I still remember the first time I tried to “build a funnel.” I had just joined a new company, and I wanted to prove myself. I mapped out buyer personas, stacked automation tools, drafted clever messaging sequences, and organized a color-coded CRM that looked like a sales manager’s dream. It was clean, sharp, and complete. But, it didn’t convert.
I was generating leads, but they were cold, scattered, and disengaged. My reply rates were low. My demos were rushed. My pipeline felt bloated with names that had no business being there. At the time, I thought I had a traffic problem. What I really had was a journey problem.
That experience taught me something I’ve never forgotten: a sales funnel isn’t just a sequence. It’s a story that the buyer walks through step by step. And if that story doesn’t make sense, nothing moves.
Since then, I’ve built customer journeys that do work. These journeys have generated 335 meetings, closed $287K in a startup from scratch, and helped drive $40 million in enterprise deals across multiple continents and industries. Here’s what it really takes to build a customer journey sales funnel that works — not just in theory, but in the trenches.
Table of Contents
What is a customer journey funnel?
A customer journey funnel is the structured path your ideal buyer takes from problem-aware to solution-ready, guided by intentional, relevant, and timely sales and marketing touchpoints. It’s not just about activity. It’s about alignment. Between your message and their moment. Between their pain and your solution.
Done right, you don’t just have a funnel. You get a filter that separates interest from intent and awareness from action.
Over the past 17 years, I’ve built these funnels from scratch. I’ve over 656,000 emails, making 11,519 cold calls, booking 335 meetings, and closing over $406,000 in new business in startup environments alone. I’ve also led multimillion-dollar sales cycles in enterprise, driving $40 million in revenue.
What I’ve learned across every region is this: The best funnels don’t push. They guide.
They anticipate objections. They layer credibility. They move buyers forward through a mix of logic and emotion, urgency and trust. A good funnel builds context. A great one builds momentum.
And the secret? It’s never just about the tool you’re using. It’s about how every touchpoint speaks to a deeper moment in the buyer’s world.
That’s why I always approach funnels like a strategist, not just a seller. Whether I’m mapping outreach for SaaS in North America or building a consultative sequence for real estate in LATAM, I don’t start with “What should we send?” I start with “What should the buyer feel next?”
Because that’s how you turn a lead into a conversation.
A conversation into a commitment.
And a funnel into real revenue.
Why Customer Journey Funnels Benefit Sales Teams
A lot of teams think a customer journey funnel is just a marketing thing. It’s not. When done right, it becomes a sales accelerator. It brings clarity, reduces wasted effort, and creates real movement in the pipeline.
In my experience, the impact isn’t just visible in conversions. It shows up in morale, in consistency, and in confidence. Let me break it down.
1. Funnels turn chaos into clarity.
In outbound sales, the line between motion and progress is blurry. Reps might be doing a lot — sending emails, making cold calls, booking meetings — but if those actions aren’t tied to a clear journey, they’re just noise.
I’ve seen this firsthand. Earlier in my career, I was generating leads but losing deals in the middle of the funnel. Why? Because the buyer wasn’t ready. My messaging didn’t match their awareness stage.
When I shifted to a journey-first funnel, where each stage had a clear intent, I saw my conversion rate jump.
From 335 meetings booked, I turned 69.1% into SQLs. That didn’t happen by chance. That happened because the funnel did the heavy lifting of alignment before the meeting ever took place.
And, that alignment reduced wasted energy. It gave me, and the teams I coach, a roadmap. Not just what to do next but why.
2. Funnels improve personalization at scale.
Let’s be real: Personalization isn’t about using the first name or referencing the company’s LinkedIn post. It’s about making sure the message matches the moment the buyer is in.
With a strong funnel in place, reps stop guessing what to say. They start knowing what the buyer needs at each step.
For example, in the Awareness stage, I use insights like recent funding rounds or job changes to spark curiosity. In the Evaluation stage, I share tailored case studies or objection-busting content.
Because I track every touchpoint, I’ve been able to A/B test what works. I’ve seen how stage-specific messaging gets more engagement, more responses, and better meetings.
As sales strategist and author Aaron Ross once said, “The more predictable your system, the more scalable your results.”
Funnels give you that system.
3. Funnels reduce no-shows and strengthen commitment.
There’s nothing worse than getting a “yes” on the phone … only for the prospect to ghost you. I’ve been there.
But, here’s what changed everything: When I used my funnel to educate before the meeting, I saw my no-show rate drop under 18%.
Why? Because the prospect wasn’t just booking. They were buying into the journey. They had context. They knew what to expect. And, when people understand the next step, they’re more likely to take it.
One thing I teach founders and SDRs I coach is this: If your funnel doesn’t build momentum between touchpoints, it’s not a funnel. It’s a leaky pipe.
When your journey is built right, each stage deepens the relationship. You go from “just another call” to “this is part of something that makes sense.”
