Finding the ultimate answer for what is a sales funnel and the best sales funnel examples? Keep reading and you will get what you need.
In this article, you’ll learn what is sales funnel looks like, including sale funnel examples of companies doing it correctly. You’ll also understand why they’re so valuable for your business and it can take you business off the ground.
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So let’s get started
What is a sales funnel?
A sales funnel is a tool that visually represents the journey from your potential customers first contact with you until your customers completed a purchase.
It helps your sales team understand where they need to follow up or change the sales process because there might be some drop out at a certain stage. It’s called a sales “funnel” because each step will narrow the potential customers until near the end of the process.
The sales funnel structure can be like this in your customer relationship Management (CRM) software:
Lead In > Contact Made > Needs Defined > Proposal Made > Negotiations Started > Won
Stages of a sales funnel
Top-performing salesmen know the steps of their sales funnel inside out, from cold calling to finalizing the sale.
There are three main sales funnel stages:
Top of the sales funnel: This is the awareness and discovery stage, where your target customer is trying to learn more about their problem.
Middle of the sales funnel: This is the stage where your qualified lead is researching solutions to an identified problem.
Bottom of the sales funnel: In this stage, the prospect makes a conscious, educated decision to make a purchase.
1. Top of the sales funnel
Early in their journey, your potential customers have a question or concern. They will research to learn about possible solutions, which is when they discover your business.
At this stage, they’re still identifying their demand.
They have many questions as they’re trying to verbalize their problem and are looking for a trusted source of information.
Here are three examples of searches and questions prospects might have for specific industries:
A customer support software. “Customer support industry benchmarks”
A mattress online store. “Why does my back hurt after sleeping?”
An electricity provider. “Average electricity bill”
2. Middle of the sales funnel:
Now, you’ve filtered your prospects and those still in the funnel should be your “ideal customers”.
Questions in the middle of the funnel are no longer generic, as your prospects have now named and more defined their problem(s).
Using the same industries as in the previous section, these might be their searches:
“Types of support for software teams”
“How to choose the best mattress for [back condition]”
“How to save money on an electricity bill”
In the middle of the sales funnel, your lead is diving deeper into the specifics of the problem that your customers are facing.
3. Bottom of the sales funnel:
At the bottom of the funnel, leads understand their problem, have learned the best type of solution and are ready to select a provider.
The questions and concerns in this stage become vendor-driven and more specific, following the narrowing shape of a funnel’s bottom.
Their online searches, as well as their questions, might look something like this:
“Does [Provider 1] offer better support software features than [Provider 2]?”
“Who offers the longest and most complete warranty policy for mattresses?”
“What are the electricity contract terms with [Provider 1] versus [Provider 2]?”
At the bottom of the sales funnel stage, long-tail keywords (e.g., “best soft mattress topper for back sleepers”) can help lead users to information that enables them to make a decision that suits their exact needs, specific problems and budget.
Best sales funnel examples
Examples of sales funnels can show how a salesman leads a prospect from lead generation to purchase.
In order to achieve this, they must comprehend the main concerns of a prospect and offer pertinent solutions at the appropriate moments.
Sales funnels are useful for various types of enterprises, including membership sites, online courses, and product marketplaces.
Here are sales funnel example from businesses that have adopted this procedure.
1. Twilio
Developers can use Twilio’s communication APIs to integrate text and voice messaging into their products and software applications.
Twilio is aware of how crucial it is to convey product details using headlines such as “100% guaranteed protection from SMS pumping fraud.”
Even while the term “SMS pumping fraud” may not be familiar to the average consumer, Twilio customers probably being frauded frequently and this is the pain point.
Twilio: Top of the funnel
When prospective clients look up Twilio using the keyword “communication API software,” they can find the company quickly on Google and immediately identify it as a possible vendor.
In addition, potential customers can discover them on social media, via their blog, or by playing a self-directed game designed to teach them how the product functions.
If potential customers decide Twilio is a good fit for their business, they can request to speak with a sales representative or establish a free Twilio account.
To assist in directing prospects to their desired destination, Twilio employs distinct call-to-action buttons.
Potential customers can select “Start for free” or “Contact sales,” indicating that the business is aware that they might not be ready to make a purchase yet is still offering assistance in streamlining the process.
Twilio: Middle of the funnel
A sales representative can use the data gathered thus far when a potential customer visit the Twilio website converts to a lead.
For instance, the opt-in form requests the lead’s product interest as well as the name of the company and contact information. All of these specifics can facilitate a fruitful sales conversation and enable the representative to pose the appropriate queries.
The sales representative can introduce pertinent, tailored information that immediately addresses the lead’s issues during the first interactions by taking into account the technologies, categories, and prior experiences that the lead has shared.
In order to allow potential customers to self-serve in accordance with their demands, Twilio has also configured its resource center to allow filtering by role, solution, and industry.
They further qualify their lead and assist them in moving down the sales funnel as they proceed and observe how their lead responds.
Twilio: Bottom of the funnel
Finally, the lead is considering Twilio as a solution. They do, however, have concerns over cost, execution, and investment return.
Use cases, extensive documentation, and client anecdotes are examples of hyper-specific sales pages that are currently useful. The better, the more they can be related to the lead’s industry and situation.
