Main Insight

Instead of targeting a broad audience, concentrate on particular industries and their unique use cases. This enables you to tailor your messaging, content, and solutions to meet specific customer needs. This funnel-focused approach enables B2B marketers to systematically optimize each stage of the customer journey with targeted, industry-specific strategies, resulting in higher conversions and more efficient growth.

Guest Bio
Bas Hennephof is the co-founder of ConvertCalculator, a no-code builder for interactive content such as calculators, quizzes, lead pages, product configurators, and quote forms. He has extensive experience in business, design, marketing, product, and strategy. In the past, he founded an online startup accelerator, coached multiple innovation teams, and led a corporate innovation initiative at the largest bank in the Netherlands.

Practical Steps

1. Define Your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP):
   • Identify the specific industries and use cases where your product or service provides the most value.
   • Develop detailed personas to understand their pain points, needs, and decision-making processes.
2. Map Out Your Customer Journey Using Funnel Metrics:
   • Outline each stage of your funnel: awareness, acquisition, activation, retention, revenue, and referral.
   • For each stage, list the actions customers take and the conversion rates associated with them.
3. Create Industry-Specific Messaging and Content:
   • Develop landing pages, blogs, and marketing materials tailored to each industry and use case.
   • Use language and examples that resonate with your target audience’s specific challenges and goals.
4. Develop Targeted Templates and Tools:
   • Offer templates, calculators, or interactive content that address the unique needs of each segment.
   • Ensure these resources help customers quickly realize the value of your product.
5. Implement Systematic Measurement and Analysis:
   • Set up analytics to track conversion rates at each funnel stage.
   • Regularly review data to identify drop-off points and areas for improvement.
6. Run Focused Experiments:
   • Prioritize one funnel stage at a time and conduct A/B tests to optimize it.
   • Implement changes based on data-driven insights and measure their impact over time.
7. Enhance Onboarding and Activation Processes:
   • Customize onboarding experiences based on customer segmentation.
   • Provide relevant support content, tutorials, and guidance to improve activation rates.
8. Maintain Team Alignment and Communication:
   • Involve all team members in funnel optimization discussions.
   • Use collaborative tools to ensure everyone is informed about goals, strategies, and progress.
9. Stay Disciplined but Flexible:
   • Set clear quarterly goals for each funnel stage and stick to them.
   • Be open to adjusting strategies based on performance data and changing market conditions.
10. Seek Continuous Feedback and Iterate:
    • Collect customer feedback to understand their experience at each funnel stage.
    • Use insights to refine your product offerings and marketing strategies continually.

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Full Interview Transcript with Bas Hennephof: Co-Founder of Convert Calculator on Building a No-Code Interactive Content Platform

The following interview transcript has been edited for conciseness and clarity.

Introduction

Today, I’m sitting down with Bas, the co-founder of Convert Calculator, a no-code builder for interactive content such as quizzes, calculators, and lead pages. Bas brings extensive experience in business, design, marketing, product, and strategy. Previously, he founded an online startup accelerator, coached multiple innovation teams, and led a corporate innovation initiative at the largest bank in the Netherlands. I’m super excited to chat with him and delve into his background and insights.

The Journey to Co-Founding Convert Calculator

Interviewer: Could you tell me a little bit about what led you to co-found Convert Calculator?

Bas: It’s an interesting story. My co-founder, Joris, who is the technical co-founder, and I met coincidentally. Joris started Convert Calculator as one of his side projects while working as a freelance developer. Like many freelancers, he aspired to start his own startup. I collaborated with him from a business perspective because, as a lone wolf, it can be challenging to manage all aspects alone. We met regularly to discuss business and product topics for a few years. As the product began to grow steadily, Joris realized the need for a co-founder. At that time, I was concluding a corporate innovation initiative, so the timing was perfect for us to join forces. I became the co-founder, focusing mainly on overall product strategy and the business side, while responsibilities naturally shifted in our small team.

Key Insights for Business Growth

Interviewer: Since you’ve been building Convert Calculator, what would you say is the main insight that has allowed you to grow or promote the business?

Bas: The main insight is adopting an industry-specific approach combined with funnel thinking. Convert Calculator is a versatile, no-code tool that allows users to create interactive content like quizzes and calculators. Unlike static landing pages, our tool offers dynamic, Excel-like interactive elements, making it applicable across various industries with numerous use cases.

This versatility is a double-edged sword. While it opens up multiple opportunities, it also requires significant focus. To manage this, we connect specific use cases to particular industries, enabling us to define clear customer personas and address their unique pain points. This approach helps us create targeted messaging, industry-specific landing pages, tailored templates, and support structures like instructional videos. Funnel thinking allows us to systematically improve conversions by focusing on each stage of the customer journey, ensuring that we deliver the right content and support to our diverse user base.

