Utilizing CRM Systems

I turned 10,000 dead CRM accounts into meetings using Clay workflows. The results were a 20% reply rate, over $200K in pipeline, and zero cold outreach. Most sales teams are sitting on a goldmine, yet they don't even know it. Here's how you can do the same: 1. TURN PAST CUSTOMERS INTO NEW OPPORTUNITIES Look for companies where your contract has ended or gone inactive. Import these accounts from your CRM into Clay. Find the original champion plus new decision-makers who've joined since. Then send targeted messages like: → "We worked with your sales team last year - wanted to share how we've solved the X challenge they mentioned" → "Since our last project with Acme Corp, we've added features specifically addressing your scaling issues." This approach feels like reconnecting, not cold outreach. 2. USE CHAMPIONS AS REFERENCE POINTS Find accounts where you had a strong champion in the past. Use Clay to verify if they still work there and in what capacity. Then reach out to new contacts in that account: → "Saw you work with Sarah, who implemented our solution for your marketing team last year." → "Your colleague Jason mentioned your team is facing challenges with X." Always verify employment status before sending these messages. 3. TARGET RENEWAL WINDOWS Pull contract end dates from your CRM into Clay. Create auto-updating lists that flag accounts 60-90 days before expiration. Find both original buyers and newly added stakeholders. Time your outreach perfectly by saying something like: → "Your current plan comes up for renewal in September - perfect timing to share what's new." This timing creates a natural sense of urgency without being pushy. 4. CONNECT THROUGH OFFICE LOCATION Import location data for your contacts from your CRM. Use Clay to find new prospects at the same physical office location. Verify if both your champion and new prospect work on-site. Write messages that reference the shared location: → "Noticed you work with Sarah in the Austin office - we helped her team last quarter with X" This creates immediate familiarity and leverages existing presence. 5. BUILD LOOKALIKE ACCOUNTS Take your best-performing customers from your CRM. Run them through Clay + Ocean.io to find similar accounts. Target these accounts with messaging that references success patterns: → "Companies like Apple, Tesla, and Spotify saw 43% faster sales cycles using our approach." → "Based on our work with similar X teams, we've found Y works well for them" This combines the credibility of social proof with personalization. _____ The real edge comes from maintaining good CRM hygiene and regularly updating data. Most teams are sitting on gold, but still use outdated or incomplete information. Start using what you already have instead of starting from scratch.

Your team should be selling. Instead, they’re drowning in admin work. Sales reps just want to sell. But when we sit down with them, it’s always the same story. They’re buried in 20 screens, clicking through fields that don’t help them close deals. And if it takes that much effort? They’ll stop using the CRM altogether. Not because they’re lazy. But because the system wasn’t built for them. Here’s what we see over and over—and how to fix it: 1) Too Much Manual Data Entry No rep wants to spend their time: • Logging calls • Typing out notes • Moving data between tools They’re here to sell—not push buttons. Fix it by automating everything you can. Use tools like Gong & QuickBooks to log calls automatically and sync invoices. The less manual data entry they do, the more time they have to close deals. 2) Clunky CRM Layouts If it takes 20 clicks to close a deal, they’re not going to use the system. Most CRM setups are bloated with fields that reps don’t care about. Half of them aren’t even for sales. The answer: fewer clicks, better layouts. • Two clicks, max • Only show fields relevant to their role 3) Tools Aren’t Integrated Reps live in: • Outreach • Gong • Slack If none of these tools talk to Salesforce, they’re forced to double their work. That kills adoption. Integrate the tools they already use. If it doesn’t make their job easier, it doesn’t belong in the stack. 4) The CRM Feels Like a Surveillance Tool Managers care about dials. Reps care about closing deals and hitting quota. If the CRM only tracks activity, it’s just another micromanagement tool. Fix it by making the CRM valuable for the rep. • AI-driven next steps • Deal insights • Sales shortcuts that actually help them win It has to feel like a competitive advantage—not a chore. 5) Training That Doesn’t Address Real Gaps Most training is based on gut feelings: “Reps need to know this.” But it doesn’t actually address the biggest problems. Fix it by making training metric-driven. If reps aren’t filling out critical fields, start there. Focus on what actually moves deals forward. Make the CRM work for reps, and they’ll actually use it. Make it a burden, and they’ll find ways around it. Enjoyed this post? Follow Jordan Nelson for more insights on making CRMs actually work for sales teams.

