The key to managing the ideal sales funnel in a do-­it-­yourself (DIY) SaaS Product is not to keep all the leads in the funnel. Rather the intent should be to keep the "ideal customers" in the funnel.

So, you obviously need to understand the ideal customer. Assuming you are already targeting correctly & getting the right type of leads, it is important to help qualify the leads quickly through a series of steps either within the application as do-­it-­yourself steps or by interacting with the prospect.

Friction Free

Reducing friction in the signup process by requesting minimal information is essential to improve the signup conversion rate. Getting customers quickly to explore the application is absolutely essential for a great first time experience without delays. Delayed email verification helps to avoid any delays in receiving emails for verification before experiencing the application.

Pay Wall

If you are looking for very high quality prospects who are serious & would pay, you could use a credit card based trial. The downside is that you will get fewer but highly qualified signups. Even if there is no upfront charge, requesting credit card attracts only serious users based on various studies. But be super careful to exercise this option. 90% of the SaaS companies don't use a credit card wall.