What is a sales funnel?

To better understand the meaning of the concept of "sales funnel", its purpose, tasks, it is best to study it with examples.

The definition of a sales funnel is as follows: it is a scheme for distributing potential buyers through the stages of a deal, starting with the first contact and ending with the sale of a product / service.

In every business, preference is given to specific ways to attract an audience. For example, to promote a site, at least:

• Its promotion in search engines;
• Contextual and banner advertising;
• Placing advertising messages on social networks, various blogs;
• Other means of attracting buyers.

It should be noted that the term "sales funnel" (sales funnel) was first proposed in the 19th century by Elias St. Elmo Lewis. He defined the concept of the consumer funnel as the movement of a consumer from getting to know a product to purchasing a product / service.

How can you use a sales funnel?

The thing is that the funnel helps to understand the psychology of a potential buyer in the buying process, roughly calculate the costs of a trustworthy client, and develop a further business strategy.

The processes for each person are individual, so there are no sales funnel standards. The method of attracting the audience is decisive in each case.

The funnel looks like this:

• Acquaintance;
• The emergence of interest;
• The emergence of a desire to buy;
• Purchasing activities (such as an order for a service, a phone call, an email subscription, a contract, a purchase).

When you understand the process step by step, you can work on its improvement, increase its productivity.

Types of sales funnels

In business, these types of sales funnels are distinguished:

• Potential clients;
• Loyal (disposed) customers;
• Real consumers;
• Regular customers;
• VIP clients.

At the same time, the site highlights:

• Visitors;
• Subscribers (when it comes to a blog);
• Buyers;
• Regular buyers.

Of great importance is the statistics of site visitors who have moved to the next action.

If we take as a basis the source of visitors to the site, then we can identify a number of factors that have a direct impact on the final decision:

• Audience quality;
• Site content;
• The convenience of the resource;
• Proper stimulation to action;
• The correctness of the site;
• Other tools.

To recognize the best forms of influence on conversion, you need to conduct research and evaluate the return action from each element.