Create a CRM Strategy in 7 Simple Steps (For SMEs and Freelancers)

Why CRM?

CRM, or Customer Relationship Management, has become essential for businesses of all sizes. Your customers are the heart of your business, and the stronger your relationships with them, the more successful you’ll be. A CRM system helps you gain insights into your customers’ behavior, preferences, and data—all in one place.

A good CRM tool also allows you to maintain automatic yet personalized contact with your customers.

For example, imagine you run a consultancy firm. A client has an appointment for a strategy session. All the relevant information—from appointment details to previous advice and notes—is neatly stored in your CRM system. You’ve also set up an automatic reminder, so your client receives an email a day before the meeting.

This keeps your business professional and client-focused, while making sure you never miss a follow-up or important appointment.

Why do you need a CRM strategy?

CRM can be as simple or complex as you make it. That’s why it’s important to think ahead about how you plan to use your CRM system. Without a strategy, you might choose a powerful tool but feel so overwhelmed by its features that you barely use it.

The goal of a CRM strategy is to bring more structure and organization to your business—not less. A clear CRM strategy gives you focus and direction, helping you get the best results with minimal effort.

How to make a CRM strategy in 7 super simple steps

1. Start with a clear goal

Before installing your CRM system or entering any data, it’s important to define what you want to achieve with it.

Clear goals provide direction and help you focus on the right priorities. Every business is unique, so your goals should reflect what matters most to you. For example:

• If you run an IT services company, you might want to boost the number of clients who renew their support contracts.
• If you manage a digital agency, converting more leads into paying clients could be your priority.

Determine which goals are most important to you:

• Do I want to improve customer relationships and satisfaction?
• Do I need to attract more new customers?
• Should I focus on increasing repeat business?
• Is my goal to boost the average spend per customer?
• Do I want to promote repeat purchases?
• Should I work on building a better brand image?
• Do I need to refine my product or service offerings?
• Or is it about saving time by streamlining administration?

By clarifying your goals, you’ll set the foundation for a CRM strategy that works for your business.

2. Choose a CRM tool that suits you

Which CRM tool is the best fit for your business? Well, FlowQi CRM, of course! :)

Here’s why: FlowQi CRM is specifically designed for small to medium-sized businesses that want to work smarter, more affordably, and with maximum flexibility. It’s intuitive and comes pre-integrated with task and project management tools, making it a one-stop solution for your business needs.

Need more advanced features? No problem. You can easily expand with tools like the Sales Tool or Email Marketing Tool. Start simple and add more functionality as your business grows—because flexibility is at the heart of FlowQi CRM.

Want to try it out? Join our BETA Program today and test FlowQi CRM along with all our other tools for free.

3. Collect relevant data

What kind of information do you need to achieve your CRM goals? For example:

• If your goal is to improve customer satisfaction or build better relationships, collecting your customers’ birthdays can be a great start. You can then send them a personalized birthday card or offer a special discount.
• If you’re looking to improve a product or service, feedback and complaints are essential data points you can store in your CRM system.

Think carefully about the information you need to achieve your CRM strategy goals. Whether it’s contact information, previous interactions, purchase history, or personal preferences—the more you know about your customers, the better you can serve them.

4. Segment your customers

Dividing your customers into specific groups (e.g., “existing customers,” “new customers,” “warm leads,” etc.) allows you to communicate in a more targeted and effective way.

You can even design separate customer journeys for each group. A CRM tool provides valuable insights, such as identifying customers who need multiple touchpoints before making a purchase and those who only require a well-timed offer to convert.

5. Automate repetitive tasks

Don’t forget to incorporate automation into your CRM strategy. As a freelancer or the owner of a small business, you’re probably handling a lot on your own. Automation can save you a huge amount of time and energy, while ensuring that your customers always hear from you when needed.

Let’s take the consultancy example:

For example, a CRM tool can automate these tasks:

• Automatic confirmations: Once a client books a meeting, the CRM tool sends an automatic confirmation email or message.
• Reminders: A day (or a few days) before the meeting, the client automatically receives a reminder via email or text message.
• Birthday messages: Send clients a personalized birthday greeting, possibly with a special offer.
• Follow-up messages: After a session, you can automatically send a thank-you email with a summary or suggestion for a follow-up meeting.
• Promotions and offers: Automate campaigns to keep clients engaged, such as, “Book your next session within 8 weeks and receive a discount.”
• Client behavior insights: Use your CRM to analyze which services are most popular, which clients return most frequently, and which offers work best.

By automating these tasks, you ensure that your clients receive timely, relevant communication, while you free up valuable time to focus on growing your business.

6. Keep fine-tuning and expanding

As you implement your CRM strategy, you’ll likely notice certain patterns—perhaps clients love a personalized message, or a particular campaign isn’t generating as many leads as you’d hoped. By regularly reviewing the data and insights provided by your CRM system, you can identify areas for improvement and make the necessary adjustments.

Your CRM strategy should evolve as your business grows, so don’t hesitate to refine and expand it to keep up with new challenges and opportunities.

7. Make it as personal as possible

While automation and digitalization are key to CRM, they shouldn’t make your communication feel impersonal. In fact, CRM is about making your communication more personal and human, so you can strengthen your customer relationships.

With automation and a well-structured CRM strategy, it’s much easier to provide personalized communication. It will feel to your customers as though you’ve specifically thought about their needs, even though smart technology is doing the heavy lifting behind the scenes.

Ready to try it yourself? Sign up for our BETA Program and get free access to FlowQi CRM and all the other tools to help your business thrive!