12 sales automation mistakes many teams overlook
Sales automation is an easy way to help streamline your sales process. However, if you’re not careful, you can end up making mistakes that cost you time and money.
In this post, we’ll go over some of the most common sales automation mistakes many teams overlook. Read on to learn about them so you can avoid making them.
1. Failing to align sales and marketing teams
Sales automation is a powerful tool for salespeople, but it’s not just for them. Marketing teams can also use automation to improve their processes and grow the business.
When sales and marketing teams are aligned, they can work together to create a seamless customer experience. This means that leads are more likely to convert and customers are more likely to be satisfied.
To get the most out of your sales automation tools, make sure that your sales and marketing teams are working together. This will help you avoid mistakes like sending out conflicting messages and failing to use your data to its full potential.
In addition to using sales automation tools, sales and marketing teams should also meet regularly to discuss their goals, share best practices, and identify areas for improvement.
2. Automating without a structured process
Automating your sales processes is a great way to save time and avoid mistakes. But if you don’t have a structured process in place, your automation can quickly get out of hand.
Before you start automating, make sure you have a clear understanding of your sales process. What are the steps? What are the goals of each step? What are the potential pitfalls? Once you have a solid process, you can start to think about how you can automate sales call.
If you don’t have a structured process, you run the risk of automating the wrong things and creating an environment where your sales team feels disconnected from the customer.
3. Not tracking the right KPIs
If you don’t know what you’re trying to measure, you won’t know what data you need to collect.
It’s easy to get lost in the vast amount of data you can track with sales automation tools. But, to be successful, you need to be strategic about the data you collect and analyze.
Start by reviewing your sales process and identifying the key steps and stages. Then, determine the key performance indicators (KPIs) that will help you measure success at each step and stage.
For example, if you’re trying to measure success at the top of the funnel, you might track KPIs such as the number of new leads generated, the number of leads contacted, and the number of leads that convert to opportunities.
Once you’ve identified your KPIs, make sure you have a plan in place to track them. This might involve setting up custom reports and dashboards in your sales automation platform or using integrations to pull data from multiple sources.
4. Forgetting to update your CRM
If your sales team isn’t updating your CRM, you’re not alone. According to HubSpot’s research, salespeople spend 23% of their time entering data into their CRM. That’s a lot of time that could be spent selling.
Automation can help your sales team save time on data entry by syncing your CRM with other tools you use. This way, you can make sure your CRM is always up to date without having to manually enter new information.
If you’re not syncing your CRM with other tools, you could be missing out on valuable data that could help you close more deals. For example, if a lead fills out a form on your website or digital business card, that information should be automatically entered into your CRM. If it’s not, your sales team could be missing out on a potential opportunity.
5. Neglecting to personalize your outreach
Personalization is a critical part of your sales process. It demonstrates your understanding of your prospect’s business and shows that you’re not just sending out blanket emails to anyone and everyone.
When you’re automating your sales tasks, it’s easy to forget to personalize your outreach. But doing so can be a costly mistake.
Make sure to take the time to research your prospects and personalize your outreach. This will help you build rapport and increase your chances of making a sale.
6. Relying on outdated data
Automating your sales processes can help your team save time and make more money, but it’s important to remember that the data you’re using to inform your automation is accurate and up to date.
For example, if your sales team is using outdated contact information to send automated emails, they could be wasting their time and potentially damaging relationships with prospects. Similarly, if your team is using inaccurate lead scoring data to prioritize their follow-ups, they could be missing out on valuable opportunities.
To avoid this mistake, you should regularly audit your sales data and update it as needed. You should also make sure that your team is trained to recognize the signs of outdated data and knows how to find accurate information.
7. Automating the entire sales process
Automation is a great tool for sales reps, but it’s not a replacement for them. This is particularly true for complex workflows like eCommerce split payments, which often require manual checks, exception handling, and coordination between sales, finance, and partners. If you try to automate the entire sales process, you’ll end up with a completely impersonal experience for your leads and customers, and you’ll miss out on the opportunity to build a relationship with them.
It’s important to find a balance between automation and personalization in your sales process. Use automation to handle repetitive tasks and free up your sales team’s time so they can focus on building relationships and closing deals. When selecting automation platforms, look for providers like Apollo.io—and keep an eye out for an Apollo discount to efficiently scale your operations while managing costs.
8. Not understanding your ideal customer profile
This is a big one. If you don’t know who your ideal customer is, you’re going to have a hard time finding them. This can lead to wasted time and resources, and it can also hurt your sales.
To avoid this, make sure you have a clear understanding of who your ideal customer is. This should include things like their industry, company size, job title, and pain points.
You can use this information to create targeted lists of leads, and to personalize your sales outreach. This will help you find the right prospects, and it will also help you build better relationships with them.
9. Not having a clear sales funnel
Your sales funnel is the foundation of your sales strategy. It’s a visual representation of the stages a lead moves through as they become a customer.
If you don’t have a clear sales funnel, it’s difficult to know where your leads are in the sales process. This can lead to confusion and frustration for your prospects and your sales team.
Your sales funnel also helps you determine which stage a lead is in so you can send the right content at the right time. If you don’t have a sales funnel, you won’t be able to effectively use sales automation to nurture leads.
To create a sales funnel, start by defining the stages a lead moves through as they become a customer. Then, determine which actions a lead can take to move from one stage to the next.
10. Not training your team on new tools
If you’re going to invest in a sales automation tool, make sure you’re training your team on how to use it.
Many sales teams are guilty of purchasing a new tool and then not taking the time to train their reps on it. This can lead to a lot of confusion and frustration, and it can also lead to mistakes.
Make sure you’re providing your team with the proper training and resources they need to be successful with your new sales automation tool. This will help them get up to speed quickly and avoid costly mistakes.
11. Relying on sales automation to fix your problems
Sales automation is a powerful tool, but it can’t fix a broken sales process. In fact, if you try to automate a poorly designed sales process, you’ll just end up making things worse.
Before you start using sales automation, take a close look at your sales process and identify any issues. Then, work on fixing those issues before you start automating.
This might involve simplifying your sales process, improving your lead qualification criteria, or providing additional training for your sales team. Whatever the case, make sure you address any problems before you start relying on sales automation.
12. Treating referrals as an afterthought instead of a sales channel
Many teams invest heavily in automating outbound sales while overlooking referrals as a scalable, automation-friendly sales channel.
Referrals often produce warmer, faster-closing leads—but only if they’re managed properly. When referral programs are handled manually or buried in the product experience, sales teams can’t act on them effectively.
Referral automation tools like ReferralCandy solve this by automatically tracking referrals, rewarding advocates, and passing high-intent referral leads into the sales pipeline. When referrals are integrated into your broader sales automation strategy, they become a predictable and measurable source of revenue rather than a passive “nice-to-have.”
Conclusion
Sales automation is a great way to increase efficiency and productivity on your team. However, it’s important to be thoughtful and strategic about how you implement these tools. Avoiding the mistakes listed in this article will help you get the most out of sales automation.
