Are you taking the leap into online business? Making a profit from selling stuff online is not for the fainthearted. After all, even a high number of website visitors do not necessarily translate into high sales.
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Consider a Sales Funnel
A thoughtfully designed sales funnel can boost your revenue and give added value to your online clients.
There are a lot of sales funnel solutions in the market, but I’d like to highlight one in particular: ClickFunnels. This software is user-friendly, even for non-technical folks, and will dramatically transform how you do online selling.
Do you know why you need a sales funnel in the first place?
If you browse through marketing blogs, you’ll probably come across “funnel” a lot of times. But why is it so important?
A sales funnel is inspired by the common kitchen tool (which is also used in laboratories). Its distinctive wide-to-narrow shape allows you to pour liquid or powder down a small opening. It’s pretty handy, as without a funnel, you’d probably end up with a lot of spills.
How does a funnel apply to the sales process? A funnel here can be anything that brings people pouring into your business. An example would be those huge, eye-catching storefront posters featuring a holiday sale at your supermarket. As soon as customers enter the brick-and-mortar store, they are part of the sales funnel. It’s also highly probable that they will buy something from the store.
But how does this happen in an online business? Well, your website is the storefront poster in this case. It attracts visitors and prompts them to purchase products from your online store, usually by offering an enticing reward or deal. However, visitors would need to provide their email address before availing of these incentives.
A customer’s email address is your golden ticket to establishing a strong (and hopefully long-term) relationship with them. Start by introducing services or products that provide value. It’s similar to a sales clerk at a clothing store who brings items for you to try out.
Think of a funnel as a guide for your online clients. If you don’t have a funnel, your online visitors will wander on your site and leave without making a purchase. That’s a lost opportunity!
However, you need to plan your sales funnel carefully for the best results. It’s not something you can throw together quickly… or is it? Why not leverage software like ClickFunnels to create optimized sales funnels that really work.
What Does ClickFunnels Do?
You’re probably wondering, so what is ClickFunnels? And why are there so many people talking about it?
Started in 2014 by a team led by Russell Brunson, ClickFunnels is now a 360 million-dollar business with over 65,000 members as of mid-2018. The startup features an online drag and drop software that allows business owners to create sales funnels and the requisite features, including:
- membership sites
- landing pages
- shopping carts
- squeeze pages
- webinars
- and much more!
For the best results, consider getting the premium Etison Suite package, which has its own customizable email marketing software, Backpack. It even allows you to create a bespoke affiliate marketing program with Actionetics MD.
Essentially, ClickFunnels is a comprehensive digital marketing shop, minus the cost and hassle of hiring and managing a team of in-house developers.
The thing is ClickFunnels delivers, as hundreds of online entrepreneurs have discovered. Visit the 2 Comma Club site to see other businesses that have used ClickFunnels with remarkable results, these are people who have generated at least 1 million dollars in revenue through the use of ClickFunnels.
ClickFunnels: The Last Digital Marketing Tool You’ll Ever Need
You can easily spend some serious money on a variety of digital marketing tools that promise to boost brand recognition among your customers. Stuff like web hosting, autoresponder software, Photoshop, landing page software, split testing software, automated webinar tools, etc. Plus, you’ll need a team of UX designers and programmers to ensure that everything runs smoothly.
It’s always a wise move to invest in your business’s online presence. However, you also need to make a profit. And all those services together can add up to thousands of dollars per month that will cut into your income.
This is where ClickFunnels comes in. It can essentially take the place of all of the resources mentioned previously (and more!), allowing you to streamline your digital marketing process and spending.
Plus, ClickFunnels is continuously innovating, with more and more functionality and features. You can get the latest list of software tools that ClickFunnels can replace on the company’s homepage.
This video explains how you will make money by creating sales funnels.
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Why do I recommend ClickFunnels?
