Automation is a super powerful tool. But before we plug anything in, I want to talk about the the golden rule of technology—never automate chaos.
If your process is clunky, automating it just multiplies the mistakes. (Let’s call it bad momentum.) Automation should amplify what’s working not increase chaos.
Step 1: Map your manual process
Take a sheet of paper and sketch what happens from lead to client handoff.
How does a new inquiry come in?
Who follows up, and how quickly?
Draw arrows until the whole path makes sense.
Step 2: Simplify
Look for places where information gets lost or repeated.
Maybe someone re-enters contact info twice. Maybe leads pile up in emails instead of a CRM. Fix these bottlenecks first.
Step 3: Pick one place to automate proven steps
Once the process runs smoothly, connect the dots:
Lead capture → Auto-create a contact and assign a task.
Follow up → Create a templated email or reminder.
Closed job → Set an exit process. Trigger a short message, link to a survey, request for a google review that triggers from some completion task.
Inactive lead → Create an alert to nudge contacts when there is no contact for seven days.
Tools like Zapier, GoHighLevel, or HubSpot workflows take time to set up but can save hours of staff time. It’s okay to start small, I’m told MailerLite’s free version allows you to do fantastic email automations. Many things can be done on the backend of your website without any additional platforms.
Automation done right can make tedious tasks disappear like magic.
You’ve got this!
Carolyn
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