PLAYBOOK Sales 4-6 weeks implementation

Sales Pipeline Automation Playbook

A complete implementation guide to automate your sales process from first touch to closed deal. Save 10+ hours per week on manual tasks.

What This Playbook Covers

• Lead capture automation
• CRM setup and configuration
• Email sequence automation
• Lead scoring and qualification

• Meeting scheduling automation
• Pipeline stage automation
• Reporting and analytics
• Tool integration playbook

Phase 1: Foundation Setup

Week 1 - CRM and basic infrastructure

Choose Your CRM

Tool	Best For	Cost	Automation
HubSpot	Small-medium teams	Free - $45/mo	Excellent
Pipedrive	Sales-focused teams	$15-99/mo	Good
Salesforce	Enterprise	$25-300/mo	Excellent
Close	High-volume outreach	$29-149/mo	Good

Implementation Checklist

Set up CRM account and invite team members

Define pipeline stages (Lead → Qualified → Demo → Proposal → Negotiation → Closed)

Create custom fields for your business (industry, budget, timeline, etc.)

Import existing contacts and deals

Connect email (Gmail/Outlook) for automatic logging

Set up deal value and probability tracking

Phase 2: Lead Capture Automation

Week 2 - Automatic lead ingestion

Lead Sources to Automate

Website Forms → CRM

Connect your website forms to automatically create contacts in your CRM.

Tools: Typeform, JotForm, or native CRM forms

LinkedIn → CRM

Capture LinkedIn connections and messages as leads.

Tools: Phantombuster, LinkedIn Sales Navigator + Zapier

Email Inquiries → CRM

Automatically log inbound emails as new contacts.

Tools: Zapier + Gmail/Outlook integration

Calendly Bookings → CRM

Create/update contacts when meetings are booked.

Tools: Calendly + native CRM integration

Zapier Workflow Example

Trigger: New Typeform Submission
    ↓
Filter: Check if email is not empty
    ↓
Action: Create/Update HubSpot Contact
  - Email: {{form_email}}
  - First Name: {{form_first_name}}
  - Lead Source: "Website Form"
  - Company: {{form_company}}
    ↓
Action: Create HubSpot Deal
  - Deal Name: "{{form_company}} - Inbound Lead"
  - Pipeline Stage: "New Lead"
  - Associated Contact: (from previous step)
    ↓
Action: Send Slack Notification
  - Channel: #sales-leads
  - Message: "New lead from {{form_company}}!"

Implementation Checklist

List all lead sources (website, LinkedIn, email, referrals, etc.)

Set up Zapier/Make account and connect to CRM

Create automation for each lead source

Set up lead source tracking (know where each lead came from)

Create Slack/email notifications for new leads

Test each integration with dummy data

Phase 3: Email Sequence Automation

Week 3 - Nurture and follow-up sequences

Essential Email Sequences

Welcome Sequence

3 emails / 7 days

Introduce your company, share value, invite to book a call.

No-Show Follow-up

2 emails / 3 days

Re-engage prospects who missed scheduled meetings.

Post-Demo Nurture

5 emails / 14 days

Case studies, testimonials, FAQ answers to move to proposal.

Closed-Lost Re-engagement

3 emails / 90 days

Reach out to lost deals quarterly with new offers/updates.

Welcome Sequence Template

Email 1 (Immediate)

Subject: Welcome to [Company] - Here's what happens next

Thank them, set expectations, share one valuable resource.

Email 2 (Day 3)

Subject: How [Similar Company] achieved [Result]

Share a relevant case study or success story.

Email 3 (Day 7)

Subject: Quick question about your [pain point]

Ask a question to spark engagement, include soft CTA to book call.

