Troubleshoot Your Sales Funnel Like a Pro (and Figure Out What’s Holding Your Business Back)

We are in Q4, and I know you are focused on hitting your end-of-year goals and maximizing what could be the most lucrative time of year for your business. 

To do that, you need to take a step back and examine how everything is converting currently so you know what to improve. But… how do you interpret what you need to do next? 

I’m going to walk you through exactly what I look for when I do a sales funnel audit for my clients, explain what I’m looking for, and even what I suggest to fix these common issues. Are you ready to troubleshoot your sales funnel like a pro and determine what’s holding your business back? Let’s get into it. 

Content Overview

–Collect Your Data, Know Your Business
–No New Leads
–Low Open Rates
–Landing Pages Not Converting
–One Hit Wonders
–Final Troubleshooting Steps

Collect Your Data, Know Your Business

To troubleshoot your sales funnels, you first need to understand the basic analytics from your business logistics and how those compare to your goals and the standards for your specific industry. 

Every business operates differently, and success looks different for every business. What works for a dog training course might not apply to an online business coach—and that’s okay. Instead of adding confusion to the mix by giving target figures for these metrics, I suggest looking at your business performance, comparing that to your goals, and using that as your starting guideline. 

No New Leads

You’ve put the opt-in form on your website, and you’re letting your social media followers know that you have a newsletter and free resources… but you’re not having any new opt-ins. Why? 

1. No More Newsletters… PLEASE!

You know the old saying, “You gotta give a little to get a little”? That applies here. Just because your offer is FREE does not mean that every person who comes across your website will want to invite you into their private mailbox. 

Almost 100% of the time, unless your online business is just a blogging business, I NEVER recommend that the opt-in on your website be for a newsletter. People like newsletters… but not enough to give their emails. You need a lead magnet instead. 

2. Lead Magnet is Lacking

Suppose you are promoting a lead magnet that’s not converting. In that case, your lead magnet doesn’t appeal to your ideal audience, or how you’re promoting it doesn’t explain how this lead magnet solves a problem for them in a way that feels obtainable. Time to re-write your lead magnet or the copy promoting the lead magnet. 

3. Test the Tech

This is rarely the problem, but it’s worth confirming that your opt-in form is subscribing to the new lead to your email list correctly and sending what it’s supposed to send. 

FREE RESOURCE: How to Identify Your Core Lead Magnet

Low Email Open Rates

Once the contact enters your email list, then what? The most common complaint I get from clients is that people aren’t even opening the emails they send. That tells me one of three things: 

1. The List is Fatigued

It’s tempting to look at your email list as this infinite resource of leads that can become sales at any minute. It’s even more tempting to believe that the more emails you send, the more likely you are to turn those leads into sales… but that couldn’t be further from the truth. 

Timing is crucial in email marketing, and a strategy that nurtures leads before trying to sell to them is essential. 

2. Your Subject Lines are Boring

At least a hundred new emails are popping up daily in your ideal client’s inbox. Are you standing out? Sometimes, it’s as simple as adding emojis to your subject lines (if that fits your brand), but using personalized subject lines and engaging preview text can also make a huge difference. 

3. Rally for Re-engagement 

This is one of my favorite email marketing strategies: re-engagement campaigns. There’s something so satisfying about seeing new life being breathed into a fatigued email list. Re-engagement campaigns require quite a bit of strategy to pull off and the acceptance that some leads might completely fall off your list. But knowing that the leads that continue to open and interact are qualified and interested is worth it. 

I wrote a whole blog not too long ago about more of these common email mistakes that aren’t converting your audience to paid customers; you should go read that after you’re finished with this blog. 

Landing Pages Not Converting

You’ve invested in a beautiful landing page promoting your offer, but the sales are either not coming in or not meeting your expectations. What’s happening? For this section, I’m assuming here that visually, your landing page is on point, communicates your brand, and truly makes you look like a professional. (If you’re unsure about this part, it’s worth asking someone else to take a look and give you their perspective.)

1. Empty Words and Promises

Your landing page copy is just as important (if not more important) than the visual aspects of your landing page.

