Why Implementing Automation is Key for Sales Acceleration Today Sales acceleration process helps increase sales velocity, reduce the time needed to close a sale, and bring in more revenue

By Nilesh Patel

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

Unsplash

The pandemic has not only changed the way we live, but it has also redefined the very way we do business. We can clearly see how and to what extentthe act of buying and selling has evolved. In-person sales have given way to a strong preference for online and video call-driven sales processes, as we rediscover and embrace the many benefits of the digital medium.To drive efficiency and effectiveness in this fast-emerging new format of selling,sales productivity tools, customer engagement tools, and sales automation tools,have becomethe holy trinity for almost all businesses.

What is sales acceleration?

Sales acceleration process helps increase sales velocity, reducethe time needed to close a sale, and bring in more revenue. These can be achieved by removing the guesswork involved inexecutingday-to-dayobjectives and tasksand givingsales professionals actionable insights to deliver a high-quality customer experience. This also helps themprioritizetheir work efficiently, ensuring they canclose deals faster, and eliminatesmanual work via automation to drive sales productivity.

Here's how automation plays a key role in sales acceleration

Sales CRM (Customer Relationship Management) for sales efficiency

Sales CRM tools help organize the process of lead capturing whilealso preventing lead leakage,and the integrated data enrichment platform provides all essential information about a potential customer to salespersons, whenever needed. Real-time insights about the prospect'sbehaviourmake it significantly easier to prioritise and act on the right targets at the right time. As a result, modern CRM tools empower marketing, sales,and other customer-facing teams by giving them the necessary tools to drive real-time communication and engage prospective customers throughout the entire lifecycle, from capture to conversion.

Modern Sales CRM tools are especially beneficial for teams with a significant lead volume and complex multi-touch customer lifecycles, as they act as a force multiplier,coveringseveral aspects – complete lead capture, instant distribution, personalized engagement at scale, qualification, sales notifications, reporting and more. This can drive efficiency at every single step.

Process automation for improving sales operations

As we complete the first quarter of 2022, it is increasingly evident that sales process automation is no longer just an option; it is a burning need of sales organizations of all sizes, from smaller firms to the largest organizations.With more and more customers going the online way, the competition has intensified for everyone in the digital world. The turnaround time for addressing any customer queryor concern is a key aspect of customer experience.And hence, it is the first thing that automation addresses, criticallyimprovingthe lead-to-conversion ratio.

As and when the volume of leads increases, the complexities of lead distributionalso increase,especially when new products or services are launched, or internal business processes change.This is why sales automation is key to driving efficiency at scale while minimizing expenditure.

Artificial Intelligence in Sales

Artificial intelligence helps sales professionals eliminate the need for manual intervention in several tasks and processes. They can make use of available (and underutilized) data to improve their performance in two ways:

AI for Lead Prioritization and Scoring - Large data sets from numerous sources can be analyzedactively and regularly using Artificial Intelligenceto derive actionable inputs, automate lead prioritization based, and optimizefocus on high-potential leads that need attention. This can boost sales productivity significantly,while also shorteningthe sales cycle.

AI for Sales forecasting- Lead scoring identifies which leadsare most likely to convert, after which, they must be assignedto the right salespeople. Using the power of AI, prospective leads can then be matched withthe most appropriate salespersons, based on past conversion patterns.

Sales automation – A need of the hour

Based on the above, it is now obvious why there is no time like the present for the implementation of sales automation to drive acceleration and growth for businesses. Not only does it help enable faster sales by streamlining processes, but italso helps create a transparent system for everyone involved,at all levels, within the sales lifecycle.

Nilesh Patel

CEO, LeadSquared

Nilesh Patel, is the CEO, for LeadSquared, a market leader in  SaaS automation with services across high-velocity sales execution, field force and marketing automation not just in India, but across the globe. LeadSquared's success inIndiaand  its consistent global growth has earned it recognition as one of the fastest growing SaaS companies.   
Franchise

Sam The Concrete Man is North America's #1 Residential Concrete Franchise

Sam The Concrete Man franchisees have the flexibility of working from home in the high demand residential concrete industry.

Business News

How 'Girls Trip' Producer Will Packer Went From Delivering Newspapers to Producing Billions at the Box Office: 'Everything Is Sales'

In a new interview with Entrepreneur, Packer discusses his book, "Who Better Than You?," which was released on Tuesday.

News and Trends

Gen Z Powers Crypto Surge, Mature Investors Lead Market Activity: Report

When it comes to the Web3 start-up ecosystem, India has emerged as the 2nd largest developer market and the 3rd largest founder base. The country acts as a base for 11.8 per cent of crypto developers and 5.4 per cent of global Web3 founders.

Growing a Business

How Small Businesses Can Cut Through the Noise and Thrive During Political Transitions

Explores how small businesses can navigate the uncertainty of a political transition, focusing on the importance of maintaining control over key business operations. Additionally, emphasizes the opportunity for growth and advocacy in the face of policy and economic changes.

Business News

Elon Musk's xAI Claims Its New Grok 3 AI Is Better Than ChatGPT and DeepSeek: 'Seeing the Beginnings of Creativity'

xAI debuted the new AI on Monday, claiming it has 10 times the computational power of Grok 2.

Business News

'Unprecedented in Our 53-Year History': Southwest Airlines Announces Its First Mass Layoffs Ever

The airline is eliminating 15% of its corporate workforce, including many in senior leadership positions.