17 Most Effective Sales Funnel Examples to Model to Convert More Customers

You’re here because you want to learn more about sales funnels, conversions, and sales.

Well, you won’t be disappointed to read this one article. I promise.

This is currently the most comprehensive resource you will find about sales funnels. 

I originally wrote it in 2011. 

Back then, there was very little, if any, published information on the topic.

And like the gift that keeps on giving, the following is brand new and updated for 2024. 

I recommend bookmarking it. Because this is seriously one of our most valuable articles in our blog.

I’ll show you today:

• 17 ripe examples of some of the best, highest-converting funnels on the web today for SaaS, eCommerce, and productized services businesses. 
• From huge companies like Groupon and Netflix, to smaller brands like Crazy Egg and Mixergy, these examples will help you convert more leads and grow sales.

I’m confident these sales funnel examples will teach you how to convert many more customers and clients (depending on your stage of business).

(On another note, we also have our Sales Funnel Blueprint in case you want to go through this step-by-step, easy-to-follow guide—with checklists, bullet points, worksheets, and more—to create your own sales funnel).

But before we dive into this list of most effective sales funnel examples to convert more customers and clients, we should briefly discuss something… 

We’ve defined sales funnels before, and even offered a free, downloadable sales funnel template. 

A sales funnel is “a series of steps designed to guide visitors toward a buying decision. The steps are composed of marketing assets that do the work of selling, like landing pages and email.”

Now without any further ado, check out this first SaaS sales funnel example from the world’s leading streaming service…

Want to learn how to scale your digital marketing agency, eCommerce store, coaching service, SaaS or info product business? Then join over 24,000 happy subscribers in their journey to scaling their business.

SaaS Sales Funnel Example #1 — Netflix

Netflix is the most used paid subscriber video streaming service that allows its members to watch a wide variety of award-winning movies, TV shows, documentaries, and more on millions of internet-connected devices. 

Research from Statista shows that as of the second quarter of 2023, Netflix has had 238.39 million subscribers.

Their site’s design is very simple too. 

There’s not a lot of confusing copy and you know exactly what you’re getting when you sign up. 

They also emphasize that you can cancel any time and not be locked into a contract. 

Steps in Netflix’s Sales Funnel

1. Homepage: their homepage clearly explains how you can cancel your monthly subscription anytime. They emphasize this risk reversal because they are a recurring monthly-based subscription.

1. Pricing Page: you can scroll right down to the FAQ section and find the pricing info. 

By default, Netflix selects the Premium plan for you (which is a very smart move). You can downgrade if you want though.

Why Netflix’s Sales Funnel Works

You have multiple payment options: gift card, credit card, and PayPal. 

All major credit cards are accepted. 

You can also go back and edit your contact information so you’re not locked in. 

There’s an emphasis on security which is great because people are naturally risk-averse.

It’s very focused on the end consumer. And they answer consumer questions cleanly and clearly with the least amount of text needed.

What Makes Netflix’s Funnel Unique

Netflix can rely on the power of its brand. Everyone knows Netflix.

You can also contact them by phone.

Not a lot of web-based companies share their phone numbers.

This just builds trust even further.

eCommerce Sales Funnel Example #2 – Groupon

Groupon is still a huge company reaching millions of consumers every month.

They have a clear and prominent email opt-in pop-up on their site.

This pop-up displays on their homepage to visitors on their first visit.

This pop-up is part of the strategy they have been using for a while.

It has successfully been growing their audience since they have continued to use it over the years.

Let’s examine the rest of their sales funnel to see how it works.

Steps in Groupon’s Sales Funnel

1. Traffic: from ads, direct, referrals, affiliates, email lists, and more.
2. Homepage: the pop-up on their homepage incentivizes visitors to give their email address. They get 20% just for signing up. From there, visitors can browse and shop for services.

Why Groupon’s Sales Funnel Works

When you find a deal you like on Groupon, you need to sign up to get the deal.

Groupon’s follow-up offers are then tailored to its customers to get them to use the service again.

Their offers are slightly more tailored toward women because they make up a majority of its customer base.

What Makes Groupon’s Funnel Unique

There are no free trials. Customers either want in or they don’t.

Groupon’s business model and sales funnel are, in a way, best thought of as a giant email list which happens to have a website attached to it.

