Why Should You Use CRM Automation in Your Business
Before launching a full CRM automation strategy, you need to work out how you’ll maximize your investment in the software. Some key steps we recommend include;The type of CRM you opt for will determine how everything else is set. For example, if it has limited automated features, there’s not really much you can do there. So you need to research and find software like lemlist with extensive automation features that will also match your budget.
You also need a CRM that is user-friendly
Mobile-friendly and easy to switch to. You don’t want to choose a CRM automation software that will frustrate your sales team. They need to be able to find whatever information they are looking for in seconds.
The modern salesperson is also always on the go. So ensure your CRM has a way for them to track their tasks and update communications directly from their mobile devices. Most importantly, it shouldn’t take months to migrate to a new CRM. It should easily integrate with other tools.
Mapping Your Sales Pipeline
Think of your sales pipeline as a roadmap to closing deals. Now you cannot automate every single step because you’ll lose the overall human touch. This is why you need to clearly define each stage of your sales pipeline to identify areas for automation.
Start by defining each stage in your sales funnel, for example, lead generation, qualification, proposal and closing. Next, have a breakdown of activities per stage like having discovery calls, sending proposals, and scheduling meetings to mention a few.
With this breakdown, analyze each activity and identify repetitive tasks that can be automated. So an example could be sending an automated email after a lead capture or assigning tasks based on lead scoring.
Clean Your Data
When you have inaccurate or incomplete data you can have many missed opportunities, and ultimately a frustrated sales team. For one, your conversion rates would be very low.
This is why an important step in maximizing automation is cleaning data. So before you activate any automation or workflows, dedicate the time to clean your existing data. Eliminate duplicate entries, standardized formats and ensure all contacts are verified.
Again, using the right CRM helps automate this step as a tool like lemlist would automatically verify contacts before adding them to your database and merge any duplicate contacts.
Creating a Standardized Process
One cause of incorrect data is inconsistency in data types and entries. So to be able to find user data and not have any errors in your automated workflows, establish clear guidelines for data entry within the CRM. clearly define data fields, standardize naming conventions and set expectations for the data quality you want to have.
So for example, do you save dates as DD/MM/YY or MM/DD/YY? Setting default attributes for each data type is also a good way to enforce consistency in data entry. It will also help in getting coherent post-campaign reports.
Customizing and Optimizing Your Automation
While standardization is important, a little customization goes a long way in adding that human touch to your automation. So personalize your content by adding targeted content recommendations for different audience segments.
You can also switch up the flows so for example bosnia and herzegovina telemarketing list have three different onboarding flows for new leads. So one could get video content recommendations and another could get blog posts. What you customize will depend on your business model and brand tone. Plus, you can always track the results and optimize where necessary.
Train Your Staff
Even the most user-friendly CRM requires proper training. So whether you have new salespeople on your team or existing ones, empower them by providing training on the CRM automation functionalities so they can maximize the CRM’s full potential. Teach them the best practices for data entry and utilization.
Now, don’t just leave them after the onboarding, offer how to use linkedin sales navigator (2024 tutorial) ongoing support to your sales team after the initial training too. Do this by sharing any knowledge-base articles, readily available trainers or even a channel to ask questions.
Monitoring
Like every other sales strategy, effective automation is also data-driven. So set relevant performance indicators to help you assess the japan number list impact of automation on your overall sales performance. So for example metrics like conversion rates, sales cycle length and customer satisfaction scores. Depending on what results you get, you can adjust the CRM automation to optimize and get even better results over time.