Sales Automation First Lesson: Automate Last

Reflecting on the year 2018, Musk's attempt to upscale Tesla’s Fremont factory production from 2,000 to 5,000 can be analogous to ambitious sales targets set by companies every year. Just as Musk did, sales teams need to revisit and fine-tune their processes, sometimes requiring them to scale back on automation to focus on more human elements of sales.

This isn’t a new thing,

Drawing from Musk's Insights: An Adapted Version for the Sales Process

Automate, but Only After Everything Else. A major pitfall in sales is jumping straight to automation or tech tools such as the latest add-on from Salesforce. Before you even consider automating any sales process, ensure you've dissected every component, identified redundancies, and smoothed out all inefficiencies. The adage remains true: if you automate a broken process, you'll simply fail faster.

The Sales Process Optimization “Algorithm”

1. Challenge Every Assumption. Whenever a procedure, technique, or method is introduced, it's essential to understand its origin. Just because it’s a practice recommended by “the top sales expert” or “the latest training module” doesn't make it sacrosanct. Identify who is behind every idea and be prepared to challenge it. Even the most seasoned experts can benefit from fresh perspectives.

2. Eliminate Redundancies. Constantly review the sales process to identify and remove redundant steps or strategies. You might realize that some of these might need to be reintroduced, but starting with a clean slate can be beneficial. If you aren’t reintroducing at least a fraction of what you've removed, you probably haven’t pruned enough.

3. Streamline and Enhance. Once you’ve removed excess, it’s time to refine. However, avoid the trap of optimizing a strategy that's fundamentally flawed or unnecessary in the first place.

4. Boost Efficiency. Every sales process can be made more efficient. But strive for efficiency only after you've purged and streamlined the system. Investing time in improving a flawed technique is counterproductive. Business/Sales/Marketing Development is your best friend in this.

5. Automate, but Only After Everything Else. Only when you've confidently streamlined your sales process should you consider automation. Going digital prematurely might feel like progress but can lead to amplified mistakes and missed opportunities.

Remember, in sales, both the human touch and scalability are vital. Balancing the two is the art and science of effective sales strategy.