Assume the sales representative can effectively respond to queries and worries at the bottom of the funnel and explain how the lead’s issue and the solution fit together. Then, it’s likely that they’ll become a customer.
2. Tricentis
Tricentis is a cutting-edge solution for software testing that includes products for automation, integration, and optimization.
Similar to Twilio, the landing page addresses the precise issue that its potential customers is trying to solve. Here, AI is being used to enhance engineering.
Tricentis: Top of the funnel
Tricentis is easily found while looking for a software testing tool because it has a high search engine ranking for similar keywords such as “beginner guide to volume testing.”
Tricentis makes use of this exposure to increase awareness among its targeted customers.
Potential customers visit to the website can then get in touch with the business in a number of ways. You may, for instance, ask for a demo, begin a free trial, or ask a team member to get in touch with you.
Tricentis: Middle of the funnel
A sales representative has more details about the lead in the middle of the funnel, like their job title and firm name. This kind of foundation is perfect for kicking off a qualified sales conversation.
At this point, customers may want to know if a solution has previously assisted individuals or businesses that are comparable to theirs. Potential Customers who are weighing their alternatives can benefit from reading Tricentis’s reviews and case studies in this situation.
Additionally, Tricentis boasts a sizable resource library, which allows them to nurture sales leads by providing tailored content tailored to their individual problems.
Here, Tricentis’s e-books, reports, and white papers are beneficial since they offer comprehensive information on a certain subject and establish the company’s authority.
A strategically positioned call to action (CTA) can connect a potential customer with a Tricentis salesperson if they would want more information.
Tricentis: Bottom of the funnel
The Tricentis system leads might require a bit more information and confirmation that the product is the best option before making a purchase.
Sales representatives in this scenario can guide the prospect to useful resources like their ROI calculator, client success stories, and live expert learning event.
They can attract highly qualified potential customers by meeting their wants and requirements and making sure the client experience is positive.
Sales funnel values
1. How a solid sales funnel impacts your potential customers
You’ve probably observed by now how many things a potential customer might have before even considering making a purchase from you.
Your sales funnel aids in understanding what each of your prospects needs in order to proceed to the next stage, even though their problems may come up at various times and perhaps in different orders.
These are three are how it occurs.
You can convey the correct message at the right time with the aid of a sales funnel. Consider the following situation: You’re looking to buy a new refrigerator. You’re not ready to buy just yet because you only have a very vague idea of what you want. You want to know more about the advantages and downsides of different models, features, and sizes at this time.
But as soon as you pick up the phone, a salesperson starts talking about the best-selling model’s price. Even though you appreciate the effort, you can’t help but wonder if their main goal is to reach a quota and increase sales activity, or if they really care about what you need.
Marketing and sales can be aligned with the help of a sales funnel. Recall that potential customers can contact you at any point in the sales funnel, from the early stages of research to the later stages of decision-making. To ensure that prospective clients have the information they require at the appropriate time, it is imperative that your marketing and sales initiatives are coordinated.
Your marketing team can achieve this by taking use of the potential customer online activity, such as visits to particular landing pages on their website or actions associated with your email marketing campaign. After that, you may use paid advertisements to retarget them according to where they are in the customer journey. You can also use this information to inform the creation of future content and instructional materials, like online courses.
A sales funnel create loyalty and commitment. Your potential customers will become aware of the possibilities when they start their research (using Google or other search engines) and discover answers. Potential customers might quickly move to another solution supplier to view their offers, particularly early in their journey.
Because of this, it’s critical that you engage with potential customers early in the sales process and build trust by attending to all of the issues that could affect their choice to buy.
2. How a good sales funnel impacts your business
By ignoring unqualified leads and concentrating on qualified leads, you can save time. For a sales representative, a large sales funnel can be deceptive. Because there are so many new leads, you may think you have a lot going on.
However, you’re harming yourself if, in fact, this false sense of security is keeping you from adding new transactions. You may concentrate more of your sales and marketing efforts on the highly qualified leads by eliminating the unqualified ones with an efficient sales funnel.
As a result, you’ll be able to respond to your lead’s worries right away—often even before they are aware that they have them—and provide pertinent information more quickly. This will reduce the amount of time it takes you to close a sale after reaching out to a new lead.
Important sales indicators are trackable. A few critical parameters in your sales funnel need to be monitored if you want to get the most out of it. This is an additional technique that will guarantee the health of your sales funnel, consistent sales, and efficient use of your time.
The following metrics are ones you should always monitor:
- The quantity of transactions within your sales funnel.
- The typical deal size in your sales funnel.
- Close ratio, or the typical proportion of closed deals.
- Sales velocity or the typical length of time a deal takes to close.
There is a close relationship between these parameters. For instance, knowing the average winning percentage of your sales is more important than the quantity of deals in your funnel. The number of deals you need to close in order to reach your revenue target depends on the average size of a deal. Additionally, sales velocity enables you to efficiently plan your days by determining the appropriate amount of time to devote to each excellent deal.
Final thoughts
With your potential customers pain points and issues in mind, you can now design and implement a start-to-finish sales funnel to create a more seamless customer experience that increases sales.
A well-defined sales funnel influences how your prospects see you, as well as the operations of your company. A disciplined strategy is essential for identifying yours and correcting any leaks.
Take action with your funnel now to maximize your sales leads, optimize your sales and digital marketing operations, and develop long-term customer relationships.
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