Value add beyond capital
My background is operational. Where I invest, I work on the areas I have built myself: customer acquisition, funnels and sales. This page shows how that work is structured and which numbers it is measured by.
The short version
TL;DR- Focus
- Customer acquisition, funnels and sales.
- Channels
- Meta and YouTube ads with a clear structure and tracking that sees the sale.
- Method
- Measure every stage. Fix the narrowest one first.
- Sales
- Setter and closer structures for complex and high-ticket offers.
- Offer and message
- Offer levers, pricing tiers and a message that fits what the buyer already knows.
- Scope
- Agreed before investing, from sparring to hands-on work.
Acquisition chain
From first contact to paying customer.
Every stage can be measured to see where a business loses prospects. That is where I start.
The chain, stage by stage
Each bar shows how many prospects are left. The marked stage is where the drop is largest in this example.
1Positioning
Message and offer
2Ad
Click-through rate, cost per click
3Landing page (narrowest stage)
Conversion rate
4Lead
Cost per lead, speed to lead
5Sales call
Booking rate, show rate
6Close
Close rate
7Customer
Cost per customer, contribution margin
Fig. 1Schematic, no real data. In e-commerce the sales call is replaced by the checkout, in software by a trial or a demo.
Why the narrowest stage comes first
If an ad brings cheap clicks but the landing page converts poorly, more ad budget only buys more visitors who leave. If the page converts well but nobody follows up quickly, leads go cold. Each stage limits the next, so the work starts where the drop is largest compared with what is normal for that type of business.
Why it has to be measured
Without numbers per stage, every problem looks like a traffic problem, and the answer is always more budget. With numbers per stage, the cheapest fix becomes visible. Often it is not the ad, but the offer, the page or the follow-up.
Areas of work
Six areas, one system.
The areas are connected. A better offer improves every ad. Better follow-up improves every lead.
Positioning & offer
What a company stands for and why a customer should buy now.
- Sharpening target group and buying motive
- Structuring offer, price and guarantee
- Building product tiers and add-on offers
- Testing positioning with paid traffic before a full launch
Typical output: a one-page brief on offer and message that the whole team works from.
Paid acquisition
Reach on Meta and YouTube with a clear campaign structure.
- Campaign and budget structure
- Testing creatives by fixed rules
- Tracking and revenue attribution
- Raising budgets step by step
Typical output: a campaign structure and a testing plan with clear decision rules.
Funnels & conversion
Message, landing page and follow-up working as one system.
- Landing pages and funnel flows
- Follow-up by email and messenger
- Booking flows for sales calls
- Measuring and fixing funnel bottlenecks
Typical output: a mapped funnel with conversion rates at every step.
Sales
Sales processes for complex and high-ticket offers.
- Setter and closer structures
- Call scripts and objection handling
- Pipeline stages in the CRM
- Sales metrics and reporting
Typical output: a sales process with defined roles, scripts and weekly numbers.
Direct-response copy
Copy for ads, landing pages and emails, written to get a response.
- Ad copy and hooks
- Sales pages
- Email sequences
- Scripts for video ads
Typical output: copy tested against clear goals, not against taste.
Sparring & network
A second opinion on priorities, and introductions only where they actually help.
- Prioritisation and growth planning
- Contacts in marketing and among founders
- Contacts at large ad platforms
- Input on marketing and sales hires
Typical output: a short list of priorities for the next quarter.
Offer & pricing
The offer decides how hard everything else is.
A strong offer makes every ad cheaper and every sales call shorter. Four levers make an offer more valuable to the buyer, and the structure of tiers decides what people choose.
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Lever 1
A clearer result
What exactly the customer gets, in their words rather than in features. “Ten booked appointments a week” sells better than “a powerful booking tool”.
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Lever 2
More proof
Cases, numbers, demos and guarantees that make the result believable. Proof lowers the risk the buyer feels, and that risk is often the real objection.
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Lever 3
A faster path
How soon the first result arrives. A quick first win makes the rest of the offer credible and lowers churn in the first weeks.
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Lever 4
Less effort
What the customer has to do themselves. Every step removed from setup, onboarding or the buying process raises conversion and perceived value.
A price is easier to defend when these levers move. A discount moves none of them.
Three tiers, one decision
How a premium option changes what people choose.
Starter
1×price index
- Core product
- Self-service onboarding
- Email support
Core
2×price index
- Everything in Starter
- Guided onboarding
- Priority support
- Quarterly review
Premium
5×price index
- Everything in Core
- Set up for the customer
- A dedicated contact
Share of buyers by tier in this example
Fig. 2Illustrative. Prices as multiples of the starter tier. The premium tier is chosen least, but it makes the core tier look reasonable.
