Your sales funnel – conversion funnel or sales process – leads prospective customers through their buying journey.

A well-designed and properly executed sales funnel has four stages: awareness, interest, decision, and action.

And it helps a business to convert their leads into paying customers.

Creating a sales funnel is much easier than you think.

Actually, with so many platforms and software readily available on the internet, you can build your sales funnel from scratch without doing any coding.

However, most people don’t know how to go about it or where to start.

Let’s take a look at the most popular ways of building a sales funnel.

3 of the Most Popular Ways to Create a Sales Funnel for Your Website

There are many ways of creating a sales funnel.

Other methods are expensive, others aren’t user-friendly, especially to beginners, and others are generally complex.

Let’s cover the 3 most popular ways to build a sales funnel.

1. Create a Sales Funnel With a Sales Funnel Builder

This is one of the easiest options for creating a sales funnel.

A sales funnel builder is a tool that assists you in automating the process of guiding your website visitors to making a sale.

These tools usually offer an ‘all-inclusive’ package.

This single software provides page templates, A/B testing, customization options, email sequence automation, multiple integrations, shopping cart, etc.

There are many sales funnel builders available in the market, i.e. ClickFunnels.

Most of these tools incorporate a ‘drag and drop’ user interface, which is ideal for people with zero coding skills.

Another advantage of using a funnel builder is that you don’t have to handle any heavy lifting.

All processes are automated, and the pages are fully designed.

What is left to do is put your content and launch your sales funnel.

Pros

Cons

When choosing a funnel builder, ensure that it caters to all your marketing needs.

For instance, ClickFunnels provides its users with all the tools you need to market, sell and deliver your products online.

And it also offers many bonuses and free training just for taking their free trial.

Try ClickFunnels for Free!

2. Create a Sales Funnel With a Content Management System

This second option is a little bit complicated compared to using a funnel builder.

A content management system (CMS) is software used to create and modify digital content.

Examples include WordPress, Drupal, Typo3.

These software products are commonly used in building websites.

CMS provides a user-friendly interface that you can use to create, organize, edit and publish your sales funnel pages.

If you want to create a website and build a sales funnel at the same time, you should opt for a CMS.

Most CMSs have numerous plugins that allow you to enjoy a variety of features.

For example, WordPress has over 55,000 plugins available (and there are even some plugins dedicated specifically to creating sales funnel websites).

Additionally, they improve the general performance of your website.

When using a CMS, you can integrate your sales funnel to third-party applications and automate most of your funnel processes.

The software provides you with a template you can adjust and design as you please.

Pros

Cons

3. Code a Sales Funnel Website Yourself (Or Hire Someone to Do It)

This requires time, skills, and effort.

It is ideal for anyone who wants to enjoy total freedom in designing a sales funnel.

To program a sales funnel for your website, you have to start coding from scratch.

This method opens a line of endless possibilities for programmers.

However, it needs patience and commitment because the process can be overwhelming at times.

You can opt to hire a programmer or enroll in a course and learn how to code.

Even though hiring a programmer is expensive, it is the best option for people with zero coding skills.

Note that, programming a sales funnel website on your own will take a lot of time before everything is ready.

Pros

Cons

How to Build a Successful Sales Funnel That Really Gets Sales

A good sales funnel should actively engage customers to prime them to make a sale.

To create a sales funnel that works in boosting your sales, you’ve to target smaller conversions from your prospects along the way.

This is called the value ladder.

This concept was developed by Russel Brunson, the creator of ClickFunnels and the author of the popular book about sales funnel called Dotcom Secrets.

Before we go any further I’d like to suggest you get a FREE copy of the DotCom Secrets book (this is not necessary but highly recommended).

This book is like a blible of the sales funnels.

It’s a must to read book for everyone who’s starting with sales funnels

It will not only show you how to create sales funnels effectively but you’re also going to learn what are different types of sales funnels and how you can benefit from them.

The value ladder has four steps in general:

1. Bait
2. Front-end Offer
3. Middle Offer
4. Back-end Offer

Each step has a mini-funnel in it that convinces your prospects to take a specific action.

Make a Successful Sales Funnel: The 5 Most Important Stages

Most sales funnels go through these main stages:

Pre-Stage:	Create a blueprint for your offer
Stage #1:	Find an audience
Stage #2:	Create a lead magnet (the bait)
Stage #3:	Offer a low-risk front-end offer
Stage #4:	Provide the middle offer
Stage #5:	Add the back-end offer

 

This image illustrates perfectly the process of a successful sales funnel:

Pre-Stage: Create a Blueprint for Your Offer

The first thing you should do is know your offer.

Start by defining what you’ll be offering your customers as they move up the value ladder from bait to back-end.

It is essential to determine what you’ll provide customers with at each stage to motivate them to keep going.

This is known as the pre-stage.

You should also know how you’re going to connect the subsequent offers in your funnel.

For instance, product B builds on what was offered in product A.

Therefore, ensure you have a blueprint of what will be provided in what stage of your funnel.

1. Find an Audience

Now you can start sending targeted traffic to your sales funnel.

You must figure out where your high-valued prospects are most likely to locate you.

Is it in social media, through Google searches, or via a blog?

Remember, it is easier to convince your prospects if you meet them where they are comfortable engaging.

2. Create a Lead Magnet (the Bait) to Hook Your Prospects Into Your Sales Funnel

Now you should create an attractive lead magnet (also known as bait).

This can be a free-ebook, samples, etc.

Bait is also an excellent way to get information about your potential client, for example, their email address which opens a doorway to interact on the next level.

By offering bait, you’ll be able to filter out prospects who don’t take up your offer.

Plus, if someone doesn’t accept your free goodies, the chances of them making an actual purchase are very slim.

