Without the sales funnel, the sales team would be lost. No matter the industry it is there and it helps you achieve the best results possible. You might be wondering what is the most important thing when it comes to the sales funnel? Well, the answer is quite simple – website optimization. Each of the stages has a major impact on the behavior of the customer and you will want to know the stages quite well. The whole sales funnel concept is easier to understand when you connect it to how many people visit your site and reach the decision to actually buy something. So, what is a sales funnel and why is it important?
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What is a sales funnel?
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To put it simply, a sales funnel is the path the website visitor takes on the way to purchasing your service or product. Some people do not leave the first stage of the funnel, while other people reach the last stage. The good thing about this is that you actually have an influence on how many people will reach the last stage.
Why is a sales funnel important?
As mentioned before, the sales funnel demonstrates the path that customers take before buying something from you. If you understand what it is, it can help you figure out why some customers just drop out and never buys something. If you do not understand it, you cannot optimize it.
How the sales funnel works
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There are various explanations for the stages of the sales funnel, but we will be looking at the four most common ones in order for you to understand how each of those stages works as the customer goes from a simple visitor to a prospect buyer, to an actual buyer.
So, someone visits your website and they will instantly become a prospect. They might check a few posts or browse through the product categories and at some point, you will offer them a chance to sign up for an email list. If they fill it out, they become a lead. You can now market products outside of the website, such as via phone, text, or email. Leads often return to the website when you contact them with offers, new blog posts, or information. If you want to check out a list of programs that could help you, click here.
The 4 stages
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It is actually quite easy to remember the stage by their acronym: AIDA. AIDA stands for Awareness, Interest, Decision, and Action. These stages represent the mindset of the consumer. Let’s take a look at the stages:
1. Awareness
This is the moment when your site catches the attention of the customer. It might be anything, a tweet, a shared post on Facebook, or something completely different. However, the prospect will become aware of the things you are offering. Sometimes, people buy things right away, however, more often you will be trying to woo the person into returning to your website.
2. Interest
When the prospect reaches the interest stage, they are basically doing some research, comparing prices, and thinking about the options they have. This is the perfect timing where you should promote incredible content to them. You do not want to do it right away since it might chase off the prospect. The goal of this stage is to give more information to the customer and offer to help them in various ways.
3. Decision
This stage represents when the customer is ready to buy. They might be thinking about several options and hopefully, one of the options is your business. This is the perfect time to make a great offer and it might include free shipping, a discount, or a coupon.
4. Action
At the end of the funnel, the customer actually buys something from your website and becomes a part of your business consumers. However, you will want them to buy more things from you, so do not think your work is done. Continue reminding them via emails or other means that you are still there to give them an awesome shopping experience.
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Conclusion
Keep in mind that it takes time to optimize and create a sales funnel, but once you understand it, it will make a big difference in the sales you achieve.
