Your B2B sales funnel is the journey your target customers go through to eventually buy your products or services.
When you take full control of it, you can boost your lead generation and revenue (instead of relying on guesswork or always wondering where the next customer is coming from).
But to do that successfully, you must avoid these common B2B sales funnel mistakes.
So, we’ll show you what they are and, most importantly, what you can do instead.
Psst. ScoreApp, our quiz-building platform, helps with every single one of them!
B2B sales funnel mistake 1: Lack of a clear target audience
Many B2B companies choose a broader approach (like vague language or a generic PDF lead magnet) thinking it’ll resonate with more people. In reality, the OPPOSITE is true!
When you try to target everyone, your messaging becomes so impersonal that it connects with… no one. So, you either fail to attract enough leads or you build the wrong audience, and hardly any of them become paying customers.
How to fix it:
- Identify your target customers – Be specific! Who are they? What are their problems, goals, likes, and dislikes? Are you selling to one ideal client or multiple segments? If you haven’t got these answers, uncover them with a ScoreApp quiz for market research
- Focus on attracting them – Forget about everyone else. Seriously! Always talk to these specific customers, and meet them where they are right now. When you start with a compelling ScoreApp quiz lead magnet (like “What’s your entrepreneur profile?” or “Content Marketing Scorecard for Solopreneurs”), you get to grab your target audience’s attention, segment them depending on their answers, and tailor your communication for each group
- Ensure alignment between marketing and sales – Log all your customer data using shared resources and a CRM (for example, give both teams access to your ScoreApp leads and their quiz results). More on that soon!
B2B sales funnel mistake 2: Inefficient lead qualification
Still trying to contact every single lead or get them on a call? That’d be a HUGE waste of your sales team’s time (and your money)!
They’d spend hours engaging with people who have zero intention of buying from you, haven’t got the budget, or just wouldn’t be the right fit. This also means less time to speak to perfect-fit prospects, causing you to miss out on even more sales.
How to fix it:
- Start pre-qualifying your leads ASAP – Get clear on whether or not someone would be a good fit, so that you don’t waste time, energy, and money talking to the wrong people. Your ScoreApp quiz can do this automatically by asking strategic questions like “What’s your budget for [type of service]?” or “How important is it for you to prioritise your marketing?”
- Use lead scoring systems – Choose a CRM with this feature (and include your ScoreApp data) to identify the prospects that are most likely to convert, as well as the best time to contact them
- Only offer calls to the right people – Once your right-fit prospects have been nurtured with a strategic email sequence (and they’ve actually been engaging with it)? That’s usually the perfect time to invite them on a call with a personalised message. Hint, hint: a message referencing their unique situation and ScoreApp quiz results
B2B sales funnel mistake 3: Misaligned marketing and sales teams
If you treat your marketing and sales teams as completely separate departments, they’re going to use different data and work towards unaligned KPIs and goals.
As well as poor performance, this will translate into confusion and frustration for your prospects (and you’ll probably lose them. Ouch!).
Instead, marketing and sales should work TOGETHER throughout your entire B2B sales funnel!
How to fix it:
- Use shared tools – Give both teams access to the same CRM and platforms
- Encourage communication, and hold regular alignment meetings – Ensure both teams are working towards the same overall goals and KPIs, and maintain a productive feedback loop. For example, your marketing team could create new blog posts based on the objections encountered by your salespeople
- Share relevant resources – Your sales team should access all the sales enablement content created by your marketers, like case studies and videos that’ll help them close more deals
- Implement a smooth lead-handoff process – Put systems in place to avoid friction and delays when passing a sales-qualified prospect from your marketing team to your salespeople
B2B sales funnel mistake 4: Neglecting the middle of the funnel
Your leads won’t “magically” become customers in a day or two. For example, just because someone signed up for your lead magnet, it doesn’t mean they’re ready to hop on a call.
But if you haven’t got a system to nurture your leads strategically and help them move down your funnel? You’ll lose them. They’ll probably start engaging with your competitors instead.
