Foundation Tools (Master these first)
Zapier/Make (formerly Integromat) - Connects 3,000+ applications - No coding required - Powerful logic and conditions - ROI: 10-50x time investment
Google Sheets + Scripts - Free and powerful - Connects to everything - Simple automation via formulas - Advanced via Google Apps Script
Python/Basic Scripting - Ultimate flexibility - Thousands of libraries - APIs for everything - Investment: 40 hours to basic proficiency
Specialized Tools by Function
Sales Automation - Outreach.io / SalesLoft - Calendly + Zoom integration - DocuSign for contracts - Gong.io for call intelligence
Marketing Automation - HubSpot / Marketo / Pardot - Canva for design templates - Buffer for social media - Unbounce for landing pages
Data & Analytics Automation - Tableau / Power BI - Google Data Studio - Segment for data collection - Monte Carlo for monitoring
Project Management Automation - Asana / Monday.com - Slack workflows - Notion databases - Airtable automations