Doug Kessler reminded us that your sales team owns the sales funnel but it's your job as a B2B marketer to feed the top of the funnel. If you've been wondering if a sales funnel is really necessary for your business, the answer is a resounding yes. After all, the whole point of a sales funnel is to automate moving prospects through the buying process until they become customers.
Who wouldn't want that?
But sales funnel development is tricky. That's why we gathered some of the best sales funnel strategies and tips that really work. Read on to learn some effective sales funnel tactics to help your business grow.
Sales Funnel Development
Sales funnel development is designing and creating an automatic system to increase conversions for your business. It involves identifying the steps that potential customers go through to make a purchase, mapping out the customer journey, and then creating content and messages that guide prospects through the sales funnel.
The business development sales funnel process can be divided into three main stages:
Awareness
In the awareness stage, potential customers become aware of your product or service. They may see an ad, read a blog post, or hear about your business from a friend.
Interest
In the interest stage, prospects begin to learn more about your product or service and how it can help them solve their problem. They may read reviews, visit your website, or sign up for your email list.
Decision
In the decision stage, prospects are ready to make a purchase. They may compare your product to other similar products, read customer testimonials, or talk to a salesperson.
Before you begin to create a B2B Sales funnel, there are a few things you'll want to put in place.
Define Your Target Market
The first step to creating an effective sales funnel is to identify your target market. Who are you trying to reach with your product or service? What needs do they have that your product can help with? Once you know who your target market is, you can create messages and content that appeals to them.
Map the Journey and Find Your Audience
The next step is to map out the customer journey. What are the steps that potential customers will take from awareness to purchase? By identifying each step in the customer journey, you can create content and messages that guide prospects through the sales funnel.
Once you've done this, the next step is to figure out how and where you'll contact them. The knowledge you acquired in the first stage should assist you in this step. You'll need to answer questions like these about your ideal consumers and prospects:
- Where do they spend their time on the internet
- What questions are they asking search engines
- What social media platforms do they like the most
- What are the most promising opportunities that your competitors are leaving open
- Who are they connected with in the business world
- What events do they attend
Research Your Competition
Before you can create an effective sales funnel, you need to understand your competition.
What are they doing right? What are they doing wrong? What can you learn from their marketing and sales efforts?
By understanding your competition, as well as your own audience, you can create a sales funnel that is more effective and efficient. Then, you'll be ready to try some of the below tactics.
1. Create Compelling Content
Content is the foundation of any sales funnel, so it's important to create messages that are relevant and interesting to your target market. Your content should answer the questions that your prospects are asking, and it should be presented in a way that is easy to understand.
To create compelling content, you can use a variety of different formats, including blog posts, infographics, ebooks, and whitepapers.
2. Create a Strong Offer
Your offer is the heart of your sales funnels. It's what you're selling, and it needs to be compelling enough to convince prospects to buy. Your offer should be clear, concise, and easy to understand. It should also be relevant to your target market and address their needs.
3. Build a Landing Page
A landing page is a website page that's designed to convert visitors into leads. It should include a strong headline, a brief description of your offer, and a call-to-action (CTA) that encourages prospects to take the next step. Your landing page should be simple and easy to navigate, with a clear path for prospects to follow.
4. Create an Email Campaign
An email campaign is a series of emails that you send to prospects in an effort to convert them into customers. Your email campaign should be carefully planned and executed, with each email providing value and moving the prospect closer to a purchase. Be sure to include an auto responder in your email campaign.
5. Use Lead Magnets
A lead magnet is an incentive you give prospects in exchange for a means to contact them. Lead magnets can be anything from a free ebook to a discount on your product. They should be relevant to your target market and offer value that's hard to resist.
6. Use Retargeting Ads
Retargeting ads are ads that are shown to people who have already visited your website but didn't take action. They're a powerful way to keep your business top of mind and encourage prospects to come back and take the next step.
7. Create a Sales Page
Design a sales page that converts. Your sales page is the final step in your sales funnel. This is where prospects make a purchase decision. So it's important to design a sales page that is clear, concise, and easy to navigate. Your sales page should also include a strong offer and a compelling call to action.
8. Test, Measure, and Optimize
Whatever sales funnel strategy you choose, you'll need to test, measure, and optimize your results. Try different tactics and see what works best for your business. Then, keep track of your metrics and adjust your sales funnel according
Set Up Your B2B Sales Funnel
It’s time to start seeing real results in your sales funnel. By implementing the sales funnel development strategies we’ve gone over, you can drive more engagement, conversions, and profits.
Start today and see how much difference these tips make for your business. And if you need help getting started or want someone to walk you through each step of the process, don’t hesitate to contact Pro Sales Connection. In your free consultation, we will show you how to leverage your own power and scale your business.