How long have you been CRM’ing?
Isn’t it such joy logging incessant notes into a system every single time a potential “lead” doesn’t answer their phone or posts on LinkedIn? Did you know CRM systems fail because there’s a lack of executive commitment? Or how about the 27,782,472 clicks for one file? And the housekeeping itself? Oh yeah, baby, I know, I know.
Let me backtrack here. I get the whole client journey and how we should know everything about the needs and experiences of each of them, but did you know the implementation failure rate for CRMs is disturbingly high? Because when you love something, especially your clients and the company you have built, tedious tasks can suck in general and quite literally suck all the passion behind why you’re there in the first place.
This is why I am dedicating this blog to hating on CRMs for solopreneurs. Today, I’m diving into actual relationship building and why this is a fundamental that I gladly repeat in 100 different ways in my online courses at Project Biz Lab.
I’m beginning by expressing my unapologetic rejection of CRMs. We’re all human here, and in a world that has almost turned completely digital, we can’t forget that, well… we’re human. And we’re more deserving than a pipeline. Sales have changed in recent years, especially in the last year and a half. Authenticity is now the glue of what attracts and keeps us loyal to brand identities.
Your typical ads and marketing aren’t what they used to be! It’s ridiculous. Even your biggest celebrities promoting a brand don’t attract the ‘likes’ like they used to a few years back. Because we know it’s fake. We know the big bucks behind it. Since the pandemic, we have fast-forwarded and have peeled back a lot more layers of the onion. We want to connect deeper to the things we buy or go to the coffee shop with a Pride flag instead of one that doesn’t. Now, we all seek commonality and empathy. The human touch is more important than ever before, and technology will continue to create an even bigger gap.
At Project Biz Lab and in all of my business dealings, I seek to be nothing other than a great friend to call on. We’re like besties… seriously. I take pride in knowing my clients and business acquaintances, and this is serious business. Knowing what people are really dealing with and following their lead (not what some CRM funnel robotically forces upon them) can and will make you stand out… now and, most definitely, in the future as the world continues to change.
I know you’re probably thinking, how can I possibly think smaller in a world that’s becoming more complex? Well… the number of small businesses booming since our pandemic are doing the boom and are succeeding—including mine. There’s been a shift to small companies because of the human touch they offer!
Now that I have established the new climate of our business world let’s talk more about pipelines and why they’re so sucky.
- Most small entrepreneurs are not managing 100s of leads.
- Your time is better spent doing actual sales activities to a small group of folks that you have commonalities with- not endless data entry and busy work.
- I believe in genuine relationships where you customize your outreach based on their signals and keep in touch even after they “leave” the funnel.
Don’t get me wrong- you can have a system. However, investing in corporate software is a big time waster, as well as a financial expense and commitment.
So here’s what I really have to say to you… become your “Perfect Future Client’s” (PFC’s) best friend. Connect. Discuss more. Be more open. The biggest benefits I have gained from this are countless folks willing to do testimonials, returning clients whom I can depend on, and the growth of my network. Here are your two options: stay in a comfortable place (aka dump money into passively hoping for text and email responses or clicks), or you can use that same energy to build business relationships that will be so genuine they’re personal.
Your business solves a problem. There are PFCs out there with that problem. They want to get to know you, but they don’t want to be sold to (yet).
Give this some thought, and let me know your ways of connecting with your PFCs in our digital world. I wanna know what you think about this.
Your biz bestie, (lol)
