Sales teams are constantly balancing meetings, follow-ups, handoffs, and pipeline updates. Despite all the effort, things still slip through the cracks. Leads go cold. Deals stall. And sometimes, reps just forget.
HubSpot Sales Hub automation helps by handling repetitive tasks, so your team can stay focused on high-value work. These automations support your team, not replace them.
In this blog, we’ll cover five key automations that will help your team stay organized, keep leads on track, and close deals faster. HubSpot Sales Hub’s workflows can reduce manual follow-ups, improve rep accountability, and ensure no opportunity slips by unnoticed.
What Is HubSpot Sales Hub?
HubSpot Sales Hub is part of HubSpot’s CRM, designed to help sales teams manage leads, track deals, and drive revenue. It brings all your sales tools into one place, so reps don’t have to jump between different systems to do their job.
Sales Hub gives full visibility into your pipeline, automates routine tasks, and helps track performance. But Sales Hub isn’t only about increasing output; it’s designed to eliminate uncertainty, allowing reps to concentrate on the next steps in the process.
Inside Sales Hub: Tools That Keep Revenue Moving
These are the key tools in Sales Hub that support daily sales activities:
Deal Pipelines: This is where deals live. You can visually track each stage, from new to closed, and see what needs to happen next.
Task and Activity Tracking: Calls, emails, meetings, and notes can be logged automatically, keeping all context in one place so everyone knows who did what.
Meeting Scheduling: Reps can send a link to their calendar for easy scheduling. Meetings automatically log in the CRM when booked.
Quotes and Documents: Create and send quotes directly from the deal record. You can track when someone views the quote, helping move deals forward based on engagement.
Workflow Automation: This is where Sales Hub really pays off. You can create automated tasks, reminders, and deal movements with “if-this-then-that” logic. This feature saves time and helps reps stay on track.
The goal of these tools is simple: reduce friction so deals move faster, without reps needing to remember every detail. To make this happen, it’s essential to define the stages of your sales process and understand what progress looks like at each step.
What a Typical Sales Pipeline Looks Like in HubSpot
A sales pipeline is your sales process in stages. It helps define what “progress” looks like and where each deal stands.
New/Incoming Lead: A contact enters your CRM, usually through a form, chat, or list import. Automation can assign the lead or send a welcome email.
Contacted: The rep has reached out. If there’s no response, automation can remind the rep or trigger a follow-up.
Qualified: When a lead fits your ideal customer profile and shows interest. Automations can notify managers or move the lead into a high-priority queue.
Meeting Scheduled: A discovery call or demo is on the calendar. If the prospect cancels, automation can reschedule and remind the rep.
Proposal Sent: The quote or pricing doc is sent. Automations can alert reps if the doc is opened or not viewed after a set time.
Negotiation: Pricing and legal reviews happen here. Some teams use alerts or tasks to ensure everything is covered.
Closed Won / Closed Lost: When a deal is won, trigger onboarding tasks and notifications. If lost, trigger a feedback form or analysis workflow.
Each pipeline stage is a decision point, and automations ensure that no stage gets missed or delayed. If your team is manually following up or forgetting steps, it’s a process issue that automation can fix.
What Is Sales Automation in HubSpot?
Sales automation in HubSpot uses simple trigger-based actions. You set a rule, like “If X happens, do Y,” and HubSpot takes care of the rest. Once set up, it runs consistently without anyone having to think about it.
Automation doesn’t replace your team; it frees them from repetitive tasks, allowing them to focus on what really matters: closing deals.
Why Sales Automation Matters
Sales automations are more than just sending emails. They handle the routine tasks, like follow-ups and handoffs, that keep deals moving.
Here’s why they’re important:
No More Forgotten Tasks: Automations ensure small but important steps aren’t missed.
Consistency: Every team member follows the same process, regardless of experience.
Keeps the Pipeline Moving: Automations can spot stalled deals and trigger the right action.
Better Insights: Automated tasks give you clear data on what’s working and what’s not.
The next step is understanding where to apply these automations. Your sales pipeline is where automation really shines, which is moving deals forward or keeping them from stalling.
In the next section, we’ll dive into five automations to implement at key pipeline stages.
5 Sales Hub Automations That Keep Revenue Flowing
Sales automation works best when it’s tied to key moments in the sales process: places where deals stall or tasks get overlooked. These five automations handle those weak spots and free up your sales team to focus on what matters.
Each automation answers the question: What can your CRM do to take work off your team’s plate?
1. Marching Order (When a Deal is Closed Won)
Once a deal closes, the sales rep’s work doesn’t stop. The “Marching Order” automation kicks off the post-sale process: creating tasks, notifying operations, and alerting the onboarding team. This ensures no delay in getting the customer started.
Why “Marching Order”?
The name reflects the clear steps that follow a closed deal. Just like marching orders, this automation keeps things moving without the rep needing to micromanage.
2. Auto Rebook (When a Meeting is Missed)
Missed meetings are common, but that doesn’t mean the opportunity is lost and the progress is derailed. The “Auto Rebook” automation sends a rescheduling link right after a meeting is missed, allowing prospects to pick a new time easily. This keeps the deal moving without extra effort.