I’ve worked with the best CRM teams in the world. None of them use campaign calendars anymore. Most CRM teams start every month the same way. Open the calendar.  Slot in campaigns.   Monday: promo.  Wednesday: content.  Friday: winback. Then they wonder why performance is flat. Here's the problem. Campaign calendars are built around 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 schedule. Not your customer's behaviour. The best CRM teams I've worked with in 2026 don't plan monthly sends at all. They build 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀-𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀. Every message is triggered by what the customer actually does. → Hit a loyalty milestone? Flow. → Went dormant after 60 days? Flow. → Signed up but didn't activate? Flow. → Browsed three times without buying? Flow. No one sat in a meeting and decided "let's send this on Thursday." The system saw the behaviour and responded. In real time. This is the shift from campaign-based to system-based CRM. And it changes everything. Your team stops spending 80% of their time on production. Building emails.  QA-ing.  Scheduling.  Chasing approvals. Instead they spend that time on what actually matters. 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 & 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆.  Improving the flows that are already running. We've seen clients cut time-to-market by over 90% after making this shift. Not because they worked faster. Because the system never stops working. ♻️ Repost if you think CRM teams should spend more time on strategy and less time scheduling sends.

After building thousands of Clay tables in my lifetime, I still think the CRM enrichment flow is the most valuable table 90% of companies today could build. It takes 5-25 hours to build (depending on your company size and skill level), costs a relatively low amount of money (if you use API keys properly), and can fundamentally transform the data quality of your business. It turns your CRM from a rotting brick of stale data into a self-enriching data ecosystem that sales team members actually want to use. All you have to do? - Connect your CRM to Clay - Choose what data points you want to update and verify - Use Clay integrations to find the data points - Use your CRM's "Update Record" integration to, well, update the records - Set a cadence that you want this system to continually run on. It has some nuance when it comes to building, but overall I cannot recommend it enough. I created a video below showing how it works ⬇️

Stop buying CRM systems. Start building Customer Management capabilities. The technology was never the problem. Most organizations approach customer management backwards: -> They experience pain (lost deals, poor service, disconnected teams) -> They research CRM platforms -> They buy the one with the best demo -> Then nothing fundamentally changes -> Then they blame the tool. Or the vendor. Or IT. But here's the uncomfortable truth: Salesforce, HubSpot, Dynamics—they're all good systems. None of them will solve your customer management problems on their own. Because customer management isn't a technology. It's a capability. So what's the difference? Technology thinking: → "We need a CRM" → Focus on features, integrations, price → IT-led implementation → Success = go-live date Capability thinking: → "We need to understand and serve our customers better" → Focus on outcomes: retention, revenue, experience → Cross-functional transformation → Success = measurable business impact A true Customer Management capability includes: ->Strategy - Clear vision of what customer success looks like for your business ->Process - Defined workflows for how customer information flows across teams (Sales, Marketing, Support, Product) ->People - Teams with the skills, training, and incentives to actually use customer insights ->Data - Clean, accessible, governed data that people trust and act on ->Technology - Tools that enable the above (not drive it) ->Governance - Ownership, accountability, continuous improvement Here's what capability-first looks like: Before you evaluate a single platform, ask: - What customer outcomes are we trying to drive? - What does our ideal customer journey look like, end-to-end? - Which teams need to collaborate, and how? - What decisions will we make differently with better customer data? - Do we have the processes and skills to sustain this? - Who owns customer experience in our organization? Answer these first. Then choose technology that fits your capability strategy. Not the other way around. #CustomerManagement #CRM #BusinessStrategy #DigitalTransformation #CustomerExperience #TechnologyStrategy #ScaleUp

