“Build a funnel,” they said. 

“It’ll bring you sales on autopilot!” 

Hold the phone, because while sales funnels can bring you sales of your digital products and services on autopilot, the reality is that in order for a funnel to operate on its own, it needs to be functioning at peak performance. 

And before you can get your funnel optimized to that point of running like a well-oiled and semi-automatic machine (because nothing is ever 100% passive, let’s just put that out there front and center), you first need to know the core components of a sales funnel. 

In this episode of the Compel & Convert podcast, I’m breaking down the five key parts every functioning sales funnel needs to succeed so that you can make sure you’re not trying to fly a plane with only one wing (spoiler alert: that doesn’t work). 

So, let’s cover all the key pieces for your sales funnel and ensure that your profit potential is ready for take off!

In this episode, you’ll learn: 

• The key components that you need to have to have a complete and functioning sales funnel 
• Why you have to start at the end and work in reverse, plus my top resource for helping you do this 
• An explanation of what each component consists of so that you not only have a holistic view of a complete funnel, but also understand its core foundational parts
• How the key components of a funnel are always necessary, but the ways in which you present them can vary

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

• Get the Offer Cure workshop* to go deep on crafting your irresistible offer (P.S. – this is an affiliate link – I LOVE this workshop and utilize these tools in my client work, I swear by it and wouldn’t promote it otherwise)
• Build out your funnel using my go-to funnel-building software, FG Funnels* (P.S. – also an affiliate link and also created by the same ladies as The Offer Cure)

Get solid on the “Function of Funnels” by listening to Season 1, Episode 1 of the Compel & Convert Podcast

Read the Transcript for Season 1, Episode 2 – The 5 Key Components  to a Sales Funnel

Hello and welcome to episode two of season one in the Compel and Convert podcast. Super excited to have you with me today. And we are going to be diving even deeper into funnels. So really quickly, if you have not listened to episode one yet, press pause on this episode and go back and listen to it real quick. It’s essentially a primer on what funnels are, why you should have one, what purpose they serve, really covering what’s the function of funnels.

That’s the name of the episode. So if you aren’t quite clear on what funnels are, that’s a really good one on one intro episode, and then in this episode, we’ll be going deeper into the five key components of a successful and functioning funnel. 

So this whole idea for this season where I’m going to be focusing solely on digital marketing funnels and digital sales funnels is all focused so that we can really go deep. And in this episode, when I cover the five key components and future episodes, I’m going to dive even deeper into each of these components.

So each episode builds on the last. If you’re listening to any episode in the season and you haven’t listened to the prior one, highly suggest you just start from the beginning and go through. All right, so let’s get going here, because I know you’re busy and I don’t want to waste your time. I want you to get this knowledge and start taking action. So the five key components to a functioning and successful funnel, you have to start with the end in mind.

So the whole purpose of a funnel is to sell more of your products or services, and these can be in person services, too. But I’m speaking specifically the digital products or virtual services here. And you need to have an irresistible offer. And you need to know all the components of that offer first, because that’s what you build your entire funnel around. You can’t really start just building a sales page, not really having any understanding of what it is that you’re trying to sell.

Right. So you have to have a really clear picture of the offer. And when I say offer, product, course, workshop, virtual console, I mean anything that the thing you are selling. That is the offer. So you want to make sure that you’re clear on that so that it can properly inform everything else that I’m going to cover in this episode.

And if there’s one thing that you really need to understand about what creates an irresistible offer, it’s you need to understand what transformation you’re helping your client or your customer to achieve. So it does not matter what you are selling.

Any single product out there in the market is selling some sort of transformation. And so often when we think of transformations, especially in the beauty and wellness niche, we think about, like, skin transformations, like before and afters, or someone becoming more fit and toned or losing weight and we think of that kind of transformation.

 Those can certainly be transformations that you’re covering in your product that you’re selling online. But it can also be something in terms of skillset. It can be a mindset transformation.

