Have you ever signed up for a CRM system, filled it with contacts… then quietly abandoned it?
If so, you’re absolutely not alone. In fact, I’d bet my bottom dollar that the majority of solo business owners have been through this cycle at least once.
Sometimes you find a great system, give it a really good try, fill it with your contacts and then stick with it for a week… possibly even a whole month.
Then slowly but surely you lose hope – especially when you realise it’s taking more time to use it than not to use it.
At which point you’re left feeling deflated and wary of trying out other CRM systems.
(Until you find the next shiny thing, that is.)
Now I’m not here to tout a particular piece of software and tell you that will solve the problem. Instead, try my 7 steps to avoid the CRM abandonment cycle:
Step 1: Map out your client processes, from start to finish
Yes, I know this might seem like overkill but it’s worth it, I promise (and I’ve got something that can get you started with your onboarding process here.)
Step 2: Decide why you want a CRM system
‘Because I’m a business owner so I should have one’ is not enough. If that’s all you come up with, then do not pass Go, do not collect £200, and do not bother with a CRM system. I genuinely mean that!
Some useful reasons you might want a CRM system are:
- You want to spot patterns in your data, for example, where potential clients are coming from, which industries they’re in, what your most popular services are, or which service gets the most attention but turns into the smallest amount of money.
- You have too many contacts at different stages of your sales and delivery pipeline to remember who needs what from you and when.
- You want to slice and dice your contacts in a variety of ways so you can consider what each group needs more effectively.
Step 3: Choose your CRM system based on your processes, why you want it, and what works for your brain
For more thoughts on this, check out Which Style of CRM System is Best for Your Service-based Small Business?
Step 4: Start small
Set up one area at a time with a small group of contacts. Then bed that in before expanding.
Starting with a small group of contacts is critical here. Throw them all in at once and you’ve already lost the overwhelm battle.
A caveat: if you’re using many interlinked features at once then you may need to set these up in one go, but try to avoid spending a whole day setting the lot up, adding all your contacts, and then feeling completely overwhelmed.
Step 5: Look at which automations and integrations are most useful with other software you already use
For example, use browser extensions and email integrations if they make your life easier, bringing your CRM system into the software ecosystem you already use. Again, you don’t have to set these up from day one. Take it a bit at a time.
Step 6: Create a regular habit to check in on your CRM system
Regular could mean 5 minutes a day, 30 minutes once a week or an hour every month. This will depend how fast your client systems move.
This habit can be the hardest part but having made your CRM system work effectively for you, and knowing exactly why it’s useful to you, will make this easier.
If you were hoping I’d say this would be a set-it and forget-it job then you’re out of luck, but with a bit of planning, it can become an easy, regular task. And it’s the type of thing you can review regularly with someone else: an accountability buddy, a virtual assistant or an online business manager.
Step 7: Set a time to review your CRM system set-up
Is it helping you to achieve your goal from step 2? Is it helping you follow (or refine) your processes from step 1? Is any part of it overwhelming?
If something isn’t working for you, it’s not a failure to be abandoned – it’s useful data. You’re allowed to adjust your set-up over time.
And if you’re nodding along to all of this but thinking ‘I’ve already got myself in a mess, how do I make it smooth now?’ then set aside some time to go back to basics and untangle it.
Or you can call me in to help of course.
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