Most skilled trade business owners spend way too much money on marketing that doesn’t work. And throwing money away, month after month can be mind-numbing. We spend a ton of time designing a beautiful website or mapping out complicated ad campaigns, yet rarely do these efforts translate into increased revenue.
Solving this problem isn’t difficult. What you need is a sales funnel based on simple, effective formulas so customers slowly, naturally learn to trust you and start buying your products.
But how do you create a sales funnel? Following the strategies laid out in this checklist will show you how to create key pieces of marketing collateral that make up an effective sales funnel. This is the exact strategy I used to grow my company from $0 to $1M without spending a penny on marketing. It’s simple, effective and it will work for you.
If you’re a business owner who wants to increase sales or you’re a member of a company’s marketing team, this sales funnel checklist will save you an enormous amount of hassle.
Let’s get after it.
Step 1: Get Clarity In Your Messaging
The first step in building a better business is clarifying your message. When people don’t comprehend what you do or why they need your product, they get confused and immediately disengage.
When you filter your company’s message through the StoryBrand 7-Part Framework, customers understand what you offer and start purchasing your products. Crafting a clear marketing message is the best, easiest, and most inexpensive way to increase customer engagement.
If you confuse, you’ll lose but if you create a clear and compelling brand message, your sales funnel will work and your marketing will get results.
To create a clear and compelling brand message, you should complete each one of the following:
Pro Tip:
There are several ways you can experience the StoryBrand message clarification process. You can read Donald Miller’s book Building a StoryBrand, attend a marketing Livestream workshop with business leaders just like you, or you can hire Mitch Alverson, a StoryBrand Certified Guide to help you clarify your message. You can also take the Messaging Made Simple course inside Business Made Simple, the online learning platform.
Step 2 Create a website that works
The quickest, most effective way to see a direct increase in revenue is to ensure your website is saying the right thing. Your home page should very quickly communicate what you offer and how it benefits your customers’ lives. If prospective customers cannot immediately understand why they need your product and how they can buy it, chances are you’re missing out on sales. When your website is an accurate depiction of your company’s clear message, more people engage and more products get sold.
Creating an effective website isn’t expensive and it’s not complicated. There are a few simple, practical tools you can implement to see an immediate uptick in engagement on your site. Follow these suggestions and you’ll start turning browsers into buyers. You can always purchase a site from us here.
To create a website that converts, make sure you do the following:
Pro Tip:
Don’t let this intimidate you, Arlington Websites has already taken these things into account when we build your site.
Step 3: Create a lead generator that captures an email address
Most people don’t buy an initial impression. A key piece of your sales funnel should be a lead generator that continues to engage prospects without requiring them to make a purchase. This lead generator will onramp your customers to your product or service and reduce the resistance they may have around committing to a purchase.
Lead generators should provide enormous value to your customers, solve a problem they currently have and establish your company as the authority in your field of expertise. If the piece of content you’re offering doesn’t communicate immediate value to your customers, it won’t be effective in creating a powerful sales funnel. There are endless possibilities when it comes to lead generators, but the easiest place to start is with a PDF your customers can download.
We turned our lead generator into a blog and you can download it take it with you by clicking the button below.
To create a powerful lead-generating PDF that can grow your business, ensure you do the following:
Pro Tip:
No one wants to sign up for a random newsletter. Replace your newsletter opt-in with a lead-generating PDF and you opt-in numbers will soar through the roof. Example might be: 3 Critical Mistakes You Can Make When Choosing a Home Painter
Step 4: Develop an Automated Email Sequence
Once you capture a new lead with your lead-generating PDF, you must then do something with that email address to convert your lead into a customer. It does your brand no good if you aren’t actively nurturing those leads and moving them along in the customer journey. An automated email campaign is a way for you to tell customers you have something they need and onramp them to your products or services. . It allows you to continue your relationship with the prospect at a very low risk to them. This automated email sequence should begin with the download of a lead-generating PDF then close with an effective sales letter to convert the lead into a paying customer. If done right, an automated email campaign could make a massive difference in your bottom line this year. The best part – it costs next to nothing.
To create an automated email sequence that on-ramps your customers to your product or service, ensure you do the following:
Pro Tip:
Always include a “P.S.” section in your emails. Sometimes it’s the only thing people read, so it’s a smart idea to include a call to action there, too.
Step 5: Gather and Display Customer Testimonials
A powerful way to get pro
prospective customers to establish trust in your brand is through customer testimonials. Most businesses display testimonials of their clients talking about how wonderful it is to work with that brand or how amazing they think the brand is. While that’s likely true, it won’t convince other prospects that your brand has something they need, and people won’t buy from you. Powerful customer testimonials display stories of transformation your brand allows people to experience. These testimonials actually sell your product or service because they explain how you can solve their problem and help make people’s lives better.
To create customer testimonials that sell more products, ensure you do the following:
Pro Tip:
Include these testimonials as a part of your automated email sequence to give potential customers a reason to trust you as the Guide. Make sure the testimonials clearly communicate your customer’s problem and how you helped them resolve it.
Conclusion
Building a healthier, more productive, and more profitable business begins with clarity. This checklist will ensure you’ve clearly defined your company’s message and have executed it into all aspects of your sales funnel. If you complete this checklist, your marketing will get results, customer engagement will increase and your business will grow.
If your message is already on point and you need an Arlington website designer or SEO Consultant then we’re here to help.
