Fixing a Broken Funnel
2026
Fixing a Broken Funnel
How I diagnose growth problems fast
Overview
When growth stalls, most teams respond with more activity. More ads. More content. More experiments. This post explains how I actually diagnose funnel problems, how I find the real constraint quickly, and why most “growth fixes” fail because they treat symptoms instead of causes.
When a founder says, “Our funnel is broken,” what they usually mean is:
“Revenue feels unpredictable and I don’t know why.”
So they do what most people do under uncertainty:
They add more.
More traffic.
More tools.
More campaigns.
More content.
More ideas.
And then they’re confused when it still doesn’t work.
Funnels don’t break randomly.
They break for specific reasons.
And if you know how to diagnose them properly, you don’t need months. You need clarity.
Why Most Funnel Fixes Fail
Most funnel “optimizations” look like this:
• Tweak the homepage headline
• Change the CTA color
• Add urgency
• Add testimonials
• Add a chatbot
• Add a pop-up
None of those are bad.
But they’re all downstream.
If your funnel is broken upstream, you’re polishing the hood while the engine is on fire.
Real funnel problems usually come from:
• Wrong ICP
• Weak positioning
• Misaligned offer
• No urgency trigger
• Low trust
• Confused handoffs
• Bad activation
Not button color.
Step 1: Identify the Real Constraint
Every growth system is constrained by one thing.
Not five.
Not “everything.”
One.
It’s usually one of these:
• Not enough awareness
• The wrong people coming in
• Low trust
• Low perceived value
• Confusing next steps
• Poor onboarding
• Weak retention
If you try to fix all of these at once, you fix none of them.
So my first question is always:
“Where does momentum die?”
Not:
“What do we want to improve?”
But:
“Where does movement stop?”
Step 2: Map the Funnel as Behavior, Not Pages
Most funnels are documented as pages:
• Homepage
• Pricing
• Signup
• Onboarding
That’s not a funnel.
A funnel is a behavior sequence.
I want to know:
• What is the first meaningful action?
• What is the moment of doubt?
• What is the moment of commitment?
• What is the moment of value?
• What is the moment of stickiness?
Funnels don’t fail on pages.
They fail at moments.
Step 3: Audit Intent, Not Just Conversion
Low conversion is a symptom.
Not a diagnosis.
I look at:
• Who is coming in?
• Why are they here?
• What do they think they’re getting?
• What do they actually get?
Most funnel problems come from intent mismatch.
People arrive expecting one thing.
You sell them another.
Conversion drops. Trust erodes. Growth stalls.
Step 4: Find the Friction That Matters
Not all friction is bad.
Some friction is good:
• Qualification
• Commitment
• Signal of seriousness
Bad friction is:
• Confusion
• Uncertainty
• Fear
• Cognitive overload
• Missing context
When funnels fail, it’s usually because of emotional friction, not UX friction.
People don’t move forward because they’re unsure—not because the button is too small.
Step 5: Diagnose Trust Gaps
Trust is the most underpriced variable in growth.
If trust is low, everything else gets expensive.
I look for:
• Proof
• Specificity
• Risk reversal
• Social validation
• Authority signals
• Clarity of scope
If you sound generic, people assume risk.
And if risk feels high, conversion feels wrong.
Step 6: Evaluate the Offer, Not Just the Funnel
Many funnels fail because the offer is wrong.
Not confusing—wrong.
I ask:
• Is this actually valuable?
• Is it differentiated?
• Is it priced correctly?
• Is it easy to understand?
• Is it emotionally compelling?
You can’t optimize a bad offer into a good one.
Step 7: Look for Where Energy Leaks
Funnels don’t just leak money.
They leak motivation.
I look at:
• Sales follow-up speed
• Internal confusion
• Hand-offs
• Ownership gaps
• Decision bottlenecks
If the team is confused, the funnel will be too.
Step 8: Prioritize Leverage, Not Ease
Most teams fix what’s easy.
Not what’s impactful.
I prioritize:
• The biggest leverage point
• The most systemic fix
• The decision that clarifies everything else
High-leverage fixes feel scary.
Low-leverage fixes feel busy.
What This Looks Like in Practice
Here’s a common diagnosis sequence:
Founder says:
“We need more leads.”
Reality:
• Leads are okay
• Sales is slow
• Messaging is vague
• ICP is broad
• Offer is unclear
Fix:
• Clarify ICP
• Rewrite core narrative
• Narrow positioning
• Rebuild offer
• Simplify next step
Suddenly:
• Conversion doubles
• Sales cycle shortens
• Pipeline quality improves
• Team confidence increases
No new traffic needed.
The Funnel is a Reflection of Thinking
This is the part most people miss.
Your funnel is not a technical artifact.
It’s a mental one.
Confused thinking → confused funnel
Scattered priorities → scattered experience
Weak positioning → weak conversion
Funnels don’t fail.
Strategy does.
The 60-Minute Diagnosis Framework
When I look at a funnel, I ask:
Who is this really for?
What pain do they feel?
What outcome do they want?
Why should they trust you?
Why should they act now?
What happens after they convert?
If any of those are fuzzy, the funnel will be too.
Why This Matters
Most teams treat growth as a volume problem.
It’s usually a clarity problem.
And clarity is much cheaper than traffic.
The Bottom Line
Broken funnels don’t need more hacks.
They need:
• Clear positioning
• Strong offers
• Trust signals
• Behavior-aware design
• Focused iteration
If your funnel feels fragile, it’s not because marketing is hard.
It’s because no one is driving the system.