Ever feel like you’re drowning in sales leads, struggling to keep up with follow-ups? This system uses SmartSuite and Make to automate your email and text follow-ups, freeing you to focus on what matters most: growing your business. 📈
🧩 Why Automate Sales Follow-Ups?
Let’s be honest, manually tracking leads and sending follow-ups is a time-suck. It’s easy to procrastinate, and leads slip through the cracks. Automating this process not only saves you valuable time ⏳ but also ensures consistent communication with potential clients, maximizing your chances of closing deals. Plus, as your business scales, this system grows with you.
📊 Setting Up Your SmartSuite Database
SmartSuite is the engine of this system. Here’s how to structure it:
- Contact Name & Company: Full name and business name of your lead.
- Email & Phone Number: Essential contact details.
- Preferred Contact Method: Indicate whether the lead prefers email or text. This is crucial for routing your automated messages.
- Last Contact Date: Record the last time you interacted with the lead.
- Pipeline Status: Track the lead’s progress through your sales pipeline (e.g., Qualifying, Proposal Sent, Closed).
- Days Since Last Contact: Use a formula to calculate the days since your last interaction. This triggers automated follow-ups. Example formula:
ROUND(DAYS(TODAY(), {Last Time of Contact}), 0) - Send Outreach: A checkbox to activate the automation.
- Custom Outreach Message: A field for personalized messages to include in your follow-ups. Add a helpful example like: “I enjoyed learning about your work with [topic]. I’d love to discuss how my services can help.”
Pro Tip: Use a submission form to capture lead information directly into your SmartSuite database. This streamlines data entry and reduces manual work.
⚙️ Triggering the Automation in SmartSuite
Set up automations in SmartSuite based on the “Pipeline Status” and “Send Outreach” fields. When a lead enters the “Qualifying” stage and the “Send Outreach” box is checked, trigger the automation to send the initial message. Subsequent follow-ups are triggered by the “Days Since Last Contact” field (e.g., 7 days, 15 days, 30 days). Include the “Preferred Contact Method” in the automation message to guide the Make scenario.
🧭 Building Your Make Scenario
Make orchestrates the entire follow-up process. Here’s the blueprint:
- Webhook: Receive data from SmartSuite.
- Router: Direct the flow based on the “Preferred Contact Method” (email or text).
- Get Record (SmartSuite): Retrieve the lead’s details from SmartSuite.
- Router (Email/Text): Further route based on the type of follow-up (initial, first follow-up, final follow-up).
- Email/SMS Modules: Send the corresponding message. Use dynamic fields from SmartSuite to personalize the content.
Pro Tip: Use filters in your routers to ensure the correct message is sent at the right time. For example, filter by the message content (“Initial Outreach,” “First Follow-up,” “Final Follow-up”).
📧 Crafting Engaging Email Follow-Ups
- Initial Outreach: Introduce yourself, highlight your value proposition, and include a call to action (e.g., link to a scheduling tool).
- First Follow-up: Reiterate your value proposition, address potential objections, and offer additional resources.
- Final Follow-up: Express your continued interest, offer a final opportunity to connect, and gracefully exit if there’s no response.
Surprising Fact: 80% of sales require five follow-up calls after the meeting. Don’t give up too soon!
📱 Sending Personalized Text Messages
Keep text messages short, sweet, and to the point. Include a clear call to action. Example: “Hey [First Name], checking in to see if you’re still interested in discussing [topic]. Here’s a link to my calendar: [link]”
Quick Tip: Use emojis sparingly to add personality to your texts. A simple 👍 or 🚀 can go a long way.
🧰 Resource Toolbox
- SmartSuite: Powerful no-code database and automation platform.
- Make.com: Flexible automation tool for connecting various apps and services.
This automated system empowers you to nurture leads effectively, saving you time and increasing your sales potential. Implement these strategies and watch your business thrive! ✨
