Funnels: What They Are, Where They Came From, and Why Most Are Built Backward
Funnels. Everyone swears by them, but no one actually explains them. They’re like the online business version of The Matrix. You know they exist, but understanding how they work? That’s a different story.
You’re told you need one, but does anyone ever hand you the blueprint?
Nope.
Instead, most people slap something together, cross their fingers, and wonder why sales aren’t magically rolling in. So, let’s fix that.
What even is a funnel? Why does it feel like a unicorn concept no one can properly define? And why do most people build them completely wrong? Buckle up, because we’re about to break it down.
What Even Is a Funnel?
A funnel is just a fancy way of saying “the step-by-step process that turns a stranger into a customer.” That’s it. No wizardry. No secret handshake. No need to sacrifice a goat under the full moon.
Think of it like this: Ever been sucked into an infomercial? You see the problem (your knives are dull), you get intrigued by the solution (this one cuts through a soda can!) and before you know it, you’re dialing in for not one, but TWO for the price of one. That’s a funnel in action.
A funnel is not a website. It’s not a single email. It’s not an overpriced software platform someone tried to sell you in a webinar. It’s the journey someone takes from “Who are you?” → “This is interesting...” → “I need this in my life” → “Take my money.”
Chances are, you already have a funnel, even if you don’t realize it.
If someone follows you on Instagram, clicks your link, and eventually buys something? That’s a funnel.
If someone Googles a problem, lands on your blog, downloads your freebie, and later buys your course? Funnel.
If someone signs up for your email list, gets a few emails, and then purchases? Ding, ding, ding—funnel.
The problem? Most people’s funnels are either completely random or thrown together before their offer has even been tested in the market. That means:
No clear next step.
No strategy behind the process.
Just a bunch of “post and pray” marketing that relies on luck instead of logic.
And that’s why most online business owners feel like their sales are unpredictable. Because if your funnel isn’t intentional, your results won’t be either.
Now that we’ve cleared up what a funnel actually is, let’s talk about where they came from and why they’ve been running the sales game for over a century.
Where Funnels Came From (And Why They Still Matter)
Funnels have been around forever. The first version popped up in the late 1800s when salespeople realized they needed a systematic way to guide a customer from just browsing to take my money. The OG model? AIDA—Attention, Interest, Desire, Action (CommunicationTheory.org). It worked. In fact, this framework still underpins every single sales strategy today.
Fast forward to the 20th century, and the funnel became a staple in advertising, direct sales, and, eventually, digital marketing. With the rise of the internet, marketers realized they could track customer behavior at every stage:
What they clicked
What they ignored or scrolled past
How long they stayed on a page
And suddenly, funnels weren’t just theory. They became scientific.
The modern era took things further. Companies like Google, Facebook, and marketing tech giants made funnels the backbone of every digital marketing strategy. Today, if you’re not thinking about your funnel, you’re leaving money on the table.
Why Funnels Today Look Nothing Like the Funnels of the Early 2000s
If you’re still building funnels like it’s 2010, I have bad news for you. Buyers today don’t have the patience for drawn-out, overcomplicated funnels. They don’t want to watch a 90-minute webinar just to hear a sales pitch. They’re not waiting for a 3-month nurture sequence before they make a decision.
Modern buyers want results yesterday. They are conditioned by Amazon Prime, same-day grocery delivery, and TikTok’s instant dopamine hits. That means your funnel needs to be fast, transparent, and direct.
The shift in online buying behavior means:
Show value immediately. No fluff, no long-winded intros. Get to the point.
Shorter is better. If you’re offering a training, keep it tight. No one’s blocking off their afternoon for a glorified sales pitch.
Transparency wins. Buyers know you’re selling something. Skip the “big reveal” and just tell them what it is and why it matters.
Your funnel should drive consistent daily sales. Not just a revenue spike during a launch.
Funnels today aren’t about making people wait. They’re about removing friction so they can buy faster.
