Once you have established your ideal value ladder that has been designed with your target market in mind you will need a way to take the prospect on a journey that will culminate in them buying something from you and developing their relationship with you so that they are motivated to move to a higher level and in some cases to your ultimate product or service. We do this by creating what is commonly known as a sales funnel. In many ways this is the online version of direct mail campaigns, but with more spohistication and often better resutls too.
Earlier we looked at a basic sales process that most of us will recognise, the sales funnels is a way of automating this process allowing the prospect to navigate through the process and make an appropriate purchase, rather than us having to agressively sell. Don’t get me worng we are still selling, but this is a softer and more pleasurable mechanism to get the sales you require.
The question what is a sales funnel is like asking someone in marketing what is marketing. You are goingto oget 101 answers to thast question and the same is true for sales funnels. All the experts will have their own view on the interpretation, dependent on their background. All I want you to kn ow is how it can and should fit in to your business and how when used correctly with your value ladder how it can change evrythign for you and your business.
A sales funnel is in many ways better than a website albeit linked. The website has multiple messages and the visitor in many cases will need to search for what they are looking for. This is often the issue with the website, the visitor who is not familiar with you or your site, will not look but click awayb and search again. whereas the sakes funnel has on mesage and one purpose and makes for a perfect landing page for a specific campaign, product or service.
Fundamentally websites tend to try to be all things to all and that just creates confusion, sales funnels however are heavy on strategy and heavy on outcome. A well designed funnel is as good as any sales person and cheaper to run too! While the website can confuse with multiple messages the sales funnel is single minded. That is a good thing becuase we all know that a confused mind will always decide on no! Websites have too many messages and too many calls to action. a sales funnel has just one per funnel. That is the advantage, that is the strength and beauty of the sales funnel.
While each funnels has its own objective, these objecitves can vary fromn funnels to funnel and once again that is a strength and an advantage that you should want to be taking full advantage of. We’re (Rainmakers Hub) are going to help you to acheive that advantage, if you give us the time and attention.
What does a typical slaes funnel look like?
To be accurate there are a number of different types of sales funnel but they all share the common thread of creating a hook to get your attention, followed by a story to set the scene before making you an offer. Once the offer is made you can complete the transaction or continue and add more value to your ‘basket.’
Sales Process / Sales Funnel
There is no doubt that the process illustrated in blue is pretty standard. In fact we can trace this process right back to the 1930’s. we can also see this same system being used in the latter half of last century and still more evidence of it being used in the 2022 by many leading B2B and B2C global and international organisations. There is a reason for that; simply because it works and has its foundations seated in human psychology.
While the system works and stays fundamentaly the same, what has changed is the way many of us buy using technology in at least part of the process. The sales funnel, illustrated in green is directly related to the traditional process but in this case it is embracing the digital age. This has two signifincat advantages and they are:
- The use of automation and digital marketing techniques is more time efficient and smooths the peaks and troughs caused by small businesses who cannot sell and deliver at the same time, without one or the other suffering.
- Allows the business owner to automate low value sales and prospecting while concentrating on the bigger ticket items and the personal touch that is needed at the high end of the value ladder.
While traditional prospecting required significant research, and in some cases cold calling techniques, the funnel allows you to use multi media to grab the attnention of those who want to listen and explore your offer.
Much of the basic ‘Know your client’ is now self selection as the individiual qualifies themselves by reacting to your focussed hook designed to appeal to their specific interests, via that hook, or memorable headline, to grap their attention.
The hook is followed by a compelling story that will help the prospect to understand the need that is being addressed and then followed by content that confirms what the solution looks like and why it is viable for them.
What used to be objection handling now becomes confidence building with greater explanations and in some cases guarentees.
The close becomes an offer that is difficult to ignore given the content already given to the prospect and the clear value of the proposition. Leaving the final phase, consolidation that continues to build trust and value through the provision of further logical steps.
The world is full of people selling to you!
Thyere is nothing wrong with that, and you are about to do, or in most cases you’re already doing that too. But here’s my point; as a busines owner I want you to create your own path before you are sold on the 101 things the rest of the workd what you to buy from them to help you create more sales.
The problem is you’re looking for a solution and the experts will alsl have a compelling reason why you should buy from them their silver bullet to make you more successful. I am here to tell you that the only silver bullet you need you already have!
At some point you are going to need these other products, you may even need to outsource to get the work done, again there is nothig wrong with that either. But first make sure you have your own foundatins set. There is no point in spending hard eanred cash on SEO, PPC and other tools if you do not have a sales process, a vlaue ladder and sales funnels. Once you have these SEO, PPC and other web related tools will come into their own. But if you buy in to them too soon you will be burning moiney for no or very limited returns.
There is no point in paying for clicks if when your ideal client clicks the link thee is nowhere specific to go, a homepage with multiple messages is not gooing to work, but specifc landing pages using the funnel format will be a winner, once you have the content right, once you hasve a hook, story and brilliant offer creating outstanding value.