Hourglass funnel: learn about the evolution of the sales funnel

To adapt to the reality of users and the countless platforms that are created, digital marketing is constantly evolving.  That said, the hourglass funnel, considered the evolution of the sales funnel, is one of those transformations that happen over time.  Do you know how this funnel model works and what its advantages are?  Read our article and learn about the hourglass funnel and its uses!  What is an hourglass funnel?  The hourglass funnel is the progression of the old sales funnel, with the difference that in this process, three more stages are added to the customer journey: retention, loyalty and referral.  It is necessary to build customer loyalty with good after-sales service, bringing them to your business on a permanent basis.  The post-sale journey is as important as the purchase itself, the funnel does not end after customer conversion.  To better understand, see below the difference between a sales funnel and an hourglass funnel.  Difference between sales funnel and hourglass funnel The sales funnel is a representation of the steps that a potential customer goes through in their purchasing journey, from the first contact with the company to closing the deal or making a sale.  It is divided into 3 defined steps to guide the potential customer through their purchasing journey within the company.  They are: Top of the funnel: potential customer who is still a visitor and is realizing that they have a problem, through reading content on the subject; Middle of the funnel: at this stage, the lead already knows that they have a problem and starts looking for solutions, the role of your business is to give tips that will help them; Bottom of the funnel: the lead is ready to be approached by the sales team, as they already know that they have a problem and want to solve it, now is the time to present your authority on the subject and show that your company is better than the competition; Want to know more?  See how the sales funnel works.  In the hourglass funnel, additional steps occur due to the needs of the purchasing journey, which is constantly changing.  Retaining customers and making them loyal to the brand is the main objective, in addition to selling products or services.  At this stage, consumers are much more open to possible negotiations.  What are the steps of the new funnel?  The new stages of the hourglass funnel continue the customer journey.  See the definition of each one: Retention: this is when your company starts working on new after-sales strategies and strengthening the relationship with the customer; Loyalty: after retaining customers, they can recommend your services to other contacts, creating other business opportunities through trust in the brand.  This usually happens when your brand offers good support to the customer, providing a quality service and nurturing the customer with good content; Referral: in the last stage, the customer is already loyal and feels confident about recommending your company to other people.  When a customer is satisfied, the customer is more likely to cross-buy, he will buy a second product or service related to the first.  This action is known as cross-sell.  Furthermore, when the customer is satisfied and there is a good relationship, an upgrade of a service or product already purchased by the customer can also be offered, due to the journey they had within the company.  This action is known as up-selling.  Make your customer feel like a partner of your company, to do this, apply all the steps of the hourglass funnel.  Discover the advantages of the hourglass funnel By applying the hourglass funnel techniques, your company has several advantages in the market.  They are: Cost reduction; Lead generation in less time; Sales expansion; Revenue increase; Organic referral of new customers; Business consolidation; Upgrade in products or services of already loyal customers.  Monitor the process of all leads and understand the importance of each one of them. This can be done through consultative conversations, content on social media, rich materials, and more.  Build loyalty in this relationship between company and consumer and obtain the best results.  Also read some material to help you focus on sales: Digital marketing companies Conclusion After understanding what an hourglass funnel is and its advantages, it is important to reinforce the fact that the entire evolution of the stages of this funnel is intended to nurture and retain new customers.  Each new contact or completed phase is an opportunity for new business, regardless of budget or market.  If you want to improve your sales trends, read our content.  Meet GS2 Marketing We are a digital marketing agency, specialized in inbound marketing, focused on results.  With creative and unusual actions, we use all available digital channels to produce a feasible difference for our clients with greater performance, promoting monitoring and differentiated results.  Our success strategy is based on designing your persona's purchasing journey.  We gather data and analyze our successful clients from different segments to come up with a methodology that will increase your sales.  Additionally, we offer digital marketing consultancy to help you improve your company's digital marketing results.  Want to know more about how GS2 Marketing can help you implement an hourglass funnel?

Hourglass funnel: learn about the evolution of the sales funnel

To adapt to the reality of users and the numerous platforms that are created, digital marketing is constantly evolving. That said, hourglass funnel, considering the evolution of the sales funnel, it is one of those transformations that happen over time. 

Do you know how this funnel model works and what its advantages are?

Read our article and learn about the hourglass funnel and its uses!  

What is an hourglass funnel? 

The hourglass funnel is the progression of the old sales funnel, with the difference that in this process, three more stages are added to the customer journey: retention, loyalty and referral. It is necessary to build customer loyalty with good after-sales service, bringing them to your business permanently. 

The post-sale journey is as important as the purchase itself, the funnel does not end after customer conversion. 