SaaS Sales Funnel Example #3 – Help Scout

Help Scout offers their free trial and invites leads to watch their demo video.

The designs and animations feel emotional. 

Plus there’s some brand logos added at the fold to emphasize social proof to website visitors.

The copy is easy to read. The design is simple. There’s nothing interfering with the copy. There’s no messy background. 

There’s also a clear CTA to either sign up for the trial or watch the demo, and lots of social proof. 

It may be below the fold, but it’s still high up enough that it’s easy to see.

In general, it’s prime for a great user experience. And according to GoodFirms, 84.6% of web designers believe the biggest mistake small to medium-sized businesses make is making the website too crowded.

But Help Scout avoids that common pitfall.

Let’s dive right in to Help Scout’s sales funnel.

Steps in Help Scout’s Sales Funnel

1. Traffic: blog or resources page.
2. Homepage: Help Scout’s homepage is clean, visually attractive, and has great contrast. There’s plenty of social proof and clear CTAs.
3. Pricing Page: There are three pricing tiers in their pricing page: Standard, Plus and Pro, and a CTA to start the free trial.
   

Why Help Scout’s Sales Funnel Works

Overall, Help Scout has a beautiful design. Their message and services seem pretty clear. They’re doing all the right stuff to address the basics.

Their blog is great. They have some fantastic resources with nice graphics. They have a lot of high-quality content overall. It’s super original with a clean layout.

You can easily learn more about the team. They also have a strong lead magnet with a CTA to download their tool kit. 

Help Scout once just offered helpdesk services. Today, they’ve expanded their offerings to include a research component and a data library.

Productized Service Sales Funnel Example #4 – AutoGrow.co

AutoGrow is like project management software but with an all-in-one team of proven pros already inside, ready to work on the marketing tasks and projects you submit through our web app. We also offer white-label software for our clients’ clients.

You can submit unlimited requests for email sequence copy, landing page copy and design, graphics, ads strategy, lead magnets—anything! Then it’s done-for-ya.

We also offer digital marketing strategy (including custom-created SaaS sales funnels, eCommerce sales funnels, coaching sales funnels, local events sales funnels, marketing funnels, etc.) that help automate our clients’ sales or client lead gen, get them better quality prospects, and let them own a sales pipeline packed full of clients).

Because you know that when it comes to creating funnels and implementing sales funnel strategies, AutoGrow is the one (like many of our happy clients have stated).

And here is what AutoGrow’s sales funnel looks like. 

Steps in AutoGrow’s Sales Funnel

1. Traffic: organic traffic, ads, and referrals from AutoGrow’s weekly newsletters and articles.
2. Homepage: the main call to actions on the homepage are (1) to see pricing and sign up for our $7 7-day trial, and (2) to watch the demo video to see how AutoGrow works before booking a free consultation. Our newsletters and articles all lead back to our homepage and/or pricing page. 
3. Pricing: we include AutoGrow’s 4 different packages with a detailed breakdown of which skill sets each package includes. We also include the pricing for each package—which are Teleport, Fly, Run, and Walk.

Why AutoGrow’s  Funnel Works

We have very clear copy in all of our landing pages. We clearly explain what AutoGrow can do for our clients. We also specify who isn’t a fit for AutoGrow.

We clearly specify what each of our packages include (skill sets, turnaround times, number of tasks we can work at a time, pricing, work samples, etc.).

We also give leads the opportunity to book a call with one of our sales specialists so that they can learn more about what we do and what we don’t before they sign up.

Also, we offer a $7 7-day trial so that clients can try us out and get a better sense of how we help them grow their businesses.

And we give clients peace of mind by not locking them in with long-term contracts. AutoGrow’s clients can cancel, upgrade, and downgrade at any time. And all this is stated in our sales funnel.

Want us to create (or optimize) a funnel for your agency, eCommerce store, professional services, coaching, or SaaS business? Delegate to AutoGrow.co all of your marketing projects. Start Your 7-Day $7 Trial Today.

Sales Funnel Example #5 – Basecamp

Basecamp helps you manage all your company’s projects, work, and communications in one place. They continually test new designs. The copy focuses a lot on problems they can solve. 

Basecamp also feels very personal. They emphasize social proof and they present it in a unique way.

