Where Are You Stuck in the Sales Funnel? A Practical Guide for Startups & Scaleups

Growing a startup or scaleup means constantly fine-tuning your sales funnel to convert more leads into customers. But what if your funnel isn’t working as expected? Are people dropping off before they even engage, or are they getting close to purchasing but never converting?

If you’re struggling with sales, the first step is diagnosing where you’re stuck. We will look at how to pinpoint the problem and give some practical fixes to optimise each stage of your funnel.

Stages of a Sales Funnel

Your sales funnel is the journey potential customers take from awareness to conversion. It typically includes:

Diagnose the problem – where are you losing people?

If you're unsure where to start, use this quick diagnostic checklist:

• Low website traffic? → Awareness problem
• High traffic but low engagement? → Interest problem
• Engaged users but no signups? → Consideration problem
• Signups but few purchases? → Intent problem
• High drop-off at checkout? → Conversion problem

Fix the sticking points in your funnel

Let’s look at how we can fix each stage of the funnel.

1. If you're stuck at awareness (Not enough traffic or leads)

• Optimise your SEO strategy with relevant keywords.
• Create valuable, shareable content (blogs, videos, social media).
• Run paid ads targeting your ideal audience.
• Leverage partnerships, PR, and guest appearances.

Quick Fix: Use LinkedIn and industry forums to engage with your target audience and drive inbound interest.

2. If you're stuck at Interest (people visit but don’t engage)

• Improve website design and messaging clarity.
• Offer lead magnets (e.g., free guides, webinars etc).
• Make your call-to-action (CTA) clear and compelling.
• Use chatbots or live chat to capture interest in real-time.

Quick Fix: Test different headlines and CTAs to see what grabs attention.

3. If you're stuck at consideration (people engage but don’t convert to leads)

• Build trust with testimonials, case studies, and social proof.
• Provide an easy-to-navigate comparison of features and benefits.
• Address objections head-on with an FAQ or demo videos.
• Personalise follow-ups based on user activity.

Quick Fix: Add a “Why Choose Us?” section with real results and clear differentiation from competitors.

4. If You're stuck at intent (they’re interested but not buying)

• Streamline your sales process (e.g., reduce friction in booking a call).
• Offer incentives like limited-time discounts or free trials.
• Ensure pricing is clear and easy to understand.
• Follow up consistently via email or retargeting ads.

Quick Fix: Send a follow-up email with a case study and a limited-time offer to nudge hesitant buyers.

5. If you're stuck at conversion (people start but don’t complete the purchase)

• Simplify the checkout process (fewer clicks, clearer forms).
• Add multiple payment options.
• Reduce distractions on checkout pages.
• Use urgency (e.g., “Only 3 spots left!”).

Quick Fix: Implement an abandoned cart email sequence with a compelling reason to return.

Test & Optimise Continuously

It is super important that even after fixing issues, you keep refining and testing to optimise your sales funnel continuously:

• A/B test different headlines, CTAs, and page layouts.
• Monitor analytics weekly and adjust based on data.
• Automate lead nurturing with email sequences.
• Get direct customer feedback through calls or surveys.

Final Checklist: Is your sales funnel Working?

Use this final checklist to ensure your funnel is optimised:

? Our website gets consistent, high-quality traffic.

? Our visitors engage with our content and offers.

? We capture leads effectively with lead magnets or direct CTAs.

? Our sales process is clear, simple, and compelling.

? We follow up with leads and nurture them with relevant content.

? Our checkout or sign-up process is seamless with no friction points.

If you checked all the boxes and are still struggling, it might be time for a deeper sales strategy review. Book a 1-hour Micro-Consultancy strategy session with an expert from OSER, and let's get you back on track:

https://www.oser.io/startups/startups-micro-consultancy-session