How a Good Sales Funnel is Exactly Like Buying a Wedding Dress

My family loves to canoe down the Wisconsin River every summer. One of the funny memories everyone talks about is floating past the “clothing optional” Mazomanie Beach, which used to exist along the bank of the Wisconsin River before the DNR closed it down in 2016. The kids still giggle about it today.

My dad would say, “Pull your hat down and paddle faster.” Or he’d point to something of interest on the right bank of the river, opposite the camp, to try to get everyone’s attention away from the naked men and women on the shore. Despite dad’s distraction attempts, and even though everyone knew it was not polite, it was impossible not to peek at the sunbathers and swimmers in their birthday suits.

I feel like that when I go out in the real world and see how brick-and-mortar businesses market themselves. I can’t help my curiosity, I just have to look.

I caught myself doing it again this last weekend when our whole family went wedding dress shopping for my oldest daughter. I was thoroughly entertained by their never-ending back-end sales funnel!

Setting the Stage for the Sale:

As we walked in the front door of the bridal shop, there were “rooms” of dresses hanging on the right with fancy cursive signs above them that read, Ballgown, Empire, A-line, Boho, etc.

My husband and son immediately sat on one of the vanilla-colored velvet benches that lined the entryway. My daughters and I walked up to the front desk, which had signs that read, “I Said Yes to the Dress at (Shop Name),” propped up against it. A baby grand piano sat just to the right.

Branding:

Right away, I could see the business’ branding oozing out of every square inch in the place.

Elegant. Upscale. Luxurious. Romantic.

Cross-sells:

Tucked into the front corner at the left was a tuxedo shop, and peeking through the hallway behind it was a rainbow wall of chiffon bridesmaid dresses. And beyond that was another room of darker beaded gowns I assumed were for me, mother of the bride.

Of course, it was obvious this was the place to buy a wedding gown, but they also let us know that we could get tuxes, bridesmaids’ dresses, and mother-of-the-bride gowns there too.

The “I Said Yes to the Dress” signs painted a picture of the results we were hoping to achieve. I’m sure they were also a tactic to prompt happy brides to give them some social media love.

More Branding:

Our style consultant (salesperson), Audrey, greeted us and then guided us through the maze of the store to a room with a dressing room in one corner and chairs for the guests. In the center of the room was a carpeted platform surrounded by mirrors on every wall so my daughter would be able to see herself from every possible angle. The colors were subdued and feminine, and the whole room was topped by a glittering chandelier. Another “I Said Yes to the Dress at (Shop Name)” sign was propped against the wall beside an empty silver garment rack that would soon be filled with tulle, silk, and chiffon wedding dresses.

Discovery:

Audrey invited us all to sit down while she sat on the edge of the platform and started asking my daughter questions. “So when is the wedding? Tell me about the groom. How did you meet? What does he do? What do you do? Do you have a venue yet? Tell me about it. Have you tried on dresses before? What styles do you like? What silhouette do you think you want? What’s your dress budget? How do you want to feel on your wedding day? How do you want to feel in your dress? Etc.”

Then she went off to the back to curate dresses she thought my daughter might like. As soon as she left, my son asked, “How long do these things take?” sighed and then went back to the game on his phone.

The Never-Ending Sales Funnel of a Bridal Store:

My daughter is extremely decisive, so after trying on only a handful of dresses, she found “the one.” My husband thought we were done and was talking about taking us all out to lunch.

But then came the one-time offer! “If you buy your accessories today, you get 10% off.”

One of Audrey’s co-workers started carrying in veils, tiaras, jewelry, detachable trains, etc. By the time Audrey was done dressing my daughter from head to toe with no detail overlooked, the accessories were as much as the dress.

My husband stood up again, assuming there was nothing else she could possibly need, and asked, “Time for lunch?”

But wait, there’s more!

Audrey asked us, “Would you like to pick out bridesmaids’ dresses as well? If you find your dresses today, your bridesmaids will each get a $20 discount.”

We moved to another part of the store, and my younger daughter started trying on dresses.

My husband ran down the street to grab a snack with my son.

Then it was time for another offer, and now, the deal was for me. “Would you like to schedule your mother-of-the-bride style session? If you schedule today, you will receive 20% off your dress.”

The next offer was for the men in the wedding. “As a ‘store name’ bride, your groom gets a free tux with the rental of 4 other tuxes.”

Finally, our salesperson mentioned that if we purchased the wedding dress cleaning and preservation package ahead of the wedding date, we would get a discount.

After several hours, the girls and I walked out dragging a bridesmaid’s dress my younger daughter found on the sale rack and two very hungry men. We also had a bottle of pink champagne in a gift bag and a photo of my oldest daughter holding the “I Said Yes to the Dress at (Store Name)” sign.

What does this have to do with your marketing and sales funnel?

Ultimately, they got about $200 extra from us that day and probably a thousand dollars or more from another bride who was checking out at the same time as us. It sounded like she got her veil, jewelry, the preservation package, and a mother-of-the-bride style session.

It’s an excellent reminder that your main offer can get people in the door, but if you continue to provide value and offer more to your clients, you will increase your average order value, lifetime value of a client, and your revenue.

Want me to help you map out your sales funnel?

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Happy Marketing!

Heather