sales strategy

7 Pipedrive automation hacks that will enhance your sales pipeline

lemlist team
Last Update
Jan 17, 2024
Reading Time
7 min.

In this article, I'll share the best Pipedrive growth hacks that will help you with each stage of your pipeline. In fact, they helped us increase our close rate by 43%.

We live in the era of sales automation, yet a lot of people simply are not aware of different growth tricks they can leverage.

Today you'll see, in great detail, the best 7 Pipedrive automations that will absolutely blow your mind.

And when I say "best", I'm not joking. These tactics can be used every step of the way, from lead generation to converting lost leads.

But first, why choose Pipedrive as your go-to CRM?

  • Pipedrive's fanbase is enormous. It's one of the most popular CRMs for small & medium businesses. For example, it's #2 by popularity in our "The Sales Automation Community".
What-is-the-most-popular-CRM
  • Pipedrive has tons of integrations. When it comes to automation & growth tactics, you need to merge different tools into one workflow. This is where Pipedrive's integration marketplace can help.
Pipedrive integrations

Of course, everyone has their own sales pipeline. But since small and medium businesses are the majority here, we'll roll with this example:

  1. Lead In - the first stage for the lead
  2. Call Scheduled - the stage where you schedule a call or demo
  3. Negotiation - the phase when you discuss and assess their needs
  4. Proposal - the moment when you send your offer or suggest a free/paid trial of the tool
  5. Final Discussion - the pre-paid phase, where you discuss details and work with "lead's concerns"
Pipedrive-CRM-pipeline-example

You're free to set your own stages that fit your business model, but in general, these steps can be applied by the majority of SMBs and startups.

Before we go down the pipeline lane, let's take a quick step back and talk about lead generation.

Outbound lead generation - lemlist <> Pipedrive integration

Generate tons of leads with personalized cold emails and sync it with Pipedrive.

My results: 56% reply rate.

Here are some stats:

And as a result of this campaign, I had 44 meetings 🥳

Cold email results to Pipedrive CRM

Tools you need to set this up:

How to use this growth tip:

This is the best outbound hack and at the same time, it's easy to implement it.

Step 1: set up a cold email campaign with lemlist  

a) Create a campaign in lemlist

Create cold email campaign integrated with Pipedrive CRM

b) Add your leads and prepare the message

You can send your own email templates, but let me give an example for growth and marketing agencies.

The idea of this email is to meet the person in real life, so I recorded a quick video and combined it with lemlist's dynamic landing page feature. This strategy is called personalized video thumbnail and it's superb.

Since it's a unique feature for lemlist that got me a 56% reply rate, so I’ll share more details about it.

If you want to check other video personalization template, check this video sales email template.

c) You create a video and upload it to Youtube. If you want to show this video to leads in your campaign only and not have it on your YouTube channel, just choose “unlisted".

Video personalization lemlist

d) You add the link to the video in lemlist with “Insert video button”.

lemlist video in cold emails

e) Customize your landing page with the prospect's logo, colors, and text personalization. For example, if you write “Hello {{firstName}}”, lemlist will automatically put the recipient’s first name.

Set up video personalization lemlist

f) Add your calendar below the text and video. For instance, put to your Calendly in settings on the right side.

Add Calendly to lemlist

g) You can show a custom pop-up message (in chat) once the person finishes watching your video. In order to do this, create an account at lemtalk and copy the “Your Application Id (appId)”.

Add chat to dynamic landing pages lemlist

So at the end of the video, your leads will see a pop-up like this:

The end result is a personalized email with this dynamic landing page, where lemlist automatically personalizes each part of it.

Video personalization in cold emails by lemlist

Here's how the final email looks like. The first name and company logo are automatically updated, which is another awesome feature of lemlist.

For inspiration: Choose one of our inspirational cold email templates
Cold email Pipedrive

Important - if you want to send cold email, check the email deliverability checklist to avoid SPAM and if you're just a beginner - check the full cold email guide for beginners.

Step 2: Connect lemlist and Calendly with Pipedrive

Now we need to :

  1. Create new deals on Pipedrive with those who booked a call via Calendly;
  2. Stop a campaign on lemlist, so they won't get any follow-ups from this campaign.

And here we'll need Zapier!

The Zap will look like this:

Calendly Pipedrive CRM integration

Here's how to set it up:

a) Go to Zapier and choose a trigger "Invitee created in Calendly",

This means Zapier will work for those who picked a slot on your Calendly link.

Calendly Zapier

b) If you didn't use Calendly and Zapier together, you'll need to put an API key from Calendly to Zapier.

It's easy as 1,2,3. Just log in to Calendly and go to "Integrations":

Calendly integration

c) Stop a campaign for this specific person (so he/she won't receive follow-ups since they booked a time):

To do that, we pick lemlist and "Stop emailing a Buddy-to-be in a campaign"

lemlist Zapier integration

d) Define the fields "email" and "campaign" to exclude people.