Steps In The Sales Funnel

1. Traffic: blog, PR, organic search.
2. Homepage: in addition to the social proof, they show their product “in action”. They put a face on their logo for an emotional tie-in.
3. 30-day free trial sign-up: Basecamp is free to try. For visitors’ peace of mind you don’t have to fill in your credit card information initially when you sign up. They keep their pricing info super simple and clear.

Why It Works

Its “new” design emphasizes testimonials. They’re promoting how it’s free to sign up, and let’s face it, who doesn’t love free stuff?

What Makes It Unique

Every company wants to solve problems for their customers. They speak to customers on a very natural, real level.

Where It Could Be Better

I think that adding pictures of real people to the testimonials might make the user experience even more personal. People love seeing faces, especially in testimonials. In fact, according to one case analyzed in the Proven Sales Conversion Pack, adding real images to your website can improve subscription rates by 34.7%.

SALES FUNNEL EXAMPLE 6 – PLANSCOPE.IO

Planscope 

Planscope helps you gain total control of your agency, get your team and clients on the same page, earn more contracts, and find out how you can create a better business. Their site is quite straightforward. 

Steps In The Sales Funnel

1. Traffic: email newsletter and blog.
2. Homepage: the homepage is nicely designed. You can see what the software looks like right on the page in the welcome video.
3. Pricing Page: the pricing page with the pricing table is super simple. There are four different tiers: freelancer, small team, consultancy, and agency. You get a 14-day free trial for the tier of your choice.

Why It Works

One of the things why Planscope works so well is because they require a credit card. There are no tire-kickers and people who sign up are highly qualified.

What Makes It Unique

Andrew Brennan’s welcome video is quite unique. It’s instructional and helpful. This personal touch is a great way to end Planscope’s sales funnel.

SALES FUNNEL EXAMPLE 7 – HARVEST

Harvest

The main CTA on Harvest’s homepage is to start their 30-day free trial. 

Steps In The Sales Funnel

1. Homepage: their homepage has several clear CTAs across the page, some product explanations, and a few testimonials. 
2. Free Trial Sign-up: after clicking on the free trial CTA button, there is a free trial sign-up form displayed.

Why It Works And What Makes It Unique

Nice and simple design is at the forefront here. They offer detailed testimonials from different industries as part of their social proof too. These are real case studies of Harvest in action. These companies get some free publicity and help Harvest look better.

While this is a solid funnel, I think Harvest could improve its pricing page. See, customers are only left with the option to choose a plan based on the number of seats they require per month. With that, prospects might not know how much they’ll need to invest each month as they scale and hire more employees.

It’s just a giant question mark month-to-month.

In another case analyzed in the Proven Sales Conversion Pack, a study says that pricing page optimization can cause 76% more visits to the free trial page.

SALES FUNNEL EXAMPLE 8 – CRAZYEGG.COM

Crazy Egg

Crazy Egg’s sales funnel is huge. They have a great blog with high-quality content. Their sales funnel actually starts at their blog. This means most of their traffic is coming from inbound sources like Google.

They have a clear call to action (CTA) banner that follows the top right part of the page as you scroll down.

And at the bottom of their blog posts to drive customers into their 30-day free trial.

Steps In The Sales Funnel

1. Traffic: from referrals, organic, blog, and ads. They display a pop-up at the bottom of their blog posts and homepage for a free 30-day trial. If you sign up for the free trial, you will be redirected to the pricing page. And if you sign up for their email list, you will actually remain on the Crazy Egg’s blog page afterwards, keeping you engaging with even more content.

They also link directly to their homepage (except the pricing page) at the top of every page.

2. Homepage: they require you to add your website URL.
3. Pricing: when visiting the pricing page, all packages are displayed and the 30-day free trial plan too.
4. Checkout form: The pricing page has a similar aesthetic to the rest of the site.

The checkout page has light copy with an emphasis on social proof. The language is simple, no jargon.

After you select your pricing plan, the final step is to add billing information. Crazy Egg assures you on the checkout page that you won’t be charged within the first 30 days because of their free trial.

Why It Works And What Makes It Unique

According to Neil Patel, Crazy Egg has consistently doubled its conversions and revenue year over year.

