Sales funnel: what it is and how to use it in your company
Posted: Mon Dec 23, 2024 4:25 am
Also known as a pipeline , the sales funnel is your customer's journey from first contact to purchase. It acts as a guide to guide your decisions.
A funnel can be designed in different ways, depending on the focus of the sales process. In this case, we can consider 4 approaches: Inbound , Outbound, B2C and B2B .
Inbound Marketing
Inbound Marketing is a passive prospecting strategy , that is, it is where you create mechanisms to attract potential customers.
It is a strategy based on the maturity of the customer and their purchasing decision.
From the first contact with the company until the sale, you must nurture this lead with valuable content.
This is the classic format of the Digital Marketing sales funnel:
Top of the Funnel: this is where the first contacts with your brand happen through content aimed at attraction.
Middle of the Funnel: area where the lead is already whatsapp mexico aware of their problem and is looking for more information.
Bottom of the Funnel: at the thinnest part, there are leads that have a high potential to convert and become customers.
Outbound Marketing
Outbound Marketing is an active prospecting strategy , where you will identify the profile of your potential customers and start approaching them.
The main characteristic is that the public is reached by your actions without having to look for them, unlike what happens in Inbound Marketing. Outbound Marketing would be a type of “ interruption marketing ”.
This category includes traditional offline media, such as printed advertisements in magazines, newspapers, folders and billboards, as well as the well-known telemarketing, Adsense, Adwords and radio and TV advertising.]
Because it involves offline media and processes (in which results are more difficult to measure), the outbound sales funnel is a little more complex to structure.
B2B vs B2C
There are companies of all types and sizes that operate in completely different niches.
B2C is an acronym in English that means “Business to Customer”. Companies that sell to legal entities (companies) are of the B2B or “Business to Business” type.
For each of them, the sales funnel must be structured considering different aspects.
What is the difference between a Sales Funnel and a Marketing Funnel?
In fact, the sales funnel is the result of applying the marketing funnel to the company's audience.
In the marketing funnel, what is mapped is the consumer's journey, but still in a generic way, without major adaptations, following the structure mentioned above in Inbound.
Digital Marketing Sales Funnel Stages
In the classic structure, a digital marketing sales funnel has 6 stages , according to the degree of maturity of the lead.
sales funnel what and how to use it in your company at Hello Mídia
There are funnels for different niches and areas of activity that can be segmented in different ways. However, this division does not stray too far from the standard model.
6 stages of the Sales Funnel:
Visitor
The initial stage of a sales process occurs when someone makes their first contact with a website or social network, making them a visitor.
The goal at this stage of the funnel is to attract as many visitors as possible.
Lead
A lead is a visitor who has already made one or more contacts with your website, consumed content and is already aware that they have a problem.
If your sales funnel is well designed, this lead has everything it needs to become an MQL.
Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL)
MQL stands for Marketing Qualified Lead.
This lead is so called because, in addition to consuming content, they have already made contact with your company, providing a personal email address or a telephone number.
From there, he qualifies to advance further in the funnel, moving from MQL to SQL.
Sales Qualified Lead (SQL)
MQLs are leads who are practically ready to make a decision.
However, they still need more detailed information about your products or services.
Some of them request quotes, ask for demonstrations, call or send a message to your marketing team.
When this happens, it becomes an SQL or Sales Qualified Lead.
Opportunity
At the most advanced stage, people stop being leads and start being classified as opportunities.
This is when the sales team must step in to detect whether they are really ready to be converted into customers.
Customer
When the lead's expectations are fully met and align with those of the company, it becomes an opportunity and, ultimately, becomes a customer.
But the marketing and sales work doesn’t end there.
Once converted, it's time to build customer loyalty by offering content that encourages them to continue purchasing or recommend your brand to others.
A funnel can be designed in different ways, depending on the focus of the sales process. In this case, we can consider 4 approaches: Inbound , Outbound, B2C and B2B .
Inbound Marketing
Inbound Marketing is a passive prospecting strategy , that is, it is where you create mechanisms to attract potential customers.
It is a strategy based on the maturity of the customer and their purchasing decision.
From the first contact with the company until the sale, you must nurture this lead with valuable content.
This is the classic format of the Digital Marketing sales funnel:
Top of the Funnel: this is where the first contacts with your brand happen through content aimed at attraction.
Middle of the Funnel: area where the lead is already whatsapp mexico aware of their problem and is looking for more information.
Bottom of the Funnel: at the thinnest part, there are leads that have a high potential to convert and become customers.
Outbound Marketing
Outbound Marketing is an active prospecting strategy , where you will identify the profile of your potential customers and start approaching them.
The main characteristic is that the public is reached by your actions without having to look for them, unlike what happens in Inbound Marketing. Outbound Marketing would be a type of “ interruption marketing ”.
This category includes traditional offline media, such as printed advertisements in magazines, newspapers, folders and billboards, as well as the well-known telemarketing, Adsense, Adwords and radio and TV advertising.]
Because it involves offline media and processes (in which results are more difficult to measure), the outbound sales funnel is a little more complex to structure.
B2B vs B2C
There are companies of all types and sizes that operate in completely different niches.
B2C is an acronym in English that means “Business to Customer”. Companies that sell to legal entities (companies) are of the B2B or “Business to Business” type.
For each of them, the sales funnel must be structured considering different aspects.
What is the difference between a Sales Funnel and a Marketing Funnel?
In fact, the sales funnel is the result of applying the marketing funnel to the company's audience.
In the marketing funnel, what is mapped is the consumer's journey, but still in a generic way, without major adaptations, following the structure mentioned above in Inbound.
Digital Marketing Sales Funnel Stages
In the classic structure, a digital marketing sales funnel has 6 stages , according to the degree of maturity of the lead.
sales funnel what and how to use it in your company at Hello Mídia
There are funnels for different niches and areas of activity that can be segmented in different ways. However, this division does not stray too far from the standard model.
6 stages of the Sales Funnel:
Visitor
The initial stage of a sales process occurs when someone makes their first contact with a website or social network, making them a visitor.
The goal at this stage of the funnel is to attract as many visitors as possible.
Lead
A lead is a visitor who has already made one or more contacts with your website, consumed content and is already aware that they have a problem.
If your sales funnel is well designed, this lead has everything it needs to become an MQL.
Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL)
MQL stands for Marketing Qualified Lead.
This lead is so called because, in addition to consuming content, they have already made contact with your company, providing a personal email address or a telephone number.
From there, he qualifies to advance further in the funnel, moving from MQL to SQL.
Sales Qualified Lead (SQL)
MQLs are leads who are practically ready to make a decision.
However, they still need more detailed information about your products or services.
Some of them request quotes, ask for demonstrations, call or send a message to your marketing team.
When this happens, it becomes an SQL or Sales Qualified Lead.
Opportunity
At the most advanced stage, people stop being leads and start being classified as opportunities.
This is when the sales team must step in to detect whether they are really ready to be converted into customers.
Customer
When the lead's expectations are fully met and align with those of the company, it becomes an opportunity and, ultimately, becomes a customer.
But the marketing and sales work doesn’t end there.
Once converted, it's time to build customer loyalty by offering content that encourages them to continue purchasing or recommend your brand to others.