Convertingââââââââââââââââ B2B leads into customers is a process that involves time, follow-ups, and the right actions. A CRM workflow is the tool that assists in this case.
It provides your team with a definite way to do business with every lead, keep track of the work, and increase the number of deals closed.
No one can say that with a good workflow, it is possible for something to slip away. You understand who your leads are, what they want, and when to communicate.
In this article, you will learn how to:
- Diagram your B2B sales funnel
- Automatically capture and assign leads
- Properly score leads
- Create nurturing sequences
- Monitor and optimize performance for higher conversion âââââââââââââââârates
Whatââââââââââââââââ Is a CRM Workflow in B2B Sales?
A CRM workflow is basically a storyline that shows how your sales characters take a lead from “new” to “client.” Thereby, it is the series of operations done by your CRM tool that saves you from the hassle of doing everything manually.
In the case of B2B sales, this workflow is extremely vital due to the fact that you handle a large number of leads, extended sales cycles, and many touchpoints. A well-defined workflow simply makes the work less difficult and faster.
- With the help of a CRM workflow, you can gather lead info, keep it in one place, plan the follow-up at the right time, and monitor every stage taken in the deal. It instructs your sales team on the next course of action, so no lead gets lost or remains forgotten.
- For instance, upon the submission of a form by a new lead, the CRM can route the lead to the appropriate sales rep, fire off an email, score the lead, and create tasks together without any manual intervention.
- In B2B sales, follow-up has to be strong and the timing perfect because most buyers will take days or even weeks before giving their “yes.”
- A CRM workflow is there to help you keep the line of contact open with them, even though you may be occupied with other things. Besides, it also indicates to you the leads that are hot, those that require further nurturing, and those that are sales-ready.
A good b2b CRM integration workflow enables you to tap into every lead’s lifetime story. You know their origins, what they desire, what challenges they encounter, and how close they are to making a purchase.
This leads to your sales process becoming smoother, quicker, and more fruitful. Besides, it fosters teamwork among your members and helps them realize which steps are of greatest importance in getting more B2B conversions.
How to Build an Effective CRM Workflow for B2B Lead Conversions?
It is the main points outlined below that are essential in the creation of a powerful workflow that will enable you to move the b2b lead generation further down the sales funnel towards conversion.
Step 1 â Map the B2B Sales Funnel
Mapping out your B2B sales funnel is the first thing to do before you set up a CRM workflow.
Think of a funnel as the route that the lead takes from the first contact to the last deal. Knowing each stage means that you can put the appropriate tasks in your CRM.
Most B2B funnels are composed of these stages:
Awareness â Interest â Consideration â Intent â Evaluation â Purchase.
Begin by writing down the actions that take place at each stage. For instance, in the Awareness stage, a lead may visit your website.
- In the Consideration stage, a lead may request a demo. In the Evaluation stage, a lead may compare your tool with another tool. You have to write down all these actions.
- Now, examine what your team should do at each stage. Consider what messages you send, what content you give, and what follow-up steps are there to move the lead forward.
- For instance, do you dispatch case studies when the lead shows interest? Do you give a free trial when they demonstrate intent?
- This step not only enables you to decide the tasks that you want your CRM to do automatically, but also helps you find the places where leads drop off and where you have to improve the workflow.
- After that, your funnel is linked to the CRM. Insert labels or stages in the CRM so that each lead can be found in the right place. This makes tracking a lot easier. Besides, it is of great assistance to your team in knowing what the next step will be.
When the funnel is properly mapped, the rest of your CRM workflow is a walk in the park. You would be aware of the tasks that are of importance in each stage and the automation that will save the most time.
A clear funnel map also assists you in giving leads the right message at the right time, which results in more conversions.
Step 2 â Automate Lead Capture and Assignment
The following step after having your funnel ready is to capture leads and allocate them to the correct person. This point is very instrumental in time-saving and making sure that leads do not get lost.
Put your energy first into lead capture automation. In other words, each time someone fills out a form, downloads a guide, or books a call, the CRM should be able to collect their information automatically without any manual work.
