A sales funnel is a complete journey that a lead takes until he decides to buy an item or a service. Most of the time, internet advertisers use a landing page to market products and then convince the customer to make a purchase. Some, however, do not use a single-page website. They create a sales funnel within the website itself.
Both approaches work if done right. Those that use a single page-funnel do not need a fully functional website. Most of the time, they sell only one product or service, such as an online course. Others, however, need something more. In cases like this, they build a sales funnel along with their websites.
But what makes a good sales funnel that can almost guarantee a sale? Let us take a look at the top nine sales funnel examples where you can get ideas to improve your marketing strategy.
1. Netflix
- Industry: Movie streaming
- Number of Funnel Stages: 4
Everyone knows who Netflix is and what it does. It changed the way how people watch movies. Instead of renting a movie or buying a DVD, Netflix started the subscription-based service where people can watch as many movies as they want for a small price.
The site’s sales funnel has a total of five stages. These are:
- Lead page
- Choose your plan
- Sign-up
- Order form
On the lead page, the offer is very clear. You will get 30 days of free service from Netflix, and then you will be billed after that. It also clearly says that Netflix will send you a reminder three days before the free trial ends so you can decide if you want to cancel or not.
This is a great funnel that you can get an idea from because it has a clear offer and there is a clear call-to-action button. If you click on the TRY 30 DAYS FREE button, the sales funnel will take you to the next stages.
As you go to the pricing page, you will see the differences between the plans. There are three columns for the plans, and then there are rows of services. The checkmarks show which of these services are available, and on which plans.
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After this, you just have to click CONTINUE, then create your account, where you can create your password and account name. After you create an account, you need to fill out the order form, which includes your billing information, and then confirm your email address to log into your account finally.
Why it works: the sales funnel is straightforward, clear, and there are only four steps to complete it.
2. CrazyEgg
- Industry: Web analytics
- Number of Funnel Stages: 4
Crazy Egg is for online business people who want to learn how people are behaving on their websites. The service allows you to see a heat map of your website, and then you can take actions on what to improve if people are not staying longer on a page where you want them to stay.
The stages are:
- Lead page
- Sign-up
- Choose a plan
- Order form
Once you get to the lead page, which is also the home page, you will see that it is almost empty. However, it tells you to enter your website URL so you can check your heat map. Below the page is a link where you can learn more. What this means is that the start of the sales funnel offers two options: learn more or check your website’s heat map.
If you click Learn More, you will get to know the features and benefits of subscribing. If you type your website URL, you will be taken to the sign-up page, then you have to choose your plan type, then complete your billing information.
Why it works: the sales funnel offers only two options at the start, and then there is a free trial for 30 days for consumers to see how the service works.
3. ClickFunnels
- Industry: Web marketing tools
- Number of Funnel Stages: 4
If sales funnel is the game, then ClickFunnels is the name. Since ClickFunnels is selling a service and a tool for people to create sales funnels, it is only natural for the company to create one of the best sales funnels in the world today.
These are the sales funnel steps:
- Landing page
- Pricing and plan selection
- Sign-up page
- Order form
The funnel starts with an in-depth description of the service. The landing page is a long one, complete with different sections that have lots of details like features, benefits, videos, how the service works, and so much more. On each section, you will see a call-to-action button that says the trial is free for 14 days.
If you click that button, you will choose between two plans, and you can review the services you would get from each plan. The next step is to sign-up, provide your billing information, and then you can now use the service.
Why it works: the ClickFunnels sales funnel works because the landing page is complete with everything that a customer has to know about the service. It has testimonials, features and benefits, and FAQ section.
4. MailChimp
- Industry: Web marketing tools
- Number of Funnel Stages: 4
Like ClickFunnels, MailChimp is a tool where you can build landing pages and automate your email campaigns. The sales funnel is effective as it only has four steps, plus the funnel offers a clean presentation and easy navigation.
Here are the steps to complete the sales funnel:
- Home page
- Choose a plan
- Sign-up and enter billing information
- Activate your account
The home page is the secret to success. There are only a few choices on the menu bar, and if a person hovers the mouse on there, the menus will show all the links where they can learn more. The home page is long, complete with product descriptions, why you need to use the service, and how it will help you as a business person.