What is an hourglass funnel? The hourglass funnel is the progression of the old sales funnel, with the difference that in this process, three more stages are added to the customer journey: retention, loyalty and referral. It is necessary to build customer loyalty with good after-sales service, bringing them to your business permanently. The after-sales journey is as important as the purchase itself; the funnel does not end after the customer has converted. To better understand, see below the difference between a sales funnel and an hourglass funnel.

Difference between sales funnel and hourglass funnel

The sales funnel is a representation of the steps a potential customer goes through in their purchasing journey, from the first contact with the company to closing the deal or making a sale.

It is divided into 3 defined steps to guide the potential customer through their purchasing journey within the company. They are:

Top of the funnel: potential customer who is still a visitor and is realizing that they have a problem, through reading content on the subject;

Top of the funnel: potential customer who is still a visitor and is realizing that they have a problem, through reading content on the subject;

Middle of the funnel: At this stage, the lead already knows that they have a problem and starts looking for solutions. Your business's role is to give tips that will help them; 


Middle of the funnel: at this stage, the lead already knows that they have a problem and starts looking for solutions. Your business's role is to give them tips that will help them;

Bottom of the funnel: The lead is ready to be approached by the sales team, as they already know they have a problem and want to solve it. Now is the time to present your authority on the subject and show that your company is better than the competition.


Bottom of the funnel: the lead is ready to be approached by the sales team, as they already know they have a problem and want to solve it. Now is the time to present your authority on the subject and show that your company is better than the competition;

Want to know more?

Veja how the sales funnel works

In the hourglass funnel, additional steps occur due to the needs of the purchasing journey, which is constantly changing. 

Retaining customers and making them loyal to the brand is the main objective, in addition to selling products or services. At this stage, consumers are much more open to possible negotiations. 

GS2 Strategies Success Story

What are the steps of the new funnel?

The new stages of the hourglass funnel continue the customer journey. See the definition of each one:

  • Retention: This is when your company starts working on new after-sales strategies and strengthening customer relationships; 
  • Loyalty: Once customers are retained, they can recommend your services to other contacts, creating other business opportunities through brand trust. This usually happens when your brand offers good customer support, providing quality service and nurturing the customer with good content; 
  • Indication: In the last stage, the customer is already loyal and is confident in recommending your company to other people. 

When a customer is satisfied, they are more likely to cross-buy, or buy a second product or service related to the first. This action is known as cross-selling.

Furthermore, when the customer is satisfied and there is a good relationship, an upgrade of a service or product already purchased by the customer may also be offered, due to the journey they had within the company. This action is known as up-selling.

Make your customer feel like a partner of your company, to do this, apply all the steps of the hourglass funnel. 

Discover the advantages of the hourglass funnel

By applying the hourglass funnel techniques, your company has several advantages in the market. They are:

  • Reduction of costs;
  • Lead generation in less time;
  • Sales expansion; 
  • Increased revenue;
  • Referral of new customers organically; 
  • Business consolidation;
  • Upgrade products or services for existing loyal customers.

Monitor the process of all leads and understand the importance of each one. This can be done through consultative conversations, content on social media, rich materials, and more. Build loyalty in this relationship between company and consumer and obtain the best results.

Also read some material to help you focus on sales:

Conclusion

After understanding what an hourglass funnel is and its advantages, it is important to reinforce the fact that the entire evolution of the stages of this funnel is intended to nurture and retain new customers. 

Each new contact or completed phase is an opportunity for new business, regardless of budget or market. 

If you want to improve your sales trends read our content. 

Meet GS2 Marketing

We are a digital marketing agency, specialized in inbound marketing, focused on results. 

With creative and unusual actions, we use all available digital channels to produce a feasible difference for our clients with greater performance, promoting monitoring and differentiated results.

Our success strategy is based on the design of your persona's purchasing journey. We gather data and analyze our successful clients from different segments to come up with a methodology that will increase your sales. 

In addition, we offer digital marketing consulting to help you improve your digital marketing results at your company. 

Want to know more about how GS2 Marketing can help you implement an hourglass funnel? 

Talk with us!

We are a digital marketing agency specializing in inbound marketing, focused on results. With creative and unusual actions, we use all available digital channels to produce a feasible differential for our clients with greater performance, promoting monitoring and differentiated results. Our success strategy is based on the design of your persona's purchase journey. We gather data and analyze our successful clients from different segments to come up with a methodology that will increase your sales. In addition, we offer digital marketing consulting to help you increase the digital marketing results in your company. Want to know more about how GS2 Marketing can help you implement an hourglass funnel? Talk to us!

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