{"id":4384,"date":"2021-06-18T10:36:57","date_gmt":"2021-06-18T08:36:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/capturly.com\/blog\/?p=4384"},"modified":"2024-02-09T15:38:15","modified_gmt":"2024-02-09T14:38:15","slug":"sales-funnel-vs-sales-pipeline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/capturly.com\/blog\/sales-funnel-vs-sales-pipeline\/","title":{"rendered":"Sales Funnel Vs. Sales Pipeline: A Comparison"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you have been using <\/span><b>\u2018sales pipeline<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2019 and <\/span><b>\u2018sales funnel\u2019<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> interchangeably to mean the same thing, you have probably been misusing them and should make sure you learned the difference so you can use both effectively.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sales pipeline and sales funnel are both terms that describe the<\/span><b> flow of prospects through a sale<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, but there is an important difference between the two terms, although they are often mixed up.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_53 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title \" >Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/capturly.com\/blog\/sales-funnel-vs-sales-pipeline\/#What_Is_A_Sales_Funnel\" title=\"What Is A Sales Funnel?\">What Is A Sales Funnel?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/capturly.com\/blog\/sales-funnel-vs-sales-pipeline\/#What_Is_A_Sales_Pipeline\" title=\"What Is A Sales Pipeline?\">What Is A Sales Pipeline?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/capturly.com\/blog\/sales-funnel-vs-sales-pipeline\/#Why_Is_A_Sales_Pipeline_Important\" title=\"Why Is A Sales Pipeline Important?\">Why Is A Sales Pipeline Important?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/capturly.com\/blog\/sales-funnel-vs-sales-pipeline\/#What_Is_A_Funnel_Report\" title=\"What Is A Funnel Report?\">What Is A Funnel Report?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/capturly.com\/blog\/sales-funnel-vs-sales-pipeline\/#What_Is_A_Pipeline_Report\" title=\"What Is A Pipeline Report?\">What Is A Pipeline Report?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/capturly.com\/blog\/sales-funnel-vs-sales-pipeline\/#What_Is_A_Pipeline_Meeting\" title=\"What Is A Pipeline Meeting?\">What Is A Pipeline Meeting?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/capturly.com\/blog\/sales-funnel-vs-sales-pipeline\/#How_Can_You_Optimize_Your_Sales_Pipeline\" title=\"How Can You Optimize Your Sales Pipeline?\">How Can You Optimize Your Sales Pipeline?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/capturly.com\/blog\/sales-funnel-vs-sales-pipeline\/#Creative_Informative_Content_That_Answers_Questions\" title=\"Creative Informative Content That Answers Questions\">Creative Informative Content That Answers Questions<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/capturly.com\/blog\/sales-funnel-vs-sales-pipeline\/#Gather_Email_Addresses_From_Prospects\" title=\"Gather Email Addresses From Prospects\">Gather Email Addresses From Prospects<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/capturly.com\/blog\/sales-funnel-vs-sales-pipeline\/#Use_Engaging_Media_To_Stand_Out\" title=\"Use Engaging Media To Stand Out\">Use Engaging Media To Stand Out<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/capturly.com\/blog\/sales-funnel-vs-sales-pipeline\/#Summing_up\" title=\"Summing up\">Summing up<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Is_A_Sales_Funnel\"><\/span><b>What Is A Sales Funnel?<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/capturly.com\/blog\/7-best-sales-funnel-examples-in-2022\/\">A sales funnel<\/a> or conversion funnel is the marketing term for the <\/span><b>journey that a potential customer goes through<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to make a purchase.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/sanjeevmishra.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Sales-Funnel.png?w=1000&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"sales funnel\" width=\"1000\" height=\"712\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/sanjeevmishra.com\/beginners-guide-create-sales-funnel\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Source<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A few steps to a sales funnel are usually called the top, middle, and bottom of the funnel. These steps can vary, depending on the sales model of your company.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Is_A_Sales_Pipeline\"><\/span><b>What Is A Sales Pipeline?<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A sales pipeline is a visual way to <\/span><b>track potential buyers as they progress through the purchasing process.\u00a0<\/b><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/sopro.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Sales-Pipeline-1.0.jpg\" alt=\"sales pipeline\" width=\"1182\" height=\"540\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/sopro.io\/added-value\/blog\/how-to-manage-your-sales-pipeline\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Source<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We often visualize pipelines as a horizontal bar or a funnel, split into the stages of the company\u2019s sales process. Buyers are moved <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/eserto.com\/sales-pipeline-stages\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">through the stages<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> as they move through the sales process.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is a way of showing where potential buyers are in their journey from lead to customer.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The sales team can see where their money, deals, and sales efforts are all the time. It can be a vital tool for salespeople dealing with multiple prospects and can\u2019t afford to let one fall by the wayside.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>It is essential for sales managers as well if they want more data on how the sales process is working.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A pipeline tracks the activities of the sales team and offers more visibility of which sales activities are delivering the most significant returns.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_Is_A_Sales_Pipeline_Important\"><\/span><b>Why Is A Sales Pipeline Important?<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As a company, it is essential for you to have an effective tool that will allow you to forecast your potential revenue, whether that\u2019s monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, or annually.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>A good sales pipeline will let you do this by showing you the areas in your sales that could be getting close to their quota, or those that are weak points causing leaks in your pipeline.