Definition
The customer journey from awareness to purchase, conventionally visualized as a narrowing funnel: awareness → consideration → decision → action.
Why it matters
The funnel matters to an owner because it shows where potential customers are dropping off — plenty of interest but few bookings points to a very different problem than few inquiries in the first place. Thinking in funnel stages keeps a business from throwing more money at the top when the real leak is further down. The caution is that real customer journeys are messier than the neat diagram, so the funnel is a diagnostic lens, not a literal path everyone follows.