The Death of the Funnel: Why Accountants Need Narrative Ecosystems to Grow

Funnels are dead. And in this episode of The Growth Minded Accountant, host Lee Reams II and guest Rebekah Barton explain why the old lead-generation playbook no longer works—and what accountants must do instead.

For years, firms were told to rely on funnels: fill the top with ads and PDFs, nurture with email, and push leads down until they buy. But in Fall 2025, that’s not how clients make decisions.Clients now:

Google you, check Yelp, scroll LinkedIn, and DM a friend.
Ask ChatGPT who the best advisor is (and trust the recommendation).
Get their answers directly from Google’s AI Overviews, often without ever clicking a website.

The result? Funnels don’t just leak—they’re broken.

In their place comes the Narrative Ecosystem: a consistent story told across every touchpoint—your website, Google profile, proposals, onboarding, and even your newsletters. It’s the only way to win in a world where AI is deciding what people see and who they trust.In this episode, you’ll learn:

Why traditional funnels no longer match today’s discovery process.
How Google’s AI-first SERPs and ChatGPT’s dominance are reshaping trust.
What a Narrative Ecosystem looks like in practice for accountants and advisory firms.
How AI can amplify your narrative across every client interaction.
Practical steps to move from funnel-thinking to ecosystem growth.

Funnels are relics. Narrative ecosystems are the future. And with CountingWorks PRO powered by MAX, accountants can finally scale smarter and faster—without more headcount or cookie-cutter marketing.

Subscribe to The Growth Minded Accountant wherever you listen to podcasts—and discover how to build a modern, visible, and advisory-first firm in the AI era.

Transcript

We know that everyone digests information differently. That’s why we’re now sharing the full transcript of each episode of The Growth Minded Accountant right here on the CountingWorks PRO blog. Whether you’re short on time, like to scan and highlight, or simply prefer reading over listening, you can catch up on every conversation at your own pace.

Each week, we cover topics that matter most to tax and accounting professionals—from AI and automation to marketing strategies, firm growth, and client relationships. Scroll down to read the full episode, or subscribe to the podcast to listen on the go.