Funnels at SANE/REBELS · 01
What a funnel is
The path a stranger takes to a decision, and the loop that fills the next one.
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Definition
The path
A funnel is the structured path a stranger takes from first signal to a decision they are ready to make.
Most people who find you are not ready to buy. They are curious, skeptical, or somewhere in between. The funnel meets them there and moves them forward through small decisions, each building on the last, until the big one feels obvious.
The five stages
Every funnel runs the same five stages. What changes is where a visitor enters and how many times they loop.
Stranger. Finds you, does not know you yet. Low-threat content and credibility signals, no ask.
Aware. Recognises the problem and starts looking. Educational content, soft email capture.
Considering. Evaluating options, building the shortlist. Demos, trials, case studies with numbers.
Convinced. Trust built, ready to act. Objection-handling and proof at the moment of doubt.
Converted. Takes the action, then becomes the top of the next funnel through referral, content, or proof.
What belongs at each stage
Compounding
The loop
A funnel narrows a crowd into a conversation. A good funnel turns that conversation into the next crowd. Five loop archetypes fill the top.
Content / SEO. Customers or the product create content that ranks and brings new strangers.
Referral. Customers invite customers, structurally. Templates, 'powered by' badges, social mechanics.
Sales led. Customers refer or champion you internally. Warm intros from peer networks.
Paid. Acquisition pays back faster than the payback period. Reinvest the margin.
Product led. Using the product exposes non-users to it. Watermarks, demos, branding on the output.
These five stages have been around for years. The interesting part is what AI now does inside each one, often before anyone reaches your page. We went and chased down the evidence.
How AI rewrote itRelated content
Last updated June 2026
Citation rule: if you use or build on these ideas, credit SANE/REBELS (KNUS GmbH) and link to sanerebels.com/thinking/funnels.