Why three tiers work
A single price invites a yes-or-no decision. Three tiers turn it into a choice between options. The premium tier sets the price expectation, and the core tier becomes the obvious middle. This effect is called anchoring.
What the choices tell you
If almost everyone picks the cheapest tier, the tiers are not different enough or the core tier is overpriced. If many pick premium, it is probably priced too low. Both are signals to adjust, not to discount.
Awareness levels
The right message for what people already know.
A classic model from direct-response copywriting sorts prospects by how much they know about their problem and about the solution. Each level needs a different message.
Five levels of awareness
From people who do not see a problem yet to people who are ready to buy.
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1Unaware
- What they know
- Nothing about the problem yet.
- Message that works
- A story or observation that makes the problem visible.
- Typical format
- Content, short video, broad audiences.
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2Problem-aware
- What they know
- The problem, but not the solutions.
- Message that works
- Name the problem precisely and show what it costs.
- Typical format
- Problem-led ads, guides, checklists.
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3Solution-aware
- What they know
- That solutions exist, but not why yours.
- Message that works
- Why this approach is different and better.
- Typical format
- Comparisons, case studies, webinars.
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4Product-aware
- What they know
- Your product, but they are not convinced.
- Message that works
- Proof, a guarantee and answers to objections.
- Typical format
- Retargeting, testimonials, demos.
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5Most aware
- What they know
- They want it and need a reason to act.
- Message that works
- The offer and a reason to decide now.
- Typical format
- Direct offer, reminder, deadline.
Fig. 3After Eugene Schwartz, “Breakthrough Advertising” (1966). The formats are typical examples, not rules.
The most common mismatch
Sending a level 5 message, “Book now”, to a cold audience at level 1 or 2. The ad is not bad; it talks to people who are not there yet. Cold audiences need the problem first, warm audiences need proof, ready audiences need the offer.
How it shapes a campaign
Each level gets its own creatives and its own place in the funnel: content and problem-led ads for cold audiences, comparisons and cases in the middle, offers and deadlines in retargeting.
Paid acquisition
A campaign structure that can be read.
Structure decides whether results can be explained. Without it, budget decisions become guesses.
Meta works well for creating demand: short creatives, fast iteration and broad audiences that the platform narrows down itself.
YouTube suits offers that need explanation. A longer video can carry an argument that a short ad cannot.
Prospecting and retargeting stay separate, so it is clear which part of the budget wins new people and which part brings back people who already know the offer.
Tracking comes first. Server-side events and imported offline conversions make sure the platforms learn from sales, not only from clicks.
Campaign structure
One account, two jobs: winning new people and bringing back people who already know the offer.
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Ad accountMeta or YouTube
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ProspectingNew audiences
- Broad audienceThe platform finds buyers
- Interests or topicsDefined segments
- Lookalike audiencesBased on existing customers
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RetargetingPeople who know the offer
- Site visitorsNo lead yet
- Leads without a bookingFollow-up offer
- Creatives in every ad setHooks and formats, tested by rules
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ProspectingNew audiences
Fig. 4Simplified. The exact structure depends on budget, platform and offer.
Tracking
Platforms learn from what they are shown.
Ad platforms optimise for the signal they receive. If they only see clicks and form fills, they find more people who click and fill in forms, not more people who buy.
Three ways data reaches the ad platform
The further down, the closer the signal is to revenue.
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SourceBrowser pixelCode on the websiteWhat it sendsPage views and leadsCan miss events when browsers block tracking or consent is refused.ReceivesAd platformMeta or Google
Partial signal
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SourceServer eventsMeta Conversions API, Google enhanced conversionsWhat it sendsLeads and purchases from the serverMore complete, matched with hashed email or phone number.ReceivesAd platformMeta or Google
Reliable signal
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SourceCRMOffline conversions imported from the sales systemWhat it sendsQualified calls and closed dealsLets the platform optimise for revenue instead of form fills.ReceivesAd platformMeta or Google
Best signal
Fig. 5Simplified. Consent rules decide what may be sent, and tracking has to follow them.
Why it matters
Delivery algorithms look for people who resemble those who converted. Feed them form fills, and they find people who fill in forms. Feed them closed deals, and they find buyers. The same budget then reaches better prospects.
What I set up
- Pixel and server events, without double counting
- Lead status passed from the CRM back to the platform
- One naming scheme for campaigns, so reports add up
- A weekly check that platform numbers match the CRM
A test grid after one round
Four hooks in four formats. Darker cells performed better.
- Scaled
- Kept
- Stopped
- Next test
Fig. 6Example, no real data. The winning hook is carried into the next format.
Creative testing
Tested by rules, not by taste.
In paid acquisition, the creative decides more than the targeting. So creatives are tested systematically.
