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Last Updated on January 20, 2024 by Work In My Pajamas
Most people don’t succeed at internet marketing because they spend all their time and effort making one sale at a time. Savvy online marketers know that the key to sustainable profits is through the use of a sales funnel. With as challenging as it is to generate web traffic, it is best to squeeze as much potential out of that traffic as possible. A sales funnel serves this function.
A sales funnel is a business model where prospects are enticed to develop an ongoing relationship with the business owner. Instead of simply going to a website and either buying or not buying, a sales funnel promotes interaction with prospects in order to establish sales in the future.
In This Post:
1. Your Digital Real Estate
An informative and attractive blog or website is the foundation of a sales funnel. Its goal is not to sell, but rather to educate. It should be easy to understand and navigate, providing enough information to maintain the prospect’s interest.
2. Creating Your Carrot
A “carrot” is something that you give to website visitors in exchange of their email addresses. It could be a coupon, discount, or short report giving relevant tips. It just needs to have value to the individuals you are targeting,
3. Getting Their Data
Most sales don’t happen the first time. By collecting their email addresses, you have a way to communicate with your prospects and present them your offers more clearly.
4. Building a Relationship
People are more likely to buy from people that they trust. A sales funnel provides the means of establishing a long term relationship with the individuals you are targeting. Through the sales funnel, you can continue to educate your prospects on the benefits of your products and services. It may take several mailings for the prospect to be convinced.
As an example, a dentist wanting to increase his client base could use a sales funnel to maximize his dental advertising reach. Prospects could visit his website and provide their email addresses for a guide to keeping teeth white and a 15% discount on the first visit. He will then have a database of prospects that he can build a relationship with.
Sales funnels do require some effort and time to set up. However, the return on investment more than justifies it. A sales funnels also you to have a pipeline of business coming in. Not only does it allow you to promote your current products and services, but also gives you an instant market for any future offers.
