If you’re in sales or running a small team, you know outbound prospecting is a grind—lots of follow-ups, reminders, and manual tracking. Most tools either slow you down with clunky workflows or drown you in features you’ll never use. This guide is for anyone who wants to automate the boring parts of outbound prospecting using Convrt’s task management features, without making things more complicated than they need to be.
Why Automate Outbound Prospecting?
Outbound prospecting is the lifeblood of new business, but let’s be honest—it’s 90% repetition and 10% actual conversation. Automation frees up your brain for the good stuff (like real conversations), and helps you:
- Stop leads from slipping through the cracks
- Keep your outreach consistent (even when you’re busy)
- Spend less time on admin, more time selling
But automation isn’t magic. You still need to write real emails, build relationships, and actually close deals. Think of automation as your safety net, not your replacement.
Step 1: Get Set Up in Convrt
If you’re new to Convrt, start by getting your account sorted and connecting any tools you need (email, calendar, CRM, etc.). Don’t get sucked into customizing every field or building a “perfect” workflow. The goal is to get moving, not to create a monument to productivity.
What’s worth setting up: - Your core contact list or pipeline - Email/calendar integrations if you want automated reminders or tracking - Basic stages for prospects (e.g., New, Contacted, Qualified, Demo Scheduled, Closed)
What to skip for now: - Custom fields you might need one day - Fancy automations that sound cool but don’t save real time
Step 2: Build a Simple Prospecting Workflow
The power of Convrt’s task management is in its simplicity. Don’t try to automate everything—just the steps that eat up your time or slip through the cracks.
Here’s a basic (but effective) workflow: 1. Add new prospects to your list or pipeline. 2. Assign a task to send the first outreach email. 3. Set up follow-up tasks for anyone who doesn’t reply (1-2 follow-ups is usually enough). 4. Move prospects to the next stage if they respond or show interest. 5. Repeat follow-ups at set intervals, but don’t be a pest.
Pro tip: Batch your tasks. Spend an hour a day on outreach, then move on. You’re not a robot, and neither are your prospects.
Step 3: Use Convrt’s Task Automation Features
This is where you can start saving real time. Convrt offers a handful of automation features—use the ones that actually help:
Automated Task Creation
Set up rules so every time you add a new prospect, Convrt automatically creates the first outreach task (e.g., “Send intro email”). You can also have it auto-schedule follow-ups if there’s no reply after a set number of days.
When this helps: - You’re handling more leads than you can remember off the top of your head - You want a consistent process, every time
What to avoid: - Creating a mountain of overdue tasks because your automations are too aggressive or unrealistic
Task Templates
If you’re sending the same types of emails or making the same calls, use templates for recurring tasks. This isn’t “AI,” it’s just common sense—don’t rewrite “Follow Up #1” every time.
How to use them: - Create a template for each type of outreach (initial email, first follow-up, check-in, etc.) - Swap in real details (name, company, something personal) before you send—don’t sound like a robot
Automated Reminders
Convrt can nudge you when it’s time to follow up. Set realistic reminders. If you know you won’t check your tasks every day, don’t set daily reminders. Weekly is fine for most people.
What works: - Reminders that fit your actual workflow (not what you wish you did) - Notifications in your calendar or email if that’s where you live
What to ignore: - Overly granular reminders (“Call Bob at 2:07 PM every Tuesday”)—just creates noise
Step 4: Keep Your Pipeline Clean (and Your Sanity Intact)
Automation is only as good as the data you put in. If your pipeline is full of dead leads, your tasks will be too.
Do this weekly: - Archive or close out prospects who aren’t responding after a few touches - Update stages for people who reply, so you don’t keep following up by accident - Prune your task list—delete or reschedule anything that’s not relevant
Pro tip: Don’t be afraid to let go of leads that aren’t biting. Chasing ghosts wastes more time than automation saves.
Step 5: Iterate and Adjust—Don’t Set It and Forget It
The first workflow you build won’t be perfect—and that’s fine. The point is to find what actually works for your process, not to copy some “best practices” PowerPoint. Every few weeks, check:
- Are tasks piling up and getting ignored? Scale back automation or make tasks more achievable.
- Are follow-ups too close together, making you sound desperate? Space them out.
- Are you spending more time managing the system than selling? Simplify.
What to watch for: - Automation that creates busywork instead of saving time - Over-complicated workflows you dread updating
Honest Takes: What Works, What Doesn’t
What Works
- Automating just enough—first outreach, follow-ups, reminders
- Keeping your workflow dead simple
- Using templates but personalizing each message
- Cleaning your pipeline regularly
What Doesn’t
- Automating everything, then ignoring your tasks
- Sending the same canned message to 100 people (it’s obvious)
- Chasing every lead forever—move on quickly
What to Ignore
- Every new “AI” feature unless it actually saves you time or makes you money
- Fancy dashboards you never look at
- Overly complex automations (“If prospect opens email twice, then…”)
Closing Thoughts: Keep It Simple and Iterate
Outbound prospecting isn’t rocket science, but it is easy to overthink. Use Convrt’s task management to automate the boring, repetitive stuff—but keep your setup lean. If it feels like too much work, it probably is. Start simple, see what actually helps, and tweak as you go.
The best automation is the one you barely notice—because it’s busy working while you’re busy selling.