It's super easy to do:

  1. Choose the email that came from Calendly
  2. Select the name of your lemlist campaign
lemlist calendly integration

e) If you haven't connected Zapier and lemlist before, Zapier will ask you to connect your lemlist account.

In order to find your "login and password for Zapier", go to lemlist --> settings --> integrations --> scroll down to "Zapier".

lemlist integration

f) Create a new person & new deal in Pipedrive.

Pick "Pipedrive" as an app and the new action "Create Person"...

Pipedrive Zapier

g) Choose custom variables that will be added to your Pipedrive record.

  1. Name (from Calendly)
  2. Email (from Calendly as well)
Add new leads to Pipedrive with Zapier

h) Create a deal in Pipedrive with the person you created on the previous step

Customize Pipedrive deal in Zapier

i) Again, if you didn't use Zapier and Pipedrive, just allow access to your Pipedrive account.

Connect Pipedrive CRM with Zapier

The end result is this amazing workflow.

Pipedrive automation workflow

So everyone who books a call with you will be added to Pipedrive automatically (and don't worry, they won't get any wrong emails).

Btw, you can use different Pipedrive phone integrations to handle meetings.

Inbound lead generation - AutopilotHQ <> Pipedrive integration

Lead scoring helps you identify hottest leads you should contact ASAP. So make sure to score your leads the right way.

How it works?

Every time someone engages with your email, you can assign a "score". For example, if a person opens your email, they receive three points. If that person also clicks on a link, ten points are given.

My results: +37% inbound leads after implementing the scoring system

Tools we'll use:

How to use this growth tip:

I'm using AutopilotHQ to showcase this hack, but you can play with other tools like Customer.io, Mailchimp, and so on.

Step 1: Create a sequence of emails to nurture your leads after they subscribe to your blog or download a lead magnet from website popup

This is where lead nurturing comes into play. For example, you can send:

  • best articles you have
  • specific use cases
  • webinars or videos

The whole flow will look somewhat like this:

AutopilotHQ Pipedrive email automation workflow

With this flow we just send emails and that's it. But, our desire is to add lead scoring.

Don't panic! It looks messy, but it's super easy to connect the dots. Remember...

  • If a contact opens your email --> 3 points
  • If a contact clicks on a link -> 10 points
AutopilotHQ Pipedrive email automation workflow.png

The more your prospect engages with your emails, the bigger the score.

Step 2: Send information about warmed up leads to Pipedrive and your sales team

Once somebody reaches the target score, add them to Pipedrive as a qualified lead.

Add a new deal to Pipedrive automatically

Receive Slack notifications every time you have a new deal (Slack <> Pipedrive integration)

Slack notifications can be used to remind you about new leads. Especially if you're working at 200 miles per hour and don't want to miss out on opportunities.

Pipedrive Slack integration

Tools we'll use:

How to use this growth tip:

There is a direct integration between Pipedrive and Slack, so you won't need to use Zapier.

Pipedrive lemlist hacks
Step 1: Start setting up the workflow automation

a) Find "Send Slack" option and choose your preference (pick between sending notifications to private or public Slack channels)

Pipedrive automation workflow
Step 2: Install Dealbot

This is THE bot that will help you set this up. Click on "allow access":

Dealbot by Pipedrive
Step 3: Pick the Slack channel in which you will get alerts from Pipedrive

Here's what I recommend:

  1. Deals added --> make sure to add your sales team to the channel
  2. Deals won --> add everyone here and celebrate wins together

Win back leads who didn't show up for your demo -Pipedrive email integration

Slack notifications are about leads getting in. The next workflow automation is about the second stage... "Call Scheduled".

Pipedrive lemlist hacks

What is the main problem with leads at this stage?

Sometimes they book a call and don't show up later on.

Then you need to start from scratch. Reschedule a call, find a new time slot, and hope that this lead will finally join your Zoom link. 😰

There's a better way to counter this situation.

My results: +36% saved leads

Pipedrive lemlist integration

Tools we'll use:

How to use this growth tip:

Step 1: Connect lemlist and Pipedrive

Go to lemlist --> Settings --> Integrations --> connect Pipedrive CRM.

Connect lemlist with Pipedrive
Step 2: Create "custom fields" and filters in Pipedrive to send messages to a specific group of people

Go to "Settings" --> "Data fields" --> "Add custom field" button --> "Person field".

Pipedrive CRM fields

In our case, we'll create a field "Didn't come to the demo/call". If you put "yes", these people will get a lemlist campaign automatically.

You should also choose "Autocomplete" under "Field type".

Piopedrive integration
Step 3: Come back to "Contacts" in order to create a new filter

Click on "Your name" -> "Add new filter".

Add filters in Pipedrive CRM
Step 4: Make a filter for people who didn't come to the demo

If there's a "yes" value next to "Didn't come to the demo", this lead is in.

Pipedrive
Step 5: Create a campaign in lemlist to follow up on those who didn't come to the demo

Go to "Create a new campaign" --> choose Buddies-to-be from Pipedrive --> choose the filter we just created:

Pipedrive lemlist hacks

A campaign like this, maybe?

