The GTM Debug Framework Every AI Startup Should Know

When revenue stalls, most teams blame sales. But growth problems rarely start there. Here’s how to trace them back to the source — and fix them fast.

One of the founders I advise — a smart, charismatic CEO — came to me recently, visibly frustrated.

“Am I just a terrible salesperson?”

Revenue had plateaued. Deals were stuck in procurement. Conversion was weak. And as usual, the blame landed on the founder — because they were the one selling.

But here’s the truth:

This is one of the most common false diagnoses in go-to-market.

• When growth stalls, the instinct is to blame Sales.

• But in Doug Leone’s words: Sales is just the output.

• To fix the system, you have to trace the issue back to the real source.

That’s where a framework from longtime Sequoia partner Douglas Leone comes in — something he calls:

The Leone Merchandising Cycle

Sales → Lead Gen / Conversion → Product Marketing → Product Management → Engineering → Vision

📉 Start at the bottom of the funnel — with Sales — and ask:
"Why isn’t it working?"
Then trace the failure back up the chain until you find the real break.