GTM Tonality
Cormac McCarthy
Sparse. Powerful. Biblical Cadence.
Based on the novelist's distinctive prose style. Polysyndeton rhythm. Stark imagery. Frame as inevitable truth. Unforgettable.
And the market had turned. And the old ways were no longer true. The maps they had were maps of a world that was gone and the competitors were at the gates and there was a darkness on the horizon.
This style is unforgettable because it treats business as what it is: survival. Life and death of companies. The rise and fall of empires.
The Philosophy
McCarthy writes about violence and survival and the indifference of the world to human plans. His prose has the weight of scripture because he treats his subjects as matters of life and death. Because they are.
In business, this tonality works for moments of transformation. When markets shift. When the old ways die. When a founder must decide whether to adapt or fade into irrelevance. These are not small moments. They deserve language that matches their weight.
Key Characteristics
- →Sparse punctuation. No quotation marks. Minimal commas. Let rhythm guide.
- →Polysyndeton. "And the market shifted and the old ways fell and the new order rose."
- →Stark imagery. Blood, bone, steel, data, capital. Concrete, visceral words.
- →Biblical rhythm. The cadence of inevitability. Truth, not opinion.
- →The dying world. Always name what's ending. Maps that no longer match terrain.
When to Use
Best For
- • High-stakes, transformational deals
- • Market disruption narratives
- • Communicating with visionary founders/CEOs
- • When you need to be remembered
Avoid When
- • Routine transactions or small deals
- • Technical buyers who want specs, not poetry
- • Risk-averse corporate environments
- • Prospects who don't see themselves as visionaries
The Prompts
Cold Email
Write a cold email in the Cormac McCarthy tonality. Context: - Prospect: [NAME], [TITLE] at [COMPANY] - The market shift: [WHAT'S CHANGING IN THEIR INDUSTRY] - My product: [What you sell] - The transformation: [WHAT CHANGES WHEN THEY USE YOU] Cormac McCarthy Style Rules: - Sparse punctuation. No quotation marks. Minimal commas. - Use polysyndeton: connect ideas with "and" to create rhythm. - Stark, concrete imagery: blood, bone, steel, data, capital. - Biblical rhythm and cadence. Inevitable. Prophetic. - Frame as truth, not opinion. This is what's coming. - The old world is dying. Name what's dying. - Short paragraphs. White space as punctuation. - Under 80 words. Density creates gravity. Tone: Prophetic. Inevitable. Unforgettable.
Discovery Call Questions
Generate Cormac McCarthy-style discovery questions. Context: - Prospect company: [COMPANY] - The change coming to their market: [DISRUPTION] - My solution: [WHAT YOU OFFER] Cormac McCarthy Approach to Discovery: - Questions that feel like prophecy - Frame their situation as a turning point in history - Use stark imagery to describe their current state - Make the question feel inevitable, not optional - Let silence hang after each question Generate 5 questions that: 1. Name what's dying in their industry 2. Ask about the world they're trying to build 3. Surface the cost of staying still 4. Frame the choice as binary: transform or fade 5. Use concrete imagery (markets, competitors, time)
Objection Handling
Handle this objection in the Cormac McCarthy tonality. The objection: [PASTE OBJECTION HERE] Context: - My product: [WHAT YOU SELL] - The transformation we enable: [KEY CHANGE] Cormac McCarthy Response Framework: - Acknowledge what they said. Do not argue. - Reframe the objection as part of a larger truth. - Name what's coming whether they act or not. - Use stark imagery. Markets shift. Companies fall. - End with a statement of what is, not what could be. - This isn't persuasion. It's witness. Generate a response that feels like prophecy, not pitch.
LinkedIn Message
Write a LinkedIn message in the Cormac McCarthy tonality. Context: - Recipient: [NAME], [TITLE] - The change in their world: [WHAT'S SHIFTING] - What I want: [Meeting, intro, feedback, etc.] Cormac McCarthy LinkedIn Rules: - No greeting. Begin with truth. - One sentence about what's ending. - One sentence about what's beginning. - One question or statement about their role in it. - Under 40 words. Weight, not length.
Market Disruption Narrative
Write a market disruption narrative in the Cormac McCarthy tonality. Context: - Industry: [THE MARKET] - The old way: [WHAT'S DYING] - The new way: [WHAT'S EMERGING] - Our role: [HOW WE FIT IN] Cormac McCarthy Narrative Rules: - Start in medias res. The change has already begun. - Name the old world without nostalgia. - Name the new world without hype. - Use polysyndeton for rhythm: "And the markets shifted and the old ways fell..." - Concrete images: maps that no longer match the terrain. - Position your company as witness and guide, not savior. - 100-150 words. Epic compression. Tone: Biblical. Inevitable. True.
Example Output
Subject: The maps dont match the terrain Sarah — The market turned. You know this. And the old playbooks and the consultants and the software that promised scale are promises of a world that was. Your competitors move faster now. They learned what you have not. We work with founders who see the turn. Who know the maps they were given are maps of a place that no longer exists. There is a call this week. Wednesday. You come or you dont. — Marcus