Why My Newsletter Pissed Off a Bunch of Marketers (And Why That’s the Point)

Maresa Friedman
May 16
2 min read

Funnels Are Broken. Humans Don’t Move in Straight Lines.

For years, we were taught to build marketing funnels like assembly lines:

Awareness
Nurture
Convert
Upsell
Repeat

But let’s be honest—people don’t behave that way anymore.

They don’t politely follow a sequence of emails.They Google. They scroll. They DM. They ask ChatGPT.They see one reel and skip ten steps.

Funnels are linear. Humans are not.

If you’re still trying to force real people through rigid frameworks, you're not optimizing—you’re annoying.

Personas Are Fiction. Patterns Are Real.

I also took aim at another industry darling: the buyer persona.

You know the one:

“Sara is a 35-year-old mom who shops at Target, drinks oat milk, and does yoga…”

Cute. But Sara has never hired anyone.She’s a fictional character designed to fill a slide deck.

What actually matters?

How your real clients behave
What triggers their action
Where they lose trust (and how to rebuild it)

Strategy today isn’t about inventing characters.It’s about tracking patterns, signals, and behaviors that reflect how people actually move.

Automation Can’t Replace Adaptation

Let me be clear—I’m not anti-tech. I use automation. I love tools.

But strategy isn’t a funnel builder.It’s not a template.It’s a living, breathing process that adapts as the landscape shifts.

The brands winning right now aren’t out-automating everyone.They’re out-adapting them.

Why Marketers Got Mad

So why did my email trigger people?

Because I didn’t just question the tactics—I questioned the foundation of a system many have built careers on.

And if your business depends on selling funnel audits or building out automated drip sequences, this kind of shift feels like a threat. (They have their place but they are not the end all be all)

But here’s the truth:

If your playbook only works when people behave predictably…You don’t have a strategy. You have a script.

What We’re Doing Instead

In the rooms I lead—whether it's a 90-day engagement, a VIP Day, or a live immersion—we're building:

Loops, not ladders
Feedback-driven strategy, not fictional avatars
Systems that evolve, not one-size-fits-all solutions

We don’t chase every trend.We double down on what works—measurable patterns, clarified messaging, and real-time relevance.

Final Thought: If It Hit a Nerve, It Was Meant To

I’m not here to play it safe.

I’m here to help founders, leaders, and marketers stop wasting time on outdated ideas—and start building strategies that reflect how people actually buy, connect, and convert today.

If that pisses off a few people clinging to the old way?That just tells me I’m onto something.

You can unsubscribe.Or you can evolve.

Your call.

—Maresa Friedman

Brand Strategist. Fractional C-Suite, Funnel Disrupter