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Forecasting your possible revenue is important, as it will help you to determine whether or not you are heading in the right direction to reach your financial goals, or if you\u2019re falling off track and will need to adjust your marketing strategies.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Is_A_Funnel_Report\"><\/span><b>What Is A Funnel Report?<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A sales funnel or conversion funnel report gives sales managers a snapshot of all of the current pipeline opportunities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.hubspot.com\/hs-fs\/hubfs\/Funnel%20-%20all%20stages.png?width=600&amp;name=Funnel%20-%20all%20stages.png\" alt=\"sales funnel report\" width=\"599\" height=\"271\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.hubspot.com\/customers\/5-business-insights-you-can-get-from-a-funnel-report\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Source<\/span><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">)<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These opportunities are broken down into the individual selling stages.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A manager can take a quick glance at the funnel report to get a sense of how many opportunities their sales team is currently working on and what stages each of these opportunities are in.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>The historical data in these reports can also give a clearer sense of how the pipeline is growing over time.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sales managers can use this information to prioritize the best opportunities. The opportunities that are most likely to be closed, based on the current stage and how long they have been there, should be engaged with the most.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All sales managers can make good use of an accurate sales forecast, and the information in the sales funnel report can be a helpful step on the way to producing one.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Suppose you know what to expect from each pipeline opportunity at every stage of the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/marketsplash.com\/customer-journey-map\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">customer journey<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In that case, you can set more realistic expectations for your sales team, leading to better performances.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Is_A_Pipeline_Report\"><\/span><b>What Is A Pipeline Report?<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A sales pipeline report shows the value and quantity of all deals in each stage of the pipeline when the report is run.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/solve360.com\/help\/images\/siteTrainingPipelineFinal.png\" alt=\"sales report\" width=\"560\" height=\"341\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/solve360.com\/client-manager\/report-builder\/walkthrough\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Source<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pipeline reports are used to keep track of the status of each deal and understand if they have an appropriate distribution of deals to meet any sales targets.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Is_A_Pipeline_Meeting\"><\/span><b>What Is A Pipeline Meeting?<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A sales pipeline might be shown in a spreadsheet, on a whiteboard, or inside your sales CRM.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>A pipeline meeting or pipeline review will give you an overview of the overall health of your team\u2019s sales pipeline.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.close.com\/content\/images\/hubfs\/315483\/image02-min-1.jpg\" alt=\"ecommerce pipeline\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1004\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.close.com\/sales-pipeline-review-meeting\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Source<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The team will be better able to understand the external and internal context of the deals being made, discuss any challenges or threats in the pipeline, get insight into the performance and capabilities of sales representatives, and make sure that sales forecasts are accurate and up to date.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A pipeline meeting can function as a training tool for sales reps, and an evaluation tool to determine how successful your sales are.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you do these reviews correctly, you should close more deals and earn more revenue.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These meetings could be carried out in several different formats. Depending on the structure of your sales team, consider how often you should have these meetings, whether they would be better one-on-one or with the whole team, and how long they should last.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What structure will they take? For example, will you review all the deals in the pipeline or only the highest priority deals?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>A pipeline meeting should have clear action items for each sales rep and the deals they are looking after. These actions could be how to tackle an obstacle or how to negotiate a deal.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You do not have to have a set structure. Instead, trial and error of a few different options is the way to go.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">See what works for your team and your business, and adjust accordingly.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_Can_You_Optimize_Your_Sales_Pipeline\"><\/span><b>How Can You Optimize Your Sales Pipeline?<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are several ways to optimize your sales pipeline to maximize your closed sales and revenue.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Know Your Audience<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you do not know much about your audience, how will you optimize your sales funnel most effectively? It is important to remember that <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/capturly.com\/blog\/everything-you-need-to-know-about-non-linear-customer-journeys\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">customer journeys are not always linear<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The more you know about each of your prospects, the better you will market to them and convert prospects into paying customers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>If you are reaching out to the wrong people, or they have set your sales funnel up to target the wrong audience, you will just waste your time and money. So it is crucial to get these things right.