It's no secret that marketers and salespeople often have their work cut out for them. From endless emails to tedious calls and meetings, the daily grind of a marketer or salesperson can be overwhelming.
But what are the most time-consuming and tedious tasks that marketers and salespeople face on a daily basis? In this article, we take an in-depth look at the tasks that eat up time and energy, and how they can be managed more efficiently.
To cut to the heart of the task, we asked Scout to put together a list so that we could build a way to use Scout to solve all of those problems for you... how meta!
The top 10 Most Time-Consuming Tasks For Marketers:
1. Prospecting and lead generation
2. Creating content
3. Managing customer relationships
4. Analyzing data
5. Scheduling and attending meetings
6. Updating customer records
7. Developing sales strategies
8. Keeping up with industry trends
9. Creating presentations
10. Following up with customers
1. Prospecting and lead generation
Well, if Scout can't help with this, we don't know what can. It's what we built it for.
If we know anything about sales, we know that it's not just about finding potential customers, it's also about engaging with them, nurturing relationships, and building a pipeline of leads that can eventually turn into paying customers. It's a complex and challenging process, but when done right it can be incredibly rewarding and can help to drive revenue and growth.
From identifying your Ideal Customer Profile (most likely customers) and sourcing their contact information to suggesting marketing journeys and automating the outreach, Scout is a prospecting and lead generation machine built to help you save time on the key components of your business.
2. Creating content
Developing topics and content creation can be exhausting. Not only can Scout help you research and set goals, but can help you also brainstorm and create a list of topics that will engage your target audience.
Just head over to our Playground and ask Scout to act like your content planner and "Suggest 5 posts for Facebook that home sellers would find helpful."
Now, content creation is as simple as knowing your audience and asking using prompts to develop content that is relevant, helpful, and informative.
Use a variety of media such as text, images, video, audio, and interactive elements to make your content more engaging.
If you need some inspiration, just follow how some of Scout's user are making use of the playground, like asking it to write the script for a video!
The possibilities are truly endless.
3. Managing customer relationships
There's no point in having customers if you can't manage them. And as the saying goes, "it's easier to keep the customers you have, than to find new ones." But how can AI help with such a personal task?
Availability, Speed, Cost-Effectiveness, Reliability.
The next time a customer asks a question that requires an explanation, try running it through the Scout Playground and see what it can do. It will save you time and help you build more predictable replies. That's one less hire, or one more hire than can do 10x the work!
For a prompt suggestion, start with "Act as a customer service associate and..."
You can also ask Scout to find an article on the web that might be helpful to answer your customers questions. No mater how obscure, you'll look like an encyclopedia of knowledge.
If you're looking to take it the extra mile try turning a customer support question into a blog post or a case study and publish it for the rest of your customers to see. You'll have a new Help Center up in no time.
4. Analyzing data
Not only is the Playground an expert copywriter, but it's an excel junkie and math wiz, as well. Try copying in an excel sheet and ask it for summary statistics of your data.
Looking for a formula? Just ask.
Create a google sheets formula that recognizes if there is an email address in cell A1.
=IF(ISEMAIL(A1), TRUE, FALSE)
5. Scheduling and attending meetings
Unfortunately, we're coming up blank on this one... but Calendly is an incredible tool that makes scheduling easier and tools like fireflies, Supernormal, and Otter all have built in note taking an summary features to make it feel like you had an expert note taker and bring you right back to the meeting... even if you may have zoned out or put yourself on mute to grab a cup of coffee.
6. Updating customer records
With Scout, updating customer records is simple. Plug right into our Contacts database and search for any updated info like emails, phone numbers, addresses or birthdays. With the click of a button, you'll have updated info in no time.
7. Developing sales strategies
Ask and ye shall receive!
Develop a sales strategy to market a new home listing.
1. Create a detailed listing with high-quality photos and descriptions of the home.
2. Reach out to local real estate agents and offer them a commission for bringing in buyers.
3. Advertise the listing on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
4. Create a website and blog to showcase the listing and provide additional information.
5. Utilize email marketing to reach potential buyers.
6. Contact local newspapers and magazines to feature the listing.
7. Host an open house to give potential buyers a chance to view the home.
8. Utilize online listing services such as Zillow and Trulia.
9. Leverage word-of-mouth marketing by asking friends and family to spread the word. 10. Offer incentives such as discounts or free upgrades to attract buyers.
8. Keeping up with industry trends
It's important to note that with most AI today, their models are only trained through 2021. So finding new "trends" may be a little bit tricky. However, with Scout's newsletter builder in the Playground, you can access hyper-local, up-to-the-minute content, that's selected just for your industry and and other topics that you're looking for, no matter how recent.
9. Creating presentations
Slide decks and presentations are a breeze. From structuring the content to writing it out, Scout makes it super easy. Looking for some great graphics to add? Try midjourney to add some flavor.
Provide bullet points for a 7-page presentation on how to buy a new home.
• Introduction
- Overview of the home buying process
- Benefits of buying a home
• Financing
- Types of mortgages
- How to get pre-approved
- How to compare lenders
• Finding the Right Home
- How to search for a home
- How to evaluate a home
- How to make an offer
• Home Inspections
- What to expect
- What to look for
- How to negotiate repairs
• Closing
- What to expect
- How to prepare
- What to bring
• Homeownership
- What to expect
- How to maintain your home
- How to save money
• Conclusion
- Summary of the home buying process
- Tips for successful homeownership
10. Following up with customers
If there's one thing that Scout excels at, it's follow-up. Just choose an existing template or set your own criteria.
Conclusion
9/10 aint bad... If you're looking for a way to save time and maximize your efficiency, give Scout a try. And if there's something that we can't do, just ask and we'll help you find a resource or a way to achieve it.