Why “Auto Rebook”?
It automatically rebooks a meeting without relying on the rep to remember or re-engage. The goal is to keep things moving smoothly.
3. Wine and Dine (When a New Lead Comes In)
New leads need quick, personalized follow-up to stay engaged. The “Wine and Dine” automation sends a tailored welcome message, assigns a sales rep, and creates follow-up tasks right when a lead enters. This keeps leads engaged from the start.
Why “Wine and Dine”?
It’s about treating new leads with care, like a guest at a dinner party. This automation sets the stage for a positive relationship.
4. Nothing Is Lost Forever (When a Lead is Marked Lost)
A “lost” lead isn’t gone forever. The “Nothing Is Lost Forever” automation puts lost leads into a nurture sequence, keeping them engaged over time with periodic updates and check-ins. This ensures you’re there when the lead is ready.
Why “Nothing Is Lost Forever”?
It highlights that leads can always be revived. The automation keeps them in the pipeline and makes it easier to re-engage when the time is right.
5. Nudge the Rep (When There’s No Activity in 14 Days)
Deals can go quiet, but they don’t have to die. The “Nudge the Rep” automation tracks inactivity for 14 days and sends a reminder for the rep to take action. It ensures deals don’t slip through the cracks without anyone noticing.
Why “Nudge the Rep”?
The “Nudge” is a gentle reminder to get things moving again. It’s about giving reps a chance to re-engage before a deal goes cold.
These automations address key moments in the sales process, but let’s take a closer look at each one to see how they work and how they can streamline your sales workflow.
1. Deal Closed? Here’s What Happens Next
After a deal closes, momentum can stall. The customer might not hear anything, and teams often scramble to figure out the next steps.
The “Marching Order” automation eliminates that confusion. It sets the post-sale process in motion automatically.
Automation: Closed Won → Marching Order
Trigger: Deal stage = Closed Won
What it does: Handles the handoff, so the customer isn’t left waiting, and your team knows exactly what to do next.
Assign onboarding tasks: Tasks are automatically created for the onboarding team, so there’s no delay or confusion.
Send a welcome email: The customer gets a clear, automated message about what’s next, so no need for a manual email.
Internal notification: Sends a message to a Slack channel like #closed-won to update the team and ensure visibility.
Move deal to post-sale pipeline: If your onboarding team uses a separate pipeline, the deal moves automatically.
Notify the manager: The right person is notified about the deal, so there is no need for back-and-forth emails.
Create a follow-up task for the rep: If the sales rep stays involved, the task ensures they check in with the customer after a week.
Celebrate the win: The team gets an automatic message about the deal size, company name, and rep.
This automation ensures accountability, prevents deals from stalling, and helps maintain momentum without anyone needing to chase each other down. It keeps things moving smoothly and builds trust from the start.
2. Missed the Meeting? Don’t Miss the Deal
No-shows happen. When a prospect misses a meeting, quick follow-up is key to keeping the deal alive.
This automation helps re-engage the lead without relying on the rep’s memory.
Automation: Meeting Outcome = No Show → Auto Rebook
Trigger: Meeting outcome = No Show
What it does: It reschedules the meeting and reminds the rep to follow up automatically.
Send a reschedule email: A polite reminder goes out with a new meeting link, keeping the conversation going without the rep having to do it.
Create a follow-up task for the rep: If the lead doesn’t reschedule in a day, a task is assigned to ensure follow-up happens.
Log the no-show: The missed meeting is recorded in the contact’s timeline, providing full context if needed later.
Notify the sales manager (optional): A Slack or Teams alert can notify managers about high-value no-shows, keeping them in the loop.
With this automation, missed meetings don’t lead to missed deals. It lets the rep recover quickly, without adding to their to-do list.
3. New Lead Enters? Don’t Wait, Work It
New leads need quick attention. If you don’t engage fast, someone else will.
This automation makes sure your reps act immediately with a clear, personalized next step.
Automation: Lifecycle Stage = Lead → “Wine and Dine”
Trigger: Lifecycle stage = Lead
What it does: Automates the follow-up right when a new lead enters the system.
Send a welcome email: A simple, friendly message that sets expectations without the hard sell.
Assign the lead: You can rotate leads evenly, assign based on territory, or hand off based on product interest. Either way, someone owns the follow-up.
Create a task for outreach: A task for the rep to reach out within a business day: call, email, or book a meeting.
Send a personalized intro email: Use a follow-up that feels human, written in the rep’s tone and signed with their name. Even if automated, it reads like a direct note.
Create a task to connect on LinkedIn: This task is a reminder for the rep to send a LinkedIn invite to build credibility.
Enroll in a nurturing sequence: If there’s no response, a sequence keeps the lead warm without overloading them.
Notify the manager if no activity: If the rep doesn’t take action in two days, the automation escalates it to a manager.
This automation ensures new leads are contacted quickly, clearly, and consistently, avoiding missed opportunities.
