Let’s be honest. Getting traffic to your website feels incredible. You watch the analytics, you see the numbers climb, and you think, “I’ve made it!”
I remember my own “aha!” moment like it was yesterday. My traffic was taking off, but my sales were… not. I had a vague hope that people would land on a blog post, magically find my products, and decide to buy. I had planned for traffic, but I hadn’t planned for success.
And that’s the difference between a website and a business. A website gets visitors; a business gets customers.
A sales funnel is your deliberate plan for success. It’s the guided tour you create to turn a curious visitor into a happy customer, and it’s the single most important system you can build for your brand.
But here’s the catch: not all funnels are created equal. The simple path you build to sell a $7 ebook will crash and burn if you try to use it for a $2,000 coaching program.
So, how do you choose the right one?
Welcome to the library. Think of this page as your blueprint directory. We're going to break down the 9 most powerful and proven sales funnel models. Find the one that fits your offer, and you’ll have a clear path to turning that hard-won traffic into reliable revenue.
Ready to find your blueprint? Let’s dive in.
Don’t Be Overwhelmed: How Funnels Build on Each Other
Before you dive into the library, let’s get one thing straight: you don’t need to master all nine of these at once. Think of this as a learning path. The skills and assets you gain from one funnel directly transfer to the next.
Start with the first one, get a win, and then graduate to the next level. You've got this.
Which Funnel Model is Right for You?
Funnel Model | Primary Goal | Typical Price Point | Best For... |
|---|---|---|---|
Lead Magnet | Generate Leads | Free | Beginners & Trust-Building |
Tripwire | Make a First Sale | $7 - $47 | Validating Offers & Products |
Webinar | Sell High-Ticket | $497 - $1,997+ | Course Creators & SaaS |
Product Launch | Drive Urgent Sales | $97 - $997 | New Products & Memberships |
Evergreen | Automate Sales | $47 - $497 | Creating Passive Income |
High-Ticket | Book Sales Calls | $2,000+ | Coaches & Agencies |
Quiz | Segment Your Audience | Varies | E-commerce & Personal Brands |
Cancellation | Reduce Churn | N/A | Subscription Businesses |
E-commerce | Increase Order Value | Varies | Physical Product Sellers |
1. The Lead Magnet Funnel
This is the quintessential starting point. The bread and butter. The friendly handshake that starts a conversation. The Lead Magnet Funnel isn’t about making a sale today; it’s about earning the right to make a sale tomorrow.
My first attempt at this was a disaster. I built a simple landing page—often called a "squeeze page"—and thought my offer was so brilliant that people should be lining up to give me their contact details just for the privilege of finding out what it was. The result? Crickets.
I’d made the classic mistake: I focused on what I wanted (their email), not what they needed (a solution).
What it is: A simple funnel where you offer a piece of incredibly valuable content (like a guide or template) for free in exchange for an email address. This requires a powerful way to design and display your opt-in forms, which is where a dedicated list-building plugin like Thrive Leads becomes essential.
Best for: B2B businesses, coaches, consultants, and anyone selling something that requires a bit of trust before purchase. If your customers don't buy within the first 5 minutes, you need this.
Funnel Flow:
Traffic Source (e.g., Blog Post) → Landing Page with Opt-in Form → Thank You Page
Your First Step
Forget your product for a second. What is your ideal customer's #1 most pressing, hair-on-fire problem? Now, how can you solve a small piece of it with a simple 2-page checklist? That’s your lead magnet.
Ready to build yours? Learn how to create a high-converting list-building funnel.
2. The Tripwire Funnel
A lead is good, but a buyer is better. The Tripwire Funnel is built on a simple premise: the hardest sale to make is the first one. By making that first transaction an absolute no-brainer, you can turn a prospect into a customer instantly and build a list of proven buyers.
What it is: A funnel that starts with an irresistible, low-cost initial offer (the "tripwire," usually $7-$47) designed to get a quick sale. Immediately after the purchase, it presents a higher-priced upsell, capitalizing on the buyer's momentum.
Best for: Selling digital products, validating a new offer, and quickly building a list of people who have actually spent money with you. It's the perfect way to have your customer acquisition costs pay for themselves.
