How To Create A Sales Funnel That Actually Makes Money
~Â Last Updated: Feb 7, 2023Â ~
~ 5 Min Read ~
If you want to know how to create a sales funnel that actually makes money, today’s your lucky day.
In this article, you’re going to learn:
- Why most sales funnels fail
- What a sales funnel really is
- The core principle of a successful funnel
- The software to make your life a whole lot easier
Let’s get to it.
Why Many Sales Funnels Don’t Make Money
Many entrepreneurs have a product or service they want to sell, so they throw it into a software like DropFunnels… and build a funnel.
Very shortly, they start to panic because nobody’s buying it… no one is visiting the site… no one is leaving their name and email.
And they ask ‘what’s wrong?’
The answer to that question is simple.
A funnel isn’t something you throw out there and hope for the best. It’s not a Field of Dreams where ‘if you build it, they will come.’Â
A sales funnel is a tool… but like any tool, you have to know how to use it.Â
Here’s the bad news…
Even if you become a master at using the tool… you’re not guaranteed success.
Here’s why.
Unless you understand the strategy behind a sales funnel, you’ll continue to get crickets… and loud ones too.
The reason some people are successful with their funnel is because they understand the core fundamental concepts of marketing.
Yes… you have to become a marketer to fully utilize your sales funnel to its max potential.
Sorry for the punch to the gut, but it's done with love… promise.
Let’s rewind a little, and make sure you understand what a sales funnel really is.
What Is A Sales Funnel?
Back about 10-15 years ago, most people were asking if they really needed a website. Today… every business has to have a website, or they don’t exist. End of story.Â
But things have changed.Â
In the last 5-10 years, the new cool kid on the block is a ‘sales funnel’... yet many don’t really know what it is.
The simple definition is this.
A sales funnel takes a person through a pre-defined path, where the only option is to take the desired action… or not. That’s it.
An example can be a lead generation funnel… where the only option is to give your contact information in exchange for something of value.
Of course, sales funnels can be much more complex.
If you want to look at it from a philosophical point of view, a sales funnel is an evolution away from a traditional website.
You’ll get a great example of this in the next section.
The truth is, there isn’t a business today that doesn’t have a need for a sales funnel. Service-based, product-based, booking-a-call-based… it doesn’t matter. Â
And once you understand the strategy of a sales funnel… like was mentioned before… you’ll understand why your business should have a sales funnel.
So let’s dive into the strategy.
The Core Concept Of A Sales Funnel That Makes Money
Dan Kennedy famously said ‘whoever can spend the most money to acquire a customer wins.’Â
Stop and read that again if you have to, but this concept is the key to making money and growing your business.
Here’s a simple example to show this concept.
Let’s say you sell brooms, specifically the ones for inside the house.
You set up your website where sell the broom for $15, and after all expenses, you take home $10. (this is a fictional example, so don’t get caught up with shipping, blah blah blah)
To drive traffic to your website, you use Google Ads.
You immediately have success and you only spend $5 to get 1 sale… meaning you’re spending $5 to make $5 in profit… which is a 100% ROI
So for every $10 you spend ($5 in expenses & $5 in paid ads)... you make $15 in revenue. BOOM!
Life is good… nah, life is GREAT!
2 months later, Google does an update and now your ad spend goes from $5 per new customer to $20 per new customer.
Sound familiar?
Now you’re spending $25 total ($20+$5) to make $15 in revenue. Ruh-roh…
You’re not going to be in business very long when you’re losing money on each transaction. What are you going to do?
This is where a sales funnel takes your situation from a Zero to a Hero.
You realize… ‘hey, a dustpan would go great with this broom. Also, it’s good to have a 2nd broom… but one specifically for the outside.’
Your new sales funnel sells the broom initially, but sells the dustpan as an upsell… and sells the 2nd broom as a 2nd upsell.Â
Let’s say the dustpan and 2nd broom are $20 each (cause they’re Louie Vitton branded, of course).
Now, this offer is well received and a lot of people add both the dustpan and 2nd broom.
Now your average cart value went from $15 per sale to $40 per sale… since not everyone buys everything all the time.
Did you see what happened? Your ad costs stayed the same at $25… but now you’re making $40 in revenue.
You’re now making $15 in profit per sale… which also is a 300% increase in ROI ($5 in profit to $15 in profit).
If you didn’t understand what just happened, or you’re not good at math and the numbers started flying at you like a bunch of bats leaving a bat cave… go through the example again.
This concept is the KEY to being able to spend more than your competitors.
It’s vital you understand this.
That’s why you see a lot of digital product sales funnels where the first core offer is something small… like free plus shipping… or $17… or $27.
Then you get to the first upsell and it’s $97. The 2nd upsell is $297.Â
Even if only 5%-10% take the upsell offers, the revenue produces makes up for the losses on the first product. And of course, digital products don’t have any physical costs for fulfillment… so it’s all revenue… which is great.
‘Okay, great. I get it. How do I build a sales funnel for my business?’
So glad you asked…
How To Set Up A Sales Funnel Quickly
Just to keep it real, we use DropFunnels for all of our sales funnels… and we recommend all of our clients use DropFunnels as well.Â
You can learn more about why we love DropFunnels here.
The main thing is, any reputable funnel-building software should have templates to choose from, to get you started.
The quickest way to get your sales funnel up is to choose a template you like… tweak the text to fit your offer… update any images if necessary… connect your payment processor… and make it live.
If you’re a designer, or comfortable using software editors, then you can tweak your funnels even more outside of the template structure… but it’s not needed.
The point is you can crawl before you walk… before you run.
But if you have a specific vision in mind, or you really don’t have more room on your plate to build your funnel… book a call with us and let’s see if we can help you.
Sound fair?
Also, if you wanna start with DropFunnels right away, click here.
In Conclusion
Your business should have a sales funnel in some capacity… period.Â
As you just learned, how you structure your sales funnel is everything. You want to make sure you’re selling the right things on the back end.
Your order bumps, upsells and/or downsells should be either complementary to the core offer… or the next logical thing.
The next logical thing for a broom is a dustpan. If you sell drills, drill bits are logical.Â
Just focus on serving your customers and solving their problems, and the rest will take care of itself.
To your dreams….
Gerek Allen
Co-Owner iTech Valet
Entrepreneur, patriot, CrossFit junkie, IPA enthusiast, loves to travel to tropical destinations, and knows way too many movie quotes.
About iTech Valet
iTech Valet specializes in web design and content marketing for online entrepreneurs who want to share their expertise.
Services Include:
- Web Design
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- Sales Copy
- Funnel Building
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