Why it works: the MailChimp sales funnel works because of simplicity. The lead page does not look cluttered, and it is easy to understand what the company is offering. The pricing page is also very clear, and you can choose the kind of plan that suits your business. The sign-up is short and sweet, and those who are interested in buying are not likely to abandon the process.
5. Hulu
- Industry: Movie streaming
- Number of Funnel Stages: 4
Like Netflix, Hulu offers movie steaming services, including TV shows. The sales funnel is made of only four steps, and the home page is the key to its success.
These are the funnel stages:
- Home page
- Choose a plan
- Sign-up
- Complete your billing information
At the home page, the lead or customer can see right away that the service offered is movie streaming. You can watch all the TV you want for a monthly price, which starts at $5.99. There is a FREE TRIAL button below the offer, and there is an upsell information there, too. It says that you can buy add-ons like HBO, STARZ, and other channels.
Why it works: the sales funnel works because the home page, the top of it, says it all. There is really nothing for a customer to click except to sign-up for a free trial or to log-in to his account, the home page also shows a lot of movies that can attract the lead to subscribe, plus it also has the pricing page.
6. Udimi
- Industry: Web marketing tool
- Number of Funnel Stages: 2
Udimi is a solo ad platform. You can build a marketing campaign and send your email to thousands of people. You do not have to build an email list, as you only need to choose from the email list of the platform. This is a service used by marketers and advertising agencies who do not have the time to build a massive list of email subscribers.
These are the funnel stages:
- Home page
- Sign-up
At the home page, the site clearly tells you right away that you will get visitors, opt-ins, and sales if you use it. Not tomorrow, but today. There is a button that says ONE-CLICK REGISTRATION, and this tells you that it is easy to sign up.
Why it works: the message is clear at the top, and the sign-up takes less than 30 seconds. There is no price point as the membership is free. By the time you complete your sign-up page, you are now hooked to studying the service and buying your email marketing campaign packages.
7. Coursera
- Industry: Online education
- Number of Funnel Stages: 4
Coursera is a website where you can pay for your education on just about anything. You can even get a degree here. It is one of the biggest online learning platforms in the world, and it has a partnership with many universities and big companies.
These are the funnel stages:
- Home page
- Sign-up
- Use the service
- Choose a course or buy a package
The home page of Coursera shows a person learning. On that page, you can easily click a button that says JOIN FOR FREE. There are only three options at the top menu, and these are For Enterprise, Log In, and Join for Free.
Below that home page are details about how it works, a list of the global companies that use the service, and links where you can learn more. If you sign-up, you can use the service immediately, and then just choose a plan later.
Why it works: this sales funnel works because it does not attempt to sell. Instead, it tells you that you are being offered free education that you can access at the comfort of your home. The home page tells the site visitor that it is free to join, so he will not be worried about the cost.
8. Udacity
- Industry: Online education
- Number of Funnel Stages: 4
Like Coursera, Udacity offers online education. What we can learn from the sales funnel is that there is a search box where you can type what you want to learn. If the search provides a result that you are looking for, then you are likely to sign-up for an account.
Here are the funnel stages:
- Home page
- Sign-up
- Select a plan
- Complete your payment
The sign-up process is easy, and the home page tells you that if you use the service, you will get something in return. The benefit is that if you study in Udacity, you can use what you have learned to make money.
Why it works: it works because the home page allows the site visitor the freedom to search, and it offers a clear benefit. You spend money, then you will earn money from you have learned.
9. BuilderAll
- Industry: Web development
- Number of Funnel Stages: 4
Our last example is a website-building platform. BuilderAll allows you to create functional websites for all types of niches. You can also create an e-commerce store.
Here are the funnel stages:
- Home page
- Sign-up
- Choose a plan
- Complete the billing information
The home page of BuilderAll is rich with information. From there, a site visitor can easily find out if this company can provide the service he is looking for. The top of the page says it all; you can build more than a website.
After you create an account, you can choose from the different plans, and then complete the checkout. After that, you can use the service right away.
Why it works: it works because the home page funnel is complete with everything a lead has to know, and the sales funnel steps are easy to follow.
Summary
To be able to build a successful sales funnel, you must keep the steps to less than five steps. As you can see from your example, most of them only have four steps. Use the techniques that they use, like limiting the options of the site visitors, or offering free services for a limited amount of time.