The Lie You’ve Been Sold About Funnels
You’ve seen the promise before: “Set up one funnel and watch the money roll in while you sip margaritas on a beach.”
Cute. But let’s be real. If that actually worked, we’d all be retired by now.
If your money is out there making more money for you, congrats, you cracked the code. That’s actual passive income. Investing? Passive. Real estate (that someone else manages)? Pretty close.
Running an online business? That’s not passive. It’s leveraged. It’s how you make the capital to invest in the first place.
Yes, a well-built funnel means you’re not manually selling to every single person. Yes, automation helps you scale. But that doesn’t mean “set it and forget it.” Funnels need maintenance. Testing. Optimization.
Unfortunately, most people don’t actually build a funnel that works. They either:
Overcomplicate it. (Endless emails, drawn-out sequences, way too many steps.)
Set it up once and never touch it again. (If it didn’t convert then, it sure as hell won’t now.)
Ignore what’s actually happening. (If no one’s clicking the emails or buying, something’s broken.)
It’s all about momentum. Building a system that gets stronger over time, not one that collects dust while you wonder where your sales went.
So, if your funnel isn’t bringing in consistent sales, it’s not because funnels don’t work. It’s because yours isn’t built to. Let’s talk about what actually makes a funnel work and why most people get it so wrong.
The Funnels That Work Today (And Why Yours Might Not Be One of Them)
Not all funnels are created equal. Here’s what actually works in 2025:
The Quick Win Funnel
Forget spending months warming up a lead. This funnel skips the slow burn and goes straight for the sale.
A potential buyer scrolls through social, lands on your content, and you spark curiosity. They feel seen. You understand their problem (and they can tell you get it). They see that you have the solution. And, most importantly, they see they can get results now.
Instead of sending them to a generic email opt-in or making them jump through hoops, you take them directly to a low-cost, high-value offer that solves an actual problem fast and earns their trust immediately.
They buy. They get a quick win. They trust you.
This isn’t about dragging them through endless emails or hoping they remember you three months from now. It’s about meeting them when they’re ready to buy and making the decision obvious.
Stat to know: The probability of selling to an existing customer is 60-70%, whereas the probability of selling to a new prospect is only 5-20% (Forbes.com). This increases your odds of more sales by up to 14x.
The Triggered Funnel
Ever had someone show interest but not buy right away? That’s your cue.
Instead of hoping they circle back on their own, an automated follow-up sequence kicks in and follows up at just the right time. They receive targeted emails that answer questions, handle objections, and lead them straight to the sale. Without waiting months for a long, drawn-out nurture sequence.
Someone opts in for a freebie but doesn’t buy? Send a targeted follow-up sequence that keeps the momentum going.
Someone clicks a sales page but doesn’t check out? Trigger an email addressing their hesitations.
Someone buys a low-ticket offer? Follow up with the perfect next step.
The key being immediate, relevant follow-ups that keep them moving through the funnel.
Stat to know: Nurtured leads make 47% larger purchases than non-nurtured ones (Adobe.com). If you’re not guiding people toward a purchase early, you’re missing out on bigger sales.
The Training Funnel
A visitor lands on your site and sees a short, actionable training that delivers instant value—no hour-long buildup, no waiting for a replay. They get key insights fast, can apply what they’ve learned immediately, and see how your offer fits into the bigger picture.
Instead of dragging them through 90 minutes of fluff just to hear a pitch, you respect their time. The value is upfront, the offer is woven in naturally, and there’s no bait-and-switch.
This can be gated behind an opt-in or placed right on a landing page. Some businesses even feature it front and center on their homepage. Why? Because transparency sells. And in a world full of gimmicks, clarity always wins.
Stat to know: Over 50% of content marketers say webinars and trainings produce their best marketing results—but only when they’re short, clear, and direct (demandsage.com).
The Funnel That Raised Half a Billion Dollars
If you ever doubted the power of optimization, let’s talk about the team that turned email testing into a $500 million fundraising machine. No, it wasn’t some marketing guru selling a course. It was Obama for America.
