Unlike a real-world funnel, not everything that goes in the top comes out the bottom, but what the funnel does throughout the buyer’s journey is narrow down a wide audience, over stages, to the most qualified customers. These customers then make a decision to purchase from your company.

While there are a few different conceptions of the sales funnel floating around, the most widely-accepted sales funnel definition divides it into four stages, or levels. The most potential customers and widest audience exist at the beginning—or top—of the funnel, with fewer and fewer customers making it through each stage until the end of the funnel with the purchase.

• Awareness
• Interest
• Decision
• Action