We've spent the past few weeks discussing the importance of growing your email list with tools such as an information-rich lead magnet. And the value of engaging your email list regularly with content they care about that directly relates to their pain points.

But WHY does this all really matter? Because if you want people to BUY from you, you need to be seen as credible. Establishing credibility that eventually results in trust (which is when people buy from you) takes time. And the more costly your product or service is, the more time it will take. This is why you always need to be focused on your sales funnel.

If you're selling anything, and if you're in business then you're selling SOMETHING, sales funnels are critical. We liken sales funnels to dating. If you meet someone and they immediately ask you to marry them, your answer would likely be a hard NO. But if they asked you on a date so you can get to KNOW each other, you might be more open. Selling isn't much different (except the commitment often isn't as significant as marriage.) If someone immediately tries to SELL you, chances are you will turn around and walk away. 

 A sales funnel can have various stages and levels of complexity, but here we will focus on a basic funnel model:

• KNOW

• LIKE

• TRUST

If you are like most small business owners, you have competitors. And perhaps you have lots of competitors. But, in the end, we buy from people that we like and trust and those we believe can ultimately solve our problems. This is why regularly engaging with your email list is so important. Consistent contact helps customers move from knowing you to liking you while providing beneficial information that establishes you as an expert. 

And together, these emails will take customers through the sales journey. Understand that it is a journey, and you'll rarely be successful if you go straight to the sale.

You need to begin by helping them get to KNOW you. Focusing on your ideal customer's pain points is the perfect way to capture their attention. They need to feel like you "get" them. The clearer you are on their true pain points, the more they feel like you are speaking directly to them. You can then begin discussing what potential solutions to their pain point would look like.

Next, after they've gotten to KNOW you, emails shift tone and move into the LIKE phase. This is when you focus on empathizing with prospects and establishing authority. We feel connected to people when they understand us (empathy). And we are more likely to listen when we believe they know what they're talking about (authority.) The key here is to avoid bragging but instead offer credible solutions to real problems based on your professional experience.

After we get to KNOW someone and determine we LIKE them, we can move on to TRUST. This is where the buying decision happens (or doesn't happen.) If you've done a thorough job moving through the KNOW and LIKE phases, the decision to buy from you should be a relatively easy one. In the TRUST phase, you might see FOMO tactics used to encourage potential customers to take action. There's nothing wrong with using these tactics as long as they are TRUE! FOMO tactics can include:

• Limited time offer

• Discounted price expires

• Prices increasing

• Space limited

Does your sales funnel spend enough time allowing potential customers the opportunity to know and like you before they buy from you? Schedule a call to review your funnel to ensure it's capturing as much business as possible.