What exactly is a funnel?

A funnel represents the fixed path a potential customer takes, from initial advertisement to purchase. For consultants, my funnel looks like this: advertisement, free book, email address confirmation, a thank-you page with a video and a callback form, followed by regular emails. Each stage has a single, specific purpose. Because the stages are clearly defined, you can see where potential customers are dropping off, and you can then focus your efforts to improve those specific points.

What does “funnel” mean in English?

The funnel is a useful image. Many people enter at the top, for example through an ad. Some drop out at each stage, and your customers emerge at the bottom. On a good book signup page, about 30 to 38 out of 100 visitors sign up. Only some of them later book a conversation.

How do you translate “sales funnel” into German?

The most accurate term is “sales funnel.” This refers to the entire journey, from initial contact to purchase. For consultants, this journey rarely concludes with a simple click on a “buy” button. Instead, it ends with a conversation. That's why, at the end of my sales funnels for consulting services, there's almost always a free initial consultation by phone. This allows you to understand what's important to the client and then tailor a suitable offer.

What are the stages of the marketing funnel?

I imagine the funnel as a bucket, and I think in two phases. In the first phase, you fill the bucket with the right content. So, you attract the right people to your email list through advertising and a free book. In the second phase, you extract value. This happens through emails, a webinar, or an initial consultation. The actual selling takes place only in this second phase.

What examples are there for sales funnels?

I identify four different approaches. The advertisement directly leads to a sales page; this typically works well for consulting and digital products, but usually only for amounts under approximately €100. The advertisement directly leads to a booking for an initial consultation. The advertisement leads to a free webinar, which concludes with a consultation. Or, the advertisement leads to a free book, followed by email correspondence leading up to a consultation. In my opinion, the book is the best starting point for consultants.

Where can I create a funnel for free?

You can draw the plan on a sheet of paper free of charge. To implement it, you'll need just a few basic components: a simple page, a “thank you” page with a straightforward form, and an email program with confirmation email functionality. No complex technology is required for this. However, I would recommend investing in a good email program. Your list belongs to you. Those who rely solely on social media are building on rented ground.

Build a Sales Funnel for Consultants with a Free Book

By Artur Neumann. Published November 9, 2026, updated November 9, 2026. 8 min read.

Build a sales funnel for consultants: an ad, a free book, email confirmation and a clear next offer. Why I collect contacts before asking for a conversation.

I run my business in Germany. Monetary examples use euros unless another currency is stated.

By my estimate, I’ve spent around one million euros on advertising on Facebook. Rarely did I directly send people to an offer. More often, I first collected their contact information, typically by offering a free book.

This process is called a funnel. Many people come in at the top, but only a few become customers at the bottom. For consultants and service providers, I almost always build this funnel the same way: advertisement, free book, confirmation, thank-you page with an offer, followed by emails leading to a consultation.

In this article, I’ll walk you through each stage. And I’ll explain why offering a free book at the beginning often brings in more customers than a webinar or a direct initial consultation.

Without Paid Advertising, Growth is Slow

Free methods like videos or posts for Google can work to a certain extent. However, they require a significant investment of time, and the results are often inconsistent.

I’ve created videos with 150,000 views. A few followers were added, but I practically earned nothing from them. Furthermore, when it comes to consulting and other high-value services, only a small number of people are naturally interested in your topic. Consequently, you’ll receive a limited number of views.

If you want to grow quickly, in my experience, you can’t avoid paid advertising. You reach most people through Meta, that is, Facebook and Instagram. You initially spend money, but you’ll get it back later. This often takes three to six months. Therefore, a key question determines your profitability: Where do you send people after they click?

Four Paths After the Click

Direct Sales

For consulting and digital products, direct sales from an advertisement rarely work unless the price is very low. I see the limit around €100, unless you already have a strong, well-known brand.

Direct Initial Consultation

For high-quality services aimed at businesses, the advertisement can directly lead to a scheduled appointment. This works best when people already understand what you offer. Based on my experience, you typically pay between €100 and €500 per inquiry, often around €300.

On the phone, you’ll be speaking with someone who doesn’t know you. They’ll want to see references and will likely want to think about it further.

Webinars

Webinars are very effective. Cold prospects who have never heard of you will watch a presentation for 45 to 60 minutes. At the end, there’s a clear next step, usually an initial consultation. With cold traffic, I find that roughly 10 to 15 out of 100 visitors register for the webinar.

If you sell during the webinar without a follow-up conversation, keep the price below €300. Very few people will purchase offers between €300 and €2,000 without a sales conversation.

Free Book

The fourth option seems almost too simple. You give away a short book, typically in PDF format. For me, it remains the best entry point. On a well-designed book page, roughly 30 to 38 out of 100 visitors will sign up, provided the page is properly constructed.

The reason is that it allows you to build a list. You’re probably familiar with this from Instagram: you save a good post with a bookmark, and then never read it again. People take a free book with them because it costs nothing and appears valuable.

The Logic Behind the Free Book

For a contact acquired through a free book, I typically pay between €3 and €5 per contact, depending on the industry. Acquiring a contact through a webinar typically costs between €10 and €30. Even more important is the volume. From 100 clicks, a webinar leaves you with roughly 23 fewer contacts on your list than a book.

