60-70% of a customer’s lifetime value is after the initial contract in the form of renewals, upsells, and referrals. In a nutshell, this iswhy the Bowtie Funnel is relevant for yor business and how you think about the customer lifecycle.

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Historically, businesses have relied on traditional sales funnels focusing on getting the deal.  However, this overlooks the critical post-sale journey where much of the true revenue growth is realized. Revenue growth is not about closing deals—it’s about creating lasting value across the entire customer journey.

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The Bowtie Funnel illustrates a holistic approach to revenue operations by extending the traditional funnel to include post-sale processes. It’s about finding customers and nurturing them for long-term success. If you’re ready to rethink RevOps (Revenue Operations), this is the framework you can’t afford to ignore.

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Why Traditional Sales Funnels Fall Short

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Here is the traditional sales funnel: 

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It is probably the most widely recognized representation of the customer journey. It effectively narrows the audience from Prospects to Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs) to Sales Qualified Leads (SQLs), and finally to Customers. 

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But here’s the problem: it stops at the sale. 

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The critical stages of customer retention, upselling, and advocacy—where much of the long-term value lies—are ignored.

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This is where the Bowtie Funnel differentiates itself. By merging pre-sale and post-sale stages into a cohesive framework, it provides not just a visualization but a functional, data-driven model. It enables businesses to align their teams, measure what matters, and adjust their strategies to maximize value at every stage of the customer journey. 

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What is the Bowtie Funnel?

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The Bowtie Funnel is a modern framework that redefines how businesses approach the customer journey. Unlike traditional models that separate pre-sale and post-sale efforts, the Bowtie Funnel brings these stages together into a continuous loop. It provides a complete view of the customer lifecycle, enabling businesses to maximize value at every stage—from initial engagement to long-term loyalty.

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The Key Stages of the Bowtie Funnel

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The Bowtie Funnel reflects the full customer lifecycle, from acquisition to retention and growth. It’s a dynamic, customer-centric framework that drives measurable impact at every stage.

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The Left Side: From Awareness to Conversion

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The left side is the Pre-Sale Funnel. This mirrors the traditional funnel, focusing on attracting, nurturing, and converting prospects into customers. It includes stages like Awareness, Education, and Selection.

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Attract: Your brand reaches potential customers through strategic visibility where your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) operates.

Nurture: Engage prospects with tailored, value-driven content that highlights how your solution addresses their pain points.

Convert: Simplify the decision-making process with trust-building tools and frictionless communication.

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The Center: A Seamless Transition

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The center section is the Transition Point. This is the critical handoff between pre-sale and post-sale teams. This is where the customer officially enters the onboarding phase, setting the stage for long-term success.

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The Transition Point relies upon effective onboarding to bridge pre- and post-sale efforts. It ensures customers understand your product and start experiencing its value immediately.

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The Right Side: Achieving Recurring Impact

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The right side is the Post-Sale Funnel. This section expands outward, emphasizing customer retention, impact realization, and revenue growth through renewals, upsells, and cross-sells.

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Onboard: Customers realize a high-caliber implementation and training experience to understand your product or service.

Deliver: Customers realize the promised value of your product, fostering trust and satisfaction.

Expand: Renewals, upsells, and advocacy grow as customers see continued value, turning them into long-term partners.

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How the Bowtie Funnel Aligns RevOps Teams

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The Bowtie Funnel is a roadmap for aligning sales, marketing, and customer success teams. Creating a shared structure ensures every team works toward the same goal: driving revenue and delivering exceptional customer experiences.

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Breaking Down Silos

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Traditional models often create silos—marketing generates leads, sales closes deals, and customer success handles the rest. The Bowtie Funnel eliminates these divisions by emphasizing collaboration at every stage.

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• Marketing drives Awareness and Education, generating leads that align with the Ideal Customer Profile (ICP).
• Sales takes over at Selection, converting qualified leads while preparing them for a seamless onboarding experience.
• Customer Success manages the post-sale stages, focusing on delivering impact and fostering long-term value through renewals and upsells.

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Alignment hinges on smooth transitions and unified metrics. When teams share KPIs—like customer lifetime value (CLV), churn rate, or expansion revenue—they stay focused on outcomes that matter across the funnel. Clear handoffs, supported by well-documented processes, ensure no customer falls through the cracks.

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Alignment in Action

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Imagine a SaaS company leveraging the Bowtie Funnel. Marketing attracts mid-sized tech firms, qualifying leads based on their ICP. Sales closes a deal, handing it off to Customer Success with detailed insights about the customer’s goals. Customer Success delivers on these goals, resulting in measurable impact. The satisfied customer not only renews but upgrades their subscription, driving predictable revenue growth.

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The Bowtie Funnel transforms RevOps by uniting teams around a common strategy, ensuring every customer interaction contributes to sustainable growth. Does the traditional sales funnel still have a purpose in today’s RevOps world?  Yes!  It is essentially half of the equation, but it’s still a useful half. Below is how Everpeak thinks of the traditional sales funnel in the context of RevOps. The right side of the bow-tie is condensed into the bottom red section, which is turning a customer into a Net Promoter. Not to minimize that - it’s extremely important and no easy feat!

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A Better Way to Grow Revenue

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The Bowtie Funnel is a blueprint for modern revenue operations. 

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By aligning every team, every strategy, and every metric around the customer journey, it transforms the way businesses grow. From pre-sale to post-sale, the Bowtie Funnel ensures impact is achieved at every stage, creating a cycle of value that drives renewals, upsells, and long-term loyalty.

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This is how you scale sustainably. If your teams aren’t united around a seamless customer experience or if your metrics stop at the sale, you’re not just missing out—you’re falling behind.