Build the marketing hourglass to guide prospects to champions

Marketing often looks like a funnel—pour in leads, hope some turn into sales, and pray none slip through. But funnels drop off clients once they enter. The marketing hourglass flips that logic. At the top, you spread your net wide with free or low-cost resources that qualify prospects—think downloadable tip sheets or mini-webinars—so only hungry buyers remain.

In the middle, you nudge prospects to become paying clients with trial or entry-level offerings. This ‘feet-wet’ phase builds trust at minimal risk. Below the pinch point, satisfied clients graduate to premium products: memberships with coaching sessions, bundled service tiers, or annual retainers that deepen loyalty—and your profits.

Finally, as clients experience real value, they become natural champions who refer friends and colleagues. Referral systems—prewritten scripts, thank-you gift cards, and VIP events—turn your top of funnel into your strongest lead source. This hourglass isn’t just a metaphor; it’s a blueprint for sustainable growth, aligning resources with each stage of the relationship.

By planning offerings at every level—suspect, prospect, client, premium client, and champion—you ensure no one slips away. Each new layer reinforces the last, stacking trust and value like layers of duct tape until your marketing ‘sticks’ all the way through.

Grab a sheet, draw an hourglass, and fill each zone with your real services—free guides for suspects, low-fee trials, premium packages, and referral rewards. Then book 30 minutes this week to draft one new trial offer and one scaled-up package. Finish by calling a satisfied client to thank them and ask for feedback on your referral ask—solidifying your final layer of sticky marketing.