Sales Funnel Templates
No matter your business, ClickFunnels has a funnel template for you. There’s no need to start from a blank page or suffer from option fatigue. After all, it can be quite exhausting to choose the best option among all the tools available in the market, even for a digital marketing expert. And if you’re a novice who can’t tell the difference between a webinar funnel and a product launch funnel, then ClickFunnels’ blueprints are definitely a lifesaver.
Pro or newbie, ClickFunnels is right for anyone interested in making a profit online. Most businesspeople aren’t sales funnel experts. In fact, you don’t need to be one to sell stuff online.
If you’re looking to get a sales funnel up and running quickly, check out ClickFunnels’ collection of tried-and-tested templates.
Plus, the ClickFunnels homepage steers you to the funnel that would best suit your unique business needs. All you need to do is answer a short questionnaire, and they will give a recommendation for free.
You can choose from a huge library of funnel blueprints.
- Self-employed professionals/consultants/freelancers
- Writers/bloggers
- Information products
- Affiliate marketers/influencers
- B2B lead generation
- Small businesses/mom-and-pop stores
- Network marketing
- E-commerce
To date, ClickFunnels’ founder has identified over 20 types of funnels that he has personally used for his businesses.
Still feeling overwhelmed? You can classify all the templates into three main kinds of funnels, namely:
- Event funnels
- Lead capture funnels
- Sales page funnels
Still not a fit? Then consider specialized templates like membership funnels that you can build using the ClickFunnels software.
For example, you can build a Squeeze Page Funnel that allows you to gather email addresses and then send a link to a Thank You page upon registration.
You can even create more complex funnels, like the 2-Step TripWire Funnel. A what again? This funnel initially sells a more affordable product, also known as the tripwire. Then, you can upsell pricier products using a one-click process or Order Form bumps.
What if you’re not design-savvy either? Never fear, as you can choose from templates that have a cohesive and professionally-designed look and feel. These templates are either free or paid, depending on your needs.
But I Don’t Know How to Build a Sales Funnel!
Is it your first time to create a sales funnel? Here’s a bird’s eye view of the steps you need to accomplish:
- Select a funnel type.
- Choose a funnel template (free or paid).
- Choose or discard features, depending on your business needs.
- Add your services and/or
- Set up payment and email integrations.
- Choose a domain name for the funnel.
- Make sure you hit “save.”
Congratulations, you now have a working sales funnel!
Handy Visual Drag and Drop Editor
Another feature I love about ClickFunnels is its easy-to-use editor. This is where the magic happens, as it allows you to tweak the templates into a sales funnel that perfectly suits your business. The ClickFunnels editor is quite intuitive, logical, and hassle-free.
It’s as easy as clicking and dragging different elements around on the page. And you can lay out the format in any way you want, in any number of columns or rows.
You can also edit text elements inline, while the fly-out sidebar allows you to alter the properties of any element.
If you’re wary of tech, then you’re going to love it that ClickFunnels editor does not require you to code at all. There’s no need to learn CSS or HTML in order to use the software. This allows you to translate your idea quickly into a new and functional sales funnel, without mucking about with code. Plus, you avoid communication breakdown, which sometimes happens when designers or developers fail to grasp your vision.
Like any other tool, there’s a learning curve to using ClickFunnels. Give yourself an hour or two to get the hang of the editor and its various capabilities. But don’t worry, as ClickFunnels offers tutorials and help pages that make the learning process easier. Not only that, you can check out ClickFunnels’ Facebook group for quick answers. I would say their Facebook group is probably one of the most active and helpful groups out there. With almost 200,000 members (and still growing rapidly), you’ll be sure to find the help you need.
