For professional service companies like Edemco, a team of six, including three sales reps, the decision to implement a CRM wasn’t taken lightly, said Edith Demona, Edemco’s owner.
Edemco’s team felt growing pains as it managed client service, marketing, and sales. Edemco had steady growth yet lacked sales or lead management strategies and actions to support future growth.
Chaos, Lost Leads, and Follow-Up Fatigue
Before adopting a CRM, Edith and team juggled spreadsheets, sticky notes, and scattered emails, trying to keep track of leads and client details. They were overwhelmed trying to remember who to call and when.
They had a hard time seeing where every deal stood, talked about the “pipeline black hole,” and were exhausted by their manual “busy work”. When Edith missed an important deadline, she knew they needed help.
Resistance
There are many reasons why salespeople dislike CRMs:
- “It’s a “time sink”, not a sales tool.”
- “It’s too complex and confusing.”
- “It doesn’t fit how I sell.”
- “Training was a one-time thing; no ongoing help.”
- “It doesn’t talk to my daily tools.”
Edith dismissed these excuses because she blew her deadline and recognized the potential ROI from her investment.
Key Needs
The team defined 3 CRM standards: easy to adapt, customizable to Edemco’s sales approach, and a genuine time-saver. Edith wanted visibility and control without complexity.
For sales, what mattered was automation of repetitive tasks. They prioritized their CRM needs as follows:
- Lead and contact management.
- Task and activity automation.
- Pipeline and lead tracking.
- Contact notes, emails, quotes, and tasks in the contact record.
Simple lead management, timely reminders, and follow-up tracking were must-haves. They wanted a tool that enabled sales, not added chores.
CRM Selection
Once Edith knew her needs, she focused on automation as the key CRM differentiator. “What’s important is saving salespeople’s time and personalizing outreach,” said Edith.
What Edith also learned is that choosing a vendor is key. “Having someone understand your business and set up the CRM allows you to run your business,” said Edith.
Edemco’s team identified its vendor because the vendor’s messaging spoke directly to “our pain points” with words like “more time with best prospects, less follow-up fatigue, and custom workflows that fit your business.”
Edemco’s CRM Benefits
Since implementing X2CRM, chaos gave way to new sales. Here are some statistics for the past year:
- New sales to new clients increased 23%.
- New sales to existing clients increased 18%.
- Each salesperson saved 6 hours per week.
- Prospects were ranked and salespeople spent that time with A&B prospects.
- ROI is 8X.
The personal touch when combined with personalized, segmented, and automated outreach leads to higher sales.
Today, Edemco has sales confidence, streamlined processes, and real growth.
Edemco’s vendor didn’t just offer software – they provided a partner who understood a small professional service company’s challenges and delivered a unique solution.
Let’s Talk – More Sales Less Follow Up Fatigue