Funnel Flow:
Traffic Source → Squeeze Page → Thank You Page with Tripwire Offer → Order Form → Upsell Page → Order Confirmation
Your First Step
Brainstorm a small, high-value product you could sell for $7-$27 that gives a 'quick win' related to your core offer. Think templates, a mini-course, or a premium guide. This is the core of your tripwire.
Want the blueprint? Here’s how to create a Tripwire Funnel step-by-step.
3. The Webinar Funnel
When your product is complex or your price tag is high, you need more than a simple sales page. You need to teach. The Webinar Funnel is your digital stage, allowing you to build authority, handle objections, and demonstrate value in real-time.
What it is: A funnel that uses a live or automated video presentation to educate an audience in-depth before presenting a high-value offer. It’s no surprise that 73% of B2B marketers say webinars are the best way to generate high-quality leads.
Best for: High-ticket courses, coaching programs, software demos, and complex products that require detailed explanation.
Funnel Flow:
Ad/Email → Webinar Registration Page → Confirmation/Reminder Emails → Live/Automated Webinar → Sales Offer → Checkout Page
Real-World Example
A digital marketing agency could host a webinar titled "The 2025 SEO Playbook." They provide an hour of actionable tips and case studies, then close with an exclusive offer for a free SEO audit for the first 10 attendees who book a call.
Ready to host your own? Follow our guide to create a webinar funnel that converts.
4. The Product Launch Funnel
Nothing creates a buying frenzy like scarcity and anticipation. The Product Launch Funnel turns your product release from a simple announcement into a major event, building a wave of excitement that crests on opening day.
What it is: An event-based sequence of content (emails, videos) that builds anticipation before opening a product "cart" for a limited time. Displaying authentic scarcity with dynamic countdown timers is key, and a tool like Thrive Ultimatum is designed specifically to manage these event-based campaigns.
Best for: Launching new products, opening enrollment for courses or memberships, and running seasonal promotions.
Funnel Flow:
Pre-Launch Email Sequence → Sales Page → Checkout Page (Cart Open) → Upsell Offer → Confirmation
Your First Step
Plan a 3-part video or email series that teaches something valuable related to your product. Each piece should solve a small problem while teasing the full solution your product provides. This builds trust and anticipation for the big reveal.
Learn how to create that launch buzz with our guide on using a product launch funnel.
5. The Evergreen Funnel
A live launch is powerful, but it's also exhausting. What if you could capture that same energy and automate it? That’s the magic of the Evergreen Funnel—your 24/7 automated salesperson.
What it is: An automated, "always on" sales funnel that nurtures and converts leads around the clock. It typically uses email automation and pre-recorded content to sell a product without a fixed launch date, often using personalized deadlines to create urgency.
Best for: Selling your core products continuously, creating passive income streams, and converting leads who weren't ready to buy during a live launch.
Funnel Flow:
Traffic Source (e.g., Ad) → Opt-in Page → Automated Email Sequence with Offer → Sales Page → Checkout
Your First Step
Take your best-performing content from a past live launch—the emails, the videos, the case studies—and repurpose it into an automated email sequence for new subscribers.
See how it’s done. Here's a breakdown of how Ramit Sethi uses evergreen funnels.
6. The High-Ticket Coaching Funnel
When you’re asking for a four-figure investment, you can’t just use a "buy now" button. You need a funnel built on two things: trust and qualification.
I learned this the hard way. Early on, I cast the widest net possible, thinking every lead was a good lead. This led to a calendar full of calls with people who weren't a good fit. They didn't have the budget, or they were just kicking tires. It was exhausting.
This funnel is your bouncer. Its job is to politely turn away the people who aren't a good fit so you can focus all your energy on those who are.
What it is: A funnel designed to build massive authority and filter for serious clients before prompting them to book a one-on-one consultation or sales call. Responding to a lead within five minutes makes them 21 times more likely to convert, so this funnel ensures you're only spending that critical time with the right people.
Best for: Consultants, agencies, coaches, and anyone selling a premium, high-touch service.
Funnel Flow:
Traffic Source → Case Study/Lead Magnet Page → Application Form → Booking Page → Sales Call
Real-World Example
A custom home builder uses a "Book a Project Consultation" funnel. The landing page showcases their portfolio, but the booking form asks qualifying questions like "What is your estimated budget?" to ensure the sales team only spends time with serious, well-matched prospects.
