CRM Setup for Service Businesses: Stop Losing Deals to Sticky Notes

You closed a deal last month. Great. Can you tell me, right now, how many active opportunities are in your pipeline, what stage each is in, and which ones need follow-up today?

If the answer involves opening three tabs, searching your inbox, and checking a spreadsheet — your CRM is broken. Or you don't have one.

Why most service businesses get CRM wrong

The typical progression:

1. Sign up for HubSpot (free tier)
2. Import contacts from a CSV
3. Never open it again

CRMs fail because they're set up as databases, not workflows. A CRM should tell you what to do next — not just store names.

The pipeline that actually works

For a service business selling lead gen systems, here's a proven pipeline:

Stage 1: Lead (New)

A prospect was identified. No contact made yet. Source is tagged (Upwork, Google Maps, referral, inbound).

Stage 2: Contacted

First outreach sent. Clock starts on follow-up cadence.

Stage 3: Replied

Prospect responded. Positive, negative, or neutral — all tracked differently.

Stage 4: Discovery Call

Meeting scheduled or completed. SPIN questions documented. Pain confirmed, budget discussed.

Stage 5: Proposal Sent

Scope and pricing delivered. Follow-up at 24h, 72h, 7d if no response.

Stage 6: Closed Won

Signed. Invoice sent. Handoff to delivery team.

Stage 7: Closed Lost

Didn't close. Reason logged. Moved to nurture sequence.

Automations that save hours

Once your pipeline is structured, automate the repetitive parts:

• Auto-create task when a deal moves to "Contacted" — follow up in 3 days
• Auto-notify when a deal is stuck in "Proposal Sent" for >5 days
• Auto-tag leads by source so you can measure which channels convert
• Auto-archive deals inactive for 30+ days to keep the pipeline clean
• Auto-enroll Closed Lost deals into a long-term nurture email sequence

Reporting: the three numbers that matter

Don't build a 20-chart dashboard. Track three things:

1. Pipeline velocity — how fast deals move from Lead to Closed (target: <14 days for service)
2. Win rate — % of proposals that close (target: >25% for warm leads)
3. Average deal size — trending up means you're selling smarter

Review weekly. If velocity drops, your follow-up is slow. If win rate drops, your qualification is loose. If deal size drops, your positioning needs work.

Pick a CRM and commit

For most service businesses, HubSpot (free → Starter) is the right choice. It's mature, integrates with everything, and scales.

The specific tool matters less than actually using it. A perfectly configured CRM that nobody opens is worse than a Google Sheet that gets updated daily.

The best system is the one your team will use. Set it up right, keep it clean, and let it tell you what to do next.

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We configure and connect your CRM as part of every lead system build. Book a call to see the full setup.