On funnels

The sales funnel is the basis of the marketing plans I run: a simple structure where sales and marketing meet. The core thought: what you get out depends on what you put in and how well you drive it down the sales cycle.



 The beauty of this approach is accountability. With intelligent results tracking and custom management reporting, it can deliver all the information you need to maximise sales potential and optimise your marketing programme. I divide mine into six stages, with a pre-stage of lead generation and a post-stage of sales management.

Building your funnel: lead generation

First you need to identify suspects (lead generation) and plan your funnel structure (start with the goal first and work back) Here's how you do it. Then come the six stages:

Stages of the funnel

1. Approaching your prospects
2. Qualifying your prospects
3. Analysing their needs
4. Developing a value proposition
5. Making the proposal
6. Negotiating the contract

Using your funnel: sales management

Once the funnel's functioning, you can start the real work: intelligent analysis of what you lost/won and how the results' trends over time. Here's the final outcome.