sales funnel
compound.compound. the path a customer takes from first hearing about a product to finally buying it. It looks like a funnel because many people start at the top, but only a few finish at the bottom.
compound. a marketing model that illustrates the theoretical journey of a consumer toward the purchase of a product or service. It typically consists of stages such as awareness, interest, decision, and action.
We need to add more leads to our sales funnel this month.
The marketing team analyzed the sales funnel to identify where potential customers were dropping off before completing their purchase.
By optimizing each stage of the sales funnel, the company significantly increased its conversion rate without needing to increase its total advertising spend.
A metaphorical compound formed from the noun sales and the noun funnel, describing the narrowing volume of potential transactions. The concept is frequently attributed to E. St. Elmo Lewis, who developed a model for the stages of a sale in 1898.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Commonly used in business and digital marketing contexts; often paired with verbs like 'build', 'optimize', or 'fill'.
Last updated July 22, 2026