Mastering the Art of Online Course Sales: Unlocking the Secrets of High-Converting Funnels

Discover how to turn website visitors into paying customers with a powerful sales funnel! As an online course creator, you can boost your conversions and revenue by implementing an effective sales funnel on your website. In this comprehensive guide, we'll show you what a sales funnel is, how it works, and the best apps to use. Plus, we'll share 10 essential tips to help you design and create a winning sales funnel that converts. Read on to unlock the secrets of successful sales funnels!

As an online course creator, you want to convert website visitors into paying customers.

One way to do this is by implementing a sales funnel on your website. In this article, we will explain the following:

• What makes up a sales funnel.
• What a sales funnel looks like as a flow chart.
• What are some of the best sales funnel apps to use.
• 10 things to check when designing and creating your sales funnels.

Before we get started though you might be asking yourself, why don't you just send or attract site visitors directly to your website? Why do you need a sales funnel?

Well, there are several reasons:

Sending traffic to a sales funnel rather than just your website in general can help you convert more visitors into paying customers. A sales funnel has the following advantages:

1. Clear purpose: A sales funnel is specifically designed to guide visitors through a series of steps that are designed to convert them into customers. By contrast, a website may have multiple pages and distractions that can confuse visitors and make it harder for them to take action.

2. Targeted messaging: A sales funnel allows you to deliver targeted messaging tailored to your target audience's specific needs and interests. This can help build trust, establish credibility, and make it more likely that visitors will take action.

3. Lead capture: A sales funnel typically includes lead capture forms that allow you to collect visitor information and follow up with them later. This can help you build a list of qualified leads that you can market to over time.

4. Increased conversions: By guiding visitors through a series of steps designed to build trust, establish credibility, and provide relevant information, a sales funnel can increase the likelihood that visitors will take action and become customers.

5. Better ROI: A sales funnel is designed to convert visitors into customers, so it can help you generate a better return on investment (ROI) for your marketing efforts. By contrast, sending traffic to your website, in general, may not be as effective at converting visitors into paying customers.

The bottom line is that sending traffic to a sales funnel can help you convert more visitors into paying customers and generate a better ROI for your marketing efforts. It allows you to deliver targeted messaging, capture leads, and guide visitors through steps designed to convert them into customers.

That's the "why" now let's go deeper and explain what makes up a sales funnel.

What Makes Up a Sales Funnel?

A sales funnel is a process that guides potential customers through a series of steps to convert them into paying customers. The process starts with creating awareness about a product or service. It ends with a conversion, which can be a sale or any other desired action such as signing up for a newsletter or registering for a webinar.

A sales funnel consists of four main stages: awareness, interest, decision, and action. At each stage, the potential customer is given more information about the product or service to persuade them to take the next step.

A sales funnel has a series of steps a website visitor goes through before purchasing or taking a desired action. Here are the typical stages of a sales funnel:

1. Landing page: This is the page where the visitor first lands after clicking on an ad or a search result. The landing page should be designed to capture the visitor's attention and provide relevant information about the offered product or service.

2. Lead magnet: A lead magnet is an incentive offered to the visitor in exchange for their contact information, such as their email address. This could be a free trial, a discount code, or a whitepaper.

3. Email sequence: Once the visitor has provided their contact information, they are entered into an email sequence where they receive emails designed to build trust, establish credibility, and provide more information about the product or service.

4. Sales page: The sales page is the page where the visitor is presented with the product or service and is given the opportunity to make a purchase.

5. Upsell/cross-sell: After the visitor has made a purchase, they may be presented with additional offers or products that complement their original purchase.

6. Follow-up: Once the purchase has been made, the customer should be followed up with to ensure satisfaction and to encourage repeat business.

Example Sales Funnel: From Free Training Video to Full Course

Let's use an example to illustrate how a sales funnel can work on a website. Suppose a site visitor lands on a landing page for a digital marketing training course. The landing page contains information about the course and offers a free training video in exchange for the visitor's email address.

After the visitor provides their email address, they are directed to a thank you page that confirms their subscription and informs them that the free training video will be sent to their inbox shortly. The site visitor is also added to an email sequence, which includes a series of emails that provide additional information on the course, its benefits and encourage them to sign up for the full course.