4. Funnels make onboarding and coaching easier.
When I’m onboarding a new rep or training a founder who’s doing their own outreach, the first thing I look for is this: Do they have a customer journey they can follow, or are they winging it?
Without a funnel, every rep invents their own process. That creates inconsistency. It’s hard to scale. It’s hard to coach. And, it makes performance unpredictable.
But with a funnel? Now we’re speaking the same language.
I can say, “Here’s how we warm up cold accounts,” or “Here’s the content you send after a demo.” I can train new hires faster. I can spot drop-off points. I can plug leaks.
It’s like giving someone a GPS instead of telling them to “head north and figure it out.”
In fact, a study by CSO Insights found that companies with a formalized sales process, including mapped buyer journeys, saw an 18% higher revenue growth rate than those without.
Structure wins. Every time.
5. Funnels help you sell the way people buy.
This is the core of everything: we need to sell the way people want to buy, not the way we want to sell.
And buyers today? They’re smarter. Busier. More skeptical. They don’t want to be rushed. They want to be led.
Funnels respect that.
They allow sales teams to meet the buyer where they are, not where we wish they were.
I’ve sold across five continents — from fast-paced SaaS in the U.S. to relationship-first business in Brazil, to enterprise deals in the Middle East. One thing remains true: the buyer’s journey might look different on the surface, but the psychology underneath is always human.
When you build a funnel that’s flexible enough to adapt but structured enough to scale, you’re not just improving KPIs. You’re building trust.
How to Build a Customer Journey Funnel
I’ve built funnels that generated 335 booked meetings and over $406K in revenue in early-stage companies. I’ve also helped enterprise teams turn outdated processes into scalable journeys. Here’s the truth: you don’t need a fancy system to start.
You need a clear customer journey, a few key tools, and a commitment to thinking like the buyer. Here’s how I do it, step by step.
Step 1: Map the stages of awareness.
I start by asking: Where is my buyer right now in their decision process?
Most sales funnels fail because they assume the buyer is ready when they’re actually just curious. So, I built my journey around five stages:
- Awareness: They know they have a problem.
- Interest: They’re open to solving it.
- Evaluation: They’re comparing options.
- Decision: They’re ready to act.
- Post-sale/Retention: They’ve bought in, now it’s time to keep them.
By mapping the journey first, I make sure every email, call, and follow-up is tailored to the stage, not just the persona.
As Jill Rowley once said, “If you want to be interesting, be interested.”
I apply that by asking smarter questions early, so I can learn where the buyer is and match my messaging to it.
Step 2: Align messaging with each stage.
Once I know the stage, I write messaging that meets the buyer there.
In Awareness, I don’t pitch. I empathize. In Evaluation, I don’t educate. I differentiate.
Here’s how I approach it:
- Awareness: I lead with relevance, not rapport. For example, I may say, “I saw your team is expanding into the LATAM market. I’m curious how you’re planning to scale customer support across regions?”
- Interest: I share use cases and insights. I might say, “Here’s how a company like yours reduced onboarding time by 30% after switching to our platform.”
- Evaluation: I provide tailored proof, like case studies, benchmarks, and ROI. Stats like my 69.1% SQL conversion rate show what’s possible when the journey is built right.
- Decision: I reduce friction. I recap the value, handle objections, and lock in next steps.
I use frameworks like “Assume the Close” and “Mutual Action Plans.” - Post-sale: I make sure my onboarding and success teams keep delivering value. Because retention is part of the journey, not the end.
Step 3: Connect channels into a seamless flow.
A real funnel isn’t a sequence. It’s a system. That means connecting touchpoints across channels. I use:
- Email sequences to warm up and educate.
- Cold calling to spark urgency and clarity.
- LinkedIn to add familiarity and proof.
- Video/voice notes for standout personalization.
I don’t rely on just one. I orchestrate them. And when I did this consistently across 656,150 emails and 11,519 cold calls, I saw higher reply rates, stronger discovery calls, and fewer no-shows (my no-show rate dropped under 18%).
And, the data backs this up. According to HubSpot, companies with aligned sales and marketing strategies close 67% more deals.
Alignment is what turns messaging into momentum.
Step 4: Create frictionless transitions.
This is one of the most overlooked parts of the funnel: hand-offs.
From SDR to AE. From cold email to booked call. From demo to post-sale. If you don’t plan the transitions, your funnel breaks down. So I always ask:
- Does the prospect know what to expect next?
- Have I previewed the value of the next step?
- Have I reduced uncertainty or added more?
I use confirmation emails, short pre-call videos, or even Calendly descriptions to prep buyers. It’s all about managing expectations and removing resistance.
Trish Bertuzzi once said, “The buyer journey is not a straight line. It’s a maze of twists and turns.”
That’s why I don’t leave transitions to chance. I guide the path.
