Do you want to know one of the main reasons why websites don’t convert cold traffic into leads or online sales?
Because they are very distracting.
This is the #1 reason why I don’t drive my social media ads to websites when I’m trying to generate leads and sales online.
Instead, you want to use a sales funnel.
Sales Funnels Vs Websites
A sales funnel is a selling system that guides potential clients from initial contact to the actual sale.
The main difference between using a funnel compared to a distracting website is that with a funnel, you walk the prospect through step by step, and they can only do one thing at a time.
There are no pages they can click off to.
Not a lot of information for them to get distracted.
It’s straight and to the point.
The goal of the sales funnel is to provide value upfront to gain their trust and ultimately convert them into paying clients.
Anatomy of a Sales Funnel
A well-designed sales funnel has three main components: lead generation, lead nurturing, and conversion optimization.
Lead generation consists of activities designed to attract potential clients and capture their contact information so they can begin their customer journey with you.
I always use a lead magnet for this step.
Lead nurturing involves engaging with prospects over time to build relationships, increase trust, and ultimately convert them into paying clients.
For this one, I’d use email marketing.
And lastly…
Conversion optimization focuses on streamlining the customer experience so that it’s as easy as possible for prospects to become paying clients.
So that’s when you can send people to a checkout page or a booking calendar, for example.
Customization Is Key
Everyone wants to feel like they are your only potential client.
Sales funnels allow you to customize the conversation you are having within them.
For example, within your business, you could have multiple prospects.
And each prospect may need to have a different conversation with you to turn them into a paying client.
With a sales funnel, you can create a funnel per conversation or prospect category within your business to improve overall performance.
So, for example, a mortgage agent could have a funnel that talks to a first-time home buyer and then have another funnel for refinances.
That way, you can connect with the prospect on a deeper level, moving them into a paying client at a quicker rate.
Another massive benefit of using sales funnels for lead generation and sales over your website is that you can continuously and quickly make quick changes to the page to increase conversion.
So much easier than getting your website manager to make updates or, even worse, trying to do it yourself.
I hope I’m painting a fascinating picture for you here. Sales funnels make your job much more accessible and are more effective at turning browsers into buyers.
In this week’s podcast episode, I touch on a few more benefits of using a sales funnel vs a website and dive into more real-life examples.