{
  "$type": "site.standard.document",
  "description": "It’s time to start managing your relationships with your leads and clients instead of reacting. It’s time to start using a Sales CRM as your...",
  "path": "/resources/crm/",
  "publishedAt": "2020-02-14T18:25:09.000Z",
  "site": "at://did:plc:jznynyzgerlqmdbbj33o7wfs/site.standard.publication/3mnll3icujb2z",
  "textContent": "It’s time to start managing your relationships with your leads and clients instead of reacting.\n\nIt’s time to start using a Sales CRM as your system to stay on top of your relationships.\n\nThe number one mistake I see freelancers and consultants make is that they forget to use their CRM.\n\nI get it.\n\nUsing a Sales CRM means learning a new tool, process, and system.\n\nYour CRM can start feeling like a “Pile o’ Shame.” It’s a list of all the actions and activities you didn’t make time for. It’s full of the contacts you haven’t followed up with (yet).\n\nI get it, friend.\n\nThere is a better path.\n\nYou’re going to start using a CRM. Moreover, you’re going to build a CRM habit.\n\n“I don’t think I need a CRM, Kai.”\n\nYeah, most people don’t until it’s too late.\n\nHere is a quick CRM self-assessment. Answer each question ‘Yes’ or ‘No.’\n\nDo you have a list of all the leads that are currently in your pipeline?\nDo you use a piece of software to keep track of whom you need to follow-up with?\nCan you tell me (with confidence) what percentage of conversations with leads turn into paid projects?\nDo you know what specific next actions you’re supposed to take with each lead in your pipeline?\nDo you have one standard place where you store your notes, activities, and information about your leads and clients?\n\nGive yourself 1 point for each ‘Yes’ and 0 points for each ‘No.’\n\nIf you scored 4-5, you’re terrific at your relationship management. Email me at kai@kaidavis.com and let me know that you’re a Follow-Up Fanatic.\n\nIf you scored under 4 points, you’re carrying too much information around in your head.\n\nYour brain is an impressive piece of technology. But, it isn’t great at remembering the 17 different activities you need to take next week with your contacts, clients, and leads.\n\nIf you aren’t using a CRM, you’re leaving your follow-up to your frail, human, meat brain.\n\nIt’s time to start using a CRM as part of your sales system to help you stay on top of your relationships.\n\nThe golden rule of relationship management\n\nWhen you take action with a lead, you want to schedule your next activity immediately.\n\nIn practice, it can look like this:\n\nYou make a note in your CRM on a lead of a future task you want to take care of, like “Send Kai an email next Monday.”\nNext Monday, you see that activity, and you send your friend Kai an email at kai@kaidavis.com\nOnce you complete your action, you’ll want to immediately make a note/schedule your next activity with that lead\nThat next activity might look like “Send Kai a follow-up email in 2 weeks.”\n\nThis golden rule comes to us from Activity-Based Selling. Activity-Based Selling is a sales technique that has you you focus on the activities that are under your control (like “Send an Email” or “Follow-Up”) instead of events that are outside of your control (like “Get a reply from Kai” or “Get that proposal accepted”).\n\nWhen you switch your focus to activities that are under your control, you make it easier on yourself. Sales, selling, and CRMs feel less anxiety inducing.\n\nInstead of thinking to yourself\n\nWell, the next step is to get this proposal accepted. How the heck do I do that?\n\nYou’re focusing on the actions and activities that are under your control (send emails, set meetings, follow-up!).\n\nIn the Activity-Based Selling worldview, you want to schedule your next activity as soon as you complete the current activity.\n\nThis way, you’re never caught flat-footed wondering ‘What am I supposed to do here?” You’re leaving future you a note.\n\nIf you’d like to learn more about the idea of-Activity Based Selling, you can in this free video lesson: /activity-based-selling/\n\n“Which CRM should I start with?”\n\nPick the tool that works best for you. There’s no magic, secret sauce to a tool.\n\nThe secret is you showing up, using it consistently, and putting in the work. You want to build a CRM habit.\n\nBuilding your CRM habit\n\nThese are the steps I took to build a habit of using my CRM. These steps help reduce friction, get your eyes on your pipeline more, and help you always know what actions to take next.\n\nMake your CRM the default\n\nFirst, set your CRM’s Deal Pipeline as your browser homepage. You want to see this whenever you open a new window.\n\nAdd some data\n\nStart adding data to your CRM.