This wouldn’t matter if everyone bought immediately. However, most customers buy later, often after three to 24 months. Let’s assume you lose 20 contacts every day. After a year, that’s thousands of people you’ll never be able to reach. Some of them would have purchased from you.

With a direct initial consultation, the gap is even larger because you pay significantly more per inquiry. You can find a calculation example regarding the profit per consultation in this article: Build an Email List.

Webinars and initial consultations aren’t bad. They’re just in the wrong place. Every contact acquired through the initial stage costs you advertising money. After the free book, it costs you nothing to invite those same people to a webinar or a consultation.

How I Build the Funnel for Consultants

1. The Advertisement Promotes Only the Book

The advertisement focuses solely on the book, not on your consulting services. Because all advertisements lead to the same book page, you can test many different variations. You experiment with different entry points and quickly see what your target customers are looking for.

2. The Book Page is Simple

The page features the book cover, a large title, and a short subtitle. Below that, there’s a field for the email address and a button with the exact text: “Free Download.” At the bottom, you’ll find the legal disclaimer. That’s it.

The page doesn’t state who you are or why someone should download the book. The title must be so compelling that your target customer immediately wants to download the book. If too few people sign up, the page is likely too complicated. Often, people add 15 benefits and a personal introduction below. Then, someone doesn’t like your photo, and they leave.

You can find ideas for your book’s theme, title, and cover in the article Book as Lead Magnet. It’s especially important to choose a title that attracts the right people. A title like “Get Rich in 10 Seconds” might generate a lot of leads, but few of them will be people who actually need your services.

3. Confirmation in Three Lines

After signing up, the interested visitor lands on a brief page. Three lines are enough: “Thank you for your registration. One step remains. Click on the link in the email I just sent you.”

Simultaneously, they automatically receive a confirmation email. This process is called double opt-in. This email is also concise: “Thank you for requesting my book. Click here, and I’ll send it to you immediately. By doing so, you’re allowing me to send you further emails.”

The book itself is then delivered in a separate email, which also links back to your thank-you page.

4. Your Thank-You Page: The Start of Your Offer

After clicking the confirmation link, the visitor arrives at your thank-you page. This is where your offer truly begins. For consultants, I recommend a simple page: a video at the top, followed by a short form.

In the video, thank them for downloading and explain what you do. For example, you might be a sales coach offering a book on the seven sales secrets of top performers. In the video, you could ask: “Do you want to improve your cold calling on the phone?” Share your story and your experience. Then, casually invite them: “Sign up for a free consultation. Let’s talk and see if we’re a good fit.”

Below the video, include a booking tool with available time slots or a simple callback form. I’ve had very good results with callback forms. Above the form, include a line like: “My approach isn’t right for everyone. Leave your contact details so we can get to know each other personally. No obligation, no pressure.” The fields should be email, phone number, and website. The button should say “Request a Callback.” Next to the button, include: “I’ll get back to you within 24 hours.”

If you receive more inquiries than you can handle, create a barrier. For example, the consultation might cost €50 or €100. As the number of inquiries increases, you can increase the barrier accordingly.

5. Call, Don’t Just Write

I respond to every inquiry with a brief email and a proposal for a time to talk. Then, I call them, precisely on the minute. To ensure punctuality, I set two alarms for each appointment.

One of my clients used to only send emails to his prospects. His fees for presentations were fixed at around €3,000. After he started making phone calls, he increased his fees to €7,000. Without a conversation, trust is missing. I explain how I structure the conversation in the article Structuring Your Sales Process.

Afterwards: Emails Focused on a Single Core Offer

Most visitors won’t immediately take action. However, it now costs you nothing to stay in touch with them. I recommend that you contact them as often as possible, every day or every other day.

I see this reflected in my own numbers. In months when I send fewer emails, I earn less. And some visitors have been on my list for two years. They read every email, never respond, and then suddenly purchase a €10,000 package.

It’s crucial to have a single core offer. Every email should lead to the same page: your initial consultation, your webinar, or your sales page. It might feel repetitive, but that’s what has consistently generated the most revenue for me.

For example, a tax advisor could explain a different case from their practice every day. At the end, they could always include the same sentence: “If this is relevant to you, reply with ‘GmbH,’ and we’ll schedule a free initial consultation.”

For consultants, I would recommend using the initial consultation as the core offer. During the consultation, you’ll discover what’s important to your client. For the same service, some clients might be willing to pay €49, while others might pay €3,000. Many wealthy entrepreneurs are primarily concerned with saving time and achieving their goals reliably. By sending everyone to a low-priced offer, you’re leaving money on the table.

If your audience is still relatively unfamiliar with you, a webinar can be a useful intermediary step. It guides them step-by-step from one thought to the next. At the end, invite them to schedule a consultation.

Your Funnel at a Glance

Ad on Meta, promoting only the book
Book page with cover, title, subtitle, email field, and the “Free Download” button
Brief confirmation page, confirmation email, and a separate email with the book
Thank-you page with video and callback form
Response with time proposal and punctual phone call
Daily emails focused on a single core offer

Draw your funnel on a piece of paper today. For each stage, note what’s already in place and what’s still missing. Don’t launch the first ad until all stages are running smoothly.