Capsule

Chasing down client documents during tax season or scrambling to remember which associate sent that last financial report? That’s the reality for too many accounting firms still relying on email chains and memory.

Accounting CRM software fixes this by giving your team one place to gather client data and automate repetitive client work, from payroll reminders to audit prep. The CRMs below are built for accountants who want a business that finally runs itself.

Why do accountants need CRM software?

Meet Sarah.

For years, she ran a solo accounting practice in Birmingham, keeping up with client work using color-coded spreadsheets and endless email threads.

It worked fine until her reputation spread, her client list doubled, and she hired two associates just to keep up with new requests. Suddenly, deadlines started slipping. Documents got lost in inboxes. She spent more time searching for client data than actually advising clients.

That’s when Sarah realized she needed real help.

For many accountants, the first instinct is to hire more people to handle the growing workload. But the real fix isn’t always adding headcount.

A CRM is exactly what Sarah needs to regain control and keep her business moving forward.

The right platform will offer features like:

• Bulletproof client data protection. Sarah�’s team handles payroll runs, tax returns, and confidential financial reports. Her CRM needs airtight security and granular permissions, so nothing sensitive ends up in the wrong place.
• Workflows customized for accounting. Every single day, Sarah is dealing with recurring services, VAT filings, and compliance reviews. She needs customizable pipelines that track every task and keep her team ahead of deadlines.
• Automation that tackles the admin headache. Her CRM should chase missing receipts or send reminders for quarterly filings, letting Sarah’s staff focus on client work instead of busywork.
• Integrations that remove manual effort. Integrations that actually save a lot of time. When QuickBooks, Xero, and her email just talk to each other, Sarah can stop copying numbers from one screen to another. Everything’s where she needs it, and those tedious double-entries can quickly become a thing of the past.
• Easy onboarding, even when the team grows. With new hires each tax season, Sarah’s CRM makes onboarding painless with clear user roles and no steep learning curve.
• Reporting that tells the whole story. From one dashboard, Sarah can see which clients need attention, where projects stand, and which services are driving her accounting firm’s growth.

Now that Sarah sees how much time and frustration she can save, she’s ready to make the switch to a CRM.

The only question left is: which CRM will set her up for success?

Best CRM software for accounting firms to use

Capsule CRM – best accounting CRM software

Accountants deal with enough complex rules, deadlines, and client demands. A CRM shouldn’t add to the headache. Capsule CRM is built to simplify your work, not slow it down.

Why accountants choose Capsule:

• Clean, intuitive interface. Forget about training marathons or confusing menus. Just log in and get going.
• Custom fields and tags. Track client type, compliance dates, key contacts, and even personal milestones, so every client feels understood.
• Complete client history. Every email, phone call, document, and note is saved in one place. No more searching inboxes before that big client meeting.
• Never miss a deadline. Automated reminders and task lists keep you and your team on top of VAT, payroll, and filings.
• Project management made easy. Assign and track tasks for both internal workflows and client-facing work. Everyone knows what’s next!
• Free CRM version. Capsule offers a fully functional free plan for accounting firms, so you can test it at your own pace. Want more? Paid plans start after a 14-day free trial, no credit card required.

Integrations accountants actually use:

• Xero, QuickBooks Online, FreshBooks, and FreeAgent. Sync client financials and eliminate manual entry. Capsule becomes your hub for business and client info, with numbers always up to date.
• Email integration. Connect Gmail, Outlook, Transpond, and more – so messages, client updates, and files stay linked to the right client automatically.

Trusted by hundreds of accounting firms worldwide, Capsule proves that the right CRM doesn’t need to be complicated or expensive – it just needs to work for accountants.

Try Capsule for free.

Copper CRM

Copper is an integrated CRM platform that brings customer relationship management into the Gmail inbox. It’s a practical software solution for accounting businesses already relying on Google Workspace for client communications and business processes.

Where Copper fits for accounting firms:

• Client management, simplified. Copper automatically pulls all your client information, emails, and meeting notes into a central database, so your entire team has instant access to past client interactions.
• Automated workflows for busy professionals. Copper cuts down on repetitive tasks and administrative work by capturing client communications and organizing client data without manual entry.
• Lead management and business development. Copper’s pipeline and client acquisition tools help accounting firms generate leads and track the sales process. It’s useful for expanding your client base or marketing campaigns.
• User-friendly CRM features. Accountants get valuable insight into customer relationships and upcoming business opportunities, all with a clean interface that fits naturally into daily work.

Limitations for the accounting industry:

• Accounting CRM tool gaps. While Copper supports client management and customer satisfaction, it lacks direct accounting software integration (no QuickBooks integration) or features tailored for financial data, compliance, or complex accounting processes.
• Basic features for document management. Attachments are stored in Google Drive, but there’s no structured content management system for client files or audit trails that accountants often need.
• Reporting. Analytics are sales-focused, so monitoring accounting deadlines or recurring compliance tasks is less efficient than with a purpose-built accounting CRM.

Pricing: Starts at $29/user/month. No free CRM version, but offers a free trial. Read more about Copper CRM pricing.

Insightly – workflow-driven CRM for accountants who need project power

Insightly is a customer relationship management system known for strong workflow automation and project tracking, making it a tool for those who want more than just contact management. It helps accounting firms streamline complex tasks, improve client engagement, and handle administrative work with less friction.

Where Insightly fits for accounting firms:

• Complex automation. Insightly’s process automation tools simplify recurring administrative tasks and help medium-sized businesses track projects from proposal to completion.
• Sales pipeline and client engagement. The platform makes it easy to manage prospective clients and follow up with loyal clients through a visual sales pipeline. You can segment clients by service type, engagement level, or financial needs.
• Integrated project and client management. Keep all client engagement activities and project milestones in one place, giving your team a clear view of where things stand, even with complex tasks or tight deadlines.
• Custom email templates. Use built-in email templates to communicate efficiently or send reminders right from the CRM accounting software interface.
• Mobile device access and client portal. Accountants can update records, check project status, and connect with clients wherever they are.

Limitations for the accounting market:

• Accounting integrations. While Insightly works well as a customer relationship management tool, it doesn’t natively integrate with most accounting software, limiting real-time sync for financial documents and client invoices.
• Personal preference and setup. Some accountants may find the setup process or feature set more complex than needed, depending on their team size and workflow style.
• CRM processes focus. The platform is strong on project delivery and CRM processes, but firms looking for deeper accounting CRM solutions – like compliance tracking or financial reporting – might find it limited.

Pricing: Starts at $29/user/month, with advanced features on higher tiers. Offers a free trial, but no free CRM version.

Zoho CRM – customizable CRM for accountants

Zoho CRM is a flexible customer relationship management system with deep customization and integrations, ideal for accountants handling a broad range of clients and services.

Where Zoho CRM fits for accounting firms:

• Highly customizable CRM processes. Tailor Zoho to your accounting business with custom modules, fields, and automation.
• Strong integrations. Seamless sync with accounting software like QuickBooks Online, plus Zoho Books for firms wanting an all-in-one solution.
• Sales automation. Automate repetitive tasks, organize client data, and keep your sales pipeline moving for both new and existing clients.
• Client portal and mobile access. Give clients a secure portal for sharing documents and checking status. The mobile device app means accountants stay connected and responsive, even outside the office.
• Versatile for the accounting market. Works for everything from small firms focused on financial cents to larger practices that want to scale up their customer relationship management.

Limitations for accounting firms:

• Complex setup. The flexibility means more decisions and a longer setup – best for teams who have time to build out workflows.
• Not accounting-specific. While powerful, Zoho CRM isn’t built exclusively for the accounting industry. Some accounting CRM software features may require workarounds or extra apps.
• Personal preference matters. Firms that want something ultra-simple or with out-of-the-box accounting features may find Zoho’s options a bit overwhelming.

Pricing: Starts at $25/user/month, with a wide range of features at higher tiers. Offers a free trial and a free CRM version with very basic features. Read more about Zoho CRM pricing.

Nimble – lightweight CRM for accountants focused on relationships

Nimble is a simple, relationship-driven CRM, best for accountants who prioritize networking, client interactions, and managing prospective clients – but without the overhead of a big platform.

Where Nimble fits for accounting firms:

• Contact enrichment. Nimble automatically pulls in client information from emails and social networks, helping you keep up-to-date records without heavy admin work.
• Easy engagement tracking. Accountants can monitor client engagement, log notes, and manage basic workflow automation for client communications.
• User-friendly and mobile. Nimble works well on any mobile device and has a low learning curve, making it accessible for small accounting businesses or solo practitioners.
• Ideal for simple management. For firms that need a streamlined customer relationship management system, Nimble makes it easy to keep up with ongoing conversations.

Limitations for accountants:

• Limited accounting CRM tool features. Nimble doesn’t offer deep automation, complex tasks, or native accounting software integrations – so companies handling complex tasks or regulatory work will feel the limits quickly.
• Not built for accounting industry compliance. No tools for document management or automated reminders for compliance deadlines.
• Personal preference. Best for those who value quick contact management and don’t need robust process automation or a client portal.

Pricing: Starts at $24.90/user/month, with a free trial available. Read more about Nimble CRM pricing.

Conclusion

Apologizing for missed follow-ups? Your clients expect better, and so should you.

Capsule CRM was built for accountants who want their data in order, deadlines under control, and zero chaos at tax time. Why let admin drag down your billable hours? Give Capsule a try and let your workflow finally… work for you.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best CRM for accounting firms?

What is CRM software in accounting?

What is client management in accounting?

Where do accountants store client data?

Winning more clients is exciting – until you realize each new project adds a layer of chaos. One client wants every update by phone, another buries you in email chains, and a third expects you to remember every detail from a meeting six months ago. Without a system to keep it all straight, the work that should grow your business starts draining your focus.

Fortunately, that chaos is manageable with the right client management software. The harder part is choosing one when the market is crowded with options. That’s what we’ll break down today.

What to look for in client management software

You can’t drop the ball when it comes to your business, especially when it comes to paying clients. The right software helps you avoid that by handling the details you can’t keep in your head.

Here are the features that make it possible:

• A single client record that tells the whole story. When a client calls out of the blue, you shouldn’t be scrambling for details. A proper client record ties together contact info, past conversations, proposals, invoices, and even those quick notes you jotted down after a meeting.
• Conversation history that saves you from “remind me where we left off?” Clients hate repeating themselves. With a full history, you can jump back into a paused project as if their last call was yesterday.
• Pipelines that mirror your real relationships. Not every client is a “deal.” Some are long-term retainers, others are one-off projects. A flexible pipeline lets you see where each relationship stands and who needs attention now.
• Reminders that protect renewals and goodwill. A single missed renewal email can cost you a contract. Automated reminders tied to clients make sure you never lose business because you forgot to check in.
• Context on the go. In client management, half the work happens outside the office: at sites, on calls, in coffee shops. A mobile app that syncs instantly means you can update a record before you even get back to your desk.
• Integrations that keep money and messages in sync. When invoices, emails, and project updates all connect back to the client record, you cut down on errors and look more professional in every interaction.

These features are non-negotiable if you want software that truly supports client relationships. But they’re not the whole picture. You’ll also need to weigh things like pricing, ease of setup, and how well a tool fits into your existing workflow. With that in mind, let’s look at the best client management software options available in 2025.

The best client management software for relationship and project management in 2025

Capsule CRM

Capsule CRM is designed to feel effortless from the start.

It gives you a clear view of your contacts and sales pipeline without overwhelming you with features you’ll never use.

Adding new clients or tracking sales operations takes only a few clicks, so your team spends more time with clients and less time figuring out software. For small businesses, it’s an efficient way to stay organized and still benefit from smart touches like workflow automation and integrations.

Features that make client management a breeze

• Sales pipeline in Kanban view: move deals through stages with a simple drag-and-drop. You always know which opportunities are moving forward and which need attention.
• Custom dashboards: track the metrics that matter to your business, from conversion rates to team activity, without getting through complicated reports.
• Workflow automation (Tracks): set Capsule to handle routine follow-ups for you. For example, if a lead goes quiet for five days, Capsule can automatically schedule a reminder email and a task to check in.
• Contact management with enrichment: keep every client detail in one place, searchable in seconds. Even if you only know a company name, Capsule can help fill in missing data so outreach stays effortless.
• Integrated email tools: connect directly with Gmail or Outlook to send templates or log messages. With the Transpond integration, you can also segment contacts and run simple automated campaigns.

Pricing: starts at $18 per user per month, and there is a free plan available

Capsule isn’t just easy on paper: real users back it up. Jamie D., a web developer who’s relied on Capsule for more than a decade, calls it “user-friendly and rapidly improving” and highlights how the tool makes staying on top of opportunities and projects effortless.

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He also points to the flexible filtering options, steady stream of new features, and responsive support team as reasons his small business sticks with Capsule year after year.

Try Capsule CRM today

Monday Sales CRM

Monday Sales CRM is all about flexibility. Instead of forcing you into rigid sales pipelines, it gives you a board-based system you can shape around the way your team actually works.

For businesses that want client management and project management in one place, it feels like a natural fit.

Features

• Customizable boards: build your own workflow from scratch. Whether you’re tracking deals or managing delivery, the board adapts to your process.
• Automations: cut down on busywork with trigger-based actions.
• Multiple views: switch between views depending on what you need – a high-level overview or deadline-level detail.
• Proofing tools: leave comments directly on files and designs, so review cycles move faster.

Pricing: from $12 per user/month for the Basic plan.

Read more about Monday CRM pricing.

While powerful, Monday does have a drawback: support can feel limited if you hit a technical roadblock during setup.

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Zoho CRM

Zoho CRM is part of a larger ecosystem, which makes it especially appealing if you’re already running tools like Zoho Desk, Projects, Campaigns, or Mail.

Everything can be integrated into one dashboard, so sales and marketing can work from the same source of truth. For teams that value automation and end-to-end visibility, Zoho offers a lot of firepower without forcing you to stitch together different platforms.