The focus of the funnel’s design is on simplicity. There’s not a lot of copy. Instead, there’s a focus on strong visuals.

In the past, their landing pages’ design was much heavier on the copy and in explaining the benefits of the service.

Instead of bombarding the customer with information, Crazy Egg keeps the info light. However, the copy is clear so customers know what they’re getting before they submit their email address.

SALES FUNNEL EXAMPLE 9 – SharpSpring

SharpSpring

SharpSpring, formerly known as Perfect Audience has tweaked its design somewhat since we last wrote. Their pricing page is segmented for small businesses, enterprises, and agencies. 

Steps In The Sales Funnel

1. Homepage: if you’ve visited their website in the past, you’ll be retargeted and encouraged to come back to the site to complete your unfinished registration.
2. Demo: just like AutoGrow, SharpSpring focuses much of its attention on booking demo leads. That way, they can provide a personalized overview of the platform.

Why It Works

Overall, their design is pretty nice, they have good presence of social proof, and they even include case studies and whitepapers in the “Resources” tab. According to Demand Gen, 54% of B2B buyers read case studies and 71% read whitepapers.

But on the other hand, their pricing page isn’t so straightforward. Although at first glance you think the flat rate for a small busines is $399, that’s not always the case.

To the left, there’s a slider that allows you to adjust the number of contacts your organization has. So that $399 for 1,000 contacts can quickly turn into $1,299 for 20,000 contacts.

SALES FUNNEL EXAMPLE 10 – GRASSHOPPER

Grasshopper

Grasshopper is a virtual phone system that helps small business owners to have a phone number for their company. This can be used on existing landlines or cell phones.

Steps In The Sales Funnel

1. Traffic: from PR, blog, and ads.
2. Homepage: the copy is clear. They offer a 7-day trial. Their services are explained in an easy-to-understand listed format.
3. Pricing Page: the pricing page is clear. Products are compared with each other in terms of pricing and features. Also, the free trial plan is also displayed on the page below each package.

4. Sign-up Form: first, you have to choose a phone number to register with Grasshopper. You can get a local number and a toll-free number. The next page gives that number a text message for access. Finally, you’re brought to the billing page.

Why It Works

Grasshopper has made some design changes, color combinations, and they tested other elements that actually improved its website. They even cut down on their sales funnel so it converted better.

What they’re doing is clearly working. Even years later they haven’t changed their site much.

What Makes It Unique

Grasshopper’s logo and brand character (a grasshopper, of course) are still worth noting. Their product is easy to use. They continue to stick with a design that speaks to the simplicity of the product.

Where It Could Be Better

They could still appeal to their audience better. Maybe posing a question like “How many customers are you missing out on because you don’t have a professional phone number and phone system connected to your business?”

SALES FUNNEL EXAMPLE 11 – MIXERGY.COM

Mixergy

Mixergy sells interviews and courses featuring top entrepreneurs. Their funnel starts right away with a CTA offering access to interviews in exchange for an email address. You can then add your information and get an email link for a video.

Now that Mixergy has your contact information, they can message you and try to move you into their premium section.

Steps In The Sales Funnel

1. Traffic: email list, organic, social media, referrals. You might also find Mixergy through Google or you might come to the site and just browse around.
2. Homepage: the homepage has multiple CTAs and they promote some of their most recent interviews and master classes.
3. Premium Content: they ask their site visitors to sign up for Mixergy’s premium content. This content is restricted to members only.

4. Pricing Page: there are two pricing options: one for a monthly membership and one for an annual membership. 

You get to the checkout form in just one click and a pop-up payment form is displayed.

Why It Works

Mixergy’s funnel works because they’re getting contact information. They’re giving you access to all of their content but they’re charging you for it. There are areas of the site only members can access. There’s a little bit of mental friction there.

If you try to opt in with the same information to get another video, they ask you to sign up again. As I said, that creates some friction. Yes, you can enter a fake email, but, if you believe in the quality of the content (and it is really good content, Andrew is one of the best interviewers on the Internet actually), you won’t.

What Makes It Unique

Andrew Warner is like the Napoleon Hill of our time. He is excellent at interviewing entrepreneurs and helping them tell their stories in his interviews.  

Where It Could Be Better

The payment form still needs some touching up. Maybe adding security and credit card logos. I also think Mixergy could appeal to a bigger audience with different pricing packages.

