How to structure your CRM

Most businesses and agencies have a CRM but aren't using it right.

A CRM is a tool or place to manage your leads and clients. Even if it’s an Excel sheet, that’s your CRM. Not a very good one, but it counts.

Now, If you’re still juggling leads and clients in your head, this is a big problem and you need something better, ASAP. If that’s the case, click here and get access to my free CRM template.

On to today’s topic: CRM stages. This is the most important field in your CRM. You need to know where the prospect or client is in your customer journey. Common stages are:

Common but ineffective.

Looking at your stages, are you able to quickly see what everyone needs? Most CRM tools allow you to add notes, and this is a great function. But at a glance, you need to know what action is required for each stage so you can confidently nudge them toward becoming a client.

How? It’s simple. Be more specific, and instead of naming your stage to reflect where they’re at, name them to describe what they need.

For example, “Needs Follow Up” or “Needs Proposal” is much more effective than “Lead”. The stage should always describe exactly what must be done. This also promotes a more proactive mindset and will accelerate the rate at which leads become paying customers.

But first, to know exactly what prospects need, you must clarify the customer journey. From prospecting to sales calls, proposals, payment, onboarding, etc. Stage names that reflect someone’s needs are the result of a clear process.

To take it one step further, you can automate these stage changes so that when the needed action is complete, they automatically move into the next stage of the journey. This way, your CRM always accurately reflects what they need.

There’s also the possibility of completely automating your CRM flow (this is exactly what I help clients with), but having a clearly defined customer journey and properly named stages is a powerful and critical first step (and likely what you should focus on next).

Imagine having a CRM where everyone is clearly labeled with their needs. It would make onboarding team members much easier, your systems more intuitive, and provide a proactive way to manage your list.

Go ahead and try it:

See you all next Thursday 👋

PS. Whenever you're ready... Here are three ways I can help you systemize & automate operations: