sales efficiency

From Manual to Automated: A Sales Pro’s Guide to Zapier, Make.com, n8n, and Pipedream

By Sean O'Shaughnessey

A sales manager recently told me something that stuck: “We went from twenty hours per week of manual work to two hours. Our lead response time dropped from four hours to four minutes.” That dramatic transformation wasn’t magic—it was automation.

The reality is that sales teams today have more automation tools available than ever before. But with options like Zapier, Make.com, n8n, and Pipedream, the real challenge isn’t whether you should automate—it’s choosing the right platform for your team. Each one comes with strengths, limitations, and unique philosophies. Get that choice wrong, and you’ll waste time, money, and buy-in. Get it right, and you’ll see efficiency gains that completely reshape your sales process.

Why Platform Choice Matters

Many sales teams stumble when they underestimate the cost of a mismatched platform. Some platforms are too simple to scale beyond basic automations. Others are too complex, leaving non-technical teams overwhelmed and projects abandoned. Switching platforms midstream is not only disruptive—it’s expensive and time-consuming. Integration limitations, hidden in the fine print, often surface only after a team has invested weeks in setup.

The right platform, however, unlocks real productivity gains. I’ve seen companies scale from five to fifty automations without hiring additional staff. I’ve seen sales teams reduce errors through automated data transfers, and I’ve seen response times improve from hours to mere minutes. Those results come from aligning platform capabilities with team comfort and long-term strategy.

Breaking Down the Four Platforms

Zapier is often the starting point. It’s user-friendly, highly intuitive, and backed by the largest integration library in the market. For sales teams with little to no technical experience, it’s a great way to achieve quick wins—connecting CRMs, email platforms, and lead management tools in minutes. The trade-off, of course, is cost at scale and limited customization for advanced workflows.

Make.com represents the next step up. It’s a visual workflow builder designed for teams that need more sophisticated automations but still want a no-code interface. It handles complex branching logic, advanced data transformations, and high-volume workflows at a fraction of Zapier’s cost. But it comes with a steeper learning curve and requires more planning.

n8n is the open-source powerhouse. Unlike Zapier or Make.com, there are no artificial limits on workflow complexity or execution. It can be self-hosted, giving technical teams total control over security, customization, and cost. It’s ideal for organizations with developers or strong technical resources. The downside? It requires real expertise, both to implement and to maintain.

Finally, there’s Pipedream, which includes String. It blends accessibility with developer power, offering real-time event processing, API flexibility, and built-in coding support for JavaScript and Python. It’s the platform of choice for teams that want advanced, responsive automations but are comfortable getting hands-on with APIs and code when needed.

Matching Platforms to Your Team

The key to success is not asking which platform is “best,” but which is “best for us.” If your team is non-technical and just needs quick, reliable automations, Zapier is the natural fit. If you want advanced workflows without hiring developers, Make.com is the right middle ground. If you have developers or strong technical resources, n8n gives you unlimited control at a fraction of the long-term cost. And if your workflows demand real-time responsiveness and advanced API integrations, Pipedream is worth serious consideration.

Think carefully about your team’s technical comfort, the complexity of your use cases, your budget for scale, and your integration requirements. These factors should guide your decision far more than flashy features or marketing claims.

Taking the First Step

The best way to move forward is to experiment. Sign up for free accounts on two platforms and run the same simple workflow in each. For example, capture a new lead from your website, push it into your CRM, and trigger an automated welcome email. Watch how each platform handles it. Document the process, note the pain points, and gather feedback from your team.

Once you’ve seen the difference firsthand, you’ll know where to invest. Start small, prove the value quickly, and then scale. Over time, your automation strategy can evolve into a foundational pillar of your sales operations.

You can learn more by listening to my podcast episode for AI Tools for Sales Pros. Check out the episode here:

Join the B2B Sales Lab

If this episode leaves you curious—or perhaps a bit overwhelmed—remember that you don’t have to navigate these decisions alone. Inside the B2B Sales Lab, you’ll find sales professionals who are actively testing these platforms, sharing workflows, and troubleshooting challenges. It’s a private, member-led community where sales pros exchange real-world experience, not theory.

Designed and led by veteran sales leaders, the Lab is where strategy meets execution. Whether you’re evaluating platforms, designing your first automation, or scaling to dozens of workflows, you’ll find actionable insights and peers who’ve been there before.

👉 You can join today with a free 90-day membership at b2b-sales-lab.com.

The Key to Profitable Sales Organizations: Understanding and Adhering to the Sales Process

By Sean O'Shaughnessey

Many salespeople, sales managers, and CEOs face a unique problem. This issue concerns the sales process, particularly when specific steps are skipped. The challenge is common among sales teams across various industries, and there are different perspectives on its causes and solutions.

This issue is concerning since, according to Harvard Business Review, 28% of companies that master at least three stages of their sales process will see an increase in revenue growth. (https://hbr.org/2015/01/companies-with-a-formal-sales-process-generate-more-revenue). That same study states that companies that had trained their sales managers to manage their pipelines saw their revenue grow 9% faster than those that didn’t. But not just any training will do. Sales managers need targeted training to address specific pipeline management challenges.

Sometimes, the sales process might seem tedious, and salespeople may skip steps out of impatience or eagerness to close a deal. However, skipping these steps can lead to further complications down the line. When a sales team is not following the process that has been identified, it can disrupt the team’s rhythm and efficiency. Some might argue that this is a sign that the process needs to change or that more training is required.

This issue extends beyond the sales team. When a company hires a fractional VP of sales, it brings an outside perspective to evaluate its sales process. The fractional VP will often encounter resistance from the existing team, who may feel their industry is unique. While every business has its distinctive elements, the fundamentals of a sales process are universal.

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Two Tall Guys Talking Sales – Prepping for Q2 – Getting Ahead, Catching Up, and Staying on Track – E129

By Sean O'Shaughnessey

As the first quarter comes to a close, sales leaders and professionals must assess their performance and gear up for the challenges and opportunities ahead in Q2. In this episode of Two Tall Guys Talking Sales, Kevin Lawson and Sean O’Shaughnessey break down the essential strategies for those ahead of the plan and those struggling to catch up. From refining your sales process to maximizing customer relationships, this discussion has insights to help you dominate your numbers in the coming months.

Key Topics Discussed:

The Reality of Q1 Performance and the Need for Urgency (00:00:31)
- Why waiting until Q2 to fix Q1 is too late, and how to position yourself for success early in the year.
Strategies for Those Ahead of Plan (00:01:00)
- How to maintain momentum, close key deals, and ensure a strong Q4 while staying ahead of quota.
Critical Steps for Those Behind on Quota (00:04:01)
- Conducting a win-loss analysis, diagnosing deal flow issues, and fine-tuning lead generation strategies.
The Importance of CRM Usage and Sales Efficiency (00:06:35)
- How sales leaders and reps can maximize their CRM to drive efficiency and uncover missed opportunities.
Pricing Strategies and Customer Engagement (00:09:13)
- Why now is the time to strengthen relationships with your top customers and confidently raise prices to improve margins?

Key Quotes:

Sean O’Shaughnessey (00:01:32): “You have a chance at greatness if you are even or ahead at the end of Q1. Now’s the time to double down and make sure you close deals that will set you up for an incredible year.”
Kevin Lawson (00:05:00): “Everyone has a leads problem. Either you don’t have enough, they’re not the right fit, or you’re not communicating your value effectively. That’s where the real focus should be.”
Sean O’Shaughnessey (00:11:00): “Your best customers likely don’t know you as well as you think. Strengthening those relationships can open up new revenue streams and prevent you from falling behind.”

A Significant Actionable Item from this Podcast:

Perform a rapid win-loss analysis on your Q1 deals. If you’re ahead, identify the behaviors and strategies that got you there and double down. If you’re behind, determine whether the issue is a lack of quality leads, poor messaging, or weak follow-through. Adjust your sales approach immediately so you can enter Q2 with a clear plan to recover lost ground.

Summary:

Whether you’re ahead of plan, right on track, or scrambling to catch up, the strategies discussed in this episode will help you refine your sales process and make Q2 a success. Sean and Kevin share actionable insights on deal flow, CRM optimization, pricing strategies, and customer engagement that will set you up for a strong year. Don’t let another quarter slip away—tune in now to get ahead, stay ahead, and finish the year on top!

To understand if your company is doing a great job in sales, take this quick and easy assessment: https://newsales.expert/b2b-sales-capability-assessment/

Two Tall Guys Talking Sales – Mastering Time Management: Essential Strategies for Sales Managers – E123

By Sean O'Shaughnessey

Time is the most valuable resource for any professional, but for sales managers, it is the linchpin of success. In this episode of Two Tall Guys Talking Sales, Kevin Lawson and Sean O’Shaughnessey dive into the critical strategies for effective time management as a sales leader. Whether you’re a new sales manager, an aspiring leader, or a business owner overseeing a sales team, this discussion is packed with insights to help you optimize your calendar, empower your team, and drive performance without falling into the trap of micromanagement.

Key Topics Discussed

The Shift from Salesperson to Sales Manager (00:03:00)
Understanding the common pitfalls new sales managers face when transitioning from an individual contributor to a leadership role.
The Role of a Sales Manager: Player vs. Coach (00:04:00)
Why sales managers must avoid the “player-coach” mindset and instead focus on leading, mentoring, and enabling their team’s success.
Structuring Your Calendar for Maximum Impact (00:05:45)
How to design your weekly schedule to balance coaching, strategy, internal meetings, and team availability while avoiding distractions.
The Power of Shared Calendars and CRMs (00:07:00)
Best practices for leveraging shared calendars and CRM tools to improve communication, transparency, and sales efficiency.
Why Sales Managers Should Be Like Basketball Coaches (00:13:30)
The importance of stepping back and allowing sales reps to take the lead in deals—coaching them rather than closing for them.

Key Quotes

🗣 Sean O’Shaughnessey (00:02:55):
“When you are a sales manager, your job is to make others better. You shouldn’t be stealing deals from your sales reps—you should be empowering them to succeed.”

🗣 Kevin Lawson (00:04:00):
“A player is different from being a coach. Players take direction, coaches give direction. If you’re leading a team, you need to be coaching, not competing.”

🗣 Sean O’Shaughnessey (00:14:00):
“Watch a basketball game and look at the coach. How many times do they step onto the court to take a free throw for their players? Never. That’s how sales management should work too.”

Additional Resources

📘 The One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard & Spencer Johnson – A classic guide to leadership and effective management.
📅 Book Time with Sean – Need help refining your sales management strategy? Schedule a consultation.

A Significant Actionable Item from this Podcast

Audit Your Calendar and Block Time for Success
Sales managers must structure their schedules intentionally. Take 30 minutes to review your calendar for the upcoming week:
✅ Block out time for coaching your team.
✅ Set aside dedicated slots for strategy and internal meetings.
✅ Ensure your calendar is updated and visible for your team.
✅ Reserve time for proactive sales engagement, like voice-of-the-customer calls.

Making these adjustments will free you from constant firefighting and allow you to lead effectively.

Why You Should Listen to This Episode

If you’re a sales manager—or aspiring to be one—this episode is a must-listen. Kevin and Sean deliver practical, real-world strategies to help you break free from micromanagement, structure your time effectively, and lead your team to success. Stop getting caught up in the weeds and start managing like a pro. Listen now and take control of your sales leadership journey!

🎧 Hit play and start optimizing your sales management strategy today! 🚀

The Secret to Sales Success: Effective Management and Qualification of MQLs and SQLs

By Sean O'Shaughnessey

The concept of leads is familiar to sales and marketing novices and experts. However, leads are not created equal. There are Marketing Qualified Leads (MQL) and Sales Qualified Leads (SQL). The differences between these two types of leads and the approach to handling them can significantly impact the efficiency and success of your sales pipeline.

The journey of a lead typically begins with the marketing team. They craft messages and campaigns to attract potential customers, drawing them towards the company. These potential customers or leads are known as Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs). MQLs are individuals who have shown interest in the company’s product or service but have yet to be vetted for sales-readiness. They may have responded positively to the company’s marketing efforts by downloading a case study, signing up for a newsletter, following the company on social media, or a wide variety of other criteria that can be unique to each selling organization.

Unfortunately, just because a lead has shown interest does not mean they are ready to make a purchase. This is where the sales team comes in. Their role is to qualify these leads further, turning them into Sales Qualified Leads (SQLs). SQLs are leads the sales team has determined are ready for direct sales engagement. They have been vetted and have shown a clear interest and willingness to hear about the company’s offering from a sales perspective.

While marketing messages are designed to attract and engage a broad audience, the sales approach is more personal and more targeted. Sales focuses on building a relationship with the individual, understanding their unique needs, and demonstrating how the product or service can meet those needs.

Miscommunication or differing expectations can result in leads being passed along that are not truly sales-ready. This can waste time and resources and even damage potential customer relationships. It’s important for sales and marketing to work together, communicate effectively, and have a clear understanding of what constitutes a qualified lead.

One way to navigate this challenge is to establish clear criteria for MQLs and SQLs. What actions or behaviors indicate that a lead is ready to move from marketing to sales? This might include downloading certain resources, attending webinars, or requesting a product demo. By defining these criteria, both teams can ensure they’re on the same page and that leads are passed along at the appropriate time.

Salespeople should also understand how a lead became an MQL. What attracted them to the company? What information have they consumed? This understanding can inform the sales approach and help the salesperson build a relationship with the lead.

Communication between sales and marketing doesn’t end when a lead becomes an SQL. Salespeople should provide feedback to their marketing colleagues about the leads they’re receiving. If certain leads aren’t panning out, it’s important to communicate this so that marketing can adjust their strategies accordingly. Similarly, marketing should be open to feedback and willing to collaborate with sales to refine their lead qualification process.

In the end, marketing and sales have the same goal: to generate revenue for the company. By working together to manage and qualify leads effectively, they can ensure they’re both working towards this common goal.

With clear communication, collaboration, and a shared understanding of what makes a lead sales-ready, marketing and sales can streamline the sales pipeline and drive success.

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Roadblocks, Detours, and Destinations: The Intricate Art of Sales Strategy

By Sean O'Shaughnessey

There’s an ongoing conversation about the importance of strategy, process, and anticipating potential challenges in B2B sales. There’s an analogy that encapsulates this perfectly – imagine you’re on a road trip. You have a destination in mind but are unfamiliar with the route. This is where tools like Waze, Google Maps, or Apple Maps come into play. They direct you to your destination and alert you about potential roadblocks, construction, traffic, or other unexpected events that might delay your journey.

This is precisely how a sales strategy should work. It’s not just about getting from point A to point B but also about understanding the complexities of the journey and preparing for potential roadblocks. For salespeople, managers, and CEOs, understanding the strategy is critical to increasing revenue and improving productivity.

Understanding that a strategy involves more than just the turns along the way is vital. It also involves how to navigate through different areas, understand the speed limit, and anticipate any warnings that might come up. Many salespeople don’t fully grasp these challenges and tend to take them as they come rather than anticipating them and planning accordingly.

Like Waze uses real-time data to adapt to changes on the road, a sales strategy should adjust to new information and circumstances. For example, if there’s construction up ahead or a detour is required, Waze will adapt and provide a new route. Similarly, salespeople should be able to adjust their strategies based on new information or unexpected challenges.

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Two Tall Guys Talking Sales Podcast – Sales Success and Growing Pains: How to Build Systems That Scale – E104

By Sean O'Shaughnessey

In this episode of Two Tall Guys Talking Sales, Kevin Lawson and Sean O’Shaughnessey explore the complexities of rapid sales growth. While many companies aspire to grow, not all are ready for the operational strain accompanying success. The hosts share insights on scaling systems, optimizing sales operations, and ensuring growth doesn’t break your business. This episode offers actionable strategies for businesses facing fast-paced expansion, from onboarding salespeople to expanding infrastructure.

Key Topics Discussed:

Recognizing the Pain of Growth (00:01:00)
Sean discusses the challenge of managing growth when sales outpace operational capabilities, posing critical questions about when to add resources like marketing or legal support.
Building Systems That Scale (00:02:30)
Kevin shares how building robust, repeatable processes—whether hiring one salesperson or ten—ensures sustainable and scalable growth.
When to Hire Sales Support Staff (00:03:32)
The discussion highlights the importance of adding operational roles such as sales analysts or revenue operations personnel to ease the workload on sales teams.
Maximizing Sales Efficiency (00:07:14)
Sean advises identifying which tasks to delegate from high-performing salespeople to specialists, increasing overall efficiency and productivity.
Tailoring Sales Strategy to Industry Needs (00:09:26)
Kevin elaborates on how different industries may require unique sales strategies, emphasizing the need to adapt based on business size and market demands.

Key Quotes:

Sean: “We need to grow, but can the rest of the organization grow with us?” (00:05:00)
Kevin: “Growth is a cash event. Growth is a change event. When you 2x, 3x a business in sales, you often break things.” (00:02:48)
Sean: “Think about how much time high-performing people spend doing things that are not high-performing tasks, and figure out how you can take that off their plate.” (00:12:52)

A Significant Actionable Item from this Podcast:

Conduct a time audit for your sales team. Identify non-sales tasks that consume their time, such as data entry or order processing. Delegate these tasks to a dedicated admin or sales operations role. This can significantly boost productivity and allow your top performers to focus on closing deals.

