To all consultants who sell any type of preventative services, let me know if this sounds familiar.

Nov 2, 2026 — John Way

To all consultants who sell any type of preventative services (cybersecurity, reputation management, employee mental health services, etc.), let me know if this sounds familiar.

You try hard to tell prospects about the risks of not doing anything.

“Fix it when it's small,” you say.

They nod, but decide to kick the can down the road.

“It's not a big deal right now,” they tell you.

You're trying to save them from a major headache later.

But, they just don't listen. Why?

I know it's frustrating, but here's the thing. They did listen. 

Chances are your prospects read the risks and consequences on your website.

They heard you talk through them on the sales call.

They understand WHY something needs to be done.

What's probably happening is that your buyers don't understand WHEN something needs to be done.

That's why throwing more risks or more consequences isn't going to move the needle. 

You're answering the wrong question.

Buyers need to understand Why NOW. Why do they need to act NOW vs. 12 months from now, without resorting to cheap manipulation?

Katie Lantukh and I have done 1,400+ site reviews and Why NOW is one of the top unanswered questions.

Which means you're leaving it up to the prospect to decide for themselves, and their default answer will almost always be “later.”

Because who's running around looking to add more work onto their plate? Nobody.

And sure, you can use high-pressure sales tactics to answer that question: “only 1 spot left!” or “early bird price until XXX!”, but as a consultant or trusted advisor, you can't do that all the time. You're not a guru selling a course.

True story. Katie and I literally found an agency who wrote on their site: “Limited spots available. Once filled we won't be accepting new projects for the next 12 months. By the time you next visit this page, the opportunity may be gone.”

Does that feel genuine even if it's true?

Surely there's a better way.

As Katie and I sat down to film our expert reviews for people who came to the Growth Lab in Atlanta, here's what she had to say about how to answer that question.

Check it out below ⬇️