Have you ever been confused by the following terms?
Lead Funnels
Customer Journeys
Nurturing Campaigns
Sales funnels
If you just read all of those words and know exactly what they are and what they do, then, I encourage you to stop reading right now and go do something else way more productive… A glass of wine perhaps?
If you are confused by the following terms and have no idea what they mean, this is the blog for you!
In essence, all of these terms mean the same thing. It is the process you or your business uses to create. Definitions:
Lead Funnel- The process of a lead turning into a client
Customer Journey- Similar to a Lead Funnel, it may include more of the initiation process of becoming a client as well as the initial steps of being a client
Nurturing Campaign- The process of how to keep your current network engaged so that they may become a lead or referral for potential clients to you and your company.
Sales Funnel- “How to” convert a prospect to sales.
As you can see, many of these terms overlap, and in some cases, can be used interchangeably.
Why use these types of Funnels or Journey’s?
1. To understand how your business gets clients.
The best way to get more clients is to understand what it is that you or your company are doing best.
It seems when we start talking about leads or sales funnels most people typically go immediately to social media or digital marketing. Though this could be the best method for sales for some companies, this may not be the case for your specific business.
If you are getting most of your business from client referrals, then I highly suggest you spend a lot more time taking your clients out for lunch!
2. To outline the process in order to delegate some of the steps or all of the processes to a team member.
Many funnels can be tracked in CRM platforms. Some of these platforms include: Hubspot, Zoho, Kaep, and Clio (specifically for the legal field). This is just to name a few.
My favorite still is a workflow management system that can be used absolutely free, Asana.
3. And, in some cases, you can automate some of these processes.
A lot of CRM’s (including all of the ones I just mentioned above) also allow you to use an automation process or nurturing campaign to assist in the funneling process.
This may include sending an introduction email to the company or any new person who signs up for your newsletter on your website. Or, an onboarding email to any new client. The idea is simple. Create a series of emails anywhere from 1 to unlimited (depending on your platform plan and how much you want to contact the people in your network) to stay in touch with your community.
Where do I begin to start a sequence?
It's actually pretty simple. Just start with the process you are doing and write out all the steps you need from start to finish in that process. Start with something you think is simple, like: “How do you book a consult call?” or “What do you do with a business card once it is given to you?”
Examples:
Even when we explain what should be created in these types of sequences, it still can be confusing. Here are some examples of what can be included:
Lead Funnels
Networking Events to Attend
Add Business Cards to a CRM with the tag “Prospect”
Send personal invites to the event I am hosting via Linkedin (one month later)
Customer Journeys
Initial Contact
Connect on Linkedin
Send a follow up email 2 weeks later for a call
Book a Discover Call
Book a Paid Consultation
Nurturing Campaigns
Add all new contacts to my newsletter list (once they have given permission)
Invite my contacts via Linkedin to my Coffee and Chat
Send monthly emails to all VIP’s from my personal email inviting them to a 1-2-1
Sales Funnel
A prospective fills out the Contact form on our website
They are automatically added to my automated email for a Consult
The Invitation Intake form is sent
The Invoice for the consultation is automatically sent
Once the Invoice is paid, the calendar invite is created automatically on my calendar
I hope this blog inspired you to start one of your first funnels, campaigns or journeys! Still need help figuring out your processes? This is absolutely one of our favorite projects over here at Assistants 4 Hire. Book a free discovery call to start our process. Yes, pun intended! 😄
Want to learn more about our business and what type of services we provide?
Visit us at:
Written by MerriLyn Gibbs
Comments