How Moving Down the Sales Funnel is Like a Long Term Relationship

Getting and maintaining a long-term relationship can be a difficult thing.

It's easy to go on a lot of first dates but are you doing the right things to make it last.

After hundreds of first dates and none of them leading to anywhere, you might have hundreds of questions running through your mind.

Have you ever considered that your dating life finally turning into a long-term relationship could be related to attracting visitors and moving them down the sales funnel?

It's actually true.

Before you start thinking, no way. That cannot be possible. Ask yourself these questions:

1. What are the steps involved in the middle of the sales funnel?

2. What's necessary to do before you put a ring on your consumers finger and get them to start promoting for your company?

Unless you want to look like a stage 5 clinger, you're not going to ask someone to marry you on the first date. Therefore, leads are not going to start promoting for you right away.

It's all about effectively attracting those first time visitors and turning them into long term relationships.

Turning First Time Visitors Into Long-Term Relationships

The First Date

It all starts with the first date.

The person across the table is clearly attracted to you, so you need to show them that you're the right person. They are already at your website or blog, now you want them to keep coming back.

You can do this by continuing to blog and educate them. Ask the person on another date, invite them to read more about your company. Bring the person on fun dates; never have a dull moment with them.

By providing the consumer with strong content you are enticing them to come back for more. Let the person know that you want to take the relationship to the next step. Provide CTA's for the consumer so they can click and get a new offer to learn more.

You're trying to turn this common visitor into a lead. Make your CTA's attractive so they want to click, you wouldn't show up to a date wearing sweat pants and a ripped t-shirt.

Meeting The Parents

The dreaded step of meeting the parents, I don't think I've ever been excited to meet a girlfriends parents.

I always put on my nicest clothes and make sure I don't say anything to make me look stupid. Think of meeting the parents as your landing page.

This is were the person you are in a relationship with lets you into their personal life. A landing page should have instructions on what the person will receive from this offer and how to move forward with the process. Just like meeting the parents for the first time you want to be on your best behavior, show them why you are a good person for their son/daughter.

On a landing page they have to give up some type of information to get the offer. A landing page can be a sensitive area because as soon as people see that they have to give up information it can be a deal breaker.

When you met your girlfriend/boyfriends parents for the first time you don't want to intimidate them. The same goes for a landing page, don't ask too many questions or you will scare the visitors away.

Use progressive profiling; once they have become a lead ask them different questions every time they come back. This will let you learn more about them each time. You are going to meet them over and over again so you don't have to learn everything about them the first time you meet.

First Big Fight

Now that you are in a steady relationship it's bound to happen that you'll have your first big fight.

Maybe you don't talk for a few days and / or you can feel that the two of you are starting to grow apart. You want to be the first one to make contact, text or call your partner to see how they are doing.

The same goes with nurturing leads. Email them and make sure they are getting all of what they received from you. Ask them if they have any questions or problems you can help them with.

Put CTA's in those emails for other offers that can help them, similar to the ones that they've already downloaded. The point of nurturing is to immerse the consumer in your company/brand. If you were in a fight with your girlfriend or boyfriend to keep the relationship going you need to keep communicating with them.

With a lead you need to keep engaging with them so they want to become a customer.

Moving in Together

A tremendous leap in a relationship is moving in with the other person, this can be the make or break of a relationship.

When a lead decides to become a customer they are taking a large step with your company. It is important that you do the things necessary to make them a pleased customer. Make sure that their purchase was a smooth transaction.

It is important to delight your customer so they want to continue to do business with you. If you don't treat your girlfriend/boyfriend the right way they will leave you.

Now that you've moved in together, they are expecting more out of the relationship. The same goes for working with a customer. Customer service is vital when keeping a client happy. Have answers to their problems and stay in touch with them to make sure they are getting everything out of their purchase.

For example if they bought software send them tutorials so they know how to use it correctly and ensure that they're getting the most out of the product they paid for. Continue to educate the customer and keep them coming back for more.

Popping the Question

This is the ultimate commitment, marriage. Asking the other person to spend the rest of their life with you, the final step.

The consumer has reached the bottom of the funnel, now you need them to promote your brand/company.

No one wants to be pressured into getting married. The same is true for getting a customer to promote you. It can't be forced; it has to be done naturally.

By keeping your customer happy through the whole funnel they will promote you to their friends and family. That's why the delight stage of the funnel is so important. Consumers will are more likely to use your company/brand if someone referred them to you.

Like a relationship, once the honeymoon stage is over and after the initial purchase is over, its important to continue to make the customer your number one priority so they will continue to promote.

Long-term relationships are not a simple task and neither is making your way through the sales funnel. On a first date you shouldn't be thinking about marriage and the same is true for a lead. Leads aren't guaranteed customers and customers aren't always going to promote for you. That's why it is imperative to continually engage and educate the consumer so your brand sticks with them.