Summary:

In this episode, Kevin and Sean break down the key challenges of scaling a business during periods of fast growth. They offer practical advice on creating efficient processes, hiring the right support staff, and ensuring your sales operations keep pace with your revenue expansion. Whether your company is rapidly expanding or preparing for future growth, this episode is packed with actionable insights that can help you maintain momentum without breaking your business. Tune in to learn how to balance growth and efficiency for long-term success!

The Art of Retention: Mastering Client Information for Sales Success

By Sean O'Shaughnessey

The adage “knowledge is power” holds undeniable truth. The ability to meticulously document and retain client information and sales opportunities is a cornerstone for cultivating a thriving sales environment. This necessity spans industries, transcending the boundaries of size and scope within organizations. For sales professionals, sales managers, and CEOs of smaller companies, mastering this aspect of sales operations can be the difference between merely surviving and truly flourishing in today’s competitive marketplace.

The foundation of a robust sales strategy is not only in its execution but also in its preparation and follow-through. Every interaction with a client or a potential lead is a gold mine of insights, preferences, and feedback, which, when documented diligently, can illuminate the path to more personalized, effective, and, thus, successful sales efforts. This approach ensures that if a salesperson were to transition roles within a company or leave the organization altogether, the continuity of relationship and understanding with the client would not depart with them.

The challenge many organizations face is not the lack of data but its sprawl across disparate systems—from CRMs to email threads, from note-taking apps to spreadsheets. This fragmentation makes information retrieval laborious and increases the risk of valuable insights slipping through the cracks. It underscores the importance of having a centralized system where all client interactions, from the casual check-in to the formal proposal, are documented meticulously.

For sales managers and CEOs, particularly of smaller firms or those in the nascent stages of establishing their sales processes, the emphasis should be on creating a culture where data documentation is valued as much as the sale itself. This might involve training, implementing user-friendly CRM systems, and perhaps leading by example. The objective should be to make the documentation process as seamless and integrated into the sales process as possible, minimizing it as a perceived chore and underscoring it as a vital tool for success.

Moreover, the utility of well-maintained records extends beyond the immediate sales cycle. It provides a historical context that can be invaluable for forecasting, product development, marketing strategies, and customer service. It enables a level of personalization in client interactions that can significantly enhance client satisfaction and loyalty, serving as a competitive edge in today’s market where personal touch can be a differentiating factor.

Emphasizing data integrity and documentation is paramount to crafting a repeatable sales process. A repeatable process is not merely about replicating actions but about ensuring that each step is informed by the accumulated knowledge of past interactions, market trends, and client feedback. It’s about building a repository of intelligence that can guide current and future sales strategies.

For sales professionals, managers, and CEOs, particularly in smaller companies, the imperative to document and retain client information and sales opportunities cannot be overstated. It is a critical strategy for capturing sales and creating sustainable, growth-oriented sales operations.

Immediate action items that you can take regarding this article

Conduct a CRM Audit: Review your current CRM setup to ensure it aligns with your sales process. Identify any gaps in data capture, especially in the areas of client information and sales opportunities. Ensure that your CRM supports custom fields relevant to your sales process and that the sales team can easily enter and access all necessary information.
Standardize Data Entry Practices: Develop a concise guide outlining the standard operating procedure for data entry into your CRM. This should include guidelines for recording client interactions, the minimum information required to create new contacts and leads, and how to update opportunities. Distribute this guide to your sales team and incorporate it into your onboarding process for new hires.
Implement Regular Data Cleaning Sessions: Schedule monthly data cleaning sessions to review and cleanse the CRM database. This could involve checking for duplicate records, ensuring all client interactions are up-to-date, and verifying that sales opportunities are accurately documented. Engaging the sales team in this process helps to highlight the importance of data accuracy and encourages compliance with data entry practices.
Enhance Sales Process Training: Organize a training session focused on the sales process, emphasizing the importance of documenting client information and sales opportunities. Use real-life examples to demonstrate how effective use of the CRM system can lead to improved sales outcomes. Encourage the sales team to share their experiences and best practices for managing client information and tracking sales opportunities.

By taking these steps, readers can immediately start improving their sales operations’ efficiency, ensuring that client information and sales opportunities are accurately captured and managed. This will enhance the sales process and provide a solid foundation for strategic decision-making and future growth.