Do you fully understand the process someone goes through as they get to know your company, engage with you, and then buy from you? The process is known as your sales funnel, and it’s important to understand each step. When you map out your full sales funnel, you can optimize and tweak each stage to get maximum return on your investments of time, money, and attention.
Understanding the Stages of a Sales Funnel
Every industry and company has a slightly different engagement and sales process, but all of them have the same three basic stages. Exact details may be different within each stage, but the basic function of the sales funnel is the same for every type of business.
The first stage is the Contacting or Connecting stage. This is where you build awareness of your company, reach out to prospects for the first time, and promote helpful information on social media. The keys in the Contacting stage are to fully understand who your ideal customer is, spread helpful information about how your services match where those ideal customers spend time, and make it easy for your ideal prospects to take the next step and engage with you.
The second stage is the Engagement phase. This is where a prospect is aware of you and has now responded to you in some way. This may involve reading your blog and commenting, downloading a case study, signing up for a newsletter, or following you on social media. During this time, they will be learning who you are and why you stand out. The key during the engagement phase is to build a relationship, use language the prospect relates to, and fully answer the question “Why should I buy from you instead of others who do the same thing?”
The final stage of the sales funnel is the purchase phase. Many organizations believe that once they have the customer’s money this stage is over. They couldn’t be more wrong. Once a purchase is completed, it’s vital to follow up with excellent customer service, upsells, and a request for referrals. In this way, a customer stays with you and brings others in, multiplying the return on your marketing investment.
Optimizing the Sales Funnel Stages with Landing Pages
Landing pages are simple one-page websites, or hidden pages within a website, that encourage a visitor to do one specific thing. It could be downloading an eBook or making a purchase. It just depends on what part of the funnel the landing page is targeting.
Well done landing pages are a great way to optimize each stage of your sales funnel and maximize the number of prospects that move from one stage to the next. If you can increase your conversion rate from 10% to 20% at each stage of the funnel, you won’t just double your results; you’ll get four times the results!
At the top of the funnel, you can use landing pages to increase awareness of your company and give people reasons to move to the Engagement stage. You can offer a free report, a free eBook, or a low-cost introductory offer. A great landing page makes the decision simple for your prospect, and you’ll have a strong conversion rate.
In the middle of the funnel, a landing page can be used to encourage those who are already engaged with you to buy. You can offer limited-time discounts, special bonuses, and more. Landing pages allow you to use persuasive elements like a countdown timer that shows when the offer expires. A strong landing page can significantly increase your conversion rates and your profits.
Finally, great landing pages also allow you to offer upsells to existing customers. They can be framed as exclusive only-for-you offers that aren’t available to new prospects. It can also be used to gather testimonials or ask existing customers for referrals. A great way to bring in new business is to offer a bonus for referrals.
Getting your sales funnel stages clearly defined and optimized is important and can significantly increase sales. Contact me today to get started!