How to build a personalized B2B demand system that scales
For growth-stage marketing leaders navigating burnout, budget cuts, and broken attribution.
TL;DR Built for B2B marketers tired of duct-taping systems together while being held accountable for pipeline.
Here’s the 5-part FOCUS Framework I use with growth-stage companies to simplify demand gen, cut through bloated tools and noise, and build systems that actually work.
Each part solves a specific breakdown I see in most B2B marketing teams.
The FOCUS Framework
A modern demand strategy built for clarity, personalization, and scale:
F — Focus the Funnel
Find the friction. Refine your ICP using real behavior and buyer signals.
O — Orchestrate the Buyer Journey
Create a natural, connected flow — not just scattered content and campaigns.
C — Craft Magnetic Offers
Make your offer feel like the answer they’ve been waiting for.
U — Unify Story and Systems
Bring content, brand, and automation together so it all feels right.
S — Scale with Smart Signals
Use AI + ops to double down on what’s working. Kill the rest.
This is for anyone tired of chasing hacks and ready to build something focused, repeatable, and future-proof.
Keep reading if you’ve ever thought:
“We’re doing a lot... but I’m not sure it’s all adding up.”
Photo by Fábio Lucas on Unsplash
Set the Stage
Life without design slips into chaos.
— Seneca, Moral Letters to Lucilius (Letter 95, paraphrased)
Listen, I just want to set the scene so you understand why this topic is so critical.
It’s all over the news and all over my LinkedIn feed. Businesses are struggling, particularly in tech, and that means marketing leaders are struggling too.
Just look at Microsoft. They’ve laid off over 15,000 employees in the last two months. While AI has been the headline scapegoat, Microsoft President Brad Smith clarified:
“Efficiency gains from AI were not a predominant factor.”
He pointed instead to shifting business priorities and rising capital costs, but still acknowledged AI will “fundamentally reshape jobs at Microsoft and everywhere else.”
That’s the climate we’re operating in. That’s why distraction and outdated systems won’t cut it anymore.
There’s no such thing as a set-it-and-forget-it system.
Success in life, business, and marketing comes from repetition, discipline, and consistency.
And I really want to help marketers understand why it feels like they’re falling behind, even when they’re working hard and doing all the “right” things on the surface.
As a digital marketing professional who specializes in building demand systems from both a technical and creative side, I typically see problems most marketers won’t spot until it’s too late.
And I know what it’s like to have that tough conversation with senior execs:
“We’re in trouble. The strategy is broken. The team is working harder than ever, but the system is failing us.”
In my experience, effort isn’t the problem.
Work ethic isn’t the problem.
The problem is that the system is broken.
Before AI, most execs already thought marketing was just an “art project.”
Now, with AI advancing and revenue shrinking, executives are looking for areas to cut. We’re being asked to do more, with less budget, less headcount, and tighter deadlines.
And if marketing leaders don’t understand how to communicate the value of brand plus demand, they’re in deep trouble.
That’s exactly why I built this.
I needed a clear, repeatable way to cut through the noise, adapt fast, and build something that actually works, without relying on overbuilt stacks or bloated strategy decks.
FOCUS Framework for Demand Generation Strategy
Simple, strategic, and scalable — built for lean teams navigating high-pressure growth.
F — Focus the Funnel
Zoom in on your ideal buyers and pinpoint the friction in their journey.
Funnel Calibration: Map actual buyer behavior, not just internal assumptions.
→ Outcome: Spot drop-offs in the buyer journey that cause lost pipeline.Refine your ICP: Use real engagement and intent data — not legacy personas.
→ I use Salesforce customer data and behavior analysis to define intent-based ICPs.Pinpoint Friction: Identify where attention, trust, or momentum is breaking down.
→ Helps focus budget and messaging where deals actually stall.
Question: Where are we winning — and where are we bleeding out attention or leads?
O — Orchestrate the Buyer Journey
Architect a real flow across touchpoints (not random acts of marketing).
Journey Mapping: Align marketing with each stage of awareness and decision-making.
→ Outcome: Create content and campaigns with a clear progression from first click to closed deal.Buyer Signals: Use behavior and intent data to trigger content and offers.
→ I use Miro to map out our campaign activation plans across the buyer journey.Stage Alignment: Ensure messaging evolves from problem recognition to solution readiness.
→ Improves conversion and accelerates sales cycles.
Question: How does each piece of messaging move someone naturally to the next step?
C — Craft Magnetic Offers
Create valuable offers that feel like “finally, someone gets it.”
Offer Positioning: Align outcomes to urgent pain points — not features.
→ I use Alex Hormozi’s Grand Slam Offer framework to craft high-impact offers.Low-Friction CTAs: Make it easy to say yes — with the right format, right timing.
→ Test formats like free tools, demos, consultations, or templates depending on intent stage.Conversion Confidence: Validate offers against real objections and job-to-be-done.
→ Leads to faster adoption and less resistance.
Question: Is my offer painfully obvious to the right people at the right moment?
U — Unify Story and Systems
Bring cohesion across content, brand, and automation.
Content Orchestration: Deliver the right message at the right time with structured campaigns.
→ I map messaging to the 5 Stages of Awareness across content, ads, and nurture flows.Personalization at Scale: Speak to specific challenges by segment, title, or company.
→ I use Webflow Optimize, personalized Arcade demos, and dynamic fields in forms/emails to tailor messages by persona.Narrative Consistency: Align your voice and visuals across every touchpoint.
→ Builds trust and brand memorability over time.
Question: Does my marketing feel like a cohesive story — or just a pile of disconnected tactics?
S — Scale with Smart Signals
Track what matters, cut what doesn’t, and build leverage through automation.
Systemization via AI + Ops: Automate high-effort, low-impact tasks to free up strategy.
→ Outcome: More bandwidth for deep work while your system runs in the background.AI-Powered Insights: Use tools to identify repeatable wins and early traction.
→ I’ve started experimenting with Gemini in Google Sheets to generate and summarize key metrics, then layer Tableau dashboards for deeper signal tracking.Leverage Overload: Scale what works. Kill what doesn’t.
→ Keeps strategy lean, agile, and ROI-driven.
Question: Are we building leverage — or just adding more work and hoping for scale?
Use the FOCUS Framework to:
Audit your current demand gen strategy
Plan new campaigns with clarity and precision
Build scalable, personalized, and modern marketing systems that align with today’s buyer behavior
It’s future-proof by design — made for an AI-native, resource-constrained, growth-hungry world.
Access the free FOCUS Framework template + Bonus resources