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Don’t think of a sale as a single decision to buy. It’s actually a journey that has a beginning, middle and end, sometimes taking weeks or months to complete depending on the complexity or value of the purchase.
Everyone who finds your business won’t always be ready to buy there and then – that’s perfectly normal. Incorporating soft and hard leads into your sales strategy means you can focus your efforts on the customers who are ready to buy without ignoring or alienating those that are still gathering information.
Take a look at the simplified Sales Funnel below and see some examples of the type of marketing tactics that help customers at different stages of their buying process.
Everyone who finds you isn’t ready to buy right away. Does your business cater to all three stages of the buying process?
Having a solid sales funnel in place should be central to your marketing strategy as it gives extra control over your Return On Investment (ROI). If you want to stay in business you’ll need to earn more money than you spend. Basic Business 101 right?
By tracking customers throughout the sales process you’ll know where you’re best investing your time and money. There’s no point spending your entire budget on advertising if you can’t convert leads into sales. The question to ask is why they aren’t buying? Identify the biggest hurdle and address it. Rinse and repeat.
It’s a continuous challenge to develop and maintain your sales funnel but the rewards are huge. Even if your business or service doesn’t change, the competitive landscape and your customers will.
CUSTOMER JOURNEY MAPPING
An exercise we like to do with clients is identify how most customers move through their business. Where and how they start, what information are they looking on their way to make a purchase? You can even take it a stage further and map out the journey for repeat customers.
Mapping your customer process doesn’t require any fancy software. Just start with pencil and paper and make a simple flow diagram.
How this helps:
Reaching new customers has never been easier or more affordable.
Most visitors already intend to buy. But why should they buy from you?
Make better marketing decisions to reduce costs and boosts profit.