The sales funnel is a ubiquitous sales tool. It's been around for decades, and it's been used by businesses of all sizes, from local (like your dry cleaner) to global (like Apple).
But while it works, the sales funnel isn't always as effective as it could be—and that's why so many companies find themselves losing out on potential leads, sales, and revenue.
If you're not sure how to implement a strong sales funnel into your business, here are five reasons why your current one isn't converting:
Your Content Is Too Long
Reading a long piece of content is like sitting down to eat an entire pizza. You might be able to do it, but if you do, that's going to be all you're thinking about for the next week. And that's not even counting how much time it took you to get through the whole thing!
So, what's the solution? If your content is too long and people aren't reading it...well then don't make them read so much! Shorter pieces are easier to remember and digest—and they won't take up as much of your reader's time.
Your Content Doesn't Offer Any Value
Another huge mistake that I see people make is that their content doesn't offer any value.
Content should always be valuable to the reader, and if it isn't, then why should they read it? This can lead to a very short and boring funnel.
If you're creating a sales call-to-action (CTA) at the end of your content, but that CTA offers nothing in return for them reading your content or signing up for your email list, then why would anyone bother?
I've seen CTAs at the bottom of blog posts that say things like "Want more tips?" or "Sign Up for Our Newsletter". While those may seem innocent enough - after all, who wouldn't want more tips? - they don't really offer anything in return for reading through an entire blog post.
They're just asking someone to give away their time without giving them anything back in return.
If your content doesn't have any measurable ROI (return on investment), why would anyone want it?
You're Not Writing to a Specific Persona
You may have a polished website and blog posts, but if you’re not writing to a specific person, your sales funnel isn’t going to convert.
If you aren't speaking directly to your target customer in the language they understand, they'll read right past your content without even knowing it. You want them to talk with you! You want them engaged and excited about what they're reading—not just looking at pictures of dogs on Facebook or scrolling through their Instagram feed.
That means writing at a level that doesn't alienate anyone or use jargon or buzzwords like "synergy" or "scalability."
Instead of relying on abstract ideas like those (which can be confusing), explain the problem in concrete terms that make sense for the reader: "I'm stuck," for example, instead of “I have limited resources”; “this new thing is going to take time away from other projects” instead of “our marketing budget has been cut."
You're Begging for the Sale
There, I said it. You’re making your sales funnel sound like a telemarketing call. The main difference between you and those bad boys? They know how to keep their mouth shut and do what they do best: sell! You, on the other hand—you want them to know everything about your product or service at once with no hints of subtlety whatsoever. Your entire website reads like an infomercial: “Buy now! Buy now! Hurry before we run out! We have limited inventory! Last chance before prices go up! Buy now! Buy now!! BUY NOW!!”
You Haven't Built Trust Yet
When you're selling to new customers, it's your job to build trust so they feel confident buying from you. They need to feel like they can rely on your product or service. The best way to do this is by providing value first—help them solve their problem, then sell!
There are many benefits of having a sales funnel in place:
- You can identify who needs help and when they need it based on where they're at on the journey towards making a purchase (which means more effective targeting).
- It allows for better tracking so you know how people got there (so if someone didn't enter through Facebook ads but instead came from LinkedIn posts within the last month—because maybe those were more relevant—then we can adjust accordingly).
Conclusion
If you’re struggling to convert your sales funnel, it’s probably because you’re not offering enough value.
That means that someone should know what they want before they even reach your site, which is why you need to be writing great content and providing value upfront. If you can do that effectively, then people will come back for more—and eventually buy from you!
To learn more about how to improve your sales techniques, be sure to get on the waiting list for our next expo where you can learn more about marketing methods that help you boost your sales.
