Last updated on August 22nd, 2024 at 01:35 am
In the non-stop world of business, you can’t help but sometimes feel like… well, like you’re flying by the seat of your pants.
But don’t worry.
With all the obligations involved in marketing, branding, and all the rest, even well-weathered pros can occasionally have these feelings.
Yet, finding time to step back and get perspective on your business is essential to sharpening your skills.
Whether it’s your off-season or you have a few moments at the end of the day, it’s timed like those that allow you to make longer term investments in your company.
But what if you could invest in your business and build sales funnels at the same time?
Now, there’s a novel idea. Well, we have some mind-blowing news… you can do exactly that.
And the beauty is that it can transform your business from the inside-out. In a moment, we’ll see how this is the case, but the key takeaway is that the investments we’ll review add value and increase potential.
This converts to better performing and more streamlined processes, which in turn can further turbo-charge your sales funnels.
At the end of the day, you’ll find you have more time, not less. Our favorite part is that the methods aren’t complicated and are easy to implement.
Let’s get down to business.
The Importance of Growing Your Team + Your Company Culture
Ever wonder how companies like Google or Apple do it?
They seem to attract top talent without even trying, all while being the center of attention.
A startling and relevant fact was recently presented by Forbes on this topic: many employees aren’t providing good ratings for their company when asked by friends.
And yet, 55% of workers report they would take less pay to have more fun at work.
If more fun equals better ratings and more productivity, where’s the disconnect?
It seems like a no-brainer for us to secure a positive culture and a strong team, right?
But we can forget about things like trust falls and go right to our sales funnel process to aid in this goal.
Activities Bring People Together
When you think about it, building a new sales funnel is one heck of an activity.
Not unlike a sports game, it involves steps like bringing together ideas, strategizing, sizing up the competition, deploying your wares, and taking score at the end.
What better way is there to build and strengthen your team than by viewing your funnel process this way?
It does involve giving up a little control, but handing the pieces off to them means more time for the bigger picture.
In addition to helping them see their mistakes, also be sure to cheer them on!
Make it About Sharing
Often times, a big part of your funnel is simply interacting with leads.
Whether this is answering comments on your blog or awarding the winner of a contest, this step is really all about sharing your brand.
And people love to share.
Instead of banning employees from social media or blogs like some companies do, incorporate these mediums into your funnels and let your employees have fun managing it.
You’ll be amazed at how they’ll take to representing the brand in awesome ways.
Not only does your staff know your brand, when you’ve also let them build your funnel, but they’re also incredibly knowledgeable about how to best share it, even in ways you might not have thought of.
This further fosters the sense of belonging they share with the team.
Allow Your Culture to be Featured
Other companies are getting their culture showcased in the media occasionally.
Why should yours be any different? Once you’ve built a successful company culture, seek out ways to have it shown in the media.
This can actually serve as a big piece in a dedicated sales funnel.
Even if it’s just on an industry blog, a media feature can show how your brand is a cut above the rest.
Feel free to let your employees be interviewed or to highlight the most unique aspects of your business’ culture.
Protip: Check out this long list of how Google does culture. With a little creativity, many of these can be incorporated into a sales funnel.
Buying Qualified Paid Traffic
Sending traffic to your business is about more than any one single sales funnel.
That traffic is the lifeblood of your business, and yet, about half of it may be qualified, but not ready to buy yet.
What do you do with it in the meantime?
That traffic can still be used for different purposes.
Just like when we saw how building traffic can really aid in the funnel process, the opposite is also true.
When you purchase paid traffic for your funnel, you’re also driving momentum in the direction of your brand.
We’re going to take advantage of several elements involved in that momentum.
Use the Data to Create New Products or Services
Buying paid traffic is often a way to get a window into your brand demographic.
While every sales funnel is different, that traffic demonstrates how your potential customers are feeling or what’s important to them.
In a way, it’s like getting to look right inside their brains.
And that info is 100% actionable.
With it, you can discover a possible need that they aren’t having fulfilled or a service that would make their lives so much easier.
And that gives your business more flexibility.
Creating a Community
Yet, qualified traffic, traffic that is really in tune with your brand, is like a party simply waiting to get started.
Take a look at the ClickFunnels’ Facebook Group, for example.
People are talking, sharing, getting to know one another, and so much more.