It can be so many different types of transformations. And I’ll give you just a couple of examples here from my personal experience, that’s not within the beauty and wellness niche, so that we can kind of, like hop out of our own Echo Chamber a little bit. 

So, for instance, parenting parenting is a topic that I am just constantly trying to learn more about how to be a better parent. I think that just comes by way of like, I truly believe that this current generation is going to be like the change making generation of the century. And I really want to ensure that I’m raising a kid who’s really thoughtful and super empathetic, and the type of world that he was brought into is very different than the type of world I was brought into.

So I’m always looking at how do I shift my approach to parenting that’s maybe a little bit different than how I was parented because we only know from our experience. Right. So I got served up an ad on Facebook, and I clicked on it because I was very interested in this where it said, become the parent that never has to yell. And it immediately caught my attention because yelling sometimes feels like the only way my child actually hears me. But I know that’s not true.

And I hate yelling. I hate it. It doesn’t feel good. I don’t like the way my kid reacts to yelling, but yeah, it’s like the default. And it’s probably because I was yelled at quite a bit as a kid.

So that’s a transformation I’m seeking to make in my household, which is how do I become the parent that never yells? I mean, I don’t think that’s a pipe dream. I think it’s a transformation that’s possible. But I need something to help me with that transformation. So they very clearly painted that picture of you are the parent that yells and doesn’t like it.

Well, let’s turn you into the parent that doesn’t have to yell but still get their kids to listen. And you have thoughtful and gentle communication. That’s the transformation. What’s not a transformation in that realm of parenting is become a better parent. Okay, that’s great.

Sure, I want to be a better parent, but how in what ways am I going to be a better parent? Paint the picture for me that is too general. That’s not a specific enough type of transformation to get me to make a decision on a product. Or I would argue it’s very hard to create an entire funnel around just, oh, hey, here’s the thing that’s going to help you be a better parent. It needs more specificity.

It needs more of a clear transformation that someone can put themselves into. Now, another example, again, from personal experience. I am very interested in the topic of at home beekeeping. I know that might sound very weird. I’ve just always had a dream of having my own beehives in my backyard.

I love bees. I think they’re very cool and that probably makes me a nerd. But in any case, I am not in the position right now to have a Beehive at all. I live in a very small apartment with a very tiny balcony and there is no room for a Beehive. And I am at the place where as soon as I get some land or we have a house with a nice sizeable backyard, I would love to get started with that.

The transformation I need to make is not the transformation of how to turn your at home Beehive into a honey making business. I am not there yet. That is not the transformation that I am ready for. Now, there’s plenty of at home beekeepers who would be totally interested in that transformation. And that is an offer that is geared to them.

So this is where it’s really key to understand what kind of transformation are you equipped to help your ideal audience achieve and what kind of transformation do they actually want to achieve? Because as it relates to beekeeping, the transformation I want to achieve is how do I get started with my first Beehive not four steps down the road? Right? 

So get really clear on what your offer is by understanding what the transformation is and what your ideal client needs from you at this time and with where they’re at in their journey and what you’re able to provide them with your expertise. Now, the whole concept of creating an irresistible offer, it goes a lot, a lot deeper than that.

I am going to go more in depth on offers in the next episode of the season. So episode three, we will talk about lots of ideas for offers, other things to consider. But I just want you to understand that before you can begin anything with building out a funnel, you have to have that irresistible offer in place first. I also would invite you to go check out a course called Offercure. I will link it up here in the show notes.

And by the way, it is an affiliate link. It’s from a woman named Julie Stoian. I have done her certification process where I’m what is it called? A triple threat master Marketer. It was an incredible certification program and everything she puts out is pure gold.

She has a program called Offercure. I believe it’s about $37, like it’s a steal of a bargain. If you are thinking to yourself, I want to create some sort of a digital product, but I don’t even know how to begin structuring what you put into a digital product. It’s a fantastic resource. It is an affiliate link because I believe in everything that she puts out.

