You probably can’t go through a day without hearing this online marketing buzzword:
Sales funnels.
Everyone everywhere is talking about sales funnels, and you’re frantically trying to learn what they are and how to create one for your business.
While you’re pulling your hair out over that, I’m pulling my hair out, too.
Why? Because the hype about funnels is pretty much just that: hype!
Click to TweetThe hype about sales funnels is just that: hype!There’s way too much confusion and misinformation out there about sales funnels, and it has left you barking up the wrong tree.
Today we’re going to fix this once and for all.
I don’t want you to waste time or money or effort on something you don’t need (and a sales funnel is one of those things), especially when there’s a much faster and easier way to get clients.
When you implement the straightforward, proven process you’re going to learn today, getting a steady stream of clients quickly becomes simple and repeatable. (And who wouldn’t want that?)
Let’s get started.
You Don’t Need to Worry So Much About Sales Funnels (at Least Not in the Way You Think)
First, let’s talk about why everyone’s buzzing about sales funnels.
It’s because they’re important… if you’re running a million-dollar company.
And that’s why the marketing experts you follow are falling all over themselves about the magic of sales funnels. The funnels are the key to their seven-figure success.
Why million-dollar businesses need funnels
When making seven figures or more, business owners can’t personally interact with every potential buyer (because they have too many!).
They automate the process with some combination of lead magnets (opt-in freebies), ads, webinars, and sales emails so that these assets do the selling for them.
I know this sounds attractive to you, too! I mean, who wouldn’t want automation to do their selling?
But there’s a problem…
By focusing on complex sales funnels, you’re learning the wrong thing at the wrong time, and it’s hurting your business.
Why a fancy sales funnel will fail you
The experts promise that because sales funnels work for them then they’re the secret to success for you. They preach that you need Facebook ads, automated webinars, and complicated nurture sequences to build a business that makes money.
But none of those things will work for you yet because you’re missing the strong foundation that’s required before you can successfully implement automation.
First, you must clarify your message so precisely that you’re speaking to your clients in a language they understand.
You also must:
- know your target client inside and out, including her biggest frustrations and deepest desires, in her words
- have a clear offer that you know she wants, without a doubt (something tangible and specific)
- have an opt-in offer that solves her most pressing problem, so she can get a taste of how you can help her
- create a powerful squeeze page that converts clients at a predictable rate
- understand and know how to effectively employ marketing and sales strategies that can “speak to the masses” (this is different from what you need to know when you’re just starting out)
- constantly monitor and optimize your funnels (“set it and forget it” is a myth!)
- have a very high flow of traffic entering into your funnel
Until you have these pieces successfully working for you, an automated sales funnel will utterly fail to convert prospects into paying clients.
This is why I want to teach you an easier, faster way to fill your client roster.
My No-Fail Approach to Getting More Clients
Instead of setting you up to fail, I want to set you up to succeed! So let’s look at a strategy that will actually work.
This approach is so simple that you might miss how powerful it can be if you aren’t paying close enough attention.
That means no “middleman”! No ads, no automated webinars, no unnecessarily fancy or expensive systems.
Here’s what you’ll do instead…
First, you get out there and tell people you exist! There are lots of ways to do this, and one of my favorites is being of service on social media. (No, sitting behind your computer scouring Facebook doesn’t count!).
You can also write guest blog posts on popular blogs, get interviewed on podcasts, post flyers around town, attend networking events… the list goes on. (In fact, I share 21 proven ways to find clients in this free download.)
The point is to put yourself out there—no hiding, playing small, or dipping your toe in. If you want massive success you must take consistent, massive action. There’s no getting around it.
Next, you point people to your website, usually by promoting your free opt-in offer.
After people have taken you up on your free offer, you can warm them up to your services (I recommend you start with a Bite-Sized Offer) by sending automated emails or your weekly blog newsletter, all of which should have a link to your Work With Me page. If your Work With Me page is doing its job, the right people will hire you.
That’s all there is to it! You tell people you exist, get them to your website, and tell them about your offer.
(I told you it was simple.)
Click to DownloadHow to Create the Perfect Bite-Sized Offer for Your Business
Surprise! You Just Created a Sales Funnel
First off, I want to clarify that if you follow the steps I outlined above, you have actually created a sales funnel!
Everything you to do get people to find you, engage with you, and buy from you is a funnel. We just took the messy middleman out of the process to streamline, simplify, and speed up your results.
Now you’re wondering, is it really that simple?
Yes… and no.
While this direct-to-customer approach simplifies the entire process of getting clients, I’m not going to feed you lies that it’s drop-dead easy. (You know me, I always tell it to you straight!)