SALES FUNNEL EXAMPLE 12 – MAILCHIMP

MailChimp

MailChimp is a freemium email marketing tool. Similar to Wufoo, they offer a free plan. They actually grew their business significantly when they decided to go freemium. They did so by adding at the bottom of every email “Powered by MailChimp”. Every customer email sent helped to spread the word. It created a kind of viral loop.

Steps In The Sales Funnel

1. Traffic: organic, direct from emails, blogs, and word of mouth.
2. Homepage: their homepage is the first step of their sales funnel. Their branding line is aspirational marketing. It’s about identity, freedom, and self-expression—ideas that are bigger than a product. It’s likely that this method converts better and is more persuasive. These companies are established, and through A/B testing are embracing these aspirational marketing ideas.
3. Pricing/Features Page: on MailChimp’s pricing page, the focus is on getting you signed up for free, with an email, username, and password. They want to get you up and running and start using the product as soon as possible. They hope you will help them market themselves by using their products and spreading MailChimp further. 

Why It Works

One of the best features they have is advertising how many millions of people are using their service. It’s a great example of social proof on their terms. And they have quick case studies with results to get you excited about the possibilities with using the Mailchimp platform. They’re not that in-depth but give you a great summary of how customers achieved amazing results.

What Makes It Unique

The aspirational marketing stands out on the homepage. MailChimp really doesn’t talk at all about sending emails. It’s more about getting you in the door to use the product. They actually barely mention the fact that email marketing with their services can grow your business. They don’t focus on results like getting more sales or leads. Instead of using business language, they use aspirational language to make you dream big.

SALES FUNNEL EXAMPLE 13 – LEADPAGES

Leadpages

As a landing page builder, Leadpages is showing you the product right upfront. 

You can see how the product works right on the page in a quick video. They show you how the product works and how easy it is to use. They also have a very popular blog, which is where their sales funnel starts.

Steps In The Sales Funnel

1. Homepage: Leadpages’ CTA to start their free trial is found across their entire website. 
2. Pricing Page: the pricing page is very clear. Each package is compared to each other. As a matter of fact, in this case from the 313 analyzed in the Proven Sales Conversion Pack, providing price comparison on a landing page can increase conversion rate by 10%. Moreover, if you have higher requirements, you have the option to contact Leadpages to discuss an Advanced Plan.

Why It Works

They put a heavy emphasis on their funnel for annual sign-ups. There are steep discounts offered if you sign up for the whole year instead of just monthly.

SALES FUNNEL EXAMPLE 14 – DRIFT

Drift

Drift offers live-chatting on your website. They also have some other helpful tools. They have a pretty good blog that links to their homepage. 

Steps In The Sales Funnel

1. Traffic: blog, referrals, organic, affiliates.
2. Homepage: the homepage is incredibly simple. The background is a solid blue and there is one image of a real person. There’s a clear emphasis on getting website visitors to watch a demo, which more than 75% of B2B buyers watch during their purchasing journey according to Pragmatic.
3. Pricing Page: the pricing page is well-constructed with just enough details to show the propositional value without being overwhelming to read. And it lets users know what features come with all plans as well as additional options to consider.

Why The Sales Funnel Works

Drift’s sales funnel is effective because of its easy, direct path to setup. They only ask for your email address to start using the service. Once you sign up, you can use the service right away. The free version doesn’t include as much as the paid version, however, you can use it for free as long as you’d like.

Plenty of companies do free trials, but few offer totally free services. For some smaller companies, they might never need to pay for Drift. Others may try the free version and decide to pay for more features, moving further down the funnel.

And according to HubSpot, the average conversion rate of free users to paid users is between 2% and 5%.

SALES FUNNEL EXAMPLE 15 – WUFOO

Wufoo

Wufoo is not too heavy on the design. There’s plenty of whitespace to make pages look simplistic and easy on the eyes. If anything, it feels a bit light. They have de-emphasized the dinosaur and cartoonish aspects. I think that has been a negative move because it’s sapped the personality from the site. Using the site is pretty simple and straightforward. 

