If you’re in sales or handling leads, you know the real pain isn’t finding people—it’s actually remembering to follow up. The best leads go cold because life gets busy and sticky notes aren’t cutting it. This guide is for anyone who wants to stop letting tasks fall through the cracks and actually close more deals. We'll walk through how to set up automated reminders in Winn, a CRM tool that promises to help you stay on top of follow-ups without drowning in alerts.
Let’s skip the fluff and get to the part that keeps your pipeline running: setting up reminders that work, without making your day more annoying.
Why Automated Reminders Matter (And Where They Go Wrong)
You’ve probably tried to-do lists, calendar pings, or even email nudges. They work—for about a week—until you get distracted, or you start ignoring the never-ending notifications. Automated reminders in your CRM can help, but only if you set them up right.
Here’s the core truth: reminders should help you, not nag you. Too many, and you ignore them. Too few, and you’ll forget. If you treat reminders as a set-and-forget magic bullet, you’ll just swap one mess for another.
Step 1: Get Your Leads into Winn
Before you can remind yourself to follow up, you need your leads in one place. If your leads are scattered across emails, spreadsheets, or your memory, reminders won’t save you.
- Manual entry: This is as basic as it sounds. If you have only a handful of leads, just add them manually in Winn.
- CSV import: For bigger lists, use Winn’s import function. Usually, there’s an “Import” button somewhere on the Leads or Contacts page. Clean up your spreadsheet before you do this—bad data now means bad reminders later.
- Integration: If you’re using tools like Gmail, LinkedIn, or web forms, check if Winn has an integration. It’s worth setting these up, even if it takes an hour.
Pro tip: Don’t overthink your tags or categories yet. You can always clean up and organize once everything’s in Winn.
Step 2: Find Where Reminders Live in Winn
Every CRM hides their features differently. In Winn, reminders are usually tied to leads or tasks. Here’s how to spot them:
- Lead Profile: Open up a lead. Look for a “Reminders” tab, a bell icon, or an “Add Task” button.
- Tasks or Activities: Some versions of Winn group all reminders under a “Tasks” or “Activities” section. You might have to create a task and then set a reminder for it.
- Settings: If you want to change how reminders behave (email, in-app, mobile), check your notification settings.
If you spend more than 10 minutes finding this, don’t blame yourself—it’s probably the UI, not you.
Step 3: Set Up Your First Reminder
Once you’ve found the right button, here’s the basic process:
- Pick the Lead: Open their profile or card.
- Create a Task or Reminder: Hit “Add Reminder,” “New Task,” or whatever Winn calls it.
- Describe the Follow-Up: Keep it short but clear. “Call to check in after demo,” “Send proposal,” etc.
- Set the Date and Time: Be realistic. Don’t just pick “tomorrow” for everything. Think about when you are likely to act—and when the lead is likely to respond.
- Choose Reminder Type (if available): Some CRMs let you pick email, push, or SMS. Email is safest—you don’t want your phone blowing up at midnight.
Pro tip: If you’re following a process (like calling every new lead in 2 days), you can save time by creating a template task or using Winn’s automation features (if available).
Step 4: Automate Recurring or Triggered Reminders
Manual reminders are fine for one-off tasks. But if you have steps you repeat for every lead, automate them:
- Workflow Automation: Winn may offer workflows or sequences. Set up a rule: “When a new lead is added, create a reminder to call in 1 day, email in 3 days, etc.”
- Templates: If workflow automation feels overkill, see if you can copy or duplicate reminders from one lead to another.
- Bulk Actions: For a batch of leads, select them all and apply a reminder at once.
Watch out: Automation is great—until it spams you or your team with unnecessary tasks. Start simple. Automate the “must-dos,” but avoid automating every little thing. You’ll just start ignoring your own system.
Step 5: Fine-Tune Your Notification Settings
Reminders are only useful if you notice (and care about) them. Winn usually lets you customize:
- Notification channels: Email, in-app, push notifications. Pick one or two, not all three.
- Timing: Some tools let you set “work hours” for reminders. Use this—nobody wants a 2am ping.
- Digest vs. Instant: If you’re getting overwhelmed, switch to a daily digest or summary email.
Honest take: Most people set up every alert and then tune them down after a week. Don’t be afraid to mute what doesn’t help you.
Step 6: Review (and Actually Use) Your Reminders
Even the best reminders are useless if you never look at them. Build a simple routine:
- Start-of-day check: Glance at your reminders or task list every morning.
- Snooze or reschedule: If something isn’t urgent, don’t delete—just push it back.
- Archive or complete: Mark things done. Cluttered reminders are easy to ignore.
What to ignore: Don’t bother tagging or color-coding every follow-up unless your team really needs it. Focus on the action, not the decoration.
Pro Tips: What Works (and What Doesn’t)
What works: - Setting realistic follow-up dates—don’t just default to “tomorrow.” - Automating only what you’d actually want to be reminded about. - Reviewing and cleaning up stale reminders every week.
What doesn’t: - Over-automating every possible step. You’ll end up ignoring the whole system. - Relying only on pop-ups or push notifications. They’re easy to swipe away and forget. - Setting reminders for things you won’t actually do (“Email every lead weekly forever”—nobody does this).
Ignore the hype: No CRM or automation tool will make you follow up. They just help you remember. The rest is up to you.
Keep It Simple and Iterate
Setting up automated reminders in Winn isn’t rocket science, but it does take a bit of trial and error. Start basic. Get your leads in, set up a couple of reminders, and see what works for you. Don’t try to automate your whole process on day one—you’ll just create noise.
Remember: the best system is the one you’ll actually use. Start small, adjust as you go, and let your reminders help—not nag—you into better follow-up habits.