Build Trust With Your Audience and Energize Client Conversion

My guest Adriane Dellorco helps women with chronic migraine take back their lives using a whole-person approach that combines physical, emotional, and lifestyle support. She brings lived experience herself, so her work is refreshingly real, empathetic, and client-centered.

Adriane came to our session feeling the effects of a shift in the online coaching world. Despite steady lead generation and growth in her social channels and email list, she noticed that conversion had gotten significantly harder this year. Fewer women were joining her programs, and even free resources weren’t driving the engagement she’d seen in previous years.

Inside The Hive, Adriane had already tapped into her community for voice-of-customer insights and started testing new messaging. But the challenge at hand was how to bridge the “trust gap” with her audience, many of whom have tried everything, are tired of empty promises, and question whether they have the energy for “one more thing.”

Together, we tackled how to address both trust in the solution and clients’ trust in their own capacity, while redesigning her client attraction journey to bring in buyers who are more ready to invest in meaningful change.

Let me highlight the specific insights and action steps Adriane and I uncovered to help her increase her conversions without feeling disconnected from her values or her audience.

Step One: Name and Address the Real Trust Gaps

We surfaced two big layers of trust Adriane’s audience wrestles with. First is trust in the solution itself. Many clients have already tested countless methods, making any new program feel like another risk. They’re skeptical, and rightfully so. Second, there’s trust in their own capacity, actually believing they have the bandwidth to participate, stick with a program, and experience results without getting overwhelmed.

We agreed that Adriane’s messaging needs to meet people where they are by acknowledging this directly. Instead of glossing over those doubts, call out the elephant in the room, which builds rapport right from the first interaction.

Step Two: Use Pattern Interrupt Messaging to Stand Out

Typical promises of “dramatic results” or “migraine cures” just don’t land for folks living with chronic illness. So, we strategized a pattern-interrupt approach in Adriane’s marketing. What does this look like? Try a headline such as, “This won’t cure your migraines, but it can help you feel a little better every day.”

This kind of direct, even counterintuitive, honesty lets your audience breathe a sigh of relief. It signals, “I get you,” instead of “Let me sell you another miracle.” The goal isn’t to “inspire hope” in abstract terms but to ground your offer in everyday wins.

Step Three: Attract Buyers, Not Just Browsers, With Paid Entry Points

Adriane was running ads to a free Facebook group, which built her list, but the leads weren’t sticking. I suggested running ads to a low-ticket resource instead like a $7 or $29 migraine toolkit. Even if fewer people buy, those who do are more invested from day one. That small transaction shifts the dynamic from browsing for relief to actively seeking solutions.

Plus, once someone’s made one small purchase, they’re far more likely to invest in a core program down the line. It’s about building real momentum, not just collecting freebie seekers.

Step Four: Adjust Your Offers and Language for Capacity and Trust

We discussed reducing the perceived commitment of Adriane’s mentoring program. Shortening her offer from a year-long commitment to an eight-week core with optional ongoing support made the leap feel more manageable. This simple reframing addresses the “capacity trust” issue and helps potential clients picture themselves completing the program.

Just as critical, I urged Adriane to remove the word “easy” from all of her messaging. For people living with migraines, nothing about getting better is “easy,” and even well-meaning encouragement can feel dismissive. Instead, focus on “manageable,” “simple,” or “supportive” and narrate that you’ll show up for them on both good and bad days.

Finally: Leverage Relationships for Warmer Leads and Stronger Trust

We circled back to relationship marketing as a growth lever. Adriane’s best clients used to come through migraine organizations. We designed a pitch for her to partner with these orgs to co-host five-day events or workshops for their communities. This leverages existing trust and brings in highly qualified leads, people who already see Adriane as an expert endorsed by names they trust.

One more thing worth noting: to make sales calls less intimidating for people who don’t feel well, try switching to asynchronous conversations with a tool like VideoAsk. This allows clients to connect with you on their own time, fitting conversations into their good days, not forcing everyone onto a scheduled call.

There’s more to our session, especially around program structure and rolling out a multi-touch launch plan. If you want to know how to organize your next challenge or what language Adriane will use for her new offer, tune in to the full episode to grab all the details.