Why Most Sales Funnels Don’t Work — And What Finally Made It Click for Me
Key Points
- Sales funnels aren’t just about selling — they’re about building trust. Most people think a funnel is a tactic. In reality, it’s an emotional journey. You’re not pushing people to buy — you’re showing them you get it, you’ve been there, and you have something that helps.
- If your funnel doesn’t meet people where they are, it won’t work. Using Ben Hunt’s Awareness Ladder, you map out exactly what your audience knows (and feels) at each stage — from curious browser to confident buyer — and guide them with content that speaks directly to their level.
- You don’t need more traffic — you need better movement through your funnel. You can have 10,000 visitors and zero sales, or 100 visitors and 20 buyers. A good funnel turns traffic into action — by nurturing interest, addressing objections, and making it feel safe to say “yes.”
We’ve all heard the term “sales funnel” thrown around like some secret sauce for marketing. For the longest time, I nodded along like I understood — but deep down, I didn’t.
I thought it was just a fancy word for a website. Or maybe a glorified email sequence.
Or worse — another overhyped thing marketers say when they don’t want to explain what’s actually happening.
But the truth is: once I finally understood what a sales funnel really was — how it worked, what it felt like to the person on the other side — something clicked.
It wasn’t just a system. It was the last piece of the puzzle.
It was the thing that made all my effort — my blog posts, my content, my ads, my offers — finally come together
Because when you truly get how a funnel works, you stop guessing. You stop pushing people randomly toward a sale.
And you start guiding them — step by step — through an experience that makes them trust you enough to buy.
That’s what I want to walk you through today. Not the fluff. Not the jargon.
Just the honest truth of what sales funnels really do — and how I build mine using Ben Hunt’s Awareness Ladder, a strategy that completely changed how I do business.
Whether you’re launching your first product or trying to get better results from what you already sell, keep reading.
This is the part most people skip — and the reason they stay stuck.
Inform Your Visitors
Have you ever visited a site and felt uncertain about the product or service?
Your goal with your sales funnel is to offer enough information to generate interest. Outline how what you’re selling works and keep it simple for your reader.
Ask for feedback from customers about whether everything makes sense.
Tribeca Printworks does an excellent job outlining how their process works.
They use three steps, add in images and details, and inform the user while also showing how quick and easy the process is.
Using a grid layout, the brand reinforces three straightforward steps to using the service.
Use Lead Magnets
Lead magnets are something you give away for free that draws users to sign up.
Once you capture their email, you can continue marketing to them and moving them through the buyer’s journey.
The secret to successful lead magnets is finding the right offer.
If you present an electronic book, it should be on a topic that solves one of your target audience’s pain points.
Webinars must include information sought after by your customers.
Choose your lead magnets wisely for solid leads.
Write Blog Posts
Want to draw readers into your sales funnel and turn them into new customers?
You must offer the content they want to read. Write about anything related to your industry.
Cover topics on the fringes of what you offer.
If you run a local restaurant, share tips for setting the holiday table.
Don’t be afraid to think outside the box a little.
As long as the material reaches your target audience and speaks to them somehow, it’s beneficial to educating leads and converting them into customers.
Offer Solutions
A landing page should present a problem and offer a solution. You might have multiple landing pages on your site, depending upon how many buyer personas you serve. Think about the pain points of your typical customer.
Restate the problem the person faces.
Then, explain how you solve the problem for them. Problem presentation followed by solution moves them swiftly through the sales funnel stages and toward becoming a loyal client.
Grasshopper is a business phone service. When you land on their page, you’re immediately presented with the problem, keeping business and personal calls separate.
As you move through the sales funnel, you’re invited to choose a number and given additional information to help you make an informed decision.
Focus on Your Headlines
Some of the highest converting websites in the world have concise headlines. Don’t try to get cutesy.
Use your headings to present the problem and subheadings to explain the solution.
If you’ve done your research, you already know the pain points. Now, you just have to restate them for site visitors.
Don’t worry about a specific headline driving visitors away.
Your goal is to qualify leads and turn them into customers.
If the headline doesn’t resonate with the user, you want them to go ahead and leave and save your bandwidth for targeted traffic. You want only those people who want to buy your product.
Test and Tweak
One of the best ways of improving the number of new customers making it through your sales funnel is to continually test your landing pages and tweak them for better results.
Talk to those who become your customers and ask for feedback on what made them decide to sign up.
Even small changes can have a significant impact on your bottom line.
Take the time to study each page of your site and each point of your buyer’s journey. Make improvements until your conversion numbers are comparable with industry giants.
Put Yourself in Their Shoes
One of the easiest ways to improve your sales funnel is to put yourself in the mindset of your typical patron.
What would you change? Is the site easy to navigate on mobile devices?
Is there a special offer that might sway them to give you a try?
Don’t overlook elements such as guarantees and follow-up. With a little extra effort, your business will grow, and your sales funnel will be the best around.