3. Offer a Low-Risk Front-end Offer

The front-end offer is a low-price and low-risk offer that provides value to new customers.

It allows them to solve surface-level issues with minimal investment and at the same time helps them build trust in you.

This will give your customers a preview of what to expect when doing business with you.

It will also help to convince your prospects further to form a relationship with your business.

Once they start appreciating your products and services, you can move to the next step.

4. Provide the Middle Offer (Upsell And Downsell)

A middle offer is a progressively more valuable and intensive solution that helps customers solve a more established problem.

It also helps to better prepare your customers for your highest-price point product or service.

In some cases, the middle offer might be called an upsell or downsell (or can be used both of them).

For instance, if you’re offering computer repair services, you can offer them a device that detects a malfunction in their devices.

This paves the way for the actual repair services.

Additionally, this is the time to give more information about your business, and brand through email marketing, membership to a Facebook group, etc.

Once you give customers a sneak peek of how valuable your products or services are, it is easier to convince them to make a grand sale.

5. Add the Back-end Offer to Make the Grand Sale

Back-end offer is the most valuable and the most expensive product or service that customers can use on a continual basis to solve their constant problems.

This offer is only available to customers who have already purchased lower-priced products or services from you and they have already built trust in you before.

Since your customers already have a preview of the type of product or services you’re offering, it is easy to convince them to make a purchase.

You can also give the back-end offer as an upsell to the middle offer.

Because this offer is relatively expensive, the key is to convince customers that they will gain so much value more from making this purchase.

7 Steps to Create a Sales Funnel for Your Website

Here are 7 easy steps of how you can create and launch your sales funnel:

1. Choose a sales funnel builder
2. Create a lead magnet (the bait)
3. Design your funnel
4. Present a front-end offer
5. Add a middle offer
6. Include a backend offer
7. Start driving traffic to your sales funnel

Step 1: Choose a Sales Funnel Builder

As mentioned earlier, the easiest way to create a sales funnel is by using a funnel builder.

Funnel builders help you create an automated marketing and selling process stress-free.

Additionally, your sales funnel will run on autopilot generating income even while you sleep.

Here are a few features you should look for when selecting a funnel builder.

One of the best-known funnel builders available is ClickFunnels.

ClickFunnels is an all-in-one builder with endless features specifically designed to help you in selling your products/services.

The best part is, it has a drag and drop user interface, which allows you to build a fully functioning website and sales funnel without any coding knowledge.

Besides this, ClickFunnels has all the required tools and training you need to get even complete beginners to start building sales funnels.

Try ClickFunnels for Free!

Step 2: Create a Lead Magnet (The Bait)

The next step is to create a lead magnet or bait.

The lead magnet is a stepping stone for prospects to decide whether or not they will do business with you.

Your bait should preferably be a free item.

It can be a checklist, ebook, manual, guide, webinar, video tips, short informational videos, etc.

Ensure that your lead magnet is interconnected with your main product or service.

A good lead magnet should meet the following conditions:

Remember, the higher the price tag, the more valuable your lead magnet should be.

Step 3: Design Your Funnel

Next, you should design your funnel.

Your funnel pages should consist of a landing page or squeeze page and some additional pages (offer pages, payment pages, thank you pages, etc) that depend on how many and what products or services you’re selling.

And there are three ways to create all those funnel pages:

1. You can design it yourself from scratch
2. You can hire someone to design it for you
3. You can use a pre-built template and adjust it to your needs.

All three options have their own benefits and drawbacks.

However, probably the easiest solution would be to go with a pre-built template.

And I have some good news.

This page has more than 130 pre-built templates which you can download to your ClickFunnels account, adjust it to your needs and start selling your products in just 30 minutes.

Choose a FREE Template

Quick tip:

You should also know that you don’t need to hire an expensive copywriter to get your sales copy written for your funnels.

There is a script software that can get all of your scripts written in just 10 minutes (and trust me, the quality of those texts is very very high).

This is not a necessary step, but if you want to learn more about it you can take this free training:

Watch This FREE Training

Step 4: Add Your Irresistible Offer(s)

There are three types of offers you can offer in your sales funnel:

You don’t need to have them all included in your sales funnel, but the more you’ll have the higher revenue you’re going to earn.

The front-end offer is an irresistibly low price and low-risk offer that is highly valuable.

Since your prospects have already taken the bait, it is easier to convince them to make a sale.

You should give an offer that will make them crave for more.

Your front-end offer can include free shipping, a considerable discount, an additional product or service, etc.

It should also meet the following conditions:

The middle offer should address a deep-seated problem your customers have.

It can either be an upsell or a downsell.

An upsell is something that will cost more than your front-end offer and a down-sell costs less.

Nevertheless, you can offer both of them.

When customers don’t take the upsell, you can offer them a downsell such as:

Back-end means offering another product or service to a customer who has already purchased from you.

This is the highest level of your value ladder, and sales funnel in general.

Instead of only pushing customers to make a purchase, aim at keeping them engaged in your brand by offering:

Step 7: Start Driving Traffic to Your Sales Funnel

The final and most crucial step is driving traffic to your sales funnel. Having a great sales funnel alone isn’t enough to help you make sales.

The more traffic you have, the higher the opportunity to generate high-quality leads and more sales.

I highly recommend reading Traffic Secrets by Russel Brunson.

This is the ‘underground playbook for filling your website and funnel with dream customers.

Time to Build Your Sales Funnel

Let’s recap.

There are seven steps to building your sales funnel:

1. Choose a sales funnel builder
2. Create a lead magnet (the bait)
3. Design your funnel
4. Present a front-end offer
5. Add a middle offer
6. Include a backend offer
7. Start driving traffic to your sales funnel