Have you ever purchased something that you were afraid to admit it? Do you have a closet stash of Snuggies?

I'm about to go all out full confession on you. Sales funnels – no one is immune. Even an online marketer, like me. (BTW, this isn't an affiliate marketing thing…it's just my real-life experience as a consumer).

It started in July—I clicked on one of those suggested sidebar videos on YouTube. It showed a woman who had some hair loss, clipping in these little extensions. Now, at the time, I was a bit fascinated. She completely changed her look in 7 minutes. I wasn't in the market for extensions, but I thought it was good to know information, although I admit, my (brutally honest) kids had made a few remarks on my thinning hair.

A few weeks later, I met a stylist who put in my friend's extensions. We chatted a bit, and flat out asked her, was that something I could even consider? Having it weaved in? She looked at me frankly and said, no, with thin, fine hair like yours, it would just break off. You'd be miserable.

So, I shrugged my shoulders and moved on.

Then, right before Christmas, Daisy Fuentes ads started showing up in my Facebook feed. I ignored them at first.

Then a video ad showed up. I clicked. I was curious. I was already online shopping for last minute gifts. I had a New Year's Eve party invite. I could use some self-glam.

Curious, I scrolled down the page to see how much they were. Okay, $39.99. That's not so bad. You get a double thick fall and the older model single fall for that price.

I clicked and watched all of the hair styling videos. I searched online for reviews. Was I seriously considering buying off a Facebook ad?!?

I have to admit. It was a news report video that sent me to open my wallet and grab my credit card. They tested it on three producers and all three said they would buy it and wear it.

I chose my color (Dark Blonde) and clicked add to cart. Then, an alert popped up. Do you want to upgrade? For $10 more, you can add another color and they'll send me two single bands and a double band in that shade. Why the hell not? I'd watched videos where they layered two colors together. I could go for that. I upgraded with a lighter shade. $60+ bucks later (including shipping), I had the weird “What the heck just happened?” feeling.

Like I'd been sleep-shopping.

I'd fallen prey to the secret of the sales funnel. And in Daisy's case, it worked beautifully.

The Warm Up

Since I'd watched that YouTube video, I was already open to the possibility of extensions. I'd identified a problem, thinning hair, and been shown a solution, but wasn't motivated to make a move—yet.

The Slow Dance

Daisy showed me ads (that I mostly ignored at first) repeatedly. She also showed them around the holidays, a time when people would be going to parties, wanting to look their best. I clicked on a video ad, and basically, it was a done deal after that.

The Proof

The Secret Extensions website had lots of how-to-wear videos and Before and After shots. The proof of the product was readily available to me.

The extension offer was a double weave set (twice more hair) and a single weave set for $39.99. This was obviously to clear inventory of the old version of the product. (Nice one, Daisy!)

The Upsell

At the point of purchase, I got the upsell. It was an easy-to-understand-I'd-be-crazy-not-to kind of an offer. It wasn't pushy, no flashing buttons, just one click to accept.

The After Care

My extensions arrived and secretly put them on and pranced downstairs. My husband said, “Wow, your hair looks great today!” (Which was so worth the $60). I laughed and pulled them off like a magic trick!

I realized when the extensions arrived, I had more of the lighter shade than the dark blonde color that matches my hair. I called the customer service line to see if I could send the lighter color back for more of the dark color. “Oh! We'd like you to keep the ones you have, AND we'll send you the dark blonde shade, too!” the happy customer service rep said.

The Word-of-Mouth Social Share

With terms like that, they are building customers for life. I'm sending my lighter shade extras to my cousin, spreading the word of the product's brand.

Lessons Learned

How can you apply this funnel to your own business? That first step is getting the right buyer at the right time. I'm a textbook case that Facebook ads work.

Next, build the before and after into your sales page with words and phrases your customer uses. Speak to their pain point and show how your product or service eliminates that pain. Paint them a picture of After that they can see themselves achieving.

Offer an upgrade at the point of sale, and make it irresistible for your customers not to take it, with a price they can't refuse.

Take care of them after the sale and offer great customer service. Make your stellar customer service share-worthy!