If you’re drowning in spreadsheets, missed follow-ups, and a CRM that feels more like a graveyard than a sales tool, you’re not alone. This guide is for folks who need to warm up leads (without burning out), and want honest advice on using Leadsquared automation workflows—minus the buzzwords and empty promises.
Let’s walk through how to actually set up workflows that work, what’s worth your time, and what to skip. Whether you’re in sales, marketing, or just the person everyone expects to “figure this out,” you’ll find clear, practical steps below.
1. Know What Automation Can—and Can’t—Do for Lead Nurturing
Before clicking around, let’s level-set. Leadsquared’s workflows can:
- Send emails or texts automatically
- Move leads between lists or salespeople
- Score leads based on their activity
- Remind humans (you) to do stuff
But don’t expect magic. Automation won’t fix a bad offer, get people to reply just because you ping them 10 times, or suddenly make your database clean. Garbage in, garbage out.
Pro tip: Sketch your ideal lead journey on paper before touching any software. This forces you to focus on the real gaps, not shiny features.
2. Map Your Lead Nurturing Stages
You can’t automate what you can’t describe. Take 5 minutes to jot down your main stages. For most teams, it looks something like:
- New Lead: Just entered. No contact yet.
- Contacted: You (or the system) reached out.
- Engaged: They opened/clicked/replied.
- Qualified: You think they’re a good fit.
- Converted: They bought, booked, or took the next step.
- Dead/Unresponsive: Not interested or ghosted.
Keep it simple. Overcomplicating this just gives you more ways to get lost later.
3. Set Up Your First Workflow
Here’s how to build a basic nurturing workflow in Leadsquared:
Step 1: Go to Automation Workflows
- Head to the “Automation” tab in the main menu.
- Choose “Create Workflow” (ignore the prebuilt templates for now, unless one is a dead ringer for your process).
Step 2: Pick a Trigger
- This is what starts the workflow. Common triggers:
- Lead created (from a form, import, or API)
- Lead field changed (like “Status” or “Stage”)
- Activity added (like website visit, email open, etc.)
What to ignore: Don’t get sucked into complex triggers unless you really need them. Stick with “Lead Created” or “Lead Status Changed” for your first runs.
Step 3: Add Your Actions
- After the trigger, stack your actions:
- Send Email: Choose a template, or make a new one.
- Wait: Add a delay (e.g., “Wait 2 days before next step”).
- Notify User: Assign a task or reminder to a salesperson.
- Change Field/Status: Move the lead to the next stage.
You can drag and drop, but keep it linear at first. Fancy branches and conditions sound fun, but they multiply confusion.
Example Starter Workflow:
- New lead comes in
- Send welcome email
- Wait 2 days
- If lead opened email, assign to salesperson; if not, send follow-up email
That’s it. Iterate from there.
4. Build Out Your Email and SMS Templates (Don’t Overthink It)
You need content for your automations to send. Some advice:
- Short and clear beats clever. “Hey, noticed you checked out our product. Got any questions?” works better than a novella.
- Personalize, but not too much. Use the merge fields for first name, company, etc.—but don’t force it.
- Don’t send five emails in a week. You’ll annoy people, and spam filters will get wise.
- Test your messages. Send them to yourself first—typos and weird formatting are more common than you’d think.
What to ignore: The urge to make a different template for every possible lead type. Start with one or two, see what works, and add more later.
5. Use Lead Scoring (But Don’t Obsess)
Lead scoring is a way to rank leads based on actions, like opening emails or visiting your pricing page. In Leadsquared, you can:
- Assign points for actions (email opens, clicks, form fills, etc.)
- Set negative scores for things like unsubscribes
This helps your team focus on the folks most likely to buy, and triggers different workflow paths if you want.
Caution: It’s easy to make scoring too complex. If you’re not sure what matters, start with something simple like:
- +10 points: Opened an email
- +20 points: Clicked a link
- +30 points: Filled out a form
Tweak as you learn. Don’t let the “score” become the only thing you look at—real conversations still matter.
6. Assign Leads and Reminders to Humans (the Right Way)
Automation’s great, but you still need people to call, follow up, and close deals. Leadsquared lets you:
- Assign leads to specific users or teams
- Create tasks/reminders automatically (e.g., “Call this lead tomorrow”)
Set reminders for reasonable times. Don’t make your team call every lead the moment they come in—give leads a minute to breathe.
Pro tip: Add a human touchpoint after 1–2 automated emails. People buy from people, not robots.
7. Test Everything (Seriously, Don’t Skip This Step)
Here’s where a lot of folks trip up: they build a workflow, turn it on, and hope for the best. Don’t.
- Run a test lead through your workflow. Does every step fire? Are the emails readable?
- Check for dead ends or loops. Did a lead get stuck and never move forward?
- Ask someone else to review. Fresh eyes catch things you won’t.
What to ignore: The “it worked once, so it’s good” mentality. Test every time you make changes.
8. Review Results and Tweak—Don’t “Set and Forget”
After your workflow runs for a few days or weeks, look at:
- Email open and reply rates
- How many leads move to “Qualified” or “Converted”
- Where leads drop off
If you see drop-offs after a particular step, fix that first. Maybe your email stinks, or your timing is off. Small tweaks matter more than adding complexity.
Don’t bother: Trying to automate everything. Some leads need a personal touch, or just aren’t interested—no workflow can save those.
9. Advanced Tips (For When You’re Ready)
Once you’ve nailed the basics, Leadsquared can do more:
- Branching logic: Send different messages to different segments (e.g., new vs. returning leads).
- Webhook actions: Push data to other tools when certain steps happen.
- Multi-channel nurturing: Mix email, SMS, and even WhatsApp (if your audience actually wants it).
But remember: complexity is a trade-off. Only use these if you’re actually seeing value from the basics.
Keep It Simple—And Iterate
Automating lead nurturing in Leadsquared can save you time and help you close more deals, but only if you keep it straightforward and actually review what’s working. Start with the basics, get your team on board, and improve as you go. Most of the magic is in clear communication, not clever workflows. Now go build something that helps—then tweak it until it really works.