How to use a Sales Funnel Template to Guide Your Customers Towards Purchase.
Sales Funnel has become a popular marketing term in recent years. But what exactly is it, and how can it help you to guide your customers towards making a purchase to make your business more profitable? Gaining access to a sales funnel template or related tools can streamline the process of building an effective funnel.
The term Sales Funnel is used to describe the journey each customer goes through, from being identified as a potential lead (top of funnel) to landing on your sales page and making a purchase (bottom of funnel). The first step in the funnel is crucial in guiding the customer journey and creating brand awareness. The steps or stages they pass through on their customer journey is known as the sales funnel template.
From campaign to campaign, sales funnels can be incredibly simple or they can be extremely complex, and creating one is most often a job best left to a marketing professional. A well designed sales funnel will help you to identify leads, allocate a lead score, and ensure there is no lead leakage and every lead is properly worked by your sales team. Businesses can also develop and refine their sales funnel over time for better results.
First Things First – What is a Sales Funnel?
We already mentioned it’s a journey. But let’s take a look at it in a bit more detail. Consider a Sales Funnel as a long form sales tool that maps every potential buyer’s journey from the moment they start thinking they need something, to the moment they put in their credit card and buy it. The sales funnel guides the buyer through each stage, from initial awareness to final decision, helping them move closer to making a purchase.
CRM systems are a great way to track consumer behaviour from stage to stage as they move down your funnel to the purchase point. The main factors that impact this are the line of business you’re in and the product you are selling, as well as your sales process and of course, the target audience you are working with. The company plays a crucial role in shaping the customer journey through the funnel by providing relevant information, building trust, and nurturing relationships at every stage.
And while we could make things very simple or very complicated, we’ll go for the middle ground and show you a sales funnel template with seven steps. This template is part of the broader marketing funnel strategy, which helps companies plan, track, and optimize their marketing efforts to improve conversions and resource allocation.
Benefits of Using Sales Funnels
Implementing a sales funnel template brings a host of advantages to businesses looking to streamline their marketing and sales processes. One of the most significant benefits is the boost in conversion rates, as a well-structured sales funnel guides potential customers step-by-step through the buying process, addressing their needs and concerns at each stage. This targeted approach not only increases the likelihood of turning leads into paying customers but also enhances customer retention by nurturing relationships long after the initial sale.
Sales funnels empower marketing teams and sales reps to focus their efforts where they matter most, ensuring that no opportunity slips through the cracks. By mapping out the customer journey, businesses can tailor their marketing strategies to address specific pain points, making every interaction more relevant and impactful. Additionally, sales funnels provide valuable insights into the sales process, helping marketers identify bottlenecks and optimize their strategies for better results.
Ultimately, using a sales funnel template allows businesses to create a seamless experience for their customers, from the first moment of awareness to the final conversion. This not only leads to more deals closed but also builds a loyal customer base that continues to engage with your brand and services.
The Seven Sales Funnel Stages
Stage 1: Targeted Traffic
The long time rule of online selling is that more traffic should equal more sales. But as you probably already know, it’s not that simple.
Maybe you are already driving thousands of visitors to your long form sales page but they are bouncing off. Maybe your blog posts have a high readership, but are not converting visitors into paying customers? Maybe your PPC campaign has resulted in generating a lot of bad traffic that isn’t moving you even one point closer to increased sales and higher revenue growth?
If this is happening to you, then chances are you are not accurately targeting your ideal customer.
Any profitable small business knows you need to drive targeted traffic to your online asset to get paid. Targeted traffic are visitors that are actually interested in your product or service, and are more likely to buy it than other consumers. Using targeted ads is an effective way to attract the right audience to your funnel and increase the chances of conversion.
To attract the right customers you need to understand your ideal customer’s needs and behaviours, and where such customers can be found. Depending on your industry, targeting strategies may vary to ensure you reach the most relevant audience. Ask yourself, what search engine do they use? Which influencers do they follow? This is the customer information you need to store in your crm platform so you can use attraction marketing to create a reason for them to visit your website.
