Sales funnels for Beginners

The Startup Ideas Podcast

I’m joined by Jonathan Courtney, as we deep dive on how to set up million dollar sales funnels.

1) Startup Idea 1: Paid Ads Agency
• Huge market for one-person ad consulting businesses
• Target specific verticals (e.g., hair salons, female info product owners)
• Take a cut of revenue instead of charging upfront

2) Facebook ads still crush it (for 40+ demo):
• Still effective for 40+ demographics
• AJ&Smart spends $80k/month on FB ads
• 318% ROI in June ($252k revenue from $80k spend)
"Meta ads are only dead for people under 35" - Jonathan

3) Funnel basics:
• Opt-in page → Free training video → Call booking
• Use ClickFunnels for quick tests
• Use Framer for validated funnels
Pro tip: Automate everything possible in your funnel

4) The book funnel strategy:
• Offer free digital + physical book
• Lose money upfront to get email addresses
• Monetize later with other offers
Example: http://workshopperplaybook.com/

5) Copywriting hacks:
• Focus on increasing status (even for B2B)
• Use pain vs. pleasure framework
• Adjust tone based on economic conditions
Key insight: Status increase drives purchases, even in corporate training

6) Jonathan's funnel philosophy:
• Don't obsess over tracking every conversion source
• Focus on overall company growth
• Prioritize Facebook ad spend ROI
"You have your monthly P&L. You just make sure your company is growing" - Jonathan

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Episode Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
06:41 Startup Idea 1: Paid Ads Agency
26:19 Funnel Hacking and Conversion Optimization
34:34 AJ & Smart Funnel breakdown
44:27 Copywriting Hacks