Along with this, the CRM should not only save the lead’s name, email, and actions but also tag the lead with the correct source, such as “Website,” “LinkedIn Ads,” or “Email Campaign.”
Ensure that all your forms, landing pages, and chat tools are integrated with the CRM. This is a step towards complete lead tracking right from the very first touchpoint.
After that, prepare the lead assignment regulations. These laws are the ways in which you can send each lead to the most suitable sales rep.
For instance:
- Regions can be used as a basis to assign leads.
- Service type can be a basis on which leads are assigned.
- Company size can be a condition upon which leads can be assigned.
- To ensure that every rep gets an equal number of leads, you can use round-robin distribution.
Lead assignment automation allows your team to follow up on leads quickly. The fast pace of B2B is the reason why even waiting a few hours can decrease the likelihood of getting a response.
Besides, when a new lead arrives, make sure that an auto-alert is also sent to the sales rep. The message that the action has to be taken immediately is thereby conveyed.
Setting triggers for follow-up emails is another thing you can do. At the time a new lead is captured, the CRM may send a welcome email or share a helpful guide. The idea is to warm up the lead before the sales rep reaches out to him/her.
Last but not least, ensure that every piece of data you capture is in good shape. Automatically do the following: fix errors, remove duplicates, and standardize fields. High-quality data is a gateway to better decision-making and less bumpy workflows.
Lead capture and assignment automation are the things that help you save time, remain organized, and ensure that every lead is moving through the funnel.
Step 3 â Set Up Lead Scoring Rules
Lead scoring is a tool that gives you a clear idea of which leads can be handed over to the sales department and which ones should be further nurtured. It is basically a simple method of awarding points to leads based on their behavior and profile.
First of all, think about what criteria make a lead high-quality for your business. To get the criteria, consider factors like job title, company size, industry, and budget. These are fit-based scores. For example:
- +10 points if the lead is a manager-level contact
- +20 points if the company has 100+ employees
- +15 points if the lead works in your target industry
Then, look at the things your leads do. These are behavior-based scores. For example:
- +10 points if they open your email
- +15 points if they click a CTA
- +25 points if they book a demo
- +30 points if they ask for pricing
Moreover, you should also consider the negative scores. If a lead is a poor fit or shows little interest, you can take some points off. For example:
- â10 points if they unsubscribe
- â20 points if the industry is not relevant
After installing your regulations on scoring, connect them with your CRM tool. Most CRMs have the ability to monitor all actions and score leads on the fly.
After the attainment of a certain number of points (e.g., 60 or 80 points), the lead is then labeled as âSales-Ready.â The CRM can then automatically send such leads to the sales team.
Lead scoring is a tool that will enable your team to zero in on potential buyers, therefore increasing the chances of a sale.
It also works in tandem with the creation of better b2b lead nurturing messages as you gain insight into the lead being at which stage.
The clearer your scoring system is, the more powerful your workflow will be. You will know which leads require immediate attention and which ones only need a bit more time.
Step 4 â Build Automated Nurturing Sequences
Buying immediately is not something that every lead is thinking of. Most of the time, B2B leads would require some time, trust, and educational content before they make their decision. This is the reason why nurturing sequences play such an important role.
A nurturing sequence is simply a program of scheduled communication in the form of email, message, or other touchpoint that aims to educate the lead and, ultimately, to move the lead forward. Your CRM is capable of sending these messages automatically based on the leadâs actions.
Firstly, segment your leads. You can categorize them by industry, behavior, content interest, or funnel stage.
This way, the message you send will be relevant to the recipient. Subsequently, work on some simple nurturing flows. For instance: For new leads:
- Day 1: Welcome email
- Day 3: Share a helpful blog
- Day 5: Case study
- Day 7: Soft call-to-action (book a call)
For warm leads:
- Product tour video
- ROI guide
- Demo invite
- Pricing page link
For cold or inactive leads:
- âWe missed youâ message
- New offer
- Popular content
- Ask what they need help with
Doing this is something your CRM can handle for you by sending these messages automatically. All that is required of you is to set the rules once.
