A marketing funnel is a model of the stages a prospect moves through from first awareness to becoming a customer, typically awareness, interest, consideration, and decision. It helps map where prospects drop off so you can find and fix the weakest stage. The funnel narrows because fewer people advance at each step.

The funnel is a useful map and a lazy excuse in equal measure. Useful because it shows where prospects fall out. Lazy because teams report funnel stages instead of revenue. The only stage transition that pays your bills is the last one. Watch where the biggest drop-off happens and fix that, not the vanity top.

Example:

 1,000 visitors, 200 leads, 50 sales conversations, 10 customers. The funnel reveals that the steepest drop leads to conversations, so that stage needs work.

What are the stages of a marketing funnel?

 Commonly, awareness, interest, consideration, and decision, sometimes simplified to top, middle, and bottom of the funnel. The labels matter less than tracking drop-off between stages.

How is a marketing funnel different from a sales funnel?

 A marketing funnel covers earlier stages of attracting and nurturing interest. A sales funnel focuses on converting qualified opportunities into closed deals. They overlap in the middle.