Flexible Page Elements
ClickFunnels has a large range of widgets, or elements, to choose from, allowing you to create distinctive pages that stand out from the crowd. Most landing pages would require the basics: images, buttons, headlines, texts, and videos. You can also add more sophisticated elements such as:
- Social Media Comments
- FAQ Boxes
- Progress Stats
- Survey Forms
- SMS Signup
- Pricing Tables
- Countdown Timers
- Order and Shipping Forms
- Membership Elements
All of these elements are customizable. The editor sidebar gives you the ability to adjust or change element properties like alignment, colors, fonts, and margins. Some properties are unique to certain elements, like changing the image URL or editing the text of a Button.
Can I integrate other services with ClickFunnels?
ClickFunnels is designed to streamline your digital marketing, which is why it can replace most tools on the market. However, what if you prefer to keep using certain software for your business (say payment gateways and autoresponder software)? Does ClickFunnels “play nice” with other online services?
I’m glad to report that it’s possible to integrate external software with ClickFunnels. If you are using Warrior Plus, Stripe, or Infusionsoft, then you won’t have a problem combining them with ClickFunnels services. That helps you save time, as you won’t need to change providers and start totally from scratch. Check out ClickFunnels’ list of providers that can be supported by its platform (see image below). If you have any further questions, reach out to ClickFunnels via their Support Chat.
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How Does ClickFunnels Work for Your Business?
If you’re convinced that ClickFunnels is a good fit for your business, then read on. The first step is having a service or product that people are willing to pay for. And this doesn’t necessary be your own product or service. You can definitely use the software to promote affiliate offers as well. If you don’t have something valuable to sell, you’re probably not ready to use ClickFunnels.
Second, you need time and funds to craft a value ladder for your business and create your complete sales funnel.
At the very least, you need a low-cost tripwire offer or lead magnet to get leads in your sales funnel. Logically, you should follow up with complementary upsells, one-time offers, or order bumps for your primary product or service.
Still unsure about where to start? Russell wrote a book called DotComSecrets that gives more information and testimonials of people building successful, million-dollar sales funnels. At this point, you can see him applying what I mentioned above. Russell’s book is the lead magnet, while his main product is ClickFunnels. Neat.
The next step is having a community of satisfied customers, which you can see on the ClickFunnels FaceBook group. There, Russell can promote other services, products, and events like 10X Secrets and Funnel Scripts.
If you’re unfamiliar with the sales funnel concept, or if you just want a refresher, take the time to read his book DotComSecrets, and go through Russell’s sales funnels. Afterward, you can pick which strategies are appropriate for your business. Plan accordingly, apply them to your sales funnel, and watch your income increase as a result.
Reality Check: How much does Clickfunnels cost?
In this section, I’ll address an important aspect of ClickFunnels: pricing.
Can your business afford a high-quality sales funnel software?
If you’re like me, the price is often the deciding factor in making a purchase. That’s a good basis for most stuff, like everyday socks or toothpaste.
Or is it?
I play soccer a lot. If I bought a “cheap” pair of cleats, I’d save some money upfront but my feet would be sore. I wouldn’t run as fast, and I wouldn’t score as many goals. Can’t get much worse than that!
Were those cheap soccer cleats a wise use of my money? Obviously not. I ended up spending more because of the constant need to replace them!
So back to my question: Can your business afford NOT having high-quality sales funnel software?
There are tons of free options out there, but you may end up being penny wise, pound foolish. You did save a lot in the beginning, but you’ll bleed money as you buy all the bells and whistles required by your free software: themes, plug-ins, design, hosting, custom codes, etc.
Remember the low-cost tripwire? You may get a free plug-in, but the company will definitely charge you more when you have to upgrade or get advanced features.
If you’re not a developer or designer, then you’ll need to outsource or hire those functions as well.
Do you also need to do email marketing, collect payments, conduct A/B tests, create a membership site, run an affiliate program, and so on? You’ll need to purchase even more solutions for these tasks.
It all adds up.
Let’s not forget the most crucial resource: your time. If doing all of these tasks require hours of your time, then those same hours are not spent on attending to paying customers or creating more of your primary product.
