May Update: The 3 Stages Of The Sales Funnel

Thanks to Gloria Croutch and other LifeX team members for their help on this article!

A sales funnel is a visual representation of the customer journey, from the first moment someone hears about your business to the point where they make a purchase. 

The top of the funnel is the widest part, representing an audience of people who have never heard of your company before. 

The middle of the funnel consists of people who have seen your ads, visited your website, or heard about you from a friend but haven’t purchased yet. 

Finally, the bottom of the funnel is made up of people who are very close to making a purchase—they've considered your product, maybe even added it to their cart, but just need a little push to complete the transaction.

To get started, let’s take a look at the different stages a customer goes through in a sales funnel, and what the goals are for each stage.

Awareness Stage: 

When marketing to a top-of-funnel audience, your goal is to introduce your brand in an informative and engaging way. These people are unfamiliar with your company, so it’s essential to make it clear what you do and how you help solve their pain point. This is one of the strengths of StoryBrand: people want to know how you can help solve their problems!

This stage is not about aggressively selling but about educating and inviting potential customers to explore your products or services. You can direct them to your website or social media pages, giving them the opportunity to learn more at their own pace.

Goals at this stage:

• Capture attention
• Establish brand visibility
• Educate potential customers

Tips for this stage:

• Focus on your customers’ problems and how you solve them - make them the hero!
• Be present on social media channels
• Use paid ads and SEO to get in front of the right audiences

Consideration Stage: 

The middle-of-funnel audience consists of people who are now aware of your brand — whether through previous ads, word of mouth, or a visit to your website or social media page. These individuals have shown interest, but something is preventing them from making a purchase. 

At this stage, your marketing should focus on identifying what might be holding them back—whether it’s price, uncertainty about the product, or simply needing a little more persuasion. 

For example, if you install swimming pools, you can address the aspiration of having a place to spend hours together with your family and friends. Or, if you sell Easter dresses, highlight that Easter is quickly approaching and shopping now ensures they’ll find the perfect outfit without the last-minute rush.

By addressing their hesitations and presenting an easy, compelling solution, you can guide them toward making a confident purchase decision.

Goals at This Stage:

• Build trust and credibility
• Nurture leads with valuable information
• Differentiate from competitors

Tips for this stage:

• Gather customer testimonials and Google Reviews that show trust
• Have good photo and video content to show the value you bring
• Capture email addresses and have email campaigns set up

Decision Stage: 

The bottom-of-funnel audience consists of people who are on the verge of purchasing but just need a small incentive to take the final step. These individuals might have browsed your website multiple times, added an item to their cart, or signed up for emails but haven’t completed the transaction yet.

To help them convert, your messaging should focus on reminding them of how much easier or better their life will be once they have your product. 

Offering a limited-time discount, free shipping, or a friendly reminder about their abandoned cart can be the nudge they need to follow through with their purchase. Making the process seamless and emphasizing the benefits of buying now can turn these interested prospects into loyal customers.

Goals at This Stage:

• Convert leads into customers
• Remove any barriers to purchase
• Reinforce trust and confidence in the brand

Tips for this stage:

• Have clear calls to action (CTA’s) on your website. We recommend no more than 2-3 to avoid "CTA fatigue"
• Make the process easy - don’t use complex forms or require multiple clicks
• Have responsive customer service to questions, issues, etc.

In Summary:

Understanding and optimizing each stage of the sales funnel is essential for successful marketing. By attracting prospects at the Awareness stage, nurturing them through the Consideration stage, and guiding them toward a purchase at the Decision stage, your business can increase conversions and build long-term customer relationships. 

And remember, while we all want the bottom of the funnel “ready to buy” customers, a sales funnel is more like a dating relationship: first you learn to know the customer (awareness), then you communicate with them for a bit (consideration), and finally you ask for the commitment (decision).

Tailoring your marketing efforts to each stage ensures that you provide the right message at the right time, ultimately driving business growth.