Author: Gabriela Streza, Business Development Director, Valoria

If you are leasing a sales team, you probably think that implementing a dedicated technology will lead to process efficiencies and increased vendor productivity. Of course, you can already use sales automation software to increase sales.

Research shows that 55% of the best-performing companies use automated sales automation to increase productivity and end more transactions in less time.

These companies usually follow a set of best practices to get the excellent results they enjoy. Follow the best practices described below and you'll get more revenue, helping the company grow faster:

1. Automate the data input process

If you're using an all-in-one CRM, the system also includes automating marketing processes, automating sales, and providing customer support information. With CRM, you can use features such as the formats needed to generate opportunities and those included in landing pages to collect contact information from prospective customers. Using chatboxes and live chat features can do the same.

Once collected, these contact data is automatically sent to the CRM application and the sales automation application, which means that the agents do not waste the time needed to manually enter the data. This saves a tremendous amount of time, which can be spent on actions aimed at converting sales opportunities.

It is much more helpful for sales team employees to devote their time to build a relationship with potential customers, as they will build trust, which will lead to loyalty and repeated long-term sales.

2. Automate flows to simplify sales processes

If you use an all-in-one CRM, you can set automatic workflows that send reminders when an activity or step in the sales cycle is pending to the client potential.

For example, when a prospective customer responds to the invitation to have a free consultation, the sales representative gets an immediate, real-time task so they can plan this appointment. You can also set up alerts to automatically create a new opportunity, marked as a sale supported in the CRM.

The use of automated process flows helps send alerts, reminders and other repetitive tasks, saving a significant amount of time that can be allocated to closing multiple bids.

3. Allow for online appointments

Implementing on-line programming is a way for customers, and potentially potential clients, to schedule face-to-face meetings or online sales team members. The concept is relatively simple. Customers have access to a calendar on the company's website where they select from the available dates and times.

The calendar has a unique link, and this link is received by anyone who wants to schedule a meeting with the sales team. Customers select the most convenient time for them, and the appointment is automatically displayed in their calendar. This reduces the time needed for manual meeting planning and eliminates discomfort and also the effort to find a timeframe that matches all the implications.

4. eDocuments and electronic contracts

Sending documents, proposals, and contracts to prospective customers when reaching a negotiation stage on an on-going transaction can consume a huge amount of "administrative" time for sales representatives. This process involves a significant amount of manual processing of documents needed to close the transaction, a step that needs to be done with particular attention to detail.

With pre-formatted and arranged electronic documents at each stage of the sales process, all these repetitive tasks can automate within, from the preparation of contract proposals. Thus, sales representatives can dedicate their tinplate to building the interpersonal relationship with decision-makers in the client's company.

If you use dedicated applications to put in place a sales automation process, the sales team will lose less time with routine administrative processes that are time-consuming. Instead, they will be able to devote more time to understand the needs and how decision-makers act and make decisions.

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About the author

Gabriela Streza has over 15 years of experience in marketing and business development teams of major multinational companies and family businesses in Romania, leaders in their fields of activity. Gabriela graduated from the Polytechnic University of Bucharest and has a solid expertise in marketing, communication and business development during hundreds of successfully managed projects Gabriela also has a broad knowledge of public relations and high-quality professional communication in interpersonal communications, organizations and event management to generate awareness of the company's brand and business development.. In recent years he has coordinated complex marketing and business development projects involving Romanian entrepreneurs, non-profit associations and multinational companies.

About Valoria

Valoria Business Solutions is a company providing training, consulting and executive coaching services. The company's mission is to transform the potential of teams and organizations into value. Competence, confidence, innovation and passion are the values that sustain us in everything we do. We believe in people, in their aspiration for personal and professional fulfillment, and their willingness to accelerate their potential. Learn more about us at: www.valoria.ro