Nobody Wants a Dry Funnel…

As soon as I said this on Facebook Live, I knew I would hear it repeated elsewhere. Within minutes there was a post on Facebook with me tagged in from a viewer. I went all in and created the meme for it before anyone else did that as well. Well… why not?

But you don’t want one, do you? A dry funnel, I mean.

That’s the last thing you need!

You need your (sales) funnel to be as full and flowing as possible if you’re going to be a successful business.

You should be aiming to fill it, thrill it and never kill it.

A sales funnel needs constant work to keep it topped up and working, so here are a few ways to fill it, thrill it and not kill it!

Nobody Wants a Dry Funnel…

Fill your funnel!

A sales funnel is really a system, a marketing plan or a process you put your leads and prospects through. A simple example would be meeting someone at a networking event, getting them to subscribe to your emails and then following up with them and connecting on social media.

The aim is to get them to buy your stuff… when they’re ready!

Filling your funnel is obviously important and also a constant thing. Don’t let the funnel get dry by only thinking about filling it when you need more business. That’s a recipe for disaster. You’ll want to be constantly working on activities to fill your funnel so that it’s drip-feeding you business all the time.

Even when you’re busy you should do this. The process of converting someone will obviously vary, so you’d be crazy to stop marketing and only do it when you need the leads.

Filling your funnel.

• Networking – heading out to networking meetings is a great way to fill your funnel. Meeting other businesses and becoming a part of a community is a long-term plan, but once you’re in the flow of meetings and following up, you’ll start to get referrals and a steady stream of leads for your funnel.
• Social media – social media is very much at the top of your funnel too. Using Facebook groups and LinkedIn is working well for us right now. Adding value in these sites and helping others out shows you’re an expert and builds trust. Sharing great content to that adds value to the communities there. The ultimate aim is to get them onto your email list or over to your website to capture them with your Facebook pixel or Google tracking code for remarketing, but don’t go all in with links to landing pages right away. Take the time to build some rapport first, OK?
• Free content – yes, you have to go free first. Give away a free eBook or give a talk at an event. Get a guest appearance on a radio show or podcast. Guest blog or ride shotgun on a Facebook Live with someone who has authority within your network.

Filling your funnel is a constant activity and something we hear a lot from our business coach, Claire McTernan. This blog is a super read after you’ve finished here.

Thrill your funnel

The next step is important. In fact, they all are, but this part is super important. A sales funnel is a process, but don’t treat your list or audience like a process. They’re humans – it’s more like dating than building a machine, OK?

When you’re interacting with your funnel through content like blogs, social media, podcasts emails and more – make it interesting and bloody useful.

Don’t be dull and don’t be tempted to cut corners here.

I saw a great talk recently from Ryan Diess (CEO of DigitalMarketer) where he explained how he met his wife. He talked about the time he met her and how she wasn’t ready to date him… as she was already with someone else.

He talked about sticking around, being a part of her group and then one day when she split up with the other guy, she noticed him and they started dating.

He didn’t go for the sell when the sale wasn’t there, and he also made sure he was a good friend and gave her some good support when she needed it.

He gave her his best content. He didn’t go for the hard sell. He waited, he added value and then on their first date he made a real effort.

He went all out with his first date. You would, wouldn’t you?

Your free content needs to be like that. Good, I mean. In fact, it’s needs to be better than that – it needs to be your best! Who’s going to buy into you and your business if your content sucks?

(Bad analogy? #Awkward).

Give your best and put the effort into thrilling your funnel. You want them to wish they could work with you, not hide each time you walk into a room!

Don’t kill your funnel

Once you have people in your funnel, it can be very tempting to kill it off in one fell swoop!

A funnel’s ultimate aim is to make sales, and in that respect your eyes are on the money. We’re all impatient, so many can be forgiven for wanting the results right away.

Don’t get me wrong, some will convert very quickly, but some won’t. It’s like dating, remember? Your prospect might not even be ready for the first date yet. Work from afar, improve your dance moves and buy some nice threads. Send some flowers and a few love letters… but wait until the time is right for the first date.

Sell, sell, sell? No. That would kill, kill, kill your funnel.

Gary Vaynerchuk is the author of the epic book Jab, Jab, Jab Right Hook. In the book, Gary talks about the concept of jabbing (giving) with your content. Give free content, share free blogs, record free tips, and then ask (right hook) for the sale.

It’s OK to sell, but you have to build that trust and rapport first. Give with your content and give to your funnel. Give until they’re ready to ask for your help and for the sale, or give enough so that when you do ask they either say yes or simply think “Not now, but the content is good so I’ll stick around.”

Give, give, give and then ask. Don’t ask, ask, ask – that’ll kill your funnel!

No one wants a dry funnel, and your leads don’t want to be in a dull funnel either

• Build a great content system.
• Share your ideas and thoughts.
• Entertain people with your story and share your journey.
• Offer them tips and advice and be a genuinely useful person to follow and subscribe to.

If I’m honest, I often forget to ask! I’m so busy jabbing that I forget to. But each week in our emails there’s a little right hook for our services or products. The majority of the email is value and good old-fashioned fun, but there’s a little hook for those who fancy a first date.

This works really well for us…

Don’t have a dry funnel. Fill it, thrill and please don’t kill it by being overeager!

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