Moving people from prospects to paying clients requires a strong foundation. You need to speak your clients’ language, have an opt-in that converts, and have a proven offer that your prospects have bought and loved.
What you don’t need are expensive systems, complicated email sequences, or paid ads.
Does it feel like a weight has been lifted? You’ve been trying to chase down fancy systems to get clients but you don’t need all that!
Take Action
Now that you know the only things you need to worry about when it comes to your sales funnel, it’s time to take action.
In the comments below, tell me…
How would you define your client funnel?
What client-getting activities are you committed to trying for the next three months?
Fill me in below!
My Personal Recommendation for You21 Winning Ways to Book Yourself Fast
It’s easy to fall into the trap of wanting all the fancy tech stuff when you don’t even need it.. yet! The important thing is to focus on the right thing at the right time.
Great post as always Thanks, Jenny!
I’m considering becoming a coach but thought I should research to see how people get clients first before taking my training. One general thing I’ve heard, and it jives with your advice in this article, is to go on social media and engage people and give them some advice which then could lead to them becoming a client. I have talked to some coaches who say that they have tried that and all that usually comes of it is giving away a lot of free help. Is that a good strategy that these people just aren’t doing correctly? What are they missing? What are the keys to making that work?
That’s a great question, Doug! In truth, most coaches and online business owners do “be of service on social media” the wrong way! Here’s a mini training I did on how to do it right, so it actually gets you clients!
https://jennyshih.com/2016/07/reason-youre-not-getting-clients-social-media-change-immediately/
Enjoy!
Thanks for this great article. Right now, I am committed to enhancing my opt-in offer so that I have something of great value for my potential clients once they land on my website. Then I am hoping to do a combination of just a few efforts to put myself out there:
1.) Pitch myself as a guest blogger or as an expert on blogs and podcasts who will reach my target audience and give away some advice for free.
2.) Stay consistent with my own social media channels and weekly article posting/sharing to position myself as an expert.
3.) Network with my local parenting/mom community offline to start to make connections and hopefully get referrals that will later translate to clients beyond my geographic area. But it’s a good starting point for me right now.
I think anything more than this will be more than I can execute at this stage in my business, while working a full-time job. This has been a great reminder to start small and take it one step at a time. It’s so easy to get caught up in what other people are doing who are steps ahead of you.
Love this, Katelyn! Having (and following through on) a clear focused plan is what will help you get there. Cheering you on!
You are a life saver! Thank you for this! I am not a techy person but is there any software that build sales funnels instantly?
Thanks,
James
Instantly? No 🙂 One of the myths about funnels is that “if you have one, you make money.” But there’s so much more to it than that!
The truth is, you have to create each aspect of the funnel. To do that, you must know exactly what your customers want, create compelling copy to get them to opt-in, then know the right sequence of emails that should follow that opt-in, then create the perfect paid offer on the other end, also which needs great copy, etc. And that takes killer marketing skills and a ton of trial and error to perfect and get just right.
Once it’s done, of course, funnels are great (for a short while, anyway, as they will always need tweaking).
Great advice… know your customer first, successfully solve their problem, then automate to a funnel.
But there’s something interesting. Some of the top funnel & strategy developers / agencies don’t even have a true funnel on their home page or in their traffic buys! There, they boast impressive testimonials and then a ‘Work with Us” or “Get an Appointment” button. No traditional lead magnet…rather, the lead magnet is the value of the appointment or free consultation. It’s only an opt-in form with an appointment setter. If it’s a funnel it’s a very short funnel with an opt-in, which is more typical in B2B offers as sales people need to be involved before the close. And by this they are taking your advice: directly connecting with prospects, and talking about their needs, and explaining the services.
These same funnel developers charge thousands to develop just a fancy funnel strategy, and guess what? I’ve heard that four out of five times all funnels fail, including many of these fancy ones. Why? Partly because of the reasons you mention, and partly because there is not enough value, content, or diversity of offerings (upsells/downsells etc.) to populate or warrant a fancy or “fat” funnel.
The simple funnel however shouldn’t be dismissed. Buying traffic is expensive. Maximizing customer value by offering free to more expensive offerings while building trust is a rock solid method. But if it can be short-cut to “free expert consultation” or salesperson that needs to be involved in a high-value sale, the salesperson can continue the “funnel” offline. So the shortest path to that conversation is probably best. By talking to customers first, we better know what they want, and the language they use that can be used in a subsequent funnel. We can also get the business directly! Am I getting this right?
This is the way I’m looking at it… Your thoughts?
Hi Bob! Yes, it sounds like we’re on the same page here. There is a time and place for longer, value-add funnels, but with many businesses—especially the clients I serve—will get better results keeping it simple and easy.