Automation Doesn’t Fix Broken Sales

It just makes bad systems faster — and more expensive.

Several months ago, I saw someone talking about building sales automation.

“This GTM stuff is cool. If I automate outreach and follow-ups, I’ll save time and close more deals.”

I was already testing out these tools so I understood the journey..

I didn't hear back - but I saw that his tagline and ICP had changed quite a bit.

As someone who tends to keep adjusting until I get it right - I understood this too.

Here’s what I saw:

He was automating a process that wasn't ready.

He didn't do manual outreach first. His messaging didn't align with the problems of his outreach.

Probably wasted a few months.

That’s the trap.

My expertise is in automation, growth and streaming - and I've gone through this too.

Nobody is immune.

1. Automation is execution, not strategy.

You have to decide how you want things to work before automating anything.
Tools follow decisions — they don’t make them.

2. Don’t automate human moments.

The early stages of a sale are about trust.
Calls, onboarding, proposals — these may be “process steps" but they’re also client touch points and relationship builders.

3. Bad tools don’t just slow you down — they break trust.

If your stack creates chaos, your team and your prospects both feel it.
If you need an ops person just to untangle your CRM, it’s too complicated.

It's also trés expensive!

Think of automation like hiring a salesperson.
You wouldn’t bring one on without a clear customer, offer, and pitch.

Same rule applies here.

What’s one automation fail you’ve seen (or committed)?​
Reply and tell me — I’ll send back how I approach this problem today.

Thanks for reading!

Matt

PS: I'm going to be starting tomorrow for real working with B2B companies who are tired of having one "month hot another month not". If you know anyone who is stuck in this land of "feast or famine", I'd love to hear their problems and see if I can help.