Politics aside, this story changed the face of digital marketing forever.
Prior to this campaign, no one was obsessively tracking, tweaking and optimizing every step. During the 2012 U.S. presidential election, Obama’s campaign team wasn’t just sending emails, they were running the most sophisticated funnel the political world had ever seen.
Their email strategy alone brought in $500 million of the campaign’s $690 million online donations (marketingsherpa.com). And they did it with relentless testing, ruthless optimization, and a deep understanding of behavioral psychology.
You may not have a team of 20 writers, data analysts, and strategists testing emails every single day. But you don’t need one to steal some of their best strategies and apply them to your own funnel.
The Magic of Micro-Optimizations
The campaign’s email director, Toby Fallsgraff, didn’t just guess what worked. His team tested every. single. day.
They ran A/B tests on everything—subject lines, email copy, send times—to find the tiny tweaks that made the biggest impact.
Speed. Every extra step loses people. Cut friction. Reduce clicks. Make buying easier, faster, more straightforward. Obama’s team slashed friction with one-click donations, tripling conversions. No forms. No hassle. Just a tap and done.
Incentives. People procrastinate unless there’s a reason to act now. Obama’s team boosted repeat donations just by thanking past donors. That simple, small nudge increased conversions. No fake scarcity. Just a timely, compelling reason to take action. For you maybe it’s a fast-action bonus or a live strategy call.
Segment. Not everyone responds to the same message. Obama’s emails weren’t one-size-fits-all. They were tailored for first-time donors, repeat givers, and lapsed supporters. Know your audience. Speak to them where they are. The right message to the right person always wins.
Test. The best funnels aren’t guesses. They’re proven. Obama’s team tested subject lines, calls to action, and donation levels daily. And it clearly worked, a single email raised $2.6 million. Follow a hunch, try things, track results, and double down on what works.
Funnels Aren’t One-and-Done
The Obama campaign didn’t send an email, cross their fingers, and hope for the best. They analyzed data, tested relentlessly, and refined their funnel every single day.
Most business owners? They set up a funnel once, let it collect dust, and wonder why their sales have dried up.
If you’re not tweaking, testing, and optimizing, you’re leaving stacks of cash on the table. The team behind this historic campaign didn’t win with magic. They won with momentum, iteration, and understanding how people actually buy.
The question is—are you doing the same?
Why Your Funnel Probably Isn’t Working
If your funnel is just existing but not selling, here’s why:
❌ You set it up once and never touched it again. (Funnels need maintenance and optimization.)
❌ You’re waiting too long to sell. (Buyers need clarity, not a 6-month warm-up sequence.)
❌ Your messaging is vague. (If they don’t instantly understand the value, they bounce.)
Buyers don’t want games. They don’t want fake urgency, endless fluff, or a 45-minute mystery pitch. And they definitely don’t want to feel tricked or manipulated.
They want clarity. They want confidence. They want a reason to buy now.
And the best funnels lay everything out upfront:
✔️ Here’s what I offer.
✔️ Here’s why it works.
✔️ Here’s how to get it.
No hidden pricing. No “but wait, there’s more” gimmicks. Just a straight path from interested to I’m in.
Your funnel should be a sales machine. Not a “set it and pray” situation. And that’s exactly what Next Level Funnels helps you build.
Next-Level Funnels: The System That Actually Works
Most people throw up a funnel and hope for the best. But the real money? It’s in knowing what gets people to buy.
Next Level Funnels isn’t just a funnel tutorial. It’s a system that helps you:
✅ Get consistent daily sales (no more launch → burnout → launch cycle)
✅ Automate what already works (without losing momentum)
✅ Optimize over time (because a great funnel keeps getting better)
If you’re tired of guessing, overcomplicating, or getting zero results, it’s time for Next Level Funnels. Let’s build one that actually sells.