Implementation Checklist

Choose email automation tool (HubSpot, Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign)

Write welcome sequence (3 emails)

Write no-show follow-up sequence

Write post-demo nurture sequence

Set up enrollment triggers for each sequence

Create email templates with personalization tokens

Set up unsubscribe and suppression lists

Phase 4: Lead Scoring & Qualification

Week 4 - Prioritize your best leads

Lead Scoring Model

Action/Attribute	Points	Rationale
Company size 50+ employees	+15	Fits ideal customer profile
Downloaded pricing guide	+20	High purchase intent
Visited pricing page 2+ times	+15	Active evaluation
Opened 3+ emails	+10	Engaged with content
Booked a meeting	+30	Clear interest
Personal email domain	-10	Lower purchase authority
No activity in 30 days	-20	Going cold

Score thresholds: 0-30 = Cold, 31-60 = Warm, 61+ = Hot (prioritize for outreach)

Implementation Checklist

Define your ideal customer profile (ICP)

List scoring criteria (demographic + behavioral)

Set up lead scoring in your CRM

Create views/filters for Hot, Warm, Cold leads

Set up alerts when leads become "Hot"

Create automation to move Hot leads to qualification stage

Phase 5: Pipeline Automation

Week 5 - Automate stage transitions

Stage-Based Automations

New Lead → Qualified

When: Lead score reaches 60+

Actions: Move to Qualified stage, assign to sales rep, send internal notification

Qualified → Demo Scheduled

When: Calendly meeting booked

Actions: Update deal stage, send prep email, create pre-call task

Demo → Proposal

When: Demo completed (meeting ended)

Actions: Move stage, create proposal task, start post-demo sequence

Proposal → Stale Alert

When: 7 days in Proposal stage with no activity

Actions: Send reminder to rep, schedule follow-up task

Implementation Checklist

Map out your sales process stages

Define entry/exit criteria for each stage

Create automation for each stage transition

Set up stale deal alerts (7+ days no activity)

Create task templates for each stage

Set up deal rotation/assignment rules

Phase 6: Reporting & Analytics

Week 6 - Measure and optimize

Essential Sales Metrics

Pipeline Metrics

• Total pipeline value
• Deals by stage
• Average deal size
• Pipeline velocity

Activity Metrics

• Emails sent/opened
• Calls made/connected
• Meetings booked/held
• Response time

Conversion Metrics

• Lead → Qualified rate
• Qualified → Demo rate
• Demo → Proposal rate
• Win rate

Efficiency Metrics

• Average sales cycle length
• Time in each stage
• Cost per lead
• Revenue per rep

Automated Reporting

Set up weekly pipeline report (auto-email to leadership)

Create rep activity dashboard

Set up conversion funnel visualization

Create deal aging report

Set up monthly win/loss analysis

Recommended Tool Stack

CRM

HubSpot (free-$45/mo)

Automation

Zapier ($0-30/mo)

Scheduling

Calendly ($0-15/mo)

Email

HubSpot or Mailchimp

Communication

Slack (free)

Proposals

PandaDoc ($19/mo)

Total estimated cost: $50-150/month for a small team

NEXT PLAYBOOK

Sales Pipeline Automation Playbook

What This Playbook Covers

Phase 1: Foundation Setup

Choose Your CRM

Implementation Checklist

Phase 2: Lead Capture Automation

Lead Sources to Automate

Website Forms → CRM

LinkedIn → CRM

Email Inquiries → CRM

Calendly Bookings → CRM

Zapier Workflow Example

Implementation Checklist

Phase 3: Email Sequence Automation

Essential Email Sequences

Welcome Sequence

No-Show Follow-up

Post-Demo Nurture

Closed-Lost Re-engagement

Welcome Sequence Template

Implementation Checklist

Phase 4: Lead Scoring & Qualification

Lead Scoring Model

Implementation Checklist

Phase 5: Pipeline Automation

Stage-Based Automations

New Lead → Qualified

Qualified → Demo Scheduled

Demo → Proposal

Proposal → Stale Alert

Implementation Checklist

Phase 6: Reporting & Analytics

Essential Sales Metrics

Pipeline Metrics

Activity Metrics

Conversion Metrics

Efficiency Metrics

Automated Reporting

Recommended Tool Stack

CRM

Automation

Scheduling

Email

Communication

Proposals

HR Onboarding Automation →

Zapier Email Workflows