Selling a premium service? Build a consulting sales funnel that attracts high-value clients.
7. The Quiz Funnel
People love to learn about themselves. A Quiz Funnel taps into this desire, turning passive browsing into an active, engaging experience that delivers personalized results and perfectly segmented leads.
What it is: An interactive funnel that engages users with a quiz. Creating an engaging quiz that segments users and shows the right offer is a complex task, which is why we built a dedicated tool, Thrive Quiz Builder, to handle all the logic seamlessly inside WordPress.
Best for: E-commerce, personality-driven brands, coaches, and any business that can benefit from deep audience segmentation.
Funnel Flow:
Ad/Blog Post → Quiz Landing Page → Quiz Questions → Opt-in for Results → Results Page with Offer → Sales Page
Real-World Example
Beauty brand Ipsy uses a "Get to Know You" quiz to discover a customer's skin type and makeup preferences. This allows them to offer a personalized subscription box, making the customer feel understood from the very first interaction.
Ready to build an interactive experience? Here’s how to create a quiz funnel that works.
8. The Cancellation Funnel
You’ve worked hard to win a customer. Don’t let them leave without a conversation. The Cancellation Funnel is your last line of defense, designed to understand why a customer is leaving and make a targeted offer to convince them to stay.
What it is: A "retention" funnel triggered when a customer tries to cancel a subscription. It presents tailored solutions (like a discount or plan pause) to reduce churn. This is critical, as acquiring a new customer is 5 to 25 times more expensive than keeping an existing one.
Best for: SaaS companies, membership sites, and any subscription-based business.
Funnel Flow:
User Clicks 'Cancel' → 'Reason for Leaving' Survey Page → Targeted Retention Offer → Cancellation Confirmation
Real-World Example
A streaming service, upon a user clicking "Cancel Subscription," asks for the reason. If the user selects "It's too expensive," the funnel automatically presents a one-time offer for 50% off the next three months.
9. The E-commerce Funnel
For an online store, the game isn't just about making a sale; it's about increasing the Average Order Value (AOV). The E-commerce Funnel is a system of offers designed to do exactly that, turning a simple purchase into a more profitable transaction.
What it is: A funnel optimized for online stores, focusing on moving a customer from a product page to checkout with opportunities for order bumps (a small, one-click offer at checkout) and upsells (a higher-priced offer after the initial purchase). It often uses retargeting ads to bring back indecisive shoppers—a tactic that makes visitors 70% more likely to convert.
Best for: Any business selling physical products online (e.g., via Shopify, WooCommerce).
Funnel Flow:
Product Page → Checkout Page with Order Bump → Post-Purchase Upsell Page → Thank You Page
Your First Step
Look at your best-selling product. Now, identify a low-cost, complementary item you could offer as a one-click "Order Bump" on your checkout page. This is the simplest way to start increasing your AOV today.
Selling physical products? Learn how to create high-converting sales funnels for them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, absolutely! The most sophisticated marketing strategies do this. For example, you could use a Quiz Funnel to generate segmented leads, and then send each segment to a tailored, Evergreen Webinar Funnel that speaks directly to their quiz results.
It depends entirely on the price and complexity of your product. A $7 ebook might only need two steps (a sales page and a checkout). A $2,000 course might need seven or more (ads, landing page, email sequence, webinar, sales call). The golden rule: start as simple as possible and add steps only when necessary.
Choose Your Blueprint and Start Building
Remember that feeling of having traffic but no plan for success? That's the problem every model in this library is designed to solve. The key is to stop thinking in terms of single pages and start thinking in terms of a complete customer journey. When you intentionally guide your visitors from one step to the next, you’re not just making a sale—you’re building a system that can grow your business for years to come.
While the models differ, the building blocks are often the same. Every great funnel is built with a solid landing page strategy and a persuasive sales page strategy. Master those, and you can build anything.
Ready to build your first funnel inside WordPress?
Thrive Architect gives you everything you need to create all of these funnel pages with a simple drag-and-drop editor. With over 290+ conversion-optimized templates, you can launch your next funnel faster than ever.
