Oh, the sales funnel! Is there any tool in the world of marketing that has been around longer than this dinosaur? Maybe dinosaur isn’t the right word. Technically, it hasn’t become extinct; it’s just revamped. To me, the sales funnel is closer to a shark, around for a very long time, adapting to survive. Marketing has become an ever-changing world of trends and technology, resulting in our good old sales funnel feeling outdated and inept. Adapting the sales funnel to your needs and structure can be somewhat of a challenge.
Allow me to help. As globalHMA’s reigning monarch of marketing automation, I frequently work with our clients to establish how to best use the sales funnel for their digital programs and platforms. Establish the flow. Establish the story. Harness the sale.
Establish the flow
How do you define your sales funnel? Some people may think that there is no right or wrong answer to this question, but, in my opinion, there is an answer. Your sales funnel should be broken up into four segments: awareness, consideration, justification and purchase.
Awareness
We’ll equate this stream or funnel section to planning a vacation. Unless you’ve gone to the same place your entire life, you don’t begin planning a vacation knowing exactly where you want to go, where you’re going to stay or what you’re going to do. You have a broad idea of what you would like, but you need to do your research.
The awareness stream is where your leads are becoming aware of what’s available. Today’s leads are doing their research before they buy, and your job is to get in front of them. If they don’t know you exist…well, you won’t continue to exist for long.
Consideration
Okay, you’ve introduced yourself to your leads. Go you. You’re getting out there, and you’re (hopefully) increasing your popularity. If this were high school, you would be well on your way to making homecoming court. But, just because people know who you are, doesn’t mean that they trust you.
The consideration stream is where you earn that trust. No longer should you be supplying your leads with introductory brochures. You now need to establish yourself as an authority. This means you need to provide deeper pieces of content. Come on. Peel back some of those layers, and let them get to know the real you.
Justification
If you’re like most, you are careful about your purchases. You need to feel justified in spending money. Your customers are the same!
We need leads to feel justified in making purchases from your company. How do you make your leads feel like they’d be more than justified to use your company? Show them the results. Think of it this way: you’re not a gambler. You don’t buy lottery tickets on the regular, but you see news coverage of a man in the next town who just won $1.3 million on a $5 ticket. The next time you go to the grocery store, you buy a $5 ticket. You feel justified in doing it, because you’ve seen the results.
Purchase
Congratulations, you made a sale! You took your lead the whole way through the funnel and closed the deal. You signed on the contract line, you crossed your t’s and you dotted the i’s. Now it’s time to start all over again.
Harness the sale
By fully developing your flow and story and weaving these pieces through the funnel and your marketing strategy, leads will work their way down the funnel. As a result, your leads will be closer to a decision when your sales team reaches out to them.
Is your sales funnel sending you leads in a steady stream? We can help you customize your sales funnel to fit your needs.