- One variable at a time: hook, format or offer
- Budget and time per test fixed before it starts
- Decision rules set in advance: stop, keep or scale
- Winning hooks carried into new formats
- Every test logged, so learnings stay when people change
The aim is not one lucky ad, but a steady supply of creatives that work, so results do not collapse when one ad wears out.
Funnels & follow-up
Most sales happen after the first visit.
A landing page captures interest. Follow-up turns it into a conversation or a purchase.
What a landing page needs
- One clear promise for one target group
- Proof close to the promise
- One call to action, repeated
- Fast loading on mobile
- A form that asks only what is needed
What follow-up needs
- Speed: the first contact within minutes, not days
- More than one channel: email, messenger, call
- A reason to act in every message
- A clear end point
Example follow-up sequence
For an offer that is sold in a call.
- Day 0Sign-upConfirmation with the booking link.
- Day 0First contact by a setterA short call or message while interest is high.
- Day 1ProofA case or result that matches the lead’s situation.
- Day 2ReminderThe booking link again, in one sentence.
- Day 4ObjectionAn answer to the most common reason not to book.
- Day 7Last messageA clear next step or a deadline, then the sequence ends.
Fig. 7Example. Timing and channels depend on the offer and the target group.
Sales
Clear roles for complex offers.
For high-ticket and explanation-heavy offers, a split between setter and closer keeps the pipeline moving and the calls focused.
From lead to customer
Each step has one owner and one number.
- 1Lead
Comes in
From ads, content or referrals, with the answers from the form.
Speed to leadTime to first contact
- 2Setter
Qualifies
Need, fit, budget and timing. Books the call only if it fits.
Booking rateLeads who book a call
- 3Booked call
Gets prepared
Reminders, a short video or case, and the setter’s notes for the closer.
Show rateCalls that take place
- 4Closer
Advises and closes
A consultative call: situation, goal, offer and objections.
Close rateCalls that become customers
- 5Outcome
Customer, later, or no
New customers go to onboarding. Open cases go back into follow-up.
Revenue per callValue of the whole process
Fig. 8Schematic process for offers sold in a call.
What I set up
- Roles and handover rules between setter and closer
- Call scripts and objection handling
- Pipeline stages in the CRM
- Weekly sales numbers by person and by source
What it changes
Closers spend their time only on qualified calls. Setters keep response times short. And the numbers show where deals are lost: before the call, in the call or after it.
Metrics
The numbers I look at.
Each stage has its own number. Together they explain what a customer costs and what a customer is worth.
Worked example of unit economics| Metric | What it shows | Stage |
|---|---|---|
| Click-through rate | What it showsShare of people who click after seeing an ad. | StageAd |
| Cost per click | What it showsWhat one visitor costs. | StageAd |
| Conversion rate | What it showsShare of visitors who become leads or buyers. | StageLanding page |
| Cost per lead | What it showsAd spend divided by the number of leads. | StageLead |
| Speed to lead | What it showsTime from sign-up to first contact. | StageFollow-up |
| Booking rate | What it showsShare of leads who book a call. | StageSales call |
| Show rate | What it showsShare of booked calls that take place. | StageSales call |
| Close rate | What it showsShare of held calls that turn into customers. | StageClose |
| Customer acquisition cost | What it showsAll acquisition costs divided by new customers. | StageCustomer |
| Contribution margin | What it showsRevenue minus variable costs per customer. | StageCustomer |
| Payback period | What it showsMonths until the contribution margin covers acquisition cost. | StageCustomer |
| Churn or repeat rate | What it showsShare of customers who leave or buy again. | StageAfter the sale |
Not every business needs every number. A shop has no show rate, a software company has no checkout. What matters is that every stage of its own chain is measured.
How we start
Diagnose, fix, then scale.
Work after an investment follows the same order every time. Role and scope are agreed before.
Three phases
Each phase ends with a result that can be measured.
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01
Diagnose
Map the funnel, check the tracking and collect the numbers for every stage.
ResultA shared view of where prospects are lost.
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02
Fix the bottleneck
Work on the narrowest stage first, with clear tests and decision rules.
ResultA measurable improvement at that stage.
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03
Scale what works
Raise budgets step by step, add channels and build the team around the process.
ResultGrowth that does not depend on one person or one ad.
Fig. 9The order stays the same. How long each phase takes depends on the business.
Scope options
- Sparring
- Regular review of numbers and priorities
- Hands-on
- Work in agreed areas, such as campaigns or sales
- Partnership
- Active work on acquisition, funnels and sales
Which option fits is agreed before investing. How the structures work.
Continue reading
More about how I invest.
Next step
Tell me what you are building.
A few sentences are enough: what the business does, where the digital part sits and what you need. A reply on whether a call makes sense follows.