Traditional sales techniques were the right tools when the market was hot, the selling cycle was short, and sellers had more influence and control over the buyer. Now things have changed the market is not what it used to be. Increased competition, globalization, and technological advancement have put the consumer in control. Now they have the power to decide where, when, and how they are going to buy. Trust and value is the new return on investment (ROI) making what we sell not just a commodity but HOW we sell it our competitive edge!

The sales cycle is much longer now than it used to be. You have to build trust and establish value before you can think of selling. Prospects will only buy your services once they trust you, and they will buy your products when they understand the value to them or their business. This is why you need a sales funnel.

 

That said what is a sales funnel?

Think of a sales funnel like the normal funnel you know which is wide at the top narrowing gradually towards the bottom. In a normal funnel, the powder or liquid gathers at the top and channeled down to the opening at the bottom. As the powder or liquid is poured into the funnel, some of it doesn’t make it through to the end. It either sticks to the sides of the funnel or falls to the side away from the funnel.

For online marketers, the funnel is an array of products, with the hope to sell to potential clients at the top of the funnel. Basically, the goal is for the prospective customers to go through the funnel, and buy something at each stage. The products are arranged from the cheapest to the most expensive. The further the customer gets in the funnel, the more expensive products they buy.

A typical sales funnel starts with a free product to lure the customers to buy a product and the next one etc. A free product can be an eBook, a software program or another online marketing product.

The next product in the funnel after the free one should be a very cheap product but must provide value. You may consider a price range of $1.99-$10.99. This is the product that gets things rolling. If the prospective customer ends up buying this product, you can be sure they’ll at least give you one or two more sales, if not go through the whole funnel.

That said in an overcrowded market, consumers are overwhelmed with choice. Personally, I think they are looking for reasons to reject services or products just to narrow down their options. Marketers and others alike use various sales funnels to get ahead but not all sales funnels are made equal. So if you want to hold on to your customers, then you have to use a top sales funnel like funnelgiveaway.clickfunnels.com/. They offer a free trial but just like me, I am almost certain you will sign up. It’s a must-have tool trust me.