Sales automation makes it easier to sell more!

Sales automation automates time-consuming and tedious tasks leading up to a sale.

Sequence of sales e-mails, workflow for allocating leads to sales reps, reports... Sales automation saves sales teams time by automating follow-up. As a result, they can more easily focus on prospecting and closing deals.

But how do you set up an effective sales automation strategy? What tools are available?

Discover our complete guide, co-written with Victor Cabrera, founder and CEO of Technique de Vente Édition.

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What is sales automation?

Definition of sales automation

Sales automation involves automating certain tasks inherent in the sales process, to save sales reps time.

In concrete terms, it means sparing the sales team from having to carry out certain time-consuming tasks on a daily basis.

As a result, sales people can concentrate on the sales process and boost their performance.

What is the aim of automation?

The aim of sales automation? To save real time for sales teams, by eliminating manual tasks with little added value. Every contact, every call, every consultation becomes faster. An opportunity? It's better exploited. Relevantly and efficiently. Thanks to targeted functionalities (workflow tracking, automatic message generation, lead attribution), the platform anticipates needs and automates follow-ups. It's part of the process!

👉 And the results are many:

• less forgetting,
• more targeted sales activity,
• continuous analysis of the sales cycle,
• more qualified leads at every stage.

A clear, structured method to convert more effectively and strengthen the sales force where it counts. The aim is simple: to transform a messy process into an intelligent system, at the service of your sales strategy.

How does sales automation work?

Sales automation is possible at various stages of the sales cycle.

It is based on the use of :

• marketing software
• sales tracking
• customer relationship management (CRM).

All aim to reduce human or manual intervention.

Sales automation deals with :

• managing sales opportunities by prioritizing leads;
• managing prospects, appointments and interactions with them;
• evaluate the performance of sales activities, alerting sales staff when a particular action needs to be taken.

Tasks that can be automated range from sending emails to prioritizing prospects, collecting data, assigning contacts to a particular team or salesperson based on their profile...

What are the benefits of sales automation?

Sales automation brings several advantages to sales teams.

• Firstly, it enables them to be more efficient by streamlining tasks and processing them automatically. All it takes is one click to trigger an action, and it's even possible to create an automatic trigger based on the prospect's behavior (for example, sending an "abandoned cart" e-mail when the customer doesn't complete the purchase process).
  
  
• Secondly, sales tracking is a tool for understanding team performance and identifying areas for improvement. Customer information can also be used to make the user experience more pleasant or intuitive.
  
  
• Sales automation tools provide advice on how to conduct the sales process, indicating possible actions based on the prospect's progress through the sales pipeline.

A word from the expert

New trends in sales automation include the further integration of artificial intelligence to personalize interaction with customers and anticipate their needs.

We're also seeing increased use of chatbots to manage frequently asked questions and qualify leads ahead of an exchange with the sales team.

There's also the adoption of predictive analytics solutions to optimize sales strategies and shorten the cycle.

Many companies are using advanced automation tools to manage the customer journey more closely, aiming for customized sales interaction, on the right channel, at the right time, to trigger a purchase. Ultimately, all these trends point in the same direction: they aim to make sales processes more efficient, while offering a personalized and engaging user experience.

Victor Cabrera,

What's the difference with marketing automation?

Sales automation should not be confused with marketing automation, even though the two concepts are closely related. Marketing automation takes place at the beginning of the sales tunnel, while sales automation takes place towards the end.

Definition of marketing automation

Marketing automation is also automation, but focused on marketing tasks. Depending on user behavior, a marketing process is triggered to personalize the customer experience.

Marketing automation is used to deliver qualified leads to sales teams, who then take charge of moving them along the sales tunnel.

Thanks to marketing automation, sales teams can accompany highly-qualified prospects who correspond to the ideal customer profile.

How does marketing automation work?

Marketing automation works in three stages:

1. 🤝 The creation of a relationship of trust with the potential customer thanks to relevant, high-quality content.
   
   
2. 🛒 Once the relationship has been created, the presentation of the company's products to the prospect enables behavior to be provoked: purchase, request for information, contact...
   