Stage 2: The Landing Page
Once you are attracting targeted traffic, your next step is to guide them to an online asset. Please note you should never point traffic at your website homepage. This is because your homepage was not designed to convert leads into paying customers. A well-crafted landing page is specifically designed to capture the attention and information of potential leads, making it a crucial part of your sales funnel.
Instead, you should create a sales page (landing page) that is purpose built for selling your produce or service to your customers and draw visitors to a purchase decision. Incorporate forms or sign-up prompts to collect contact details, ensuring you can nurture and follow up with leads effectively. And because they have clicked on a clear call to action or cta button, they know exactly why they are there.
Encourage visitors to sign up or provide their contact information to move further down the funnel and increase your chances of conversion.
Stage 3: Conversion
Guiding visitors to your landing page may not be difficult, but trying to convert them into leads and customers is a whole other problem.
Optimizing your landing page can significantly improve your conversion rate, making your marketing efforts more effective and measurable.
First, you need an attention-grabbing headline that will pique their interest and explain why your product or service is worth their time and why they should stick around. A headline is an instant message that will get them hooked, so they want to learn more. Clearly presenting your solution in the headline or copy is key to moving leads toward conversion.
Second, you want your copy to keep them hooked. Write copy that answers a common problem they might have. Sometimes, small details in your messaging can make all the difference in persuading visitors to take action. Speak directly to the reader, mentioning interesting or shocking statistics that support your case and tells a personal story that paints a picture in the reader’s mind.
Stage 4: Get Them to Love You
You can, in fact, make your visitors fall in love with your business and this is easier to do than you may think.
Remember the promise you made when you were getting them hooked? Well, delivering on that promise is how you can get them to love you. People that love you are known as evangelists or fans, and they will tell everyone in their sphere of influence about how you gave them exactly what they needed when they needed it.
It’s important to nurture each client by building trust and providing personalized engagement, which helps foster long-term loyalty and deeper relationships.
And just like that, they become your devoted fans, ready to turned into paying customers again and again.
Evangelists are also great resources to tap into when looking to expand your marketing footprint. Survey them to get new small business ideas. Offer them free products in exchange for online reviews or testimonials. Create reasons to stay connected with them via events, product launches, factory tours and more.
Evangelists will love the attention, and will help you grow your business.
Stage 4: From Fan to Customer
Every sales funnel template has one simple goal – to make you money. This is known as closing, and is an artform that begins with your sales page. It’s essential to guide each prospect through the funnel, addressing their needs and moving them toward a purchase.
Your sales page should be specifically designed to do one thing – separate your fans from their money, and move the customer to the next stage of the funnel.
Create your sales page with your ideal customer in mind, answering all of their Why, What, How, and Who questions, and clearly explain what your product actually is.
Show social proof with customer testimonials or reviews. The more social proof you can show, the more likely it will be that your fans will buy.
Last but not least, add a CTA button with a strong call to action. When they click on that button, you know that they are really engaging with you, and are demonstrating that they need or want your product or service.
Converting a fan or prospect into a customer is not easy. But if you have prepared them well, and answered all of their questions by the time they get to your call to action, they already know they need to buy. Help your customer cross the finish line and complete the purchase.
Stage 5: Bring it Back
There is an old saying, Buyers are Liars, which really means people are known to back out of a sale at the last minute. In a sales funnel, that’s known as the CTA decision we mentioned above.
A customer will often abandon the cart just before payment, which can be really annoying. This is when you need to reassure them that buying is a good decision. People will abandon a sale for many reasons. But, even if they do, you can often bring them back to complete the purchase by using a paid retargeting campaign or by dropping them into automated email campaigns that remind them they have not yet completed the sale.
Using a paid ad or an email campaign will show them you are following up on your promise, and will let them know you are still waiting to solve their problem. You can also schedule follow-up messages to optimize the chances of conversion and ensure timely outreach. After a successful purchase, encourage satisfied customers to provide referrals, helping to generate new leads and grow your business.
Stage 6: Close!
The last step of the journey is to wrap everything up and make money. Sales teams play a crucial role in guiding customers through this final stage and closing the sale. If you’ve played your cards right up until this point, closing the sale should be easy.
