Sales Funnels
It’s 2018, and you’ve probably been hearing a lot about sales funnels over the past several years. That is, unless you’ve sworn off social media. Well, sales funnels are all the rage now.
And, you better get yours. Otherwise, you and your organization might be like some of the few people who didn’t own a “pet rock” in the 70s.
Sales Funnel Lingo
Clicks. Traffic. Split-testing. Continuity. Front end. Back end. Demographics. Landing pages. List building. Auto-responders. Segmenting. Ad copy. Etc. If you aren’t familiar with these terms, you probably haven’t heard of Russell Brunson. He’s a leader in this medium. In fact, he has a platform called “Click Funnels.”
And, for the record, I have nothing against Russell Brunson. A well-designed sales funnel or click funnel is music to my ears. So, if you want a pet rock, get one. Or, in this case, by all means – design, implement, and employ sales funnels. And, Mr. Brunson can definitely teach you the moves, so to speak.
But, you know what? Whereas “Click Funnels” might be in their infancy or adolescent stage, they draw their heritage from a long time ago. You see, sales funnels are nothing new. They’ve been around since the beginning of time.
PAT (Principle, Application, And Technique)
“Same old story – just a different day,” as the saying goes. This is because of this principle:
“What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” – Ecclesiastes 1:9
If you’ve never heard of PAT, read this article: Introducing PAT.
Like I said, I’m not here to preach against the use of sales funnels or “click funnels.” By all means, employ them. Like I mentioned, they’ve been around forever, seemingly. They’ve just been tailored and tweaked for different Applications. And, given those applications, they’re deployed using different Techniques. Here’s a recap of PAT.
- Principle. The principle, like most things in life and business, is for you to engage people. Engagement is key. And, ultimately, sales funnels of any type are designed to help “nurture” people to buy your goods and/or services.
- Application. In this context, the “Click Funnels” application involves social media, email, and the like. But whereas this electronic click funnel thing is new, sales funnels aren’t. COSTCO uses sales funnels in their stores. They put people on the ends of aisles with tiny, tasty morsels. You taste them. You buy a bag or box of whatever you just tasted. Make sense? Voila. Sales funnel.
- Technique. Using our COSTCO example, the food looks yummy and/or smells fantastic. You saunter over, grab the victual sitting in the little doily, and dig in. And, if you really like it, you send your spouse or friend over to get you another one. Lest, you fear, the disher of delights labels you a farm animal (not out loud – just in thought). And, of course, you buy one of the unopened, ginormous-sized bags of goodies from whence it came.
Why Am I Writing This Article?
Today, I received another “canned” email from some well-meaning salesperson. I’m in this person’s sales funnel. Which means, I might have clicked on something at some time. Ok, so I’m in his or her click funnel.
The email looks and smells okay. It’s just that, on more than one occasion, I have actually and personally tried to reach out to this person. And, I have yet to get a personal reply. Here’s the score: Numerous attempts on my part. Engagement = zero. All I get is one of various “pre-programmed” follow-up emails. Alas, I have been segmented or relegated to some deep, dark level in this person’s ubiquitous funnel – never to actually be engaged in any meaningful way. So, it stands to reason that if I didn’t like what I tasted in the doily, then I’m not going to buy the industrial-sized box of 64 items (or what have you).
It’s All In The Technique
When was the last time you saw a COSTCO merchandiser put a patron into a rear-naked choke (MMA fans will get this term), throw this person to the mat, and force-feed him or her the doily-wrapped morsels? Never. Security would be brought in.
Actually, maybe there should be Internet police who give citations for the use of bad-click funnels. Never mind.
But, I suspect that one day, if not already, you may become harassed or harangued by someone’s click funnel. As Jesus said in Luke 23:34, “… forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
And, that’s the point. EVERYTHING we do should engender goodwill and engagement, as well as give people the warm fuzzies. Not the other way around.
Summary
So, by all means, go ahead and create your click funnels. Do your segmenting, split-testing, list-building, and the like. Just do it right. Remember: The Principle, Application, and Technique all have to line up.
So, if you encounter a well-meaning (but broken) click funnel, here’s what you should do:
- Forgive them.
- Send them our way.
Contact us. We’d love to hear from you.
MAR
About the Author:
Ken Moll is the Principal and Founder of Blue Elevator®. With professional experience spanning four decades, Ken has a breadth of foundational business knowledge rarely found – making him part of an elite class of professionals. Ken's passion is helping clients of Blue Elevator® get their “business to the next level™.”