What is an earnings-claim anchor, and why does it work?
An earnings-claim anchor is a vivid income number, like "six figures in 90 days", that becomes your reference point for everything that follows. The first number shapes how later numbers are judged [S33]. A claim like this should come with written substantiation, and a number with no document behind it is only a story.
Evidence: a regulator source documents this tactic (playbook grade A). The FTC has described recorded coaching pitches with income claims. Those are allegations, not findings.
In the room
"Members hit six figures in 90 days." "It's almost impossible to earn less than this." "There is literally no way to fail." A slide with one big number, repeated.
Composite example: The host says the average member reaches a monthly figure within a quarter. No document is shown. When someone asks about people who did not, the answer is a story about a member who "almost quit".
This is a teaching composite, not a description of any event.
Why it works
Anchoring: the first number you hear pulls later judgments toward it [S33]. Optimism does the rest. In one telemarketing case, the FTC alleged that sellers told buyers of a $10,000 program it was "almost impossible" to make less than $3,000 to $5,000 a month, and that there was "literally no way to fail" [S26]. The settlements banned the defendants for life from selling business coaching or development services. Those were phone pitches, not live events, and the claims are allegations.
Where the rules stand. The current FTC Business Opportunity Rule requires a reasonable basis and written substantiation for earnings claims, but only for sellers it covers, and it does not treat "general advice about business development and training" as providing locations, outlets, accounts or customers [S60]. The FTC proposed in January 2025 to extend the rule to coaching-type programs; as of October 2026 that proposal is not final [S10]. Whether a given program is covered is a question for a lawyer.
Your move
Frequently asked questions about earnings claims
Does an income claim have to be backed by a document?
For sellers covered by the Business Opportunity Rule, yes: a reasonable basis and written substantiation [S60]. Whether a coaching program is covered is unsettled. Proposed changes are not final [S10]. Ask for the document either way.
Is a screenshot of revenue proof of what a buyer earned?
No. Revenue is not profit, and a screenshot shows one moment for one person. Ask for typical results across buyers.
What does "no way to fail" tell me?
That the claim cannot be true for everyone. Treat guarantees, "risk-free" and "100% confident" language as red flags. What are the red flags in a coaching sales pitch or contract?
What to do next
Who writes this site
Coached Into Debt is written by the site itself, with no personal byline.
Sources
- S10 FTC proposed rule changes on deceptive earnings claims and money-making opportunities (Jan. 2025) · Federal Trade Commission · ftc.gov · accessed 2026-10-27
- S26 Listen in on how sellers pitched business "coaching" services (Oct. 2018) · FTC Business Blog · ftc.gov · accessed 2026-10-27
- S33 Tversky and Kahneman (1974), Judgment under uncertainty · Science 185(4157) · doi.org · accessed 2026-10-27
- S60 16 CFR Part 437, Business Opportunity Rule · eCFR · ecfr.gov · accessed 2026-10-27