“I just spent 4 hours pulling data to calculate my close rate by bid time.”
My jaw hit the floor when my husband told me he can’t even report on close rate in his CRM.
He works in construction sales and was trying to update his bid schedule to optimize for revenue and close rate across the variable seasons.
How could this be an issue in 2025 with a market-leading CRM? (Yes, you’ve heard of it.)
These metrics aren’t just nice to have, they're essential decision-making tools that determine where to focus limited time and energy.
What made this even more frustrating is that I’ve already spent hours trying to set up automated follow-up emails based on his opportunities and bid types. (It’s simply not possible with their current set-up and it still infuriates me every time the topic comes up.)
He’s my unofficial assistant who reads the first draft of these newsletters and his response is usually, “I’m jealous. I want to be able to do that.”
It’s disappointing to hear his frustration, especially knowing what's possible with the right CRM and implementation.
The tale of his company may sound familiar to you. They moved off paper quotes and spreadsheets to improve operational efficiency and reporting as they scale in multiple states.
The goals were admirable, but the reality isn’t matching up.
Two years and significant investment later, they’re still:
So what went wrong?
The issue is only in part the CRM itself. (But I'll always advocate for HubSpot!)
The real problem is how it was implemented. They essentially copy-pasted another company's configuration without considering their unique business objectives, team processes, and customer lifecycles.
It's like buying someone else's custom-tailored suit. It might look amazing on them, but it's going to pinch and pull in all the wrong places when you wear it.
This applies to more than just CRMs—it's the cautionary tale for any new technology implementation.
Here are a few questions to ask before a technology implementation to save you time, money and frustration.
If you need to recover a struggling tech implementation - keep scrolling. We have you covered too!
Whether you're transitioning from spreadsheets, migrating to a new CRM, or onboarding new software, start with these critical questions as your framework for success.
Understanding your core motivation—whether it's stronger competition, longer sales cycles, or the shift from information providers to trusted advisors—determines exactly what you will need to configure in your CRM.
Your CRM implementation must align with business objectives and KPIs, creating a clear line of sight between technology investment and measurable outcomes.
Implementing a CRM isn't just a technology shift—it's an organizational transformation requiring thoughtful preparation, training, and leadership commitment to lead change management that minimizes disruption and encourages adoption.
Marketing needs attribution, sales needs to know who is likely to close, service needs customer insights, and leaders need clear data to make decisions—each stakeholder requires their own compelling value proposition. Create one for each team and communicate it clearly.
Answering this question will also help you map user journeys before technical requirements.
Define success criteria that extends past the go-live date to measure meaningful business impact, from improved sales coaching opportunities to data-driven decision making.
KPIs may include time saved in reporting, increase in follow-up consistency, or improvements in close rates.
These often reveal your most critical process requirements. Does your team maintain reporting spreadsheets or rely on calendar reminders for follow-up? Every manual process or workaround gives valuable insight about missing functionality.
If you start with clarity on the business problems you're solving, your CRM will be the cornerstone of your growth strategy, rather than just another tool in your tech stack.
If you're nodding along to this story, feeling that familiar mix of frustration and resignation about your current system, you're not alone. More importantly, you're not stuck. Even the most challenging CRM implementation can be transformed with the right approach.
Here are a few of the steps that help our clients transform their CRMs from a source of frustration into a growth engine.
Document the specific reports, automations, and workflows you need but can't currently execute. This becomes your roadmap for optimization.
Identify the highest-impact, lowest-effort improvements that will rebuild team confidence. For example: creating single reporting dashboard or one sales follow-up email could immediately alleviate pain.
Rather than overhauling everything at once, focus on solving core functional gaps first. This may mean customizing a billing integration before tackling marketing automation. You will gain trust and momentum as you work through each phase of the roadmap you created.
Often, capabilities exist but teams don't know how to use them. Targeted training around specific use cases (see #4 above) delivers better results than generic platform education.
Your CRM should accelerate your business, not slow it down. If you're experiencing tech friction, our team is here to help realign your CRM with your business goals.