Small Business Marketing: A Marketing Funnel Should Be Part of Your Recipe for Success

Your toughest job as a business owner and marketer is to get clients. It's also your most expensive job. So it stands to reason that you'd want to make the most of every single client you do get.

The best way to do that, and one of the most cost-effective ways to market your business, is to use a marketing funnel.

What's a marketing funnel?

Well, you're probably familiar with what a funnel looks like. It's got a large opening at the top and a small opening at the bottom. It looks kind of like an inverted triangle.

The idea of a marketing funnel is this ...

You want to get as many prospects and potential clients into the top of the funnel - the part of the funnel with the widest opening. Ahhh ... the better to hold all those prospects and clients!
So how do you get clients into your funnel?

One way is with a free or low-cost, low-risk offer. Offering a free newsletter or ezine, a special report or even a complimentary consultation are all great ways to get prospects into your funnel.

This lets potential clients "test drive" you before buying

Giving prospects a way to "try you on for size" and see how they like your style and your approach is a great way to entice them onto your list. They can "test drive" you and your business, without first investing a lot of time or money.

And it gives you the chance to create a relationship with them over time.

This is particularly important if you're selling higher-priced professional services. Odds are most people will not purchase from you the very first time they come in contact with you or see your marketing. They need to get to know you first, to see if you're a good fit for their needs.
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So what goes inside the funnel?

Inside your funnel, you'll want to have a series of products and services, ideally increasing in value and price as you work your way down the funnel.

My 10stepmarketing funnel starts with my Step-by-Step Guidebook and Resource Center, and is followed by several CD products, my telecourses and my Extreme Marketing Makeover Program. The value and price of these products and services increases as you go down the list.

The idea is that most people will try you out by first purchasing a lower priced, lower involvement product or service. Then, if they are pleased with that product or service, they're very likely to come back to see what else you have to offer.
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And, they'll be more likely to spend more now that they know your products or services are high quality and deliver on your sales promise.

Fill your funnel with a variety of products and services

This gives you the opportunity to earn more from every client and helps you minimize the expensive and time-consuming task of always having to be looking and marketing for MORE clients.
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Plus, with the right "top of funnel" product, you'll ATTRACT more clients.

So what's at the bottom of the funnel?

This is where your very best clients end up. These are the people who love you and your products and services so much they'll buy anything and everything you make available to them.

So, usually the product or service at the bottom of your funnel is your most expensive, most valuable one.

Take a look at your business and make sure you're using a marketing funnel. If you're not, make it part of your marketing plan to create one. And you'll always have a pipeline full of prospects and clients.

(C) Copyright 2005 Debbie LaChusa

Debbie LaChusa created The 10stepmarketing System to make marketing your own business as simple as answering 10 questions. Learn more about this unique, step-by-step system and get a free 10-week Marketing E-Course when you subscribe to the free, weekly 10stepmarketing Ezine at http://www.10stepmarketing.com.