Beyond Emails: Unexpected Ways to Automate Your Sales Outreach
Beyond Emails: Unexpected Ways to Automate Your Sales OutreacBeyond Emails: Unexpected Ways to Automate Your Sales Outreach
Email has traditionally been the go-to for sales communication, but let’s be honest: most cold emails go unread. Promotions and newsletters flood inboxes, and spam filters make it much more difficult to reach potential customers. So, if you rely solely on email automation, you risk missing out on more effective interaction opportunities.
However, sales teams are now using LinkedIn DMs, voicemail drops, SMS, and social engagement to reach prospects on their preferred channels. The trick is not just automating marketing but doing so in a way that appears personal and encourages meaningful participation. This article discusses why email is insufficient and how to improve your sales automation plan for more engagement and outcomes.
The New Frontiers of Sales Outreach Automation
Below are some ways to automate your sales engagement:
LinkedIn DMs & Connection Requests
If your prospects use LinkedIn, why not automate your outreach directly on the platform?
With the help of LinkedIn automation solutions like Expandi, Zopto, and Dripify, you can:
Send customized connection requests at scale.
Automate profile visits and post engagement.
Plan DM sequences to cultivate connections over time.
LinkedIn’s InMail feature allows you to communicate with folks outside of your network, making it easier to interact with high-value decision makers.
SMS & WhatsApp Outreach
Text messaging may not be the first thing that comes to mind when considering sales outreach, but it should. This is because SMS and WhatsApp have 98% open rates, which is far greater than email.
Automation solutions like Twilio, Podium, and WhatsApp Business API provide:
Automated follow-ups with leads.
Personalize messages with recipient’s name and previous interactions.
Schedule reminders and updates for possible customers.
Why SMS and WhatsApp work:
Quick responses. Unlike emails, most texts are read in three minutes.
More direct and personal. Prospects feel like they are receiving all of your attention.
Automated Social Listening & Engagement
Your prospects are already discussing their pain points on social media. If you can automate responses and engagement, you can reach people before they even realize they require your service.
Using tools like Hootsuite, Sprout Social, and Brand24 may help you:
-track industry-related keywords,
-automate participation on Twitter, Reddit, and LinkedIn,
-and participate in relevant conversations.
Choosing the Right Automation Mix for Your Business
Selecting the appropriate mix of outreach techniques is crucial because not all strategies are effective for all types of businesses.
For B2B sales, prioritize LinkedIn automation, social listening, and voicemail drop.
Personalized video outreach and SMS follow-ups are more effective for high-ticket sales.
WhatsApp automation and SMS reminders are most effective for local businesses and e-commerce.
The trick is to combine automation with human contact. Smart automation that seems personal will produce better outcomes than fully robotic outreach.
Why a CRM
A CRM saves and organizes contact information, offering a comprehensive view of customers, leads, and prospects. It integrates with lead generation tools, email marketing platforms, and VoIPs to simplify data collecting. Automation effectively organizes incoming data, removing the need for manual labor and assuring precise outreach segmentation. Cloud-based CRMs that provide connectors or open APIs improve automation and business process efficiency. In B2B sales, automation enables sales teams to prioritize high-potential prospects and improve relationship-building efforts. Reducing manual data handling reduces human error and increases data quality.
Implementing Lead Enrichment in Your CRM
Improve your CRM by enhancing lead data with contact information, firmographics, social profiles, and behavioral insights to increase sales. Here’s how to effectively implement this in your CRM.
Choose the Right Tool
Choose an enrichment solution that works with CRM, such as ZoomInfo or Clearbit, for real-time data changes. However, ensure you know how to automate your CRM system, like Salesforce or HubSpot, to interface with it easily. Sales and marketing teams may access current, accurate lead profiles by automating enrichment.
Define Your Data Needs
Determine the most useful data for your team, such as contact, company, or behavioral information. Finding important data guarantees higher outreach efficacy and compatibility with corporate objectives. Richer data leads to better targeting, personalization, and overall sales and marketing success.
Automate the Enrichment Process
Integrate the solution with your CRM to automate real-time lead enrichment and reduce human work. Automated workflows enable rapid modifications to contact information, firmographics, and behavioral data.
Ensure Data Accuracy and Cleanliness
Maintain your CRM data regularly to guarantee correctness, even when using real-time enrichment technologies. Manual checks maintain the accuracy of sales data and avoid duplicates.
The Power of Personalization
Feeling appreciated is something that people desire, and sales are no exception. Considering potential customers as more than just names increases conversion. Genuinely caring about them and attending to their needs improves connections and encourages participation. Show your prospect that you understand their:
Desires;
Pain points;
Requirements;
Ambitions.
Conclusion
Email will always be useful, but it is no longer the only option. Today’s top-performing sales teams do more than just send emails. They use LinkedIn, SMS, voicemail, and social interaction to communicate with prospects in more meaningful ways.
You can enhance engagement, reach more prospects, and complete deals more successfully with the right automation technology and multi-channel strategy.
