The Misnomer Method for turning chaos into revenue
I have helped founders raise hundreds of millions and exit for billions. The pattern is consistent. When we win, we do this.
- Find the money leak: We map the funnel from first touch to closed won, then measure drop off by stage. Most teams do not have a funnel; they have a vibe. We replace vibes with numbers, then we decide what to fix first.
- Pick the one beachhead buyer: Not a persona zoo. One buyer with one urgent problem and a budget owner attached. If your ICP cannot be explained in two sentences, you do not have one.
- Craft an offer that sells itself: Replace fluffy benefits with a concrete promise and a deadline.
- Make the website earn its keep: Your homepage must answer three questions in five seconds. What is it, who is it for, and what outcome do I get. One CTA. No carousels. No jargon. If a smart twelve-year-old cannot repeat your headline, rewrite it.
- Choose one channel, then dominate it: Spray and pray is how budgets die. We pick one channel that aligns with buying behavior, then we do it well. Cold outbound with proof, founder-led LinkedIn that says something real, partner co-marketing with a shared list, or paid search for bottom of funnel demand. One at a time. Weekly experiments. Binary calls. Keep, kill, or scale.
- Prove attribution like adults: UTM discipline, consistent definitions, dashboards that founders actually read. No Franken-CRM. If we cannot see how a dollar becomes ten, we stop spending.
- Scale only what the math defends: Once CAC to LTV works and sales accept the leads, we add channels and headcount. Not before.
Spicy takes that will save you money
- Stop hiring a “Head of Marketing” to solve strategy and execution at the same time. At your stage, you need a senior strategist who will do the work, own the number, and bring in specialists when needed. Title inflation does not create a pipeline.
- Your brand is not a logo; it is what the market believes about your outcomes. If the market thinks you are “pretty software,” you did that to yourself. Every touchpoint must point to one commercial truth.
- Content without arguments is wallpaper. Thought leadership that agrees with everyone convinces no one. Pick a fight with a common myth in your category and support it with data and customer quotes.
- If you are afraid to publish pricing signals, you will attract tire kickers. Price ranges, ROI calculators, and a clear “who we are not for” section will increase serious inquiries and reduce demo no-shows.
- Founders must sell first. If the CEO cannot sell the offer, no one else can. Founder-led go-to-market is not optional; it is a force multiplier.
What actionable phases looks like for growth
- Phase 1: Diagnose the funnel, confirm ICP, interview customers, write the one-page narrative that threads problem, proof, and promise.
- Phase 2: Rebuild the homepage hero, offer page, and demo flow. Strip the navigation. Add social proof and a crystal clear CTA. Implement UTM governance and a minimal dashboard.
- Phase 3: Launch one channel with three test offers and creative variants. Tighten messaging daily. Set a standing pipeline review with the sales team.
- Phase 4: Kill underperformers, double down on winners, document the learnings, and present the path to scale with confidence intervals.
Quickly, you should see a signal: higher demo acceptance, fewer no-shows, faster time to first call, and meaningful conversations that reference your promise in the buyer’s words.
If you are a founder, here is my challenge
Publish a landing page that states a measurable promise, a time frame, and one proof point. Then drive 200 targeted visitors in ten days through one channel. Report your results openly. You will learn more in two weeks than most teams do in two quarters.
Post your promise below. I will give tactical feedback, line by line.
Common objections, answered
“We need brand before demand.” You need both, in the right order. Nail a commercial narrative first, then scale your visual system to reinforce it. Brand without revenue clarity creates expensive art.
“Our buyers do not click ads.” They take warm intros, they listen to peers, they search for pain relief, and they respond to specific outcomes. Meet them where they make decisions, not where you prefer to market.
“We tried that channel, it did not work.” Most teams did not try the channel; they tried three disjointed tactics with inconsistent messaging and no follow-up. Channels work when the offer, creative, and landing experience align.
When to hire Misnomer Marketing
- You are VC-backed, you have a product in the market, but pipeline quality is inconsistent.
- Your site looks fine, but conversions are not (or you need a new site that converts).
- You are stuck between do-it-all junior hires and overpriced agencies that outsource everything.
- You want a single point of leadership who will own revenue clarity, design the strategy, do the work, and bring specialists only when the math supports it.
If that is you, we should talk.
