One day, we may eventually live in a future with robots that can do everything for us, but we’re a long way from that future. That said, while most sales tasks still require a human touch, cutting-edge sales automation tools can lighten the load considerably.
Sales automation today involves using digital tools to automatically perform routine sales tasks for you so you can spend your time working on other things.
For some, that may sound like something from an episode of Star Trek. But it may surprise you to know that there are actually quite a few sales automation tools out there.
In this blog post, we will cover seven of the best sales automation tools on the market, including:
A sales automation tool is a type of software that allows you to automate certain tasks and activities within your sales process. The purpose is to take the more mundane tasks off your sales team’s plate so they can focus on the more important aspects of the sales process.
Advancing leads through your pipeline once team members complete specific tasks
Updating lead scores based on your specified criteria
Sending personalized drip sequence emails to leads and customers
Reminding sales team members of tasks and activities they must complete
Analyzing and reporting on the success rate for each pipeline stage
Creating reports that forecast sales over a given period
Capturing lead and contact information from connected sources
Why do I need sales automation tools for my business?
There are several unbeatable benefits to bringing sales automation tools into your sales process. These are some of the primary advantages you can look forward to.
Improved team efficiency
Let’s face it—no one really enjoys tedious administrative tasks. They take up loads of valuable time and often keep you away from doing more important things.
With sales automation tools as part of your arsenal, your team can spend less time on admin and more time on sales. This way, your sales team members get things done faster and improving their overall efficiency and productivity.
Refined data and reporting
The data you track through your CRM is useful to teams across your organization, particularly for sales, marketing, and customer success teams.
Rather than have your team members pick through the data to draw up the reports they need, you could implement a sales automation tool to pull those metrics for you.
With these tools at your disposal, you can look forward to more accurate data that teams can access and use immediately. This will make for quicker, more informed decision-making and streamlined strategizing and planning.
Enriched quality lead focus
No more chasing low-quality leads or sorting through hundreds of prospects to determine which are worth pursuing. Your sales automation software will score leads based on the criteria you define.
This automatic lead scoring lets your sales and marketing teams know which leads to focus on first. Tackling the higher-scoring leads first often translates into an increase in revenue and greater profitability.
Looking for an easy-to-use CRM with all the features you need to boost sales?
What should I consider when looking for a sales automation tool?
Your business is unique and, as such, requires an automation tool that aligns with your particular sales objectives. But you should also be on the hunt for a few central must-have features.
When shopping around for your ideal sales automation tool, keep the following features in mind:
Seamless CRM integration: Ideally, you’ll want an automation tool native to your CRM system. But if you choose to go with a standalone tool, make sure it offers hassle-free integration with your CRM software.
Precise data and analytics: Finding a tool that delivers the data and reports when you need them with the click of a button is essential. This data helps you quickly identify kinks in the pipeline, forecast sales and revenue, target your audience more effectively, and build better customer relationships.
Convenient customizable email templates: Perhaps you’re setting up an email marketing campaign or responding to individuals with the same message. Either way, having the ability to set up custom templates or to have access to quality pre-designed templates for inspiration can save you heaps of time.
Smooth lead advancement: Moving your leads from stage to stage through your pipeline manually opens the door to human error and leads slipping through the cracks. Ensure your sales automation tool moves your lead to the next stage automatically once your sales team members have completed their assigned stage tasks.
Impeccable lead scoring: Granted, you’ll do the initial setup, stipulating the rules and conditions for lead scoring. But once those are in place, your automation tool should update scores immediately for more effective lead nurturing.
Comprehensive customer data: You’ll receive information from your leads when they take specific actions, such as completing a signup form. But it’s handy to have an automation tool that can draw more information from different sources, allowing for better relationship building.
Effective email marketing features: One of the benefits of having a CRM with built-in email marketing tools is that you work directly from your primary contact list without any added steps. Segment and nurture prospects and customers with targeted and personalized drip sequence messaging for improved conversions and customer retention.
Reliable reminders and notifications: It’s helpful to have a CRM that lets you set up tasks per pipeline stage and notifies your team members about which tasks are due, completed, and next in line. These reminders and notifications ensure your team follows your sales process to the letter and leaves no stone unturned.
