Seal Your Sales Funnel Leaks: Fast 7-Step Blueprint to 7 Figures
As a kid, I often faked being sick because school was boring. So I remember once being in a doctor's office waiting room and seeing a bunch of glossy magazines scattered across the table.
So I’d grab a magazine and flip through pages filled with ads. I see an ad for... well, I’m not quite sure what it is. Perfume? Server technology? Quantum teleportation device? What was happening here?
This is an alignment problem in a sales funnel.
Sales funnel leaks will maim, slaughter, and kill your sales.
Strong words, I know. But they’re warranted, and I hope they get my point across. Sales funnel drift and sales funnel leaks can be a serious problem that could cost you 1000's of dollars.
And no business is immune to funnel leaks, AutoGrow included.
Yup, we’ve had funnel leaks too. But fixing them pushed us to break the 7-figure mark for the first time in 2021.
And AutoGrow has a large and refined sales funnel system that we’ve relied on to find and help 1000’s of clients over the years. But, as you can imagine, AutoGrow’s journey hasn’t been all rainbows and unicorns. We’ve had to balance analytics with creative problem-solving when these funnel leaks appear.
Plugging holes in sales funnels has been a neverending journey, and that’s what we’re exploring today.
Here’s a sneak peek into what’s coming (click a link to skip to your favorite section):
- Sales Funnel Leak Fix Step #1: Detect and Diagnose (Look Under the Hood). Discover how taking a closer look at your sales funnel can shed light on unknown issues.
- Sales Funnel Leak Fix Step #2: Flex Your Empathy Muscle (and Get Insight). Realize the power of empathy and shared knowledge in business.
- Sales Funnel Leak Fix Step #3: Find Solace in Shared Struggles. Unearth the strength in knowing you’re not alone in your challenges.
- Sales Funnel Leak Fix Step #4: Data Will Tell the Truth. Learn how to understand and use your data to your advantage.
- Sales Funnel Leak Fix Step #5: Repair and Replace. Learn how to fix leaks by adopting proven strategies.
- Sales Funnel Leak Fix Step #6: Metrics Matter. Dive into the importance of tracking the correct numbers.
- Sales Funnel Leak Fix Step #7: Patience, Interaction, and Iteration. Understand why patience and continuous improvement are crucial for success.
We’ve broken each step into
- How to identify the problem.
- How to fix the problem.
- A helpful example.
- And what you should remember to avoid funnel leakage in the future.
With the lessons in this guide, you can plug the leaks, align your funnel and message, and get back to growing your business.
Ready to dive in? Let’s go! (And don’t forget to check out the accompanying video.)
Quick Recap:
What is a Sales Funnel Leak?
Let's define it...
Put simply, a sales funnel leak is the loss of leads, traffic, or sales that occur somewhere within your sales funnel.
Why do we care? Because depending on where the leak is and how severe, your business could be losing HUGE amounts of money, time, resources, etc.
According to data from Dooly.ai, 68% of companies have not measured a sales funnel and businesses are losing 65% of their customers due to indifference, not errors. This tells me there are a ton of businesses out there that have no idea their sales funnel is leaking and how to fix it.
Let’s remedy that, shall we?
Now with that out of the way, here's step one—and this article assumes you have at least a basic sales funnel (i.e. a website or a landing page at a minimum)...
(If you don’t have a sales funnel, you need one. AutoGrow can help. Check us out.)
Sales Funnel Leak Fix Step #1: Detect and Diagnose (Look Under The Hood)
Are you seeing a sudden drop in conversions, decreased traffic, or an increased cart abandonment rate? These are symptoms of a potential problem lurking within your sales funnel.
Or, you simply may not have a sales funnel to begin with.
We launched AutoGrow's new productized service in 2021, and since it was a brand-new service, we had no sales to look at. We had to see what would happen, then kept recalibrating until we aligned with the market. Only then did sales start to grow.
Either way, your funnel is absolutely the engine that drives your sales. You need to pop the hood and have a look at your engine, even if you have no engine under the hood (that problem should jump out at you fairly easily).
How To Identify the Problem
Roll up your sleeves and dive into the mud of your analytics. Pop the hood of your sales funnel and have a look for glaring problems. Tools like Google Analytics or a CRM like ActiveCampaign can help you observe the ebb and flow of your customer engagement over time.
