5 Revenue-Leaking Marketing Funnel Mistakes (and How to Fix Them)

Let’s be real. Every founder dreams of a marketing funnel that just sits there spitting out sales while you scroll TikTok or sip your beloved overpriced coffee. If only it were that easy, right? 

But I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the truth is that most funnels are leaking cash faster than a gym bro chugs pre-workout. And the worst part is you probably don’t even know where the money’s dripping out.

Having engineered and optimized more busted funnels than I’ve had Wi-Fi dropouts on Zoom,  I can say these marketing funnel mistakes are everywhere. And yes, some of them are embarrassingly obvious (don’t worry, we’ve all been there).

#1: Marketing Funnel Mistakes - Running Blind  

So, you built a funnel. Congrats! But are you tracking anything valuable, or just screaming “Leads!” into the void? Please, for the sake of your ad budget, stop pretending that “number of clicks” is a KPI. You need to actually know where people vanish.

If you have no clue which emails get opened, which CTAs flop, or where prospects leave, set up some real analytics before your funnel needs CPR.

💡 Mandatory homework: Dive into my last blog post: What Metrics Actually Matter?. Understanding how prospects move through your funnel will turn your “guessing game” into a growth machine.

#2: Vibes-Only Messaging 

If your headline reads like, “We’re kinda cool, please like us,” your prospects are already ghosting. Messaging throughout your funnel needs to do more than sound nice. It must land. People crave a story, not bland bullet points or corporate jargon.

#3 Complexity That Makes No Sense 

Stop making funnels that feel like applying for a mortgage!

If your funnel forces prospects to jump through flaming hoops, you’re silently handing money to your competitors.

The best funnels are simple: one offer, one clear CTA, minimal form fields. If your “easy” checkout process includes three upsells, four pop-ups, and a captcha, expect abandonment rates to skyrocket. Cut the fluff and ask yourself: does every step in my funnel directly push someone closer to buying? If not, cut it out.

‼️ HOWEVER: High-ticket sales ($5K+) are the exception to this rule. 

When someone's dropping serious money, they actually expect more complexity. They want detailed case studies, multiple touchpoints, discovery calls, and thorough vetting processes. A $10,000 consulting package sold through a simple one-page checkout feels sketchy, not streamlined.

For high-ticket offers, complexity builds confidence. Prospects need to feel like they're making an informed decision, not an impulse purchase. The key is making the complexity feel valuable, not bureaucratic.

This is exactly why you need an experienced conversion strategist who understands these nuances. Most marketers copy-paste low-ticket strategies onto high-ticket offers and wonder why their $50K coaching programs aren't converting.  

#4: Mobile Neglect, Your Funnel Hates Phones 

On top of that… Think about it this way: Your buyers are doomscrolling on their phones between TikTok dances and group texts (depending on your target audience). If your funnel looks great on desktop but turns into a nightmare on mobile, you’re hemorrhaging sales.

Mobile optimization isn’t just shrinking your website; it’s about rethinking the UX/UI experience. Are your forms finger-tap friendly? Do buttons stand out or hide like they’re playing hide-and-seek? Does your page load slower?

Test your funnel on multiple devices, ancient Androids included. If it’s clunky, fix it fast.

#5: Treating Email as a “Send and Forget” Thing 

If you think one welcome flow or thank you flow or one newsletter is enough to close a sale, you probably also believe avocado toast counts as a full meal (sometimes it does, but we need to talk).

Most prospects need a series of emails to convert. You need to nurture leads by delivering value, answering objections, and keeping your brand top-of-mind without sounding like a clingy ex.

So next time you get an email, treat it with respect because it’s your biggest asset as a company: pure warm leads (well, most of them). Want to learn more about email deliverability? Check this podcast episode where expert email marketer Harol Alvear shares all his insights! 

Fix Funnel Mistakes = More Revenue

When you track the right metrics, sharpen your messaging, simplify your funnel, perfect mobile usability, and nurture your leads, you stop the leaks and get a revenue engine that hums.

We learned that most funnels leak revenue through five critical mistakes: running blind without proper analytics, vibes-only messaging, unnecessary complexity (except for high-ticket offers), mobile neglect, and ghost email subscribers.

Ready to see how your funnel stacks up? Pretend you know absolutely nothing about your business. Click through every step like a clueless first-timer. If it's too hard to figure out, just contact me.