Did you know that the actual number of CRM systems in a company is often equal to the number of sales reps plus one? 😅 Yes, the "+1" is the official CRM you're paying for. The rest? Those are the individual spreadsheets (and in some cases other CRM) each rep secretly loves more than the primary CRM because, well, they actually use them and keep them up to date. 📊 Here's why this happens and how to fix it: 𝟏. 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 Does anyone really use all 20+ properties in the "About" section? Words to live by: "If in doubt, leave it out" 𝟐. 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗳𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 If the CRM feels like a hurdle rather than a help, it’s not aligned with your team's real workflow. Your CRM should enhance productivity of its "customers", i.e., the users, not hinder it. 𝟯. 𝗜𝗴𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 Ever heard "sales shouldn't be involved in CRM setup"? Big mistake. They're the ones using it daily. Their input is crucial for a CRM that actually works for them. 𝟰. 𝗡𝗲𝗴𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 Implementing a new CRM is just as much a change in habits and workflows as it is a change in technology. Proper integration, training, and ongoing support are key to making this transition smooth and ensuring continuous usage. 𝟱. 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗖𝗥𝗠 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 Often, companies select a CRM imagining a future state years ahead or without a defined GTM strategy and sales process. This can lead to overly complex setups that don't match current needs, causing frustration and underutilization. No harm in wanting a CRM you can scale with, but do you really need that fancy lead routing and forecasting when you have two sales reps, and no plans to hire more in the next year? 𝟲. 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲𝘀 A CRM is only as good as the data it holds. Old, inaccurate, or poorly maintained data can lead to mistrust and reluctance to use the system. Regular data clean-ups and validations are essential to maintain its integrity and usefulness. ❓ What strategies have worked for you in boosting CRM (or general tool) adoption? #CRMAdoption #SalesEfficiency #TechStackOptimization

A prospect came to us last quarter with a 14-page RFP with 200 features. They wanted lead scoring. Automated workflows across five departments. AI-driven forecasting. Custom dashboards for every role. Full marketing automation integrated with sales. Hundreds of features. I asked one question: “𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗥𝗠 𝗮𝗱𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆?” Long pause. “Maybe 30%. On a good week.” So we were about to design a system 𝟭𝟬𝘅 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘅 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴. I’ve seen this pattern over hundreds of engagements. A company is barely using what they already have — and they’re shopping for something ten times more complex. It’s not their fault. The way CRM gets sold in this industry practically guarantees it. Vendors demo the most sophisticated version. Consulting firms scope the biggest possible project. The RFP process rewards feature counts, not fit. So the client builds a wishlist based on what’s possible instead of what they’re ready to operate. Here’s what almost nobody explains: 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿. Process maturity. CRM maturity. CRM maturity is the sophistication of the system — automations, integrations, data models. Process maturity is whether your team has repeatable, agreed-upon ways of working that they actually follow. When you buy a system that’s three levels above your process maturity, the same thing happens every time Twelve months later you’re back at 30% adoption — just on a more expensive platform. 𝗤𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗴𝗻𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘀. If your CRM maturity is ahead of your process maturity, you’ll usually see: • Less than 50% of reps logging activity • Forecast reviews dominated by spreadsheets • Pipeline stages interpreted differently by every rep • Automations constantly being “fixed” • Leadership asking for reports nobody trusts 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝟯 𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲… 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗥𝗠 𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗯𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆. The hardest conversation I have with buyers isn’t about technology. It’s this: You don’t need 𝟮𝟬𝟬 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀. You need 𝟭𝟱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘂𝘀𝗲 — configured around the jobs they do every day. Start there. Get adoption. Build trust with your own people. Then layer in sophistication as the process matures to support it. That’s not what most firms will tell you. Because scoping 200 features pays better than scoping 15. But I’ll take a CRM with 𝟴𝟱% 𝗮𝗱𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 over a CRM with 𝟮𝟬𝟬 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝟯𝟬% 𝗮𝗱𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 every single day. 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗱 𝘂𝗽 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻?

Law firm thinking about buying your first CRM? Pause before you start shopping. Most firms make the mistake of treating tech as a standalone fix. A new platform. A new promise. And then...a new headache. If you're serious about building a CRM that actually supports your firm, here's what the process really looks like... 1. Start with alignment. Get buy-in from leadership and the people who will use it every day. A CRM without an internal champion...collects LOTS of dust on the shelf.     2. Map your needs, not just your wants. What are you trying to solve? Intake issue? Follow-ups? Reporting? Something else? If you can't answer that, you're not ready to buy.     3. Get feedback early, and often. From marketing. From intake. From your attorneys. From the people who will live in this thing. One missed stakeholder can cause months of friction.     4. Test, pilot, pressure-test. Don't buy off a sales demo. Build a proof of concept (if possible). Break it. Try again. If it can't adapt to your workflow...it doesn't always mean the tool isn't a fit.     5. Understand integrations. Your CRM needs to play nicely with your phone system, forms, case management software, call tracking, and other marketing platforms. Be careful not to create silos.     6. Document the process. Who's owning what? Who's managing adoption? What happens post-launch? The tech is only as strong as the plan around it.     7. Plan for implementation and stabilization. Buying the tool is step one. Training, migrations, troubleshooting, refinement...that's where most firms drop the ball. Tech isn't going to save you. But the right system, built on a clear process, backed by your people? That transforms businesses. 👩🏼💻

