cora_west5•19d agoProlific Poster

Tried using a CRM vs a simple spreadsheet for tracking client contacts. No contest.

I spent 3 months last year managing my residential painting clients through a fancy CRM that cost $50 a month. It had all these features like automated emails and task lists. But I found myself spending more time clicking around than actually talking to people. Last month I switched to a basic Google Sheets setup with just names, phone numbers, and job statuses. My follow-up rate went up by about 40% in just 6 weeks. Has anyone else found that simpler tools work better for client management?

3 comments

3 Comments

thomas.river18d ago

@wadejenkins nailed it, I'm too dumb to handle more than a few columns anyway.

aaronroberts18d ago

I read somewhere that the average small business owner loses about 4 hours a week just messing around with software that's supposed to save them time. That matches my own experience trying to track down client emails and notes in a clunky system instead of just picking up the phone. Makes me think a lot of these tools are built for sales teams in big companies, not for guys like us who just need to remember who wanted a quote.

wadejenkins19d agoTop Commenter

Yeah the problem with those CRMs is they try to do too much. You end up being a data entry clerk instead of actually selling or following up with people. I've seen guys spend more time organizing their leads than talking to them.