The Ultimate Symptom:
Why Your Group Program Problems Are Actually Business Problems
By Kerry Dobson & Moriah Bacus
Let's talk about the thing nobody wants to admit out loud.
You built a group program. You poured your expertise into it. You launched it with excitement. People joined.
And now... crickets.
No one's signing up for round two. No one's referring their friends. The people who ARE in the program keep going silent in your Slack channel or dropping off calls halfway through.
So what do you do?
Your brain immediately goes to the knee-jerk reactions:
"I need help with marketing"
"Maybe I should hire a sales coach"
"I should bring in an outreach agency"
"Maybe I should drop the price"
Here's the truth bomb: The problem isn't your marketing. It's not your sales strategy. It's not your pricing. And it's definitely not that you need more content.
The problem is deeper than that—and your group is just making it visible.
The Ultimate Symptom
When we work with coaches whose group programs are struggling, we see three red flags that signal something is fundamentally broken:
1. No Repeats
People don't come back for the next cohort. They don't stay for maintenance programs or next-level offerings. Each new cohort requires finding entirely new people—you're constantly refilling the funnel instead of building momentum with people who want to go deeper.
2. No Referrals
Your participants aren't bringing their friends. They're not singing your praises publicly. Word-of-mouth isn't happening organically. And when you ask for referrals, you get polite nods but no actual names.
3. Participation Drop-Off
Call attendance declines steadily as the program progresses. Online engagement dies out after the first few weeks. People ghost mid-program, and you're left wondering what happened to all that initial excitement.
Why This Matters
Kerry says: If your group was actually delivering on what it promised—meaningful connection AND tangible results—people would want more. They'd tell their friends. They'd stay engaged. They'd be asking you, "What's next?"
Moriah says: But here's what most coaches miss: these symptoms don't just live in your group. They're showing up in your group because your group is public-facing—it's where other people are involved, so the problems become obvious. But if you look under the hood, you'll likely find the same issues throughout your business. The group is the canary in the coal mine.
The real question: Are you creating a group experience worth repeating and referring? And if not, what's the actual problem underneath?
The Three Underlying Causes
When we see these three red flags, there are typically three root causes happening underneath. Often, it's a combination of all three.
CAUSE #1: You're Making Yourself the Centre of the Group
What this looks like:
Everything flows through you
You're the holder of all wisdom
You're trying to be everything to everybody
The group can't function without you showing up
If you took a week off, everything would pause
Kerry says: Most of us learned that teaching means “I have the knowledge, I tell you the thing, I test you on the thing." But that's not facilitation; that's lecturing. And it creates passive participants, not engaged learners. The educational system trained us to be at the centre—but that doesn't work in transformational group experiences.
Moriah says: When YOU are the engine, you've built something that can't scale. You're the bottleneck. And every decision about how to "fix" the group keeps you at the centre instead of building systems that work without your constant presence. This is a strategic problem, not just a group problem.
The reality check questions:
Are you exhausted at the end of your group sessions?
Do you find yourself doing most of the talking in the sessions?
Are your group members drowning in slides, videos, and resources?
If you answered yes to any of these, you're making yourself the centre. And it's costing you—in energy, in scalability, and in the results your participants could be getting if they were more actively engaged.
CAUSE #2: You're Leading with Content, Not Connection + Results
What this looks like:
Constantly adding more modules, more content, more resources
"People aren't getting results? Let me add another training!"
You read a new book or take a new course and immediately add it to your program
Content creation hamster wheel—always creating, never refining
Kerry says: Here's the fundamental thing most coaches miss: people join groups for TWO reasons only:
Connection with other people (not just you)
Results (tangible progress and wins)
They can be friends without you. They can learn content from YouTube. They're paying you for the combination of peer connection AND facilitated results. If you're leading with content, you're solving the wrong problem.
Moriah says: You think more content equals more value. But what people actually need is integration and implementation support—not more information. And if you're constantly adding content instead of building the systems that help people apply what they're learning, you're treating symptoms instead of addressing root causes.
The questions to ask instead:
What is the most viable product?
What is the least that group members can do and still get the results you promised them?
Not "what else can I teach?" but "what systems do I need to help people actually DO something with what they're learning?"
These questions shift you from content creation mode to systems thinking. And that's where sustainable group programs are built.
CAUSE #3: Topic/Group Creation Hamster Wheel
What this looks like:
You have a core group of people who buy everything you offer
The first cohort goes well, but you can't fill the second one
Instead of diagnosing why there's churn, you create a NEW program
You keep creating new topics and reselling to the same people
Constantly launching new things instead of deepening existing offerings
Kerry says: Short-term, this pattern works! Your loyal people sign up for the new thing. The launch feels successful. But eventually you run out of people—and you've burnt yourself out creating endless new content instead of building something sustainable and repeatable.
