This age is called “customer age”. If you do not pay attention to customers, your business won’t work; therefor, business owners should care about all what costumers go through throughout the purchase journey. It is not just pre-purchase, but it extends beyond the purchase process as well.
Moreover, the only tool that helps sales representatives in turning the potential customers into permanent customers is “sales funnel”. Any business activity needs to build “sales funnel” to attract the potential customers and turning them into permanent ones. Sales funnel aims to move people safely through the stages of the sales until they are ready to buy your products or services and always return to you as permanent customers.
What is sales funnel?
It is one of the most important concepts in the world of digital marketing. It is also a tool used to follow the potential customers and their journey of transformation from potential customers into permanent ones. The sales funnel visually describes the idea that every sale starts with a large number of potential customers and ends up with far fewer people actually making purchases.
Sales funnel sections
Sales funnel consists of three parts:
Upper part: it is the largest section of the funnel that attracts potential customers.
Middle part: it is the section that includes the procedures that precede ye sale phase.
Bottom part: it is the last transaction, which is the purchase.
Stages of the sales funnel:
The stages of the sales funnel vary by company; however, it is generally divided into four sections:
1. Awareness
This stage includes the greatest number of potential customers. Moreover, in this stage potential customers identify the problem and start looking for a solution. So they get to know the brand through the marketing campaign or social media marketing or email marketing or from what they hear from family and friends or otherwise.
2. Interest
In this stage, the number of potential customers begins to decline; however, the probability of converting sales rises. Here, the customer communicates with the company, asks questions, requires more information, browses your website and social media accounts and then he evaluates the company according to the information he has gathered. Hence, you have to work on creating fabulous content and taking care of customer service so the potential customer passes this stage and moves on to the next one.
3. Decision
After the customer becomes aware of the existence of your company and after he calls and gets answers to his questions, it is time to make decision. This stag may include further research into the options offered by the company or comparison with other companies.
In this stage, you have to give your best to the customer to ensure his presence such as provide free shipping or special discount code when ordering your products. The key here is to make an irresistible offer to the customer,
4. Procedure or “work”
It is the last stage from sales funnel, in which the potential customer becomes your customer buy purchasing your products or services or leaves without buying.
Although the sale is complete, but the work is not finished! You have to maintain customers and gain their loyalty, for instance, thank the customer when he buys your products and ask for feedback or offer to participates in your newsletter.
The importance of sales funnel
You can gather numerous of information through sales funnel, then use them to improve the stages that customers go through and ensure that they become permanent customers. Sales funnel help to detect errors and gaps at each stage and then correct them. it also introduces you to how customers think and behave to know where you should invest in marketing your brand.
How to create the sales funnel
After all the speech of the sales funnel and its importance, no doubt you are wondering now of how to create it.
To create the sales funnel, follow these steps:
1) Create a landing page
Landing pages are page that the user turns to after clicking on an advertisement link on a website or social media or an email. It has one purpose which is: invite the visitor to take action, such as buying a product or fill out a form to get free content such as an e-book or a free course. Landing page is often initial chance the customer knows more about your company and its products and services.
The page should clearly describe your company or the benefits of your products or services. Landing page could be the only chance to attract your potential customers, so it should be strong and convincing and it also include a way to get potential customers contact information so you can continue to communicate your values to them.
2) Show something value
In order for a customer to willingly submit their email, you must provide something valuable in return.
3) Interest in the potential customer
After the potential customer shows enough interest to share his email, you have to provide more content that acquaints the customer with your products and services; keep in touch with them regularly once or twice a week and make sure the content is tailored to their needs and interests.
4) Continuity in the process
In this stage, the potential costumer has become a customer or left deciding not to buy; furthermore, in both cases you can continue communication and build relationships with him. If a potential customer becomes an actual customer, continue building relationships by educating them about your products and services and provide services to him to build loyalty. However, if he does not make a purchase, keep in touch with him through emails. Even after you set up a sales funnel, your business will never end! So you should constantly look for ways to improve your sales funnel; identify the stages at which you are losing the potential customers and work to fix the gaps.
Sales funnel is the best way to combine marketing and sales. Also, do not ignore its great role in improving your brand awareness and gain more customer loyalty.
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