How to Use Automated Sequences in Sales?

If you're in sales, looking for clients through social media, sending cold emails, or conducting online prospecting activities, you've probably noticed that most potential leads don't respond to your initial message. So, what can you do to increase the likelihood of reaching the client? The answer is to make more than one attempt, in other words, to prepare follow-ups. And how can you make sure these attempts don't take up too much of your time? You should automate them. In this text, I will explain how to utilize Sales Sequences for this purpose.

Sales sequences are automated tools within HubSpot that enable us to send a series of emails or create alternating sequences of emails, phone calls, in-mail messages, or other activities to reach the client.

What can sales sequences be used for?

Sequences that alternate between email communication and other tasks (such as phone calls, in-mail, online meetings, etc.) can be used in various sales processes. Of course, messages should be personalized whenever possible. Such sequences can be used, for example, for:

1. Prospecting - cold calls, emails - or researching client needs.
2. Responding to inquiries or downloads of materials from our website.
3. Following up after a meeting, event (like a trade show or webinar), or product demo.

However, sequences can also be used for other actions beyond sales, such as:

1. Onboarding new clients.
2. Customer satisfaction surveys - through phone calls and emails.
3. Responding to technical support tickets.

When can we use sequences of emails alone? Here are a few examples:

1. When trying to contact a client for whom we only have an email address.
2. When the person we were communicating with stops answering calls and messages.
3. If a prospect wants to revisit the topic later, for example, in a year - so they don't forget about us during that time.

How to make your sales sequence more effective?

What prompts your potential clients to react will depend on their specific needs, but generally, you will achieve better results by:

Personalization

The goal of sales automation tools is to free up your time so you can focus more on personalized interactions. In HubSpot, you can also use tools for automatic personalization, so it's worth using them whenever possible. 

Applying multi-channel approaches and diversified strategies

Instead of relying solely on emails and phone calls, you can add videos, GIFs, SMS, in-mail messages through LinkedIn, or other social media to your sequences. It's important to differentiate them appropriately based on the target audience. For instance, a LinkedIn message might be more effective for decision-makers at a higher level than a GIF. Depending on the industry, consider adding a short video recorded, for example, using Vidyard.

Keeping the content concise, clear, and well-formatted

Get to the point right away. This is especially crucial for mobile users, as they might not scroll down the message. There's no quicker way to ruin a first impression than grammatical errors and sloppy formatting.

Clear Call to Action (CTA)

Always clearly indicate to the recipient what they can do next, whether it's downloading content, scheduling a meeting, signing up for a trial, or any other action.

You will find sample email templates implementing these principles for download at this link, do not hesitate to use them!

What could a sales sequence look like?

Now let's examine a concrete example of a sales sequence. This will be a cold prospecting sequence.

• Day 1: Initial email
• Day 3: Phone call
• and: in-mail after the call
• Day 6: Phone call
• Day 7: Automated follow-up email
• Day 8: Follow-up in-mail
• Day 10: Phone call and SMS
• Day 14: Final automated email with a short recorded video
• If there's no response, switch to a long-term sequence

Of course, if you receive a response, the sequence can end so that automated emails are not sent to a client you've successfully reached. 

In the age of information overload, it's challenging to get your proposition in front of a client, even if it's perfectly tailored to them. Many recipients reject offers before even reading them, even though they could be highly valuable to them. Therefore, don't be discouraged by initial setbacks and utilize every available means to reach your client. Automation of sales activities and using sequences can help with that.

If you'd like to start using the conveniences I've described or learn more about how HubSpot can assist your sales team, feel free to reach out to us. We're here to answer all your questions!