Sales funnel. It’s one of those phrases that gets floated around left, right and centre. But, what does it actually mean? Why do you need it? and how do you find the right service for you?
It can feel like a jargon-filled world out there, but that’s why I’m here to blow the mystery away, so you can feel empowered to make the right decision for you and your business.
Let’s get started.
What is a sales funnel?
Sales funnel, lead magnet funnel, webinar funnel, event funnel, quiz funnel – they’re all broadly the same thing.
It’s a name for the journey people take, from finding you to buying from you (and becoming repeat customers). But how you initially get someone’s contact details, like their email address, so you can nurture and eventually sell to them does differ. You can attract someone by using webinars, events, quizzes or lead magnets such as cheat sheets.
There are different parts of a sales funnel, and the idea is that your lovely customers meander their way through it, going from becoming aware of you, to desiring what you have to offer and then finally taking action (kerching!).
A sales funnel will include slightly different elements, but there’s usually a hook to attract people (such as a quiz, webinar, cheat sheet etc) with a landing page. This is followed by an email sequence that nurtures someone to an end goal. Typically that end goal is making a sale!
Without any funnels, your process of attracting and converting leads becomes really difficult. Funnels automate the process of getting sales, and if you don’t have this in place, you have to spend a lot of time individually chasing sales.
Not ideal.
That’s why business owners spend time developing a funnel and creating a system to qualify those juicy leads and turn them into brand-spanking new clients. Of course, you can have different funnels for different products or services but baby steps!
All you need to know is that funnels are a great tool for your business, helping you to give your potential customers what they need at every stage to fill them with confidence and entice them to invest in you.
What does a ‘done for you sales funnel’ include?
If it all sounds a bit complicated, then the best bet is to find a done for you sales funnel package. Typically this includes:
- Creating your lead magnet, for example, your webinar or quiz (i.e. your hook that will entice people in).
- Creating your landing page to promote your lead magnet
- All the techy wizardry that connects your landing page to your email service provider. So when someone downloads your lead magnet, they’re automatically added to your email list.
- Write the copy for an email sequence (a series of emails) that someone will receive once they download your lead magnet
- Nurture the customer via email, persuading them to buy
To your audience, it all happens seamlessly, as if by magic. To you, it’s a lot more complicated and messy – and that’s why people hire specialists to do it for them!
What do different sales funnel packages include?
Different packages have different elements, so take a look closely, but using an expert will fill in any gaps in your knowledge – whether it is technical, writing or simply just time. For example, you could find a sales funnel expert who hooks everything up for you from the technical side but doesn’t write the copy.
For me, I offer a full-service quiz funnel which means I do EVERYTHING – copy, tech, strategy and web page creation.
A full-service sales funnel expert is ideal if you don’t have the time, know-how or inclination to figure it out yourself. Also, it offers some guarantee that you’ll end up with a high-end, polished funnel that screams, “I’m a professional!” and gives your audience reassurance to start building a relationship with you.
Another consideration: how do you want to attract your people?
Your sales funnel has to start somewhere, and that somewhere needs to be exciting! You need to attract people using the right hook or lead magnet, and different sales funnel experts will have their different preferences on how to do this.
But this is where your understanding of your audience really kicks in. You need to know what they want, what they’ll engage with and what they need. Let’s take a look at the different hooks you could choose to attract new leads into your sales funnel.
Lead magnet: Usually, this is a PDF booklet, workbook, or cheat sheet – you know the drill, you’ve seen them before. More often than not, they promise the world, and you end up feeling a bit cheated because it didn’t answer your burning questions or solve a problem.
Webinar: A one-off event around a specific problem with one or more experts. They’ll do their spiel, you can ask some questions then the sales pitch will kick in. The interactivity makes it more worthwhile for the audience, but unless you offer a replay, you’re always going to alienate some of your audience who can’t make that time.
Plus, it takes time for you to do. You physically have to be there presenting, and that can be quite a commitment.
Quiz: In my opinion, this is the queen bee of sales funnel hooks. When done properly, your audience will walk away with such value that you instantly position yourself as an expert and start your sales funnel with a bang. Quizzes are a great way to provide insights and advice to your quiz participant, while also gaining so much valuable data.
You can also personalise your follow-up email sequences depending on how someone has answered your quiz – meaning better follow up emails and more likelihood of sales.
Related content: the best lead magnet ideas for coaches
Whichever option you choose, it needs to stand out, be enticing and deliver on any promises it makes. Your audience is going to be giving away their precious details and an email address to you, so you need to make it worth it.
Why I recommend quiz funnels
My personal recommendation (and what I will keep advocating for until the cows come home) is that you invest in a quiz funnel service!
Why? Because quizzes are the most engaging, interactive and interesting way to hook your audience in.
Let’s dig a bit deeper into why…
1. They’re the opposite of boring
Most lead magnets – especially the PDF ones – are boring.
Your audience has seen it a million times before, and they probably have six of the same PDF downloaded and ignored all of them.
A quiz is exciting, it’s interactive, and it’s something totally different.
2. They’re personal to each individual
Remember doing the quizzes in Smash Hits magazine and finding out which girl band you should be a member of? You’d get one result and your friend something different.
That’s the appeal of using quizzes. You get a different result depending on how you answered the quiz, and this result can be super helpful to your audience and make them fall in love with you!
3. They give real value
Ok, so this one depends on you. But if you’re really invested in making your quiz the best it can be, then you’ll want to give your audience real insights and helpful advice that they can take forward.
4. They’re shareable
Going back to Smash Hits, if you found a quiz you loved, then you’d share it with your friends and tell them to do it, too, right?
The same goes for quiz lead magnets. When you take a quiz and are so struck by the personalisation, the result and the value, you’ll share it with your audience. For you, as the quiz maker, that means a new pool of potentials ready to enter your world.
Quiz funnels are the best choice if you want an overflowing funnel with plenty of juicy leads.
Who should you choose?
But, and I can’t stress this point enough, whoever you choose, pick someone with experience. Someone who does it themselves. Someone who can give you in-depth case studies. Someone who has clients with sales funnels you can go and look at. Someone who you like and can see yourself working with.
When you find that person, you’ll find the magic happens almost on its own.
Ready to find out what the best type of lead generation quiz is right for you? I’ve got a handy quiz to help you find out and get started 😉
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