   
3. 🤑 If successful, the marketing department obtains a qualified lead , which is then transferred to the sales department to close the sale.

What are the benefits of marketing automation?

The advantages of marketing automation are numerous and complementary to those of sales automation.

• Precise customer profiles based on behavior in the sales tunnel.
• Save time by automating tasks.
• Adapt actions according to prospect behavior.
• Improved targeting of marketing campaigns, thanks to detailed knowledge of prospects and leads.

Examples of sales automation use cases

In practical terms, sales automation can be used for a wide range of tasks.

According to a McKinsey report :

A third of all business activities can be automated.

These include

• The creation of profiles when a prospect subscribes to a newsletter or has a loyalty card scanned.
  
  
• Recording of prospect activity: emails sent, visits, calls, etc. This enables any salesperson to know instantly where the prospect stands, without having to go through the customer relationship history again.
  
  
• Automated data entry streamlines contact management and facilitates multi-criteria searches.
  
  
• Sales automation can also be used for prospecting, by personalizing emails with variables.
  
  
• Lead management with chatbots that select customers and use artificial intelligence to move them along the sales tunnel.
  
  
• Automated alerts when sales reps need to follow up with customers in the event of a non-response.

A word from the expert

Here are 2 interesting sales automation use cases.

The 1st concerns the optimization of real-time inventory management. By analyzing sales data, forecasts, seasonality, etc., an automated system can predict stock requirements and automatically adjust orders with suppliers, reducing the risk of stock-outs or overstocking to optimize cash flow.

2nd example: using AI to personalize product recommendations based on customers' previous buying behavior, improving the shopping experience and increasing the chances of cross-selling. Today, AI enables permanent test & learn for sales optimization.

Victor Cabrera,

How do you set up sales automation? Our 5 tips

Setting up a sales automation strategy isn't very complicated, and using a dedicated tool makes it much easier to deploy.

Here are 5 tips to make your sales automation a success.

1. Qualify your leads

Sales automation will be all the more effective if your leads have been properly qualified.

To achieve this, marketing automation enables you to enrich your data so that you can segment them later.

2. Take care of your sales pipeline

The sales pipeline needs to be particularly well thought-out, so that sales reps know exactly what stage the prospect is at.

It must be able to be updated directly and linked to the CRM.

3. Work on your approach

Knowing your leads inside out brings other advantages, not least of which is the ability to tailor your approach to their behavior.

Are they more receptive to downloading an ebook or receiving a demo video?

Define the channels through which you're going to reach your prospect: LinkedIn? Emailing? Advertising?

4. Define prospecting templates

To avoid wasting time contacting prospects, templates are essential tools.

Most sales automation software lets you customize templates with variables.

You can also use copywriting to write hard-hitting, sales-inducing emails.

5. Use lead scoring

Lead scoring involves assigning a score to each lead, corresponding to its ability to be converted within a given timeframe.

The "hotter" the lead, the higher the priority given to sending messages.

Each action taken by the lead earns him points that move him up the sales rep's priority scale. This increases the likelihood of closing the sale.

A word from the expert

To avoid getting lost in the maze of sales automation possibilities, my advice would be to start with a careful assessment of your company's specific needs, so as to clearly define your objectives. It's crucial to choose the right tools for your sales process, and to integrate them seamlessly into your existing system.

Next, thorough training of your team is also essential to ensure effective adoption and use of new technologies.

Finally, measure performance regularly to adjust and optimize your automation strategy. Once you've taken this first step, you can then benchmark best practices in your sector, and then in the market as a whole, in an attempt to successfully implement it within your scope. But that's a second step, in my opinion.

Victor Cabrera,

What tools are needed for sales automation?

The types of tools available to sales teams

It's impossible to automate a sales activity without the right sales automation tools. Not just one. Several. And above all, the right ones. Sales teams generally use three types of complementary tools:

• CRM software: to automatically manage data, organize the pipeline and track each prospect.

• emailing platforms: to create sequences, schedule automatic mailings and monitor response rates.

• marketing automation solutions: capable of directly analyzing behavior, adjusting each campaign and improving conversion.

