3 Key Strategies B2B Salespeople Can Use to Save Time on Admin Tasks and Spend More Time Selling

The life of a B2B salesperson often feels like a constant balancing act between customer-facing sales activities and necessary, yet time-consuming administrative tasks.

Current statistics shows that sales representatives spend 14.8% of their week on administrative tasks (source Nintex guide)

While admin work is crucial for maintaining smooth operations, it can detract from the primary goal of driving sales. From managing CRM systems to handling repetitive tasks like generating proposals and invoices, these administrative duties can consume a substantial portion of a salesperson's day, limiting their ability to focus on selling.

In sales, efficiency is critical.

By leveraging technology and streamlining processes, sales professionals can drastically reduce the time spent on administrative work, freeing them up to focus on revenue-generating activities.

Let's explore three key strategies that B2B salespeople can implement to save time on admin tasks and focus more on what they do best: selling.

1. Automating Document Generation: Proposals, Invoices, and Contracts

One of the most time-consuming administrative tasks for any B2B salesperson is the creation of sales documents such as proposals, contracts, and invoices. These documents often require careful attention to detail and must be customized to each client, which can take hours. However, the development of automation tools has made it possible to streamline this process, allowing salespeople to generate documents in a fraction of the time.

Benefits of Document Automation

Document automation tools allow salespeople to create professional, accurate proposals, contracts, and invoices with just a few clicks. These tools use pre-built templates that can be customized based on the client’s specific needs. Once set up, the salesperson only needs to input key details such as the client’s name, the products or services being sold, and the pricing. The software then generates a polished document that can be sent to the client without the need for manual formatting or editing.

Not only does this save time, but it also reduces the chances of errors. Salespeople no longer have to worry about typos, incorrect pricing, or forgetting key contract terms. The automation software ensures that all necessary details are included, and it can even integrate with other systems, such as CRMs or accounting software, to pull in relevant data automatically.

Real-World Example: Streamlining Proposals

Let’s say a B2B salesperson works in the software industry and regularly sends out proposals to potential clients. Using an automation tool like Nintex or PandaDoc, they can create a proposal template that includes their company’s branding, product descriptions, and standard pricing. When a new lead expresses interest, the salesperson simply enters the client’s details, selects the relevant products or services, and the software generates a tailored proposal within minutes. This could save hours per week, especially for salespeople handling a high volume of leads.

Implementation Tips

• Choose the Right Tools: Look for document automation platforms that integrate with your existing CRM, email system, and accounting software. This integration ensures a seamless flow of data, reducing the need for manual input.
• Use Pre-built Templates: Set up templates for your most common documents, such as proposals, contracts, and invoices. Customize these templates to suit your company’s needs, and make sure they are professionally branded.
• Regularly Update Templates: Over time, your products, services, or pricing may change. Be sure to update your templates regularly to reflect these changes, ensuring that the documents you generate are always accurate.

By automating document generation, B2B salespeople can free up significant amounts of time, allowing them to focus more on engaging with clients and closing deals.

We've got an INCREDIBLE free 16 page guide to help you get started from the team at Nintex with actionable strategies to automate document generation. Access it here and start turning admin time into more selling time.

2. Automating CRM Data Entry and Management

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems are essential for tracking leads, managing customer interactions, and analyzing sales performance. However, the process of manually entering data into a CRM can be tedious and time-consuming. Salespeople often find themselves spending hours each week updating contact information, recording meeting notes, and inputting deal progress.

Fortunately, many modern CRM systems offer automation features that can significantly reduce the time spent on data entry. By automating routine tasks such as lead capture, contact updates, and activity logging, salespeople can ensure their CRM is always up-to-date without having to manually input every detail.

Benefits of CRM Automation

Automating CRM data entry offers several key benefits:

• Accurate, Up-to-Date Data: Automation ensures that the data in your CRM is always current and accurate. By automatically capturing information from emails, phone calls, and other interactions, salespeople don’t have to worry about missing critical updates.
• Reduced Manual Work: Instead of manually entering details after every call or meeting, salespeople can rely on CRM automation to log activities, update contact information, and track deal progress. This frees up time for more important tasks, like following up with leads or preparing for meetings.
• Improved Sales Forecasting: With accurate, real-time data in the CRM, sales managers can make better-informed decisions about pipeline management and sales forecasting. This leads to more effective sales strategies and better results.