Features

• Multi‑contact accounts make it easy to manage customer interactions when you have multiple contacts at one organization.
• Quote & invoice generation from inside the CRM will make sure that every offer is followed up with a quote and/or invoice.
• Workflow automation lets you create and manage recurring tasks and schedule activities so you don’t accidentally forget to follow up or check up on.
• Zoho Projects integration allows departments to easily collaborate with each other.

Pricing: starts at $14 per user per month for the Standard plan

Although powerful, you may find Zoho a bit dated in terms of UI and UX, which is a recurring theme in Zoho products:

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Pipedrive

Pipedrive is a CRM built by salespeople, for salespeople, and it shows.

Its core strength is a visual pipeline that makes it obvious where every deal stands. Pipedrive offers small businesses a simple dashboard to manage follow-ups and maintain revenue.

Features

• Drag-and-drop sales board: track deals visually without advanced sales analytics.
• Smart reminders: get nudges for follow-ups so opportunities never go cold.
• Forecasting & reporting: predict pipeline performance by analyzing past data and adjust strategy when you’re off pace.
• 500+ integrations: connect Pipedrive with the invoicing, marketing, communication, or project tools your team already uses.

Pricing: from €14 per user/month (Lite plan, billed annually).

Pipedrive shines in its simplicity. But if you’re looking for deeper functionality, you may find those features less refined than dedicated platforms.

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HubSpot

HubSpot CRM has become the go-to starting point for many small teams because it delivers plenty of value before you ever pay a cent. The free plan covers enough to get a small business running on a professional system. As you scale, HubSpot lets you plug in various elements to build a full customer platform.

Features

• Shared inbox & contact management: keep every email and call tied to the right client, so your team always knows what’s been said and by whom.
• Deal tracking: see how many opportunities are open and where they are in the pipeline.
• Dashboard reporting: you get a high-level view of performance and activity across accounts, even in the free CRM plan.
• Modular tool stack: expand beyond CRM with add-on hubs.

Pricing: free forever for the base CRM; paid plans start at $9/seat/month for the Starter Customer Platform.

The trade-off? While the free plan is generous, HubSpot can get pricey as your team grows and you start adding advanced features.

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Insightly

Insightly stands out because it doesn’t stop at sales – it helps manage what comes after.

For agencies, consultants, and service-based businesses, it’s a true “lifecycle CRM” that gives users a single place to handle sales and client communication.

Features

• Project tracking lets you link sales opportunities to delivery tasks without leaving the CRM.
• Automation lets you save time by setting up triggers for tasks that matter to you. You can define a trigger and assign one or more automated actions.
• Ticket management allows agents to manage client issues and respond directly in the CRM. When customers reach out, Insightly automatically creates a ticket that stores all the client communication history.
• Custom alerts remind teams of deadlines or key updates relevant for your unique sales process.

Pricing: free for up to two users; paid plans start at $29 per user per month for the Plus plan

The problem with Insightly is that to get access to all of the powerful features, you need to go through a lengthy learning phase:

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Keap

Most CRMs stop at contact management. Keap keeps going: it handles the messy parts of running a service business – scheduling, billing, and routine follow-ups – alongside your sales pipeline.

Features

• Contact management: keep every client conversation in one place for full context and clarity for your team.
• Calendar booking: let clients self-schedule with just a few clicks, cutting out the usual email back-and-forth.
• Financial management: create sales invoices and accept payments directly in Keap.
• Automation sequences: set up workflows for repetitive tasks, such as sending welcome emails or triggering reminders after sign-up.

Pricing: starts at $249/month for two users and up to 1,500 contacts.

Keap’s is a convenient all in one platform that can do it all. The flip side is cost: it’s significantly more expensive than most CRMs, and many users flag pricing as the biggest drawback:

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Zendesk

Zendesk Sell is the natural fit for teams already using Zendesk for customer support.

It brings sales into the same ecosystem, so reps and agents can work from a shared sales playbook. For companies that value continuity between landing a deal and keeping that client happy, Sell is a logical extension.

Features

• Sales overview: shape your pipeline to match the way your team actually sells.
• Forecasting tools with live dashboards: track revenue expectations and deal volume in real time, broken down by rep or sales stage, so leadership isn’t flying blind.
• Complex email integration: every sent or received email is automatically tied to the client record, with templates available right inside Gmail or Outlook.
• Trigger-based workflows: assign tasks or route leads on autopilot.
• Deep Zendesk integration: client context flows between sales and support, so a rep closing a deal and an agent handling a ticket see the same history.

Pricing: starts at $19 per user per month for Zendesk Sell Team

While Zendesk Sell delivers on integration, reviews often note it feels less polished than Zendesk’s core support tools. Bugs and slow support responses are recurring complaints:

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Freshsales

What happens when a client reaches out through one channel and your team misses the context from another? Freshsales prevents those gaps by pulling every interaction into a single view.

Built as a support-first CRM, it helps businesses respond quickly and keep sales and support on the same page.

Features

• Unified ticketing: instead of using separate inboxes, Freshsales places every client request in one queue for faster handoffs.
• Rule-based routing: create smart conditions that decide where tickets go. A subject line with “refund” can land directly with the refund team, while urgent cases jump straight to the priority list.
• All-channel visibility: conversations from email, chat, social, and phone flow into the same record, so your team sees the whole story instead of piecing it together from various tools.
• Built-in safeguards: with GDPR/HIPAA compliance, Freshsales includes the security layers needed in industries where data handling matters most.

Pricing: starts at $9 per user per month for the Growth plan

Freshsales gives strong support coverage at an accessible price point. But if your workflows require deep customization, expect to spend extra time configuring things manually:

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A bad client management platform will make you jump through hoops to learn all the advanced features and make it work for your use case. A great one helps you get more sales through the door and removes repetitive tasks standing in the way of your productivity.

If you’re looking for the best client management software that can help you as soon as today, get Capsule. It’s easy to use, has a generous free plan, and features to make your sales process as successful as possible.

Ready to spend more time building relationships and less time on admin?

Start with Capsule’s free plan today.

When most business owners start thinking about selling, the first question they ask is “What’s my business worth?” It feels simple: you look at annual revenue, apply a multiple, and you’re done. But the reality is more complex.

The right price isn’t only about numbers on a balance sheet. It’s about how those numbers are presented, how transferable your systems are, how involved you are, and even how prospective buyers feel about the future of your company.

That’s why a proper business valuation goes beyond formulas and gets into factors that reveal the true value of your business.

We spoke with entrepreneurs, business brokers, and valuation consultants who’ve gone through the process firsthand. They shared not only which business valuation methods matter (like the discounted cash flow method or comparable sales) but also the unexpected details that shaped their final selling price.

Here are eight expert-backed factors that can impact how to price a business for sale.

#1 Organized financial statements make your business more valuable

Financial clarity often determines how confident buyers feel about a deal. Michael J. Spitz, CPA and principal at Spitz CPA, has seen valuations drop quickly when financial statements are messy or inconsistent.

“Buyers will cut offers by 20–30% if they can’t trust the numbers or if they see practices that obscure performance,” says Michael. “The best approach is to prepare at least 18 months in advance, so your records reflect consistent reporting.”

He recalls working with a Phoenix property management company where the owner expected $1.2M based on $400K in annual earnings. “The business had mixed personal investments with operating accounts for years,” Michael explains.

“What preserved the sale was the owner’s vendor relationships and long-term maintenance contracts. Buyers valued that operational stability at $950K, even though the books took months to untangle.”

Michael emphasizes that clean financial records and normalized expenses create credibility.

Adjusting for seller’s discretionary earnings, excess compensation, and personal expenses makes it easier for potential buyers to see the fair market value.

#2 A smooth client handover can increase the sale price

Revenue tells part of the story, but how easily it transfers to the next owner matters just as much. Liam Derbyshire, founder of Influize, discovered this firsthand when selling his first boutique marketing agency based in Bristol, UK.

“The buyers were nervous about losing key accounts after the handover,” Liam says. “I built a 90-day client onboarding and relationship-transfer plan. That added nearly 15% to the final price.”

He also stresses that the value of your business should be framed in a defensible range rather than a single number. “I went to market with a $1.1M–$1.3M range. It gave me room to negotiate without undercutting my minimum.”

For business owners, documenting how customers and employees will transition is as important as highlighting cash flow. A strong plan reassures prospective buyers that customer loyalty and revenue stability will survive beyond the sale.

#3 Strong leadership processes raise buyer confidence

Strong leadership increases business worth. Bill Berman, CEO of Berman Leadership, has built and sold his own software company and advised executives through dozens of acquisitions.

“One of the biggest mistakes I see is business owners inflating the asking price because of personal attachment,” Bill explains. “The focus should be on systems that demonstrate the company runs effectively, independent of the founder.”

When Bill sold his healthcare outcomes tracking software company, he initially based pricing on valuation multiples and future profits. What ultimately increased the business’s value was the team’s structured approach to client implementation and support. “The acquiring company told me later they paid extra because our leadership processes were more developed than larger businesses in the same market.”

Leadership continuity and team stability reassure buyers that the company can continue to grow under new ownership. Those intangible assets often increase market value more than short-term net income.

#4 Brand story and loyalty can add unexpected value

A fair market valuation typically considers cash flow statements, tangible assets, and industry standards. But emotional factors and brand story can also influence what buyers are willing to pay.

Inigo Rivero, managing director of House of Marketers, recalls selling a TikTok-focused content agency. “We received a premium offer because the buyer valued our niche expertise and loyal community. That connection couldn’t be replicated easily.”

He recommends highlighting intangible assets like intellectual property, exclusive partnerships, or customer loyalty. “We presented the agency as more than annual revenue and expenses… we told the story of our impact and relationships.”

For small business owners, especially those in service industries, a compelling narrative can become part of the business valuation. Buyers don’t just analyze financial records; they also respond to how well the company’s future aligns with their vision.

#5 Documented workflows and team stability strengthen valuation

Agencies and creative companies are often valued differently compared to product-based businesses. Janelle Warner, co-director of Born Social, sold her social media agency after seven years and noticed buyers cared deeply about team stability and creative processes.

“Recurring revenue from retained clients was important, but buyers also paid attention to our documented workflows and retention rate,” Janelle explains. “Our 85% client retention and proven influencer strategies were worth more than I expected.”

The buyer placed particular value on her team’s willingness to stay post-acquisition, which added $150K to the final offer.

For owners of similar businesses, high intellectual property matters as much as traditional business valuation methods. Market data from comparable companies may provide benchmarks, but the systems that drive consistent creative output can push valuations higher.

#6 Proving future growth can lift your business’s worth

Standard valuation methods like the earnings multiple or discounted cash flow method often focus on historical performance. Yet buyers also pay for future growth.

Bennett Maxwell, CEO of Franchise KI, saw this when selling Dirty Dough. “Buyers cared about our franchise pipeline as much as our current revenue,” he explains. “At the time, we had 100 locations open and over 400 sold. That growth potential pushed our price well above standard multiples.”

This reflects how business valuation determines not only present value but also future profits. Prospective buyers often run discounted cash flow analysis to estimate net present value of future cash flows. When growth is demonstrable – through contracts, sales pipelines, or market trends – it raises the estimated value beyond comparable sales.

For business owners, the lesson is clear: always present the business’s future alongside current financial statements.

#7 Automation and scalability make a company more attractive

Scalability is a recurring theme in successful exits. Gary Gilkison, CEO of Riverbase, built PacketBase from zero funding to acquisition within five years.

“Timing was important,” Gary notes. “A competitor’s failed acquisition created urgency in our industry, which helped us command 40% above our initial target.” But what impressed buyers most was the company’s client retention automation system.

“Our automation kept retention at 94%, far above industry averages,” Gary explains. “That system could be applied across the buyer’s portfolio, making it more valuable than current revenue alone.”

Scalable processes reduce risk for potential buyers and increase fair market value. Whether it’s customer service automation or technology platforms, repeatable systems are often priced higher than one-time assets.

#8 Professional appraisals reveal the true value of a business

Not every owner feels confident applying valuation methods on their own. That’s where professional appraisers step in. According to John Reinesch, CEO of StorIQ, pricing a company correctly means weighing tangible and intangible assets against liabilities and risk.

“When we assess the value of a business, we look at financial statements, industry standards, and how the method determines fair market value,” John explains. “For example, asset based valuation highlights net assets, but we also calculate replacement value and liquidation value to understand the downside.”

John adds that appraisers use different benchmarks depending on the company type. “In service businesses, earnings multiplier methods and years earnings are common. For larger businesses or publicly traded companies, price to earnings ratios provide a market-based anchor. In asset-heavy industries, we lean on book value and tangible assets.”

He recalls one engagement where unexpected liabilities and high business expenses reduced the estimated value significantly. “By running several methods side by side, we helped the owner position the company as lower risk. That gave prospective buyers confidence and supported a better multiple.”

John’s takeaway: Use a professional appraiser if you want an objective perspective that balances valuation methods, risk factors, business liabilities, and industry benchmarks.

Bringing it all together

So, how to price a business for sale? Traditional business valuation methods – income-based, market-based, and asset-based valuation – provide a well-needed structure. They rely on cash flow, comparable businesses, net assets, and market conditions to estimate business worth. Methods like the discounted cash flow method, earnings multiple, or book value each give part of the picture.

But as these experts show, the final sale price often depends on less obvious factors: clean financial statements, client transition plans, leadership systems, intangible assets, growth potential, and scalable processes.

Each of these can increase or decrease a buyer’s perception of value.

For small business owners preparing for a sale, the key is to present both the numbers and the narrative. Gather reliable financial records, normalize expenses, highlight tangible and intangible business assets, and show how the company’s future cash flows support a higher market value.

Valuation multiples vary based on industry standards, market trends, and current market conditions. But when you combine proper documentation with clear systems and a vision for the business’s future, you put yourself in the best position to achieve a fair market price that reflects the true value of your business.

Client relationship management software for small businesses: a buyer’s guide

For a small business, upgrading from spreadsheets to a CRM isn’t just about new software – it’s about betting on a tool that has to earn its place quickly. Every subscription eats into a tight budget, and the wrong choice can slow you down instead of helping you grow.

That’s why the right CRM for small businesses looks different from the enterprise platforms you hear about. It has to be simple enough to use from day one, flexible enough to fit how you already work, and affordable enough to scale as you do.

