I’ve been using the sales funnel for 28 years, my whole career. This year, I retired the funnel — threw it a party, gave it a gold watch, and congratulated it on its move to a condo in Florida.
Replacing the Sales Funnel with the Sales Flywheel
Is your company losing energy, or gaining momentum?
November 20, 2018
Summary.
The traditional metaphor for sales is the “funnel.” But today, a better metaphor is the “flywheel.” The actual flywheel was used by James Watt over 200 years ago in his steam engine, the invention that powered the Industrial Revolution. It is highly efficient at capturing, storing, and releasing energy. Using a flywheel to describe sales allows leaders to focus on how we capture, store, and release energy, as measured in traffic and leads, freemium sign-ups, new customers, and the enthusiasm of existing customers. It’s got a sense of leverage and momentum. The metaphor also accounts for loss of energy, where lost users and customers work against momentum and slow growth.
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New!
HBR Learning
Marketing Essentials Course
Accelerate your career with Harvard ManageMentor®. HBR Learning’s online leadership training helps you hone your skills with courses like Marketing Essentials. Earn badges to share on LinkedIn and your resume. Access more than 40 courses trusted by Fortune 500 companies.
Learn how to communicate with your customers—strategically.