Fix Your Funnel: Rethink, Don't Add

In the last three weeks, I’ve had this exact conversation with three CEOs and investors.

“We don’t have enough pipeline. Top of funnel is the real problem.”

It always plays out the same way.

Not enough inbound leads. Outbound isn’t converting. The pipeline looks thin, and everyone starts panicking about growth. The instinct? Push more volume. More cold emails. More paid ads. More LinkedIn outreach.

But that’s not the real problem.

The Real Problem: Your Messaging Isn’t Landing

If top of funnel isn’t working, it’s almost never a volume issue. It’s a clarity issue.

So I always ask:

• What do your best customers say when you ask them, “Why us? Why now?”

• If I read your cold email or saw your ad, would I instantly understand why it matters?

• Are your top-of-funnel channels bringing in the right people, or just noise?

Because here’s the thing: If your messaging isn’t landing, pushing more volume just means getting ignored at scale.

More Leads Won’t Fix It‍

Most companies assume they just need to generate more leads. But more of the wrong leads won’t get you anywhere. Here’s what actually happens:

1. Your best prospects don’t engage because your messaging isn’t clear or relevant.

2. Your sales team wastes time on bad-fit leads because top of funnel is stuffed with people who were never going to buy.

3. You think it’s a pipeline problem, but really, it’s a positioning problem.

So you throw more effort (and budget) at a system that isn’t working.

What to Do Instead

Before you double down on volume, fix your messaging first.

1. Talk to your last five customers. Ask: Why did you choose us? What made you buy now? Then use their exact words in your outreach.

2. Test that insight on past prospects. Go back to accounts that went cold and re-engage them with a fresh take based on what your best customers told you.

3. Try it in real conversations. Use it in upcoming meetings, re-engagement emails, and nurture sequences from marketing. See what clicks, what gets a reply, what sparks a real conversation.

Your Next Step

If you’re an investor, ask your portfolio companies:

• What messaging is actually landing?

• Have you validated it with real customer conversations?

• Have you reviewed whats working, how do we know whats working and whats not working?‍‍

If you’re a CEO, try this:

• Stop framing it as a top-of-funnel problem - it's a messaging, positioning, languaging and system issue.

• Ask your last three customers why they bought (or get insights from the CRO / CMO)

• Take that insight and test it with accounts that went cold.

• Use it in your next round of nurture emails and re-engagement outreach. See what happens.‍

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Before you assume it’s a pipeline issue, make sure people actually understand what you do. Fix that first. Then scale.