A sales funnel is how you move your leads through the sales process. Starting from the very first exposure and ending with happy customers.

It’s a visual representation of a customer’s purchasing path.

It’s called a sales “funnel” because it’s shaped like an inverted pyramid. The top of the funnel is larger, indicating the larger number of people exposed to your business. The funnel narrows as people start to engage and show interest in your business. Becoming customers at the end of the funnel.

Let’s break it down into five stages:

Awareness

The awareness stage starts when someone becomes aware of your product/service. This could be the first time they visit your website or see you on social media. In this stage, people might not realize they even have a problem to solve. This is where you come in and show them you have a product/service that can help them.

The goal at this stage is to create interest when people are first exposed. You want to create curiosity so they will be willing to give you their email address to learn more.

Ways you can build your company’s awareness:

• Social media posts
• Lead magnets (something you give to customers for free)
• Websites
• In-person events
• Videos

Customers need to understand the problem you solve and what their life can look like if they decide to do business with you. 

Interest

Now that people are aware of your business, the next stage is all about growing people’s interest. Once interest increases, people will want to know more about what you offer. They may follow you on social media, subscribe to your email list, or direct message you. This is when people start looking at your product/service and wondering if you can help them.

Ways to generate this interest could be:

• Blog posts
• Free trails
• Social media platforms
• Emails

At this stage, focus on people’s pain points and drive traffic from your website and social platforms to your email list.

Desire

People are looking for the solution that best suits their needs. They often do research before making purchases to make sure it will work for them. Your job is to stand out against competitors.

Building relationships and trust with people is key. Product reviews and testimonials show potential customers how your business has helped others.

You know that you have the solution, but it's time to show people. You can showcase this by:

• E-book downloads
• Quizzes or surveys
• Templates
• Valuable workbooks
• Newsletters
• Free training

Share product comparisons, testimonials, and case studies to show your authority and build trust.

Action

This stage is where all your hard marketing work starts to pay off. People are now making purchases and taking action! You now have to make sure they know how to use the product to its fullest potential. You can do this by offering extra support resulting in a happy customer. This can come in the form of:

• Responding to questions
• Building relationships
• Perform consultations
• Offer discount codes with expiration dates

Make sure you are using direct calls to action. Customers need to be told exactly what you want them to do. It's important your checkout process is seamless and it's easy for people to complete their purchase.

Loyalty

Some of those people have turned into customers, but you need to continue nurturing them. These people know you are the best solution to their problem and refer you. Take care of them by:

• Offering discounts
• Loyalty programs,
• Follow up with feedback
• Provide top-notch customer support
• Look for other areas to support them

When you increase customer lifetime value, you can impact your profitability.

Now is the perfect time to map out what type of content you can provide to grab people's attention and move them through your own sales process.