Automation can be extremely beneficial, but it does need to be used considerately
It’s hard to argue that technology hasn’t made our lives – if not a lot better – at least a lot easier. Need to find an address or phone number? You can get it online in a few seconds instead of having to thumb through a phonebook. Have to send documents to someone on the other side of the world? You can do it with a couple of clicks as opposed to having to put them in the mail.
Individuals typically have little problem utilizing all of the tech at their disposal (and do so eagerly), but many businesses, on the other hand, can be slow adopters. This may be especially true when it comes to sales. Just the word “sales” harkens images that are pretty antiquated these days: People going door-to-door, perhaps selling things like vacuums, encyclopedias, and makeup. Or maybe guys working the phones, desperate to close a sale so they can get a cup of coffee.
While sales will always involve a human element, in order for sales teams to maximize efficiency and productivity, they have to use new tools and processes. In 2021, this needs to include automation.
Sales automation, explained
Your salespeople do a lot of important things every day. However, it’s very possible that many of these tasks — while “essential” —may not need to be done by the salespeople at all. By automating administrative tasks, like data entry, you free up a lot of time and allow your sales team to focus much more on what they are there to do: Sell.
What can sales automation do?
The better question is probably what can’t it do? When implemented properly, automation can enhance the entire sales pipeline, including:
- Prospecting: How much time and energy is spent looking for customers for your sales team to contact? Sales prospecting tools powered by artificial intelligence make it much faster and simpler. They can scour all online information – including social media profiles – to find the perfect people to target.
- Lead scoring: While every potential customer needs attention, it is important to be able to easily identify the best prospects and give them the focused attention it takes to get them over the hump. Automation tools can track their interactions with your website and social media networks to identify buying signals and score their readiness to make a deal. Only the highest-scoring leads are ready to talk to your salespeople, the rest need more nurturing.
- Lead nurturing: Once a great lead is identified, it’s time to woo them. Again, automation makes this a snap. Timely and relevant messages can be sent out depending on where they are in the buying journey to help encourage them to proceed further down the sales funnel.
The top 4 benefits of sales automation
Sales automation can have a hugely positive impact on a company. Here are four benefits you’ll see immediately:
- Improved productivity: When salespeople aren’t bogged down with tasks machines can do, they are able to focus on the more important stuff, like cultivating relationships with prospects and closing deals.
- Fewer lost leads: How many leads have been lost because somebody entered the wrong information or forgot to enter it at all? One of the best things about automation is that it eliminates human error.
- Provides better data: When the entire sales team uses the same platform, all customer and prospect information is in the same place. This makes it easy to get real-time reports and generate more accurate sales forecasts.
- Boost collaboration: If your sales team is fragmented, it can be difficult keeping everybody on the same page. Automation ensures everyone gets notified about changes and updates and has access to the same information.
One big caveat concerning automation
So far, we’ve only discussed the pros of sales automation, but there is a con we can’t dismiss: Unless you’re doing business on a whole other plane, you’re not selling to robots; you’re selling to actual people.
This is important to remember, as once you get started with automation and see what it can do, you may want to incorporate it into everything. But, if your potential customers feel like they’re being targeted by robots or you completely replace actual interactions with things like chatbots, there’s a good chance you will lose prospects. This is why finding a good mix of salesperson and machine is vital.
Get more information about sales automation
Want to learn more about the power of sales automation? Get in touch with MetaGrowth and we’ll talk about exactly what it can mean for your company. We can also work with you to implement the right tools and help train your team.