This guide will show you what to prioritize when you buy your first CRM and how to avoid the traps that waste time and money.

When a small business should switch to a CRM

For many small businesses, the right time to adopt a CRM comes sooner than expected.

Research shows that 65% of SMBs implement a CRM within their first five years of operation. That’s because the earlier you make the switch, the easier it is to build strong habits around customer data instead of untangling messy spreadsheets later.

The payoff can be significant. Industry studies suggest that companies see an average return of $8.71 for every $1 invested in CRM, with sales conversion rates improving by as much as 300% once a system is in place.

It doesn’t mean you should leave everything now and go install a CRM. Still, timing matters. A CRM becomes essential once you notice signals like:

• Leads are lost because follow-ups aren’t tracked.
• Customer conversations are scattered across multiple inboxes.
• Struggles to answer basic questions about conversion rate.
• Sales opportunities are stalling because no one knows the next step in the process.
• Team members are duplicating work or relying on outdated contact lists.

One business owner summed timing up perfectly in a Reddit thread:

The best time to adopt a CRM isn’t after growth creates chaos. It’s just before. But that’s when switching to a CRM stops feeling like an upgrade and starts looking like the only way forward.

Top CRM features that small businesses should look for

#1 Contact and client history

The first job of a CRM is to hold every client detail in one place. That way, questions don’t get repeated, and your team isn’t wasting time guessing which spreadsheet is current. For small businesses, that consistency means more time selling and less time digging.

The essentials to look for are:

You don’t need to use every option from day one, especially if you’re working solo or trying a CRM for the first time. Starting small and layering on features later will help you avoid the overwhelm that puts so many businesses off CRM for good.

Fortunately, Capsule CRM makes contact management simple with:

• Quick search. You can find people or organizations instantly, even inside notes and emails.
• Custom fields & tags. Track what matters to you, like contract types or renewal dates.
• Less admin. Sync Capsule with tools you already use (more on that later on!).

Capsule customer Matt Day explains it best:

#2 Communication capabilities

For small businesses, communication often happens everywhere at once: sales emails in Gmail, invoices in Outlook, quick calls on mobiles, and notes handwritten during or after meetings. The problem is that… none of it connects. Two teammates might reply to the same client differently, and the client ends up repeating themselves.

A solid CRM should close that gap by pulling all those touchpoints into one shared timeline.

Anyone can open a contact record and see the full story before sending the next message. That saves time and gives your clients the confidence that you’re organized.

What to look for:

• Timeline for all messages from various channels.
• Automatic email capture without copy-pasting threads.
• Call note logging that’s quick enough to do right after a conversation.
• Message-to-deal linking so context is tied to the right opportunity.

Example: A travel agent opens a client record and sees last month’s discussion about budget and dates. With that thread attached to the record, the agent can immediately propose an updated itinerary. The client feels heard, and the company saves precious time.

How Capsule helps:

• All in one place. Emails, calls, files, documents, and tasks tied to each contact.
• Capture and store emails automatically through integrations, or by forwarding ‘to Capsule’.
• See how recipients interact with emails from within Capsule.
• Use Transpond, Capsule’s own email marketing tool, to sync contacts seamlessly and run targeted campaigns and automations.

With Capsule and Transpond working together, your communication history turns into actionable data you can use to nurture leads, on repeat.

#3 Tasks and follow-up

For small businesses, one missed follow-up can mean losing a contract and the trust that goes with it. A CRM should support you by making every sales step a trackable task, so no matter how busy things get, you’ll have a chance to seal the deal.

Even if you’re working on your own, this is powerful. Instead of relying on memory or notes, you log a call and immediately set a reminder. The next day, your agenda tells you exactly who to call, what’s overdue, and what’s coming up: all linked to the right client record.

How Capsule helps:

• All tasks in one place. Create reminders for calls, meetings, deadlines, and submissions.
• Tracks for repeatable steps. Group tasks into sequences that activate one after another, so every lead follows the same proven process.
• Smart reminders. Get daily task emails so you start the day knowing your priorities.
• Calendar view. See tasks laid out by week or month, drag-and-drop to adjust due dates, or sync with Apple Calendar, Outlook, or iCal.
• Custom categories & repeats. Organize your work by task type.

With tasks connected to specific deals, your pipeline keeps moving forward.

#4 Sales pipeline and deals

Without a visual sales pipeline, deals get lost in email chains and you only realise too late that a prospect has gone cold. A CRM pipeline gives you a board where every opportunity is visible.

You can see:

• which ones are active,
• which have been sitting too long,
• which are about to close,
• which prospects never moved beyond an initial call,
• which high-value deals need a manager’s attention,
• which repeat customers are ready for renewal but haven’t been contacted yet,

And more. For a solo business owner, this means you don’t forget to follow up on a conversation from last week. For a small team, it means you don’t have two people chasing the same lead, or worse… nobody chasing it at all.

In Capsule, each opportunity carries its value, stage, and probability, so you can forecast revenue with more than just a gut feeling.

Use features such as:

• Drag-and-drop stages to make updates effortless, while multiple pipelines let you manage different sales processes side by side (for example, project work vs. retainers, or separate pipelines for different markets.)
• Pipeline dashboard gives you a single view of all opportunities, showing where deals stall, conversion performance over time, and the total value sitting in each stage.
• Filters and tags highlight specific deal types (like referrals or renewals) so you can quickly see which potential clients deserve attention.

#5 Reporting and analytics

Reporting often feels like an afterthought when small businesses pick their first CRM. At the start, the priority is usually keeping track of people and promises. But over time, the question shifts from “Did we follow up?” to “Which of our efforts actually work?”, and that’s where reporting earns its keep.

Unlike a task list or a pipeline, reports reveal patterns that aren’t obvious day to day. You might find that referrals consistently bring in higher-value clients than ads. Or that deals from one product line close twice as fast as another. These insights tell you where to double down and where to cut back.

Capsule helps:

• Generate sales and activity reports filtered by owner, pipeline, or date range, without needing an analyst.
• Save and export views so everyone works from the same version of the truth.
• Create custom reports to test your own ideas: like tracking repeat business or measuring the real impact of a marketing campaign.

Reports are proof of what’s driving growth, and they give small businesses the confidence to make changes backed by evidence.

#6 Integrations and data sync

Chances are, you already use a mix of software to run your business. Adding a CRM doesn’t mean replacing those tools. The value comes from connecting them, so information flows instead of being typed twice or left out completely.

When integrations work well, you win back hours every week. Win a deal in your CRM, and an invoice appears automatically in your accounting software. Add a contact to your CRM and they’re instantly on the right marketing list. Update a payment, and the status shows up on the client record without anyone needing to chase it.

Capsule:

With Capsule, data doesn’t just move one way. It stays aligned across tools, so your team always sees the current picture and doesn’t waste time fixing mismatches.

#7 Mobile access

For many small businesses, work doesn’t stop at the office. You might be meeting a client on-site or showing a property. In those moments, the phone becomes the main way to keep records up to date. A CRM that works well on mobile makes it easy to record what just happened before the details fade.

In real life, it could look like this:

After showing a two-bedroom apartment to a prospective buyer, a real estate agent sits in the car outside the property and updates the CRM. They note the client’s interest in the kitchen renovation and request the HOA fee details, then add a follow-up task for the office to send the floor plan and fee breakdown later that day. The client receives the information while the visit is still fresh, reinforcing the agent’s professionalism and keeping momentum in the sale.

With Capsule’s mobile app, you can:

• Search for a contact or deal in seconds before walking into a meeting.
• Add call notes or meeting outcomes straight away.
• Move a deal to the next stage or set a follow-up task right after leaving a client.
• Forward emails into Capsule while on the go, keeping the record complete.

The result is a system that stays current in real time, instead of being updated at the end of a long day when details are already blurred.

#8 Onboarding and adoption capabilities

For many small businesses, the biggest challenge with CRM isn’t the feature set – it’s getting started. A system can have every function in the world, but if it takes weeks to set up or feels confusing on day one, it ends up unused. That’s why ease of adoption is often the real make-or-break factor.

A good CRM should feel obvious to use, even if you’ve never touched one before. Adding a contact or moving a deal should take seconds. And setup shouldn’t become an IT project. You should be able to import contacts and start tracking real work in the same afternoon.

Capsule helps:

• Guided imports from spreadsheets, Google Contacts, or Outlook for simple data migration.
• Starter pipelines and templates help you get running with real examples instead of blank screens.
• Tracks allow you to set repeatable steps, so you follow the same process with every new lead.
• Helpful resources and support, such as short videos, clear guides, and responsive help when you need it.

When adoption is smooth, a CRM becomes part of everyday work. For small businesses, that’s the difference between wasting a subscription and building a system that scales with you.

#9 Pricing and vendor lock-in

Price is the natural starting point, but it shouldn’t be the finish line. Free plans and trials let you test a CRM with no risk: not just the feature set, but how it fits your daily routine. If updating a deal or adding a note feels difficult, the tool won’t earn its keep no matter how cheap it looks.

There are also two kinds of lock-in to watch for:

• Contract lock-in → annual plans that look cheaper on paper but tie you down before you know if the CRM fits. Add-on fees and usage caps can push you into higher tiers faster than expected.
• Data lock-in → when it’s easy to import data but frustrating to get it back out. Some CRMs limit exports or make you rely on support for a full backup, which raises switching costs if you ever move on.

Capsule avoids both traps. Pricing starts free and scales in simple tiers, so you know what you’re paying at each stage. You can trial features, import contacts in minutes, and export everything cleanly whenever you need.

Price matters, but fit and usability will decide if your CRM pays for itself.

#10 Security and privacy

Even if you’re not running a bank, your CRM still holds the lifeblood of your business: client names, contact details, notes from calls, invoices, maybe even payment history.

For a small business, a single breach can do more damage than any lost deal. That’s why security shouldn’t be treated as “nice to have,” even if you don’t need enterprise-grade setups.

What matters is knowing the tool covers the essentials without making your life harder:

• Two-factor authentication so a lost laptop doesn’t expose your client list
• Encryption in transit and at rest so records aren’t vulnerable while moving or sitting in the database
• Simple role permissions so only the right people in your team see sensitive records
• GDPR-compliant processes so you can quickly export, correct, or delete data if a client asks

Capsule handles these fundamentals in the background, so you can focus on running your business. You don’t need to be a security expert to know your data is safe. Even if you’re a two-person shop, protecting client trust today saves headaches tomorrow.

Picking a CRM sets the tone for how your business runs day to day. For a small team, the right choice isn’t the one with the biggest toolbox; it’s the one that you can actually use and see value from straight away.

With Capsule, you can test it on real work before making a commitment. Start with the free plan, take the trial for advanced features, and see how nicely it fits into your way of working.

That’s how you find a CRM that supports growth instead of slowing it down.

Running a professional services business is like hosting a dinner party where every guest arrives with their own dietary requirements, seating preferences, and individual stories you’re expected to recall.

You can’t serve everyone the same thing, and you can’t afford to forget the details, because here, the “guests” are clients who trust you with work that’s often high-stakes, high-value, and deeply personal.

Unlike product businesses, you’re not just delivering something that ships in a box. Every engagement is a blend of files and conversations that can stretch across years. It’s also an invisible mental load, and it’s on you to keep every moving part in sync.

Lose track of a conversation, and you risk more than just an unhappy client. You risk the relationship itself.

A well-chosen CRM can take some of that weight off your shoulders. The tools in this list are built to keep relationships strong and help you swallow hours you’d rather spend serving your clients.

Why do professional services need CRM

The market is growing, 6.4% year on year until 2032 if the forecasts hold – which means more opportunity but also competition. Clients will have more choice, and they will also be quick to notice if you look organized in the pitch but chaotic in delivery.

That’s why a CRM is part of acting the way your business claims it will. Professional services should do what they say on the tin: be professional.

That includes:

• clear, timely communication,
• a shared understanding of what’s next,
• the ability to step into any client conversation at any time,
• keeping every deadline visible and agreed,
• making handovers smooth and unnoticeable,
• spotting potential issues before they become problems,

and of course, loads of other things and factors that clients might not see but always feel.

Are you a professional service?

It’s broader than it sounds.

IT consultants. Cybersecurity specialists. Accountants and lawyers. Management advisors. Architects and engineers. Marketing agencies, PR firms, HR consultants, executive coaches.

Different industries, same reality. Work is project-based, built on expertise, and delivered directly to clients. If that describes you, the tools you choose to run your business will either protect that reputation… or quietly erode it.

Our list of best CRM systems for professional services

Capsule CRM: the right CRM software for your company

Client relationships in professional services can unravel fast, and you don’t get many second chances.

Capsule could be the last tool you need to run your client pipeline and day-to-day communication in one connected space.

Key CRM features for professional services

Complete client history in one place

Open a client record in Capsule and see the full picture: proposals, call notes, contracts, emails, project info. In a sector where details drive trust, it means you can pick up a conversation instantly and respond with confidence, even if you weren’t the one who handled the last interaction.

A sales pipeline you can actually work from

Capsule’s visual Kanban board is a live workspace. You can drag opportunities forward as they progress, adjust milestones when a deal shifts, and watch your forecasts update in real time.

It’s a clear view of where your next projects and revenue will come from, so you can plan resources without guesswork.

Project and task tracking suited to professional services

Service delivery isn’t an afterthought here. Project boards keep live work visible, and Tracks let you map every repeatable process – from client onboarding to quarterly reviews.

Everyone on your team knows exactly what’s next without chasing updates.

Automation TO protect billable hours

Not everything in client management can or should be automated, but the right automations free you from the repetitive work that quietly eats into your day. Capsule lets you set recurring tasks for regular check-ins or trigger reminders for deadlines before they loom large.

Every minute saved on admin is a minute you can spend delivering work clients will remember you for.

Integrations capabilities to keep the back office in sync

Professional services rarely run on one platform alone. There’s always an accounting system, a shared calendar, a document library, and a marketing tool or two in the mix.

Capsule was built with that reality in mind.

Connect it to Xero or QuickBooks for instant access to client financials, link Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 for schedules and shared files, and sync with tools like Transpond or Mailchimp for coordinated client communication. The result is one hub where data flows both ways.

Customisation that reflects how you work

The right tool should work for you, not against you. Capsule lets you shape it around your processes instead of forcing you into a one-size-fits-all setup. Add fields for the details you track most, from project stages to service types.

Tag clients in ways that make sense for your priorities, and define steps that reflect how your firm actually wins and delivers work.

Access wherever the work happens

Client work doesn’t wait for you to get back to the office. With mobile apps for iOS and Android, Capsule moves with you: whether you’re meeting clients on-site, catching up at a conference, planning site visits, or… simply making the most of time on the train.

What users say

It’s one thing for us to talk about Capsule – but hearing from the people who use it every day says more.

One customer called Capsule “the perfect CRM to start and scale with”, praising how quickly their team could get set up and actually use it. They liked the clear sales pipeline and the handy project boards, but also the fact that support came from real humans.

Another moved from using several tools to having everything in one place. They found it easy to bring their data over and enjoyed the smooth integration with their email marketing platform.

Someone else simply said, “Super easy, love it.” They had it running in minutes, use it every day, and value the straightforward customisation or and helpful reminders. For a team that hadn’t used a CRM before, it quickly became part of their daily routine.

Reading through feedback like this, you can see why people stick with Capsule once they start.

Pricing

Capsule is free to use for up to 250 contacts. Paid plans start at $18 per user/month (annual billing) and include a 14-day free trial.

Start with Capsule CRM today and experience what it’s like to manage your entire client journey from one simple hub.

Copper

If your professional services firm already lives in Gmail, Calendar, and Drive, switching between tools can feel like a tax on your day. Copper removes that tax. It works inside Google Workspace so your contact records, deals, and project notes appear where your team already spends most of its time.

Key features for professional services

• Native Google Workspace integration: manage leads and contracts without leaving Gmail or Drive, ideal for a consulting team that relies heavily on Google’s tools.
• Contact management tied to communication history: see every email, meeting, and note alongside the contact profile for immediate context.
• Visual pipelines for projects and sales: track deals or engagements in Kanban view, moving them through each stage as you progress.
• Task management for client work: assign follow-ups or deliverables to specific team members with due dates and reminders.

Considerations before adopting Copper

• Works best for teams already on Google Workspace, less appealing if you use Microsoft 365 or other platforms.
• Reporting is functional but may lack the deep analytics of enterprise CRMs.
• Requires further integrations for campaigns.
• Limited advanced project management features for consulting companies.

Pricing

Plans start at $12/user/month (billed annually) with a 14-day free trial.

Nimble

In the consulting market, reputation and relationships often open more doors than advertising ever could. Nimble is designed for firms whose growth depends on nurturing those connections.

Key features for professional services

• Relationship-focused contact profiles: combine email history and meeting notes to create a complete picture of each client or prospect.
• Smart lead tracking: automatically pull in new leads and tag them for quick prioritisation.
• Unified inbox: manage communications across email and social channels from a single dashboard.
• Activity tracking: log calls and proposals to build a clear record of your sales activities over time.

Considerations before adopting Nimble

• Social integrations are powerful but require setup to get the most value.
• May feel too simple for firms needing advanced pipeline management.
• Limited built-in automation compared to larger CRMs.
• It might be quite pricey for larger consulting firms.

Pricing

$20.90/user/month with a 14-day free trial.

Pipedrive

For firms where the sales process is the lifeline of the business, Pipedrive offers a clear, visual way to keep opportunities moving. It’s especially effective as a consulting CRM for teams closing multiple deals at different stages, giving you a board-level view of where every proposal stands.

Key features for professional services

• Customisable visual pipelines: drag and drop deals through each stage of your sales process, adapting the flow to match how your firm wins work.
• Forecasting tools: predict potential revenue based on pipeline data to help leaders make better resourcing and investment calls.
• Activity scheduling and reminders: plan calls and follow-ups so the sales team never misses a deadline.
• Integrations with project management tools: connect Pipedrive with platforms like Trello or Asana to link closed deals directly to delivery.

Considerations before adopting Pipedrive

• Focused on sales; may require extra tools for broader customer relationship management.
• Reporting is good for sales metrics but less developed for service delivery KPIs.
• Advanced automation features are only in higher-tier plans.
• Limited native accounting integrations compared to all-in-one CRMs.

Pricing

Starts at $21.90/user/month with a 14-day free trial.

Keap

Keap combines a CRM and payment processing in a single platform for a consulting practice that wants fewer moving parts. It’s built for businesses that need to handle leads, contracts, sales invoices, and follow-ups without hopping between multiple apps.

Key features for professional services

• End-to-end client management: maintain a central contact database.
• Workflow automation: trigger actions and project tasks to save time and improve client satisfaction.
• Revenue forecasting and reporting: track key metrics like sales conversion rates to guide business growth.
• Built-in invoicing and payment tools: accept payments directly through Keap, speeding up cash flow and reducing admin.

Considerations before adopting Keap

• The all-in-one setup may feel too rigid for firms that prefer specialist tools.
• Learning curve for those new to a full-featured CRM system.
• Limited flexibility in project time management compared to dedicated PM tools.
• Higher starting price than some single-function CRMs – it’s 20 times more expensive than Capsule CRM, so it might be unaffordable for a small consulting business.

Pricing

Plans start at $299/month with a 14-day free trial.

Insightly

Winning the deal is only the first chapter. In many professional services firms, the real test comes when project tasks start stacking up and the consulting team is spread thin.

Insightly connects the dots between sales, delivery, and client communication.

Key features for professional services

• Integrated project management: assign tasks and track progress without switching systems.
• Marketing automation: run campaigns that connect directly to your business development processes.
• Relationship linking: map connections between existing clients, partners, and prospects to uncover hidden opportunities.
• Detailed reporting: monitor performance across the full sales cycle, from lead to final delivery.

Considerations before adopting Insightly

• Advanced features may be overkill for firms with simple business processes.
• Automation is powerful but requires setup time to fit specific business development efforts.
• Some integrations are limited compared to more sales-focused CRMs.
• Mobile experience can feel less polished for project-heavy workflows.

Pricing

Starts at $29/user/month (billed annually) with a 14-day free trial.

Zoho CRM

When your consulting services start handling more clients, spreadsheets stop cutting it. Zoho CRM offers a flexible CRM platform that scales with your firm.

Key features for professional services

• Advanced customization: adapt tags and modules so the CRM platform matches exactly how your company operates.
• Client data management: store every file in one place for quick access and better context.
• AI-assisted insights: identify the most promising deals, spot stalled opportunities, and forecast with more accuracy.
• Automation capabilities: use Zoho Flow as a business process designer to set up workflows.

Considerations before adopting Zoho CRM

• Initial setup can feel complex for smaller firms.
• Some advanced features are locked behind more expensive plans.
• Interface isn’t as minimal as lightweight CRMs.
• Requires clear internal processes to get the most from its depth.

Pricing

Starts at $23/user/month (billed annually) with a 15-day free trial.

HighLevel

In some firms, leads come in quickly, but the follow-up process is the most problematic part. HighLevel is designed to help you win new business while keeping user adoption high across your team.

Key features for professional services

• Unified dashboard: manage your website and CRM without switching between different tools.
• Simple planning: schedule messages so prospects never go cold.
• Email template builder: create email templates for proposals, updates, or renewals for more consistent communication.
• Pipeline management: track every deal stage and project potential sales revenue with ease.

Considerations before adopting HighLevel

• Broad feature set can take time to master.
• Interface may feel heavy for teams that prefer minimal tools for client interactions.
• More marketing-focused than operations-focused.
• Works best for firms ready to centralise their outreach.

Pricing

Starts at $97/month with no per-user fee.

Nutshell

Not every firm needs a complex system. If your consulting practice values quick setup and straightforward workflows, Nutshell delivers a CRM for consulting without unnecessary layers.

Key features for professional services

• Visual pipelines: see exactly where every opportunity stands and what needs action next.
• Built-in email and calling: contact potential clients directly from the CRM and keep all correspondence in context.
• Automated sales reporting: get insights on sales activity and team performance in one place.
• Simple automation: set follow-up reminders or move leads between stages automatically.

Considerations before adopting Nutshell

• Lacks some advanced integration options compared to larger CRMs.
• May feel too basic for firms with highly customised processes.
• Reporting, while clear, is less granular than enterprise-level tools.
• Project management features are minimal.

Pricing

Plans start at $19/user/month with a 14-day free trial.

SugarCRM – enterprise-scale flexibility

When your firm’s processes don’t fit neatly into a template, SugarCRM steps in with a level of flexibility that makes it a contender for the best consulting CRM in larger, more complex organisations.

It’s a sales CRM built to handle the volume and depth of customer data that bigger consulting teams depend on.

Key features for professional services

• Deep customisation: adapt fields and workflows so the CRM tool mirrors your service delivery model.
• Advanced analytics: track pipeline trends and project profitability with user-friendly dashboards.
• Omnichannel communication: manage client emails, calls, notes, feedback, and service tickets without leaving the platform.
• Data-rich client profiles: centralise proposals and historic interactions for better decision-making.

Considerations before adopting SugarCRM

• Implementation can be time-intensive, especially for smaller teams.
• Requires ongoing admin to keep complex setups running smoothly.
• UI can feel dated compared to newer, lighter CRMs.
• Cost structure is less appealing for firms that don’t need the full suite, or independent consultants who only require core CRM functions.

Pricing

Starts at $19/user/month with a focus on enterprise deployments. However, the annual billing is the only option available and requires a minimum of three users, resulting in a base cost of $57 per month and over $600 a year.

Salesmate

Many consulting teams spend more time setting up reminders and chasing updates than actually moving deals forward. Salesmate focuses on cutting that admin work by turning your regular workflows into something you don’t have to think about twice.

Key features for professional services

• Workflow automation: Turn routine lead management into a hands-off process with automated follow-ups, task assignments, and status updates.
• Built-in calling and texting: Reach potential clients directly from the CRM for faster client queries and quicker response times.
• Reporting and insights: See the real numbers behind your business, from conversion rates to team performance, making resource planning decisions less of a guessing game.
• Integration flexibility – Connect to email and marketing tools to keep your business operations in one place.

Considerations before adopting Salesmate

• Some advanced automation features require time to configure effectively.
• Pricing can climb with add-ons, which may be unnecessary for smaller firms.
• Interface is feature-rich, which can extend the CRM adoption period.
• Limited offline access for teams working in low-connectivity environments.

Pricing

Plans start at $29/user/month.

You’ve already made your first step

If you’ve read this far, you’ve done more than most of your competitors:

you’ve acknowledged that running a professional services firm without a proper CRM is like pitching clients from memory and sticky notes.

Now the choice is yours: do you keep analyzing client data, emails, and project notes across scattered tools, or do you centralise it in a system built to help you win work and deliver it without the chaos?

The CRMs here each have their strengths, but the real value comes when you commit to one and make it the backbone of how your firm operates. Every proposal sent, deadline met, and conversation logged adds up to something bigger: a reputation for being organised, and worth hiring again.

Pick the CRM that feels right for how you work, and the kind of business you want to run.

And if that’s Capsule, you can start in minutes and see how it feels when your whole client journey lives in one place.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CRM in professional services?

What is the best consulting CRM?

What is the best contact management tool for consulting firms?

Running an agency means keeping one eye on today’s client work and the other on tomorrow’s opportunities. Most project management tools handle the first part well. They leave you scrambling, though, when it comes to winning new business.

The right software should take pressure off your team. In this guide, we’ll cover a range of options for your agency. Some are built purely for task and workflow management, others double as creative collaboration spaces or flexible work organisers.

And then there’s one that goes further, helping you manage both client delivery and the sales work that keeps an agency growing.

What to look for in agency project management software

Agency work moves fast, but not always in a straight line. Deadlines shift, client needs expand, and sales conversations happen alongside live projects. The right software keeps these moving parts connected with:

#1 Sales and delivery in the same place

If your pipeline lives in one system and your client work in another, there’s a gap where information and revenue can slip away. Closing that gap means better handovers from pitch to production and fewer moments where someone says, ‘I thought we’d agreed on…’

#2 Control over resourcing

One overbooked designer or an unavailable developer can stall an entire project. The right tool makes workloads visible so you can rebalance before missed deadlines become costly. Structured project management pays off here: agencies using task and deadline tracking see 38% more projects meet their original goals. That’s a sign that clarity drives results.

#3 Collaboration that fits client expectations

Clients don’t always follow your internal process, but they still expect visibility. Look for tools that let them check progress, approve work, and leave feedback without endless email trails.

#4 Actionable reporting

Data is most valuable when it explains the story behind the numbers. And a dashboard is only useful if it shows where you’re losing time or money.

The best reporting digs into which accounts slow things down and where margins erode. That level of clarity makes prioritisation sharper, and sharper priorities can boost efficiency by up to 1.4×.

#5 Room to adapt

Agencies grow unevenly: a big client win here, a sudden pivot there. The software should handle those shifts without forcing you into a painful migration or breaking the tools you already use to invoice, schedule, or communicate.

Capsule CRM

What if your project management tool also handled your sales pipeline, so you could move from a signed deal to project delivery without switching between multiple platforms?

Capsule does exactly that.

It’s the only option in this list that combines a full-featured CRM with built-in project management, giving you one space to track client relationships and deliver work.

Key features for effective agency project management

Tracks

For work that repeats, like onboarding a new client or preparing a campaign launch, Tracks puts all yourbundle the right tasks together in the right order.

You don’t have to remember the checklist; it’s already built in.

You can use it for:

• creating a new client onboarding workflow with all the necessary calls and documents,
• coordinating multi-channel marketing campaigns with pre-scheduled steps for each platform,
• preparing end-of-project wrap-ups, including final reports or invoicing,

and many more tasks.

Project boards

A clear view of every job in progress. Each project sits on a visual board you can tweak to match how your team actually works. Need a ‘Waiting on client’ column? Add it. Want to drag a task from ‘In progress’ to ‘Complete’ the moment it’s done? Just move it.

You can spot bottlenecks as soon as they appear and keep jobs moving.

