“I just started my digital business. I need to create a few sales funnels to start marketing my services, right?”
Do you know how often I hear this statement from brand new digital entrepreneurs?
Well let me tell you.
It happens all the time. Like – Every.Single.Day!
And it really hurts me because I know that my answer isn’t usually what the person is expecting to hear me say.
The way the digital marketing space is set up right now, it has everyone thinking that in order to make big money, the very first thing they gotta do is set up a sales funnel.
Well, that’s all well and good. It’s a decent goal to have, but why not start at the beginning?
I often ask “What you funneling boo?” “What’s your plan?“
When I say that, I can usually expect one of two reactions – indignation or total confusion.
Those who respond with indignation usually do so because they I’ve called them out on something that many other coaches have not. They sometimes think that I’m trying to insult their business building skills and still others just are all up in their feelings.
Here’s the thing about business though, in order to make it you have to develop some thick skin and be able to take the tough questions. But enough on that right now….
The confused entrepreneurs are usually that way because they’ve been watching and listening to strategists and coaches everywhere tout the benefits of building sales funnels. They’ve heard the stories about how sales funnels are the holy grail to growing your sales in the online space.
And now here I come saying something different. – Say what now? LOL
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that you should never run funnels. As a matter of fact, I share 4 great ways to grow your business here.
But I am strongly suggesting that you might not need to be creating sales funnels right now in your business.
It can definitely be confusing, but the purpose of this post is to help you understand why it’s a good idea to take a step back and think about my question “Are you really ready to funnel?”.
Here’s the thing, the majority of emerging entrepreneurs who create funnels before they are really ready are doing three things…. wasting time, wasting energy, and wasting money.
All because they don’t have a plan. They lack strategy.
Well today, you can kick those resource wasters to the literal curb.
It all stops right here.
There are few steps you should do before you dive headfirst into the funnel pool.
Here’s what you gotta do…..
Understand Your WHY:
Nobody understands your business goals and dreams like you do.
So, ask yourself “Why do I really want to run a sales funnel?”
Think about it for a minute.
Do you have a well thought out plan or strategy on how you’re going to use sales funnels in your business?
Do you fully understand how sales funnels work?
Do you have the pieces of the puzzle in place so as your customers reach each stop in the funnel, what they find is a seamless and sensible opportunity to work with you?
Are you ready to set up a funnel that will actually nurture your audience to the point where they are begging you to take their money?
Or…..
Are you winging it?
Do you think that setting up sales funnels will magically make you look like an expert?
Are you engaged in “Hope Marketing”?
Hope Marketing is a term coined by Jeff Walker, the author of Launch. It basically means that you don’t have a clear strategy of how to get your customers to buy from you.
I recently wrote a blog about why so many new entrepreneurs struggle with hope marketing. Check it out here.
Instead, you’re forcing unrelated pieces together and hoping that they stick or somehow generate a sale for you. Is this you?
If any of these sound like you, then I hate to break it to you but….
You’re wasting your time, energy and your MONEY!
It might sound harsh, but it’s true.
You gotta be more strategic. Here’s how to do that…..
Know Your WHAT
Do you have a super clear and complete understanding of your sales puzzle?
And I talking about both the big picture and each and every piece that makes up that puzzle.
Can you clearly articulate what it is that you do, how you do it and why it transforms your customers’ lives?
Have you built what Russell Brunson calls a “Value Ladder” or what Stu McLaren calls a “Success Path” for your customer?
Do you know exactly how you plan to take your client from their very first contact with you all the way to the point when they are literally begging to be a part of your most valuable program, service or offer?
Do you know what their exact pain points are and what you offer that addresses those pain points.
Do you know what you’re going to do with your customers at every stop on that success path?
To ensure that you not only fill your funnels, but that you actually make a profit from them, there’s one thing you have to have……a solid system.
Your value ladder/success path is that system.
If you’re sitting back wondering “WTH” I’m talking about, don’t stress.
It’s a HECK of a lot easier than it sounds.
As a matter of fact, I take you on a deep dive of a simple system I use with all my 1 on 1 coaching clients in my new training Grow S.T.R.O.N.G.
But enough about that, let’s get back to your WHAT for right now.
The best thing for you to do is to create your own Success Map for each of the leads and potential clients that joins your list through the various on ramps you have set up.
If you don’t have that, you’re wasting your time and throwing away your hard earned money.
And ain’t nobody got time for that!
Once you’ve created your Success Map, there’s one other thing you need to do….
Embrace What Really WORKS
Picture this: You’ve got your Success Map thoroughly detailed in a Google Doc or in a pretty little notebook. You worked really hard on it and even asked your business coach to take a peek at it to see if there’s anything you missed. She says it looks good to her and gives you her blessing on it.
You’re ready to pull the trigger and start promoting your services or offerings to your target audience.
You’re wondering if you should should go all in do a really big launch complete with a big social media campaign, ads on Facebook and Instagram, and a huge push to a cold audience.
Don’t.
Take it from me. Slow down. Take your time with it. Ease into it.
Consider doing a seed launch or a beta launch first.
Wait. Consider doing a what?
That’s right. Consider doing a smaller launch first.
But Why?
Here’s what I’ve found (despite the fact that the experts in the industry had already tried to warn me)…..
Seed or Beta Launches will save you a ton of headaches and money.
I know. You’ve already worked really hard and for a really long time to get to this point and now I want you to keep treading lightly.
I know you probably want to throw caution to the wind and Go BIG, but…
Hear me out.
Launching to a completely cold audience is like going on a blind date and proposing marriage to your date before they can finish the appetizers.
Well planned beta launches, complete with pre-launch content seeding and systems testing, will allow you to start getting much needed visibility for your emerging brand and help you work the kinks out of the process.
It costs a lot less in time, energy and money too!
It makes much better business sense to run a condensed version of your launch (shorten the launch window and reduce number of participants), get actual feedback from your testers, and build your community and platform all at the same time than it does to go big and have to deal with problems on a massive scale.
Because even minor problems seem massive when they happen in front of thousands of people.
And even worse would be going big and finding that because nobody knows you, instead of cha-ching, all you hear is crickets in your cart!
To build a profitable and sustainable business, you should focus on building a scalable business.
That’s how you turn all the time, energy and money you pour into building your sales funnels into an ROI-driven investment.
And that’s exactly what I’ll be teaching you in the Grow S.T.R.O.N.G. training.
Ready to scale your business in a strategic, smart and purposeful way using sales funnels?
Click the link below, get on the VIP list and be the first to know when Grow S.T.R.O.N.G. makes its sexy debut. Because a strong, profitable, and sustainable business is a sexy business!
Plus you’ll get priority access to my super delicious Sales Funnel Planner & Cheat Sheet!
I’d love to hear about where you are in your journey to become a S.T.R.O.N.G. business. What are some of the biggest challenges you have in your marketing plan? Leave me a comment below and tell me about your challenges and successes!