Sales funnels are one of the things that separate businesses that consistently generate revenue from those that struggle to bring in new customers.
With a sales funnel you can better organize the entire process necessary to attract new clients-- from creating a list of potential prospects to closing deals by signing a contract.
Plus, this applies to any business. Whether you sell on your own or are part of a large sales team, a sales funnel is the minimum step to start structuring your sales process.
What is a sales funnel?
Sales funnels are the way a company structures the process of generating new customers, based on its own criteria. A funnel is different for every company, and it is even possible to have multiple funnels depending on each line of business.
A sales funnel consists of a series of sales stages that allow you to know what stage each potential customer is in. This would be a very basic and traditional example:
Contacted : The potential client is entered into the database
Interested : The client is interested in the company's services
Offered : A proposal has been sent to the client
Negotiating : The offer is being negotiated and adjusted
Closing : The client is in the process of signing the agreement
The stages of the sales funnel are clearly defined, and you can customize them to your liking based on your way of working.
The phases of a sales funnel
When designing your own sales funnel, you are free to add thailand code number any number of stages and in any order you prefer. However, there are a few practices you should keep in mind to make it as effective as possible:
Place your stages in chronological order: Typically, the idea is for a customer to move through the stages of your funnel. The system is designed to go from first contact to closing, so plan your funnel logically.
Create multiple funnels if necessary: If you sell multiple products, consider whether the sales process for each of them is the same, or whether it deserves its own separate process. For example, selling a consulting service is completely different than selling a physical product-- if you find that you have to fit details into each funnel, make them separate.
Include a post-sale phase : funnels not only serve to close deals, but also to do a little follow-up after closing. This is closely related to having a structured post-sale process, and introducing it into your funnels can help you improve your relationship with your customers.