I think I’ve also bought every single thing that she has ever created, so I 100% swear by it. I also use her resources that I was able to obtain in the certification program in my client services that I do when I help people build their funnels. So swear by it. Tested and true. So if you are really wanting to go deeper into these super hyper specifics of creating an offer, Offer Cure is a fantastic resource, and you can check that out in the link in the show notes.

All right. The next thing that you need to have in a functioning and successful funnel is a teaser or an incentive. So just like when you go to Costco, right, and they have a new product that they’re trying to get people interested in and that they’re trying to move off their shelves, they have a little test tasting things set up at the end. Of course, I have not been to Costco in a really long time because I currently live in Japan and we don’t have Costco here. So I don’t know if they’ve been doing taste testers during COVID times.

But regardless, I think we all understand the concept of like you’re in a store, like a grocery store, and they’re sampling out products to try to get you to buy it. You kind of have to do the same thing online. And the reason for this is that it allows the potential customers to build a sense of trust and rapport with you so that they’re more likely to make a purchase. Now, this can be done in a couple of different ways, and I think, honestly, you should be doing both. You can be building that trust and rapport by giving free content.

So I believe everybody should be doing this. And when I say free content, I mean social media content, blog content, creating a podcast, something that showcases that you know what you’re talking about and that you are, in fact, the expert. So that is going to help build trust. It’s also going to attract more people to you that you can sell to. Just like the little sampling center at the grocery store, it draws people in.

But it also helps to have some sort of an incentive that has a higher value and that in exchange for that gift, you can then ask for an email address. So when you have some sort of a richer in value type of sampling, you can ask for something in return in order to give it as a gift. 

Now I will say again, this is where you have to know your audience. Some people will not need a teaser or an incentive because they may be the type of buyer where they can just jump in and make a purchase. They can see something, know if they need it, know if they want it, and make a decision.

Most buyers are not that type of buyer. Most people do need the sample. Most people do need more time. They need the trust runway is what I call it, where it’s like you envision a plane taking off. There has to be this runway where you build up speed and you build up momentum with that person until they can finally say, okay, yes, I’m ready to purchase with you.

And you also may have a product that doesn’t necessarily lend itself to having a long runway. So, for instance, even just going back to the product I just mentioned, the offer cure. It’s a $37 resource, even if you don’t know Julie at all. Only based on what I’ve shared with you here on this podcast, you could very easily go to that sales page, read through it and go, this sounds great. And it’s $37.

Perfect. I’m going to go ahead and say yes to this. That kind of a product doesn’t necessarily need a super long runway. On the flip side, Julie also has programs that are like $20,000. I will say I have not purchased her $20,000 program.

That’s the only program I have not purchased of hers. But that is a program that no one is going to just randomly land on a $20,000 product sales page and go, sure, I’ll do that. You have to have a lot of trust, a lot of rapport time. There needs to be a much deeper relationship and deeper sense of trust before someone says yes to a product like that versus a $37 product. Right.

And it’s not always just about the price point, but that does have a lot to do with it now on the other side, like having free content and having a little bit of an incentive, it’s what allows you to appeal to your buyer, to show them a little bit more of what it is that you can provide them in terms of the greater transformation. And if you’re actually the right guide to help them with that transformation. 

So you need to understand what kind of key buyers you appeal to, the nature of your offer, the various temperatures of your lead pool. So, for instance, do you have people who are cold leads? Do you have people who are warm leads and you have people who are hot leads?

We’ll dive into this more in future episodes. But you’re going to have different offers for people who fit into those different pools within your audience. Right. Because someone who is a cold lead is not going to jump in on the $5,000 product. But someone who is a cold lead may say yes to a $37 product.

Right. So you really have to understand your audience and where they’re coming in and then having those teasers and those incentives in place to help build that trust and rapport. All right. The next element of a functional and successful funnel is the selling mechanism. So the selling mechanism is the sales page, the product description, the overall type of funnel.

