The Dos and Don'ts of Office Relocation and Expansion Sales Automation

What office relocation and expansion sales tasks do you automate? Automation is something from which all office relocation and expansion sales reps can benefit. It allows for a higher level of productivity while subsequently moving sales leads through your sales pipeline more quickly. According to HubSpot, in fact, roughly half of all B2B sales tasks can be automated. If you're going to use automation, however, there are a few things you should know. Below are several important dos and don'ts of B2B sales automation.

Do Automate Repetitive Tasks

Focus on automating repetitive tasks. Repetitive tasks are those that require the same process to perform. You perform repetitive tasks over and over without changing them. That's essentially what distinguishes repetitive tasks from non-repetitive tasks. You can, as well as should, automate repetitive tasks so that you can focus your time and attention on other sales activities.

Don't Automate Calls

While you should automate repetitive tasks, you shouldn't automate calls. There's no substitution for a live sales rep when calling sales leads. If you use a robocaller, sales leads may disregard your sales calls as spam, in which case they probably won't buy your B2B company's products or services. You can automate most repetitive tasks, but you shouldn't automate one-on-one sales calls with sales leads.

For instance, be sure to call the Project Reports from SalesLeads. These project reports provide the contact name, email address and project description. All you need to do is be prepared with how your going to bring the sales lead into the sales funnel.

Do Use Software for Automation

To fully embrace automation, you need to use software. It's nearly impossible to automate B2B sales tasks without software. Software is the tool that allows you to automate emails, social media posts and other processes associated with office relocation and expansion sales. What type of software should you use for automation exactly? Most B2B companies use customer relationship management (CRM) software, some of which include Salesforce, Zoho CRM, Oracle Sales Cloud and HubSpot CRM. Features and pricing varies between the different types of CRM software, but they all support automation of common B2B sales tasks.

Don't Target Stale Sales Leads

Regardless of what you are trying to sell, don't target stale sales leads. Stale sales leads consist of prospective buyers with old or otherwise outdated information. In the office relocation and expansion industry, leads can quickly become stale. A prospective buyer may complete a sales lead form to inquire about a product or service, but if you fail to engage with him or her in a timely manner, the prospective buyer may look elsewhere. In this case, you'll be left with a stale sales lead. Whether you target the prospective buyer manually -- or if you use software to automate your correspondences with him or her -- your chances of generating a sale are slim to none.

Do Track the Results of Automation

You should track the results of your automation efforts. Performance tracking gives you insight into what works and what doesn't. If you automate your emails, for example, you can track key performance indicators (KPIs) such as open rates, click-to-open rates and, of course, conversion rates. Emails that score high with these three metrics are indicative of success. They'll drive more sales than emails with poorer metrics. You can then replicate the format with your B2B company's other automated emails to become a more successful B2B sales rep.

Don't Be Too Aggressive

As a sales rep, you must walk a fine line between pitching your office relocation and expansion company's products or services and giving sales leads the freedom to make their own decisions. In some cases, automation can result in an overly aggressive sales approach that pushes leads away from your office relocation and expansion company. For example, you may end up sending the same messages to the same sales lead multiple times. Whether it's an email, social media message or even direct mail, this will likely discourage the sales lead from engaging with your office relocation and expansion company. Automation is undoubtedly useful in the office relocation and expansion industry, but you shouldn't be too aggressive with your messages. Otherwise, you'll struggle to convert sales leads into paying buyers.

Do Personalize With Automation

Some office relocation and expansion sales reps assume that personalization isn't possible with automation. They believe that sales and marketing messages can only be personalized if they are created manually. If you use the right software, though, you can still personalize your messages -- even if they are created and send automatically. Research shows that personalization increases sales by approximately 19%.

Don't Automate Everything

There are some sales tasks that shouldn't be automated. Most sales leads prefer to talk to a real sales rep. If a sales lead calls your phone, don't send him or her to your voicemail. Instead, pick up the phone and engage with the sales lead. You can automate some tasks, particularly repetitive tasks, but don't automate everything. If a lead wants to talk to a real sales rep, you should avoid automation and, instead, pick up the phone.

Do Optimize Your Automation Strategy

Automation often requires tweaking. Even if your automation strategy is currently driving sales, you might be able to improve it. This is where optimization comes into play. By optimizing your automation strategy, you'll generate more sales while simultaneously maximizing your B2B sales productivity.