\n\nHere, you can add me, send me an email, and then schedule a reminder for a future activity to follow-up with me.\n\nName: Kai Davis\nEmail: kai@kaidavis.com\n\nSend me an email and say “Hey Kai, added you to my CRM!” and I’ll send you back an email with Emojis of Awesome.\n\nSchedule time to use your CRM\n\nSchedule time twice a week for twenty minutes on your calendar.\n\nThis time is when you’re reviewing your CRM, processing actions, and cleaning things up.\n\nUse this time to open up your CRM and poke at it.\n\nCustomize your pipeline\nAdd deals and contacts\nProcess emails into deals\nAdd activities\nSend follow-up emails\n\nMake using your CRM part of your workflow.\n\nAdd this time to your calendar just twice a week to start. In a month, you’ll want to make it three or four times a week.\n\nYou don’t want to overwhelm yourself; you want to build a habit.\n\nGet used to your CRM\n\nIf there are on-boarding videos, watch them.\n\nDoes your CRM have an “Inbox Integration” or any features to make it easier for you to use?\n\nTake 30 minutes and set up those integrations. Turn on and test the features that look useful.\n\nCustomize your pipeline\n\nI use and recommend a Pipeline with these stages:\n\nNew Lead\nIn Conversation\nMeeting Scheduled\nReady for Proposal\nFinalizing Details\nWaiting for Payment\nThe Pen\n\nOne rule: deals should only move forward in your pipeline.\n\nThe exception is The Pen, which is for long-term follow-up. The Pen is where you stick deals that are in a holding pattern. “Follow-up in 3-months” and all that. When they’re ready, move them out of the pen into the appropriate spot\n\nNew Lead: New leads from your website, people you’re following-up with in advance of a reply.\n\nIn Conversation: People who have replied to your outreach, people who you’re in an email exchange.\n\nMeeting Scheduled: You have a meeting on the books. Cards shouldn’t ever move back from here. You should end every meeting by scheduling the next meeting while they’re still on the call.\n\nReady for Proposal: They’re ready to receive a proposal/quote/price/buy now link from you.\n\nFinalizing Details: You’re in the last 10% of the deal. This stage is the final conversation and objection busting. You’re waiting on the decision-maker saying “Yes.”\n\nWaiting for Payment: You’re in the last 2% of the deal. This stage is waiting for the payment to arrive.\n\nThe Pen: Is your holding pattern for deals that go into long-term follow-up.\n\ne.g., “I am waiting on my contact to get back from their Arctic Cruise next June.”\n\nWhen you get paid\n\nMark your deal as won and remove it from your pipeline\nSchedule a future activity for 3-months from now to check in with the client for a testimonial for this project\nSchedule a future activity 6-months from now to check in with the client on a follow-up project\nGo to the contact and schedule an activity 6-months from now to check in with them and offer a quarterly strategy call\n\nAdd “Work on the CRM” to the to-do list\n\nIf you use a to-do list app, add a recurring task that matches up with the CRM times on your calendar.\n\nName it “Work on CRM for 15-minutes.”\n\n“What CRM do you recommend, Kai?”\n\nIf you’re looking for ease of getting started and low price, I recommend TrelloCRM\n\nTrelloCRM is the easiest option to get started with. Read Trello’s article (https://blog.trello.com/ultimate-trello-for-crm-workflow-breakdown) and dive in.\n\nIf/when you hit a wall, like:\n\nShit, I can’t schedule a future activity. How can I let my future self know who to follow-up up with and when?\n\nThen and only then, evaluate updating to Pipedrive or another dedicated Sales CRM.\n\nIf you’re looking for more advanced features, like Email Integration or Activity Scheduling, I recommend Pipedrive\n\nFeatures like:\n\nDeal Timeline, showing you all the activity, emails, and events with that contact/deal\nEmail Integration, letting you send, receive, and process emails in Pipedrive (and sync your Inbox with Pipedrive)\nActivity Scheduling, allowing you to schedule future activities for your deal/contact\n\nAll these features push Pipedrive (https://pipedrive.com) over the top for me. These are features that TrelloCRM does not have.\n\nYou can access a free 30-day trial of Pipedrive's Professional plan ($60/month value) right here: /loves/pipedrive.\n\nYour Next Actions\n\nHere are the five actions you want to take to get into the habit of using a CRM:\n\nPick the CRM you like the most\nRead the tutorial/getting started docs\nSchedule a recurring “Work on the CRM” time\nAdd just a few (3-5) contacts and deals to the CRM\nStick with it and roll with the punches. If you miss a day or week, don’t beat yourself up. Keep moving forward.\n\nExcelsior!\n\nKai",
  "title": "Today? You start using a CRM"
}