Get an inside look at your emails, ads, and anything else with a pulse in your funnel. Compare and contrast:
- What’s changed in the messaging or the creative?
- Do you have an aligned message in your sales funnel?
- Are there spelling or grammatical mistakes?
- Are your images high-quality?
If you don’t know what you’re looking for (that’s OK), then I suggest you find someone who does… and fast.
How To Fix the Problem
Now that you’ve played detective, it’s time to play doctor:
- Start with a detailed audit of your sales funnel. Check every customer journey's exchange and conversion point to identify problem areas.
- Check for broken links, slow-loading pages, or malfunctioning forms. Use tools like PageSpeed Insights or Broken Link Checker to fix these issues immediately.
- Analyze your value proposition. Read your landing page content and offers out loud (this uses a different part of the brain) to ensure you’re delivering on what your message promises.
As I said, asking for help is nothing to be ashamed of. Consider engaging a third-party expert (like AutoGrow) if necessary. Remember, you’re not looking for a quick fix… but a proper diagnosis to develop a strategic cure that ensures the growth of your business.
An Example
AutoGrow had a client in the real estate industry approach us, concerned about the declining conversions on their lead magnet landing page. We popped the hood of the sales funnel and evaluated it from a customer's perspective (meaning I put myself in the customer’s shoes, filled out everything a customer would in the funnel, and made the entire customer journey).
Immediately, I started spotting glaring issues.
The design was inconsistent between the landing page and the thank you page, for example, leaving an impression of disjointedness. This could impact the trust prospects had in the brand, causing them to leave the funnel prematurely (do you ever get nervous that a website is a scam when spelling mistakes or design differences appear? It looks cheap and thrown together—designed to take your money. That’s what you don’t want. Your funnel has to be as perfect as possible).
Using the data from our client's analytics and our firsthand experience, we recommended a redesign of the thank you page to align with the landing page design and revised the copy to strengthen the value proposition. This strategic fix boosted the client's conversions, leading to an increase in their revenue.
Key Takeaway
Analyze each stage of your sales funnel, find what’s causing the stagnation or decline, and then chart a path to fix it. Sometimes the problem is right in front of your face—all you have to do is pop the hood.
Sales Funnel Leak Fix Step #2: Flex Your Empathy Muscle (and Get Insight)
Alright. You’ve taken a peek under the hood of your sales funnel, and nothing jumps out at you. The problem might be less obvious. Perhaps it’s hidden within the qualitative aspects of your funnel, which is more in the customer journey…
How To Identify the Problem
Identifying a hidden leak in your sales funnel might feel like finding a needle in a haystack, especially if you’re new to the game (or pattern recognition isn’t your superpower). However, it’s not always about wrestling with Google Analytics or wrangling big data…
The qualitative side of things matters, too—the aesthetics of your ads, the quality of your content, message alignment, etc.
And again, we get that not everyone is a mechanic (sales funnel expert). If that’s you, don’t be afraid to ask for help (actually, we recommend it).
How To Fix the Problem
There are a few ways to fix this potential sales funnel headache:
- Ensure your copy resonates with your audience emotionally. Consider the tone of voice, readability, and clarity of your messaging.
- Engage in activities like customer journey mapping and A/B testing. Step into your customers’ shoes, or better yet, directly ask for their feedback.
- Contact fellow entrepreneurs, sales experts, industry peers, or AutoGrow. They may provide valuable perspectives that could illuminate overlooked issues or opportunities.
An Example
The success of Airbnb offers an insightful example of flexing the empathy muscle to fix their sales funnel leak. In the early days, Airbnb had a significant leak in their funnel — users weren't booking stays.
Co-founders Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia decided to step into their customers' shoes and traveled to New York to meet with their hosts. They discovered the problem lay in the quality of the photos of the listings, which were not enticing enough for potential renters.
Upon return, they implemented a free professional photography service for all their listings, dramatically improving the quality of the listing photos. This empathetic and hands-on approach helped Airbnb fix a critical leak in its sales funnel, leading to an exponential increase in bookings.
