How to Build a Sales Funnel on WhatsApp

How many leads do you get on any given day? How many of them eventually become paying customers? What’s the path they go through before converting? Is your sales funnel working or you’re losing great opportunities to boost your conversion rates?

Imagine turning everyday chats into a goldmine of sales opportunities, all through the world’s favorite messaging app. Yes, you can create a money-making sales funnel on WhatsApp - from initial awareness to nurturing loyal customers - and watch your revenue soar effortlessly.

In this guide, we’ll talk about how you can improve each stage of your sales funnel and how can WhatsApp improve your overall sales process.

How does a sales funnel work? #

A sales funnel represents the journey potential customers go through from the initial contact with your business to the final, and then, repeat purchase. It’s mostly broken down into 4 stages: awareness, interest, decision, and action.

Let’s see how each stage works:

1. Awareness #

This is where potential customers first hear about your business. Maybe they see an ad, find your website, hear about you from a friend, or come across your content on social media. They’re not looking to buy just yet, but simply become aware that you exist.

Your goal at this stage is to capture their attention. You do this by creating content that sparks curiosity, running ads that speak to their pain points, or getting your brand in front of them through organic and paid channels. The key here is visibility. If they don’t know you exist, they can’t buy from you.

2. Interest #

Now that they know you exist, the next step is getting them interested. They need to see that what you offer is relevant to them. This is where you start positioning your product or service as a solution to their problem.

Now, potential customers might check out your website, read your blog posts, download a lead magnet, or sign up for a free resource. However, they’re not ready to buy yet - just open to finding out more.

Your job is to keep them engaged. Answer their questions and show them why your solution is worth considering.

3. Decision #

This is where things get serious. The potential customer is weighing their options and deciding whether to buy from you or go with someone else. They might compare features, read reviews, or request a demo.

Here, your focus is to remove doubt. Address objections, highlight your unique value, and make it easy for them to choose you. Case studies, testimonials, and social proof can be powerful at this stage. The easier you make the decision, the more likely they are to convert.

4. Action #

This is the moment of truth! The customer has made their decision and is ready to buy. But even here, things can go wrong. A complicated checkout process, last-minute doubts, or poor follow-up can cause them to drop off.

Your goal is to make the buying process smooth and seamless. Offer clear next steps, guide them through the purchase, and reassure them that they’re making the right choice.

The sales funnel doesn’t end here. After they buy, focus on delivering a great experience, so they come back for more and refer others to you.

Ace every stage of your sales funnel and you’ll turn one-time buyers into repeat customers, consistently.

How to create a sales funnel with the help of WhatsApp #

A sales funnel is only as good as the tools you use to run it. Did you know that you can use WhatsApp to improve the entire customer journey? It gives you a direct, fast, and personal way to move leads from stage to stage, without the friction of emails or cold calls.

Here’s how to use it to build a high-converting sales funnel.

Attract and capture leads = Lead generation #

With click-to-WhatsApp ads, you can generate new leads and target specific demographics that align with your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP). Once you get them into your inbox, use the magic of WhatsApp to keep them engaged. Keep the conversation live, ask qualifying questions and smoothly get them ready to move to the next stage.

With WhatsApp broadcast messages, you can share promotions and educate your leads about your features or services. Make sure the messaging here is relevant to your leads. Address the common challenges they might be facing and how your product can solve them.

Distribute leads among your team #

Through chats on WhatsApp, you can gather essential information from your leads. You can set up a lead qualification chatbot flow to speed up the process and scale up interactions. The bot can ask them questions about their use cases, the challenges they face, and what they need to solve them.

The bot can even send them a WhatsApp flow to collect details about their company size, industry, budget, and specific needs. With all this data at hand, you can easily segment your customers.

Once you have qualified your leads, distribute them to the appropriate sales teams or representatives. Assign leads based on factors like industry specialization or product expertise. This will increase your chances of conversion because each lead is handled by the most suitable team member.

Engage and follow up with leads #

At this stage, while your potential customers are evaluating their options, you can improve your chances of closing the deal. Share product demos, customer testimonials, detailed product reviews, and compelling case studies to show them the value your product can bring to their business.

Regular follow-ups are important at this stage. Address any lingering doubts and provide additional information that might tip the balance in your favor. With a solid follow-up strategy, you can keep your prospects engaged in one-on-one conversations on WhatsApp. You can offer a free trial to allow potential customers to experience your product firsthand. This can be a persuasive factor in their decision-making process - provided your product is as good as you claim.

Negotiate and close the sale #

Now that your leads are well-informed and engaged, it’s time to move towards closing the deal. Yes, you can send them an email, but emails often go unnoticed or land in spam folders. Instead, use WhatsApp where is most likely they’ll engage and send them the offer directly.

Personalize your follow-ups by including their name, the product or service your offer includes or any other relevant information. On WhatsApp, you can answer any final questions or objections. If they need a little nudge, it might be helpful to offer them limited-time incentives that can encourage a quicker decision.