Cold email template (for Pipedrive CRM)

I've used a personalized image, so the person will see his or her name on the photo. The beauty is that it automatically updates for each person.

Image personalization in cold emails

It's always a good idea to add smart follow-ups, because sometimes people forget to reply to the first email.

Now, a super important point you don't wanna miss.

Step 6: When on "Options" stage in lemlist, put a mark on "Review automatically new Buddy-to-Be inserted in the Buddy-to-Be list".
Automatic review in lemlist

By doing so, you're ensuring all emails are sent automatically, without having to review them manually.

If someone misses a demo, we just need to open the deal --> scroll down to "Person" --> put "yes" next to "Didn't come to demo".

And this lead will automatically get a sequence of emails:

Pipedrive integrations

Automatically send notes to Pipedrive after sales meetings

"Negotiations" stage is next.

I'll show you how to create and transfer important notes to Pipedrive automatically.

My results: +12% more demo calls each week

Fireflies Pipedrive integration

Tools we'll use:

How to use this growth tip:

One simple step: Create an account at FireFiles.ai and connect Pipedrive
Pipedrive Fireflies integrations

Every time you have a call or demo, FireFiles will connect to it, analyze the context, and make simple notes directly in Pipedrive.

Automatic notes in Pipedrive

Now all your meetings will have notes and you'll spend on it zero minutes.

Create invoices on autopilot - Paycove <> Pipedrive integration

The time is fine to focus on the "Proposal" stage. This Pipedrive growth hack will be more suitable for service-oriented businesses:

What salespeople love the most? 😍

When the invoices they send are paid.

But what the hate the most? 😡

Creating invoices.

Paycove can help.

My results: I don't create invoices anymore :)

Pipedrive Paycove integration

Tools we'll use:

How to use this growth tip:

Step 1: Install Paycove and choose "Pipedrive integration"
Pipedrive integration with Paycove
Step 2: Match actions with Paycove and stages in Pipedrive

For example, when you move the lead to "Proposal" stage, Paycove will automatically create an invoice based on data you put to "Deal value".

Quotes and invoices in Paycove are always synced with data in Pipedrive.

For example, I made a test deal with a value of $100, and here's what Paycove made based on it.

Pipedrive automated invoices

And here is the example of the invoice. There is some info missing, but that's because I made a test deal.

No need to create a new invoice template. It's already created for you!

Aaaaand...

Every time leads pay --> Pipedrive automatically marks them as "Won".

Re-engage your lost leads in style

Finally, let's figure a way to re-engage lost leads.

Pipedrive lemlist hacks

The idea is to send a campaign to maintain a warm relationship with them. And if they rebuild their interest, a new deal will be created in Pipedrive.

My results: 11% from lost leads to opportunities again.

Pipedrive integration with lemlist email automation

Tools we'll use:

How to do this growth tip:

Step 1: Create "Predefined lost reasons" to filter lost leads

In order to do this, go to "Company settings" --> "Lost reasons" --> "Add predefined lost reason".

Step 2: Go to "Contacts" --> create a new filter

In order to filter lost leads by a reason why you lost them in the first place.

Step 3: Create the filter and put the predefined lost reason

In our case, it's "Not now".

Step 4: Create a campaign in lemlist

Choose "Buddies-to-be" from Pipedrive and pick the filter "Lost reason":

IMPORTANT! Make sure to also pick "Enable full sync".

lemlist integration with Pipedrive
Step 5: So now we just need to make emails that we'll send

We need to put a delay in this campaign based on your sales cycle.

For example, I'll put 70 days. This means I'll contact lost leads in more than 2 months on autopilot.

Email to lost leads

As previously stated, I'm a big advocate of using personalized images in cold emails. After all, we live in H2H era (human to human).

Integrate Pipedrive with lemlist
Step 6: Add 5-8 follow-ups, but with proper delays

Since we're talking about lost leads who are not interested in our services right now, we shouldn't be too pushy.

So I recommend choosing the 1-email-per-month flow.

Connect with lost leads
Step 7: Set up what happens when they reply
  • We need to mark "Replies to the email" as the reason to create a new opportunity
  • Review automatically Buddies-to-be, so all lost leads with "Not now" reason will be added to this campaign automatically
  • Choose the deal stage where the lead will be added when they reply
Add leads to Pipedrive from lemlist

So, now you can manage lost leads automatically and convert them to new leads without your control.

Oh, there's one cool thing left for you to do to use most of these hacks with full power. Sign up and test lemlist.

Summary

Now you can do a loooot of cool growth tactics in Pipedrive.

  1. Generate leads with outbound and inbound marketing
  2. React with the rocket speed when new leads come on
  3. Automate follow-ups for leads who didn't show up for your call or demo
  4. Make notes on calls automatically
  5. Created invoices on autopilot
  6. Convert lost leads into new warm leads


lemlist team
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