The responsibilities of a sales manager are vastly different from that of a sales rep. From increasing revenue and profitability to ensuring your team meets targets, a lot rests on your shoulder. Enter automation to the rescue. But, just like the tasks, your requirements for sales automation are also different.

Here are some sales automation features you should look for while purchasing a CRM. 

1. Visual representation of sales data: The amount of data a sales manager has to sift through may be overwhelming. Especially when you are putting together monthly or quarterly numbers to present to the upper management. You also have to evaluate the performance of your sales reps and understand how you can optimize it for better results. With a CRM, you can automatically generate and schedule reports for yourself, giving you the option to customize them according to various attributes and factors. This helps you save time, track your sales cycle, streamline efficiency, and reduce mistakes.

2. Sales territory assignment: Often, sales reps are spread across different cities and towns, especially with the remote working phenomenon sweeping over companies. Using territories, you can help your sales reps generate new leads and hit their sales quotas in a particular region. A CRM can help you assign sales reps according to your chosen condition – round robin basis or according to different regions. You can decide how leads are assigned to reps - and this task can be automated too. 

3. Assigning scores to leads: Your sales team has a vast pool of leads, and they are not sure which leads to go after. As a manager, you must set the criteria for your sales reps. You have to define which type of leads are promising. You can call the shots by setting the minimum requirement for lead scores - based on cues from leads. Your sales reps can invest their efforts more on leads ranked by a lead scoring tool. 

4. Sales Pipeline: It’s hard to keep track of deals in your pipeline - especially if some leads are unsure of your product. A CRM can provide a much-needed visual representation of deals in your pipeline. It can also spot deals rotting away and help your sales team take quick action. Knowing which deals will convert within a specific time frame also helps you be aware of the revenue you will make during that particular period. 

5. Sales forecasting: Looking into the future may not be possible, but having a tool that can help predict revenue and let you know if things are on track. A CRM with sales automation capabilities can help you predict the revenue your company will make in a certain period or plan your sales activities accordingly.