One of the emails in the email sequence directs the site visitor to a sales page that provides more information about the course and offers a limited-time discount. The sales page includes testimonials from past students, a breakdown of the course curriculum, and a clear call to action to buy the course.

After the site visitor purchases the course, they are presented with additional offers such as one-on-one coaching or an advanced course that complements the initial purchase.

Once the purchase has been made, the customer receives follow-up emails thanking them for their purchase, requesting feedback on the course, and promoting other related products or services.

What Does a Sales Funnel Look Like When Mapped Out

Below are three different sales funnels represented as flow charts. We use these when designing sales funnels for clients.

These three examples have been created for you to show how things flow from the initial entry point of the sales funnel when the prospective customer lands on a registration page for a free offer to the final step in the funnel. Use the icon in the top right of the image to explode the image to full-screen view so that you can get a closer look at the flow chart.

What Are Some of the Best Funnel-Making Apps?

There are several funnel-making apps available in the market, and choosing the best one depends on your specific needs and budget. Here are some popular funnel-making apps:

1. ClickFunnels: ClickFunnels is a popular funnel-building software that offers an all-in-one solution for creating sales funnels, landing pages, and more. It comes with a drag-and-drop editor and offers a range of templates to choose from.

2. Leadpages: Leadpages is a landing page builder that also allows you to create sales funnels. It offers a range of templates, an easy-to-use drag-and-drop editor, and integrations with popular email marketing tools.

3. Unbounce: Unbounce is a landing page builder that also allows you to create sales funnels. It offers a drag-and-drop editor, A/B testing, and integrations with popular marketing tools.

4. Kartra: Kartra is an all-in-one marketing platform that allows you to create sales funnels, landing pages, email campaigns, and more. It offers a drag-and-drop editor, A/B testing, and advanced automation features.

5. Builderall: Builderall is an all-in-one marketing platform that offers a range of tools for creating sales funnels, landing pages, email campaigns, and more. It comes with a drag-and-drop editor and a range of templates to choose from.

6. SamCart: SamCart is a platform designed specifically for creating checkout pages and upsell funnels. It offers a range of templates, customizable branding, and integration with popular payment gateways.

7. Kajabi: This is another popular funnel-making app that is specifically designed for creating and selling online courses, memberships, and digital products. It offers a range of tools for creating landing pages, sales pages, checkout pages, and more, as well as advanced automation features, such as email marketing and customer management.

   One of the key benefits of Kajabi is its all-in-one platform, which allows you to create and manage all aspects of your online business from a single dashboard. It also offers a range of integrations with popular marketing tools, such as Mailchimp and ActiveCampaign, as well as payment gateways, such as Stripe and PayPal.

   Kajabi also offers a range of templates and customization options, making it easy to create professional-looking sales funnels that are tailored to your specific needs. Additionally, its advanced analytics and reporting tools allow you to track the performance of your funnels and optimize them for better results.

   Overall, Kajabi is a powerful and comprehensive funnel-making app that is ideal for online course creators and digital product sellers who want an all-in-one solution for creating and managing their online businesses.

Ultimately, the best funnel-making app for you will depend on your specific needs and budget. It's important to evaluate each option carefully and choose the one that offers the features and functionality you need to create compelling sales funnels.

If you want to try out Kajabi and get 30 days for free click this link. 

Usually it's only 14 days free trial.

Our 10-Point Sales Funnel Checklist

Here is a checklist of things to consider when creating a sales funnel which we thought would be helpful for you:

1. Identify your target audience and their needs
2. Determine the goal of the sales funnel (i.e. generate leads, sell products, etc.)
3. Develop a clear and concise message for each stage of the funnel
4. Create a landing page that is visually appealing and provides relevant information
5. Offer a lead magnet to incentivize visitors to provide their contact information
6. Set up an email sequence to follow up with leads and provide additional information
7. Design a sales page that clearly presents your product or service and includes a call-to-action
8. Consider offering upsells or cross-sells to increase revenue
9. Test and optimize each stage of the funnel to improve conversions
10. Follow up with customers after the sale to ensure satisfaction and encourage repeat business.

By following this checklist, you can create a well-designed and effective sales funnel that helps you convert website visitors into paying customers.