Every company can decide to build a sales funnel, but not every business understands how to make the customer reach the final stages without being overly selling. 

A single business can have numerous B2B funnels, for its different marketing channels (such as email funnel, website funnel, product funnel), but the general psychological user journey remains the same. 

If you are unacquainted with the basics of a B2B funnel I advise that you read first our starter post on what is a B2B sales funnel.

The following are actionable steps to help you retain customers who value you and your services: 

1. Set the scope 

Make it very clear who this marketing funnel is for – in writing. Narrow your focus so you may build a funnel that is relevant to a specific target audience rather than simply anyone who stumbles across your brand. 

Questions like what your target customer looks like, their interests, and their present circumstances might help you streamline your sales funnel development. One of the most common mistakes people make is creating a marketing funnel that is overly broad in scope.

2. Gather the team and specialization 

Tasks at the top of the sales funnel are considerably diverse and require different skills than those at the bottom. A seasoned sales manager understands that no single person can do all of these tasks with the same degree of efficiency. It is critical to have a specialized team at this point.

Of course, sales specialization follows a purchasing process logic and allows you to concentrate on each step of the B2B sales funnel. You should recruit project managers to address the demands of your existing clients if your funnel stretches beyond the purchase step. 

To create a B2B sales pipeline, you must create numerous jobs within your team, employ the necessary people, and track your progress.

3. Conduct research 

Research helps you discover the small parts of the strategy you might overlook due to optimism. It helps you understand the current market and gives you the ability to predict your prospects’ behavior. 

It shows you how to direct the prospect down the funnel so that you have the highest chance of bringing the most potential customers to your desired result, both intellectually and emotionally. Make a paper flow chart that shows all of the specific phases and sub-steps along the way.

4. Bring in your marketing department

Many businesses have experienced clashes between marketing and sales. The buyer’s journey has been increasingly digitized with widespread Internet connectivity in recent decades. 

According to Gartner, 27% of B2B customers conduct independent web research before purchasing. Previously, the goal was to close the sale. It is now to provide informational value. 

Make Marketing and Sales work hand in hand to win at both ends, give the consumer a product or a service that positively impacts them, with a solution they desire, and increase company revenue by doing so.

5. Launch the sales funnel 

Even after launch, you can still test the stages and compare results like offers received number of CTA clicks and landing page visits. By continuous testing, your team will be quick to see all your prospect’s actions and this will give you time to adjust where you need to in order not to lose a customer. 

Don’t try to repair and enhance your funnel all at once; instead, focus on tools and case studies that can help you measure if your strategy is up to par. This iterative method is effective because it feels manageable and fits into both your and your team’s hectic workday.

6. Calculate your conversion rates 

You should continually strive to improve the weaker areas of your company; display only the relevant information about your company to help potential buyers choose you over other suppliers. Analyzing your B2B sales funnel will provide you with useful data. You can compute the conversion rates between these stages by keeping track of the number of customers at each step of the buying funnel. 

The work does not end after you launch the sales funnel: utilize key indicators to help you track your progress. Use a top-down approach to see how well your funnel is functioning. This will allow you to discover where your teams have excelled and assisted you in identifying the areas where you need to improve. 

Final word 

A dysfunctional sales funnel is a significant roadblock to growing your business and enhancing the overall sales and marketing goals. As a result, every company should find a means to limit or eliminate leaks in its sales funnels. One source of sales leakage is an irrelevant value proposition. Review your value offer to check whether it aligns with your business goals, and your customer needs. 

One tip to keep you in the clear is to investigate your marketing and sales messages. Is your company communicating in a way that addresses the pain points of your customers? How’s it going with your sales pitches? Do they distinguish you from your competitors? What persuades people to buy from you rather than a competitor?

Rethink your value offer and make sure it aligns with your company’s objectives. Check to see if it’s still functional, dependable, and practical. If not, you may want to do a review, or a thorough revamp, and if you need help, there is always a specialist to guide you on the right path.