Finally, email them the contract or agreement and then confirm the sale with all relevant details on WhatsApp.

Offer post-sale support #

After the purchase, focus on building loyalty. Provide excellent customer support via WhatsApp and resolve issues quickly to keep them satisfied. Reward loyal customers with exclusive offers, early access to new features, or special discounts.

Here you can encourage them to give you feedback and submit reviews on platforms like G2 and Capterra. Positive reviews are the best tool for attracting new customers. Your sales team can share those reviews with new leads on WhatsApp to help them make a decision.

Any negative feedback should be addressed quickly and professionally to maintain a positive relationship with your customers. This is the quickest way to turn a bad experience into a positive one, a dissatisfied customer into a loyal one.

Now you know the power of WhatsApp, but, if you need more insights, have a look at how other successful companies use WhatsApp.

Benefits of running your sales on WhatsApp #

Running your sales process on WhatsApp offers several key benefits that can help you connect with potential customers and close deals more effectively. Let’s explore some of the key benefits of running sales on WhatsApp:

Increased engagement #

Statistics show that users are much more engaged on WhatsApp than on almost all other social media platforms. By reaching out to your leads on WhatsApp, you’re meeting them in a space where they are comfortable and active. This can lead to more responsive interactions and a higher chance of converting leads into customers.

Real-time communication #

One of the biggest advantages of using WhatsApp for your sales process is that you can communicate in real time. You can respond to inquiries instantly, address concerns, and provide information quickly. Leads value this immediate communication and it helps you build trust and keep potential customers interested.

Targeted and personalized interactions #

WhatsApp allows you to send targeted messages to specific groups or individuals. Once you have your audience segmented based on their interests, behavior, or stage in the sales funnel, it’s easy to tailor your WhatsApp templates so that everyone gets the right message.

Improved conversion rates #

With increased engagement, real-time communication, and targeted messaging, your chances of converting leads into customers improve significantly. WhatsApp’s personal and direct nature makes it easier to build rapport with potential customers, understand their needs, and guide them toward purchasing.

Automation #

WhatsApp supports automation through chatbots and automated workflows. You can automate initial responses, follow-ups, and even some sales processes. It will save you time and no lead will go unnoticed.

How to use Rasayel for sales on WhatsApp #

Rasayel is a WhatsApp team inbox equipped with everything you need to effectively manage your sales funnel. Here’s how our customers use it to sell on WhatsApp:

Lead capture and qualification #

With the drag-and-drop bot builder, you can easily create a chatbot flow to engage and qualify leads. You can set up a conversational AI chatbot, or set up a pre-defined flow.

Here’s an example of a customer chatting with a WhatsApp chatbot in Rasayel. At the end of the conversation, the bot sends the customer a WhatsApp flow to gather the initial information and let them book a call with an agent.

Lead distribution #

Once leads are qualified, they are automatically assigned to the most suitable sales or support agents based on specific criteria such as language, expertise, and use case. During this step, each lead receives personalized attention from the right team member so the chances of conversion are much higher.

Lead management #

With WhatsApp integrated with CRM platforms like HubSpot, Pipedrive, and Salesforce you can sync all interactions and updates, maintaining an up-to-date status of each lead and managing the sales pipeline efficiently.

You can also use sequences in Rasayel for lead nurturing. “Sequence” is a feature that allows you to send a series of WhatsApp templates with pre-defined delays between each. A sequence can be triggered by an event like a signup or manually, by adding it directly from the composer.

Personalized engagement #

Encourage your sales agents to personally engage with leads, and tailor presentations and product demonstrations to their specific needs and interests. This can significantly increase the chances of conversion and retention.

Analytics and optimization #

With the WhatsApp CRM integration in motion, you can generate reports on every aspect of your sales process and monitor agents’ performance or how your messaging strategy is performing. With these insights, you can make smart decisions to improve your sales and engagement strategies.

Improved customer relationships #

After the sale, you can maintain strong customer relationships through regular WhatsApp updates, tips, and community engagement. With automated workflows, you can simplify post-sale support and provide timely follow-ups.

In a nutshell #

A well-structured sales funnel keeps your leads moving toward a purchase, but the tools you use make all the difference. WhatsApp gives you a direct, personal way to engage with potential customers, while Rasayel helps you manage and automate the entire process, so no lead slips through the cracks.

No matter if you’re capturing leads, nurturing them, or closing deals, WhatsApp can improve your sales. With the right setup, you can turn conversations into conversions and build a predictable, scalable revenue engine.

Frequently Asked Questions #

About the author

Miodrag Magyar

Miodrag is a seasoned WhatsApp marketing expert with over 15 years of experience in B2B sales and communication. Specializing in the use of WhatsApp Business API, he helps businesses use WhatsApp’s marketing features to grow their sales and improve customer engagement. As one of the early adopters of WhatsApp Business, Miodrag has a deep understanding of its tools and strategies, making him a trusted authority in the field. His insights have helped many businesses with their communication strategies to achieve measurable results.

@Miodrag Magyar on LinkedIn