Keep your "sales funnel" as simple & organic as possible
Channel: George Kao
Date: 14/07/2017

A lot of solopreneurs are getting indoctrinated by digital marketers into believing that they too need a complex "sales funnel".

Such funnels can include “tripwires" (low-price offerings that trigger a funnel system to automaticlaly upselling the customer), or score-based "if then" targeting (if they don't buy it, automatically follow up X number of times until they do), and other forceful tactics.

The traffic and conversion funnel idea is based on persuasion psychology (can you believe they actually use the term "indoctrination"), as well as "lifetime customer value" calculations (so that you end up relating to your people always with $ in mind), and a very analytical-control-ego mentality that suffocates a true, heart-based relationship with one's audience. 

With funnel obsession, you see everyone in your audience as either potential $$... or if they don’t turn into money, they are considered useless "funnel leaks" and taking up unnecessary resources. 

You are supposed to force your audience through a carefully designed (highly contrived) system of messaging and buying, as if they are lemmings… all supposedly for “their own good”... and for your own profit.

Enough. 

Let us boycott these funnel/pipeline teachings that are turning us into profit-driven automatons, and squeezing the heart right out of business.

Instead, can we relate to our audience as soulful people, whom we want to truly connect with, uplift, help, and befriend?

Can we please keep our “sales funnel” (if you still want to use that language) as simple and organic as possible?

As solopreneurs, we need less complexity in our business… and more heart. In fact, this is what sets us apart from faceless corporations. 

Here is an example of a simple, transformational pathway for your audience:

1. Free content (be as generous and relevant as possible)
2. Lower price offering (help them as much as possible via DIY products)
3. Higher price offering (for those who truly can afford and benefit from handholding)

Bottom Line: let it feel genuine to you, and generous to your audience.

As you might know, Free Content is what I often preach, and do my best to model. Look at your free content not as a “teaser” or a carefully designed selling tool. Instead, let your Free Content be a cause, a mission, a passion of your business to educate and uplift as many people as possible.

Be as prolific in giving away content as possible. You will help so many people over time. And, at the same time, you will help yourself a great deal by becoming smarter much faster (than if you were stingy about free content), given your constant practice in teaching/writing, and getting more feedback (about what’s working and what’s not) via social media, than if you hid away your knowledge in paid products. And it should go without saying, through your increasingly-better free content, you will attract your ideal clients to you.

Lower Price Offerings are things like a $20-$40 online workshop, or a $10 e-book, or a $30-$100 online course. Let you audience know about them regularly, although, much less often compared to your free content. Let each person decide to join you at their own pace. Don’t ever try to guilt or persuade your audience into it. 

Let it be organic, not forced and controlled by a “sales funnel”, and you will nurture a much better and deeper relationship that will create and expand gratitude for everyone. 

Avoid manipulation, hype, desperation. Choose instead to strengthen genuine trust, loyalty, and organic word of mouth… which is the holy grail of all marketing.

Higher Price Offerings might be your 1-1 services, or your group programs. Have them listed on your website. And also occasionally invite the people who took part in your lower-price offerings, but again, be gentle and allow them time to decide without trying to persuade them. Don’t follow-up more than once (and do it only as a courtesy reminder), knowing that the people who are ready and willing, will not need to be persuaded. 

With your higher-price offerings, aim to get to the point where *they* are the ones contacting you and hoping you will say “Yes, you can be my client.” Very fortunately, my business has now arrived at that stage, but only because of a consistent and persistent diving into the genuine heart of service. Deep, unspeakable gratitude to my divine source for the love that has been gifted to, and through, my business. I believe that you, too, are being called into that profound heart of love.

Let us forget complicated funnels, and let us be as simple and organic as we can be. Think in the 3 simple levels I’ve described above -- Free, Lower, Higher -- and most of all, do it all by being connected first to your eternal source of support and deep service. 

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