Project visibility

Boards tell you what’s happening. Visibility tells you why. Open a project in Capsule, and you’re looking at the whole backstory: the signed proposal or the email where the deadline changed. When a client rings, you’ve got the context to give them a straight answer, right there on the spot.

This joined-up view means anyone on the team can respond quickly and accurately, even if they haven’t been directly involved in the project until now.

Process definition

In many agencies and service-based teams, a project will pass through half a dozen people before it’s done: from sales to delivery to client support. Without a clear process, things get missed, duplicated, or delayed.

Capsule lets you lay out the exact steps for each type of job so everyone knows what’s next. If someone’s off sick or leaves mid-project, their replacement can jump in without having to guess what’s already been done.

Integrations

Capsule plays nicely with dozens of tools agencies and professional teams already depend on.

You can, for example,:

There are also integrations with project add-ons, marketing platforms, and form builders, so Capsule can sit at the centre of your tech stack instead of becoming another silo.

Pricing

Capsule starts at $18 per user each month, billed annually. There’s a free CRM plan for up to 250 contacts, which is enough to trial the platform with real clients before committing.

All paid tiers include both CRM and project management features, so you don’t pay extra to unlock the ‘delivery’ side of the tool. Every plan comes with a free trial, giving you time to see how it fits alongside the rest of your workflow.

Reviews speak for themselves

(sources: G2)

Professionals using Capsule often point to its adaptability. One reviewer, who runs multiple businesses, said it’s ‘intuitive’ and ‘flexible to set up,’ adding that they’ve relied on it for more than a decade without downtime.

Another moved to Capsule after testing several different tools and found the transition ‘very easy.’ They valued being able to tailor it with custom fields and data tags, and highlighted how Tracks simplified task allocation and distribution.

For those exploring options, the free version is a popular starting point. One consultant described the ‘magic’ of Capsule’s project boards for managing delivery teams, recruitment, and training – with the added benefit of excellent support, even on the free plan.

A long-time user called it ‘the perfect CRM to start and scale with,’ praising the quick onboarding and responsive human support.

For teams relying on multiple apps, integration stood out. One review noted that Capsule works perfectly with their sales pipeline and marketing tools, creating an automation process where ‘nothing is missed.’

Others emphasise its simplicity. ‘Super easy, love it,’ wrote one reviewer, recommending it for start-ups and scaling businesses because of its straightforward setup and daily usability.

Asana

Asana is what happens when sticky notes, spreadsheets, and endless email chains finally retire.

It offers a single place to keep the project schedule and line up project goals without losing sight of the details.

Asana thrives on structure but won’t box you into one project management methodology. Just don’t expect it to double as a CRM; your sales team will still need somewhere else to store their client communicationsto live.

3 key features

• Multiple views (boards, timelines, and lists) so creative teams, account managers, strategists, or designers can work together how they prefer.
• Capacity planning and workload dashboards to show who’s overloaded and who’s available for easier resource allocation.
• Rules and templates that automate repetitive task setups, keeping the project management process consistent.

Pros for agencies

• Adapts to different project management styles without forcing one rigid approach.
• Integrates with creative agency staples like Slack, Google Drive, and Adobe Creative Cloud.
• Reporting tools make it easier to connect day-to-day work with broader project goals.
• Clear interface helps onboard new team members quickly and keeps clients informed.

Cons for agencies

• No built-in CRM or sales pipelines.
• Time tracking is limited unless you add an integration.
• Large agencies may need strict processes to avoid clutter as projects multiply.
• Some advanced features sit behind advanced plans.

Best for

Agencies that want a flexible project management framework with strong task management but already have a separate CRM.

Pricing

Free plan available; paid plans start at $10.99/user/month.

Trello

If your agency runs on sticky notes and coffee-fuelled morning huddles, Trello is like giving those ideas a digital wall where everything sticks. Its card-and-board system helps agency project managers get campaign timelines and progress tracking into view in seconds.

Just don’t expect Trello to turn into your sales management software. Your BDRs will still need another tool for their work.

3 key features

• Drag-and-drop boards and cards for organising everything from ad concepts to campaign assets.
• Calendar view and automation to keep project schedules on track without manual updates.
• Power-Ups and integrations with agency tools to extend functionality.

Pros for agencies

• Fast onboarding: even new hires can use it confidently within minutes.
• Great for visually organising creative tasks and smaller agency projects.
• Integrations with cold email software, embedded analytics platforms, or AI coding assistants make it easy to connect Trello with existing agency workflows.
• Affordable pricing with a generous free plan.

Cons for agencies

• Lacks resource management and project budgeting for complex work.
• Boards can become cluttered without clear agency processes.
• Many advanced features require paid Power-Ups.
• No client management capabilities.

Best for

Advertising and marketing agencies that want an intuitive, visual system for managing tasks.

Pricing

Free plan available; paid plans start at $5/user/month.

Monday.com

If your agency projects feel like puzzles where the edges change mid-build, Monday.com gives you the freedom to redraw the boundaries.

It’s a modular work operating system that bends to your agency’s project management process, whether you’re plotting campaigns or taking care of financial management.

3 key features

• Fully customisable boards with views like Kanban or Gantt that adapt to evolving project schedules.
• Dashboards with workload and timeline widgets to keep team dynamics and deadlines front and centre.
• Prebuilt templates for campaigns to speed up setup.

Pros for agencies

• Workflows that align with your agency’s style.
• Dashboard views for quick visibility into project budgets, team workloads, and project progress.
• Automations and shared boards that reduce repetitive check-ins and speed up onboarding.
• Scales well for both boutique and enterprise agency settings.

Cons for agencies

• Feature depth can overwhelm smaller teams new to structured project management.
• More advanced analytics and reporting require higher-tier Monday plans.
• Doesn’t cover CRM needs for business development or client pipelines.
• Customisation can feel like overkill if you only need a simple setup.

Best for

Digital marketing agencies that want to shape a platform around their project goals instead of fitting their work into a rigid template.

Pricing

Free plan available; paid plans start at around $9–$12/user/month depending on features.

Basecamp

Basecamp proves you don’t need to stumble upon a steep learning curve to run successful project management operations. It swaps complex frameworks for a clean, approachable space where conversations and files live side by side.

For a small creative studio or a busy advertising agency, it’s the kind of tool that keeps everyone gathered around the same fire.

3 key features

• To-do lists, message boards, schedules, and an ‘applause’ button to celebrate wins.
• Automatic check-ins that replace some status meetings with quick written updates.
• File storage and and group chat called ‘campfires’ in one shared space.

Pros for agencies

• Quick to adopt; most teams feel comfortable after the first login.
• Clear visibility into project schedules and deliverables.
• Keeps all agency communication tied to the relevant project.
• Supports smooth client onboarding with message boards and progress updates.

Cons for agencies

• No built-in customer feedback tools, solutions for allocating resources or managing project budgets.
• Not a CRM, so sales pipelines live elsewhere.
• Lacks features for large, multi-phase projects with complex dependencies.
• Reporting is basic compared to more advanced tools.

Best for

Agencies that want a centralised platform for communication and task tracking without the complexity of traditional project management software.

Pricing

Flat rate of $15/user/month; no per-feature add-ons.

Teamwork

While some tools help you tick off tasks, Teamwork gives you the full picture: from project plans through budgets to who’s free for the next brief.

In a busy agency setting, it’s the difference between managing projects and actually running the business side of them.

3 key features

• Detailed resource planning and real-time workload views give you 20/20 visibility before you commit to future projects.
• Time tracking and billing are embedded inside project plans, so every hour translates into profitability.
• Client portals and access settings let external stakeholders see progress and share feedback without email taggingtag.

Pros for agencies

• Puts a spotlight on financial health and project success from start to finish.
• Helps project managers balance team workloads and reduce burnout.
• Fairly generous free tier makes testing with real agency projects painless.
• Trusted by thousands of agencies for keeping client workflows trackable.

Cons for agencies

• Interface can feel dense when you’re only juggling small, one-off creative tasks.
• Advanced analytics and AI forecasting require higher-tier plans.
• Still not a CRM; client teams will need another tool to own that pipeline.
• Extra complexity may feel overwhelming if you don’t need financial or resource layers.

Best for

Marketing agencies that want an agency-ready platform to manage project flow allocation under one roof.

Pricing

Free tier available; paid tiers start at $10.99/user/month for the ‘Deliver’ package, rising to $19.99/user/month for the ‘Grow’ tier with reporting and budgeting tools.

FunctionFox

FunctionFox focuses on helping agencies bring order to client projects while keeping a close eye on billable time.

3 key features

• A stopwatch timer that logs every minute on real client projects and tasks.
• A project calendar that turns chaotic deadlines into a visual schedule for every team member.
• Dashboards that let you spot budget creep before it sneaks into your forecasts.

Pros for agencies

• For a design sprint or a full campaign, you can quote future projects down to the minute.
• Your agency team knows instantly who’s free, who’s booked, and who’s falling behind – perfect for resource-sensitive creative workflows.
• Clients love transparency. When they ask ‘Where do we stand?’, you can give them a data-backed answer.

Cons for agencies

• The interface isn’t user-friendly.
• Collaboration features beyond time tracking (like threaded feedback or shared whiteboards) feel outdated.
• It doesn’t morph into a CRM, so your sales team will still need a separate tool to manage leads.
• Non-billable, internal, or exploratory work? You’ll need workarounds to keep those just as visible.

Best for

Creative teams that bill by the hour and want a project management tool that tracks time and budget without extra friction.

Pricing

From $5 to $20/user/month.

Kitchen.co

Kitchen.co is built for marketing firms that need one place for client communication, file sharing, task coordination, billing, and deliverables.

It acts like your client-facing project cockpit, combining transparency and branding so your agency team and clients stay aligned.

3 key features

• Nested folders and color coding for organizing client projects with clarity and precision.
• Conversations that sync with email, letting clients reply without logging in, and keeping messages in the right context
• Built-in invoices and payments, plus secure file sharing, so you can bill and deliver within the same interface.

Pros for agencies

• Combines project management and a branded client portal, creating a unified experience for agency teams and their clients.
• A highly visual workspace with boards and folders is easy to navigate.
• Features like real-time messaging and shared spaces reduce email clutter and speed up decision-making.
• White-label options let agencies reinforce their brand.

Cons for agencies

• Time tracking is still missing, so tracking creative projects by hours requires workarounds.
• Compared to full PM platforms, project budgeting or resource planning lack more advanced features.
• Designed for collaboration and delivery, not for managing pipelines or lead nurturing, so CRM gaps remain.

Best for

Agencies that need a polished client portal that also doubles as a lightweight project management dashboard, especially when client satisfaction and branded delivery matter.

Pricing

Free for small teams. Paid plans start around $29/month for agencies.

Planable

If your agency’s content workflow looks like a crime scene, with feedback buried in email threads and filenames like final_FINAL_v3_reallythisone, Planable is the cleanup tool you’ve been waiting for.

It’s a single, spotless space where you can create, review, approve, schedule, and analyse every piece of content, from Instagram reels to client newsletters.

3 key features

• Dedicated workspaces for each client so campaigns don’t bleed into each other.
• Drag-and-drop calendar that shows your entire content plan at a glance.
• Live collaboration with comments and multi-level approvals.

Pros for agencies

• Cuts client approval time in half with visual previews and clear approval steps.
• Removed the chaos of scattered feedback across various marketing channels.
• Handles all major formats (social posts, blogs, newsletters, press releases) without you switching tools.
• Publishes directly to major social platforms, complete with built-in analytics.

Cons for agencies

• Won’t manage your ad spend or targeting, so you’ll still need your ads manager for that.
• Needs a little setup to nail roles and workflows before it hums.
• Analytics lean heavily toward social performance, not other channels.
• It’s not an agency CRM.

Best for

Agencies and in-house marketing teams ready to stop chasing feedback and start running all their content in one central hub.

Pricing

Starts at $33/workspace/month. Free plan available for up to 50 posts.

Over to you

Most of the tools in this roundup are great at helping a project manager keep work moving, but they might fall short when it comes to tracking sales. That’s where Capsule stands out. It blends CRM capabilities with project management features so your agency’s project management practices aren’t split across two or three platforms.

With Capsule, you can move a client seamlessly from lead to pitch, signed contract to project delivery – all while managing the project scope and tracking progress in one place.

The impact is clear: less tool-hopping and more visibility of project performance. For agencies that want to manage projects and relationships with equal precision, Capsule gives you a single, connected workflow from first hello to final deliverable.

If you’re ready to streamline how you win and deliver client work, explore Capsule today and see how it can work towards your team’s efficiency.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is agency management software?

What is agency project management?

What software do agencies use?

What is the best software for agency’s projects?

What are the three types of project management software?

How to run complex agency projects?

Ask ten accountants how they manage their clients and you’ll get ten different answers. For one, it’s a colour-coded spreadsheet, for another, it’s a shared folder and an email search bar. A few might have actual client management software in place, but it often stops at the basics: names, addresses, and a list of due dates.

That patchwork can hold together for a while. But once things get busy and tax season hits, the cracks show. A client’s payroll data is buried in a thread no one can find. Someone updates a sheet, but forgets to tell the rest of the team. An urgent request sits unseen because the person handling it is on leave.

The problem isn’t effort – accounting firms work hard to keep things moving. It’s that the tools don’t always keep up. Modern client management software for accountants does more than store contact details. In this guide, we’ll look at what’s worth using and why the right one could make a noticeable difference to your practice.

Why accountants need client management software

In many firms, valuable time is lost between a client making a request and the team acting on it. Updates move slowly, responses get delayed, and small questions end up sitting unanswered. Over time, that lag erodes client trust and makes it harder to meet expectations.

Technology closes that gap, and the numbers speak for themselves:

• 97% of accountants say it saves substantial time in preparing and filing tax returns. Gains are also reported in cost accounting (94%) and bookkeeping (92%).
• Firms using leading platforms report up to 50% faster client response times and a 40% increase in engagement rates.
• During peak season, automating client communication has saved as much as 288 hours, reducing the time spent chasing documents and waiting for replies.

For accounting practices that want to work faster and keep clients engaged, the right tools make a measurable difference. Here’s what to consider.

