Have you tried to build a sales funnel on your own in the past, and had little to no success? Maybe you’ve made an attempt at gathering leads for your business by creating a lead magnet and putting up a signup form on your website. Perhaps you also post regularly on social media and email your subscribers religiously. You’ve even made an attempt to launch a course you created but had minimal sales. You’ve tried doing everything you can. Hoping that something sticks. But your efforts have not yielded the results you desire. 

Here’s the deal. Success with your funnel takes a bit more planning. 

And 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 people struggle.  

And in order to plan a successful sales funnel, you need to know what all goes into it.

But before that let’s talk about what a sales funnel actually is.

Simply put, the sales funnel is each step that someone has to take in order to become your customer. It’s the journey your customer goes through from the time they are first introduced to your offer until the moment they have paid and received your offer. 

Each stage of the sales funnel has an impact on how your potential customer behaves and reacts. By knowing each step, you can use tactics to improve the number of people that go from one step to the next.

Here’s what a successful sales funnel looks like:

Image source: crazyegg.com

So without further ado, let’s dive into the 4 stages of a successful sales funnel.

Stage 1: Awareness

Your target audience or your ideal buyer doesn’t know you exist. They only know that they have a problem that needs a solution. Sometimes they’re not even clear about the problem they may have. This is where you swoop in and catch their eye. It can be through social media, paid ads, a referral from a friend, an email, or anything else. 

This is the stage when the person you’re trying to sell to becomes aware of you and your business. If you’re lucky they’ll immediately resonate with you and make a purchase or sign up. But more often than not, this is the stage where you slowly woo your visitor into coming back for more. Sometimes you make them aware of a problem they may not even have. You try to engage them with your content so that you can lead them into the next stage. Interest.

Stage 2: Interest

Once your visitor is aware of their problem, more often than not, they start looking for the solution. During this stage, they’re already comparing different offers and thinking over their options. This is the time to establish yourself as an expert in their eyes and ramp up that know, like, and trust factor. 

This would be a good stage to offer them something of value in exchange for their email or contact information. And then follow it up by offering even more valuable content that helps them with their problem. Without selling them anything.

Stage 3: Decision

This is the stage where your visitor is ready to buy. All they need is a little nudge from you. This little nudge can be anything from exciting/super useful bonuses to early-bird discounts that no one else is offering. It can even be a low-ticket offer that gives them a preview of better things to come. Whatever form the nudge from you takes, it should be enticing enough to make your leads discard all other options and be eager to choose you. 

Stage 4: Action 

This is the last stage of your sales funnel. It’s also the narrowest. That’s because the sales funnel narrows as visitors move through it. As Neil Patel says, “This is partially because you’ll have more prospects at the top of the funnel than buyers at the bottom, but also because your messaging needs to become increasingly targeted.” 

This means that the message (whether it’s at the end of an email campaign or a promotional post) has to be super targeted to entice them to buy. 

This stage is where the customer finally makes their purchase and becomes a part of your business sphere. But your job is far from over here. In order to maintain a relationship with your customer you need to keep your lines of communication open by continuing to send them valuable content. You can also ask for customer feedback and help with tech support if necessary. And don’t forget to thank them for the purchase! 

So there it is. The 4 stages of a killer sales funnel. If you fulfill them well and give your customer a positive experience from start to finish, they’ll come back for more. And perhaps even refer you to others. You can then watch your sales go from one to tens to hundreds. 

Here’s an example of a sales funnel in action:

Say you have a course you’d like to sell.

Pro tip: Before you take all this information and start planning a sales funnel of your own, you need to know your ideal customer and figure out the best way to reach them and talk to them. That’s where your visual identity, copy, and tone of voice also come into play. Here are the basics you need to know before you start building your sales funnel.

Funnel Building is not something that comes naturally for most people. As a certified FG Society marketer, I can attest to what is involved in being a master funnel builder. It normally requires a funnel strategist, copywriter, and designer to produce a successful funnel that converts for your business.

When you are ready to build a successful funnel to collect leads, sell a course, or launch a program, feel free to schedule a 30-minute free consultation to discuss your idea with Amazing OBM.  We have a full service team – trained in evaluating offers, writing convincing sales copy, and designing sales pages that convert – raring to make your offer a success!