The Influence Funnel Strategy Board is a self-guided framework designed to help SaaS founders, growth leaders, marketers, and partnership teams understand what happens before buyers book a demo, start a trial, or enter the CRM.
For years, this part of the buyer journey has been called the “dark funnel.”
But the funnel is not dark. It is influenced.
This board helps teams map where buyer trust is created before conversion, identify the people and channels shaping demand, and understand how partners, creators, communities, reviews, customers, and trusted recommendations influence the buying journey.
Using the board, you will work through the five stages of The
Influence Funnel Framework:
Awareness → Validation → Recommendation → Conversion → Advocacy
Each section includes prompts to help you diagnose trust
gaps, map influence sources, prioritize partner opportunities, and turn scattered influence into a clearer growth system.
Use this board to:
Map the buyer journey before conversion
Identify where SaaS buyers are influenced
Understand where partnerships fit in your growth strategy
Diagnose weak points in your influence funnel
Prioritize creators, affiliates, publishers, agencies, consultants, customers, and communities
Plan the next actions to activate and measure influence
By the end, you will have a clearer view of where trust is being built, where influence is breaking, and what partnership-led growth opportunities to activate next.