Best accounting practice management software

Capsule CRM — your complete client management hub

It’s Monday morning, and your inbox already has VAT reminders, a payroll query, and a client asking for last year’s reports.

In most firms, that means three different searches and a lot of guesswork. With Capsule, every request sits on a single client timeline.

Emails, files, notes, and tasks are linked together, so the information you need is always in the same place.

Capsule works as accounting practice management software from day one. Add VAT dates, service tiers, or partner names as custom fields, keeping client data easy to find when you need it. Use recurring tasks for scheduled work such as payroll runs or quarterly filings, and let automated reminders keep the right team member on track.

It also integrates with the tools that accounting professionals already rely on.

Xero, QuickBooks Online, FreshBooks, and FreeAgent sync financial records in the background. Gmail or Outlook can log messages directly to a client’s record. That means faster responses and fewer hours lost to manual updates.

Workflow management is designed to fit how accountants work. Tracks let you standardize repeatable processes, such as onboarding a new client or handling annual accounts.

Tasks can be delegated across multiple team members, with Capsule tracking progress from first contact to final delivery.

Access controls keep sensitive client information locked down to the people who need it. Confidentiality stays intact, while your team can still work without roadblocks.

And with Capsule’s mobile app, client records and real-time updates travel with you — whether you’re on-site, in a client’s office, or between meetings.

Accounting firms that switch to Capsule don’t go back. It brings order to client work and frees your team to focus on the work that grows the company.

Try Capsule with a free version or a 14-day trial to experience the difference firsthand.

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Karbon

Karbon pitches itself as practice management software built for accounting teams that need more than a shared inbox and spreadsheet. It gives you one place to track client requests, assign and manage tasks, store working papers in cloud storage, and see where every job stands. The client portal lets you securely request documents and collect e-signatures without chasing attachments over email.

For partners and managers, reporting tools break down work in progress so you can uncover insights, keep client expectations in check, and monitor individual performance. Automated task lists make recurring jobs harder to miss, and time tracking means you know exactly where billable hours are going.

That said, reviewers on G2 have flagged some drawbacks.

Setup can take longer than expected, especially if your team is used to a lighter system. Ad-hoc meetings and quick to-dos can be clunky to log, and you’ll need a Microsoft Office license plus some extra setup if your email is hosted elsewhere. Customizing the client view is also limited, which can be a sticking point if your firm relies heavily on tailored communication.

Karbon isn’t cheap: $79 per user, per month. For smaller firms, the cost and learning curve might outweigh the benefits.

ClickUp

ClickUp is a project management platform first, and a client management tool second.

ClickUp can help accounting teams coordinate team collaboration and keep client interaction in one timeline and centralized space. You can delegate tasks and set up automated workflows for recurring jobs like reconciliations or quarterly reviews.

It’s free on the basic plan, which makes it tempting for smaller firms and solo accountants testing digital firm management tools. But ClickUp’s biggest strengths are also its weaknesses.

It tries to be the all-in-one solution for business processes, lead management, and workflow automation, which can make it feel bloated.

In one G2 review, an accounting user flagged slow loading times, frequent crashes, and unpredictable bugs like disappearing estimates and tags changing colour. Integrations sometimes don’t work as expected, and updating data can be frustrating when task statuses revert or require manual renaming. Support replies, but resolution isn’t always forthcoming.

ClickUp can help CPA firms and top accounting firms organise projects and save time on admin, but it’s not designed with sales pipelines or client nurturing in mind. For firms where client relationships and potential leads matter as much as the work itself, the lack of dedicated sales modules or billing features means you may need another tool alongside it.

Google Sheets (or Spreadsheets in general)

When accounting teams first move away from sticky notes and handwritten lists, Google Sheets often feels like a fair step up. It’s free, familiar, and instantly shareable with your team. From simple tracking of client requests to sorting billing data, it works well… at first.

But spreadsheet ‘solutions’ start to show limits fast. You can’t automate reminders or standardize workflows without manual workarounds. Want to manage task management, see real-time notifications, or filter by VAT due dates? You’ll end up building the equivalent of a mini-CRM in sheets, with nested formulas, conditional formatting, copied cells, and a handful of hidden tabs.

It works until it breaks.

Spreadsheets also come with hidden scaling costs. Once your team is more than two or three people, version control breaks down. Client history fragments across tabs, team collaboration slows, and your data becomes harder to trust.

At the end of the day, Google Sheets can serve as a stopgap, and businesses might soon find themselves outgrowing it. That’s when a CRM like Capsule, designed to manage the full client lifecycle, becomes the obvious next step.

BrightManager

BrightManager is a practice management platform designed for accountants and bookkeepers, packing in everything from client onboarding and AML checks to document management, time tracking, and profitability reports.

It’s built for teams who want to monitor firm profitability and keep the entire team aligned through client portals and deadline tracking.

That said, it can feel complicated to navigate — not everyone finds it intuitive — and the breadth of features may be overkill if you just want a straightforward way to manage customer relationships.

It’s also on the pricier side: the Standard plan is £42 + VAT per user per month (up to 12 users, billed monthly), with add-ons like AML credits at £2.99 per 5 checks, a white-labelled client portal for £20.50/month, and SMS credits at £0.07 each. For a 12-person firm, that’s over £6,000 a year before add-ons, and the extras can quickly push that figure much higher.

For smaller accountancies or practices that don’t need deep compliance workflows, something leaner and more user-friendly – like Capsule – will likely be a better fit.

Notion

Notion has a strong following among startups and creative teams, but for many accounting firms, it feels like it was built with engineers in mind. The flexibility is undeniable. You can add notes, track projects, and store a curated library of resources all in one place – but that same flexibility often comes with complexity.

For firms focused on client relationships, the steep learning curve can be a roadblock. Reviewers note that basic actions, like duplicating a task or updating dependencies, can involve too many steps. This can lead to hesitation among staff who fear they’ll ‘break’ a process.

While Notion offers a free plan, most firms find themselves needing paid upgrades for advanced data collection, quick access to databases, and integrations with other modules. Those add-ons can add up quickly, especially compared to tools purpose-built for client management in accounting.

It can certainly work as a central hub – storing process documentation or organizing resources like checklists and email templates. But if your goal is seamless client management without a heavy setup burden, Notion’s strengths in customization may still fall short of delivering the plug-and-play ability that busy teams need.

Over to you

Many accounting tools promise to ‘streamline’ your work, but end up drowning you in complexity and costs. For smaller accountancies, that can mean paying enterprise prices for features you’ll never use… while still struggling to keep client data, tasks, and communication in one place.

If you’re tired of overpriced add-ons and tools that feel like more work than they save, Capsule is your way out. Start your free trial and see how much easier client management can be.

FAQ

How can accounting firms improve client communication?

If an accounting firm wants to improve client communication, the fastest win is to reduce the number of disconnected channels. This is usually the biggest challenge because fragmented tools make it hard to follow a conversation from start to finish. When updates, questions, and approvals live in one connected system, there’s less chasing for answers and fewer missed deadlines.

What firm management features matter most to accounting professionals?

While preferences vary, accounting professionals often get the most value from tools that actively prevent missed deadlines and scope creep. This means automated task assignment, linked workflows between tax, payroll, and bookkeeping, and profitability tracking to flag unprofitable clients early. Features that surface this data in real time give managers the ability to adjust workloads before issues snowball.

Are client portals essential for CPA firms?

Usually, a client portal is ‘nice to have’ once a CPA firm is juggling recurring work for dozens of clients. However, a client portal isn’t the only way to do it — a well-structured CRM can centralize conversations, tasks, and client history in one place. The key is to ensure every interaction, from quick updates to document requests, is logged and accessible so your team has full context before picking up the phone or replying to an email.

How can accounting firms balance efficient document management with maintaining strong client relationships?

It depends on how integrated your systems are. For example, pairing automated document collection with a workflow tool that alerts you when a client has submitted or missed something lets your team follow up with a personal note instead of a cold system message. That way, you keep processes efficient without making interactions feel transactional.

LinkedIn Premium is often the first thing you see when you log in – an upgrade prompt that’s hard to miss. But, is it useful? With several plans, a mix of networking and analytics tools, and monthly costs that add up fast, it’s easy to wonder if you’ll see a real return.

Below, we’ll break down exactly what each LinkedIn Premium plan offers, who actually benefits, and when it makes sense to stick with the free version. By the end, you’ll know if LinkedIn Premium deserves a place in your workflow, or if you’re better off investing elsewhere.

What is LinkedIn Premium?

LinkedIn Premium is a paid upgrade that sits on top of a free LinkedIn account. The following Premium plans are available as of August 2025:

#1 Premium Career

Starts at: $29.99 per month; 5 InMail credits that can roll for up to three months

Built for: Job seekers, recent graduates, and professionals who want deeper job‑search data and more visibility.

#2 Premium Business

Starts at: $59.99 per month; 15 InMail credits with the same rollover window.

Built for: Entrepreneurs and sales‑minded professionals who need wider network access, firmographic research, and better outreach tools.

#3 Premium Company Page

Starts at: $69.99 per month; no personal InMail credits because messaging happens through the page

Built for: Small and mid‑sized businesses that want faster follower growth, stronger branding, and clearer page‑level insights.

There are also two non-Premium (but paid) versions of LinkedIn:

• LinkedIn Sales Navigator (we talk about it in more detail in another article)
• LinkedIn Recruiter Lite (which we won’t talk about today)

Core features offered in all Premium plans

• InMail credits: Message people outside your network: five per month with Career, fifteen with Business. Unused credits roll over for up to three months.
• Full profile viewer list: See everyone who’s viewed your profile, plus weekly trends. Career shows 90 days; Business keeps a full year.
• Advanced search filters: Unlock unlimited profile browsing and deeper search options, especially useful for prospecting and research.
• LinkedIn Learning access: Every plan includes unlimited courses, progress tracking, and certificates you can share.
• Salary insights: See estimated pay ranges and where you rank against other applicants, right on job posts.
• AI career tools: Get personalized job suggestions and draft tailored applications using LinkedIn’s built-in AI coach.

Premium Business: what you get that Career doesn’t offer

• 15 monthly InMail credits: Reach more prospects, with a higher cap for unused credits.
• Unlimited profile searches: No daily limits, ideal for outbound sales or market research.
• Company insights dashboards: See growth trends, recent hires, and funding activity for any company you’re targeting.
• AI-powered outreach tools: Get writing assistance for InMail and connection requests to save time and boost response rates.

Premium Company Page: features for brands and teams

• Gold badge for your page: Stand out in search results and add instant credibility to your business profile.
• Deeper visitor analytics: Track who’s visiting your page, compare against competitors, and view detailed demographic data.
• Custom call-to-action buttons: Guide visitors toward key actions and auto-invite recent post engagers to follow your page.
• Testimonial carousel and AI post ideas: Highlight customer feedback and get AI-powered suggestions to keep your content calendar full.

LinkedIn Premium vs. Free: what’s the real upgrade?

Thinking about upgrading? Here’s exactly what you gain, and what’s just window dressing.

Profile Insights

With a free LinkedIn account, you can only see the last five people who viewed your profile – with no trend data, and no way to track interest over time. Premium gives you access to every profile viewer (up to 90 days for Career, a full year for Business) and offers trend charts that show how your visibility changes week to week.

If you’re doing active outreach, messaging new prospects, or applying for jobs, it can be genuinely useful to see which contacts are checking you out after you connect or send an InMail. It’s a handy way to spot warm leads or follow up when someone’s shown interest.

Our verdict:

Profile insights are helpful if you’re prospecting at scale, hiring, or tracking the impact of a visibility campaign. But for most users, it’s more of a curiosity than a critical tool. Unless you’re actively using this data to shape your outreach or content strategy, it’s unlikely to justify the Premium price on its own.

There’s one workaround you might want to test out, though. Activate LinkedIn’s free 30-day Premium trial during your busiest periods – like a job search, a major outreach campaign, or any time you’re ramping up activity. You’ll get the full benefit of advanced insights when it matters most, but without the ongoing monthly cost.

Outreach

Free users can only message their existing connections and add a short note when requesting to connect, but you’re limited on how often you can do this.

Premium loosens those restrictions, giving you 5 (Career) or 15 (Business) InMail credits per month, so you can contact anyone directly… even if you’re not connected.

InMail isn’t a magic bullet, though. Just because you can message someone doesn’t mean they’ll reply. Most decision-makers get flooded with cold outreach, and many ignore unsolicited messages entirely. If you want to build genuine relationships or spark a real conversation, warm introductions or thoughtful engagement on posts are far more effective than relying on InMail alone.

Our verdict:

Unless your strategy relies on constant outbound prospecting or you’re in a field where cold outreach genuinely works, Premium’s outreach tools are nice to have, but rarely game-changing. For most small businesses, investing in personal connections (and tracking those touchpoints in your CRM) is a smarter, more sustainable way to grow your network.

Search and browsing

On a free LinkedIn account, your search options are limited. You get basic filters (location or industry), and after a relatively small number of profile views, you’ll hit LinkedIn’s “commercial use limit.” Once that happens, you’re locked out of additional profile browsing until the following month.

Premium lifts these restrictions. You gain access to advanced filters (such as company size, years of experience, and more) and can view as many profiles as you need, with no daily cap. For anyone in sales, recruiting, or competitive research – especially if you’re running targeted outreach or building prospect lists – these expanded search tools can save hours and help you work much more efficiently.

Our verdict:

If your LinkedIn use is mostly casual – occasional lookups, a bit of networking, or staying in touch with your field – you’ll probably never run into the search cap. But if you’re prospecting daily or rely on LinkedIn as a core part of your workflow, Premium’s unlimited browsing and deeper search filters quickly become essential.

Learning

With a free LinkedIn account, you can access LinkedIn Learning – but you’ll need to pay for each course individually. Premium unlocks unlimited access to the entire library, including thousands of courses on business, tech, management, and more. You can track your progress, earn certificates, and tap into new content as it’s released.

For people who are intentional about upskilling or want structured learning paths, this is a genuine perk. It’s especially useful if you’re focused on career growth, making a role change, or developing your team.