Types of Sales Funnel Templates Designed
Sales funnel templates come in a variety of formats, each designed to suit the unique needs of different industries and business models. For example, B2B sales funnel templates are crafted to support longer sales cycles and emphasize relationship-building with potential buyers, often including stages for nurturing leads and building trust before a deal is closed. On the other hand, B2C sales funnel templates are typically more streamlined, focusing on creating awareness, sparking interest, and driving quick conversions—perfect for businesses targeting impulse buyers.
SaaS companies often use specialized sales funnel templates that highlight free trials, onboarding, and customer support, ensuring potential customers experience the value of the service before committing. E-commerce sales funnel templates are designed to guide shoppers from product discovery to checkout, with features like abandoned cart reminders and upsell opportunities to maximize conversions.
By selecting from templates designed for your specific market, you can create a funnel that resonates with your target audience, addresses their unique needs, and turns potential customers into loyal customers. The right funnel template provides a clear structure for your marketing efforts, making it easier to attract, engage, and convert more leads.
Choosing the Right Sales Funnel Template
Selecting the ideal sales funnel template is a crucial step in building a successful marketing and sales strategy. Start by considering your business goals, the nature of your products or services, and the characteristics of your target audience. For example, if your sales cycle is lengthy and requires multiple touchpoints, opt for a funnel template that supports ongoing engagement and lead nurturing. If your focus is on quick conversions, a more direct template may be the best fit.
Evaluate how well the template aligns with your marketing strategies and whether it can be tailored to reflect your brand’s voice and values. Look for templates that offer flexibility, allowing you to adjust stages and messaging as needed to suit your unique sales process. The right sales funnel template should make it easy to guide leads through the customer journey, turning them into paying customers and fostering long-term loyalty.
By carefully choosing a funnel template that matches your business needs, you set the stage for higher conversions, stronger customer relationships, and a more efficient sales process.
Customizing Your Sales Funnel Template
To truly stand out in your market, it’s essential to customize your sales funnel template to reflect your brand and meet the specific needs of your target audience. Start by adapting the content and messaging at each stage of the funnel to speak directly to your potential customers, highlighting your unique value proposition and addressing their key concerns.
Adjust the stages of your funnel template to mirror your actual sales process—add steps where you need to build trust, or streamline where your audience prefers a faster path to purchase. Incorporate social proof, such as customer testimonials, reviews, and case studies, to build credibility and reassure prospects that your business delivers on its promises.
Customizing your sales funnel template not only enhances the customer journey but also differentiates your business from competitors. By creating a tailored experience, you increase the likelihood of conversions and build lasting relationships with your customers.
Measuring Success with Data Analytics
Tracking the performance of your sales funnel template is essential for ongoing improvement and business growth. By leveraging data analytics, you can monitor key metrics such as conversion rates, lead generation, and customer retention, gaining valuable insights into how your funnel is performing at each stage.
Use tools like Google Analytics or marketing automation platforms to identify which parts of your funnel are driving the most conversions and where potential customers are dropping off. Analyze this data to uncover patterns, optimize your marketing strategies, and refine your funnel template for even better results.
Regularly reviewing your analytics allows you to make informed, data-driven decisions that enhance your marketing efforts and maximize the effectiveness of your sales funnel. With continuous optimization, you can ensure your funnel template remains aligned with your business goals and consistently delivers results.
Wrapping Things Up
When all is said and done, a sales funnel is an absolute must when you are looking for potential customers because it will automatically weed out the tyre-kickers and time-wasters for you, so you don’t waste time, effort and funds chasing them for a sale.
If they are interested, they will move down your sales funnel easily, and turning them into customers that love you and your business will be easy.
Operating a sales funnel is not free, and takes a lot of consumer knowledge and marketing finesse. But it will be an investment that will likely make you money.
Which is why, unless you are absolutely certain you know what you are doing, you need a team of content marketers to do it for you. The team at Liquid Digital have many years of experience in boosting lead generation with a carefully crafted sales funnel to get new and repeat customers for our clients and building a powerful digital presence.
If you would like a sales funnel that converts, then get in touch. We are very happy to discuss your unique business needs.