does your business need a crm?
CRM. Three letters that get thrown around constantly in business conversations, usually by someone trying to sell you software. Here’s what it actually means:
FIRST, WHAT’S A CRM?
It stands for Customer Relationship Management tool. It's a system for keeping track of your customers, your leads, and your your closed sales. Like a pipeline, where each customer and lead is in a different stage of buying from you.
A CRM is a database that replaces the spreadsheet, the stack of business cards, and the mental notes you're keeping about who called last week, who needs a follow-up, and who you quoted three months ago.
what it actually does
Just a few things it can do:
Store every lead that comes in from your website, phone, or referral
Track where each lead is in your sales pipeline (new, quoted, won, lost)
Send automatic follow-up emails or texts when someone fills out a form
Remind you to follow up with someone you quoted but haven't heard back from
Keep a full history of every conversation with every customer
Send automatic review requests after a job is completed
Track which marketing channels are sending you the most leads
do you need one?
Technically, no business needs a CRM. Its just a much more efficient way to run things. Here’s a few signs that you may or may not need a CRM:
You're getting fewer than 10 leads a month: Probably not yet. A simple spreadsheet and a disciplined follow-up process will do the job.
You're getting 10 to 30 leads a month and some are falling through the cracks: Yes, it's time. The cost of a missed follow-up or a forgotten quote is real money.
More than 30 leads a month and managing them manually: You're losing business, full stop. You need a system.
If you want to automate follow-ups: Even at lower volumes, if you want automated texts or emails going to every new lead within minutes of them contacting you,a CRM is what makes that happen.
how to get started
For a local trades or service business, you don't need enterprise software. You need something that integrates with your website (https://www.mcgrawesome.com/web-design), captures leads automatically, and is simple enough that you'll actually use it.
We set up CRM systems for local businesses as part of what we do, specifically because a great website that generates leads doesn't do much good if those leads aren't followed up with properly.
If you're curious whether a CRM makes sense for your stage of business, it's a five-minute conversation.
Ready to MAKE YOUR crm?
McGrawesome Design has been building websites for Orillia and Simcoe County businesses for over six years. We're not going to oversell you something you don't need — and we're not going to hand you a template and call it custom.