Moriah says: This pattern doesn't just show up in your groups—it shows up everywhere in your business. You're probably also constantly creating new offers, new funnels, new lead magnets. You're treating symptoms (not enough people signing up) instead of diagnosing root causes (why aren't people staying, referring, and coming back for more?).
What you're actually avoiding: The harder work of building retention systems, gathering real feedback, and optimizing what you have instead of constantly creating new things. But there's more to it than that: getting honest about what's working and what's not.
Kerry asks: What are you measuring for success? Is it just sign-ups? What about actual results? Which of your clients are doing the things you've helped them with and getting results?
Moriah asks: And beyond the group—do you have CEO time built into your schedule? Time to work ON the business instead of just IN it? Or are you so busy creating and launching that you never pause to diagnose what's actually broken?
These are uncomfortable questions. But they're the ones that matter.
The VIP Framework: Your Diagnostic Tool
No matter which cause (or combination of causes) is showing up for you, there's one foundational framework that helps you diagnose and fix the real problem.
Kerry's VIP Framework:
V - VIBE
What's the environment/essence/soul of your group?
What will it FEEL like to be in this group?
This is not about you—it's about the experience you're creating
I - IDEAL PARTICIPANT
Who is this FOR?
Sometimes, even more importantly: Who is it NOT for?
What do they need?
What are they experiencing or struggling with right now?
P - PROGRAM PROMISE
What transformation/results are you committing to facilitate?
What will they accomplish and/or experience in your group?
What will they be able to DO, KNOW, and SAY by the end?
Why VIP Matters
Kerry says: The VIP serves your group. When you get the VIP right, all the decisions you make become easier because you know your VIP. Let me give you some examples:
Vibe helps you with: the language you use for your website and emails about your group, the pictures you choose for your website, how you describe the group to people, and the type of activities to include (or exclude) in your group
Ideal Participant helps you with: where to share about your group, the podcasts to go on, the Joint Venture/Referral partners to work with, when to have the group - both the actual time and probably the best season(s)
Program Promise helps you with: the key messages for your marketing, what to focus on in your enrolment conversations, and what activities to include in the group to ensure participants get results
When things aren't working, you come back to VIP and ask: "Is this still serving who we said we'd serve and what we said we'd deliver?"
Moriah says: VIP isn't just a framework for your group—it's a decision-making filter for your entire business. Before you add that new offer, that new module, that new initiative—does it serve your VIP? If you don't have clarity here, you'll keep spinning your wheels, creating things that don't land.
The Strategic Shift Required
The reframe: You are not the centre—the VIP is the centre. You are in service to the experience you promised. Your expertise is just one piece; your ability to help others integrate and apply that expertise is what creates transformation.
Moriah asks: Can this run without you? Because if everything requires your constant presence and attention, you haven't built a group program—you've built a dependency system. And that's not scalable, sustainable, or strategic.
What Happens Next
Now that you understand the three underlying causes and have the VIP framework, here's your diagnostic process:
1. Identify which cause(s) are showing up for you
Be honest:
Are you making yourself the centre? (Check: Are you exhausted? Doing most of the talking? Drowning people in content?)
Are you leading with content instead of connection + results? (Check: Are you constantly adding modules instead of building systems for implementation?)
Are you on the hamster wheel of constant creation? (Check: Are you measuring actual results or just sign-ups?)
2. Get clear on your VIP
If you can't articulate your Vibe, Ideal Participant, and Program Promise clearly, that's your first problem to solve
If you HAVE articulated it but your decisions aren't serving it, that's your second problem
Use the VIP as your filter: Does this decision serve all three elements?
3. Look beyond the group
Are these same patterns showing up elsewhere in your business?
Do you have CEO time to work ON the business instead of just IN it?
Do you have strategic decision-making frameworks, or are you constantly reacting?
What are you actually measuring for success?
The honest truth: Your group challenges are rarely just about the group. They're usually symptoms of bigger strategic and operational issues running through your entire business. But here's the good news: once you see the pattern, you can fix it systemically instead of just putting Band-Aids on symptoms.
Ready to Dig Deeper?
Kerry: If you're realizing your group needs the VIP foundation, or you want to diagnose what's actually happening, I offer Group Enrichment Sessions where we take these frameworks and make them work for YOUR specific group. We'll talk about what's working, what's not, and create a plan to fix it. Book a Group Enrichment Session
Moriah: If you're realizing your group challenges are symptoms of bigger systemic issues across your business, my Strategic Clarity Intensive is designed exactly for this moment. We'll audit what's actually happening across your operations, identify your strategic priorities, and create an implementation roadmap to fix the systemic issues—not just the symptoms. Want to discuss if this is right for you? Book a Consultation
Your group isn't broken. Your approach might need recalibrating. And we're here to help you see what's really happening underneath.