5 Ways Sales Automation Helps Fill Your Funnel

Automation is everywhere these days, especially in the world of sales. Companies are looking at different ways of doing things to streamline their efforts and sales automation tools are quickly filing in to take their place in the sales funnel and elsewhere throughout the business. Of course, you can’t automate everything. There’s still a definite need for people in your business. 

As long as you’re choosing your automation tools wisely, you should find several different benefits. In addition to making it easier for your sales reps to do their job, automation can offer a lot of potential. How should you be using automation?

Sales automation tools are great for:

• Email marketing and outreach
• Newsletter sign-ups and information captures
• Repetitive tasks 
• Scheduling 
• Reminders 
• Prospecting 
• Information gathering (lead enrichment)
• Workflows
• Reporting
• Lead scoring

You aren’t going to automate things like sales calls, first contacts, or other critical communications that require a human being, but there’s a lot that you can do when it comes to sales automation. And if you need more assistance, find out if Smith.ai can take care of everything with our support for outreach campaigns. 

So, how can these efforts help you ensure that your marketing funnel stays full? Here are five things you can count on. 

#1 – Lead generation and qualification 

These are two critical parts of finding people to become customers of your business. They’re also two elements that can be automated, to a certain degree. You can use lead generation tools and lead scoring tools to help you identify, qualify, and segment leads so that they’re ready for the next stage in the sales cycle. And at this early stage, your reps don’t need to be as hands-on, so automating the routine tasks can streamline your work, free up time and resources, and give you better quality in your leads. 

You can’t automate sales calls, but you can automate a good sales email campaign if you create customized, pre-filled templates that you can send out once leads show interest. Think carefully about what you do and don’t automate here, but make sure that you capitalize where you can. 

#2 – Metrics and reporting 

You can get a lot more information from today’s reporting tools than ever before. Plus, the reporting and data capture can be automated so that you can trust that you’re always gathering the necessary information to make the next move in the sales journey with your leads. 

Metrics and reports give you valuable insights into your leads and customers, including where they’re at in the pipeline, where they intend to go, and what they need to get there. With so many robust reporting options, including CRMs with built-in metrics and data tools, you’ll find that this is a great place to automate and get better outcomes. 

#3 – Spend less, generate more 

When you use sales automation, you will be able to reduce the costs of your outreach campaigns. When you automate the right things, you’ll be spending less money on efforts that don’t really need human attention. That gives you more to add to your bottom line or spend on other marketing efforts. Either way, you get a better return on investment (ROI) and a chance to reduce costs in several different ways. 

All of this gives you more to focus on the next round of leads and keeping the cycle going. And over time, as you continue to reduce your outreach costs, you’ll find new ways to automate and improve things. The cost savings will grow over time as your continued efforts do. 

#4 – Personalized customer journeys 

The one thing that today’s customers agree on is that they want customized follow-up and interactions. Some people want an entirely custom experience from the time they become a lead until they convert into a customer. Others just want to know that a company has their best interests in mind. Take advantage of automation tools to cull all that valuable customer data so that you can deliver a personalized experience each time. 

Not only will this result in more leads for your sales pipeline, but it will ensure that every customer feels special and appreciated. It’s also more likely that people will refer you to their friends and family, as well as complete strangers, if they know you’re going to take the time to personalize their journey. 

#5 – Refined marketing efforts

When you invest in quality automation tools and software, you will find that it becomes much easier to map out customer journeys and figure out where people are going next. Your sales funnel and marketing strategy will become more refined and you will be able to get rid of the wasted efforts that aren’t generating results. When you take the time to create a process around your customer journey, it’s easier to nurture those leads and get the results that you want. 

Plus, you’ll have a blueprint for moving forward that can scale and grow with you, which means continued success in the future. 

If you can’t automate, outsource instead 

Sales automation can do a lot to help your business drive sales and increase conversions. That is, of course, as long as you use it well. And like we mentioned, you certainly can’t automate everything, so make sure that you’ve got a plan in place for what you can’t. That’s where our virtual receptionists come in. 

At Smith.ai, we take pride in helping companies like yours with outreach and marketing, including support for outreach campaigns so that when you can’t automate, you can still get the job done. We can also help with lead intake and appointment scheduling, along with providing a 24/7 answering service so that you never miss a lead. 

To learn more, schedule a consultation or reach out to hello@smith.ai. 

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