The Fourth Reason People Don't Buy
They don't believe you, your product, your company — or, Dan's addition, themselves.
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 2
- Confidence
- 85%
Jordan Belfort famously said people fail to buy for three reasons: they don't believe you, they don't believe in your product, or they don't believe in your company. Henry adds a critical fourth: they don't believe in themselves to use your product. Especially in consulting, coaching, and events, prospects often believe in you but not in their own capability, so much of the sale becomes getting them to believe in themselves. Diagnosing which of the four beliefs is missing tells you what to conquer.
Origin
Henry builds directly on Jordan Belfort's three-reasons teaching (Belfort is the trader The Wolf of Wall Street was based on, and Henry appeared on his podcast). Henry extends it after noticing that his coaching and consulting buyers usually trusted him but doubted their own ability to execute.
Core principles
- 01Jordan Belfort: people don't buy because they don't believe you, your product, or your company.
- 02Dan Henry's fourth reason: they don't believe in themselves to use your product.
- 03In coaching and consulting the self-belief objection is often the real blocker.
How to run it
- 1
Diagnose which belief is missing
When a prospect hesitates, work out whether they doubt you, the product, the company, or themselves.
- 2
Prioritize self-belief in coaching sales
If you sell coaching, consulting, or events, assume the fourth reason is often the true blocker and build your talk around restoring their belief in themselves.
Pro tip Use capability-proving techniques like the Asteroid Close to dismantle the self-doubt.
In the wild
Henry observed that people buying his consulting or coaching often believed in him completely but questioned whether they personally were capable of getting the result.
→ Recognizing self-belief as the real objection let him spend his selling time restoring their confidence rather than re-pitching the product.
Common mistakes
Assuming every objection is about the offer
Treating a self-belief objection as a product or price objection means you answer the wrong question and never move the prospect.
Is it for you?
Best for
Coaches, consultants, and course sellers where the customer must implement to get results.
Not ideal for
Done-for-you services where the customer's own skill is irrelevant to the outcome.
From the transcript
“Dan Henry says there's a fourth reason people don't buy. They don't believe in themselves to use your product.”
From the episode
Dan Henry: The Marketing Strategy Entrepreneurs Use to Build Massive, Money-Making Brands
Dan Henry