The Sales Motor newsletter · issue 01

What a done-for-you funnel should include, and 5 questions to ask first

Sebastian Tudor · Amsterdam

If you've ever paid for "a funnel", you probably got pages. Maybe a template. The question is who writes to the people who sign up and then go quiet.

That's what this first issue is about. Not with theory. With a list you can hold next to any offer, mine included.

First, what a funnel is, in plain words.

Someone finds you. They leave their email for something free. They watch you explain your offer, in a webinar or a short video. They get a few emails that answer what people usually ask. Then they buy, or they book a call.

A funnel is just those five steps, set up so they run without you standing next to them.

What a done-for-you funnel should include

1. A signup page. One page, one free thing, one button. It says who it's for and what they get. It works on a phone first.
2. Your class. A recorded webinar that plays at set times, or a sales video they watch right after they sign up. You record it. Someone helps you with the outline.
3. Reminders, if it's a webinar. One when they sign up, one before it starts. Plus a replay for the people who missed it. Without them, people forget.
4. Follow-up emails. At least five. They answer the questions people don't ask you out loud: the price, the time it takes, "is this for me". I think these emails matter more than the page. They're also the part people skip, because they take the longest to write.
5. A clear next step. A checkout page, or a page to book a call with you. Not both on the same page. One step.
6. Testing. Someone signs up with a real email and goes through every step on a phone. Before it goes live, not after a lead complains.
7. Someone who fixes it later. Links and dates change, and one day a form stops sending. A funnel is not a website you finish. It's a machine that has to keep running.

What it should not promise

It should not promise you clients. A funnel turns interest into sales calls and sales. It does not create the interest. That comes from your posts, your talks, your referrals or your ads.

It should not fake a live webinar. A recorded class is fine. Pretending it's live is not honest.

Five questions to ask before you pay anyone

1. Who writes the words? Pages and emails sell, not the design. If you have to write everything yourself, you're buying a template with extra steps.
2. Who owns it? Your domain, your contacts, your emails. Ask what happens to your list if you stop paying.
3. What happens when it breaks in month three? Is there a person who fixes it, or a ticket and a forum?
4. What does year two cost? This is the one nobody asks. A build is paid once. The software and the fixes are paid every year. Ask for both numbers before you start.
5. Is the software included, or is it a second bill? Many funnel tools cost 80 to 100 dollars a month on their own. And you still build everything yourself. Add that to the quote.

When you should not hire anyone

If you don't have something to sell yet, don't build a funnel. Build the offer first.

If your program costs less than a few hundred euros, a full funnel may not pay for itself. A simple signup page and one good email can be enough.

If you love building tools and have the time, do it yourself. That's a fair choice.

How I do it

I'm Sebastian Tudor, an engineer from Amsterdam. For 15 years I built machines that run on their own. Since 2022 the pages and emails I built have brought 310+ customers into my own investing programs. Now I build the same for coaches and trainers with a course, workshop or event, in English, Dutch or Romanian.

I write every page and email, build it, test it and keep it running. The software is included. Fixes too, plus 30 minutes of changes a month and a review every three months.

The Video plan is €1,390 a year. The Webinar plan is €1,490 a year. Year two costs the same, because the software, the fixes and my time keep running. Or monthly: €139 or €149 a month, plus €497 once for the setup.

Not sure yet? Send me your link and your next date at thesalesmotor.com. Within 48 hours I build the first page for free, in your own account. You keep it. No call.

Next issue: the places a funnel breaks between signup and sales call, and how to check yours in ten minutes.

Which of the five questions did you wish you'd asked last time?

More: Where your funnel breaks, and how to check it · ClickFunnels or done-for-you: what coaches are really buying · All articles