Key Takeaway
It’s all about understanding your customers. You also want to optimize your funnel to meet their expectations better. Plus, cultivating empathy and seeking insights help you identify and fix funnel leaks.
Sales Funnel Leak Fix Step #3: Gauge the Severity
Now that you have looked at the customer journey, asked for some help, and everything looks good on the outside, it's time to dive into the data.
You need to use analysis and sound judgment to gauge severity. This might mean you need some help, depending on your experience (see above for getting help with your funnel if needed).
How To Identify the Problem
Become a student of your metrics, using them to measure your performance against industry standards. Are your conversion rates falling far behind the industry average? That’s a clear indicator of a significant issue.
Ensure you keep an open ear for your customers’ feedback; their complaints can shed light on the problems they’re experiencing.
How To Fix the Problem
Recognize that the scale of the problem dictates the scope of your solution. Take a systematic approach to assess the gravity of the issue:
- Compare your funnel performance against industry norms with tools like Google Analytics (there are other tools, but GA is the best. In fact, save your money—AutoGrow fixed all our sales funnel leaks with a spreadsheet and Google Analytics).
- Use surveys to understand why customers leave your funnel using tools like Jotform or SurveyMonkey.
- See what your competitors did to solve their problem and copy it. Or, if they still have the same problem, fix it and gain a competitive advantage.
An Example
A great example of fixing a serious problem is what many businesses initially had about mobile responsiveness. Before Google added mobile responsiveness as a ranking factor, many websites' bounce rates were well over 60—just because of this one factor.
Now that Google has made companies aware that their content must be readable on mobile devices, everyone’s bounce rates decreased significantly after making the shift. (And if you didn’t know to do that, now you do.)
Key Takeaway
Understand the “how bad” with data before devising your “how to fix it.” The cheapest and easiest way to gauge the severity of your sales funnel leak is to check out the 11 Laws of Sales Funnel Physics and see where your funnel is impacted.
Sales Funnel Leak Fix Step #4: Data Will Tell You the Truth
If the first steps are qualitative ways to fix your sales funnel, then this one is quantitative.
Your sales funnel data suggests a problem—perhaps a bottleneck or reduced click-through rates. However, you’re unsure if this is the underlying issue’s root cause or a symptom. Your funnel data is talking, but are you fluent in its language?
How To Identify the Problem
Translating your data requires you to trace the customer journey from start to finish. See if the promises and expectations at the beginning of the funnel align with the content and benefits delivered downstream.
Maybe the email subject lines aren’t clear or not sufficiently connected to the content. Approach your data holistically, don’t just focus on where the funnel bottlenecks. Tools like Google Analytics and ActiveCampaign are lifesavers for identifying problems.
How To Fix the Problem
The actual problem might be value proposition misalignment. Decipher your data by identifying your unique value and ensuring it caters to your audience’s needs and aspirations:
- Keep your proposition clear and concise, avoiding jargon that could confuse your audience.
- Use A/B testing in Google Analytics (see the picture above testing images vs. videos) to confirm what elements resonate best with your customers.
- The work doesn’t stop once you’ve found a value proposition that works. Consumer needs and the market in general change over time, so you must continuously revisit and refine your value proposition.
An Example
This is kind of like having your mechanic diagnose a clanging sound in a car engine after a child has just thrown a wrench into it.
At AutoGrow, we once observed a slump in sales despite a robust beginning of the sales funnel. The open rates after the initial email had dwindled, which we suspected was a factor contributing to the lowered sales.
Upon examining the content of the emails, we realized that the image quality was subpar, and the text lacked the necessary clarity and persuasiveness. To rectify this, we made significant edits to the emails' content, improving the image quality and refining the text.
We also adjusted the copy of the lead magnet landing page to align more closely with the emails' content, ensuring a smoother transition for leads and hence, improving the quality of the leads.
The effect was immediate—sales went back up. The data from ActiveCampaign told us our open rates had dropped off (clang, clang), so we popped the hood, fixed some old parts, tested some new parts, and got our engine running smoothly again.
Key Takeaway
Remember, data is the Rosetta Stone of your business. Deciphering it can reveal not just the “what” but the “why” of your problems.
