Stop Working On A Sales Funnel And Build A GrowthStack Instead

A simple Google search for ‘sales funnel’ yields over 41 million results and images of a funnel-shaped graphic that’s supposed to represent the direction your potential audience flows through to become a paying customer. 

But what does any of it mean and how can you use it in your business?

At its most basic, Donald Miller defines a Sales Funnel as “a way to capture and convert leads,” to move them from curiosity to enlightenment, and finally into commitment. His version includes a one-liner, website, lead generator, nurture campaign, and sales campaign built up in a pyramid. 

It’s all well and good to intellectually understand what a sales funnel is and does for your company, but what about applying it to the ins and outs of what you do every day to attract and serve your potential customers? How does that work?

What a Sales Funnel Is (And Why It’s Impractical)

To be clear, having a sales funnel is better than not having one. Any system in place that sets you up to market and sell your services/products is better than not having a system in place at all. 

However, a funnel is an antiquated version of a one-way process that everyone has tried and worn out. 

It doesn’t necessarily scale with your business. It doesn’t take into account the cyclical nature of sales and how you might want to sell to the same person more than once. And, more importantly, it doesn’t help you when something like a pandemic hits and your entire system has to pivot to working from home. 

Not only that, but a sales funnel doesn’t describe why you’re doing any of the things it’s telling you to do, which makes it harder to measure your ROI and to know what’s actually moving the needle forward so you can repeat that thing again and again. 

Essentially, the sales funnel system is one way to take a prospect and turn them into a contact record, but it’s not the only one and certainly not the best one. 

Why Do You Need a System Anyway?

If you don’t have a contact record of your prospects, you can’t sell to them. And if you can’t sell to them, your business will fail. 

At the same time, you want to take your business in a specific direction. And if you don’t define that direction for yourself, your employees, and your customers, no one will know what that direction is or how to get there. 

A system enables you to find prospects turn them into customers, and, consequently, to stay in business. 

The right system will meet your customers where they are—namely, a safe and comfortable distance away, quietly observing their options; will speak to them in ways they will understand and engage—using the concepts of story; and will deliver on all the promises you make, build trust by doing so, and entice them into purchasing from you because of all that. 

What’s the Right System? The Business GrowthStack.

Where a sales funnel pushes your leads down a one-way path, a Business GrowthStack is similar to any other sort of stacking system with which you’re probably already familiar: a TechStack, a TalentStack, etc. 

It has layered systems that stack on top of each other and work together to continually and repeatably reach your audience and solve their problems. 

No matter where they’re hanging out. Such that even my dog Fern, who only allows people to come to her at her speed and in her way could be reached. If you were trying to sell to her, that is—and since she doesn’t have a credit card, she’s probably not in your target market, but hey, you never know. 

No matter what technology you choose to use. What’s the new one these days? Tick Tock? 

And no matter how things change within the socioeconomic culture. Unless, of course, you know when to expect something like a pandemic, in which case, you’re probably good. 

This means you can keep making money no matter what, because you’ve set yourself up with a solid foundation that scales with you, is unique to your business, and will always be applicable.

But What Is the GrowthStack Really?

The Business GrowthStack is a strategic initiative on how you identify a prospect, turn them into a contact record, and continue to build a relationship with them so they turn into a customer not just once, but over and over again. 

The GrowthStack layers:

• Strategy: Strategic Campaigns
• Technology: Automation (both Marketing and Sales)
• Communication: Clear Messaging

Whether you’re using social media, video messaging, landing pages, your own website, or someone out on the street corner yelling at everyone who passes by—something I don’t recommend ever, let alone in quarantine when there’s no one to really yell at—the technology, strategy, and communication are up to you. 

The important part is to build them together into a system grounded in your clear messaging language so that you build trust with your customers and actually give them what they expect. 

Basically, you make it easy for them to find you, to understand you solve their specific problems, and to engage with you by centering your strategy on their needs and expectations. And, you deliver on every promise you make along the way. 

Still Having Trouble?

Look, we know what it’s like to work a full-time job—or more—to have a family, to deal with quarantine, and to then add marketing to your plate. We get what it’s like to see this stuff and not know how to apply it to your specific business. 

We help people do this all the time. 

If you’ve tried to implement a sales funnel and it hasn’t changed anything, we get how frustrating that can be. 

If you have no idea where to start and it all seems overwhelming, we understand that too. 

We’ve developed a system to teach you all about the elements of the GrowthStack and how to apply them to your business so that you can start to see measurable ROI today. 

Let us show you how you can succeed at implementing a Business GrowthStack and how it can help your business grow and thrive, even in quarantine. Join the QuickStart Academy and learn how to create your own Business GrowthStack from the comfort of your home.

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