Funnels leak. Flywheels compound. The flywheel model creates self-reinforcing growth. Here's how to implement it.

Limitations of the Funnel Metaphor

Funnels have problems:

The Funnel Problems

Linear: One direction (top to bottom)
Leaky: Lose leads at every stage
One-time: Customer journey ends at purchase
Acquisition-focused: Ignores retention and expansion
No feedback loop: Customers don't feed back into acquisition

Why Funnels Fail

You constantly need new leads (top of funnel)
Leads leak out (low conversion rates)
Customers leave (churn)
No compounding growth

How Service Feeds Marketing (The Flywheel)

In a flywheel, happy customers create new customers:

The Flywheel Cycle

Attract: Marketing brings in customers
Engage: Sales converts them
Delight: Service makes them successful
Advocate: Happy customers refer others
Back to Attract: Referrals bring new customers
Cycle repeats: Self-reinforcing growth

The Flywheel Advantage:

Each happy customer creates more customers. Growth compounds instead of requiring constant new investment.

Reducing Friction in the Wheel

Friction slows the flywheel. Remove it:

Common Friction Points

Attract: Hard to find you, confusing messaging
Engage: Slow response, difficult buying process
Delight: Poor onboarding, bad support
Advocate: No referral program, hard to share

How to Reduce Friction

Attract: Better SEO, clearer value prop, easier to find
Engage: Faster response, simpler buying, self-service options
Delight: Great onboarding, proactive support, success resources
Advocate: Easy referral program, incentives, sharing tools

Applying Force: Where to Invest

Not all parts of the flywheel need equal investment:

Where to Apply Force

Delight: Invest heavily (happy customers = referrals)
Advocate: Make it easy (automated referral programs)
Attract: Support with content and SEO
Engage: Streamline sales process

HubSpot's Flywheel Model in Practice

HubSpot popularized the flywheel. Here's how they do it:

HubSpot's Flywheel

Attract: Free tools, content, education
Engage: Free CRM, easy onboarding
Delight: Great support, success resources
Advocate: Partner program, customer stories, referrals

Conclusion

Funnels leak and require constant new investment. Flywheels compound and create self-reinforcing growth. Focus on delighting customers (they'll refer others), reduce friction at every stage, and invest where it matters most. The result? Sustainable, compounding growth.