A sales funnel is the marketing term for the journey potential customers goes through on the way to purchase. The one process that helps sales reps turn cold prospects into hot leads is the sales funnel.
As a small business owner, you know the pain of missing out on a client after the back and forth, the person just did not convert.
A sales funnel can assist you to figure out what potential consumers are thinking and doing at different stages of the buying process. These insights enable you to allocate resources to the most effective marketing activities and channels, craft the most appropriate messages at each stage and convert more leads into paying customers.
What are the sales funnel stages?
Stage 1: Awareness
This is the first stage is called awareness because this is when your target market is becoming aware of your business and the problem it solves for them, they could have heard about it from different ways, either social media, word of mouth, and the likes.
Of course, how and why those people go down the sales funnel is determined by your sales and marketing abilities. Because they’ve progressed from awareness to interest, the leads in the middle and lower sales funnel stages are the ones you should pay the most attention to.
Stage 2: Interest
Prospects will judge your brand depending on their level of interest once they’ve learned about it. They’ll consider the problem they’re seeking to solve and undertake competitive research to ensure that your answer is the best.
This is why you should have a unique selling point that makes you stand out and makes people trust you to solve their problems because they’re doing research, comparison shopping, and thinking over their options.
Stage 3: Decision
When a customer is ready to buy, they are in the decision stage of the sales funnel. He or she may be evaluating two or three possibilities, one of which should be you.
This is the time to put your best foot forward and pitch the best deal to them, this does not necessarily have to be the most cost-effective option, it just has to be the option that solves their problem properly.
Sales pages, messages, and calls are helpful in this stage to help sway prospects to make a purchase.
Stage 4: Action
All your effort comes down to this stage, the customer takes action. He or she buys your product or service and so joins your company’s ecosystem.
However, just because a customer has reached the bottom of the funnel does not imply your job is done. Consumers and marketers must take action. You want to make every effort to turn one purchase into ten, and so on.
Let’s say you own an online skincare store, here’s an example:
Awareness: You created an Instagram/Facebook ad to funnel (pun intended) people to your website.
Interest: You offer a free skincare ebook for lead capture
Decision: Your content informs your audience and prepares them for a purchase.
Action: You offer a coupon your leads can’t resist, then begin marketing to them again to boost retention.
You are impressed, right? Let’s create one for you
How to create a sales funnel for your business
1. Analyze Your Audience’s Behavior
The more information you have about your target market, the more effective your sales funnel will be. You’re not trying to sell to everyone. You’re reaching out to people who are a good fit for what you have to offer.
When you understand your target audience, you know their interests and where they can be found.
2. Capture Your Audience’s Attention
Your sales funnel will only work if you can get individuals to enter it. This entails getting your product in front of the right people.
Use infographics, videos, and other sorts of content to diversify your product and run a few adverts if you’re willing to spend more money. Where you should run such adverts is determined by where your target demographic frequents.
3. Build a landing page
That page should clearly state who you are as a company and what makes you stand out (after all, this could be the only opportunity you have to wow prospects).
Since these people are still low in the sales funnel, focus on capturing leads instead of pushing the sale. A landing page should steer the visitor toward the next step. A bold call to action is important here.
4. Offer something of value
Here’s where you have to give something in exchange for your prospects’ email addresses.
By sending great content to your leads via email, you can market to them. Do it regularly, but not too often. It should be enough to send one or two emails per week, no one likes to be spammed.
5. Start nurturing
Prepare your market for the sale by educating them first. What is it that they wish to learn? What hurdles and objections must you overcome to persuade them to buy?
Make a fantastic offer at the end of your campaign. That is the piece of content that will motivate your prospects to take action.
6. Keep it going
Don’t forget about your current clients. Rather, keep reaching out to them. Thank them for their purchases, provide more promotional coupons, and invite them to follow you on social media.
It takes more than being organized to run a sales funnel. It’s all about providing each potential consumer with the personalized service they desire. It all comes down to making sure you follow up at the appropriate moments, every time. So you can devote more time to the most satisfying aspect of your job: closing sales.