The sales funnel is the concept of having a wide pool of prospective customers at the beginning of the sales process which then decreases in size but increases in quality as they move closer towards buying. It's important to consider how you communicate with prospects at the 'top of the funnel' versus prospects at the 'bottom of the funnel' as their requirements have evolved and this is particularly critical if you are selling big ticket items like shower installations or pool railings.
A brief look at the sales funnel
The sales funnel is the process your customers go through when they decide to purchase from you. Depending on their need, it could be very quick:
- Customer searches for local window repair services to fix a broken window and comes across your website (awareness)
- They scroll through your home page to see what services you offer, what your turnaround time is, if you have a price list (consideration)
- After reviewing your website, they're comfortable that you're going to provide a service that meets their needs and expectations (decision)
- They pick up the phone and give you a call (action)
That whole process might happen within five minutes. However, for big ticket items such as a shower renovation, a glass backsplash in the kitchen, new glass railings etc the sales funnel becomes more critical.
Consider a big purchase you made recently and the process you went through before deciding what to buy and who to buy from. How much research did you do? How many providers did you look at? Did you compare costs or was something other than cost your main priority?
Top of the funnel
At the awareness stage, it's important that you're giving prospects enough information to grab their attention and keep your business as an option in their mind. Remember we're talking specifically about big projects where the buyer is likely to do their research and compare options before making a decision so you don't need to jump straight in with your sales pitch — keep the information high level and informative.
Examples of top of the funnel content:
- Ideas and inspiration for a new glass pool fence
- Checklist of things to consider when replacing your shower
- Questions to ask your glazier before the job starts
Middle of the funnel
For the consideration stage, you'll want to provide prospects with more in-depth information to help differentiate your business from your competitors and answer questions your prospect may have before they arise.
It's a good idea at this point to give the prospect a way of keeping up with your business such as a 'subscribe to newsletter' button, or links to your business' social media pages so they can follow you.
Examples of middle of the funnel content:
- A portfolio of your past work
- Testimonials from previous customers
- A one-page guide outlining how you work / what is needed to get a project underway
Bottom of the funnel
At the bottom of the funnel, the prospect is ready to commit. This is where you need to personalize the information you're giving the prospect and negotiate pricing to close the deal.
Ensure you're highlighting your strengths and why you're the best fit for the job, don't assume the prospect is only looking for the cheapest option. For example, people may say they want the cheapest flights available but chances are they'll pay a little extra if it means not stopping in three places and shaves five hours off their journey! People want to know that they're getting quality workmanship and a reliable contractor who will get the job done to a high standard.
Examples of bottom of the funnel content:
- Proposal with job-specific details
- An estimate timeline of project milestones
- Some kind of discount or incentive to get them over the line
If they don't respond, check out our blog article 'Glaziers, what do you do when a customer doesn't reply to your quote?'
There's no 'one size fits all' sales funnel, you know what works best for your customers and your business. However, dividing your sales approach up into a funnel is a great way to think about what your prospect might be looking for from their perspective, rather than giving prospects what you think they need.
