If you’re in outbound sales, you know half your day is eaten up with repetitive tasks—updating CRMs, sending follow-ups, chasing cold leads. This guide is for folks who want to spend less time clicking around and more time actually selling. If you’re using Trigify.io, or thinking about it, I’m going to walk you through how to set up advanced automation rules that actually save time—instead of creating new headaches.
You don’t need to be a developer, but you do need to know what you want your process to look like. We’ll cover what works, what doesn’t, and a few things not worth your time.
Why Automation Rules Matter in Outbound Sales
Let’s be honest: Most sales automations are either too basic (send an email, wait, send another) or so convoluted you’ll spend days debugging. The sweet spot is smart rules that actually cut down on busywork and reduce manual errors. Good automation should:
- Route leads to the right people, fast
- Trigger follow-ups at the right moment
- Keep your CRM clean (no more zombie leads clogging up your list)
- Alert you only when it matters
What Not to Automate
Before you start, know this: Not everything should be automated. Here’s what you should avoid:
- Personalized first emails: Templates are fine, but the first touch should feel human.
- All follow-ups: Auto-reminders are good, but don’t let robots chase your biggest deals.
- Lead scoring based on wishful thinking: If you don’t have real data, don’t make up rules.
Step 1: Map Out Your Current Sales Process (Don’t Skip This)
I know, you want to jump in and play with the tool. But if you don’t know what’s actually happening in your sales process, you’ll automate a mess.
Quick exercise: - Write down your typical sales flow on a whiteboard or doc. - Where do leads come in? - Who touches them first? - What are the key “if X then Y” decisions? - Where do things fall through the cracks right now?
Pro tip: Ask your team what’s “most annoying” about their workflow. That’s probably the best place to start with automation.
Step 2: Get to Know Trigifyio’s Automation Rule Builder
Trigify.io’s automation builder is flexible, but that means it’s easy to go overboard. Here’s what actually matters:
- Triggers: The event that kicks things off (new lead, email reply, status change, etc.)
- Conditions: The “only if” part (lead source, deal value, region, etc.)
- Actions: What gets done (assign owner, send email, update field, notify someone, etc.)
Honest Take
Most folks try to jam everything into one monster rule. Don’t. Build small, single-purpose rules. They’re easier to debug and adjust later.
Step 3: Build Your First Useful Automation Rule
Let’s walk through a real example. Say you want new leads from your website to go straight to your SDR team, get a welcome email, and set a follow-up task.
Here’s how to do it:
- Set Your Trigger:
- Trigger: “New lead created”
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Condition: “Source is Website”
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Add Conditions:
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Maybe you only want leads from certain regions or company sizes. Add those filters.
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Add Actions:
- Assign lead owner (rotate among SDRs)
- Send templated welcome email
- Create a follow-up task for SDR (due in 2 days)
Why it works:
This handles the tedious stuff—routing, reminders, and that first touch—without you lifting a finger.
Watch out for:
- Don’t auto-blast leads with too many emails right away.
- Make sure you’re not assigning the same lead to multiple people accidentally.
Step 4: Layer in More Advanced (But Still Useful) Automation
Once you’ve nailed the basics, you can get fancier. Here are a few proven rules worth trying:
1. Deal Stage Triggers
When a deal moves to a new stage (“Demo Scheduled”), auto-create a checklist of tasks (book meeting, send calendar invite, prep demo deck).
What works: Keeps everyone on track, no forgotten steps.
What to skip: Don’t build 10 sub-tasks for every micro-step. People will ignore them.
2. Hot Lead Alerts (But Only the Good Kind)
Set a rule: If a lead opens 3+ emails or clicks a proposal link, notify the rep immediately.
Pro tip: Don’t ping your team for every open. Use meaningful thresholds.
3. Auto-Cleanup for Old Leads
If a lead hasn’t replied in 45 days and isn’t in a priority segment, auto-archive or set a review task.
Why bother? Keeps your pipeline honest. No more “maybe someday” ghosts inflating your numbers.
4. Triggering Multi-step Sequences
If a lead replies “Not now,” move them into a long-term nurture sequence (quarterly check-ins, useful content).
Honest take: Automated nurture is great, but keep it light-touch. Nobody wants to be spammed for a year.
Step 5: Test, Test, and Actually Read Your Logs
Most automation fails because something small gets missed—a typo, a wrong field, or a change in your CRM setup. Test every rule on dummy leads first.
- Use your own email address as a test lead.
- Check if tasks assign correctly.
- Make sure notifications aren’t going to the wrong inbox.
Regularly review logs and error messages. If something’s not firing, don’t just hope it fixes itself. Trigify.io has decent logging—use it.
Step 6: Don’t Forget the Human Element
Automation is supposed to help your team, not replace them. If your reps are spending more time fighting rules or ignoring robot reminders, you’ve gone too far.
- Check in monthly: What rules are people actually using?
- Are there new bottlenecks? (Automations can hide problems instead of fixing them.)
- Is the data clean, or are you just moving junk around faster?
What to Ignore (For Now)
Some features sound cool but rarely deliver real value for outbound sales—at least until you’ve nailed the basics.
- AI Lead Scoring: Unless you have tons of reliable data, skip it.
- Endless Branching Logic: The more “if this, then that, unless X, but also Y” rules you have, the more likely things break.
- Automated Social Touches: Most of these come off as spammy. Stick to real human engagement on LinkedIn.
Keep It Simple, Iterate Often
You don’t need a 50-rule Rube Goldberg machine. Start with 2-3 solid automations that eliminate actual pain points. See what works, tweak what doesn’t, and don’t be afraid to delete rules that create more hassle than help.
Remember, the goal isn’t to automate everything—it’s to give your team more time to actually sell. Build smart, stay skeptical of shiny new features, and keep your process as simple as possible. That’s how you win with automation—without losing your mind.