How do I know if my business needs a CRM system?
If leads go missing, follow-ups depend on someone remembering, or the only record of a customer is a spreadsheet and somebody's inbox, you need one. A CRM is one place that holds every lead and what's happened with it. A small team can start on a free plan.
Signs you've outgrown the spreadsheet
- Enquiries sit in an inbox until someone gets round to them.
- Nobody can say who spoke to a customer last, or what was said.
- You can't tell which ad, page or referral a lead came from.
- Follow-ups happen when someone remembers, not on a schedule.
- Two people each keep their own version of the customer list.
Any one of these is a nuisance. Three or four together means leads are being lost, and you won't see it because a lost lead leaves no trace.
It isn't only for big teams
A handful of people is plenty. Ben and Cam run our own business on Twenty, a CRM we host ourselves, working from the same records. HubSpot has a free plan for up to two users (check HubSpot's pricing page), so trying one doesn't mean signing a big contract.
When it can wait
If you've got a few customers and know each one personally, a tidy sheet is fine until it starts losing things. And a CRM only helps when each record has the right source and stage. Buying one to fix a process nobody's written down just moves the mess somewhere new.
Which one
It depends on who'll use it. Our picks are in what CRM platforms we recommend. Setting one up and connecting your forms, ads and email is part of our CRM Management & Email service.
Also worth asking
Other answers about the same tools.
What is CRM and lead flow management?
A CRM is where your contacts and deals live. Lead flow is how an enquiry gets there: the form, the tracking behind it and the follow-up. We connect them so each lead arrives with its source attached.
How do you ensure continuous optimisation of my marketing?
We look at your ads, website and CRM together, then make the biggest fix first. That might be a test, a creative refresh, a landing page change or a tracking repair.
What is a marketing funnel and why does it matter?
A marketing funnel is the route someone takes from first seeing you to becoming a customer: an ad, a landing page, an enquiry, a follow-up, a sale. It matters because you can only fix where people drop out if you can see each step.
What are the key stages of a successful marketing funnel?
A funnel runs from someone first hearing about you, to them getting in touch, to them becoming a customer. We map each step, find where people can drop out, and build the ads, landing pages, tracking and follow-up as one route, so spend goes where it pays back.
How do you migrate from other email platforms to Klaviyo?
The usual steps are: export your lists with their consent status, connect your shop, authenticate your sending domain, rebuild your most important flows first, then switch over. The flows are the part that takes time.
Still have questions?Talk to us
Bring your numbers.
We'll tell you if the spend makes sense.
- A 15-minute callYour goals, your challenges, and whether we're the right fit.
- A 1-hour discovery callWe dig into your numbers. Worth a hundred emails.
- A concrete planAds, a custom build or both, as a one-off project or ongoing.