the episode

You’ve all heard of the sales funnel this marketing model where every sales starts at the top with a large group of unqualified prospects. In the middle are people who are mildly interested and at the bottom of the customers,  In the traditional sales funnel model you put a lot of resources at that top of the funnel to bring in as many people as you possibly can.

The problem is when you do that. there’s very little resource left for that middle and bottom.  Those are the critical stages where you’re actually converting prospects to customers and nurturing customer relationships.

I want you to do is flip your sales funnel. Instead of spending most of your resources talking to everyone hoping someone will hear you. Using social media and email marketing you can target your message to reach and connect with smaller groups who are already familiar with your brand. Investing in marketing to these groups is much more likely to generate positive responses.

So what do you talk about?  When it comes to prospects this group doesn’t need slick advertising and generic messages. They’ve already been introduced to you. Maybe they’ve downloaded some information or requested a proposal . What they need now are specific answers to questions and informative updates this is where automated response campaigns can be extremely effective answering common questions addressing concerns. Deliver the information in a timely manner and you’ll see prospects nudged further down your sales funnel.

When you’re talking to existing customers they’re going to be more receptive, assuming you’ve done a good job delivering your product or service, so focus your energy here on reaching out and offering additional products and services. Send them reminders before they run out encourage repeat business with simple renewals or frequent shopper discounts. Make these customers feel special by inviting them to join private Facebook or Linkedin groups and don’t stop there.

The final part of your sales funnel is the referral in the recommendation. Check in to make sure they’re happy, ask them for reviews or testimonials. Customers who enjoy doing business with you will be happy to refer you if you make it easy for them. Consider creating an email they can pass on to a friend or have your employees hand out a refer a friend card. The endorsements of happy and loyal customers are way more influential than those mass market ads.

So flip that sales funnel and start growing your business today.

about the marketing minute

Each week, host Lorraine Ball shares just a few words on a marketing topic. She boils down creative ideas, practical tips, and decades of real-world experience into a mini podcast which is always less than two minutes.

Look for these mini bits of marketing inspiration every Sunday.  Then come back and enjoy the longer interviews every Thursday.

Look for the mini podcasts and full episodes on iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcast  and wherever you listen  to podcasts.