How to fix it:
- Set up nurturing campaigns via email – Think of them as a bridge between that initial commitment (= signing up for your lead magnet) and the right time to make them an offer. These emails will build trust, help you stay top of mind, and show your leads how your products or services will benefit them. For the best results, personalise them for each segment based on their unique situation (like their ScoreApp quiz answers)
- Create insightful content – Middle-of-the-funnel leads are already problem-aware. So, help them better understand their situation and how they can solve that pain point (for example, through SEO-friendly blog posts and additional content that you include in your ScoreApp email sequences)
B2B sales funnel mistake 5: Overlooking the decision stage
To you, choosing your products or services is a no-brainer. For your target customers, though, it’s not (yet). But guess what? You can help them see it that way!
If you don’t, you’ll probably lose most of your leads due to decision paralysis, overwhelm, or because they’ll pick your competitors instead.
How to fix it:
- Create sales-enablement content – Comparison articles, videos and demos highlighting the benefits of your products, blog posts tackling common objections… Help the right prospects make the best choice (= your products or services) and prime them for a sale! Share this content in your marketing and your ScoreApp email sequences. Even better? Send the most relevant pieces to each lead based on their quiz answers, problems, and objections
- Use social proof – Share testimonials, case studies, or data highlighting the ROI your leads can expect
- Personalise your follow-ups – Follow-ups are key (don’t believe the B2B sales myth that they seem desperate or annoying). However, if you want your prospects to care and take action, you should make them more relevant and compelling. For example, tailor them to each prospect’s biggest problem, goal, and ScoreApp quiz answers
- Make sure your sales team has the right data – As teased before, your marketing and sales team must always be aligned. So, avoid contradictions and delays by giving them access to the same data for each lead (like their ScoreApp quiz results and how they interacted with your email sequence)
B2B sales funnel mistake 6: Ignoring post-sale engagement
A risky B2B sales funnel mistake is… giving up after your funnel!
Sure, we talked about the importance of helping someone go from unaware to customer, but ongoing client relationships are also VITAL in B2B.
So, if you don’t take this phase seriously? You’ll miss out on referrals and upselling opportunities, and those new customers probably won’t stay with you for long.
How to fix it:
- Develop a strong onboarding – Prioritise clarity, and set the right tone for your collaboration or for how new customers can start using your product or SaaS. With your ScoreApp insights, you can tailor your onboarding to someone’s situation, preferences, and priorities
- Set up regular check-ins, and get feedback – Touch base with your customers to show them you genuinely care about providing the best experience for them (for example, by sending them a post-purchase ScoreApp quiz for feedback)
- Turn customers into fans – Compel them to stick around with occasional bonuses and discounts. Encourage them to share a review or refer you to their peers, too (for example, through a loyalty programme or referral scheme)
- Upsell and cross-sell – Maybe your customers would benefit from additional products, services, or packages? Offer the right one for each of them (for example, through a personalised offer based on their ScoreApp quiz answers)
B2B sales funnel mistake 7: Failing to track your funnel performance
Guesswork is fun when playing games, NOT for your funnel!
Of course, putting strong foundations in place will help you start off on the right foot. You must still review your efforts regularly, though.
Otherwise, your leads could exit your funnel and cause you to miss out on thousands of pounds… without you even realising it!
How to fix it:
- Set clear KPIs – Do this for each stage of your B2B sales funnel so that you know what you’re aiming for (for example, engagement, landing page conversion rates, percentage of prospects going from marketing-qualified to sales-qualified, sales call conversions, customer lifetime value, and referral rates)
- Run some A/B testing – Show different versions of the same funnel element (like your quiz landing page) to some of your leads. What resonates the most with them? What gets the most clicks?
- Review your analytics – How are your leads engaging with your funnel? Where are you losing most of them? Luckily, with ScoreApp, you get reporting features that are both comprehensive and easy to understand
- Optimise your B2B sales funnel accordingly – Once you’re clear on how your leads are moving down your funnel, you get to improve it even further, boosting your lead generation and sales
Avoid these B2B sales funnel mistakes: set yourself up for success with ScoreApp
Your funnel should help you reach more leads and turn them into customers smoothly, not cost you sales!
So, plan the right strategy, and bypass these common B2B sales funnel mistakes with ScoreApp. Create your full quiz funnel today and for FREE.
