Small Business Growth Tools | Sales, Marketing and Mindset Strategies for Christian Women in Local Business · Lindsay Fletcher | Christian Entrepreneur | Sales & Relationship Marketing Coach for Local Small Business

103. Why Your Sales or Marketing Strategy Isn’t Working: Insights for Faith-Driven Small Business Growth

January 20, 2026·23 min·1 clip

Stage two is where a lot of people quit because reality is slower than instant gratification.

1. Small Business Growth Tools | Sales, Marketing and Mindset Strategies for Christian Women in Local Business centers on why a sales or marketing strategy may feel like it is not working. 2. Lindsay Fletcher hosts the episode and presents herself as a relationship marketing and sales strategist who teaches women to grow their network, market to the right people, and close sales without feeling pushy. 3. The episode asks whether the real problem is a broken strategy or weak execution, and uses the emotional cycle of change to answer that question. 4. Lindsay says the model was originally documented by Don Kelly and Daryl Connor in 1978 and connects it to the earlier stages of grief from 1969. 5. She argues that change is emotional before it is logical, especially when business owners put their blood, sweat, and tears into a new offer or marketing plan. 6. She lists five stages: uninformed optimism, informed pessimism, the valley of discouragement or despair, informed optimism, and success and integration. 7. Lindsay says most people quit at stage two or stage three, which creates the false narrative that nothing works. 8. Stage one shows up when a new strategy feels exciting, high-energy, and hopeful, but there is no data yet. 9. Her examples for stage one include launching a new offer, joining a networking group, starting consistent social media posting, a new workout plan, and a Bible-and-prayer morning routine. 10. Stage two starts when doubt, comparison, and inconvenience appear because results are not immediate. 11. She gives business examples like posting for weeks with no response, attending two networking events without clients, and following up with no reply. 12. Lindsay says stage two is where instant-gratification culture collides with reality, and she notes that most of us will not “catch lightning in a bottle.” 13. Stage three, called the valley of despair or discouragement, is where the plan feels costly in time, energy, or money. 14. She says this is the stage where people ask, “Why am I even doing this?” and start looking for a new strategy or a new guru. 15. Lindsay’s tough-love point is that the action needs to change, not the strategy, because consistency is what carries someone through stage three. 16. Stage four is informed optimism, where small wins, referrals, and easier sales conversations start to appear after staying through the hard part. 17. She says stage five brings success and integration, where systems replace effort, confidence becomes data-based, and there is less urgency and more peace. 18. Lindsay’s delivery is direct and encouraging, with repeated address to “friends,” practical examples, and a coaching tone that mixes faith language with business language. 19. Women in local business who need a clear sales or marketing reset. 20. Listeners wanting entertainment more than step-by-step business coaching.

As heard by us

The fix is usually follow-through, not a new strategy.

This episode is a plainspoken reset for anyone staring at a plan that feels slow, expensive, or stuck. Lindsay Fletcher makes the case that the answer is often not a new strategy but a steadier hand on the one already in place.

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Why you'd press play

You need a reset in your actions when your plan feels stuck, not a shiny replacement.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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