Implementing a Funnel-Based Approach

Interviewer: What was it like before you started taking this funnel-based approach to systematically learn about customer pain points and improve your product?

Bas: Before adopting a funnel-based approach, it was chaotic. Convert Calculator began as a tool for creating quote calculators, but over time, the product expanded beyond that narrow focus. We realized the need to reposition ourselves as an interactive content builder. By narrowing our focus, we could better communicate our value to specific niches. For example, for a cleaning business, Convert Calculator automates the initial sales funnel with a quote calculator on their website, reducing the need for constant phone calls or emails.

This industry-specific approach helped us stay focused and manage the abundance of ideas and opportunities. By sticking to our funnel strategy, we could prioritize what was most important for our customers and systematically improve our product.

Advice for Implementing Conversion Funnels

Interviewer: If I work in a B2B SaaS company and want to use conversion funnels to understand my audience and build my product systematically, what step-by-step advice would you give?

Bas: I recommend using the pirate metrics funnel: Awareness, Acquisition, Activation, Retention, Revenue, and Referral. Start by outlining these top-level funnel steps and then break each one down further. For example, within the Activation stage, analyze what happens after a user signs up. Identify specific pain points and how your solution can address them.

Begin by defining your customer personas and segmentation. Then, develop strategies for each funnel stage, such as SEO for Awareness or tailored onboarding processes for Activation. Continuously build, measure, and learn from each step. This systematic approach helps you identify areas for improvement and optimize conversion rates effectively.

Measuring and Optimizing Conversion Rates

Interviewer: How long does it take to see results in terms of higher conversion rates at each stage of the funnel?

Bas: It varies depending on the action taken. For example, when Joris focused on on-site SEO by improving our webpages and creating new keyword-optimized pages, we saw an instant traffic increase. However, it takes time to determine if these changes are significant and not just outliers. Each experiment requires setting clear hypotheses, measuring results, and iterating based on the data.

For instance, in our onboarding funnel, we introduced qualifying questions to provide specific template options based on user responses. This helped match customers with the right templates, making it easier for them to succeed. By measuring how many users complete these segmentation steps and successfully use the templates, we could assess the effectiveness of our changes.

Balancing Efficiency in a Small Team

Interviewer: As a small team, how do you balance the work involved in optimizing conversion rates with other responsibilities?

Bas: It requires a lot of discipline. With limited resources, we often have more ideas than we can implement. Unlike larger teams with specialized roles, we wear many hats, which makes us efficient but also means juggling multiple tasks. Maintaining discipline is challenging, and we sometimes fall short. However, prioritizing productivity and focusing on the most impactful actions helps us manage our workload effectively.

Common Pitfalls in Conversion Funnel Optimization

Interviewer: What are some pitfalls people might encounter when implementing conversion funnel and conversion rate optimization?

Bas: In larger teams, separated functions can hinder a holistic overview, making it difficult to connect all the dots. Effective communication between different functions is crucial but can become time-consuming, detracting from actual progress. Balancing communication with productivity is essential to avoid these pitfalls.

Setting and Managing Goals

Interviewer: How do you set and manage goals for different stages of the funnel?

Bas: We work backwards from our revenue goals. For example, if we aim for a million in annual revenue, we calculate the number of customers needed and understand our conversion rates. By breaking down the funnel into specific steps—such as attracting visitors, converting them to sign-ups, and activating them—we can implement targeted actions for each stage. Measuring the effectiveness of these actions helps us adjust our strategies and maintain balance across the funnel.

Maintaining Discipline and Productivity

Interviewer: How do you handle maintaining discipline and productivity as you grow your team?

Bas: It’s challenging and requires strict discipline. As a bootstrap company, we focus on balancing opportunism with rigidity. While more team members can provide additional support, it also necessitates new structures to maintain productivity. Prioritizing tasks and staying disciplined ensures we continue making progress despite the increasing complexity.

Conclusion

Interviewer: Before we wrap up, is there anything you’d like people to know or any projects you’re working on?

Bas: We’re always working on exciting projects. If you’re a marketer, interactive content could be the next wave to improve your conversion rates. Check out our product at ConvertCalculator.com. It’s a versatile and flexible tool with a manageable learning curve. We’re continuously working to make it easier to use, and we’re here to help with specific use cases. Explore our website, try out the examples, and feel free to reach out if you need assistance.

Interviewer: Thank you so much, Bas, for sharing your story and insights.

Bas: Thank you for having me.