If you’re a coach or course creator and you hear the word “funnel,” you probably fall into one of four camps:

1. A funnel?  Oh yeah, I’ve heard of funnel cake.  But a funnel for my business?  What is that?
2. Sure, I have heard I need to have a funnel for my coaching business but I’m not quite sure how to build one.
3. Absolutely, I have several funnels running right now in my business.  Some are doing well and some are not.
4. I’m a master funnel builder.  The leads and sales are rolling in!

I’m not talking to camp number four because you don’t need a crash course on funnel building for your coaching business.  But if you fall into camps one, two or three, I want to share some insights from my recent certification with Funnel Gorgeous Society.  Although building an effective funnel for your business can be complicated, I will attempt to give you the basics, in hopes of shedding light on an important marketing concept.

What is a funnel?

In its simplest form, a funnel can best be described as a journey your customer goes through from the time he/she is first introduced to your business until the moment he/she has paid and received your service or product.  It is the full customer experience from beginning to end.

Most Common Types of Funnels for Coaching Businesses

There are several types of funnels that you can use to introduce your ideal client to your business and convert them to customers.  And these funnels can be used at various stages of your business, depending on your goals.

SLO Funnel:  The SLO funnel stands for self-liquidating offer.  This is a funnel for small low cost offers you may be selling in your business.  It could be a $19 eBook, a $27 course, or a $37 swipe file, for instance.

Lead Funnel:  A lead funnel is exactly what it sounds like; a funnel to collect leads.  Typically you will use a lead magnet like a quiz or some other freebie to collect email addresses in exchange for your asset.

Webinar Funnel:  In a webinar funnel, your ideal client is first introduced to your business through a webinar he/she signs up for.  Sometimes these webinars are live and other times they are evergreen webinars that run all the time on autopilot.

Application Funnel:  An application funnel is typically used for high ticket offers like lengthy coaching programs or masterminds.  The customer needs to complete an application in order to apply for the program.

Summit Funnel:  A summit funnel is used when you are planning a summit that includes a multitude of guest speakers all focused on a single theme.

Launch Funnel:  When you are planning a launch of a course or program, you will use a launch funnel to introduce and sell it.

The Three Secret Ingredients that Determine Funnel Success

If you have tried to build a funnel on your own in the past, you may or may not have had success with it.  Maybe you were told you need a lead magnet for your business so you threw up a signup form on your website to get people to give you their email address in exchange for your freebie.  Or perhaps you tried to launch a course you created but had minimal sales. What I see a lot of coaches do is post a bunch of social media content, in hopes that the coaching leads will start rolling in.  Unfortunately, success with your funnel takes a bit more planning.  There are three ingredients that will make or break your funnel.

1. Irresistibility 

What makes your offer so irresistible that your ideal client just can’t pass it by?  You have to know your customer so intimately that you understand exactly what they are dealing with and what solutions they are dying to purchase.

2. Positioning

Is your offer positioned well in front of your ideal customer?  In other words, if your funnel were a house, would it be inviting, clean, organized, and beautiful to look at?

3. Trust

Your potential client must have complete trust before they buy or give up their email address. Do you have social proof?  Does the copy convince them you are the best person or your offer is the best solution?

If you work with us to help you build your funnel, we have irresistibility, positioning, and trust checklists we run your funnel through to ensure you have a perfect chance at success.

The Big Kahunas that Drive a Kick-Ass Funnel

Unless you’ve had great training on how to build a funnel that converts and provides an amazing experience for your customers, you can’t possibly understand what is involved, and why so many coaches struggle.  Before I received my certification with Funnel Gorgeous Society, I can honestly say I was flying by the seat of my pants.  Throwing darts at ideas and hoping they stick.  Building sales pages that in hindsight, were sub-par.  There is a night and day difference when you know exactly what drives a successful funnel. Here are the three big kahunas that have to be “spot on” if you want success.

Your Offer:  You have to know your customer so well that you can identify what specific problems they are dying to have solutions for.  People buy transformation and the pain has to be so big that they can’t wait to take care of it.

Your Sales Copy:  Messaging is everything.  When your ideal customer reads your sales page, they need to know you understand them completely.  The words need to speak directly to them, convincing them that you have the best solution to their problem.

Your Design:  Visuals matter.  Have you ever landed on a sales page and were visually turned off?  I know I have.  There are very specific design elements that will make or break your sales page.

Offer + Your Sales Copy builds irresistibility.

Offer + Design builds trust.

Copy + Design satisfies your positioning.

That is why you must have all of these elements working together to build a kick-ass funnel.

Funnel building is both an art and a science and it requires both creativity and a proven and systematic approach. 

It is not something that comes naturally for most coaches and normally requires a funnel strategist, copywriter, and designer to produce a successful funnel that converts for your business.  As a certified FG Society marketer, I can attest to what is involved in being a master funnel builder.  Although I have given you some great basics to start with, there is much more that goes into building funnels for your coaching business.

When you are ready to build a funnel to collect leads, sell a course, or launch a coaching program, schedule a 30-minute free consultation to discuss your idea with us.  We are a full-service team trained in evaluating offers, writing convincing sale copy, and designing sales pages that convert.