I’m about to start marketing something new called Story Engine.

I’ve spoken to my ideal customer profile. Recognized the need. Built the website. Created a lead magnet. Set up the email follow-up. Now I need prospects.

My GTM plan is straightforward. Find people who look like a good fit. Get some to download my Story Engine Canvas. Start conversations. Turn conversations into meetings. Turn meetings into clients.

And I’m going to track each step.

Because if I contact 100 people and get 1 client, that doesn’t tell me much. Do 500 prospects get me 5? Maybe. I need to know what happened to the other 99.

Two journeys with the same result

Example A: 100 contacted → 40 downloads → 15 conversations → 8 meetings → 1 client

Example B: 100 contacted → 5 downloads → 2 conversations → 1 meeting → 1 client

Same result. Different challenges.

In Example A, I’m getting good interest. Forty took the next step. Fifteen started a conversation. Eight agreed to meet and I closed one.

I wouldn’t spend my time finding more prospects. I’d look further down the journey.

I’d ask: Am I attracting people who are never going to buy? Is the offer compelling enough? Is the pricing right?

Or maybe I just downright suck at sales.

At least I know where to focus.

Example B tells me something different.

I contacted 100 people and only 5 were interested enough to download the Canvas.

I’d spend my time at the top of the funnel. Am I reaching the right people? With the right frustration? Is the problem important enough? Do people understand why they should care?

And I’d look hard at my messaging.

If I’m reaching people who should have the problem I solve and 95 out of 100 have no interest, there’s a good chance I haven’t connected what I sell to something they care about.

That, appropriately enough, is the problem Story Engine is designed to solve. Which would be pretty embarrassing.

Founders know their products and what makes them different. Customers are thinking about frustrations and problems they need to solve.

Founders think about their products. Customers think about their frustrations. Story Engine connects the two.

If Example B is my customer journey, I may have a Story Engine problem with Story Engine.

Told you. Embarrassing. But useful to know.

I don’t need a complicated dashboard. I need to know where people drop out.

  • No downloads? Look at targeting and messaging.
  • Downloads but no conversations? Look at the lead magnet and follow-up.
  • Conversations but no meetings? Look at why interest isn’t turning into buying interest.
  • Meetings but no clients? Look at the offer and sales process.

And if the whole thing works but I’m still not generating enough business?

Then I do need to reach out to more people.

Until then, adding prospects could just mean putting more people through the same faulty journey.

Contact 100 people and get 1 client. The interesting number isn’t the 1. It’s where you lost the other 99.