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Most people think that if they have the best product or the best service, then people are just going to come and buy it. That’s not true at all. If you have a mediocre product, but your marketing is amazing, then you’re going to be much better off.
Of course, the perfect combination is having the ideal product and marketing it successfully. That’s only possible by implementing a sales funnel. A few decades ago, everyone relied on traditional marketing approaches. This included infomercials on TV and radio, as well as newspaper ads and flyers. You can go to this link to read more.
Now, the whole process has changed. Inbound is the way to go because it’s divided into different phases, which turn a regular visitor on a website into a happy and satisfied client. If you know how each phase needs to play out, you can use techniques to increase the number of leads that go from one phase to another.
If done correctly, the potential to boost your business, revenue, and profits are outstanding. One of the most important principles of having a company website is defining and maintaining a sales funnel.
What is it, and how does it work?
The easiest way to explain it is like a series of steps of a process that people need to go through before they become a client or customer. Let’s use an example from a traditional store. If you have a clothing store in the center of a tourist city, a lot of them are going to pass by it.
Some of them are going to stop and start window shopping. Others are going to go inside and check the racks. If someone finds a pair of shorts that they like, they’ve gone through a couple of stages of the funnel, and when they go to the cash register, they’ve finished the process.
As soon as they give you the money, the end of the funnel has been reached. Every single business in existence works like this. You have a store that sells things. There are people that are selling those things inside. Additionally, the same place could have a website which is a way to boost the reach and make it visible to more people.
Why is it important?
Every customer that takes a look at your business could go through the entire journey and become a client. If you understand their psychology, you can market your products or services in a way that entices them to take cash out of their pockets and give it to you.
As soon as you understand how the funnel works, you could find the points where customers abandon the funnel and don’t convert into customers. Plus, making a sales funnel online is quite easy. It’s important to know that you can control how people are moving inside it, and you can track that by looking at website metrics.
The stages
There are four main stages that are used to describe the sales funnel process. You want to deliver the correct message at the right time. That’s why each of these phases requires a different strategy. Messing up the order would be like a server asking you what kind of dessert would you want before asking for your drink or main meal.
The first stage is called awareness. This is where a new person takes a look at your website. It could be someone sharing something from your Facebook page or someone tagging a friend on an Instagram giveaway. It could also be a Google search.
In this phase, the visitor learns something about your business. They get to know what kind of services you offer and they remember the company. If the conditions are absolutely ideal, they could also buy something from you right away.
However, that rarely happens, and you always have to move to the second stage, which is interest. In this case, they’re comparing your services or products to your competitors. When they start looking for alternatives, you’ve got the chance to present amazing information to them which will benefit them in their choice.
This is still not the stage where you’re outright selling to them. This is where you provide the knowledge and try to clear up the questions they might have in their heads. This phase is all about giving them information to make an educated decision.
Next on the list is the decision stage. When they reach this phase, leads are tempted to buy, and they’re evaluating at most two other choices. When someone reaches the third phase, it’s time to put your best foot forward. You could send them a discount, include free delivery, or even a bonus product because they are a loyal visitor to your page.
If your competitors aren’t offering freebies, they’re going to miss out on a great client. It’s your job to make the offer appealing. In this case, the prospect will think they’re taking advantage of you, but you’re getting a sale. When they click the buy button, that’s the final action stage.
When this happens, the new customer is added to your database as a client. It would be a grave mistake not to pay attention to these new customers. You need to use effort and try to get another sale. Upselling is one of the best things, and sending out emails is the best way to do it.
Client retention is performed when you thank them for interacting with your brand, and you make yourself accessible if they need any additional help.
A few final words
As soon as you get the hang of sales funnels, you could create campaigns to move people from one phase to another. There are software solutions that can automate this process and help you to classify your leads into the correct stage.
Targeted ads are also one of the best strategies since they vary based on demographics and interests. When you have your ideal persona, the only thing left to do is get them to interact with your website at least once. The rest can all be achieved with the power of marketing.
