Understanding the Sales Funnel for Your Online Business

How well do you understand your sales funnel?

Sales funnels can be complex, not only in concept but also in the way they’re set up.

If you don’t have a grasp of how the whole thing works, don’t worry because you’re not alone! Lots of small business owners and entrepreneurs are in the same boat as you!

An effective sales funnel has many moving parts. Email sequences, landing pages, social media ads. It can be difficult to get your mind wrapped around it all.

It can be scary when the success of your new product or service hinges on a sales funnel that leads to actual sales.

So, how do you do it?

Well, it’s way easier when you have some help! But below is a quick overview for those in a hurry.

Map it out

The first thing you want to do is create a visual for yourself. I use Funnelytics to map out my funnels but you could also use simple pen and paper. The idea is to create something that you can look at to help keep track of all the pieces. Believe me. It helps!

Make a list

Once you have it all mapped out you’ll want to make yourself a list of all the pages you’ll need (opt-in page, thank you page, sales page, etc) as well as all the emails you’ll need (welcome sequence, sales sequence, onboarding sequence, etc).

Decide on how much of the work you’ll do yourself

Will you write the copy yourself or get a copywriter?

Will you be designing the pages?

Setting up the emails?

Figure out what you can do yourself and what you need to outsource then reach out to the people you need on your team. Do this step early. A good copywriter, designer or VA is not going to be waiting around for your call. Like all the best restaurants, the good ones are booked up so get your name on the list.

Create a to-do list and timeline

Once you know everything you need, who’s doing what, and the availability of your team create a timeline for getting everything done. Give yourself at least two months; three if you don’t want to be stressed.

Then create a to-do list so you know your next steps.

PRO TIP: A good to-do list breaks things down into manageable and logical steps. Don’t just list *create sales page, *write emails. Break it down like this:

• Create Sales Page
  • Write 1st Draft of Sales Page copy [WRITER]
  • Review 1st Draft of Sales Page copy [YOU]
  • Write 2nd Draft of Sales Page copy [WRITER]
  • Review 2nd Draft of Sales Page copy [YOU]
  • Send Sales Page copy to the editor to proof and edit [YOU]
  • Proofread and edit Sales Page copy [EDITOR]
  • Send Sales Page copy to designer [YOU]
  • Design 1st Draft of Sales Page [Designer]
  • Review 1st Draft of Sales Page [YOU]
  • Make revisions of Sales Page design [Designer]

Now, obviously, you can be as detailed as you want but the goal is to record each step that has to happen and assign a due date and a responsible party.

This will help you keep track of what’s been done, what still needs to be done, and what may need to shift in order to meet your goals.

Don’t forget the analytics

Make sure you’ve connected the correct tracking codes in the correct places in the correct way so you can see what’s working and what’s not. The last thing you need is a leaky sales funnel, especially if you don’t know it has a big ol’ hole in it. You could be losing money all over the place.

Remember that tool I told you about for mapping your funnels? Well, the paid version is amazing and will show you all your analytics in one place. You’ll see exactly where people are in real time and be able to spot and plug leaks before your hard earned cash goes down the drain.

Need help planning your launch? Book a quick discovery call with me or check out this blog.