A lot of leads never drop out the bottom of the sales funnel.
So, why do we call it a sales funnel?
David Daniels suggests here that "the lead qualification process" is more "like a series of rooms connected by doors" than a funnel.
I like his thinking.
His imagery (and image, go to link above) made me think that sales is really about having leads stay in the funnel-shaped colander until they drop out of the bottom, rather than fall out of a smaller and higher hole (or earlier hole).

