Sales funnels have evolved, have you heard?
Posted: Sat Jan 18, 2025 5:37 am
If you visit the marketing and sales departments of a modern office, you’re likely to come across a funnel chart, hear about it, or even have to draw one yourself. For years, companies have successfully designed their business strategies around the funnel. However, in recent times, marketers, sales reps, and executives have discovered that this methodology is no longer as effective. Today, customer recommendations and word of mouth are the most influential factors in the buying process , which means that denmark email list the funnel has a crucial flaw: it views customers as a consequence, rather than a motivating force. Funnels generate customers, but they don’t consider how those customers can help you grow. This is where the customer-driven cycle comes in.
Why switch to the customer-based cycle?
Sales funnels have evolved, have you noticed?
The customer-based cycle model is a more comprehensive and unified way to represent the forces that affect the growth of your business.
The actions that each team takes in a company affect every other team. Your marketing data affects how quickly prospects move through the sales process; your sales processes affect the likelihood that prospects will become successful, satisfied customers; and, of course, your customer service and support activities affect whether your customers become promoters—people who recommend or tell other colleagues about your company.
Today, 57% of B2B purchasing processes are completed before buyers interact with suppliers, and buyers aren’t paying attention to your company’s marketing materials when making a decision—product reviews on third-party sites, recommendations, and word of mouth play a bigger role in making purchasing decisions than ever before. Meanwhile, trust in businesses is plummeting: 81% of buyers trust recommendations from family and friends more than business advice, and 55% report that they trust the companies they used to buy from less than before.
Conversations happen on more channels and between more people. The marketing funnel was a clear example of how buyers used to learn about certain products: they found or received marketing materials, had to talk to sales reps to find out more, and only then did they become customers.
However, today's buyers make decisions differently. They ask their networks for advice, look for mentions of your company on social media, and you can bet they read reviews of your products or services on third-party sites.
The traditional funnel model doesn't take these factors into account, and because they're linear, funnels don't reveal the expectations that come with a great product or exceptional customer experience, or the obstacles you face when your processes start to slow growth.
The customer-driven cycle model brings all of these factors together. By removing the interferences that come from your internal processes, you can get the wheel turning and grow faster. Most importantly, when you combine it with the inbound methodologyThe wheel model reveals the importance of customer experience. The delight stage powers the attraction stage of the inbound methodology because it is clear that the way you treat your customers affects the opinions that prospects hear about your company.
Simply put, the customer-driven cycle provides a more complete picture of where your business is growing the fastest, revealing the greatest opportunities.
Why switch to the customer-based cycle?
Sales funnels have evolved, have you noticed?
The customer-based cycle model is a more comprehensive and unified way to represent the forces that affect the growth of your business.
The actions that each team takes in a company affect every other team. Your marketing data affects how quickly prospects move through the sales process; your sales processes affect the likelihood that prospects will become successful, satisfied customers; and, of course, your customer service and support activities affect whether your customers become promoters—people who recommend or tell other colleagues about your company.
Today, 57% of B2B purchasing processes are completed before buyers interact with suppliers, and buyers aren’t paying attention to your company’s marketing materials when making a decision—product reviews on third-party sites, recommendations, and word of mouth play a bigger role in making purchasing decisions than ever before. Meanwhile, trust in businesses is plummeting: 81% of buyers trust recommendations from family and friends more than business advice, and 55% report that they trust the companies they used to buy from less than before.
Conversations happen on more channels and between more people. The marketing funnel was a clear example of how buyers used to learn about certain products: they found or received marketing materials, had to talk to sales reps to find out more, and only then did they become customers.
However, today's buyers make decisions differently. They ask their networks for advice, look for mentions of your company on social media, and you can bet they read reviews of your products or services on third-party sites.
The traditional funnel model doesn't take these factors into account, and because they're linear, funnels don't reveal the expectations that come with a great product or exceptional customer experience, or the obstacles you face when your processes start to slow growth.
The customer-driven cycle model brings all of these factors together. By removing the interferences that come from your internal processes, you can get the wheel turning and grow faster. Most importantly, when you combine it with the inbound methodologyThe wheel model reveals the importance of customer experience. The delight stage powers the attraction stage of the inbound methodology because it is clear that the way you treat your customers affects the opinions that prospects hear about your company.
Simply put, the customer-driven cycle provides a more complete picture of where your business is growing the fastest, revealing the greatest opportunities.