Session 9: Advanced Funnel Audit & Competitive Benchmarking

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MBA DM Phase 2: The Agency Simulation

Session 9

Advanced Funnel Audit & Competitive Benchmarking

From sandbox builder to agency auditor.

Today's Agenda

  • Sandbox recap → agency mindset shift
  • The Agency Funnel Audit Framework
  • The Competitive "Spy" Toolkit
  • Audit Insights: Junior vs. Senior Consultant
  • Lab: Audit your own Phase 1 sandbox funnel
  • Deliverable: Funnel audit worksheet (A1 input)

From Builder to Auditor

Phase 1 asked: "Can you build a funnel?" Phase 2 asks: "Can you audit, fix, and defend someone else's (or your own) funnel like a paid consultant?"

The Agency Funnel Audit

StageThe Agency LensRed Flags to Look For
Awareness Are they buying the right traffic? High spend on broad match keywords; no localized landing pages; ignoring organic search.
Consideration Is there a net to catch bouncing traffic? No Meta/Google retargeting pixels installed; no lead-magnet or email capture; heavy reliance on single-session conversions.
Conversion Where is the friction? Too many form fields; hidden pricing; broken mobile checkout; no clear primary CTA.
Retention Does the relationship end at the receipt? Zero post-purchase onboarding; no cross-sell email flows; missing Google review requests.

The Competitive "Spy" Toolkit

Don't just guess what competitors are doing — use the same tools agencies use to reverse-engineer their funnels.

  • Top of Funnel (Ads): Use the Meta Ad Library and Google Ads Transparency Center. What is their hook? Are they running discounts or leading on quality?
  • Mid-Funnel (SEO/Traffic): Run their URL through SimilarWeb or Ubersuggest (free tiers). Where is their traffic coming from? Which keywords do they own?
  • Bottom of Funnel (Conversion): Ghost-shop them. Click their ads. Fill out their lead forms. Abandon a cart. Do they call you? Do they email you a discount code three hours later? Document every step.

Audit Insights: Junior vs. Senior Consultant

❌ Junior Audit (Observation)

"The competitor has a good Facebook page and runs a lot of ads."

✅ Senior Audit (Insight)

"Competitor A is running heavily discounted Meta ads to cold audiences, but their landing page has a 5-second load delay and no retargeting pixel. There is a massive gap in their mid-funnel we can exploit by capturing their abandoned traffic via Search."

Check: Audit Priorities

Prompt: cold-call a student.

Real Nepal Proof

Recall the home services stack case — layered channels compounded results rather than relying on one silver bullet.

Read: Stack teaching brief (Google Ads + Local SEO)

Lab: Audit Your Sandbox

  1. Map Your Baseline: Open your Phase 1 funnel and map the current user journey from first click to final conversion.
  2. Hunt for Friction: Apply the Agency Funnel Audit framework to your own work. Identify your single biggest leak (e.g., traffic drop-off, form abandonment).
  3. Ghost-Shop the Competition: Pick 3 direct competitors and run them through the Spy Toolkit. Find the gap in their strategy that your sandbox can exploit.
  4. Formulate the Fix: Write a one-paragraph senior-level insight proposing how to patch your leak based on competitor weaknesses.

Deliverable for Session 9

Funnel Audit Worksheet

Stage-by-stage audit + competitive benchmark table. This acts as the first strategic input into your final A1 Campaign Strategy Deck.

Thank You!

Open Session 9 Note