Understanding the Stages of the Sales Funnel

Learn about what are all stages involved in a successful sales funnel from awareness level till conversion level.

Understanding the Stages of the Sales Funnel

From the moment potential customers find out about your product or service to the moment they make a purchase (or don't), they go through different stages of your sales funnel. That journey through your funnel may change from one prospect to another, but in the end, they'll evaluate it based on their level of interest. They'll think about the problem they're trying to solve and will conduct competitive research to make sure that your offer is the best solution. The first stage of the sales funnel is called the “knowledge level”, because it is where people first become aware of your product or service.

They may find out about you through your advertising, social media and even word of mouth. How and why those people go down the sales funnel depends on your own sales and marketing capacity, of course. Potential customers in the middle and lower stages of the sales funnel are those you should pay the most attention to, since they have gone from awareness to interest. Once potential customers get to know your brand, they'll evaluate it based on their level of interest. At this point, your potential customers will move from the knowledge phase to the interest phase.

In addition, since you have all your landing page email addresses, you can create a series of emails to share educational content about your offer. As potential customers move into the decision phase, you'll want to offer anything that might lead them to make a purchasing decision. This could include a product demo, an extended free trial, or a special discount. In the action phase, you'll get new customers or discover why potential customers aren't interested in buying. Either way, keep the communication going.

For new customers, focus on education, engagement and product retention. For potential customers who haven't made any purchases, create a new series of parenting services to contact them every few months. At the top of the sales funnel, your potential customer wants to be sure that your solution is the best answer to their problem. In the middle of the sales funnel, your potential customer delves into the details of the problem. At this point, they may not necessarily be evaluating solution providers, such as specific companies, and their products or services.

Instead, they look for the types of solutions available to them. The second phase of a marketing funnel is the consideration phase. Once our potential customers are familiar with us or know us, we must interact in ways that encourage them to consider us above the competition. Content generation and meaningful and engaging touchpoints are critical at this stage of the process. It is important to clearly identify our points of differentiation and to be identifiable. These solutions trace each stage of your customers' decision-making process and plan the steps they want to take at each stage.

Remember that your potential customers can contact you at any stage of the sales funnel, whether in the initial research phase or in the late decision-making phase. Prospecting and marketing are all the things you do to get people to the first of your sales funnel stages. Once you know the stages of your sales funnel, it's time to figure out where you're losing potential customers. The longer your sales funnel is defined, the more you can determine exactly what is needed to get your potential customers to move from the knowledge or consideration phase to the conversion phase. From the initial stages, when someone knows your business, to the buying phase, marketing channels chart paths to conversion and much more. If a stage seems confusing, change the name, delete it, or add new ones to reflect what's really happening with your sales channel.

All your potential customers receive consistent, friendly emails and contacts at all stages of the sales funnel, so you can book your personalized attention for today's most popular prospects. Make sure that everyone understands the purpose of defining sales stages and agrees to measure activities at each stage. Although different organizations have their own ways of managing and naming the sales process and customer contact points, these are usually structured in three different stages. The top, center, and bottom of the sales funnel define the reach and depth of information your potential customers need at every stage of their buying process.

Cassandra Paule
Cassandra Paule

Certified social media guru. Hardcore food scholar. Freelance baconaholic. Infuriatingly humble bacon specialist. Subtly charming web aficionado. Certified twitteraholic.

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