Sales funnels can completely transform your business and take you from constantly chasing leads to having daily sales.

But what is a sales funnel?

Sales funnels can be intimidating if you’ve never built one or if you’ve never heard of them.

Maybe you’re just starting out and have no clue what a sales funnel is or think you don’t need one since you’re brand new.

Or maybe you sell services or coaching sessions and think sales funnels are just for courses or digital products.

Whatever the case may be, I’m here to tell you that your business needs a sales funnel, period.

That’s why in today’s post, I’ll go over what a sales funnel is, what the customer journey looks like when they go through a sales funnel, and why every business owner needs to have a sales funnel in place.

Let’s dive in!

Heads up: this post may contain affiliate links. In other words, if you make a purchase using my link, you won’t pay a dime more but I’ll earn a small commission. My chips and salsa fund thanks you from the bottom of its heart… er stomach?

What Is a Sales Funnel?

A sales funnel is simply the process that your visitors, followers, subscribers (or potential customers and clients) go through to become paying customers or clients.

At each stage of the funnel, the number of people that goes through it drops down, which is why the word funnel is used. At the top, your funnel is the widest because this is where your funnel begins and the most people are in it.

However, not all of them are going to advance to the next stage where the sales process begins. And even less people are going to complete the funnel and become paying customers and clients.

In fact, an average funnel conversion rate is around 3-5% which means for every 100 people that go through the funnel, only 3-5 people will make a purchase at the end.

This is why it’s so important to feed your funnel daily — so more people can become aware of your offers and go through your funnel.

With that out of the way, let’s take a look at the process your customers go through when they’re going through your funnel.

Sales Funnel Stages

There are several stages of the sales funnel that each of your customers go through from the moment they learn about you up until the moment they become paying customers and clients.

First up, we have the very top level of the funnel where you introduce your offers to a wide audience. This level consists of two stages: awareness and interest.

During the awareness stage, your potential customers are starting to become aware of your offers because they are looking for a solution for a problem. They might discover you through blog posts or social media content.

They might even show interest in your brand by taking it a step further by following you on social media or even subscribing to your email list.

During this stage, your content should engage and evoke curiosity by creating a desire to learn more about what you have to offer. Think blog posts, quizzes, social media posts, freebies such as roadmaps, guides, checklists, and similar lead magnets.

The next level of the sales funnel is the middle of the funnel where they are considering your offers and actively trying to learn more about your business as a whole.

This level is all about the evaluation or consideration of your products. This is where your potential buyers will be comparing you to your competitors.

two business friends looking at laptops and comparing products

During this stage, your marketing should focus on educating them about your product or service. You can do this by sharing how-to guides, case studies, comparison guides, and behind-the-scenes overview of your process.

The goal is to show them why your offers are the perfect solution for their problem as well as to steer away clients or customers who might not be a great fit.

The last level of the sales funnel is the bottom of the funnel which is the decision-making stage.

During this stage, your goal is to give them a clear call to action that invites them to take the next step and become paying clients or customers.

The best way to do this is to eliminate any last-minute objections and answer last-minute questions. You can do this by sharing success stories, testimonials, and reviews as well as providing answers to some common questions through FAQs.

How long does it take for customers to go through a sales funnel?

The short answer? It depends.

The long answer? If you’re selling a low-ticket product or a service, your customers might go through your funnel in a matter of days.

If you’re selling something that has a higher price point such as a group program, high-ticket course or service, it might take them a few weeks or even a few months before they’re ready to make a purchase.

How Does a Sales Funnel Fit Into Your Marketing Strategy?

Getting people into your sales funnel should be the end goal of your marketing strategy. Marketing without an end goal in mind is just contributing to the noise online.

Marketing with the goal of getting people into your sales funnel leads to a profitable and healthy business.

Marketing is crucial during all stages and levels of a sales funnel but how you market during each stage will vary.

While I’ve given you some examples of how to market your offer during each stage, the most important thing to remember is that you should use marketing methods that work for you.

For example, blogging is great for creating awareness about your offers because they can show up as search results when someone searches for a keyword associated with them. But you can also share them on social media or Pinterest to put them in front of a wider audience.

blogging is a great way to create awareness about your offers

I personally love blogging because writing comes easy to me. However, if you dread writing and find it easier to share your thoughts in an audio format, then by all means; try podcasting.

One more thing worth mentioning is to remember your audience’s preferences and needs as well. After all, there is no point in trying to market your business on a platform that your audience isn’t even using.

Why Does Your Business Need a Sales Funnel

As I’ve mentioned before: a sales funnel, when done right, can completely change your business for the better. A mapped out sales funnel gives you the opportunity to not always chase the next sale because it’s all happening in the background of your business.

It helps you stay consistent with your marketing and can help you measure the effectiveness of your sales funnel during each stage.

Finally, a proper sales funnel builds trust and credibility over time through valuable content and helps you convert random visitors first into leads and then into paying customers.

Over time, those customers will become repeat customers and your loyal brand ambassadors that will even help spread the word about your business to others.

Final Thoughts

Sales funnels aren’t reserved for just one type of business. Every business owner can benefit greatly from having a proper sales funnel in place.

The information I shared in this article should have helped you understand what a sales funnel is, the different levels and stages of a sales funnel, and why your business should have a sales funnel in place.

However, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. There’s a lot more that goes into creating a sales funnel and it all starts with a solid offer. Lucky for you, I have something for you to help you build a rock solid signature offer for your funnel - my Build Your Signature Offer workbook!

Fill out the form below to download the workbook and map out an irresistible offer so you can start creating your funnel today.

And if you want to get a head start on your sales funnel, check out my sales funnel templates for Squarespace in the shop!