Having spent countless hours in the trenches of our CRM system, I've extracted some practical, no-nonsense insights for B2B marketing demand generation. Here's the lowdown on what truly works: ✅ Absolutely Do: 👉 Own your CRM: This is your battlefield. Know every inch of it. It’s the foundation upon which empires are built in the B2B space 👉Lead journey mastery: Each lead is a potential victory. Map their journey with the precision of a master strategist 👉 Metrics as truth tellers: Embrace metrics like a seer reading the bones. They reveal the harsh truths and successes of your strategy 👉Resilience through data: Each failure or setback is dissected to understand the ‘why’ behind it. This involves deep-diving into data to extract actionable insights, be it tweaking campaign parameters or revising lead qualification criteria. ❌ Pitfalls to Avoid: 👎 Neglecting lead handoff optimization: This often overlooked aspect can lead to a chasm between marketing efforts and sales outcomes. Regular reviews of the handoff process, feedback loops, and joint training sessions between sales and marketing are crucial 👎Goal misalignment: Without a shared vision, marketing and sales efforts can contradict or duplicate. Establishing a unified roadmap with shared objectives and regular alignment check-ins is key. 👎 Superficial metrics focus: Focusing only on top-line metrics like lead quantity without considering quality, engagement levels, and conversion timelines can lead to misguided strategies. A multi-dimensional metrics approach is essential. CRM not just as a database but as our guide to understanding and leading in our market. It's about using CRM to really get what our customers want and need. How many hours you are planning to spend this week in your CRM? #b2bmarketing #demandgeneration #deepdive

We are building a new CRM. That sounds simple until you start asking the right questions. Most CRMs are built around activity. Calls made. Emails sent. Texts sent. Tasks completed. All useful, but activity without direction is just noise with a timestamp. For powersports dealers, the real question is: what should managers see every day, and what should salespeople see the moment they log in? For managers, I’d want three reports front and center: -- Lead response and follow-up health: Not just how many leads came in. I want to know how fast we responded, how many are overdue, how many have gone cold, and which sources are actually getting worked. Speed still matters, but consistency wins more deals than one heroic phone call. -- Sales pipeline by stage: How many active opportunities are sitting in new, contacted, appointment set, write-up, F&I, sold, or lost? Where are deals getting stuck? If the pipeline is vague, the desk meeting becomes guesswork. -- Aging inventory tied to active demand: Show me which units are aging, which ones have active leads, which ones have appointments, and which ones are just sitting there collecting dust and flooring expense. Inventory management and CRM should not live in separate worlds. For salespeople, the desktop/dashboard should be even cleaner: -- Today’s must-do follow-ups: Not a giant task graveyard from 90 days ago. Give them the few contacts that matter today, ranked by urgency and opportunity. -- Active deals and next best action: Every open customer should have a clear next step. Call. Text. Send trade value. Confirm appointment. Get manager involved. No mystery, no “I thought someone handled that.” -- Appointment and showroom readiness: Who is coming in today, what unit are they interested in, what did they ask last time, and what needs to be ready before they walk through the door? A good CRM should make the right behavior easier. A bad CRM just gives managers more reports to ignore and salespeople more boxes to click. Dealers don’t need another digital filing cabinet. They need a system that helps the team sell more units, protect gross, follow up better, and stop letting good customers fall through the cracks. So I’ll throw it out to the dealer crowd: If you were building a powersports CRM from scratch, what would you absolutely put on the manager screen and the salesperson dashboard? #Powersports #Dealers #CRM #SalesProcess #DealershipOperations #Leadership #NPDA