Sales is full of tedious, repetitive tasks—logging emails, updating CRMs, chasing down approvals, sending the same outreach templates again and again. If you’re in B2B sales, you already know the pain. That’s why workflow automation tools like Theirstack exist: to cut the busywork and let you focus on what actually moves the needle.
But here’s the thing: most sales automation promises the moon, then buries you in “powerful” features you never actually use. This guide is for people who want to get practical—who care less about shiny dashboards and more about getting hours back in their week.
Let’s walk through how to set up custom workflows in Theirstack to handle the grunt work. We’ll cover what matters, skip what doesn’t, and flag the pitfalls to avoid.
Why Automate? (And Why Not)
Before you start wiring up automations, ask yourself: what’s truly worth automating? Not every repetitive task needs a robot. Here’s when it makes sense:
- You’re repeating the exact same steps, dozens of times a week. Not “kind of similar,” but identical.
- The process is mature. If you’re still figuring out your sales sequence, automate later.
- You actually trust the tool. Automation is only as good as the rules you set up—and the quality of your data.
It’s usually not worth automating if: - Your process changes every month. - You have to double-check everything the tool does anyway. - The tool’s “automation” is just a fancier way to send mass emails (and you still get bad replies).
Bottom line: start small, automate what’s proven, and don’t overcomplicate things.
Step 1: Map Out Your Sales Process
Don’t jump straight into Theirstack. First, sketch out the steps in your sales process, especially the annoying parts you want to automate.
Typical B2B sales tasks ripe for automation: - Assigning inbound leads to reps - Logging all email/meeting activity to your CRM - Enriching leads with company info - Sending follow-up emails after a call - Moving deals to the next stage based on activity - Notifying reps about untouched leads
Pro tip: Write out the steps with pen and paper first. If you can’t describe it simply, you can’t automate it.
What to skip: Don’t try to automate “relationship-building” or “personalized research.” No tool does this well. Keep it human.
Step 2: Get Set Up in Theirstack
Now, log into Theirstack and poke around. The UI is pretty straightforward, but like most sales tools, it hides some power features behind bland menus.
Do this first: - Connect your CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot, etc.) - Integrate your email/calendar - Decide which users can create and edit workflows (don’t let everyone!)
If you skip these, your automations will break—or worse, flood your team’s inboxes with garbage.
Honest take: Theirstack’s integrations are decent, but don’t expect every field to sync perfectly. Always test with a dummy lead before rolling out to your whole team.
Step 3: Build Your First Workflow
Here’s how to actually create a custom workflow in Theirstack. We’ll use a common example: automatically assigning new inbound leads and sending a personalized intro email.
1. Define the trigger
- In Theirstack, go to Workflows > Create New Workflow.
- Set the trigger—e.g., “When a new lead is added from website form.”
Don’t overthink triggers. Keep it simple: new lead, deal stage change, meeting booked, etc.
2. Add conditions (optional)
Want to only assign leads from certain industries, or over a certain company size? Add these as filters.
- Use “If/then” logic: If industry is “Software” and employee count > 50, then assign to rep.
Warning: The more conditions you add, the easier it is for something to break or for leads to get missed.
3. Assign the action
- Action: “Assign lead to rep” (use round robin or specific rules)
- Action: “Send intro email template” (customize with lead’s first name, company, etc.)
Templates are your friend. Write a solid email template, but leave room for quick personalization. Don’t just rely on “Hi {{FirstName}}”—it shows.
4. Set follow-up or escalation steps
- Wait 2 days. If no reply, send follow-up email #2.
- If no activity after 5 days, notify sales manager.
This is where most automations go sideways. Don’t create endless loops of follow-ups. Two touchpoints max, then let a human take over.
5. Test it (seriously)
- Run the workflow with test data. Use fake leads.
- Check if all actions fire as expected. Did the right rep get assigned? Did the email go out?
- Review the workflow logs for errors.
If you skip this, expect surprises. Theirstack’s error messages are… let’s say, unhelpful.
Step 4: Monitor and Tune Your Workflow
No workflow is set-and-forget. Here’s what to watch for:
- Are leads getting lost or double-assigned?
- Are emails going out on time (and not showing up as spam)?
- Is anyone overriding the automation manually?
- Are the right fields being updated in your CRM?
Fix what’s broken fast. Don’t just “trust the system.” Have a weekly check-in, especially in the first month.
Pro tip: Ask your reps what’s annoying about the workflow. They’ll tell you, whether you want to hear it or not.
Step 5: Expand to Other Tasks (If It’s Worth It)
Once one workflow is humming along, look for other obvious wins:
- Auto-enriching leads: Pull in LinkedIn, company size, tech stack automatically.
- Deal stage moves: Move deals to “Negotiation” when a contract is sent.
- Meeting follow-ups: Trigger a personalized “Thanks for your time” email after every booked demo.
- Lead re-engagement: Nudge reps if leads go cold for more than 2 weeks.
What to ignore: - Anything that tries to “personalize at scale” using only merge tags. It’s obvious and usually backfires. - Automating tasks that still need human judgment (e.g., proposal creation, custom pricing).
Pitfalls and Gotchas
A few honest warnings based on real-world headaches:
- Garbage in, garbage out. If your CRM data is sloppy, automations will just make the mess bigger.
- Don’t automate for automation’s sake. If a workflow saves you 30 seconds a week, it’s not worth maintaining.
- Too many notifications = ignored notifications. Be ruthless about what alerts actually matter.
- One broken action can jam the whole chain. Always test every step after you tweak a workflow.
Real-World Examples That Actually Work
Here are a few simple automations that actually save time:
- Inbound lead assignment: New leads from the website trigger an instant Slack notification and assign to a rep.
- Activity logging: All outbound emails and meetings sync to the CRM, so reps never have to log them by hand.
- Deal stage updates: When a prospect replies “not interested” or “call me next quarter,” the deal moves to a nurture stage automatically.
These aren’t flashy, but they work—and they free up hours every month.
Keep It Simple, Iterate Often
The best workflow is the one you can understand at a glance. Don’t get sucked into building a Rube Goldberg machine just because Theirstack lets you. Automate the boring stuff that’s proven, test like a skeptic, and tweak as you go.
Start with one workflow, make sure it’s solid, and only then add more. Automation is supposed to make life easier—not turn you into a workflow babysitter.
If you keep things simple and stay honest about what’s actually helping, you’ll end up with a sales process that runs smoother—no hype required.