So this is the piece that I mentioned. If you listen back to episode one where I was sharing the example of a digital product that I considered purchasing, but I have not purchased yet because there was nothing convincing me to buy the product just went straight to the point of purchase. So I had to make and I haven’t bought it yet. But I’m just saying I have to make that entire decision and marketing argument on my own. And that’s because there’s no sales page.

So you want to provide some sort of a selling mechanism that allows someone to see your side of the argument, right? Why do they need this? Why is it important? What is the actual transformation that you’re selling? You need to paint the picture.

You need to create the argument as to why it’s important that they buy this product from you and why you’re the right person to buy it from. Because people don’t generally just hop into bed with a $5,000 product. Like I’ve already just said, you may need to have a deeper selling mechanism to get someone on board with purchasing. So as it relates to selling mechanisms, it’s not always just a sales page. Often it is.

You need to have some sort of a sales page or a product description of some kind that outlines what the actual transformation and then the features of the product are. But you may actually need two different selling mechanisms working. So for instance, you may need to have a webinar where you’re doing some of that teasing and incentivizing that I just mentioned in the previous. Point number two, having a teaser or incentive. You may need to have a webinar that shows someone that you are the expert and it gives them a little bit of a taste of what your style is like and if you’re the right person for them.

And then at the end of that webinar, you’re selling them on the product or the offer. And in addition to that, there’s also a sales page there where they can get further information. So a lot of times, depending on the offer. Again, this goes back to point number one. You’ve got to be really clear on your offer.

You may need to have multiple selling mechanisms in place in order to really drive someone home to the purchase. Now all that to say, you don’t necessarily have to have a huge long sales page. You could have a short sales page. It’s not the length that matters, it’s the fact that you need to be super clear on the offer to understand what type of selling mechanism you need to have in place in order to sell the product. But regardless of what that is, everyone should have a selling mechanism.

You cannot. Skip the piece where you say, I have a product for sale here. Buy it. Someone needs more than that. They need something to hold onto.

They need to be convinced they need to be able to build trust with you. So that’s where the teaser and the incentive and then the selling mechanism comes into play. All right, the next point is the point of purchase. So simply put, this is like the order page. This may seem like the most boring, unimportant part of the whole process, but it’s actually vitally important.

So someone needs to see and feel a great sense of trust that their payment is going to result in getting the thing that they were promised, especially as it relates to virtual and digital products and services. When we are selling something online that is not physically tangible. So if you’re purchasing an online course, yes, you get a login, you get these. Whatever is involved in the offer worksheets. Videos workbooks like whatever is in the offer, right?

But generally you don’t actually have something to hold onto. It’s not like you’re walking into a boutique or a store and you’re picking something off the shelf and then you’re going to the sales counter and the cash wrap and they’re like ringing it up for you. So you have to kind of create that whole experience online. And that’s where the point of Purchase page is so important. You need to ensure that the Point of Purchase page is reiterating what the person is actually purchasing so that it continues to build trust and maintain trust.

You also should have, in addition to it just being well designed in general, having some visual signifiers that show that it is a secure purchase. And I will include screenshots of what this looks like in the show notes like if you click over to the blog post because it’s a little hard to describe. But we are so accustomed now to buying things like on Amazon or Shopify stores and we as consumers are already primed, even if we’re not really consciously aware of it. 

To know when something looks trustworthy and to know when something looks like a scam or it’s deceptive. So you want to ensure that you’re building out your funnel and your point of purchase part of the funnel in such a way that it is showcasing that hey, this decision you’re making to purchase with me, this is a secure and safe decision.

And here are the visual signifiers. Here’s the actual thing you’re purchasing. You just want to make sure that your client or your customer feels very well cared for and well supported all the way through, including at the point of purchase. Because it’s not like when you’re going to that physical store and you’ve got that person behind the cash app who’s saying, hey, did you find everything you needed? Do you have any questions?

Can I wrap this up in a bag for you? Would you like me to hand you the receipt or put it in the bag? You’re not getting that hand holding type of support when you’re purchasing a product online. So you have to create that kind of support digitally. So the point of purchase, don’t forget that that’s an important piece of the process.