Real-World Example: Automated Lead Capture

Consider a B2B salesperson who regularly attends industry events and collects business cards from potential leads. Rather than manually entering these leads into the CRM after the event, they can use a CRM with lead capture automation features, such as HubSpot or Salesforce. The system can automatically scan business cards or import contact information from LinkedIn profiles, instantly adding new leads to the CRM and even categorizing them based on factors like industry or company size. This allows the salesperson to follow up with leads more quickly and effectively.

Implementation Tips

• Integrate with Email and Phone Systems: Many CRMs can automatically log emails and phone calls, reducing the need for manual data entry. Be sure to connect your CRM to your email and phone systems to take full advantage of this feature.
• Use Lead Scoring: Automating lead scoring helps salespeople prioritize their efforts. By assigning scores to leads based on their behavior and engagement, CRM automation tools can help salespeople focus on the most promising prospects first.
• Set Up Workflow Automation: Use your CRM to automate routine tasks such as follow-up reminders, deal progression updates, and task assignments. This ensures that no lead falls through the cracks and that salespeople are always focused on the next steps in the sales process.

By automating CRM data entry and management, B2B salespeople can minimize the time spent on administrative work and ensure they are always working with accurate, up-to-date information.

3. Streamlining Email Communication and Follow-Up

Email is one of the most important communication tools in B2B sales. However, writing and sending emails can take up a significant portion of a salesperson’s day, particularly when it comes to follow-up emails or repetitive inquiries. Automating parts of the email process can drastically reduce the time spent on this task and ensure that salespeople stay top of mind with their prospects and clients.

Benefits of Email Automation

• Personalized Follow-Up at Scale: Email automation tools allow salespeople to send personalized follow-up emails to a large number of prospects simultaneously. By using templates and dynamic fields (e.g., the recipient’s name, company, and specific product of interest), salespeople can maintain a personal touch without spending hours writing each email.
• Scheduled Outreach: Many email automation platforms allow users to schedule emails in advance. Salespeople can plan their follow-up strategy at the beginning of the week, setting emails to be sent at optimal times without having to manually send each one.
• Drip Campaigns: For leads that aren’t ready to buy immediately, salespeople can set up drip email campaigns that nurture these leads over time. These automated campaigns send a series of emails designed to educate, inform, and eventually convert prospects into customers.

Real-World Example: Nurturing Cold Leads

Imagine a B2B salesperson who has a list of cold leads—prospects who initially showed interest but haven’t responded to recent outreach. Instead of manually following up with each lead, the salesperson can set up an automated drip campaign using a tool like Mailchimp or ActiveCampaign. The campaign might include a series of emails that highlight case studies, product updates, and special offers. By automating this process, the salesperson stays in touch with cold leads without having to dedicate time to writing and sending individual emails.

Implementation Tips

• Use Dynamic Fields for Personalization: Even though emails are automated, they should still feel personal. Use dynamic fields to include the recipient’s name, company, and other personalized details in the email body.
• Segment Your Contact List: Email automation works best when your contact list is segmented based on factors like lead source, industry, or buying stage. This ensures that each prospect receives emails that are relevant to their specific needs and interests.
• Monitor and Optimize: Track the performance of your automated emails by monitoring open rates, click-through rates, and response rates. Use this data to refine your email templates and improve the effectiveness of your campaigns.

By streamlining email communication and follow-up, B2B salespeople can ensure that no lead is left behind while saving time for more direct sales activities.

Focusing on High-Value Sales Activities

By automating time-consuming administrative tasks such as document generation, CRM data entry, and email communication, B2B salespeople can drastically reduce the amount of time they spend on non-revenue-generating activities. This frees them up to focus on more important tasks that directly contribute to sales growth, such as:

• Prospecting: Identifying and reaching out to new leads is a critical part of the sales process. With more time available, salespeople can focus on researching potential clients and crafting targeted outreach strategies.
• Building Relationships: Developing strong relationships with clients is key to long-term sales success. Salespeople can use their extra time to meet with clients, understand their needs, and provide personalized solutions.
• Closing Deals: The ultimate goal of any salesperson is to close deals. By reducing the time spent on admin work, salespeople can dedicate more time to negotiating contracts, addressing objections, and finalizing agreements.

Did you know sales representatives spend 14.8% of their week on admin tasks?

That's A LOT of time being spent on tasks that could be automated, freeing up more time to sell. To help we've partnered with Nintex (who help companies like Amazon, Microsoft, LinkedIn, Coca Cola & 10k+ more) with process and workflow management including document automation.

Their platforms help automate things like generating proposals, invoices, renewals and so much more.

They've given us an amazing 16-page guide packed with strategies to revolutionise RevOps with automated document generation. Get instant access today and start turning that wasted admin time into productive selling time.