What is a sales funnel?
If you’re new to this, here’s the plain-English answer and what matters most.
A sales funnel is simply the series of steps a person moves through from first discovering you to taking an action such as subscribing, requesting information or buying.
The word “funnel” can sound technical, but the basic idea is familiar: people usually do not go from stranger to customer in one unexplained jump.
A simple online funnel
Helpful content → relevant next step → email signup or bridge page → offer → follow-up.
Each step has a job. The content answers a question. The opt-in offers something useful. The offer solves a larger problem. Follow-up helps people who were not ready or who need additional information.
More pages do not automatically make a better funnel
A common mistake is adding upsells, countdowns and extra steps because “funnels are supposed to have them.” If a page does not help the visitor understand, receive or choose something, ask whether it belongs there.
Start with the customer’s path
- How did the person find you?
- What problem were they trying to solve?
- What did you promise at each step?
- Did the next page logically continue that promise?
- Where do people stop moving forward?
That last question is how you improve a funnel. Track the steps instead of guessing.
I’ve matched this question to one next resource that continues from what you just learned.
My Secret Sales Machine provides educational information. Results vary by person, offer, traffic source and implementation.