The Simplified Funnel: Are People Still Selling From the DMs?

If you've been in business for any length of time, you're probably familiar with the terms "sales funnel" or "marketing funnel". And you've probably jumped down a few rabbit holes, leaving you more overwhelmed with yet another task to add to that ever-growing to-do list.

While there is a difference between a sales funnel and a marketing funnel we'll save that for another article.

If you're a new teacherpreneur with less than a handful of sales under your belt, it's important to understand you don't need complicated bells and whistles (yet) to market your business and/or to make consistent sales.

You can get your business in front of ideal prospective clients, guide them towards the sale, all while using a simplified funnel.

Eventually, automation will be a lifesaver down the road, but if you want to make more sales and serve more clients (or even just get your first one!), you can get started right now with what you have. Whether you have a website or not, a "lead magnet" or not... you can get started marketing your business and making sales no matter where you are in the process.

If you're more of a Type-A -- gotta have all the right components in place -- the simplified approach may be a hard pill to swallow or all-out triggering. But if you've been wrestling with Analysis Paralysis, I encourage you to continue reading, complete the action steps, and make your next sale.. the simplified way.

So why am I such an advocate for teacherpreneurs making sales without all the complicated back-end software? Well, let's take a trip down memory lane.

The year is 2015. I had been running a very low-key (#introvert) online "spiritual" business since 2009. I LOVED creating my own graphics and workbooks, launching products, selling, and engaging with my audience. I was the face of the business which meant being on camera. A lot. And for an introvert it felt like so much work.

However, one thing I always excelled at was creating a funnel! I could garner brand awareness and lead a prospect straight to the sale with my eyes closed. That's not to be braggadocious, that's just stating the facts. I understood what my end offer was, how it could potentially transform lives and alleviate a client's pain points, and I would reverse engineer that baby like nobody's business!

Essentially I would sell (what I considered to be) high-end packages straight from Periscope. And I had a somewhat basic funnel (compared to what these tech-savvy kids are doing these days). It went something like this:

Phase 1. Live stream to create brand awareness (and social proof) with a Call-to-Action sending my audience to a free Opt-in/Lead Magnet (a 5-day Challenge workbook full of actionable content).

Phase 2. Prospects sign up for a free workbook which includes a call-to-action within the workbook to join the Facebook community for more support.

Phase 3. At the end of the 5-day challenge invite people to a free value-giving Sales Call/Assessment with me.

Phase 4. During the call ask probing questions to further understand their pain points (this information would be used for future products and/or in marketing/sales copy) and see if I could support them in our work together. If I felt I could help them get results I'd sell them into the high-end program from the call. If the high-end offer was too much of an investment, I'd offer them an evergreen (course, workbook, etc.) option at a much lower price point.

Now although this is considered basic (not necessarily simplified, so keep reading for the simple version!), there were a lot of steps and I distinctly remember many late nights crafting copy and creating graphics on Canva 'til the wee hours of the morning. But that's launching, baby!

And I loved every bit of the funnel-creation process! I'm obsessed with funnels. It was the in-front-of-the-camera part of the process I didn't care for.

Thank God for behind-the-scenes virtual work! Because in 2015 I also decided to dip my toe into the world of project management and business operations for small businesses. That's when I discovered how to simplify a funnel and the power of it. I was selling customized marketing and sales blueprints straight from the DMs!! And I didn't have to slide into anyone's DM, they were sliding into mine!

Now that I'm older and wiser (and have a lot more experience in funnel creation), there are a few things I would have done differently, such as have a high-end management and operations offer where I'd actually have a team implement and manage the client's funnel after the initial blueprint session. You live and you learn.

So let's fast forward to today and your unique business.

What is stopping you from selling your high-end program, offer, or service?

There are plenty of high-earning business owners who were once in the same boat as you -- they knew they had to make sales ASAP, they knew their service provided transformative results, and they knew they needed to get out of their own way in order to shift from dreaming about a goal to being the person that has already achieved the goal.

Your ideal clients are waiting for your problem-solving product to come into their awareness, so here are 2 action steps you can take to simplify your funnel and enroll your next client into your high-end offer TODAY:

1. Reverse Engineer It! - Take your high-end offer and break it up into several bite-sized chunks (like toddler chicken nugget-sized). This is going to be your free offer. Whether you're in Facebook groups sharing tips, or posting selfies on IG, PROVIDE VALUE. In the beginning, the very first bite-sized chunk from your program is all you're going to talk about every time you post. You can repurpose this content in many different ways so that you're getting your brand out there, being of service, and gaining more data on what your people are struggling with.
2. Commit to Pitch! - You're in business to solve a problem, so pitch what you offer. Someone's going to catch it! I promise. If you use language that speaks to your audience's pain point, their interests will be piqued. With a simplified funnel you're not pitching your high-end offer just yet -- save that for people who are committed to upleveling their growth. You're going to pitch the next step in the simplified funnel. Maybe that's a 1:1 phone call with you. That's how I do it. Remember, this is simple. Maybe the next step in your customer's journey is a downloadable gift (that doesn't require you setting up complicated Mailchimp automation). That's fine too! You can collect their phone number or their email and enter the data into your Customer Relationship Management software later. (This method works as well. An Arabic teacher I watch uses this method to get students interested in enrolling in their courses.)

And this is just ONE of many ways to create a simplified funnel.

We humans tend to over complicate so many things. But building a relationship with customers and clients shouldn't have to be one of them. If you believe your services are positively impactful, you deserve to get them in front of the people you know will benefit from working with you.

Don't let automation and systems be a barrier between you and your prospective clients' transformation. If someone has expressed genuine interest in knowing more about what you do/offer, then YES! -- you absolutely can hop into their DM, spark up a conversation, and even land the sale! It's your funnel, simplified.

Ready to REDUCE overwhelm, SCALE your business, and OUTSOURCE funnel creation to someone who actually loves business ?

Discover a Roadmap to Grow Your Business Joyfully!

Jessica Daniel is a digitally-nomadic, world-schooling mama from the Midwest, currently exploring the Middle East. Her company, Teacher's Helper??, provides remote project management and business operations to Teacherpreneurs and Edupreneurs, helping them launch, grow, and scale their businesses and increase their revenue. Jessica is an Early Childhood Educator by trade and holds a certification in Project Management, allowing her to be the strategic partner Edupreneurs trust.