5 Strategies to Integrate Sales Automation with Your Accounting System

Imagine this: You’re a small or medium-sized business owner looking for ways to streamline internal processes.

Your objective is simple: to save both time and money.

While there are many places to turn your attention, it’s always good practice to start by figuring out where you can automate.

What are two areas, or departments, where you or your team work with a lot of data and minute, repeat processes?

Sales and accounting.

You will likely find that there are many ways to integrate sales automation into accounting processes so these teams can better work together with more transparency, accuracy, and speed.

And when that happens, the end result is a win-win.

In some (but not all!) businesses, accounting departments and sales departments don’t believe they need to get along. Even worse, they may have unfavorable opinions of each other.

For example, salespeople often want to be able to play “free and loose” to close more deals.

Conversely, accounting may wish they were just a bit more careful because, at the end of the day, it’s their responsibility to balance the revenue sales generates with accounts payable to keep businesses in the black and create accurate financial records. In other words, reckless maneuvering on the sales side will eventually end up in their laps.

Sales and accounting can (and should!) be able to “play nice” with one another. They should respect, and ideally even be able to participate in, each others’ processes to ensure that they’re working toward the overall betterment of the company.

Here’s why.

In any business — regardless of size or industry — the interaction between different departments can significantly impact overall efficiency and success. Particularly, the collaboration between the sales and accounting departments is crucial.

Although these teams often operate at different stages of the funnel and may even seem at odds at times (see above), their successful cooperation is essential for a range of business functions.

Here are some of the many reasons why sales and accounting need to work closely together:

By aligning their efforts, these departments not only enhance each other's capabilities but also contribute to the stability and growth of the entire organization.

Understanding each other’s roles and integrating functions can lead to improved accuracy in financial data, better financial planning, and ultimately, a more robust bottom line.

By now, you understand the importance of integrating sales automation and accounting. But there’s still a question to answer: how exactly do you do this?

Here are five of the most direct ways to integrate sales automation and accounting.

A smart CRM (customer relationship management) system is a technological tool designed to automate and enhance sales processes. It systematically manages interactions with current and potential customers, tracks sales activities, and gathers vital customer data. This automation streamlines the sales process, making it more efficient and data-driven.

For accounting, gaining access to the CRM sales system is invaluable.

This offers visibility into the ongoing conversations and negotiations that the sales team has with customers and leads. Insight like this allows accounting to provide informed advice on pricing strategies, credit terms, and payment follow-ups, ensuring financial policies align with customer engagement strategies.

By integrating CRM data, accounting can also forecast revenue more accurately and manage cash flows more effectively.

Automating the sales pipeline is a strategic move that leverages technology to streamline every phase of the sales process.

By automating tasks such as data entry, lead nurturing, and follow-ups, businesses can ensure that no opportunities slip through the cracks. This level of automation not only accelerates the sales cycle but also enhances the accuracy of the sales data captured.

The significance of an automated sales pipeline extends beyond the sales department. The real-time data generated from this automation provides a clear and current view of potential revenue, allowing sales teams to gauge whether they are on track to meet their revenue goals.

Now, let’s talk about what it can do for the accounting department.

Above all else, it offers a preview of upcoming deals, which is essential for financial forecasting and resource allocation. Knowing what deals are likely to close and when helps accounting prepare more accurate financial forecasts and manage cash flow more effectively.

This foresight helps to make informed financial decisions and ensure the company’s financial health is maintained.

Applying automation to collaboration between sales and accounting teams can significantly enhance efficiency and ensure that no valuable insights are lost in translation.

This is especially critical if your teams more often meet in remote settings vs. in-person.

For example, some collaboration platforms already use AI to automatically capture and summarize notes from joint brainstorming sessions.

Let’s look at some of the advantages of using automation here:

​​Automating KPI (key performance indicator) tracking streamlines the way the sales and accounting departments monitor and respond to performance metrics.

This automation provides real-time data, improving transparency and helping both teams stay on the same page.

Now, for the benefits:

For example, if accounting is tracking the financial impact of customer churn but sales is not prioritizing retention, this misalignment can be quickly identified and rectified once you automate the process of tracking and reporting on KPIs.

It may be difficult to see on the surface, but the automation and sharing of KPI tracking is a game-changer across sales and accounting.

Automating revenue reporting streamlines how sales and accounting teams access and use financial data.

Revenue reports from a sales perspective show the earnings from sales activities, impacting decisions on strategies, profit, and cash flow.

On the flip side, accounting teams use these reports to overview revenue earned over specific periods, which is essential for regulatory compliance and financial analysis.

The advantages of automating revenue reporting are easy to see:

Automating this process allows sales and accounting teams quick and reliable access to the data they need for effective performance. Sales can adjust strategies based on real-time financial insights, while accounting maintains accurate financial tracking and compliance.

Embracing automation in sales and accounting is more than just a convenience—it's a strategic necessity. It ensures precision, saves time, and aligns departmental goals, driving your business toward greater efficiency and success.

Gone are the days of sales and accounting being at odds. Their successful, automated integration will bring both departments together to work in harmony.