If you’re a coach, you already know the importance of being light on your feet. There’s always an endless list of tasks to juggle, and it’s easy to let your client relationships slip through the cracks. This is where a coaching CRM comes in handy. A CRM (Client Relationship Management) software is like your assistant, helping fill in the gaps to improve your overall client relationships.
When communicating with leads and existing clients, every interaction matters. The more effectively you manage your time, the more focus you have to put towards the parts of your coaching business that matter the most. In other words, spend more time on the nitty-gritty details that make you money 💰 vs. playing phone tag with leads.
Unfortunately, many coaches nowadays feel like they don’t have the capacity to expand their businesses. It’s hard enough to handle all of your tasks, admin, contacts, and follow-ups with the time you have, and you can’t yet afford to outsource everything. Instead, coaches need to adapt to a business mindset. By using a coaching CRM, you can track your leads, deals, and more all while growing your team.
However, if you’re in the market for the right coaching CRM, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. With so many systems to choose from, which is right for you? The reality is that most CRM platforms aren’t built with coaches’ needs in mind. That’s why we created this list of the 8 vital components you need in a coaching CRM. No matter which CRM you choose, make sure it can handle these tasks below.
Segmentation Of Leads & Contacts
To begin, your coaching CRM should always help you manage your leads. You don’t want to overwhelm your “contacts” section with a list of people who never converted to clients. Though there’s nothing wrong with them not being the right fit, you don’t need to take up precious real estate within your CRM for these dead-end leads.
Instead, you need to have a way to segment your leads and contacts. You can label them inbound leads as soon as they enquire via your blog, website, or so on. The same is true for referrals. From there, you can move them further up the sales funnel as you schedule discovery calls, learn their needs, and decide on terms of agreement.
With SpeakerFlow’s CRM, you can recover leads specifically in their own section. It’s easy to convert them into “Contacts” once you’ve determined you’re the right fit. Once they’re fully on board, they’re welcome within your larger contact list. The greater segmenting you can do, the easier it is to keep track of the leads progressing through your sales funnel. Your contacts list is precious real estate—make sure you’re using it wisely. The right coaching CRM helps you stay organized at every stage of the funnel, keeping your customer touchpoints on target with ease.
Streamlined Deal Tracking
Next, your coaching CRM should help streamline your deal tracking. At a glance, you should know how much you have in your sales pipeline. This lets you forecast upcoming months, adjust your sales outreach accordingly, and plan ahead. There’s no certainty in any business, and being a coach means expecting the unexpected. While there’s no way to see into the future, data is the best way to track the path forward.
Your sales process should work like a well-oiled machine. Deal pipelines help you predict your revenue, and they can also prepare you to identify challenges in advance. With 30-50% of sales going to the first business that responds, timing is everything. The more you can automate, the easier it is to stay on top of your current progress. Your CRM should also make it possible to customize your pipeline to match your unique sales process. No coaching business is 100% the same as another, and you should adjust depending on your specific target user.
With SpeakerFlow’s CRM, your process is organized into columns. This lets you identify your sales process at a glance, and you can easily find the record you’re looking for. Visibility is key to performance. If you don’t know where you are, how can you expect to know where you’re going? There’s nothing worse as a business owner than an overlooked opportunity.
Storage For Sales Collateral
Next, your sales collateral needs to leave somewhere. The more organized you are, the easier it is to win clients. Your testimonials, biography, and other sales information should be easy to access. This makes it easy to share sales content with prospects, increasing your likelihood of landing the sale.
When your sales collateral isn’t managed well, it becomes less successful. It loses its power. Not only is it likely to get scattered in random places, but it’s hard to find things when you need them. You shouldn’t have to lose time searching for your proposals on your desktop, for example. Alternatively, when everything exists on a cohesive digital ecosystem, business runs much smoother.
Better yet, when you store your sales collateral in a single coaching CRM, this is an opportunity to audit what you have. Is all of your content current and relevant? Does it boost your brand? If anything needs to be updated, now is the right time to do it. From there, you can optimize your existing sales collateral to better suit your needs. While this is something you should do regularly, having your sales collateral in a single, easy-to-find space is a must.
Built-In Reporting
Moreover, how are you keeping up with business reports? Let’s face it, nobody likes making reports, but they’re a necessary evil. They’re no fun, but they’re a necessary part of any growing business. Built-in reporting in your coaching CRM is one less step to worry about, taking another annoying task off your plate.
As you make changes in your business, you can quickly identify whether or not they’re working. It’s not enough to start any number of marketing campaigns without following up on their effectiveness. Similarly, if you’re not seeing a lot of repeat business from a specific segment of your client base, this is a sign it’s time to pivot. As a coach, you know you can’t stay too still.
