How Health Coaches Can Turn Their Expertise Into High-Ticket Leads Using Diagnostic Quizzes

In this episode of the Health Coach Academy Podcast, we sit down with Maeve Ferguson, former Big Four consultant turned online business strategist, to unpack one of the most underrated but powerful marketing tools in the coaching industry: diagnostic quizzes and score-based assessments. Maeve shares how health coaches, consultants, and experts can transform their intellectual property into scalable lead-qualification systems that attract high-quality, high-ticket clients — without wasting hours on unqualified discovery calls. If you've ever wondered how quizzes actually work behind the scenes — or why some coaches quietly scale to multi-six-figure and seven-figure businesses — this episode pulls back the curtain. 🌍 Meet Maeve Ferguson Maeve's background is anything but typical: Former Big Four accountant (Ernst & Young) Years in private equity A life-altering illness that left her bedridden for four years A complete pivot into the online education and consulting world Today, Maeve works with top thought leaders, Harvard professors, and New York Times bestselling authors, helping them convert their expertise into high-end, repeatable revenue systems through diagnostics, infrastructure, and data-driven marketing. 🧠 Key Topics Covered in This Episode 🔹 What "Intellectual Property" Really Means for Health Coaches Maeve explains: Why every health coach already has intellectual property How frameworks, methodologies, and processes become IP Why IP is your greatest asset for lead generation and scaling You don't need fancy diagrams — if you help people get from A to B, you already have IP. 🔹 Why Quizzes Are So Much More Than Lead Magnets Forget PDF downloads no one reads. Maeve breaks down: The difference between fun quizzes vs true diagnostics Why score-based assessments outperform traditional lead magnets How quizzes create instant personalization and trust 🔹 How Diagnostic Quizzes Pre-Qualify Clients Automatically One of the most powerful sections of the conversation: How quizzes assess strengths, gaps, and readiness Why coaches waste hours on discovery calls that never convert How diagnostics filter out: "Not ready" leads Under-qualified prospects Low-investment buyers The quiz does the qualification before the call ever happens. 🔹 Segmenting Leads by Investment Level (Without Awkward Sales Calls) Maeve explains: How diagnostics quietly assess ability and willingness to invest Why pricing objections disappear when alignment is right How sales teams know exactly who is: A high-ticket client A mid-level buyer A digital-only customer This allows coaches to: Put the right offer in front of the right person Protect time, energy, and sales bandwidth 🔹 The End of "Discovery Call Hell" This episode directly addresses: Why discovery calls are often inefficient and draining How diagnostics replace 60-minute interviews with clarity Why sales conversations become shorter, calmer, and higher-converting 🔹 Are These Quizzes Too Long? Attention Span Myths Explained Maeve covers: Short quiz funnels (7–10 questions) Mid-length score-based diagnostics (15–40 questions) High-end thought-leadership assessments (Myers-Briggs / Enneagram-level) Key insight: If someone won't complete your diagnostic, they likely won't commit to your program. 🔹 AI, Automation, and the Future of Lead Qualification Maeve dives into: How AI agents analyze sales calls and funnels Identifying high-ticket buyers hidden in your email list Using data — not "gut feelings" — to guide business decisions Why foundations must come before AI 🔹 Why Traffic Alone Isn't Enough A critical warning for health coaches: A great diagnostic without traffic = a fancy object on the internet Messaging determines who enters your ecosystem "Struggle-based" marketing attracts low-budget clients Rich-niche positioning attracts premium buyers 🎯 Key Takeaways for Health Coaches ✔ You already have intellectual property — you just haven't systemized it ✔ Quizzes can qualify, not just capture, leads ✔ Diagnostics eliminate unproductive discovery calls ✔ High-ticket clients require different messaging ✔ Data > feelings when scaling a business