How To Make A Sales Funnel Experience Feel Better (for Service-Based Businesses)

If you run a service-based business, you know that every interaction you have with your potential clients is giving them more information about whether they want to work with you.

I know that for this to feel natural and authentic, it can be tempting to avoid having any kind of 'funnel' and just trust that people will reach out if they want to. This might work sometimes, but it's missing out on an age-old nurturing strategy that has worked in marketing for years. A lot of the old ways are crumbling, but this one doesn;t have to. We can just change the way we approach it.

Your sales funnel doesn't need to feel like a dirty little secret. Think of it as a helpful map for your clients, rather than inviting them to a lucky dip.

This post will help you understand what a nurturing and consensual sales funnel really means for your service business, and how you can create an experience that feels welcoming, clear, and valuable for your clients. You can apply a practical process in a heart-led way, to build trust and keep clients engaged at every stage:

What Is a Sales Funnel in a Service-Based Business?

"A sales funnel is the journey your potential clients take from discovering your service to making a purchase and beyond. Unlike product sales, service sales often involve more personal interaction and trust-building."

Imagine these stepping stones:

• Know: Clients learn about your service.

• Like: They want to know more and explore options.

• Trust: They decide to work with you.

• Act: They book or buy your service.

• Repeat: They stay engaged and may return or refer others.

(Some funnels will just focus on Know, Like and Trust, but you can also really take thiose working relationships further by creating an offer for people who love your work to work with you again - and tell their friends!)

Why a Positive Sales Funnel Matters So Much:

I truly believe that the 'quality' of clients you work with depends on the respect you give them in the sales process. You can choose to create chaos and lack, or you can choose to create empowerment and trust.

(Of course this is not a clear-cut dichotomy, there are spaces in-between).

With my clients, I like to:

• Build trust early on, and remain consistent

• Follow up in a way that feels helpful rather than hassling

• Make it easy and exciting for people to say yes

• Create a strong reputation that does a lot of leg-work for me

  
  

A positive experience means clients feel confident and excited about working with me, rather than confused and desperate (see this blog!!)

3 Ideas To Make Your Sales Funnel Feel Positive for Clients:

1. Be transparent about what you offer and how it works. Don't use complex jargon or vague promises...

• What your service includes

• How the process works

• What clients can expect in practical terms

• What they could achieve as a result if they also put the work in

2. Offer genuine value as a taster or freebie. (This could mean social media or blog posts, it doesn't have to be bigger if you don't want to give more away for free)

• Social media post which helps in some way

• A useful blog post or email newsletter

• An online workbook or mini-course

  
  

** I want to add an extra piece in here that creating a flimsy offer at this stage could turn people off more than it turns them on. Make sure your freebie is good quality otherwise you will lose them.**

3. Make Booking or Signing Up Easy

This might sound obvious, but how many times have you given up on a purchase because it asked for too many details, or an extra password, or you culdn't find the link?

A tiny percentage of people will follow up and ask you if they can't do it, but most will just disappear, which is such a shame!!

Think of your sales funnel as a really helpful map, not a secret trap! If it helps you build trust, you can even spell it out for your clients. For example, this blog post is a (hopefully!!) genuinely helpful value-adding resource that gives you an insight in to how I work, and then gives you options for how to work with me in more detail if you want to.

Either way, the plan is that you leave satisfied, and that is more important to me, and beneficial for my business, than someone who panic bought something and then regretted it. If this makes sense to you, we're on the same page with our marketing!