Sales Funnel Leak Fix Step #5: Repair and Replace
Your traffic might be high, but the low conversions could indicate too much friction or a need for more clarity in your funnel.
How To Identify the Problem
Turn your Sherlock Holmes mode on and get to the bottom of this. Check for any literal or conceptual broken parts in your funnel. Here’s a quick list of issues that I have come across:
- Broken links
- Misaligned copy (wrong expectations or unfulfilled promises from one funnel step to the next)
- Typos
- Not mobile optimized
- High bounce rates
- Bad/poor copy tone
- Lack of clarity
- Too much friction (e.g. excessive form fields/hoops to jump through)
- Lack of visibility of key calls to action or key info
- You’re going to the spam folder and don’t know it
Conceptual issues, on the other hand, can include poor value propositions or misaligned expectations. Paying attention to every detail, from value and clarity to alignment and friction, is essential. (The “11 Laws of Sales Funnel Physics” can be a valuable guide.)
How To Fix the Problem
Grab your tools, and let’s get fixing.
- Remove the faulty parts (broken links, typos, etc.) using tools like broken link checkers, Grammarly (fixes spelling and grammar), and Hemmingway (tells you how easy your content is to read).
- You might also need to revise your value proposition, streamline your forms, or redesign an entire landing page. Do anything that better aligns with your customer’s pain points and needs.
- Enlist the help of a professional company (like AutoGrow) to help you fix and align your sales funnel.
An Example
For a long time, I wanted our web app to be the main feature of AutoGrow. I spent a lot of time with our designers (and took inspiration from Steve Jobs on minimalistic design with maximum function) to create an easy-to-use web app that clients would love.
However, I soon realized this wasn’t the main selling point resonating with our customers. They liked the web app, but it wasn’t the primary sales driver. I dug into some data and found that the people at AutoGrow are the real selling feature and the heart of this company. Once I found the leak and replaced focusing on the web app with concentrating more on the people, our sales took off again.
Key Takeaway
Regularly auditing your funnel, identifying issues, and replacing faulty parts with better ones will ensure your engine runs smoothly and delivers the desired outcome: sales.
Sales Funnel Leak Fix Step #6: Metrics Matter
One of the most common issues in sales funnel optimization is not tracking the correct numbers or, in some cases, not tracking at all.
How To Identify the Problem
Identifying the main data issue is simple: if you aren’t monitoring your data, you will have a sales funnel leak (and you won’t even know it).
For instance, tracking basic metrics like conversion rate, bounce rate, and average session duration is essential. More specific ones, such as cart abandonment rate or average order value, are also pivotal, especially for particular business types.
How To Fix the Problem
You’ll need to put on your technology cap for this one and use some software.
- Pinpoint critical metrics to provide the most insight into your funnel’s performance. The metrics you choose will depend on your specific business and marketing goals.
- Use tools like Google Analytics and a spreadsheet to track these metrics. Gain insights into visitor interactions with your website.
- Track small user actions (micro conversions) and ultimate goals (macro conversions). This will help you better understand your funnel’s performance.
An Example
At AutoGrow, deep data analysis always proves crucial, this time for an email sales funnel issue when conversions started dropping off. We dug into our subscriber data and found a strange correlation (which is actually more common than you might think) between the buying potential of a customer and the email address they used.
For example, users with professional Gmail or company branded emails (@autogrow.co, for instance) engaged more and moved further in the sales funnel than those with generic or nonprofessional addresses (like, [email protected]).
As soon as we weeded out the non-professional email addresses, we could prioritize and tailor our marketing efforts and messaging to those more interested in our services, increasing our open rates.
Key Takeaway
Focus less on finding the perfect tool or trick and more on executing strategies based on insightful, actionable data.
Sales Funnel Leak Fix Step #7: Patience, Interaction, and Iteration
The last problem with sales funnels is not being patient to see if it’s fixed. This can cause businesses to overlook market fit or product/service quality issues, leading to stagnating or declining results.
Identifying the Problem
Just as all these rising interest rates take time to affect the economy, your sales numbers will take some time to return to normal. However, be aware that if your numbers don’t start to rise again after a few months, this may indicate deeper issues—such as unsuitable market targeting or inherent product/service problems.
