All sales funnels have the same basic shape and characteristics – wide at the entry point and gradually narrowing as the prospect moves through it. Each funnel is similar, but no two are exactly the same. You have many options when it comes to working out the specifics.

Before you start thinking about the specifics of your sales funnel, there is some important research that must be done. Start by taking your product idea and making sure there’s a market for it. No matter how enticing your offers or how well-crafted your funnel, you won’t succeed if there isn’t a hungry crowd eyeing the products you are offering.

Begin by doing keyword research to see if people are searching for what you’re planning to offer. You can conduct more detailed research by looking at products in your niche and niches that are similar to yours. This can be done through online product marketplaces such as ClickBank or Amazon or through a general Google search. On these sites, you can see if people are actually buying products related to your niche. You can also find out about the potential of your market by looking at similar products offered by your competitors.

Examine Your Competitors’ Funnels

It’s always good to investigate the sales funnels of your competition. The point of this investigation isn’t so much to get ideas as it is to find weaknesses within their sales process. You need to offer your prospects something unique that your competitors do not offer.

The best way to do this is to sign up to your competitors’ mailing list and see how they market from the point of view of a prospective customer. You should also take advantage of some of their offers to see what you’re up against. You’ll be able to assess not only their sales funnels, but also the quality of their products and service.

Brainstorm Your Funnel

Once you discover your market and the approach of your competition, start brainstorming what you’ll do with your own sales funnel. First of all, brainstorm potential offers. Knowing what your competition is offering will help you target what the market could really use. What kinds of products would help you qualify these potential buyers? You might consider freebies, small-ticket offers for the front-end, medium and large-ticket offers for the back-end, and one-time offers.

You’ll also need to identify your traffic sources. Traffic sources include things such as search engines, social media, forums, blogs, content directories, press releases, information products, and anything else that will drive traffic to your landing page.

Plan It Out

After your brainstorming, lay out your sales funnel in a visual way that allows you to see the big picture. You can do this by using tools such as mind maps, spreadsheets, timetables, and/or diagrams.

A good sales funnel is solid, well-planned, and detailed, but you also have to be flexible. Once you put it into action, be sure to carefully track your conversions to identify the strongest and weakest spots in your funnel. Troubleshoot and find ways to strengthen the weak points while replicating the strongest ones in order to improve your sales funnel.

Here’s one example of a solid sales funnel that you can use as a guide for planning your own.