When you create an influx of new leads in your traffic, you’re also setting the stage for your brand’s community.
Through that community, you generate the potential for more word-of-mouth, greater insight from new customers, and a whole lot more.
Finding Influencers and Generating Connections
Another way that paid funnel traffic helps build your business is by uncovering potential allies.
For example, let’s say that you’re in the tech sphere, and while surfing the web, a tech reporter is served one of your advertisements.
This influencer has the ability to not only spread your brand far and wide but also to generate future connections throughout the industry.
And those can lead to anything from cross-branding opportunities to entirely new marketing avenues.
Protip: Because there’s evidence that even unqualified leads make it through the sales department, consider creating a lead scoring process. Many companies are starting to add this method, and this trick can also be used to drill further down on your customer demographics.
The Creation of Evergreen Systems
Consider this comparison: whenever you take some text from a website and copy/paste it to save or use elsewhere, you’re taking the content at face value.
If there’s a typo or grammatical error in it, guess what?
It comes along for the ride. Maybe down the line that error creates a bigger problem.
Now, we don’t want always to be recreating the wheel, obviously.
But whenever you’re building a new sales funnel, even if you’re borrowing ideas from other funnels, you’re creating an evergreen system.
With all the millions of possibilities, really, no one has ever seen your unique combination before. That novelty is also what can give your brand an edge over all the rest.
Borrowing from Your Funnel’s Process
This investment is a little more abstract, but follow me, here.
Your funnel process is simply a system, like any other system.
Think about all the other systems in place within your business.
There’s your fulfillment process, your customer management process, and maybe a million more.
The concept you use to solve a problem for one system can often be used to solve an issue in another one later.
You can even keep a notebook of these ideas while you build your funnel!
Blasting Competitors Out of the Water
Who doesn’t want to get that lead on the competition?
Making evergreen systems, schemes that are interesting and relevant to the times also means that you’re different than your competition.
It might seem like a simple concept, but many businesses stagnant by either falling back on old systems or continuing to use a broken process.
But through the sales funnel process, you have the upper hand.
Focus on setting up new systems that are responsive to the changes in your market and that are well-suited to your customers’ current needs.
Revolutionizing Your Industry and the World
With that in mind, you can even go beyond just dealing the competition a hard-hitting blow.
Evergreen systems often pave the way for complete shifts in direction for markets.
Remember for a moment how Henry Ford’s evergreen system really shook things up.
He didn’t just change the car making business, he transformed the entire way our economy works. We’re talking big possibilities here!
Protip: When you borrow or playoff a competitor’s funnel or another system, always capitalize on those aspects that you can tailor further to your brand.
This way, you weed out those issues that come from simply copying something completely.
Building Your Team’s Skills Through Trainings & Courses
With each passing year, we’re discovering more and more that companies that lead their industries invest in training.
There’s also a strong connection between training and employee retention as well.
And really, you can see why this is the case.
In most industries and markets, there’s a lot to know.
Plus, as our world becomes more complex, especially technologically, it’s become a strong need for businesses to stay on top of the latest know-how.
Adding to Your Team’s Skillset
Let’s say you’re brainstorming your next sales funnel, and you happen across the perfect idea: adding a magic buy button to your website.
They’re trendy, and they work! But hold on a moment.
You’ll have to pay someone to code it. Is there any other way?
With all the e-learning tools and tutorials on the internet today, you might find that one of your staff members is not only capable of learning how… they’d love to do so!
At first, it might seem like you’re wasting this time, but if you have an employee that’s really interested in a skill, you can find that over the long haul, you save and gain even more value.
Sending Them to a Conference or Tradeshow
What if I told you that you could send a staff member to that next trade show or conference, and they would come back ready to take your brand to the next level?
Sending a brand ambassador to a trade show or to give a speech at a conference can reap serious benefits.
They’ll be gathering up ideas for your next funnel, representing your company, and generating leads, all at the same time!
Your Business as the Experts
And as you utilize these courses and your new training, you’re also becoming the true experts.
Every industry grows through the years, but you’ll be the brand on top of the latest and greatest.
This translates to better sales funnels and a more nimble brand.
Protip: Once you’ve started to add training to the mix, don’t be afraid to show off your staff’s newfound knowledge. Be proud of your team of experts?
Which business investments would you suggest are most important for a new startup?
What about an established player striving to expand?