. Go back and strengthen the pyramid.
Ask yourself:
Is the transformation clear?
Are they the right client?
Is your point of view visible?
Are you addressing their tipping point?
Is your format aligned with their needs?
When those layers are solid, objections fade. If people aren’t saying yes, it doesn’t mean your offer is bad. It means something isn’t clicking yet - and now you know what to look at.
Ready to build your own evergreen group programme?
Check out my free workshop series where I share the core strategies I teach inside Amplify.
You’ll learn how to design a group program that actually sells, and build a marketing approach that feels simple, spacious and sustainable.
We go deeper into:
What makes a group offer resonate
How to position your program so the right people say yes
The key mistakes that keep people stuck in “maybe next time”
Whether you're starting from scratch or refining an existing offer, this is a great place to start.