4. Lead Goes Cold? Let It Cool, Then Come Back to It
Most “lost” leads aren’t dead, they’re just not ready. And if you forget to circle back, you’ll never know when that changes. This automation quietly keeps tabs on cold leads without you having to remember every single one.
Automation: Lead Status = Lost → “Nothing Is Lost Forever”
Trigger: Lead status = Lost
What it does: It creates a quiet, low-effort cycle that waits, checks in, and keeps the door open for future engagement.
Wait 30–60 days: Give leads time before reaching out. This prevents annoying early follow-ups.
Send a simple check-in email: A short, casual message like “Still a good time to talk?” keeps things low-pressure.
Add to a long-term nurture sequence: If no response, add them to a slow drip of relevant updates or blog posts.
Create a task for SDR follow-up in the next quarter: Reminds the rep to check in again during the next pipeline review.
Flag in pipeline review: Highlight these leads for sales leaders to review and decide whether to re-engage.
This automation ensures cold leads aren’t forgotten, allowing time to work in your favor. It keeps your sales pipeline active without overloading your team.
5. Deal’s Gone Quiet? Give It a Push Before It Dies
Deals can go cold fast. If nothing’s happened in two weeks, something’s likely off. This automation catches inactivity early before the deal slips away.
Automation: No Activity in 14 Days → “Nudge the Rep”
Trigger: No email, call, or meeting logged in 14 days on any open deal.
What it does: Surfaces quiet deals so reps can follow up before it’s too late.
Create a task for the rep: If a deal sits untouched for 14 days, the rep gets a task to follow up: call, email, or check in.
Send a Slack or internal alert: A quick heads-up that the deal’s been idle. It’s not a call-out, just a reminder.
Escalate to the manager at 21 days: If nothing changes, the manager gets notified. They can step in or reassign.
Include deal context: Each reminder includes key details, like company, stage, or last touch, so action is quick and easy.
Busy teams miss things. But if a rep forgets a deal long enough, the prospect forgets them too. This automation helps you catch drift early, without micromanaging.
It’s not about adding pressure. It’s about keeping deals active.
Keep Your Automations Running Smoothly
Setting up automations is the easy part, but keeping them useful and not disruptive takes regular maintenance. These tips will keep your Sales Hub workflows from turning into noise.
1. Don’t Over-Automate
You’re not trying to remove humans from the process; you’re trying to remove delays. If every step becomes an automation, you risk making the buyer experience feel robotic. Let automation handle the basics, but have your team close the loop.
2. Review Workflows Monthly
Things change. Sales strategies shift, people get reassigned, and campaigns end. Regularly audit your workflows to ensure they’re still aligned with your goals. Block 30 minutes once a month to check and audit your active workflows.
3. Test with Realistic Records
It’s easy to miss a detail that breaks the flow, so before going live, use test records to ensure everything works. Check if the triggers fire correctly and tasks go to the right person. It only takes a few minutes to avoid bigger problems later.
4. Make Sure Your Team Knows
Your team needs to understand how automations work. Walk them through it by showing them what happens and when. Automations should simplify their tasks, not add confusion or extra work.
Automate with Intent, Not Excess
You don’t need dozens of workflows; you just need the right ones that support how your team sells. These five automations provide a solid foundation, reducing manual tasks, identifying issues early, and keeping reps focused on the most important deals.
To make sure your automations stay effective, keep them simple and relevant. Set them up and review them monthly to catch any issues before they become problems. Tailor workflows to how your team works, not how you think they should. Automation should fill gaps, not create new ones. When done right, it helps prevent deals from going cold, flags missed opportunities, and nudges reps when action is needed.
It’s also worth revisiting what you’ve already built in HubSpot. You likely don’t need to start over; just make adjustments to tighten things up.
Want a second set of eyes? We can audit your current Sales Hub workflows, flag what’s working, and suggest quick wins that you can apply today.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What are workflows in HubSpot?
Workflows in HubSpot are automated processes that help manage tasks, communications, and data flow across your team. They can automate repetitive tasks, track activities, and ensure important follow-ups happen at the right time.
How do I set up a workflow in HubSpot?
To set up a workflow, navigate to your HubSpot account, go to the “Automation” tab, and select “Workflows.” From there, you can choose to create a workflow from scratch or use a template. Define the trigger (like a new lead or missed meeting), specify the actions (sending emails, assigning tasks), and set conditions for when the automation should run.
Can workflows be used for more than just sales processes?
Yes, workflows can be used across various departments. While sales teams benefit from automating lead management and deal tracking, workflows can also be applied to marketing, customer service, and operations. For example, you can automate email campaigns, customer follow-ups, and even internal notifications.
Can automations help if my sales process is already complex?
Absolutely. In fact, workflows are ideal for complex sales processes because they can help streamline various steps, trigger timely follow-ups, and keep everything organized. Just ensure that each automation is purposeful and targeted to meet specific needs without overcomplicating things.
Can I integrate workflows with other tools in HubSpot?
Yes, HubSpot workflows can integrate with various tools, such as email marketing platforms, CRMs, and even Slack or Microsoft Teams, to ensure smooth communication across systems. This enhances the automation experience and streamlines processes across platforms.