Step 5: Track, test, and optimize.
Funnels aren’t one-time projects. They’re living systems. So, I track everything — every “no,” every email open, and every call outcome.
That’s how I hit a 69.1% SQL conversion rate. I didn’t guess. I tested. I used A/B subject lines. I changed the call openers. I studied no-show reasons. I learned from patterns. I adapted.
Here are the tools I’ve relied on the most.
- CRM: HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive
- Data: Apollo, Lusha, ZoomInfo, RocketReach
- Content: Google Docs + ChatGPT for script iterations
- Mindset: I log emotional trends, too. I track the days I felt sharp and the days when I didn’t. Remember, performance isn’t just process. It’s presence.
Customer Journey Funnel Example
To show you what a working customer journey funnel looks like in practice, let me walk you through one I’ve used successfully in a SaaS setting. This is also a funnel you could easily implement in a platform like HubSpot.
Let’s imagine we’re selling a fictional SaaS product called “TeamFlow,” a platform that helps remote teams manage projects and increase productivity through automation and AI-powered workflows.
I’ve sold solutions like this before, across different markets, so the structure I’m about to show you is rooted in the same fundamentals that helped me close $406K in startup deals and $40M in enterprise.
Step-by-Step Funnel: How I’d Build TeamFlow’s Customer Journey
1. Awareness stage: Identify the trigger.
At this stage, the prospect doesn’t know us. They’re not looking for “TeamFlow.” But, they are feeling the pain. Maybe projects are slipping, team productivity is low, or their head of ops is overwhelmed.
My trigger insight: I use LinkedIn Sales Navigator to filter companies that recently hired a new VP of Operations or CTO. Why? Because change = openness.
My message: “Hey [First Name], I saw you just stepped into the VP Ops role at [Company]. Curious — how are you tackling the challenge of scaling remote team productivity without burning everyone out?”
KPI I track:
- Open rates and reply rates
- Average = 18-23% open rate with personalized subject line
- Reply rate goal = 5-8%
If I’m under that, I change the trigger or rewrite the CTA.
Why it works: I’m not pitching features. I’m framing the pain in their world.
Pro tip: Morgan Ingram once said, “Your cold outreach should sound like it’s coming from someone who knows them, not someone trying to sell them.” That’s my goal here — relevance over rapport.
2. Interest stage: Spark curiosity.
Once they reply or click a link in my email, they’ve moved to the interest stage. Now they’re problem-aware, but not solution-ready yet. So, I don’t sell. I educate.
What I share: I send a short Loom video breaking down how remote teams lose 12.5 hours per week to context switching (based on Asana’s report). I may also send a LinkedIn post showing how one of our clients reduced project delays by 28% in 3 months.
My CTA: “I don’t know if it’s a fit yet, but I’d be happy to share how we helped a company in your space solve this. Want to take a look?”
Stats I’ve seen here:
- Video click-through = 18–22%
- Meeting booked from video = 11.4%
- My average conversion here historically:
- Booked 335 meetings → 69.1% SQL conversion rate
What matters most: I focus on why now, not why us. Because urgency moves the needle more than features.
3. Evaluation stage: Build trust through proof.
Now the prospect is comparing options. They’ve seen a few demos. They’re bringing others into the conversation. This is where most reps get nervous, but this is where I double down on personalized credibility.
What I do: I share a case study that mirrors their business model or a 1-pager with ROI metrics tailored to their team size. I also invite their team to a use-case-specific walkthrough (not a general demo).
How I recap the journey so far: “Here’s what I heard you say matters to you… Here’s how our platform supports that… and here’s what a rollout could look like for your team.”
Pro tip: Mark Roberge, HubSpot’s former CRO, said, “The best reps sell with data, not adjectives.” So, I show the numbers. That includes what we’ve done and what they can achieve based on others like them.
4. Decision stage: Make the path to yes easy.
Now it’s about confidence, clarity, and simplicity. I don’t hard close. I soft lock.
What I say: “If nothing changes in the next 6 months, what will that cost the team in hours or outcomes?” That’s not pressure—it’s perspective.
I create a Mutual Action Plan (MAP) that include:
- Stakeholders.
- Timelines.
- Implementation roadmap.
- KPIs to measure success.
This makes them feel supported, not sold. And, it increases deal velocity—something I’ve used repeatedly across IBM, 3M, and SaaS startups to shorten sales cycles and move large deals across the finish line.
No-show rate here: Under 18%, because they’re bought in before they sign.
5. Retention stage: Extend the journey, don’t end it.
Here’s what most reps forget: The funnel doesn’t end at the sale. It evolves.
What I do post-sale: After a sale, I schedule a 30-day “value check-in.” I also share customer success tips via email to keep teams inspired. Then, I ask for a review or referral after we’ve delivered early wins.
