We all have a funnel! Yes, you do!

Even if you’re not aware of it. There will definitely be a journey people take from first hearing about you to buying your products and services.

This is your sales funnel.

But having one and being intentional about it are 2 different things and I want to help you get more intentional about it.

Once you know the steps you’re asking your potential customers to take, you can start fine tuning and tweaking the process. Ultimately to make it easier for your customers to move towards getting to know you and giving you their money.

We’re taking them from A – never having heard of your before. To B – becoming a paying customer. Plus I want to add in a 3rd element that’s super important.

How do we get them to buy again?

It’s hard to get these customers through the door in the first place, so how do we get them to return and by from us again and again. We want them to becoming raving fans. So they tell their friends, their colleagues and anyone who will listen just how amazing you are.

So, what might be at the beginning of your funnel?

Well this might be you meeting someone at a networking event. Them seeing a social media post for the first time. Spying your leaflet in the Post Office or even their friend telling them all about you.

Can you list all the ways you’re currently putting yourself out there?

Obviously, the more places you put yourself the higher the chances you have of being seen.

But you also want to consider where the ‘right’ places are. So if your ideal clients never go to the gym, having a flyer there would be pointless.

You want the effort you put out to have the maximum effect.

What’s next in your sales funnel?

So we’ve good a number of ways that people might first come into contact with you. And for each way you may create a slightly different strategy.

For example if you meet someone at a networking event, you may go home and follow them on social media, you may suggest meeting for a cup of tea, you might send them an email saying how much you loved meeting them.

Thinking of it like the throes of dating someone.

What would your next move be? And is it your best move?

Now what you don’t want to do in a dating context is outright ask them to marry you straight away. No, you want to get to know them and they want to get to know you.

If it’s social media, for example, could you get them on your website so they could find out more about you. Hint, this is where creating great content comes in!

What next?

So, in your funnel you may have many steps, you may have just a few.

But hardly anyone goes from never having heard of you to giving you cold hard cash. I mean it does happen – maybe you see an advert on Instagram for socks that look like cats, and you’re like damn it those socks are for me and you buy them straight away. But for most things you need a little patter.

So, if you’ve met the networking and you suggested a cup of tea, and you’re there at the café and you’re both staring in each other eyes. What next? Are you going to collaborate on a project? Are you going to tell them that you can make their life better with whatever it is that you do?

After all they’ve agreed to meet you, so they must be kinda interested?

Or if you’ve got them off social, onto your website, can you get them to sign up to your email list?

What next?

Then what do you want them to do next?

Imagine they’ve signed up to your email list. Have you offered them 20% off your first order? Is that email clear and enticing?

If they’ve signed up to find out some knowledge, what are you giving them next?

How can you move them from slightly interested, to wanting to buy or book a call with you?

What next?

I hope you’re getting the idea that there can be many stages to your sales funnel!

And what’s in them depends on you.

One of mine looks like this. You might see me on social media. Hopefully you think ‘oh that’s interesting and I want to know more’.

So you come to my website and you see I’m giving away freebies, so you sign up, because you want the freebies.

Then you’re on my email list and I’m going to give you some great free advice on how to grow your business.

Then hopefully you’ll think, this woman knows her stuff I want more of her and we get on a call, and then we decide to work together.

Want to know how to build your email list?

Polishing the funnel

Once you’ve mapped out your funnel. You might see that there are some holes that need reparing. Maybe you are expecting people to simply go from seeing you on social to buying your stuff.

What could you add in that helps people get to know, love and trust you?

Or you might have all the elements, but they’re not really working as hard as they could.

Each stage of your funnel can be polished and fine-tuned. I like to think of them as nuts that I can tighten to make the process flow better.

Maybe you have a great Facebook ad running, but when you get people to your website they don’t do what you want them to do. How can you improve that experience for them?

Mapping out all the steps allows you to see the journey you’re taking your customers on.

Always be thinking ‘what next’. What am I asking people to do now?

If you’re not asking them to do anything, guess what? They probably won’t do anything!