What is an online sales funnel?

In it’s most basic form an online sales funnel is an automated way to capture prospects and turn them into customers using the web.

A sales funnel should have an end goal in mind i.e. sell product xyz.

Your online sales funnel must have a compelling freebie or lead magnet to attract prospects and join your email list. The freebie is a teaser for the product you will ultimately ask people to buy. The freebie could be a free ebook, checklist or even a video series.

Why do you need an online sales funnel in your coaching business?

Once you’ve set up your online sales funnel, you sit back and let it convert prospects into customers.

This means you can work on other parts of your business, or go on holiday. I work shorter weeks most weeks – my family loves this!

Here is a short video I made on sales funnels if you prefer to watch. Or you can read the text version below the video.

When do you use online sales funnels?

You can have one sales funnel or multiple concurrent sales funnels working for your coaching business. If you are new to this stuff, please start with one!

Always offer a compelling freebie on your website to get more of your ideal clients to opt in to your email list. A list of 1000 raving fans = profitable business! Don’t worry too much about what your freebie is when you start, just get it online so you can start learning and refine it as you evolve.

When you are ready to launch a coaching product like a new book or digital coaching program you can set up a sales funnel specifically for that product. You can attract new and even current subscribers into this sales funnel by offering a different freebie that compliments the product you will be selling.

The hottest freebie for launches right now is the free 3-part video series with some sort or a free downloadable checklist. I subscribe to lots of lists and I’m seeing this approach EVERYWHERE!!! Follow the proven method or stand out by trying something different that works for your ideal clients.

A Simple Online Sales Funnel – in 4 Steps

Here are the steps of a simple online sales funnel in the order which your customers experience it. I find when you see through their eyes, it becomes not only easier to follow yourself, but you’ll be more likely to design a more user friendly experience for your customers.

Below are the steps that happen in a simple sales funnel:

1. Get Eyeballs

Get eyeballs to your freebie or lead magnet.

Some effective, inexpensive ways coaches can get attention to a freebie optin page include:

• Buy paid advertising (Google Adwords, Facebook Ads, or ads from any special publication or site where your ideal clients hang out). Yes, pay to promote your freebie – it’s the first step to making a sale.

• Guest post / write articles in publications or sites your ideal clients follow. At the end of your article or in your bio link to your freebie optin page.

• Speak at events where your ideal clients are and at the end, promote your freebie to the audience (in person or via webinar). Make sure they get the URL to your freebie optin page.

2. Capture Email

A way to capture the names and email addresses of prospects in exchange for your freebie.

This is where the prospect types in her name and email address into a box and presses send. This optin box is linked to your email marketing system which stores your email list(s) (learn more about the 9 Essential Technologies for an Online Coaching Business here).

3. Follow-up

Pre-written, automated emails containing information that will help prospects see the value of your final product and be compelled to buy it.

Immediately after a prospect opts in she gets her first email from you. In the first email(s) you deliver the freebie. Then you follow up with series of auto emails to build rapport and lead into the sale.

4. Sell

Ask prospects to buy your product and link to the product sales page.

Once the prospect is all warmed up and excited about the product, you ask for the sale. Send prospect to the product sales page where she can get all of the great info she needs about the product and actually buy it.

Start Simple

What I’ve outlined in this article is a simple online sales funnel. Sales funnels can get a whole lot more complex but there’s no point going there until you understand the basic core concepts first.

Simple works! You can run a profitable coaching business with the simple sales funnel I’ve outlined here – I did it for years and have seen my clients do it too.

It’s OK to start simple. Let yourself evolve in complexity and sophistication as you become ready to take on the next level.