Top 7 sales automation tools for your business
With all the sales automation software options out there, it can be hard to choose which ones your business will use. That’s why we’ve taken the time to draw up a list of seven tools you can benefit from using.
That’s not to say you should use all the tools on this list, but you could definitely benefit from having some of them. Learn more about each tool below!
1. Nutshell
Price: $16+ per month
The first sales automation tool on this list is Nutshell. Nutshell is a customer relationship management (CRM) platform, which is a tool for helping you gather, organize, and analyze customer data to learn more about your audience.
As a CRM, Nutshell has many different features, but one of the biggest ones is sales automation. For one thing, Nutshell can automatically update things like sales data and lead status as leads move through the sales pipeline.
Additionally, Nutshell can help you automate your email marketing campaigns. You can build the emails you want and then have Nutshell automatically send out those emails in response to specific user behaviors, like signing up for your newsletter or abandoning a cart on your site.
Price: Free, or $45+ per month for an upgraded version
HubSpot is a company that offers a variety of marketing and sales products. One of those products is the HubSpot Sales Hub. Like Nutshell, it’s a CRM, and it carries similar features—it can help you track leads through the sales pipeline and analyze customer data.
Also, like Nutshell, HubSpot features email automation tools you can use to manage your campaigns. One of the best things about HubSpot is that it’s consistently rated as being very easy to use.
3. Salesforce
Price: $25+ per month
Salesforce is yet another CRM that comes equipped with sales automation features. Of course, Salesforce offers many different tools—in this case, we’re referring to the Salesforce Sales Cloud. While a bit more complex than HubSpot, it provides many of the same basic features.
An interesting aspect of Salesforce is that even for the tasks it can’t handle itself, it can still automate the process of assigning those tasks to your team members, provided you tell it how you want it to do so. Salesforce is also a great choice because it can integrate with so many third-party tools.
4. Pipedrive
Price: $15+ per month
Another sales automation CRM is Pipedrive, which comes equipped with plenty of automation features. Some of the tasks Pipedrive can handle include:
Sending out emails
Generating automatic sales reports
Sending you reminders about manual tasks
And more!
Pipedrive makes it very easy to customize your sales process, including what you do and don’t want to be automated. Plus, its design fosters collaboration among different members of your team.
5. Keap
Price: $129+ per month
Keap marks the last CRM on this list, and unsurprisingly, it offers many of the same basic features as the first four options listed here. Some of the things Keap can automate include:
Sending follow-up emails
Importing and categorizing customer data
Generating sales reports
And more!
On top of its sales automation features, Keap—like Salesforce—offers an impressive number of third-party software integration options. Plus, it provides 24/7 customer support.
6. Calendly
Price: Free, or $8+ per user per month for an upgraded version
Calendly, unlike the previous tools on this list, is not a CRM. Instead, it’s a tool that specializes in scheduling phone calls and meetings. Rather than you having to engage in a lengthy back-and-forth with your clients to find times that work for you, you can simply use Calendly.
Calendly will have you and your clients mark your availability for calls and meetings, and then it will automatically match up your schedules to find the best time. It will also automatically send out reminders via email and SMS.
7. Mailchimp
Price: Free, or $13+ per month for an upgraded version
The CRMs on this list come with some form of email automation, but Mailchimp takes it to the next level. That’s because Mailchimp isn’t a CRM, but rather, it’s a tool that specializes in email automation.
You can use Mailchimp to create a wide variety of emails, from welcome emails to cart abandonment emails. And Mailchimp isn’t just useful for sending emails—it can also help you create them. It even comes equipped with an AI creative assistant to help you find the best email designs for your business.
Nutshell is the ideal sales automation software for your business
Looking for a good all-around piece of sales automation software for your business? Nutshell is the ideal choice. With Nutshell, you’ll get a well-rounded CRM that can handle sales automation and plenty of other useful sales management features, including customer analytics.
On top of that, Nutshell offers a top-of-the-line customer service team that will always go above and beyond to provide you with whatever help you need while using the platform. You won’t ever have to feel in the dark about what you’re doing.
Of course, we understand that jumping right into a paid plan might not be something you’re ready for. And that’s fine—in fact, it’s why we offer a 14-day free trial. Check it out today to see what Nutshell can do for your business!
