The funnel is—in theory—a well-oiled machine that pulls in leads and converts them into customers in an organized and efficient manner. The funnel gives the Marketing team tools to help identify when leads become qualified and ready to deliver to the Sales team.

However, although many organizations focus their energies on all stages of the funnel and filling it with as many contacts as possible, eventually the funnel starts leaking, leads drop off, and conversion rates become a fraction of what they could and should be.