---
type: "article"
title: "Why I stopped believing in funnels"
summary: "My 'famous' marketing circles"
newsletter: "Digitalie - Creative Marketing Strategies"
newsletter_handle: "digitalie"
newsletter_url: "https://usecommune.com/n/digitalie"
author: "Natalie Vijlbrief (@natalie)"
published: "2026-02-26T09:25:00.000Z"
canonical_url: "https://usecommune.com/n/digitalie/a/why-i-stopped-believing-in-funnels"
markdown_url: "https://usecommune.com/n/digitalie/a/why-i-stopped-believing-in-funnels.md"
chat_url: "https://usecommune.com/n/digitalie/a/why-i-stopped-believing-in-funnels/chat"
source_url: "https://digitaliemarketing.kit.com/posts/why-i-stopped-believing-in-funnels"
body_source: "imported"
likes: 0
replies: 0
body_words: 346
---

# Why I stopped believing in funnels

Hey Reader,

Last week I talked about trust, and how the most interesting ways to reach people are the ones that actually build a relationship rather than just grab attention.

But here's the question I get a lot: where does trust actually fit in your marketing? And how do you know if you have enough of it?

I had a strategy call recently with a business coach who was doing everything right. Active on LinkedIn, showing up on Instagram, speaking at conferences, guesting on podcasts. People knew who he was. They engaged with his content. They followed him.

But sales weren't happening.

When we sat down and mapped out his marketing together, the pattern became obvious almost immediately. Every single thing he was doing lived in the "people are discovering me" phase. There was nowhere for those people to actually get to trust him before he asked them to invest in a high-commitment coaching programme.

He had no trust circle.

Once we could see that, fixing it became straightforward. We added a weekly newsletter and longer-form content where people could really understand how he thinks. The sales conversations changed completely after that, because the people booking calls had already spent time getting to know him.

This is the framework I use with almost every client I work with: marketing circles. Instead of a funnel where everyone moves A to B to C in a straight line, it recognises that people move around, come from different directions, and buy when they feel ready. Not when you tell them to.

I wrote about it on my blog, including how to map your own circles and spot where people might be leaking out: [Why Your Marketing Funnel Isn't Working](https://digitalie.eu/why-your-marketing-funnel-isnt-working/)​

Hit reply and let me know which circle you think you're strongest in. I'm genuinely curious.

![avatar](https://embed.filekitcdn.com/e/aB5b1cpa9RZHZdR87PDrJC/bMg1ESd5Gfu1SbvVMQmiLP)

### Warmest wishes

Natalie

Hey, did you know you can join [Digitalie's Puzzle Hub](https://discord.gg/hVDaxH7CjW)? This is a fabulous community on Discord, where we talk about marketing, content, our businesses, and so much more! I would love to see you there!

[![Built with Kit](https://cdn.convertkit.com/assets/images/kit-badge-light.png)​](https://partners.kit.com/tsilpn?utm_campaign=poweredby&utm_content=email)

***

## Discussion

No replies yet.