How to Present Sales Funnel Optimization in a Consulting Case?

one ways could be
1. Find where it's leaking

I use a waterfall analysis to see exactly where prospects drop off. I break it down into three areas:

• top: are we getting the right leads?

• middle: are leads turning into real opportunities?

• bottom: is the sales team closing them fast enough?

2. Identify the "why"

Once i find the bottleneck, i map the journey to find the friction. common issues include:

• time to value: it takes too long for the user to see the product's worth.

• friction points: too many steps or fields in the sign-up process.

• lead scoring: sending leads to sales before they are ready.

3. Connect to the bottom line

A good case must show the financial impact. i focus on:

• ltv/cac ratio: does the fix make the business more efficient?

• revenue impact: show how a small % improvement in conversion adds up to millions in revenue.

Hi Fahadi, 

For a consulting case on sales funnel optimization, the goal is to stay decision-oriented and focused on impact, not to dive too deep into analytics.

A simple, effective structure is:

1. Clarify the objective
   Anchor on what the client wants to improve (revenue growth, conversion, CAC, payback). This guides where to focus.
2. Map the funnel top-down
   Lay out the key stages of the customer journey clearly and simply to show you understand the business model.
3. Identify and prioritize bottlenecks
   Use data to spot drop-offs, but prioritize stages with the biggest business impact, not just the worst conversion rates.
4. Diagnose root causes
   Group causes into a few buckets (product/UX, pricing/value, sales process, targeting). Focus on the most plausible drivers.
5. Propose targeted actions
   Link each action directly to a funnel stage and explain how it moves the metric.
6. Quantify impact and trade-offs
   Estimate upside where possible and note effort, cost, and risks.
7. Close with a roadmap
   Highlight quick wins vs. longer-term fixes and how success will be measured.

Best practice: lead with insights, connect metrics to revenue, and keep everything client-ready. Think “diagnose → prioritize → act → measure.”

Best,
Evelina

Hello Fahadi, 

Simple case structure:

1. Clarify the funnel – e.g. lead → trial → paid → retained (tailored to the SaaS model).
2. Spot where the problem is – ask which stage has the biggest drop-off or limits growth.
3. Prioritize the biggest lever – focus on the stage with the largest volume or steepest decline.
4. Diagnose causes (qualitative first):
   • Acquisition: lead quality, channels
   • Activation: onboarding, product clarity
   • Conversion: pricing, value proposition, sales motion
   • Retention: product value, support
5. Propose practical fixes – quick wins before complex solutions.
6. Define simple success metrics – higher conversion, faster activation, lower churn (no detailed LTV math needed).

Interview best practices:

• Keep it structured and MECE
• Use directional logic instead of heavy calculations
• Always link actions to business impact, even qualitatively

As a coach, I’m here to help you, we can practice SaaS cases, sharpen your structuring under time pressure, and ensure your answers hit exactly what interviewers expect in consulting interviews.

Hi Fahadi, 

I see you've received some great answers already. 

Mapping the funnel and then aiming to identify optimisation potential at each step is one great way of doing it. 

If you manage to keep the structure simple but as deep and tailored as possible you're heading in the right direction. 

Best,
Cristain