Why the Marketing Funnel Doesn’t Work Anymore

The traditional marketing funnel assumes buyers move in a straight line—but today’s customers zigzag. They find you on social, check reviews later, and come back days (or weeks) after considering other options. In this episode, we explore why the old model often breaks down and introduce a more realistic alternative: the Trail to the Sale™ framework. It’s a clearer, more human approach to marketing that helps you focus on the right things at the right time.

We break down the eight trail stages—awareness, consider, compare, evaluate, sell, supersize, serve, and send—and how each one calls for a different message, offer, and action. You’ll hear simple ways to diagnose what’s not working, create purposeful content for each stage, and track what’s actually driving momentum. If your current strategy feels like “just doing more,” this episode gives you a focused path that feels manageable, intentional, and results-driven.

Trail to the Sale

Chapters

• 0:28 The Old Funnel Explained
• 1:27 Why Linear Buying Models Fail
• 4:21 The Eight Trail Stages
• 6:28 Step One: Pick One Stage
• 8:19 Step Two: Map Feelings And Proof
• 10:50 Step Three: Track Signals, Not Ego

Transcript

Janice Hostager: 0:04

I'm Janice Hostager. After three decades in the marketing business and many years of being an entrepreneur, I've learned a thing or two about marketing. Join me as we talk about marketing, small business, and life in between. Welcome to My Weekly Marketing. Once upon a time, the marketing funnel made perfect sense. People saw your ad, clicked your link, joined your list, and eventually bought your thing. But fast forward to now, that nice tidy funnel looks more like a tangled web of touch points, algorithms, and AI, doesn't it? I mean, really nothing in marketing is that simple anymore. So in today's episode, I wanted to unpack why the funnel is broken and what to build in its place. This episode might just change the way you think about marketing forever. So when I started in marketing, it was all about the funnel. If you're not familiar with the marketing funnel, it was invented back in the 1800s. Think of a kitchen funnel and visualize the customer's journey from the first moment they learn about a brand at the top of the funnel with awareness. And then as they move down to the interest phase and then to the desire phase and finally to the action phase where they purchase at the bottom of the funnel. But here's the problem I had with the classic marketing funnel. First, it assumes your customer moves in a straight line. They discover you, they show interest, they want it, and then they buy it. But in reality, that's not how it is. That's not how humans behave. The old funnel model doesn't reflect how people buy today. It's too linear. Your customer's journey is looping, emotional, and definitely nonlinear. Buyers leave, they come back, they're scrolling, comparing, getting distracted by cat videos, and maybe coming back, I don't know, three weeks after they've seen a competitor's ad. The second problem I have with the funnel model is that business owners assume customers will fall down the funnel. So like they put a lot of energy into the awareness stage, and somehow people like what they see and they just end up purchasing. But I'm sorry to say that rarely happens, and you've probably found that out, especially in a noisy world. We see between four and 10,000 ads per day on social media and TV and magazines and wherever. If I see something when I'm scrolling on Instagram, but if I don't open it in a new tab on my phone, I've forgotten about it before I'm even off Instagram. We need to lead customers step by step to the point of purchase. The third issue I have with the funnel is that it stops with the sale. But there is so much more to do after the sale to ensure that they come back, that they're a happy customer and they don't go on Yelp and trash talk you, and also serving them and asking them to refer you to others becomes a very powerful force. When you try to force your marketing into that one size fits all funnel, you end up doing way more stuff instead of doing what's actually working. That's why you're overwhelmed. It's not your fault, it's the system. So I worked in marketing in corporate and agencies for 12 or more years before I started my first business. So I was no newbie to marketing. But even with everything I knew about marketing, I was still overwhelmed with the funnel and everything I had to do with marketing and how to get new clients in my own business. It's kind of easier to do it for somebody else in some ways. So I really sat and thought about how I buy, and then I watched how others buy. And instead of a funnel, I landed on something that better reflected what I saw. A trail, a winding trail. In fact, a Trail to the Sale. So I want you to think of your marketing as a trail too. Every trail has stages or what I call trail stops, and every stage requires a different kind of message, different kind of content, and different intention. It's not about shoving customers down a funnel. It's about guiding them forward step by step at their own pace. Here's what that looks like in action. First of all, you start with awareness, same as the funnel. You want to help people see that you exist. That can be a lot of different things. Then you move to the consider stage. They're curious and they want to learn more. That might be a free download or something that allows you to start emailing them. Next is compare stage when they look around and see what other options there are to solve their problems. And then the evaluate stage when sometimes they might take a chance to make a small purchase from you. That's not always the case, but oftentimes it is. Then comes the sell stage when they're finally ready to buy. But that's not the end. The next is supersize when we have the opportunity to suggest an upsell or a next sell. Then after the sale, we want to serve them so well in that serve stage that they want to tell others in the send stage, where you send them off to build loyalty and get referrals in the process. Each stage builds on the next. And when you have a clear map, you can stop second guessing what to do next. I know what you're gonna say. Janice, this sounds like more work. Eight steps, that's even more steps than a funnel. I get that. On the surface, it does sound like more detail. But here's the thing: when you finally understand what's happening in your marketing, who you're talking to, what they need, and what comes next, your plan starts to become more intentional, more organized, and simpler in the long run. The old funnel feels simple because it skips the reality of how people actually buy. That's why it keeps breaking. You end up spinning your wheels, trying tactic after tactic with no idea what's really working. It's what I call shot in the dark marketing and will always leave you discouraged and drain you dry. It's trying