The way people buy has changed. They research online, read reviews, ask friends and engage with brands on their own terms. That’s why many marketers have moved from the traditional sales funnel to the flywheel – a model built around customer experience.
What are the funnel and the flywheel?
Both models map the journey your customers take, from first hearing about you to buying and beyond. They help you tailor your channels, messages and content to what people need at each step. And when you get that right, more prospects become customers – and fewer are lost to your competitors.
The sales funnel
The sales funnel has been a trusted model for well over a century, building on E. St. Elmo Lewis’s ideas from the 1890s. Its wide top lets in lots of prospects, and the group narrows as people move from awareness to consideration, conversion and, in some versions, loyalty and advocacy.
Its limitation is that it treats customers as an output. It focuses on pushing people towards a sale, often with outbound tactics like advertising and sales emails – and it ends at the purchase, rather than recognising the role happy customers play in winning new ones.
The flywheel
HubSpot introduced the flywheel to put customer experience at the centre. It has three stages – attract, engage and delight – arranged in a cycle rather than a line.
The idea is simple: when customers get great value and a great experience, they become your promoters, and their recommendations attract new customers. The wheel keeps spinning. But any friction – confusing content, a clunky form, a slow reply – slows it down, and can send frustrated buyers elsewhere.
In a funnel, customers are the end result. In a flywheel, they’re what keeps you moving.
How to turn your funnel into a flywheel
1. Map what you already do
List your current tactics, channels and content, and assign each one to a stage: attract, engage or delight. Apply your key performance indicators (KPIs) to each stage too, so you can measure how well the wheel is turning.
2. Find the friction
Look for the points where people drop out or lose interest. Common culprits include:
- dull or irrelevant content
- the wrong channels for your audience
- inconsistent experiences between stages
- slow or disjointed handovers between teams
3. Refine your approach
For each process, ask: is this here for my convenience, or my customer’s? Keep what works, improve what doesn’t, and drop anything that adds friction without adding value.
4. Create moments of delight
Keep the wheel spinning with great experiences:
- content tailored to every stage of the journey
- customer stories and user-generated content
- quick, helpful support, such as live chat
- consistent communication, wherever and whenever people get in touch
- choice, so people can take the next step when they’re ready
Small changes can make a big difference.
Bringing it together
The funnel still helps explain how people move towards a purchase, but the flywheel better reflects how they buy today. Focus on removing friction and delivering great experiences at every stage, and your customers will keep the wheel turning for you.
Want a conversion strategy that keeps your wheel spinning? I help organisations plan marketing strategies that turn interest into action. Get in touch to find out more.