So, if it looks good visually, the words on the page might be blocking sales. My team always emphasizes story-based copywriting, meaning the copy comes from providing value and transformation for the ideal customer, not just outlining a transaction. Does your landing page relate to your ideal client’s pain points and desires? Then, explain how your offer helps close the gap between points A and B. If not, it’s time to re-write your landing page copy. 

2. WIIFM?

Your landing pages are not free space to talk about you, your business, or how great your offers are. The acronym “WIIFM?” is simply “What’s in it for me?” You must keep it in mind when creating landing pages. 

Your potential customers want to know how your offer will improve their lives. They want to know that your offer is a solution to their problem, and they want to know how you know it will be a good fit for them. If your sales page copy doesn’t communicate what’s in it for your ideal customer, they’ll click away every time. 

3. Disconnect With Ideal Clients

Lastly, you may have some sort of disconnect with your ideal client. Either your landing page isn’t related to their pain points and desires, or maybe you’re not “speaking their language” in a way that makes your offer sound like something they want to invest in. Either way, knowing your ideal customer inside and out will prevent this. I suggest returning to your ideal client avatar information to ensure you relate to them. 

One Hit Wonders

Congratulations! You’re making sales… but each person is only buying once. Each new sale comes from a new lead each time, and you’re stressed about where the next lead will come from. If this is you, there are a few potential problems:

1. What’s My Next Step?

Through every step of your funnel, you should consider the next step for that customer once they purchase that offer. If they’ve purchased your low-ticket, what is the mid-ticket offer that is another layer of problem-solving for them? 

Once you know their next steps in your funnel, they need to know their next steps. Make it clear that you have more services that would appeal to them and solve their problems, and make sure you have clear calls to action at least 3-5 times in the post-purchase email sequence that promotes your next offer (strategically timed, of course). 

2. Underdeveloped Funnels

I’ve seen some businesses with a few unrelated offers, so they don’t have sales funnels; they just have this runged ladder that eventually runs out of customer options. 

If this describes your business, you’re missing out on many sales. 

Using market research and your expertise, brainstorm ways to provide more support and solutions to your customers. 

If you sell candles, for example, create a bundle or a curated catalog of gift baskets for weddings, housewarmings, et cetera to promote. You’ll go from selling just one or two candles to potentially 5-10 candles at a time. 

Another example from one of my sales funnels is that you can purchase social media advertising audits, strategy sessions, and different tiers of done-for-you social media advertising management and strategy. The audits are lower investments and subsequently take less time from my team. The full-service ads management is a much larger investment and takes more time for my team. But the different tiers help cater to each level of readiness that we find our ideal clients at and give that client a next step when they’re ready for it. 

3. You Went Ghost

You’ve made the sale, delivered the product… then nothing. Your new customer has been put back into your email newsletter pool with everyone else to be “nurtured.” 

And they likely won’t purchase it again. Why? 

You need a post-purchase nurture sequence for each offer. It doesn’t have to be fifty emails long, but each email needs to have a strategy and a purpose, either providing a like, know, or trust factor for the new customer. 

Final Troubleshooting Steps

These are the top complaints I get from new clients when they first start working with our digital marketing agency, and nine times out of ten, we can spot pretty quickly where the opportunities for improvement lie. 

Hopefully, you’re experiencing some of the same problems in your online business. In that case, you are walking away today with some actionable steps and areas to focus on to increase your sales. 

I’m also aware that you might have just read this whole article feeling like you know that there are ways your business could be better… but you don’t have the time or the mental energy to do it yourself. 

The good news? You don’t have to. 

Jennie Lyon Digital Marketing Incorporated works with online businesses of all success levels to grow their businesses with innovative, proven marketing strategies. 

So why try to DIY it all when you could collaborate with us to save yourself time, energy, and sanity in the coming months? 

If you’re interested in how we can help, schedule your free consultation call today to see where we can fill in the gaps and help your business grow. 

Links for This Episode:

–Marketing Office Hours
–Discover Your Digital Marketing Success Path
–How to Use Our Digital Marketing Team
–Schedule a free call with Jennie today

Get in touch with Jennie:
-Free Consultation: https://jennielyon.com/chatwithjennie
-Website: jennielyon.com
-Social Media: @jennielyonmarketing

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