a little of this and a little of that and really not understanding the order or really understanding what the needs are of your ideal customer. The Trail to the Sale gives you clarity. It makes the journey easier because you finally know where you are and what to do next. You just need to know which one you're on right now. That's what turns overwhelm into momentum. Okay, so three steps to get you started. If you've been feeling like you're spinning your wheels, here's what you need to know. You don't need to rebuild your entire marketing strategy overnight. You just need to take one focus step in the right direction. Okay, here we go. Step one, pick one stage of your Trail to the Sale to focus on this month. Most business owners try to fix everything at once. I'm right there with you. It's tempting, right? You just want to make everything better. But you probably want more followers, better engagement, more sales, stronger client retention all at the same time. And that's why it feels like too much. But that's just inviting failure. Marketing clarity starts with a focus. Look at the eight stages of your Trail to the Sale. Awareness, consider, compare, evaluate, sell, superside, serve, and send. Now ask yourself, where am I losing people? Are you getting enough visibility? That's an awareness issue. Where can you promote your offer that your ideal customer will see it? There are a lot more options than paid ads. Think outside the box. Maybe a flyer on the bulletin board at the gym or at a coffee shop. Maybe meeting somebody at a Chamber of Commerce event. This is very much a choose your own adventure pathway the whole way through. It really depends on your ideal customer. Are people aware of you but not opting in? Then that's a consider problem. It might be a landing page that's not converting or a freebie offer that's not landing with them. Talk to your ideal customer avatar and find out what would really get their attention. Maybe it's an event instead of a free checklist. With AI around now, we business owners have to be creative because it's easier for them to find answers. Are they showing interest but choosing somebody else or sticking with what they're currently doing? Then that's a compare issue. Or maybe you're making sales but not getting repeat business or referrals. That's a serve or send opportunity. Again, you don't need to fix every stage at once. Just choose one. For this month, focus on the party of your customer's journey. Everything you do, your content, your emails, your offers should serve that stage. This kind of focus helps you simplify your marketing and makes it way more effective. Okay, after you've figured out what stage of your Trail to the Sale to focus on, then step number two is to ask yourself, what does my customer need to feel or know at this stage? That question changes everything. Because marketing isn't about what people need to hear, it's about what they need to feel before they take the next step. Study after study show we buy an emotion and then back up that purchase decision with logic. I remember getting my first coach bag when I graduated from college because they look cool, but if anybody would ask me, I would say I bought it because of the quality, which is also true, but that's secondary. Okay, so let's say you're in the awareness stage. Your customers might not even know that they have a problem yet. So your job is to help them see it gently through relatable stories. You can post, "I've been there too," or educational content that kind of opens their eyes as to what's really happening. Understand that they might be aware of their problem, or they might only be aware of the symptom of their problem. If you're a realtor and their house isn't selling, they might think it's the pricing problem, or they may just think it's their house. But really it could be that it's not selling because it's too cluttered and needs style. Maybe that's the real problem. So really take a look at your ideal customer avatar and really understand what it is that they think the problem is or the real problem. If you're in the compare or evaluate stage, your audience already knows the problem exists. They're just not sure if you are the right fit. So they need to feel trust. They need to know that you understand their world and that your approach makes sense for them. And if you're in the sell or serve stage, your people might need to feel confident and supported. They might be thinking, can I really do this or will it work for me? That's where testimonials, social proof, and easy wins come in. So before you post anything or send another email, pause and ask, what specifically did they need to know or feel before they can take the next step? When you answer that, you'll never run out of purposeful content again because every piece has a job to do. Okay, now we're on to step three. Track what works and what doesn't. This is where you stop guessing and start growing. Listen, I geek out on a good spreadsheet because it organizes chaos. But tracking at the early stages doesn't have to mean spreadsheets or analytics dashboards, unless you love that stuff too. It just means paying attention. Here's what to watch for. Are you getting more replies or DMs? Are more people clicking links or downloading your freebie? Did you get one or two clients who mentioned they found you on a recent post or podcast episode? These are all signs that your message is resonating, that your Trail to the Sale is working. And when something doesn't get traction, don't see it as failure. See it as data. Let me tell you, I've been discouraged so many times, I have shed a lot of tears on what I was sure would work, but didn't. It feels personal, but it's not. Let me say that again for the people in the back. If it doesn't work, it's not personal. You just learned what does not connect with your ideal customer, which means that you're one step closer to knowing what does. As my mentor says, either you get the results you want or the lesson you need. The goal isn't perfection, it's progress. Small, simple adjustments done consistently will create more momentum than another round of starting over. Because remember, strategy isn't about doing more, it's about doing what moves the needle and repeating what works. And when you do this, your marketing stops being chaos and starts feeling like momentum and feels so much more manageable. So, whew, if your funnel feels broken, you just need a roadmap. You've got this. Marketing does not have to feel like a guessing game. It can be clear. So download, if you want, my free marketing strategy playbook to see how each stage of the trail fits together and you can track your own Trail to the Sale. You'll find the link in the show notes for today. So for more information about that link or anything else I talked about in the podcast today, visit myweeklymarketing.com forward slash one thirty four. Thanks so much for joining me. I'll see you next time. Bye for now.