Does the term “sales funnel” make you cringe?
Selling is typically the thing business owners like the least and struggle with the most.
Trust me, I know how hard it is to close a sale. Early in my marketing career, I spent some time in sales and I never grew to like it. Eventually, I switched to the creative side of marketing (and by eventually, I mean within 3 months).
I just never enjoyed “pushing” a product on people. The company I worked for used somewhat aggressive sales tactics and I just assumed that’s how it was done everywhere.
It wasn’t until I started my graphic design business (many years ago) that I learned what sales is really about –
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS!
It really doesn’t matter how many pretty logos I put in front of you, if you have no idea who I am, why would you want to work with me?
And, conversely, if I have no idea who YOU are, why again would you want to work with me?
To be clear, I am not a sales expert, and I’m not trying to teach you HOW to sell. What I want to teach you is a process to build relationships that will LEAD to sales.
I call this The Relationship Funnel and it’s part of my “Making Plans” consulting package.
Knowing how to use the funnel, helps you plan a project and develop a process that will eventually lead to a sale.
Each step of the funnel is essentially asking the question, “How does this fit into my plan?”
Using the funnel as a checklist while planning a project helps you stay on track when it comes time to implement.
For example, let’s say you are promoting your new webinar.
First, you need to create Awareness. How will you do that? Perhaps with a lead magnet or with Facebook ads, or simply emailing your list to let them know this is happening.
Next, you’ll want to consider Segmentation + Personalization of your email list.
Segmenting your audience is imperative for multiple reasons. If you are offering a webinar for new clients, you wouldn’t want to email past clients to tell them about it, right? I mean you could, but why would they be interested?
Segmenting your list allows you to easily send emails to only those who WOULD be interested. You can more easily personalize your content, which naturally builds a better relationship with your audience.
Hot Tip: personalization is more than just “Dear {name}”.
Ok, so you know you have to bring attention to your webinar by contacting the right people, but what really leads to a strong relationship is Engagement and Communication. So, you’re going to need a great CTA.
A great CTA doesn’t need to be complicated, it just needs to be straightforward:
“Hit reply”, “Comment below”, “Click this button”, “Signup using this link”.
Let your audience know that you’re here to answer questions or chat about what they’re currently struggling with. Opening up 2-way communication is the #1 best way to build a relationship with clients (or potential clients).
As you increase engagement, you’ll better understand your audience and find new pain points. Take those pain points back to the top of the funnel… find a way to help them, put them in a new category, and then tell them again that you’re here to help.
The repeat process of awareness, segmentation/personalization, and engagement brings Loyalty and once your clients are loyal, it’s time to open up your wallet! (To catch all the money they’ll be throwing at you)
They will see how much you understand them, care for them, and want to help them as much as possible. They will keep coming back for more, whether free or paid.
Hot Tip: Don’t overlook the freeloaders.