🎯 The goal? Reduce manual tasks, optimize your company's sales process and focus efforts where they're needed. And with the right software, every action becomes faster. And more profitable.

3 examples of tools

Automating sales tasks can't be improvised. You need to choose the right technical tools, adapted to your sales process, your objectives and the maturity of your sales team.

Sellsy

Sellsy, the French CRM for small and medium-sized businesses, comes to mind. The platform saves you precious time and promotes collaboration within the sales team by centralizing the history of your customer exchanges. Key features include tracking of sales documents, automatic follow-up of prospects and quotes, and performance monitoring.

In short, Sellsy guarantees efficient management of your sales cycle, streamlining your processes to the maximum.

HubSpot

HubSpot is an all-in-one CRM tool to boost your sales activity. Manage leads, databases and optimize customer interactions. You can create e-mail sequences, set up automatic mailings and track responses. All with clear dashboards and a real sales cycle logic. The sales team can automate tasks, save time and better qualify each prospect.

Bonus: the free version is already powerful. But as soon as you go pro, the features start to unfold: scoring, attribution, follow-up, performance analysis. It's a solution that's quick to install. And keep. Because it works.

HubSpot CRM

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The all-in-one powerful software for sales

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Brevo

With Brevo, sales force automation becomes simple, fast and effective. Real leverage. Here too, you can :

• program automated prospecting,
• track new results,
• adjust your approach.

The data is there, accessible. Tasks follow one another without friction. First message, right channel, right timing. Marketing campaigns become personalized, follow-ups automated, conversion more natural. You can even measure engagement or test multiple channels. And for the marketing department, the customer experience improves: less time wasted, more efficiency, better dynamics.

A well thought-out, easy-to-implement solution that can be connected to your CRM or management system.

Brevo (ex Sendinblue)

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Selection criteria

Choosing a sales automation tool doesn't mean clicking on the first one you see. You need to :

• test the functionalities,
• compare conversion rates between tools,
• check personalization,
• integrated artificial intelligence,
• data visibility,
• reports generated,
• ease of implementation.

Your company is unique: think size, sector, number of sales reps, nature of prospects, daily objectives.

A good tool offers clear signals, a fluid interface, a good level of personalization. It has to adapt to you to a large extent! Adapting to your path, supporting your sales strategy, integrating your social networks, and improving relationship management.

☝️ Think budget too. Some tools charge per user, others per function. That's why it's a good idea to consult an average evaluation, or even ask for a demo before signing up. What's most important? That the tool helps you reduce time spent, generate leads and accurately manage each stage of the process. Otherwise, what's the point?

Software comparison chart

Which tool should you choose? To find out, compare what counts: features, pricing model, level of automation, available integrations, support, ease of use. In our comparison table, we've listed the most commonly used marketing tools.

Software	Automation	Free version	Strengths	Limitations	Ideal for
Sellsy	Advanced (CRM + reminders)	No	French CRM, pipeline follow-up, quote follow-up, LinkedIn compatible	No free version, interface a little dense	Very small businesses looking to structure their sales force
Hubspot	Complete (CRM + sales tools)	Yes	Email automation, scoring, lead attribution, fluid interface	Pro version essential for advanced use	Growing teams who want to manage sales with precision
Brevo	Standard (marketing-oriented)	Yes	Email automation, segmentation, good personalization	Less complete sales management (pipeline, scoring, etc.)	Small structures focused on prospecting and simple customer relations

Some offer a free version, others limited trials. Note the regular updates, the presence of a sales department, and the possibility of managing all or part of the sales cycle. You'll also find information on contact management, LinkedIn compatibility, inbox management and customer relations. In short, everything you need to make a strategic decision.

See all software Customer relationship management

What you need to know about sales automation

Sales automation is the automation of sales to relieve sales teams of repetitive or time-consuming tasks. They can then concentrate on customer relations and closing deals.

Sales automation is different from marketing automation, which takes place further up the sales tunnel.

Sales automation uses leads qualified by marketing. To implement a sales automation strategy, a specific tool is virtually indispensable.