How ClickFunnels Pricing Works
Granted, ClickFunnels sounds far from affordable, especially for a small startup. At $97 a month, that would be a big investment on your part. But check out what this plan offers. At less than a hundred dollars, you can use all of the funnel creation tools. It also allows you to create 20 funnels and 100 pages. The plan also accommodates 20,000 visitors. Not bad.
But if you really want to level up your sales funnel, the Etison Suite plan is your best bet. There’s no limit to the number of funnels, pages, or visitors. Not only that, it provides access to the email tools of Actionetics as well as the affiliate program features of Backpack.
The Etison Suite would cost you $297 per month.
How to Get ClickFunnels At a Discount
I haven’t seen discount codes or coupons on the ClickFunnels website. But if you’re interested in the premium Etison Suite, I suggest that you join the Funnel Builder Secrets to get some savings. The Funnel Builder Secrets ($2,997) comes with a free 12-month Etison Suite plan and many amazing bonuses. That means you only spend $249.75 on the top-tier ClickFunnels plan. In addition, the bonuses are themselves have a total value of over $11,000.
- Funnel Builder Secrets course
- Funnel Hacks Masterclass (6 weeks)
- A Year’s Access to Funnel Scripts
- And lifetime access to Traffic Secrets
If this is something you’re interested in then make sure to watch the FREE training that Russell Brunson did at Grant Cardone’s 10X event last year (click here). In the presentation, he’ll walk you through everything you need to know about sales funnels and the Funnel Builder Secrets package.
If you want to try ClickFunnels without the commitment, check out their 14-day free trial. This allows you to explore the platform’s functionality and interface, risk-free.
Conclusion
By now you should have a pretty good understanding of what ClickFunnels is and how it can benefit your business. Ultimately, there are a lot of factors to consider in choosing a marketing software, including the amount of time and effort you’re willing to put in.
Are you willing to invest what it takes to create an income-boosting sales funnel?
If the answer is no, ClickFunnels may not be a good product for you. After all, there are easier and cheaper ways to generate leads and do e-commerce.
But if you’re looking at the long-term value of your customers, then do give ClickFunnels a go. The software itself is amazing, but what’s even better is that you’ll also profit from the training and inspiration from the ClickFunnels community!
Start Your ClickFunnels Free 14 Day Trial
If you’re still unsure about the benefits of sales funnel and how ClickFunnels can helps your business then check out this FREE training that Russell Brunson did at Grant Cardone’s 10X event last year, where he made 3 million dollars in sales in just 90 minutes. Yes, you read that right! Three million dollars in sales in just 90 minutes.
You will learn cool funnel-boosting strategies, like:
- How to Instantly Outspend Your Competitors
- How to Get The Best Sales Person On Planet Earth to Close Sales For You 24/7 Without Ever Complaining, Asking For A Raise, Or Taking A Break!
- How to Get The Exact Same Customers Who are Currently Going to Your Competitors Funnels to Start Coming to Your Funnel Instead!
This training was super helpful for me, so I wanted to pass it along to you for 100% FREE. I don’t know if Russell will ever take it down, but I’d recommend you watch the entire presentation while it’s still available.
Watch The FREE Presentation Now!
[…] effectively build a funnel you can use a great tool called ClickFunnels. If you want to try ClickFunnels without the commitment, check out their 14-day free […]
Hello
I like the product but is is very expensive at $97 and then upgrade to $297
That is fine if you are making money but just starting out it is heavy on the pocket.
Cheers
Jake
Why is it that no-one can answer a simple question, what does clickfunnels do, with a simple answer. In the section What Does ClickFunnels Do? you don’t answer the question? This article seems to be more about the man love relationship between the author and ClickFunnels that an unbiased review.
1/2 star.
How does this not answered the question?
“The startup features an online drag and drop software that allows business owners to create sales funnels and the requisite features, including:
membership sites
landing pages
shopping carts
squeeze pages
webinars
and much more!”