When it comes to streamlining sales, you need a powerful process. You don’t want to leave your bottom line up to chance. You want to help customers through your sales funnel reliably and consistently so that you’re generating and converting leads day in and day out. Sound like a lot of work? That’s because it is! However, you don’t have to do it alone.
Automation is a powerful tool that can help you optimize your sales process and close more deals. With the right software and workflows, you can outsource all of the heavy lifting in the sales process to a platform and focus on the important part: winning contracts. Here are some ways to use automation in your sales process.
1. Use a Chatbot
Not many people consider how to implement AI in sales because it seems intimidating or disingenuous. The truth is, an AI can take a lot of pressure off your sales team. Specifically a chatbot.
Chatbots can be strategically placed on your website so that they match your customer’s journey and are there when they need help. You can place these on your middle-of-funnel pages and content so that users have a way to engage with your brand and get their questions answered quickly.
2. Invest in Scheduling Tools
We live in a DIY world, so you need to give your clients the option to put themselves on your radar. That being said, you don’t want clients booking calls at all hours of the day. That’s why your sales team needs a scheduling tool.
Scheduling tools allow customers to schedule meeting times that are best for them, but they also help protect your sales team from unrealistic appointments. You can set the parameters for your meetings so the tool will automatically show your preferred times and restrict potential clients from choosing other slots on your calendar.
3. Get Help with Lead Qualification
Qualifying leads is perhaps the most important step in any sales process. It’s how you ensure you’re spending time and money on people who will actually buy from you. However, parsing through data and analytics to see which customers are serious can put a serious dent in your day.
Instead of dedicating time to tracking user activity, automate the process. You can use tools and workflows to notify you when people engage with certain links or parts of your website that indicate they’re a good match for your services. This way, your sales team only has to worry about the leads most likely to convert.
4. Create Email Series
Your sales team sends a lot of emails. think of how much time they could save if they didn’t have to write out each one. Creating and automating email series or snippets makes sending emails to potential clients easy and ensures your staying in touch with them throughout their buyer’s journey.
Tools like HubSpot, MailChimp, Drip and Constant Contact are all great options for email automation. You can plug in a single email, snippets or a full series and create the parameters for sending. This way, when a contact is entered onto a specific list, they’ll automatically be enrolled and start receiving emails from you.
5. Automate Quoting
Building contracts takes a lot of time and attention from the sales side, but what if they could start with something that’s 90% done? Using templates and automation in your quote and contract building means you can get numbers to potential clients fast and close the deal.
Find a tool that allows you to pre-plug the cost of common services so that when you build a quote, it will crunch the numbers automatically. You could even set it up where it creates a quote based on services that match a lead’s areas of interest. This greatly streamlines your sales process and helps with upsells.
The sales process requires careful management and these five automation tips can help yours run smoothly.