Steps In The Sales Funnel

1. Traffic: blogs, referrals, organic, affiliates.
2. Homepage: their homepage is very simple with few colors and illustrations. 
3. Pricing Page: Wufoo’s pricing page is very simple and clear. There are four pricing options to choose from.
4. Free Sign-up: signing up is simple. You just need to create a username, a password, state how what purpose you have with the platform, and what type of work you’re in. The latter two questions are for personalization. Once you get in and start using their tools, you’ll have to upgrade. The free account limits the number of forms you can use. When you hit that limit, you’re instructed to upgrade. Otherwise, your account won’t work.

Why It Works

It works because the copy is clear. There is some unique branding as far as the logo and subtle dinosaur elements. In their introductory video, they’re showing you exactly what the application looks like, as if in a demo.

The language in the copy is also informal and casual. This makes the reading experience, a pleasant one. There’s lots of social proof from well-known brands that everyone is familiar with. 

SALES FUNNEL EXAMPLE 16 — MOZ

Moz

Moz’s site is simple. Using words like “SERP” on their homepage makes it a bit hard to digest. Less advanced users might not immediately know what SERPs are.

Steps In The Sales Funnel

1. Traffic: organic, direct from emails, blog, word of mouth.
2. Homepage: they’re not afraid to go heavy on the copy. Their products are broken down into two audiences: ones who want a DIY solution (like a local business with more than one location), and marketers. They also have good social proof on their homepage by mentioning the total SEO results that Moz users have achieved. 
3. Pricing Page: Moz doesn’t call its pricing page a pricing page. Instead, it’s under a tab called “Compare SEO Products”. If you sign up for the free trial for Moz Local or Moz Pro, you have to add your credit card information. And you’re charged monthly. The mor robust STAT plan invites you to nook a free demo.

Why It Works

Moz is great at using social proof. Their homepage is informative even though the copy is a little text-heavy. And they do a good job of showcasing their position as the leading experts in SEO since 2004. 

SALES FUNNEL EXAMPLE 17 – MINT

Mint

Mint is a business-to-consumer app. It’s all about downloading and keeping track of your financial data. It’s a free app, so they want to make it as easy as possible for people to get signed up and start benefiting from it immediately.

When Mint first launched, it was a big deal to have to connect your bank account to an online company. Back then, people were very skeptical. 

The most basic part of their funnel is that you can sign up for free.

Once you’re using Mint, the way the site makes money is through credit card recommendations. Mint goes through your finances and matches you to a card. This is done in a win-win way, though. You’re signing up for the credit card, which makes the credit card company money. But you’re saving money through the site’s features and getting rewards.

Once they have enough data and their system determines it’s the right time, Mint will actually email you a personalized recommendation for a credit card.

Steps In The Sales Funnel

1. Inbound Traffic: blogs, referrals, organic, affiliates.
2. Homepage: their homepage is simple. It’s worth noting that they are frequently A/B testing. There’s a “how it works” tab that clearly explains the services. 
3. Sign-up Form: when clicking on the orange button to sign up, the sign-up form is displayed. It’s very clear because the CTA says it’s free.

Why The Sales Funnel Works

Today, Mint is more than just a personal finance manager. It also tracks your credit score (at no extra charge), lets you pay bills right from the app, and creates budgets.

It works because it’s simple. The CTA is clear. The design is trustworthy. In addition, the visibility of the sign-up button remains consistent across all the pages. It also works because they show you exactly what you’ll be getting when you sign up. 

Lastly, the homepage lets you know that Mint is the #1 most downloaded personal finance app to remove any doubt you have.

Conclusion

Once in a while, maybe when you’re stumped about why your sales funnel isn’t converting, just take a look at these examples from 17 successful companies that are killing it with their sales funnels. 

 I hope they’re a great reference you can use to improve your own funnel.

Also, keep in mind that…

• The stages of a sales funnel differ from company to company. 

• Never be afraid to make a big design move as you develop your own funnel.

• A/B test often when implementing a new sales funnel. 

• Go light on the text on your homepage. Clarity of what you are offering is key.

• Make the customer feel secure as they’re checking out. Your checkout page shouldn’t differ too much from the design scheme on the rest of the site. People should feel like they are on the same website.

Now tell me something, which of these sales funnels examples was most useful to you? Did these inspire you to revisit your own funnel? 

Let me know in the comments.

Keep funnelin’, stay focused,

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