The sooner you learn from your existing data, the easier it is to make changes. Having goals is a great first step, but when do you know if you’ve met those goals? You need to keep a close eye on your sales report, performance report, and client report. Where are your leads coming from, and how are they discovering your coaching business? There’s no such thing as too much information.
Built-In Automation Functionality
Next, we’ve all heard the phrase “work harder not smarter.” While it might seem redundant at this point, it’s as relevant as ever. When talking about your coaching CRM, it all comes down to built-in automation functionality. Your CRM app should make your life easier, not harder.
Whether you send digital files or use an email marketing tool, everything should be automated within the system. Why keep track of more than you have to? SpeakerFlow’s CRM, for example, integrates with Zoho’s 40+ apps, allowing you to automate across applications without leaving the Zoho One ecosystem (or paying for additional apps). That said, if you don’t use SpeakerFlow CRM, the vast majority of CRMs also integrate with Zapier, allowing the same cross-app automations.
Long story short, built-in automation functionality is a must. Lead management and sales don’t have to be complicated. As a coach, you’re typically a one-person team. The easier it is to manage daily tasks automatically, the more likely you avoid getting overwhelmed by the tasks that once felt out of your control. While manual work has a time and a place, it’s not perfect. It leaves room for errors and inaccuracies. Instead, take back your time with automation.
Integration With A Variety Of Applications
Speaking of integrations and functionality, the right coaching CRM effortlessly pairs with applications you’re already using. With end-to-end business functionality, your actions are right within the existing coaching CRM. Your workflows have never been simpler, and you don’t have to worry about keeping track of endless passwords. Say goodbye to account overwhelm once and for all—there’s a better way.
The more versatile your CRM and the more apps it can integrate with, the more time and work it saves you in the long run. SpeakerFlow CRM, for example, integrates with more than 40 apps from Zoho One so you can run almost every aspect of your coaching business in a single place. This includes apps for email marketing, surveys, invoicing and contracts, bookkeeping, project management, meeting scheduling, etc.
In other words, you get the best of the apps you love without having to constantly jump around. Your time as a coach is precious. You don’t need 15+ systems and manual processes when these are just holding you back. When the goal is to focus on human connections, you can’t afford to leave anything to chance.
Ability To Grow With Your Team
Moreover, using a CRM gives your business the room it needs to grow. Though it’s true many coaches operate solo, that doesn’t mean they want to continue this way forever. You need systems built for the long haul. When you start with the right coaching CRM from the get-go, you don’t have to worry about the cost and time down the road.
Though you might not be ready to grow your team right now, the right CRM grows with you. It’s the perfect support for a one-man team, and it also brings groups together. Whether you hire a virtual assistant, a full-time sales agent, or a marketing guru, a CRM makes it easy for them to jump right into your existing processes.
No matter the type of business you run, few things are as valuable today as sales productivity. Using a CRM has proven to increase sales by up to 30% and boost productivity by 30%. This means expanding your team isn’t just practical, but it’s the natural next step in growing your business. No matter where you’re at today, choose a coaching CRM that’s created to match your needs as they continue to change.
Ability To Run Your Business From One Place
Last but not least, the right coaching CRM makes it possible to run your entire business from one page. Think of your CRM as the hub for everything you do. Instead of navigating between browsers, apps, and screens, you have an overview snapshot of your current progress in a single place. Not only does this let you make smarter decisions, but it also helps you focus on the best relationships to grow your business.
When your CRM gathers information from a variety of sources across your whole business, a whole new world of insights opens to you. You can learn more from your existing customers, their needs, and what they want. This lets you spot problems faster, as well as improve your offerings. It’s never been easier to offer support and follow up with leads than when all of these communications are in a single place.
Your coaching CRM comes with you anywhere. There’s no fancy hardware to set up, and you don’t have to worry about constantly updating your process. It’s designed to be scalable with your businesses’ needs where they are today and tomorrow. Collaborate effortlessly across your team as you grow, and share messages with your audience in a breeze.
If you’re a coach, you need a CRM built specifically with your needs in mind. This is a human business built on more than just great content. You also need powerful, meaningful connections. To keep the humanity at the center of your business, use a strong coaching CRM that optimizes your existing businesses. Before you know it, you’ll be the best version of yourself.
Not sure where to begin? SpeakerFlow CRM is designed for professionals from coaches to speakers. If you’re a thought leader, this system understands the importance of nurturing leads through your sales funnel and beyond. Schedule a demo today to see if our system is right for your needs. If you’re facing business overwhelm, it’s time for a change.