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The first step is to build out a few detailed audience personas. There are <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.hubspot.com\/marketing\/buyer-persona-research\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">lots of guides online<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to help you do this.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Make sure you understand your competitors, especially the competition you know is performing well and getting great results.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can use traffic analytics tools to help you get some insight into what sources of traffic your competitors have and their top-performing content to understand what is working for them and what appeals to their audience.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You need to work to better understand your market, including your key demographics and audience interests.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Creative_Informative_Content_That_Answers_Questions\"><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Creative Informative Content That Answers Questions<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Educational content that answers questions makes your customers a lot more likely to decide to buy from you.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Also, simplicity and ease of understanding are often the hardest to achieve in your <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.avoma.com\/blog\/making-your-sales-pitch-work\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">sales pitch<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> without coming across as way too salesy. And if the prospect doesn&#8217;t get it in the first instance, then you lose the opportunity.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When you produce great content that educates your audience looking for solutions to their problems, you will be able to position yourself as an expert in your field, build trust with your audience, and grow a reputation for being knowledgeable and helpful.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Start by thinking about the buyer personas you created and asking yourself some questions about them like, <\/b><b><i>\u2018what are their problems\u2019<\/i><\/b><b>, and <\/b><b><i>\u2018what solutions are they looking for\u2019?<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A brilliant way to identify some good opportunities for helping, informative content that targets the awareness stage of the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/capturly.com\/blog\/how-to-create-and-optimize-a-website-conversion-funnel-step-by-step-guide\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">conversion funnel<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is to find the keywords and questions which your target personas are already searching for.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One good technique to find some valuable topics and keywords which you could use to inspire some <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/sixads.net\/blog\/build-brand-awareness-shopify-store\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">awareness-based content<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is to use the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.semrush.com\/analytics\/keywordmagic\/start\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SEMrush Keyword Magic Tool<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. With this tool, you enter a keyword, domain, or URL <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(such as a competitor)<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and get ideas for keywords.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can even choose to filter by questions to make sure you are answering what your audience wants and needs to know.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Gather_Email_Addresses_From_Prospects\"><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gather Email Addresses From Prospects<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/outfunnel.com\/lead-nurturing\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">nurture a lead<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or a prospect through your sales funnel, you need to build a relationship with them and earn their trust. Without getting their email address, you will find this hard to do.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A prospect who is willing to share their email address with you is a good sign that they are interested in building their relationship with your business and are actually interested in what you are offering them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Getting Email Addresses<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You should already be creating engaging content, both at the awareness and interest stages of the funnel. This content can help you to capture email addresses from your prospects.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>The simplest way to do this is to use a sign-up form in a visible place alongside your content. Again, this is simple but can be very effective.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/6elrmjmsbs335jwbeybarrry-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/img-1.png\" alt=\"conversion rate optimization\" width=\"700\" height=\"717\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.aweber.com\/email-marketing\/no-website-no-problem-how-to-create-a-sign-up-form-build-your-subscriber-list-without-a-website.htm\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Source<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After all, what better time is there to offer your prospects the chance to sign up when they are already engaging with content that you have produced.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Just make sure you very clearly state what you will deal with their details and what they can expect from you if they sign up.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, just putting a sign-up form on your website is not usually enough, and the sign-up rate is going to remain low.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Instead, think about holding onto some of your best content and only offering it to a prospect once they sign up and enter their email address. You can do this by using custom <a href=\"https:\/\/sendpulse.com\/support\/glossary\/landing-page\">landing pages<\/a> that show off the quality content you have on offer to increase signups.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Use_Engaging_Media_To_Stand_Out\"><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Use Engaging Media To Stand Out<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once you have caught the prospect\u2019s attention, you will need to work hard to maintain this level of attention and keep on standing out from your competition.