The Meaning of Sales Funnel: Defining and Managing Your Path to Customers

A sales funnel is a visual representation of the process that leads to a sale. It shows the number of potential customers at each stage of the buying process, and how many move on to the next stage.By understanding the meaning of sales funnel, you can use tactics to improve conversion rates and increase revenue.Each stage of the funnel has an impact on consumer behaviour, so it's important to understand them intimately. Let's take a look at each stage in more detail!The various sales funnel stages have an influence on consumer behaviour. You must be familiar with them. Knowing each step will allow you to utilize strategies to increase the number of people who proceed from one stage to the next.This may have a significant impact on your business.Let's say you increase the number of people in two stages of your funnel by two. You double the number of leads and improve the proportion of closed clients. Every month, this results in 4X more new consumers. We'll go through it together.[toc]

What is the Meaning of Sales Funnel?

The sales funnel is a sequence of steps that must be completed by anyone who wishes to become your customer. Consider a brick-and-mortar sales funnel. People in the upper levels of the funnel pass by your location.The next step down, which is also known as the footer, occurs when a certain number of them decide to enter yourA customer views a rack of t-shirts on sale. He or she peruses the rack until he or she reaches the next stage in the funnel. Then, after selecting four t-shirts, they go to the checkout.They've arrived at the end of the funnel. If everything goes as planned, they'll complete the transaction and work theirEvery firm, in one form or another, goes through this same process. Your sales funnel might be structured as follows: The first step to growing your business is launching a retail store.While online sales and revenues are increasing, offline sales have decreased year over year in 2017.Your sales funnel may include any number of marketing channels. Your funnel might be implemented across numerous platforms.

Why is the creation of a sales funnel essential?

Understanding your funnel can help you discover where prospects drop out and never convert, which is known as a funnel hole.You can't optimize your sales funnel if you don't know what's inside it. We'll get into the specifics of how the funnel works later, but for now, keep in mind that you have influence over whether visitors progress through the funnel and convert.

The Sales Funnel: What It Is and How It Works

While there are a variety of phrases used to identify different sales funnel phases, we'll stick with the four most frequent ones to explain how each stage works as a consumer progresses from a visitor to a prospect to a lead to a buyer.When a user arrives on your website via a Google search or a social connection, he or she is now considered a prospect. The person may have looked at several of your blog entries or perused your product listings.You might provide the user with the opportunity to join your email list at some point during his or her visit.When a visitor completes your form, he or she becomes a lead. You may now market to the customer outside of your websites, such as through email, phone, or text — or all three.Leads frequently return to your website if you contact them with special deals, news about new blog posts, or other intriguing communications. Maybe you provide a coupon code.As visitors proceed down the sales funnel, it narrows. This is partly due to the fact that prospects at the top of the funnel will be more numerous than purchasers at the bottom

Know the Four Sales Funnel Stages.

The term "AIDA" stands for awareness, interest, decision, and action, which is how easy it is to recall the four stages of a sales funnel. These four phases describe your potential customer's thinking.Because you don't want to give the incorrect message at the wrong time, each stage needs a different strategy from you, the marketer

Let's look at each stage in the sales funnel in further detail

Awareness

This is when you first pique a consumer's interest. It might be a tweet, a Facebook post by a friend, a Google search, or something else entirely.Your prospect becomes aware of your business and the products or services you provide. Consumers have done their homework and are aware that you offer something desirable and at an affordable price.The awareness phase is more frequently a courtship. You're attempting to entice the prospect back to your site and deeper into your business.

Interest

When customers get to the interest stage in the sales funnel, they're doing research, comparing prices, and weighing their options.This is when you should swoop in with outstanding content that assists them but doesn't persuade or sell to them.If you start pushing your product or service from the beginning, you'll repel prospects and drive them away.

Decision

The decision stage of the sales funnel is when a customer is ready to purchase. He or she may be weighing two or three alternatives, hopefully including you.This is the time to put your best foot forward and make an offer. It might be free delivery if most of your competitors charge for it, a discount code, or a complimentary bonus item.

Action

The consumer takes action at the bottom of the sales funnel. He or she buys your product or service and enters into your company's ecosystem.However, just because a customer reaches the bottom of the funnel does not imply that your efforts are over. The consumer and marketer act. You want to do your best to convert one purchase into ten.

