Digital Sales Funnel – More than Simple Online Marketing

Every sales executive dreams that all their partnership requests will lead to a good improvement in revenue. In reality, everything is a lot more complex, and they sometimes only lead to a minor improvement in real sales – and often, no improvement.

It wasn’t easy to influence the client’s opinion, to inform them about additional opportunities, to remind them about the benefits, or to lead them through all the stages of purchasing a product earlier. Today this is made easier with digital marketing tools.

Thanks to technology, it is now possible to configure and automate a system that will interact with a potential customer at various stages of the sales funnel. In this way, we can fulfill our main goal – more potential customers will reach the payment. Besides, some tools stimulate customers to re-purchase. All these are different stages of the digital sales funnel, which we will talk about in this article.

Digital Sales Funnel – What Is It?

To make a deal, or sell a product, each potential customer must pass through certain stages of the transaction – the sales funnel. The sales funnel is a model describing how customers go through the stages of the sales process from the first contact to the conclusion of the transaction. At some points, the sales funnel is simple, whereas, at others, it is complex.

An example of a stage would be the following: before buying a car, a potential buyer must come to the store and then take a test drive. Every business has stages that a potential customer goes through before buying. And the whole point of sales funnels is to drag the customer from stage to stage consistently.

So, what is a sales funnel? It is a replacement for a sales manager and has a whole range of functions. The system includes all sorts of marketing tools (both online and offline) that will increase sales. All ads for a product or service look unobtrusive and are broadcast to channels familiar to the client.

The Customer’s Journey from Brand Introduction to Purchase

The mechanism can be correlated with the famous AIDA trade concept, which describes the 4 stages preceding the purchase – Attention, Interest, Desire, Action. The aim of the marketing strategy and advertising campaign is to transform the attention gained into interest and, eventually, action.

We cannot give you any particular sales funnel examples, as every funnel is individual. But we can describe the way a flawlessly functioning funnel works. The ideal sales funnel consists of 8 components:

1. There is interest in the product
2. The client is interacted with (offer to leave an email and get a discount on the first order).
3. The seller gets the client’s contact details
4. The client makes the first purchase
5. The customer is convinced that the product is useful and valuable
6. The client makes a second purchase
7. Turning into a loyal customer
8. A loyal customer recommends the product to all his friends

Both online tools (emails, push notifications, discounts on online orders) and offline tools can be used along the way to keep the customer inside the funnel. Examples of offline tools include calls with unique offers, inlays, or QR codes on the product package that give discounts. The key idea here is that digital sales funnels can act offline as well as online.

How Does the Digital Funnel Help Sales?

Sales funnel stages help you interact with the customer at all stages of sales and encourage them to complete the transaction. The advantage is that the sales manager only begins the process when the client is ready. Even the simplest sales funnel template allows you to turn cold requests into warm leads. You show people what they want to see in their most-used communication channels.

In cyclical sales, digital funnel affects the LTV (repeated and additional sales. The sales cycle helps to build regular communication with the customer: advertising, mailings, calls. Regular interactions allow you to become closer to the client, create loyalty, and a desire to recommend you to friends.

With a digital funnel, you remain in constant contact with the customer. This contact can manifest as a call notifying of a new promotion, or perhaps a discount for a review of a previously purchased product. Another great example of one of the stages of a sales funnel for small businesses is a courier who collects feedback about the service immediately after the order is delivered.

Here are a few more areas where the eCommerce sales funnel helps:

1. Advertising figures. You can work out which platforms bring more profit, and can evaluate their profitability, and then effectively distribute the budget. This allows you to get more quality requests with the same budget and increase ROMI.
2. Sales figures. You reduce the cost of sales by effectively allocating and automating tasks, encouraging repeat purchases, and thus additional sales.
3. Brand impression. You process requests and objections faster, reduce errors, and can think about work more. This improves service, helps you communicate benefits, and creates an aura of expertise.

To Sum It Up

The digital sales funnel is an essential tool for the success of any modern business. It not only allows you to significantly reduce staffing costs in the sales department but also to optimize performance based on the specific needs of specific customers. Using both online and offline customer retention tools at the same time, digital funnel increases the probability of customers buying the product, builds loyalty, and enhances the company’s expertise. Whether you’re a small business owner or a large company, digital funnels will certainly benefit you.

This article was originally published at Lastingtrend.com, by author Tim Absalikov.

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