When creating a sales funnel, it is crucial that you know exactly how each stage works. While we glossed over these in our overview of sales funnels, it’s important to look at these in depth to ensure success.
The sales funnel consists of 4 levels, with a 5th hidden at the end if you care to look past the purchase. These are:
- Awareness – The customer becomes aware of your product.
- Interest – The customer has a need that you can fulfill and they are interested in your product.
- Decision – The customer decides to make a purchase with your business.
- Action – The customer does make a purchase with your business.
- Promotion – The customer shares your product, promoting it to their follower base.
These are all crucial steps the customer must take in order to convert into a sale, and hopefully, share your brand and become a repeat buyer.
To make these steps as effective as possible, let’s dig in and take a look at each one in more detail.
Awareness
The customer is now aware that your product or service exists. This could be through an ad, article, or word of mouth.
This customer has a want or needs to fulfill, and you are going to try and do that for them.
Interest
The prospect is now interested in the solution that you provide. This is shown through them subscribing to your email list, or following you on social media.
This provides you an opportunity to market to that customer and push them to the next phase of the funnel.
Decision
In this step, they make the decision to take advantage of the product or service that you offer. They will, at this point, browse options, or possibly hold out for a promotion or deal, but are more or less ready to convert.
It’s here where promotion discounts, package discounts, or other promotional strategies will be effective.
Action
The customer finalizes everything by making a purchase. You’ve got them, and at this point your main concern is retaining this customer as a repeat buyer.
It’s important to market to your email lists, as this is how you will most effectively turn buyers into longtime customers.
Promotion
This phase happens outside the sale but can be equally as valuable. Some customers will promote the product they have purchased on various social media platforms, which feeds additional prospects into your funnel.
Word of mouth is by far one of the most effective ways of getting your brand out there, so creating something that can be shared on social media is a great strategy for boosting sales.
If you properly understand a sales funnel and implement it properly, at every level for your business, you are almost guaranteed success in the online world.
It takes hard work and patience, but a sales funnel will take you far in hitting your goals.
If you’d like to learn more about how to create sales funnels, check out my free training at https://www.digitalnomad.com/training/.
