Funnel Rate
Any stage-over-stage conversion ratio in the lead-to-sale funnel — most commonly the end-to-end delivered-to-issued ratio.
Full Definition
Funnel rate is a generic term for any conversion ratio between two stages in the lead-to-sale funnel: lead → contact, contact → qualified, qualified → set (if consultative), set → shown, shown → sold, sold → issued, issued → paid. "Overall funnel rate" typically refers to delivered-to-issued — i.e., of 100 leads delivered, how many resulted in a paid policy. Measuring each stage independently is the fastest way to diagnose underperformance: a falling close rate with steady contact rate points to agent skill or lead quality; a falling contact rate with steady close rate points to dialer, STIR/SHAKEN, or speed-to-contact issues.
Example
A Final Expense agency's funnel: 500 leads → 350 contacts (70%) → 120 qualified applications (34% of contacts) → 95 issued policies (79% issue rate, accounting for declines and draft failures). Overall funnel rate = 95/500 = 19%.
Related Terms
- Contact Rate — The percentage of leads an agent successfully reaches by phone — the first-stage conversion metric in any outbound program.
- Close Rate — The percentage of contacted (or delivered) leads that result in a sold policy — the primary profitability driver in insurance lead generation.
- Set Rate — The percentage of contacts that result in a scheduled appointment — a key metric for consultative sales like IUL and annuity.
- Show Rate — The percentage of scheduled appointments where the prospect actually attends (answers the call or shows up).
- Persistency — The percentage of policies that remain in force after a given period (commonly 13-month or 25-month), directly driving renewal income and book value.