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>One of the best ways to do this is to use engaging media to help your prospects explore and get a better understanding of your services and products.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/media.giphy.com\/media\/3ohhwxWDV25DWpgleU\/giphy.gif\" alt=\"engaging media\" width=\"480\" height=\"320\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/giphy.com\/gifs\/wework-work-glasses-3ohhwxWDV25DWpgleU\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Source<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At the consideration stage of the sales funnel, the more information you can give prospects to help them to understand why your product is right for them, the stronger your chances will be to get the prospect to convert.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Engaging Media<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fantastic visual content can go a long way to help you sell your products and improve your <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vectornator.io\/blog\/visual-communication\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">visual communication<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>However, make sure you go beyond the basic studio shots and stock images to help you stand out from your competitors\u2019 websites.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example, use images of your products to showcase some of the most important features. You can highlight the critical elements of your products by getting creative with your imagery.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Using this kind of visuals will help you stand out from the crowd online and go a long way to help you sell your products and move prospects through the sales funnel.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you have more budget to invest, you can use some of the technology that is now available to businesses to up their image game.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4>Using AR<\/h4>\n<p><b>For example, you can use AR to help your customers to get to grips with your products.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-4385 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/capturly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Ke\u0301pernyo\u030bfoto\u0301-2021-06-28-10.56.51.png\" alt=\"ar in e-commerce\" width=\"597\" height=\"555\" srcset=\"https:\/\/capturly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Ke\u0301pernyo\u030bfoto\u0301-2021-06-28-10.56.51.png 597w, https:\/\/capturly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Ke\u0301pernyo\u030bfoto\u0301-2021-06-28-10.56.51-300x279.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 597px) 100vw, 597px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><b>(<\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.currys.co.uk\/\"><b>Source<\/b><\/a><b>)<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Think about how a prospect would interact with a product in person. They would pick it up and turn it over to see it from other angles. How can you recreate this kind of experience online?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Creative imagery can do this.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You need to use your images and other media to stand out from the competition to help your prospects to connect more with your products or services. Engaging media, such as rich <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/visme.co\/blog\/data-visualization\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">visual content<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.kdanmobile.com\/make-your-video-go-viral\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">viral videos<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, or AR, can be the best way to do that and capture their attention.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><a href=\"https:\/\/capturly.com\/blog\/how-to-optimize-your-e-commerce-sales-funnel\/\">Optimizing a sales funnel<\/a> and sales pipeline is something that every business needs to be able to do.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Without optimization, you will lose prospects to your competitors.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By taking the time to understand what sales funnels and sales pipelines are, what the difference is, what yours look like, and how you can improve them, you can improve your conversion rate.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With a better conversion rate, you can also generate more revenue and make your business more successful.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Summing_up\"><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Summing up<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The journey that a potential customer takes to make a purchase is referred to as a sales funnel in marketing. A sales pipeline, on the other hand, is a visual representation of how potential buyers go through the buying process.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A sales pipeline is useful because it allows you to track potential buyers as they advance through the buying process visually. These reports&#8217; historical data can also help you see how the pipeline is changing over time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Also, a sales pipeline report shows the value and quantity of all deals in each stage of the pipeline when the report is running.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Optimize your sales pipeline by knowing your audience, creating informative content, gathering email addresses, using engaging media to outperform your competitors and increase your conversion rate. In this <a href=\"https:\/\/kanakinfosystems.com\/blog\/sendinblue-review\">Sendinblue review<\/a>, you can read about an affordable email marketing tool.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Optimizing a sales funnel and sales pipeline is something that every business needs to be able to do. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you have been using \u2018sales pipeline\u2019 and \u2018sales funnel\u2019 interchangeably to mean the same thing, you have probably been misusing them and should make sure you learned the difference so you can use both effectively.\u00a0 Sales pipeline and sales funnel are both terms that describe the flow of prospects through a sale, but there<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":4386,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[98],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.13 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Sales Funnel Vs. 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