Fixing the Problem
Patience is vital. If you don’t wait, you might start fixing something that isn’t broken… and of course… if it ain’t broke—don’t fix it.
- Allow time for changes to have an effect, and continue engaging with your audience, collecting feedback, and identifying emerging patterns.
- Regularly conduct customer surveys to understand their experiences better and use social listening tools for industry insights.
- Constantly check in on your sales funnel (but be wary of making “improvements” that may cause unintended misalignment—if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it). Seek external help if necessary, don’t be afraid to pivot, and always be open to change. Changing your product, service, or offer should be a last resort, but it could save you years of slumping sales in the long run.
An Example
PayPal offers an interesting example. Initially, PayPal faced significant challenges in its user acquisition and retention strategies. However, they didn't rush for quick solutions.
Instead, they demonstrated patience by continuously interacting with users to identify their needs, preferences, and issues. They analyzed these patterns and steadily iterated their product and services to better align with the customer's requirements.
One such change was introducing the "One Touch" feature, which allowed users to stay logged in on their devices for faster checkout. This feature was implemented based on user feedback and their observation of user behavior.
PayPal's slow but steady approach paid off, increasing user growth and retention. It didn't happen instantly, but with patience, continuous interaction, and constant iteration, PayPal could rectify the leaks in its sales funnel and grow its business (maybe you’ve heard of them? ).
Key Takeaway
The journey to a seamless sales funnel is a marathon requiring consistent learning, patience, and adaptability. You need to give your funnel time to recover before making any more drastic changes.
Conclusion
You’ve probably noticed that testing is critical to fix your sales funnel leaks. A/B testing will give you the data you need that only tells you where the leaks are but how severe they are and the best way to fix them.
Getting under the hood and beginning to test everything is the best way to find leaks. If you don’t know how to do this, find someone who does. Any amount you pay them will likely be less than the cost of losing customers to leaky sales funnels.
Now, let’s quickly revisit the salient points we’ve covered in this article:
- We shared a top-of-funnel example from AutoGrow’s archives that underscored how a detailed analysis of your sales funnel could spotlight hidden issues and lead to game-changing adjustments.
- We discussed shifting from a quantitative diagnosis to a quantitative one. Sometimes a fresh perspective on how your funnel looks and sounds to outsiders is needed.
- We underlined the power of identifying the severity of the problem and how AutoGrow (and you) could use a little elbow grease to fix the leak, giving an edge over the competition.
- We examined the importance of understanding and leveraging your data, highlighted by an AutoGrow success story of finding and fixing misaligned email campaign messaging.
- We provided insight into how to fix leaks using tried and tested methods using the “11 Laws of Sales Funnel Physics.”
- Diving deep into the significance of tracking relevant data, an AutoGrow example showed the relevance of what data you should be monitoring ([email protected]).
- Patience, interaction, and iteration. Our final point emphasized why patience and continuous learning are the foundation stones of success and how, after all of this, if your sales funnel still doesn’t work, it might be time for a massive change in your product or service.
If you’re looking for support to apply these insights to your business, reach out to AutoGrow—your reliable marketing companion. We’re here to assist with everything, from sales funnel creation and web design to copywriting (and aligning it all) and beyond.
Lastly, we’d love to hear from you. Which of these steps resonated with you the most? Do you have any experiences or insights you’d like to share? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
Keep AutoGrowin’, stay focused.
Image Bibliography
Step 1: https://visionalliance.com.au/sales-funnel/ , https://www.speedhunters.com/2013/05/project-z-l28s-and-heartbreak/
Step 2: https://www.hubspot.com/customer-feedback , https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/your-customer-journey-choking-sales-funnel-mariam-a-buahin/ , https://www.webprofits.com.au/blog/airbnb-growth-strategy
Step 3: https://neilpatel.com/blog/bounce-rate-accuracy/
Step 4: https://neilpatel.com/blog/how-to-run-an-ab-test-in-google-analytics/
Step 5: Autogrow image
Step 6: https://www.productivityplusva.ca/blog/5-sales-funnel-metrics-to-track
Step 7: https://www.everydayhealth.com/emotional-health/patience/guide/ , https://gizarena.com/paypal-one-touch-india/
