kdarby85
Let’s say you’re a business development or marketing professional. Chances are, you have zero extra time in your day between all the events, follow-ups, reporting, data entry, and note-taking you somehow have to squeeze in. And if you’re also a caregiver or juggling personal responsibilities? Yeah, it can feel like there’s negative time left to actually get things done.
If only there were some clever, not-too-techy ways to speed up the basic stuff. Spoiler alert: there are.
Borrowing a classic framework from the manufacturing world, automation tools are best used to take over tasks that are Dull, Dirty, Dangerous, Difficult, or Dear (as in, expensive). Collectively known as the 5 D’s, these are the things that make you go:
“Ugh, why am I still doing this manually?”
So what’s on your “ugh” list?
After a quick pulse check with my own colleagues and industry friends (aka my informal BD brain trust), here are some tasks we’re all doing that definitely fall into the 5 D’s:
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Email follow-up
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Sending reminders to the team
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Scheduling meetings (with 17 back-and-forths)
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Rewriting notes into a “boss-ready” format
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CRM data entry (yes, still)
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Researching clients, trends, or competitors
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Trying to re-engage contacts who ghosted
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Updating social media (when you remember to)
Even automating just one of these can earn you back a few minutes—or hours—you didn’t think existed.
🏆 Easiest AI-Powered Automation to Try in 10–15 Minutes:
Set up a Google Alert (or Bing Alert) for a target client or industry keyword.
It’s the lowest-lift, highest-payoff automation move I’ve found for BD folks who want to dip a toe into AI or productivity hacks—no coding, no fancy setup.
Why it’s great for beginners:
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No integrations or tech know-how required
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Free and takes less than 10 minutes
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You’ll instantly feel more “in the know” for smarter outreach
🛠️ Set It Up in ~5 Minutes:
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Go to Google Alerts
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In the search bar, type a client name, industry term, or competitor (e.g., “Mayo Clinic” or “speed-to-market mission critical design trends”)
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Click “Show options” and customize:
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Frequency (e.g., daily or weekly)
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Source types (news, blogs, etc.)
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Language and region
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Where to deliver (your inbox or an RSS feed)
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Click Create Alert
Boom. You’re done. Your future self will thank you.
✨ Bonus BD Superpowers:
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Send quick “thought of you” emails when a client gets mentioned in the news
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Spot early RFPs—especially from public agencies
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Keep tabs on competitors or buzzwords like “adaptive reuse” or “science & tech campuses”
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Or just feel like a genius when you know what’s happening before everyone else
Automation doesn’t have to mean bots and dashboards and coding tutorials. It can start with something as simple as a Google Alert. It’s free. It’s fast. And it’s one less thing you’ll have to manually track.
Want to see a few more easy automations tailored to business development? I’ve got a whole toolkit I’m building—happy to share!
