Five Easy Steps To Create A Sales Funnel That Converts

Every digital marketer needs to maximize the sales-generating concepts that can transform their out-of-sight business into a run-to business.

One practical approach to converting your potential customers into paying customers is the use of a sales funnel, and it really is one of those concepts that meets your sales needs.

A sales funnel is simply a marketing concept that directs your prospective customers through the journey of becoming regular customers. It is a step-by-step process that triggers a customer to make an apt decision on making a purchase of your products, even consistently.

Just like a funnel, having a wide top and a narrow opening at the bottom to convey materials in large amounts and have them filtered at the end, the sales funnel has the same structure and idea. The idea is to gather prospective customers at the wide top who just browse through your business site page, and then guide them through the stages of the funnel all the way down till they are convinced enough to take action, after which your money gushes out at the end with ease. Interesting!

Before getting down to the juicy part of this article, let's answer the question of why you need a sales funnel, checking out the benefits it comes with.

Benefits Of A Sales Funnel

The benefits of a sales funnel can not be overestimated, as this approach not only bring out paying customers but places your business on the spotlight when it comes to generating sales consistently. Here are few benefits we've sapped out;

• Sales funnel converts prospective customers to paying customers.
• It builds a strategic system to generate massive sales.

• It helps in establishing customer-customer and customer-entrepreneur relationships.

• Sales funnel sustains your profits and makes your revenues consistent.

• It raises brand or business advocates, as potential customers become raving fans of your business.

"What makes up this sales trigger?" This question moves us to understanding the stages of a sales funnel.

Understanding The Stages Of A Sales Funnel

The sales funnel can be designed with as many stages that suit you, depending on how best you can make your prospective customers move speedily to buying your products, and even remain loyal customers.

However, there are four main stages that a sales funnel must comprise of, asides what you might want to add, and they are;

• Awareness Stage

• Interest Stage

• Decision Stage

• Action Stage

• Awareness Stage:

This is the first stage of the sales funnel, where you create awareness of your business, as well as the problems your products have been made to solve.

It is also the stage where you have prospects on your site for the first time, as a result of referrals or your business ad on social media and the likes, that directs them to your business site via a link.

You create awareness by dishing out contents on your social media platforms and showing up consistently. By doing so, you're building an online presence and that creates the awareness your customers need.

• Interest Stage:

This stage captures the interest of prospective customers who are visiting your site for the first time. At this point, they are surfing for more details about your products and checking out for the solutions they provide.

When a prospect suddenly subscribes to your YouTube channel or follows your business page, to read contents or watch presentations about your products and services, then such prospect is at the interest stage of the sales funnel.

• Decision Stage:

You should know that a potential customer who subscribes and follows your business page on social media platforms can as well back out at any time.

This is the stage where your prospects are pondering on giving your product a try. They are paying rapt attention to what you say about your products on your YouTube videos, and the feedback from your existing customers. They are also looking up for alternatives to your products and comparing which answers and meets their needs completely.

• Action Stage:

Right here is the near end of the sales funnel. Yes, the narrow path of the funnel. At this point, your prospects are convinced enough that your product beats its rivals. Hence, they are sending a message or clicking the make-an-order button to make a purchase, transfer money and close deals with you.

Another stage that remains essential even after your prospective customers become paying customers is the Retention Stage.

• Retention Stage:

There's a need to build strategic systems to ensure that these once paying customers become loyal customers to your business. At this stage, you are keeping your customers happy by answering all of their questions about the products that were purchased as well as guiding them further on how to use the products for effective results, and keeping them informed on new products or added services you have in stock, promos and other freebies attached.

You could as well send bulk emails to give heads up and follow-ups to retain a profitable relationship with your customers. This way, they are happy that they are of great value to you and not just their money, and as such, they become business advocates who bring out other potential customers to buy from you.

Step By Step Process To Creating A Sales Funnel

We are glad you've read through to this part of the article, and now it's time to extract the juice you've been waiting for. There are basically five steps to constructing an effective online sales funnel, and they are;

1. Create An Aesthetic Site Page:

As one who is into digital marketing, the first place your potential customers visit to either say "hello" or get down to real business is your website page. The first impression they get from here will either make their purchase decision or mar the considering factor they have.

Therefore, you have to make sure your site is superb and not subpar. When you have a prospect who visits your site for the first time via a link on social media, sent by a referral or through Google search engine, they are there to just have a look and scrutinize what you offer. Some are window-shoppers and the slightest flop on your site can send them packing.

Hence, it's best to keep your site page as attractive as possible and should have customer testimonials that will trigger their decision in your interest. There are topnotch technical experts who are into creating a great landing page for businesses, you could get them outsourced. It all depends on your convenience and shooting your targets, outrightly.

2.  Initiate A Front-End Offer:

In taking this step, you're bringing up a mouthwatering offer that captures the heart of your prospects when they buy your product. You should make it known on your site page that there's a bonus offer for any product bought. This way, you're creating a desire in them to make a purchase fast.

3.  Present An Upsell Offer:

This step is similar to the front-end offer, but it has to do with the back-end decision of your prospect. Upselling is a sales technique that involves marketing a more profitable product or service to customers by persuading them to make a purchase even when these products are more expensive than the ones they bought.

Upselling helps you generate more revenue as well as exposes your customers to more upgrades that are in stock. This is usually after a prospect has made a purchase of your product, but then you are making them aware of other products that meet their needs even though they are expensive. These products need to be visible on your site page too alongside customer testimonials to back it up.

4.  Present A Downgrade Option:

There are certain customers who are most likely unable to buy your product due to budget restrictions, you should still keep them rather than chase them away with "payment before delivery" standards. You should be considerate in dealing with this set of customers as what you do may be used against your business.

On your business site, you should offer other alternative products that are cheaper and capable of meeting their budget. This is so, because these customers won't remain constrained with budget forever. At a point, they will become financially stable to purchase even your most expensive product. In doing this, you're not downgrading your sales, but making room for sales growth.

5.  Press Further:

The last but not the least step in creating your online sales funnel is to keep on keeping on. You have to set follow-ups in place to maintain customer relationships and ensure they have no issues using your products or procuring your services.

If need be, having your customer's contact number or email address is a sure way to doing this. You could take advantage of your WhatsApp to keep your customers engaged with new products in stock. Stalk them on their emails with free gifts to appreciate their patronage, that way they are left with no choice than to keep coming back to you for business transactions.

Wrapping Up

If you've ever been troubled about making consistent sales in your business, then the sales funnel is the right path to thread on. With the rise in businesses going online, selling your products on the space can be a struggle as the traffic is becoming more intense.

Even when you have potential customers on your site, making them slide out their credit card or punch the transfer button is tougher, as such, you end up having little or no sales. Once you create a sales funnel for your business, the result you get makes all the difference, and sure your business growth becomes glaring.

We hope it was worthwhile reading this article, and that you are on the go to creating your business sale funnel. We look forward to getting your feedback and questions in the comment section.