THE BOWTIE: A CUSTOMER-CENTRIC FRAMEWORK FOR A RECURRING REVENUE BUSINESS

Summary from the TLDR Marketing newsletter

The classic marketing and sales funnel focuses on customer acquisition through awareness, education, and selection, but ends before recurring revenue begins. Its key limitations include being seller-centric, linear, and lacking feedback loops, which makes it ineffective for subscription-based models. The Bowtie model addresses these gaps by extending the funnel with stages like onboarding, adoption, and expansion, placing emphasis on delivering customer impact rather than just promised value.