Our verdict:

Unlimited LinkedIn Learning is only as valuable as the time you put into it. If you know you’ll carve out time for regular learning and have specific skills in mind, Premium can be a smart investment. But if you’re already subscribed to other training platforms – or you’re unlikely to actually finish a course – it’s easy to forget this feature even exists.

Company insights

LinkedIn’s Business plan adds dashboards for tracking company growth, recent hires, and funding events – ideal if you’re selling B2B, recruiting, or running targeted account research. You get quicker access to decision-maker info and can spot market shifts without scouring multiple sources.

The Premium Company Page brings extra brand-building tools: a gold badge for credibility, advanced visitor analytics, custom call-to-action buttons, and AI post suggestions. If lead generation is your bread and butter, these features can help sharpen your content and attract more of the right followers.

Our verdict:

These tools are genuinely useful if LinkedIn is a core sales or marketing channel for your business, or if you’re managing outreach at scale. But if you’re a small team with a quiet page, or you’re not doing high-frequency prospecting, it’s probably more firepower than you need.

Other perks

Not everything in LinkedIn Premium is headline news, but there are a handful of subtle upgrades that can make your experience a touch more polished.

• Rotating profile banners: Premium Business users can swap out that static background photo for up to five rotating images. It’s a mini-carousel on your profile – great for showcasing different projects or just adding a bit of personality.
• Premium badge: That subtle gold “IN” icon next to your name tells visitors you’re a Premium user. It’s minor, but if you’re in a credibility-driven field, it might nudge a few extra profile views your way.

• Open Profile: With Premium, anyone on LinkedIn (not just your connections) can message you for free. If you’re in a networking-heavy role or want to appear more accessible, this is an underrated little door-opener.
• Applicant insights (Career): Premium Career members get to see how they stack up against other applicants for jobs – skills, experience, education – plus access to extra salary info on many job listings.

• Interview prep: Some Premium tiers unlock sample interview questions and tips for many job postings – handy if you’re brushing up or jumping into a new industry.
• Who’s hiring now: Extra job market insights, especially for Career and Business plans, can help you spot hiring surges, layoffs, or trending employers.

Our verdict:

These extras rarely tip the scale on their own, but they do add up to a slightly richer experience – especially if you like your profile looking fresh or want every bit of edge in your job hunt. For most business users, they’re nice-to-haves rather than must-haves. But if you’re the kind of person who enjoys tinkering with every profile setting, you’ll appreciate having a few more toys to play with.

How to know if LinkedIn Premium is worth it (and which version to purchase)

If you’re still unsure whether LinkedIn Premium is a worthwhile investment, here’s how to tell if a specific plan fits your needs:

LinkedIn Premium Career is worth it if:

• You apply to many jobs at once and need applicant insights to see how you rank, so you can focus on roles where you have a higher chance of success.
• You want direct outreach to recruiters, with five monthly InMail credits for messaging hiring managers.
• You appreciate AI help for resumes and cover letters, saving time and improving your applications.
• You track profile interest closely and value having a complete viewer list and weekly trend charts for a full year.
• You plan to reskill or upskill quickly, using unlimited access to the LinkedIn Learning library.

LinkedIn Premium Business is worth it if:

• You prospect beyond your immediate network every day; unlimited profile browsing removes search limits, and advanced filters help you find the right leads fast.
• You rely on InMail to start sales conversations, with fifteen monthly credits letting you pitch or nurture new contacts without waiting for a connection request.
• You need company growth and hiring insights for account research, with dashboards showing headcount trends, funding news, and leadership changes.
• You value AI-drafted messages that save time and keep outreach consistent across your team.
• You pair learning with prospect data, as LinkedIn Learning courses and firmographic analytics sit under one subscription to support continuous improvement.

If you use LinkedIn for prospecting but prefer to keep your workflow centered around your CRM, you may get more value from tools like Capsule combined with regular LinkedIn use, unless you�’re doing heavy outbound.

LinkedIn Premium Company Page is worth it if:

• You manage a company page and need deeper visitor analytics, including demographic breakdowns and competitor benchmarks, to refine your content strategy.
• You want to grow followers faster with automatic invites, converting people who engage with your posts into followers in one click.
• You want a LinkedIn Premium badge that stands out in search, boosting your credibility and helping prospects trust your brand at a glance.
• You publish often and appreciate AI post suggestions, using them to keep your content calendar full without writer fatigue.
• You need custom call-to-action buttons and testimonial carousels to turn your page into a stronger lead generation asset.

Wrapping up

LinkedIn Premium isn’t a silver bullet – but it does unlock a few shortcuts if you’re actively prospecting, hiring, or looking to grow your reach fast. For most small businesses, the free version covers the essentials. Premium Career can be a smart move if you’re deep in a job search. Premium Business is most useful for teams running steady outbound or research-heavy sales.

But for ongoing relationship-building, lead management, and tracking your growth, investing in a CRM like Capsule typically delivers more lasting value – especially when paired with LinkedIn’s free tools.

Want to see the difference? Try Capsule’s for yourself – free.

LinkedIn is full of sections where you can promote yourself and your experience, but many users neglect the most obvious one: the headline. It can make or break your presence on LinkedIn – and yet, a huge portion of LinkedIn users stick with the default headline, unaware of the potential visibility they may be missing.

Let’s break down what makes a strong LinkedIn headline. We include examples, templates, and tips you can put to use right away.

What is a LinkedIn headline (and what it isn’t)

A LinkedIn headline is the short line of text that appears directly below your name on your profile. By default, LinkedIn sets it to your current job title and company, but you can customize it to highlight your skills or unique value.

Your LinkedIn headline can hold up to 220 characters on desktop and up to 240 characters on mobile devices.

Besides your LinkedIn profile, the headline appears in many other important places:

• Search results → when someone searches for people, they see your headline along with your name and photo.
• Connection requests → the person you’re contacting will see your headline under your name.
• Messages (Inbox) → when you send or receive messages, your headline is visible below your name.
• Comments on posts → your headline is displayed under your name when you comment on someone’s content.
• Reactions (likes, etc.) → when you react to posts, your headline shows up in the list of people who reacted.
• People You May Know / Suggested connections → LinkedIn shows your headline in these suggestions.
• Who viewed your profile → those who viewed your profile, can see your headline in the preview.
• Job applications → when you apply through LinkedIn Easy Apply, recruiters see your headline on your application preview.

This means that on top of a strong first impression, a good headline can influence whether someone clicks, connects, or follows up.

What the LinkedIn headline is not

The LinkedIn headline is frequently confused with the LinkedIn job title, especially the one listed in your current experience section.

LinkedIn headline

LinkedIn job title

This confusion happens because:

• LinkedIn sets your headline by default to your current job title and company when you add a new position. For example, if you add “Product Manager at Stripe” to your experience, LinkedIn auto-fills your headline with that text.
• Many users never customize their headline, so it ends up looking identical to their current job title.
• Both the headline and job title appear near the top of your profile, but in slightly different places.

The key difference is:

• The headline is customizable and meant to summarize who you are or what you offer.
• The job title reflects a specific role at a specific company and lives in your experience section.

You can have a headline like Helping e-commerce brands grow with CRO & A/B testing, even if your official job title is Digital Marketing Specialist at XYZ Agency.

Some users also confuse the LinkedIn profile headline with the summary (also called About), which is located further down, below the top card and info.

The Summary/About section

They get confused because both are editable fields intended for self-presentation, allowing you to describe what you do. Also, many users leave the summary blank and try to fit everything into the headline, or vice versa.

Great LinkedIn headline examples to inspire you

Sometimes, you don’t immediately know who’s behind certain products. People might know Claude but not realize it’s made by Anthropic, or they’ll use Figma without knowing the founders. David’s headline removes that mystery. He’s pairing 37signals with its better-known products, Basecamp and HEY, so even if you’ve never heard of the parent company, you instantly make the connection.

Austin makes excellent use of available word count, showcasing his expertise in cybersecurity tailored for MSP channels. He also highlights the kind of work he does for his clients – so if anyone searches for keywords like competitive intelligence on LinkedIn, they’re very likely to come across Austin’s profile.

This CRO headline packs a lot into a small space. It not only highlights tangible past results (€0 to €5M+ ARR, three companies grown), but also positions Rasmus clearly as a Fractional CRO for B2B startups.

He’s even added a direct website link with a distinctive emoji, making it easy to remember and click. The mix of proven numbers, clear role definition, a catchy claim, and quick contact options means every element works together to make him instantly approachable.

What’s the fastest way to tell people exactly what you do and how you can help them? Lisa’s headline nails it. In one line, she makes it clear she’s a freelance marketer, works with SMEs, collaborates with subject matter experts, runs workshops, and delivers content in specific formats.

Ben’s headline stands out because it flips the usual “here’s who I am” approach into “here’s what you get.” Instead of listing job titles, he leads with value: systems for health, wealth, and free time. The “follow me” call makes it action-oriented, while the dots instead of vertical bars give the whole line a better rhythm. It reads less like a résumé and more like an invitation.

Max’s headline sticks because it sounds like a manifesto. Most people list roles or achievements; he leads with a mission you don’t see every day – training one million software engineers worldwide. That kind of audacious, measurable goal doesn’t just tell you what he does, it plants the idea in your head and makes you want to see how he’s going to pull it off.

Adriaan’s headline draws attention because it skips the usual “job title + company” formula and goes straight to what he delivers: scaling companies with Google Ads. There’s no extra info to dilute the message, so your focus lands entirely on the result he creates.

Sabine’s headline proves that less is more. She states her role(s) and focus clearly, without adding unnecessary detail. The brevity makes it easy to read and remember, while still sparking curiosity about her work.

Admond’s headline packs a punch because it offers multiple entry points for interest. You might be drawn to the promise of becoming a top 1% founder, curious about his lessons from startup failures, or impressed by his track record as a 2x founder with an exit. There’s enough variety for different readers to find something that resonates – all while keeping the message tight.

How to structure a great LinkedIn headline

Your LinkedIn headline is one of the most important pieces of text on your profile. It not only tells people who you are, but it also determines how often you appear in search results. In fact, optimized profiles can get up to 21x more views, 5x more connection requests, and show up 27x more often in recruiter searches.

Here’s how to build a headline that works.

Step 1: Anchor with your title or role

Start with the role you currently have or the one you’re aiming for. This instantly frames your professional identity and helps LinkedIn’s search algorithm slot you into the right results. If your official title is too vague or bland, tweak it so it’s recognizable to your target audience.

Good practice:

✅ Marketing Manager | SEO & Content Strategy | Helping SaaS startups grow demo signups

Why it works: Combines a clear role with searchable keywords and a value statement. A recruiter or potential client instantly knows what you do and who benefits from your skills.

Common slip:

❌ Marketing Manager at Acme Corp

Why it fails: Repeats information already visible in your Experience section and misses the opportunity to showcase skills or value.

Step 2: Add 2–3 key skills or expertise areas

Choose keywords your ideal audience types into search, such as “financial modeling,” and “content strategy”. Avoid vague descriptors. Keywords are essential for visibility and can be the difference between landing in a recruiter’s (or client’s) shortlist or never appearing at all.

Good practice:

✅ Data Analyst | SQL, Power BI, Forecasting | Helping retail teams uncover insights

Why it works: The keywords make the profile highly searchable, while the value statement is relatable for a target audience.

Common slip:

❌ I love building things

Why it fails: It’s charming but unsearchable. Without keywords like “React” or “REST APIs,” you’re invisible to people filtering for those skills.

Pro tip: Not sure which keywords to use? Look at profiles of people in similar roles, or check job postings for recurring terms.

For example, the sample role description in the screenshot below highlights sought-after terms like “Business Transformation,” “Leading Change Programmes,” “Digital & Technology Transformation,” “Stakeholder Management,” and “Career Transitions.”

These are the kinds of phrases you can borrow — if they genuinely match your skills — to make your profile easier to find.

Step 3: Highlight your core value or result

Go beyond “experienced” or “passionate.” Showcase measurable outcomes or tangible results that prove your impact. Numbers and specifics carry more weight than adjectives.

Good practice:

✅ Sales Director | SaaS & B2B | Grew pipeline by $1.5M in 12 months

Why it works: It’s clear, quantifiable, and speaks directly to business impact.

Common slip:

❌ Passionate and experienced sales leader driving results

Why it fails: Generic buzzwords with no proof. Anyone can claim to be “passionate”, but only a few can prove they grew revenue by a measurable amount.

Step 4: Mention your audience

If your expertise benefits a specific group… say so. This tells the right people you’re for them, and it filters out irrelevant opportunities.

Good practice:

✅ Project Manager | Agile Delivery for Fintech Teams | Driving projects from idea to launch

Why it works: It blends role, methodology, and a niche audience, which makes it more relevant in search results and more compelling to potential clients or employers.

Common slip:

❌ Project Manager | Agile | Scrum

Why it fails: It lists skills but not the context or audience. Too broad to attract high-quality, relevant interest.

Step 5: Use all your space — and refresh often

LinkedIn gives you 220 characters in your headline. Use them. Add extra keywords, specify your audience, mention your achievement, or reinforce your unique selling point. When your role or focus changes, update accordingly. Don’t leave an outdated headline to misrepresent you!

Good practice:

✅ Talent Partner | Building remote teams in SaaS | Open to fractional recruiting projects

Why it works: Uses the full character limit, is rich in relevant keywords, and signals availability for specific work.

Common slip:

❌ Talent Acquisition Manager (unchanged for years)

Why it fails: Stagnant headlines suggest a stagnant profile. They also fail to capture new skills, achievements, or focus areas.

LinkedIn headline formulas you can use

Now you know what to include in your LinkedIn headline, but still need a starting point?

Plug your details into one of these:

• [Ideal Job Title] | [Skill 1] | [Skill 2] | I help [Audience] achieve [Result] by [Method]
• [Current Role] | [Primary Skills/Expertise] | [Unique Value] | [Notable Achievement]
• [Job Title] at [Company] | [Area of Expertise 1] | [Area of Expertise 2]
• [Role] | [Industry or Specialization] | [Value Proposition] | [Differentiator]
• [What you do] | [Noteworthy Achievement] | [Personal Touch]

Feel free to mix and match varieties.