Additionally, insert the conditionals. For instance:
- If a lead opens the email â send more helpful content
- If they click a link â send a demo invite
- If they ignore everything â send a softer message later
This makes your workflow smart and personal.
Besides, you may also put in place some reminders for your sales team. For instance, in the event that a lead opens numerous emails or checks the pricing page, the CRM may notify the sales rep to give them a call.
A proper nurturing sequence is instrumental in letting you build trust. It keeps your name fresh in the leadâs mind.
It shows the lead why your solution is helpful. When the nurturing is done right, leads not only move through the funnel at a quicker pace, but they are also more likely to convert.
Step 5 â Track and Optimize Performance
You have to track the performance of your workflow after it is up and running. Knowing what works and what to improve is what this is about.
Begin by looking at simple metrics:
- How many leads enter each stage?
- How quickly do they advance from one stage to another?
- How many leads turn into customers?
- At which points do leads drop off?
The dashboards that your CRM provides you with are the tools that enable you to visually see this information. You should make use of these figures to speed up the parts of your funnel that are slow.
After that, you should verify your automation. Are emails sent at the correct time? Are the reps following up? Are tasks being completed? Make sure that your triggers and rules are in good working order.
Also, you should periodically evaluate your lead scoring. It might sometimes be necessary to update your scoring system when your business develops. In case too many leads get to the “sales-ready” stage too quickly, you should reduce the score. If leads take too long, then you need to modify the rules.
The next step is to test your nurturing flows. You can try new subject lines, new content, or new timing. Slight changes can lead to better conversion rates.
Have regular meetings with your sales team. Use their input to find out which leads are strong and which need better messaging. Their feedback is instrumental in workflow improvement.
Lastly, revise your CRM workflow every couple of months. The buying behavior of B2B customers is not static. Therefore, your workflow should not be either. By consistently tracking and fine-tuning your workflow, you are able to convert more leads into customers and maintain a smooth sales ââââââââââââââââprocess.
Toolsââââââââââââââââ to Build and Automate B2B CRM Workflows
Without a doubt, one of the major things that will set B2B lead conversion apart from the competition is properly efficient workflow creation within the CRM. Usually, these tools come in handy, for instance, you work fast and at the same time do not commit any blunders.
Additionally, all your leads will be stored in one place, so it will be easy to tell what the next step will be for your team. By the use of a clever enough CRM, you can execute lead capture, lead scoring, timely follow-ups, and track the entire sales journey without causing yourself any unnecessary trouble.
Besides that, CRM instruments do everything to ensure that a B2B lead receives the most suitable and well-timed communication. You can create automation rules for emails, tasks, reminders, and so on.
Therefore, your workflow will become flawless, and you will free up your time for other activities. The list below contains some of the best tools that B2B teams use to build and automate CRM workflows.
1. HubSpot CRM
HubSpot is a user-friendly tool that would fit well with small and mid-sized B2B teams. It allows you to collect leads via forms, live chat, ads, and landing pages. In addition to that, lead scoring is possible, and you can build a full workflow that will automatically send emails, create tasks, and move deals to the appropriate stage.
HubSpot comes with intuitive dashboards that display the number of leads you have, their funnel stages, and the speed of closing them. So, it is a fast and powerful startup solution for teams.
2. Salesforce
Among the most feature-packed CRM tools on the market is undoubtedly Salesforce. It is an
ideal instrument for large teams and complicated B2B sales cycles. The user is granted liberties such as creating complex automations, introducing custom fields, designing custom applications, and generating highly detailed reports.
On top of that, the lead routing functionality is very robust, making it great if you have multiple lead sources. It is quite time-consuming to put it into operation, but eventually, it almost works by itself.
3. Zoho CRM
Zoho CRM is a good product that offers a solution that is delivered in an affordable manner. Besides that, it helps formulate procedures, distribute contacts, and keep track of each execution. Furthermore, email marketers will have at their disposal an email tool and trigger for automation. The whole package is a nice offering for people striving for low-cost automation without sacrificing much.
