Selling more, and more easily, is possible thanks to sales automation!

Sales automation enables you to automate certain time-consuming or tedious tasks leading up to a sale.

Sequences of sales emails, workflows for allocating leads to sales staff, reports, etc. Sales automation saves sales teams time by automating follow-up. So they can concentrate more easily on prospecting and closing deals.

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

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 consists of automating certain tasks inherent in the sales tunnel to save sales reps time.

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

As a result, sales staff can concentrate on the sales process and increase their performance.

What is the aim of automation?

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

👉 And the results are numerous:

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

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

How does sales automation work?

Sales automation is possible at different 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 involves :

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

The tasks that can be automated range from sending emails to prioritising prospects, collecting data, allocating contacts to a particular team or sales rep based on their profile, etc.

What are the benefits of sales automation?

Sales automation brings a number of benefits 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 behaviour (for example, sending an "abandoned basket" email when the customer doesn't complete the purchase process).
  
  
• Next, sales tracking is a tool for understanding the team's performance and identifying possible improvements. Customer information can also be used to make the user experience more pleasant or intuitive.
  
  
• Sales automation tools provide advice on how to carry out 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 personalise interaction with customers and anticipate their needs.

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

There is also the adoption of predictive analytics solutions to optimise sales strategies and shorten the cycle.

Many companies are using advanced automation tools to manage the customer journey more closely: the aim is to deliver a tailored 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 personalised and engaging user experience.

Victor Cabrera,

What are the differences 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, whereas sales automation takes place towards the end.

Definition of marketing automation

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

Marketing automation is used to supply qualified leads to the 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. 🤝 Creating a relationship of trust with the potential customer through relevant, high-quality content.
   
   
2. 🛒 Once the relationship has been created, the presentation of the company's products to the prospect helps to provoke a behaviour: purchase, request for information, contact...
   
   
3. 🤑 If it is successful, the marketing department obtains a qualified lead which is then transferred to the sales department, which is responsible for concluding the sale.

What are the advantages of marketing automation?

The benefits of marketing automation are numerous and complement those of sales automation.

• Obtain accurate customer profiles based on behaviour in the sales tunnel.
• Save time by automating tasks.
• Tailor actions according to prospect behaviour.
• Improved targeting for 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 :

One third of commercial activities can be automated.

These include

• The creation of profiles when a prospect subscribes to a newsletter or has a loyalty card scanned.
  
  
• Recording activity relating to the prospect: emails sent, visits, calls, etc. In this way, any sales assistant can find out instantly what stage the prospect is at without having to go through the history of the customer relationship with them.
  
  
• Automated data entry streamlines contact management and facilitates multi-criteria searches.
  
  
• Sales automation can also be used in prospecting by personalising emails with variables.
  
  
• Lead management thanks to 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 if they do not respond.

A word from the expert

Here are 2 interesting sales automation use cases.

The 1st concerns the optimisation of real-time inventory management. By analysing sales data, forecasts, seasonality, etc., an automated system can predict stock requirements and automatically adjust orders with suppliers, thereby reducing the risk of stock shortages or overstocking and optimising cash flow.

Example 2: using AI to personalise product recommendations based on customers' previous buying behaviour, improving the shopping experience and increasing the chances of cross-selling. AI is now a permanent test & learn tool for optimising sales.

Victor Cabrera,

How do you set up sales automation? Our 5 tips

Setting up a sales automation strategy is not 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 do this, marketing automation enables you to enrich the data so that you can segment them later.

2. Look after your sales pipeline

The sales tunnel needs to be carefully designed so that sales reps know exactly what stage the prospect is at.

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

3. Work on your approach

Having a detailed knowledge of your leads brings other advantages, not least the ability to offer them an approach tailored to their behaviour.

Are they more interested in downloading an ebook or receiving a demonstration video?

You also need to define the channels through which you are going to reach your prospect: LinkedIn? Emailing? Advertising?

4. Define prospecting models

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

Most sales automation software allows you to customise templates with variables.

You can also use copywriting to write hard-hitting emails that provoke sales.

5. Use lead scoring

Lead scoring consists of giving each lead a score corresponding to its ability to be converted within a given time.

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

Every action they take earns them points, so they move up the priority scale of the sales rep to whom they are assigned. 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 tools that are tailored to your sales process and integrate them seamlessly into your existing system.

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

Finally, measure performance regularly to adjust and optimise your automation strategy. Once you've taken this first step, you can then benchmark best practice in your sector, and then in the market as a whole, to try and implement it successfully within your own perimeter. But that's a second step, in my view.

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 using 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, organise the pipeline and track each prospect.

• Emailing platforms: to create sequences, plan automatic mailings and monitor response rates.

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

🎯 The aim? Reduce manual tasks, optimise 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 VSEs and SMEs, comes to mind. The platform saves you precious time and encourages collaboration within the sales team by centralising the history of your customer exchanges. Key features include tracking the reading of sales documents, automatic follow-up of prospects and quotes, and performance monitoring.

In short, Sellsy guarantees efficient management of your sales cycle by streamlining your processes as much as possible.

HubSpot

HubSpot is an all-in-one CRM tool to boost your sales activity. Manage leads and your database, and optimise customer interactions. You can create email 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 roll out: scoring, attribution, follow-up and performance analysis. It's a solution that's quick to install. And keep. Because it works.

HubSpot CRM

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Brevo

With Brevo, sales force automation becomes simple, fast and effective. A real lever. Here too, you can :

• programme automated prospecting,
• monitor new results,
• adjust your approach.

The data is there, accessible. The tasks follow on from each other without friction. First message, right channel, right timing. Marketing campaigns become personalised, follow-up campaigns automated, conversion more natural. You can even measure engagement or test several channels. And from the marketing department's point of view, the customer experience improves: less time wasted, more efficiency, better dynamics.

It's a well thought-out solution that's easy to set up and can be connected to your CRM or management system.

Brevo (ex Sendinblue)

+200 reviews

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Selection criteria

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

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

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

A good tool offers clear signals, a fluid interface and a good level of customisation. To a large extent, it has to adapt to you! It needs to adapt to your customer journey, support your sales strategy, integrate your social networks and improve 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. The most important thing? That the tool helps you to reduce the time spent, generate leads and manage each stage of the process with precision. Otherwise, what's the point?

Software comparison table

Which tool should you choose? To find out, compare what matters: 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 tracking quotation reminders, 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 personalisation	Less comprehensive in terms of 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 making contact, 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 process of automating sales in order to relieve sales teams of repetitive or time-consuming tasks. This allows them to 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.