Sending an email and task sequence to leads in Sell

Note: You need to enable the Reach add-on to use email sequences in Sell. Also, each Sell user that enrolls in a sequence must have integrated their email account into Sell (see Integrating email with Zendesk Sell). 

You can engage leads (prospects) by automatically sending them emails at intervals using an email sequence.

A sequence is a series of actions that specify how and when sales reps contact new leads. In other words, it is a series of contact attempts and the spacing between them. For example, you might send an introductory email on day one, a follow up email on day three, and an extra promotional email on day five. As soon as a lead answers one of the emails, or is converted to a contact, the sequence ends and no further emails are sent.

After your Sell admin has set up an email sequence in Sell, you can start enrolling leads into a sequence.

Before you add a lead to an email sequence, make sure that your leads have full contact information recorded in their Lead page, as this ensures the email sequence can proceed using accurate information. You can use Reach to enrich your existing leads.

You need update permissions in Sell to be able to add or remove a lead from an email sequence.

Note: You also have the option of managing lead sequence via the Sequence Enrollments API and through Zapier. For more information, see Managing leads in sequences via API and Zapier. 

This article covers the following topics:

• Starting a sequence for a lead
• Bulk starting a sequence for leads
• Viewing an email sequence for a lead
• Viewing sequences and scheduled emails in leads smart list
• Identifying emails sent to a lead using an email sequence
• Stopping an email sequence for a lead

Starting a sequence for a lead

You can select an email sequence from the list, and add the current lead to that sequence.

To add a lead to an email sequence

1. Open the Lead () page and choose a specific lead.
2. Click the (+) icon on the Sequences widget.

   If there are no sequences available, this means that your admin has not yet set up a sequence (see Setting up email sequences in Sell).

   Tip: Sell admins can customize visible widgets and their order in Settings > Customize > Layouts.
3. Click to select one of the available sequences, or use the search to find the name of the sequence you want.

   

   As you select a sequence, you'll see information about when the first automated email is due to be sent to the lead.

   If the lead with the same email address is already active in this sequence, you'll see a notification, and will not be able to add the lead again.

4. Click Next to preview steps in the selected sequence.

   

5. Click Start sequence. The lead is now active in the email sequence, and will receive emails according to that sequence. All emails to the lead will be addressed from you (the rep who added the lead to the email sequence).
   Note: If your lead does not have the information required by the email template merge tags, you'll see it in the email preview. Ensure all of a lead's contact information is recorded in their Lead page to ensure the email sequence proceeds using accurate information. If you don't add this information, your lead won't get emails from the sequence (see Using merge tags in your email messages). 

   As soon as a lead responds to an email, or is converted to a contact, the email sequence ends.

Bulk starting a sequence for leads

You can start an email sequence for multiple leads at once.

To add multiple leads to an email sequence at the same time

1. Open the Lead () page.
2. You can use either the Index or Table views on the Leads page. Select the checkbox next to the name of the lead. If you want to select all items in a view, you can click the Select All checkbox at the top of the list.
3. When you’ve selected all the leads you want to add to an email sequence, click Sequence.

   

   If there are no sequences available, this means that your admin has not yet set up a sequence (see Setting up email sequences in Sell).

4. Select one of the available sequences, or use the search to find the name of the sequence you want.

   

   As you select a sequence, you'll see information about when the first automated email is due to be sent to the lead.

5. Click Start sequence. The selected leads are now active in the email sequence, and will receive emails according to that sequence. All emails to the lead will be addressed from you (the rep who added the lead to the email sequence).
   Note: If your lead does not have information required by the email template merge tags, you'll see it in the email preview. Make sure that your leads have full contact information recorded in their Lead page, as this ensures the email sequence can proceed using accurate information. If you don't add this information, your lead won't get emails from the sequence. For more information, see Using merge tags in your email messages.

   As soon as a lead responds to an email, or is converted to a contact, the email sequence ends.

Viewing an email sequence for a lead

You can view the email sequences for each lead from the Sequences widget. This allows you to understand if a lead is or was enrolled in a sequence, and the sequence progress for an active sequence.

To view an email sequence for a lead

1. Open the Lead () page and choose a specific lead.
2. Click the + icon on the Sequences widget.

   You'll see a summary of the number of active, blocked, and completed sequences for that lead, and a list of all the sequences.

   If there are more than five sequences available, you can scroll to see more sequences.

   

   Each sequence provides the following information:

   • The sequence name.
   • The sequence state (active, blocked, or completed).
     • If the sequence is active: it will show the step that was last completed for the lead, and when the next scheduled email will be sent.
     • If the sequence is blocked: it shows the number of steps, and the reason the sequence is blocked. A sequence might be blocked if the email couldn't be delivered, or because your email quota has been reached, or because there is a problem with your email settings.
     • If the sequence is completed: the date the sequence completed for that lead, and the number of steps that were completed

For active and blocked sequences, you can view which emails are still scheduled for the future by clicking on the sequence name in the widget.

In the sequence preview, you can retry steps that cannot be completed.

Viewing sequences and scheduled emails in leads smart list

You can view the email sequences for multiple leads in the Leads smart list using the Ongoing Sequences and Completed Sequences columns. This shows you the leads that are or were enrolled in a sequence, as well as find leads that we’re not yet added to any sequence. You can also use the Next Email column to view the next scheduled email for any lead in your Leads smart list. For more information, see Using Sell smart lists.

Identifying emails sent to a lead using an email sequence

When an email is sent to a lead using an email sequence, you can see this correspondence type in the lead's activity feed.

To view an email sent using an email sequence

1. Open the Lead () page and choose a specific lead.
2. Go the activity feed section.

   Any emails sent using an email sequence are identified with a Sequence icon ().

   

3. Click the email to see the content of the email sent to the lead.

Stopping an email sequence for a lead

You can stop an email sequence for a lead using the Sequences widget, for example, because they have contacted you and asked to be removed from one or more sequences.

Note: If a lead emails you in response to an email sent by the email sequence, the email sequence is automatically stopped. 

All email sequences are automatically stopped for a Lead if any of the following events occur:

• The lead emails you in response to an email sent by the email sequence
• The lead is converted to a Contact in Sell
• The lead is deleted in Sell

To stop an email sequence for a lead

1. Open the Lead () page and choose a specific lead.
2. On the Sequences widget, hover over the sequence that you want to stop. If there are more than five sequences available, you can scroll to see more sequences.
3. Click the X icon to stop the sequence.
   

   

   The sequence is stopped immediately, and the lead will not receive any scheduled or future emails from the email sequence.