4. Pipedrive
Pipedrive is the solution that the good layout lovers will use most likely. What it does is present the sales process visually with a drag-and-drop feature. On the other hand, they have the possibility to have their reminders, tasks, and follow-up emails in automation as well. The only reasonable way to justify its simplicity would be in how it enables starting to use it from the first day by new sales reps who will understand it quickly.
5. ActiveCampaign
One of the main features of ActiveCampaign that makes it popular is the strong email automation. As a result, if your main B2B sales activity is lead nurturing, then this tool will be very useful to you. The user can trigger emails for a lead’s behavior, such as clicks, visits, or timing. It does this by constructing intelligent journeys that eventually bring the lead from the point of general knowledge of the product right up to making the final purchasing decision.
6. Freshsales
Freshsales is a CRM with Artificial Intelligence (AI) embedded in it. It identifies the most promising leads and then offers the sales team ways to target those leads. Besides automation workflows, it also provides users with excellent email tools, call logs, and useful report features. By the use of AI insights, it becomes less difficult to correctly allocate your outreach efforts.
7. Monday Sales CRM
Monday is an uncomplicated visual design that is highly flexible depending on the user’s needs. The boards can be constructed for deals, tasks, and workflows, then improving the functionality of the program. The feature in question, letting you execute repetitive operations automatically, follow up on deal stages, and keep track of your entire pipeline, is what the software is all about. Teams that desire a neat and adaptable CRM will find it extremely ââââââââââââââââuseful.
Example of a High-Converting CRM Workflow
A simple CRM workflow that you can take as a model for any CRM tool is given here.
Stage 1 â Lead Capture
Trigger: Lead completes a form, gets a guide, or schedules a call. Automation:
- Include lead details in CRM
- Help lead identify the source with a tag
- Dispatch a welcome letter
- Allocate a sales rep
Stage 2 â Lead Scoring
Trigger: The lead makes an action. Automation:
- Put points when they open emails, click links, or visit high-intent pages
- Put fit points for job title, company size, or industry
- When the score reaches a certain number, the move leads to “Sales-Ready.”
Stage 3 â Nurturing Sequence
Trigger: Lead turning into “Warm Lead” Automation:
- Day 1: Welcome content
- Day 3: Case study
- Day 6: Guide or ebook
- Day 9: Demo invite
- Day 12: Customer success story
Assignment: If the lead visits the pricing page, the representative should get in touch with them.
Stage 4 â Sales Follow-Up
Trigger: The lead has been identified as “Sales-Ready”. Automation:
- Inform the sales rep
- Insert follow-up task
- Send “Letâs book a call” email
- Change the lead status to the deal pipeline
Stage 5 â Decision Stage
Trigger: Lead attending the demo or exhibiting strong buying intention. Automation:
- Send proposal
- Put a follow-up in 24 hours on the calendar
- If, after 3 days, there is no reply, send a reminder email
Stage 6 â Conversion
Trigger: Lead signing the contract Automation:
- Label “Won”
- Transmit onboarding email
- Notify team
- Integrate the onboarding workflow with the customer.
This is the way to use automation to efficiently accompany a lead step-by-step from being a cold prospect to a paying customer.
Conclusion
A CRM workflow stands for a simple system that aids in transferring leads from the stage of first contact to that of the final sale.
- In the case of B2B sales, the significance of such a process is huge due to the lengthy and complex nature of the buying cycle.
- Having a clear workflow in place enables you to maintain order, perform quick follow-ups, and continue moving your leads along the pipeline.
- Once you have mapped your funnel, automated lead capture, implemented lead scoring, sent nurturing messages, and tracked your performance, you have essentially built a sales machine that works for you every day.
Your team will have more time, your leads will get an improved experience, and your conversions will increase.
You make your results even better when you frequently review your workflow and make minor adjustments. With intelligent automation and the correct tools, it is possible to convert more B2B leads into satisfied customers and grow your business with ââââââââââââââââassurance.
