THE FORENSIC INVESTIGATION PROCESS
The Autopsy Method:
Four Stages. No Guesswork.
A systematic framework that traces evidence to its source — diagnosing the exact psychological or operational cause of marketing failure, not just symptoms.
Why a Structured Investigative Process
Beats Intuition Every Time
Marketing failures are rarely random. They follow patterns.
Cognitive biases trigger at predictable moments. Trust collapses
at specific psychological thresholds. Decision fatigue accumulates
across funnel stages in measurable ways.
But without a systematic framework to trace the evidence,
these causes remain invisible — and teams resort to guessing,
A/B testing random elements, or blaming "the market."
The Autopsy Method eliminates guesswork. Every diagnosis is
traceable to evidence. Every recommendation is implementable
and prioritized by impact.
This is the difference between guessing and investigating.
01
INVESTIGATE
Deep forensic analysis of your funnel, behavioural data, operational workflows and psychological touchpoints.
02
DIAGNOSE
Identify the exact psychological or operational cause of failure — named and located precisely.
03
PRESCRIBE
A detailed forensic report with specific, prioritised, implementable recommendations — psychological fixes, operational fixes, or both.
04
SOLVE
Optional implementation support to execute the prescription and track recovery.
01
INVESTIGATE
Deep forensic analysis of your funnel, behavioural data, operational workflows and psychological touchpoints.
02
DIAGNOSE
Identify the exact psychological or operational cause of failure — named and located precisely.
03
PRESCRIBE
A detailed forensic report with specific, prioritised, implementable recommendations — psychological fixes, operational fixes, or both.
04
SOLVE
Optional implementation support to execute the prescription and track recovery.
THE FORENSIC INVESTIGATION PROCESS
OBJECTIVE:
Gather all psychological, operational, and performance evidence across the full customer journey — from first touchpoint to final conversion or abandonment.
BUSINESS IMPACT:
Creates a complete evidence base. No blind spots. No assumptions treated as facts. Every subsequent diagnosis is grounded in this investigative foundation.
Investigate
1
OBJECTIVE:
Identify the exact psychological or operational mechanism causing conversion failure — not just symptoms, but root cause.
BUSINESS IMPACT:
Pinpoints the exact cause of death. No more guessing. No more "let's test a headline" without understanding why the headline might matter. Strategic clarity.
Diagnose
2
OBJECTIVE:
Deliver specific, prioritized, implementable recommendations — not observations dressed up as strategy.
BUSINESS IMPACT:
Removes ambiguity. Every stakeholder knows exactly what needs to change, why it matters, and how to execute it. Decision-making accelerates.
Prescribe
3
OBJECTIVE:
Execute the prescription, track recovery, and ensure the cause of death doesn't repeat.
BUSINESS IMPACT:
Ensures recommendations don't die in a report. Execution is guided, validated, and measured. Results are documented.
Teams learn the methodology for future use.
Solve (Optional)
4
Common Questions About The Process
Standard audits produce checklists of what's broken. The Autopsy Method diagnoses why it's broken — using consumer neuroscience, behavioural economics, and systematic evidence tracing.
Most audits: "Your CTA button needs better copy."
The Autopsy Method: "Your CTA triggers loss aversion because pricing is introduced without value anchoring. Here's the psychological mechanism, the evidence, and three prioritized fixes."No. The investigation runs in parallel with your existing operations.
I audit what's live, analyze historical performance, and interview
teams without disrupting active campaigns.Every diagnosis is backed by evidence: behavioural data, psychological research, funnel analysis. If a finding is contested, we review the evidence together. I don't prescribe
fixes based on opinion — only traceable causes.
That said: I will tell you what's killing conversions even if it's uncomfortable. If your positioning is the problem, I'll say so. If it's a fixable friction point, I'll say that too.
No. Quick recommendations without systematic diagnosis often miss the actual cause and waste implementation effort on symptoms. If you need fast tactical support, consider a 2-week diagnostic sprint — but the methodology remains intact.
Operational dysfunction often masquerades as a conversion problem.
If internal misalignment is the root cause, the diagnosis will surface it — and recommendations will address it. I won't ignore organizational causes just because they're harder to fix than a landing page.Stage 04 (Solve) is optional. I can:
- Oversee implementation by your internal team or agency
- Directly execute specific changes (email flows, content strategy)
- Train your team to implement using the roadmapImplementation approach depends on your resources and preferences.
Every recommendation includes:
1. The evidence supporting the hypothesis
2. The psychological or operational mechanism being addressed
3. A validation framework (A/B testing protocol where applicable)
4. Expected impact range based on similar fixesI don't guarantee specific lift percentages — that's dishonest.
I guarantee systematic diagnosis and evidence-based fixes.
Why Forensic Investigation Works
Rooted in Behavioural Science:
Consumer neuroscience. Behavioural economics. Cognitive psychology.
Every diagnosis references the psychological mechanisms driving
customer behaviour — not marketing platitudes.
Operationally Grounded:
16+ years managing real campaigns means I know what's actually
implementable vs. theoretically interesting. Recommendations
account for resource constraints, technical limitations, and
internal politics.
Evidence-Based, Always:
Every finding is traceable to data, research, or documented
customer behaviour. No gut feelings presented as strategy.
No frameworks applied without justification.
Honest Over Comfortable:
If your problem is fundamental positioning, I'll say so — even
if it means a longer, harder fix. If it's a single friction
point solvable in 48 hours, I'll say that too. The investigation
determines the answer.
WHO THIS PROCESS IS FOR
The Right Investigation for the Right Problem
This methodology is designed for:
✓ CMOs and growth leaders with underperforming funnels despite strong traffic
✓ Marketing teams with strong strategy but chaotic execution — deadlines slipping, stakeholders misaligned
✓ Founders who've tested dozens of changes with no meaningful lift
✓ Brands launching high-stakes campaigns and can't afford to guess
✓ Agency or marketing leads coordinating multi-stakeholder campaigns who need senior operational discipline
✓ Teams with data but no diagnosis — they see the drop-off, don't know why
This is not for:
✗ Brands looking for validation of decisions already made
✗ Teams wanting a checklist audit without deeper investigation
✗ Organizations unwilling to act on uncomfortable findings
✗ Businesses expecting guaranteed percentage lifts without evidence
Ready to start the investigation?
LET'S DIAGNOSE
WHAT'S FAILING.
Free 15-minute discovery call. You describe the problem — whether it's conversion psychology or campaign operations. I tell you where I'd investigate and what you'd receive. No sales pitch. Just an honest diagnostic conversation.
Let's start with a free 30-minute Conversion Audit. No sales pitch. Just honest insights.
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CUSTOMER INVESTIGATION IN PROGRESS · FORENSIC MARKETING ANALYSIS · CONVERSION AUTOPSY · OPERATIONAL BREAKDOWN DETECTED · PSYCHOLOGICAL FRICTION IDENTIFIED · CUSTOMER INVESTIGATION IN PROGRESS · FORENSIC MARKETING ANALYSIS · CONVERSION AUTOPSY · OPERATIONAL BREAKDOWN DETECTED · PSYCHOLOGICAL FRICTION IDENTIFIED ·