A Sales Funnel Example That Works

Imagine you run an eCommerce firm that sells vintage signs. You're aware that your target audience frequents Facebook frequently and that they're men and women aged 25 to 65 years old.In exchange for a lead magnet, you offer your prospect on the landing page of a fantastic Facebook Ad. Isn't it basic?You've gone from having prospects to leads. They're now on their way through the funnel.You send out content in subsequent weeks to educate your subscribers about vintage signage, provide design ideas, and assist them to figure out how to install these signs.At the conclusion of your campaign, you provide a 10% discount on each customer's overall first order.Bang! You're selling a lot of vintage signage. Everyone wants what you have to offer. Then, in a new email list, you add those same consumers. You start over again, but with different material.Encourage them to create gallery walls; instruct them on how to care for their signs, and suggest sign presents as gifts. You're entreating them to return for more information.

How to Build a Sales Funnel Fast

You're feeling good, right? You want to build a sales funnel as soon as possible—and you don't care how. Don't be concerned. It's not nearly as difficult as it appears.

Step 1: Analyze the behaviour of your audience

The more you understand your target audience, the better your sales funnel will perform. You're not marketing to everyone.You're marketing to people who are a good fit for what you sell. What do they click on? When do they scroll? How long do they spend on each page? All of this information will assist you in developing your buyer personas.

Step 2: Capture the attention of your audience by recording it

The only way your sales funnel works is if people are willing to enter it. This implies exposing your content to the people you want to reach. Increase the number of diverse pieces of content you produce.With infographics, videos, and other forms of media, diversify. If you're prepared to spend more money, try placing a few advertisements on social media platforms.

Step 3: Create a Landing Page

Your ad or other content should lead your prospects to a certain place. You want to send them to a landing page with a can't-miss offer if possible.Since these individuals are at the bottom of the sales funnel, focus on gathering leads rather than pushing transactions.

Step 4: Make a Drip Campaign for Email

Market to your leads through email by providing outstanding material. Do so on a regular basis, but not too frequently. One or two emails each week should be enough. Make an amazing offer at the conclusion of your drip campaign.

Step 5: Keep in Touch

Don't forget about your existing clients. Instead, continue to interact with them. Thank them for their purchases, provide new coupon codes, and connect them to your social media world.

Measuring the Success of a Sales Funnel

Your sales funnel may need changes as your company grows, your customers learn more about you, and you diversify your offerings. That's fine. After clicking through on a Facebook Ad, how many people sign up for your email list?Pay close attention to each stage of the sales funnel:

• Is your first content attracting enough attention from customers?
• Have your prospects given you their contact information if they trust you?
• Have you made any purchases as a result of your email drip campaign and other marketing efforts?
• Do existing customers return to purchase from you again?

Knowing the answers to these questions will help you determine where you can improve your sales funnel.

Why Should You Optimize Your Sales Funnel?

Here's the deal: Your clientele has a lot of alternatives. You want them to select your items or services, but you can't coerce them into doing so. Instead, you must market effectively.You're just guessing if your prospects want anything if you don't have a tight, optimized sales funnel. If you're incorrect, you'll lose the sale.This is especially crucial for those landing pages we discussed. Most people will just click away if the landing pages aren't optimized for conversions.

How to Improve Your Sales Funnel?

You may increase the efficiency of your sales funnel in numerous ways. The areas where customers pass from one stage to the next are the most crucial locations for you to focus on.We discussed Facebook Ads. Don't just run one ad; instead, run ten or twenty. They might be quite similar, but direct them to distinct buyer personas with Facebook's targeting tools and make sure they appear before your target audience.Experiment with various copies and layouts on your landing pages. It will take some effort, but you'll be able to reach out to more people and convert prospects more frequently.You may also experiment with your email marketing campaigns by A/B testing different text and designs.However, the best way to optimize your sales funnel is to pay attention to the outcomes.Begin with the top of the funnel and work your way down. To get people's attention and persuade them to click on your call-to-action, you're creating content, whether it's paid or organic.If one piece of content isn't effective, try something else.On to your landing page. Make sure the offer and call to action are consistent with the content from your blog piece or Facebook Ad, or whatever other traffic-producing asset you used.Test your headline, body text, pictures, and call to action to see what works best. When you ask consumers in the Action stage to buy from you, A/B test your offer. Is free delivery preferable to a 5 per cent reduction?These little details may make a big difference in terms of revenue for you.Last, but not least, track your customer retention rate. Are people returning to buy from you a second, fifth, or twentieth time?Do they let their friends know about you? Your aim is to keep your brand top of mind. If you never let your customers down, they won't have a reason to look elsewhere.

Conclusion

It takes time to develop and optimize a sales funnel. It's hard work. But it's the only way to compete in an aggressive market. A detail as little as font choice may influence conversions.You'll drive people away if you ask them to buy from you too quickly.Take your time developing and optimizing a sales funnel that represents what you want and what your target audience wants.Cultivate it over time, change your approach for each stage of the sales funnel, and figure out why your efforts aren't working.