And then finally facet number five, the final piece of the functioning funnel is the confirmation. So once someone has actually made that purchase, there’s actually a psychological thing that happens where the excitement that has been building while someone leads up to making that decision to purchase from you, then dissipates a little bit. 

So you want to make sure that as soon as someone has purchased and they can kind of like viscerally feel that money leaving their bank account, you want to reinforce that they just made a really good decision by choosing to purchase with you. So on the confirmation page, you want to immediately kind of confirm and reinforce their purchasing decision, say, thank you so much or success. This was a great choice.

I’m so excited. Really get them amped up about the fact that this was a good choice that they made with you reaffirm their decision, and that’s going to help keep their emotional levels kind of high throughout the process so that they are then excited to actually dive into whatever it is they just purchased. So you want to reaffirm their decision and then you also want to be super clear on what happens next. So where can they expect to find the next step? Where should they go?

What is the next thing that they need to do in order to get what they just purchased? Just like when you purchase a product online, like a physical product, it tells you, thanks so much. It’s on its way. Here’s your tracking number. You can expect it to be delivered by this date.

It gives you all these kind of reaffirming signals that it’s like the thing you just purchased is actually en route to you. We have received your order. We understand that you just made the decision to purchase and here’s what’s going to happen next. So you have to do the exact same thing. When you’re doing a digital product funnel, you have to make sure that they understand what’s going to happen next and what they need to do.

This is just where the threshold you go over from being in the sales part of the customer journey to being in the delivery, fulfillment and support part of the journey. So this is the crossover. And that confirmation page is just a really critical piece to making sure that your customer feels well supported and that they made the right decision. 

And if you can deliver on that properly as well, that’s also going to ensure that you aren’t getting people who have buyers remorse immediately or who have that feeling of like, oh no, did I just make the wrong choice? You want to mitigate that as much as possible by confirming that they did make the right decision and telling them exactly what they can do next.

That way they can get in on what they purchased and they can get going. So that is it. Those are and I feel like I just talked it like lightning speed. So hopefully you caught all that. You can always go back and listen through again.

But a quick recap the five key components that you need for a successful and functioning funnel. You need your irresistible offer. You’ve got to be really clear on that. Then you need a teaser or an incentive to draw people in, to get people from the mass crowd and get them closer to your offer, help build that trust and rapport. You need the selling mechanism.

So the thing that’s actually going to give them the persuasive piece as to why they should buy, why they should buy now, how this is going to help them paint the picture of the transformation for them in this selling mechanism. Then you’re going to move on to the point of purchase where you’re going to make sure that someone feels super secure and actually saying yes and making that decision and inputting their credit card information. 

So you’re going to create a really well designed, clear and has visual signifiers of security point of purchase. And then finally, piece number five, you are going to have a confirmation page that ensures that you are getting people really pumped about the decision they just made and let them know where to go next. So those are the five key components of the funnel that you need.

And in the next episode, I’m going to be diving really deep into offers. So in the next episode, we’ll talk about like, ideas for offers, different types of offers that you can do in an online digital product type of funnel. 

That way, if you’re and you may already have an idea in your head of a digital product that you would love to offer, but maybe you don’t know quite how it will take shape or the structure of it. So that’s what we’re going to cover in the next episode. You may have an idea of like, I want to do a course on Guasha or a course on aging gracefully.

Whatever it is, I can help you with understanding how you can take your idea and fit it into some sort of an offer structure. That way, it’s not this amorphous blob of an idea, but it’s more of an actual here’s a product that somebody can purchase. So that’s what we’re going to cover in episode three. And in the meantime, I would love to hear what you thought of this episode. If you could please leave a rating and review, I would be so, so grateful.

Really helps us get in front of more people who are just like you, trying to move their expertise into the digital sphere. And be sure to connect with me over on Instagram too, at Studio Clary. And you can let me know if you have any specific questions from this episode. Let me know what ideas you have. I would love to hear them and cheer you and I will see you in the next episode.

Thanks for listening.