Why this matters: In every market I’ve worked in, word of mouth is your secret weapon. And retention turns customers into promoters.
My metric: If expansion or referrals aren’t happening, it’s not a product problem — it’s a journey gap.
Tips for Building a Customer Journey Funnel
There’s a difference between a funnel that looks good on paper and one that actually moves revenue. I’ve tested both. The real breakthrough comes when you stop treating the funnel as a static process and start treating it as a dynamic journey that adapts to the buyer’s behavior, timing, and mindset.
Below are some of the hard-earned lessons and tips I use every time I build or refine a customer journey funnel, whether I’m working with SaaS founders, B2B SDR teams, or enterprise sales consultants. Let’s break it down.
Start with behavior, not just demographics.
I used to focus heavily on industry, company size, title, and location. But over time, I realized that knowing who someone is means very little unless you also understand what they’re doing.
Now, I start with behavior:
- Have they posted something relevant on LinkedIn?
- Did they open or click a previous email?
- Has their company gone through recent funding or hiring growth?
Those are triggers. And when I map the funnel around behavior-based signals, I drive stronger engagement.
When I made this shift, my cold email reply rates increased from 4.2% to 8.9%, and my call-to-SQL ratio jumped past 69%. I wasn’t just personalizing. I was prioritizing based on real-time relevance.
Design every stage with a goal, not just a message.
Every time I write a new email or update a sales sequence, I ask myself: “What does this stage need to do?”
I’m not just sending a message. I’m creating a movement. Awareness should spark curiosity. Evaluation should increase urgency. Decision should remove friction. If a stage exists just to “touch base,” I cut it.
In my own outbound campaigns, when I rewrote my sequences to reflect specific goals per stage, I saw a 32% lift in meetings booked in under 10 days.
Pro tip: I tell the founders I coach to tie every touchpoint to a buyer shift. A mental “aha.” If you can name the shift, you can build the message.
Think like a buyer, not a closer.
Here’s the truth: most funnels are built for the seller’s convenience, not the buyer’s experience.
I’ve been guilty of this too. I used to rush through stages just to hit my KPIs. But I learned — especially in longer cycles like enterprise SaaS or consulting — that forcing speed leads to ghosting.
Now, I reverse engineer my funnel from the buyer’s timeline. I ask:
- What do they need to believe to move forward?
- What risks are they trying to avoid?
- What internal questions are they probably asking?
This mindset helped me reduce no-shows to below 18%, because I wasn’t pushing people. Instead, I was pacing with them.
Use metrics as mirrors, not just scoreboards.
I track everything. That includes opens, replies, conversions, objections by stage, and time from first touch to close.
But, I don’t just track to report. I track to adjust. I treat metrics like mirrors. They show me where friction lives. Where I’m losing momentum. Where I need to rework a message or rethink a CTA.
When coaching teams, I push them to track:
- Lead-to-meeting rate.
- Meeting-to-SQL rate.
- Funnel drop-off by stage.
- Follow-up engagement windows.
That’s because funnels don’t improve with time. They improve with attention.
Simplify the path to “yes.”
Complexity kills deals. The buyer already has 99 problems. Your funnel shouldn’t be one of them.
So, I look at my customer journey and ask:
- Can they say yes without talking to five people?
- Is the next step always clear?
- Have I removed unnecessary approvals or admin steps?
This approach has helped me close multimillion-dollar deals in enterprise settings because the journey felt guided, not overwhelming.
Mindset shift with sales funnels.
The best customer journey funnels aren’t just built for the buyer. They’re built with the buyer in mind, at every step.
When I stopped thinking in scripts and started thinking in shifts — shifts in perception, urgency, trust — everything clicked. My meetings got sharper. My discovery calls got deeper. My deals moved faster.
That’s the difference between sending 10,000 emails that go nowhere and building a system that turns curiosity into conversation, and conversation into cash.
If you’re building your funnel now, just remember this: Start with empathy. Lead with structure. Adapt like a scientist. Momentum is earned one intentional step at a time.
Building Funnels That Win
I still remember the moment I realized my “funnel” was just a glorified checklist.
I was managing dozens of leads, blasting sequences, making the calls, and following the process. And yet, my pipeline was full of “maybes.”
So, I stopped trying to game the numbers, and I started studying the buyer’s behavior. I rewrote my messaging to match their timing, not mine. I started asking better questions, tracking drop-offs, and adjusting based on what actually moved people forward.
Here’s what I’ve learned: A customer journey funnel isn’t about automation. It’s about intention. It’s not about pushing. It’s about pacing. It’s not about flooding your pipeline. It’s about moving real people through a real path to value.
When I stopped winging my outreach and started structuring my funnel, I didn’t just make more sales. I started feeling more in control and more like the kind of seller I’d actually want to buy from.
And if you follow these steps, you’ll build more than a funnel.