If you’re still stuck, you can use free LinkedIn headline generators like Grammarly’s.

They’re fine for brainstorming, but once you’ve gathered your role, skills, audience, and results, the formulas above will give you a headline that’s sharper, more personal, and more effective than anything automated.

Conclusion

If your LinkedIn headline goes beyond your job title, you’re already ahead of most users. But the real wins come when you take it further – weaving in the right keywords and clarifying who benefits from your skills.

Done right, your headline becomes a magnet for recruiters or partners. Start with a version you feel confident in and test what resonates. Don’t let 220 characters go to waste: make every character count.

How many “got a minute?” client calls or last-second requests did you handle last week? Without a CRM, it’s all too easy to lose track, miss out on billing, or simply drown in the chaos.

Consulting firms using CRM see 29% higher revenue and 34% more output, without hiring more staff. For consultants, that’s extra billable time and every lead tracked, adding real value to your bottom line.

Below, you’ll find the CRMs consultants actually use to cut admin, grow client revenue, and build a practice that runs on facts – not fire drills.

What makes a CRM great for consultants?

What you need from a consulting CRM depends on how you actually run your business. Before chasing features, get clear on your daily pain points, your typical client work, and the way your team communicates.

For independent consultants:

When you’re running a one-person show, dropping a client email or losing a note from last month’s strategy call can mean lost business. A consulting CRM needs all its client details – from initial outreach to contract management – in one place, so you can pick up any conversation at any point.

You want something that plugs into your existing tools, lets you create email templates for quick follow-ups, and keeps your pipeline management simple. Clean contact management and a mobile-friendly CRM tool mean you handle client queries or update project status, whether you’re at your desk or racing between meetings. Most independent consultants find value in automation capabilities, but only if they cut real admin – never if they add more.

For a small consulting business or boutique firm:

When a handful of people are juggling multiple clients, things can quickly turn to chaos. The right CRM platform means your team isn’t stepping on each other’s toes: task assignment is clear, client data is always up-to-date, and sales activities don’t stall when someone’s out.

Pipeline management, client management, and basic contact management need to work together so your business development efforts don’t get lost in Slack threads. Integration capabilities – like syncing with accounting software or time trackers – become non-negotiable. Small consulting firms also enjoy custom tags, shared notes, and the ability to see all open projects in a single dashboard.

For larger consulting companies (10+ people):

Scaling up brings new headaches – suddenly you’re dealing with multiple teams, complex sales processes, and a longer sales cycle. Now you need a complex CRM that handles comprehensive analytics, revenue forecasting, user adoption, and handoff between sales, delivery, and customer support. Automated sales workflows and customized reporting become key features to keep your consulting pipeline moving and business growth predictable.

The right CRM system changes what’s possible at every stage of consulting – from independent hustle to full-scale consulting market leader. So, before you get dazzled by “all-in-one” promises, focus on how you work day-to-day. Pick the CRM software that supports your process, not just the one with the longest feature list.

Top CRM picks for consultants (2025)

Capsule CRM – The consultant’s all-arounder

Capsule is the CRM that consultants actually stick with. It’s trusted by over 850 consultancies because it does what it says on the tin, whether you’re a solo operator or running a busy team. Capsule keeps every client detail, note, and project step in one place – so consultants don’t have to hunt for information.

Key features that matter for consultants:

• Centralized client management. See every interaction, proposal, and contract in one timeline.
• Project tracking, tasks, and calendar. Track deliverables, schedule meetings, set reminders, and keep your pipeline visible from first call to final invoice.
• Actionable analytics. Know where your business is winning, what needs attention, and which client is ready for a new project.
• Integrations that fit your stack. Capsule connects with Xero or QuickBooks for accounting, Gmail for communications, Clockify for time tracking, and more.
• Mobile CRM. Work wherever you’re needed. Prep for meetings on the train, update project status in a client’s office, or reply to queries without switching apps.

Why consultancies love Capsule

#1 Instant clarity at every client touchpoint. Capsule keeps the full client history, notes, and project milestones in one place – so every consultant sees the full picture before every call, meeting, or deliverable.

source

#2 Adapts to your workflow, not the other way around. Custom integrations (Slack, Retool, and more) make Capsule fit your existing business processes. As you grow from solo to multi-team, onboarding stays as simple as day one.

#3 Real results, transparent value. Capsule is priced clearly, with a generous free CRM version and 14-day trial for paid plans. You can test drive every feature, risk-free, and see the impact before making a commitment.

source

Consultants who use Capsule notice the difference. Hyperact, a fast-growing tech consultancy, boosted its conversion rate by 48% after switching. They went from lost notes and scattered spreadsheets to a single system where every client and contractor was visible.

48% conversion uplift: How Capsule accelerates Hyperact’s business growth

If you want fewer headaches, more productive client work, and a business that scales with you, Capsule is the obvious choice.

Try Capsule free and see what your consulting practice can actually do.

Pipedrive – Visual pipelines for deal-focused consultants

Pipedrive is the CRM you pick if you want your pipeline to look and feel like a whiteboard—drag, drop, and every new deal is right where you can see it. Consultants who focus on business development and lead generation love how fast they can move opportunities forward. It’s easy to set up, and you’ll never get lost in menus.

See how Pipedrive compares to other top CRMs for consultants.

What works well for consultants:

• The sales pipeline is genuinely visual – you can see every deal in play at a glance.
• Syncs up with your calendar and email, so prospecting doesn’t slip through the cracks.
• Workflow automations help with reminders, so no follow-up falls off your radar.

What you need to watch for:

• When a client says “yes,” Pipedrive hands you a win, but doesn’t help you manage the project that follows. You’ll be back to spreadsheets for delivery or shared notes with your consulting team.
• Reporting focuses on sales wins and deal movement, not on client outcomes, project profitability, or where consulting firms actually deliver value.
• As soon as your process gets more complex – multiple consultants, longer projects, follow-ups that don’t fit a neat pipeline – expect workarounds and more apps.
• Pricing starts at $21.90 per user, monthly, and only higher tiers unlock automation. Get a full breakdown of Pipedrive’s pricing here.

If your consulting business is all about prospecting, Pipedrive is a comfortable fit. But if you want your CRM to keep client relationships on track after the handshake, Capsule is designed for the whole consulting cycle – not just the chase.

HighLevel CRM – All-in-one client acquisition and automation

HighLevel CRM is the all-in-one machine for consultants who want to automate client acquisition, scheduling, and communications without cobbling together five different tools. Built for agencies and consultants scaling fast, it aims to replace your booking apps, email tools, and client pipelines at one flat rate.

Where HighLevel CRM fits best:

• Unlimited contacts and sub-accounts at $97/month per agency puts HighLevel CRM on the higher end for price, but your costs stay predictable no matter how much your practice grows. Read more about HighLevel CRM pricing.
• Combines CRM, email/SMS marketing, appointment booking, and workflow automation—one login for nearly all your client engagement needs.
• White-label and template features appeal to consultants who resell or customize services for other firms.

Where it comes up short:

• The interface and automation builder can be overwhelming; expect a learning curve, especially if your team is new to all-in-one tools.
• User roles and permissions are less sophisticated – consulting firms needing granular access or complex reporting may find gaps.
• Support can be hit or miss, with some users noting slow responses or confusing documentation.

HighLevel CRM is for consultants who want to systematize every client touchpoint and grow without tracking extra fees. For those who value simplicity, deep integrations, or want a CRM that grows with consulting complexity, Capsule stands out as a stronger all-around option.

Explore more consulting-friendly alternatives to HighLevel CRM.

Salesmate CRM – automation for busy consulting workflows

Salesmate CRM is what consultants turn to when they want the basics of customer relationship management handled before their first coffee. If your sales team is busy with repeatable steps – think onboarding, check-ins, follow-ups – Salesmate’s automation tools keep everything moving with less “did you send that?” chatter.

Where it delivers for consultants:

• Workflow automations set reminders, create tasks, and keep your lead generation efforts on schedule – your team can focus on actual consulting services.
• Centralizes client data so every client communication, status update, and proposal is easy to find, whether you’re working with new leads or existing clients.

What to keep in mind:

• Reporting is basic—helpful for tracking tasks and simple client engagement, but not for deep dives into project profitability or long-term client satisfaction.
• As your consulting firm grows or projects become more complex, you may notice gaps in advanced relationship management and robust CRM features.
• Client communications work for day-to-day, but marketing efforts, analytics, and bigger-picture strategy will need extra tools.
• With plans starting at $29 per user per month, it might not be the most affordable solution for small consultancies.

Salesmate is a good consulting CRM if your workflow is step-driven and you want automation to keep your pipeline moving. For consultants who need more sophisticated project tracking or want to run all client interactions – from kickoff to renewal – under one roof, Capsule is the better long-term fit.

Check out the best Salesmate alternatives for consultancy firms.

Insightly – for project-based consulting firms

Why do some consulting firms stick with Insightly? Because when your services involve multi-stage projects, layers of deliverables, and lots of handoffs, you need customer relationship management and project oversight in one place. Insightly brings both under the same roof, giving consulting teams one system to move from sales to delivery without switching solutions and apps.

See how Insightly compares to other leading CRMs.

Where Insightly fits consulting work:

• Combines CRM features and project management, so every contract, milestone, and client communication can be tracked together.
• Especially useful for consulting teams managing multiple consultants, vendors, or stakeholders on each engagement.
• Handles client data, task management, and status updates in a single dashboard.

Where you might outgrow it:

• Marketing automation is minimal. You’ll need extra tools to run campaigns, nurture existing clients, or support your broader marketing efforts.
• Analytics go so far, but consultants looking for comprehensive reporting, revenue forecasting, or robust client satisfaction tracking will need more.
• As you scale, user adoption and workflow customization can hit snags, especially for firms needing a more flexible or specialized consulting CRM.
• It’s on the pricey side, with the cheapest plan costing $29 per seat per month.

Insightly is a solid option if your consulting services are project-heavy and you want client management and project tracking together. If you need more powerful analytics, deeper automation, or want every part of the client lifecycle in one place, Capsule is better built for growth-minded consulting practices.

Check other alternatives to Insightly for consultants here.

Copper – Google Workspace native CRM for consultants

Most CRM systems promise to fit any workflow, but Copper leans hard the other way: if your consulting practice runs entirely on Google Workspace, this CRM makes life easy. For consultants who spend the day in Gmail and Google Calendar, Copper keeps lead management and client interactions right where you already work.

See how Capsule CRM compares to Copper here.

Why consultants pick Copper:

• Seamless integration with Gmail and Google tools – every email, meeting, and contact automatically syncs.
• Sales processes, lead tracking, and customer relationship management happen inside your Google environment.
• Pricing starts at $12 per user per month, making it an affordable pick for Google-centric consultants, but potentially less value for teams who want a broader set of CRM features. Get a detailed breakdown of Copper’s pricing here.

Considerations for consulting teams:

• If your firm uses anything outside Google’s ecosystem – think specialized project management, contract management, or custom workflows – Copper isn’t as flexible as other CRM platforms.
• Advanced project management features and complex reporting are limited, so consultancies with complex delivery or analytics needs may find themselves looking elsewhere.

Copper is a smart fit for consulting companies who want their CRM software to feel invisible—working right inside the tools they already use. For everyone else, especially firms managing multiple clients and business processes beyond Google, Capsule delivers a more adaptable solution.

Explore the best Copper alternatives for consultants.

SugarCRM – enterprise flexibility for large consulting teams

SugarCRM works best for consulting firms that demand full control. If you need custom dashboards, regulatory compliance, and role-based analytics all under one roof, SugarCRM brings heavyweight features built for enterprise-scale consulting.

Where SugarCRM fits best:

• Highly customizable – lets you build out modules, dashboards, and pipelines to match every practice area or project workflow.
• Offers a complete view: sales automation, marketing campaigns, and support tickets are all linked to each client.
• Suited for regulated industries or complex consulting operations, where audit trails and strict access controls are a must.

Where it comes up short:

• Getting SugarCRM live isn’t a DIY job. Most firms need a certified consultant and several months for setup and training.
• Small or boutique consultancies may find the system overbuilt – unnecessary for teams under 10 or firms without industry compliance needs.
• Licensing, hosting, and maintenance add up fast—annual costs are much higher than lightweight CRM platforms. Read more about Sugar CRM pricing here.

SugarCRM is a solid consulting CRM when your firm is big, regulated, and needs deep customization. Smaller or growing teams wanting fast setup, lower costs, and everyday usability may find Capsule a better long-term home.

Nimble – the social CRM for networking consultants

Some consultants close more business over coffee than in the boardroom. For them, Nimble feels like a natural fit. It quietly builds up client profiles from email threads and social connections, so every time you reach out, you’re already a step ahead.

Where Nimble makes a difference:

• Instantly enriches your contacts with details from LinkedIn, Twitter, and your inbox – so client conversations always start with context, not cold intros.
• A single inbox lets you track every message and follow-up, keeping networking and relationship management hassle-free, especially for solo operators.
• Onboarding is easy, making Nimble accessible to most independent consultants and small consulting teams.

Where you hit a wall:

• When you need more than networking, Nimble’s simplicity becomes a bottleneck.
• Automation and deep integrations are limited, so scaling up your consulting services often means stitching together other tools.
• Pricing is simple – $24.90 per seat/month – but consultants who outgrow Nimble may find themselves paying for new platforms sooner than expected. Learn more about Nimble’s pricing.

If your pipeline depends on staying top-of-mind in your network, Nimble is hard to beat. For consulting firms building longer client relationships or managing more moving parts, Capsule is the CRM that won’t box you in as you grow.

Read how Nimble compares to other CRMs for consulting companies.

Zoho CRM – enterprise features for growth-minded consultants

To leverage the full weight of enterprise-level automation, some consulting firms turn to Zoho CRM. It’s a platform built for those who want to orchestrate everything – client handoffs, multi-stage projects, even marketing emails – without ever leaving the dashboard.

Read how Capsule CRM compares to Zoho CRM.

Why Zoho can be a game-changer:

• You get layered automation, advanced reporting, and deep integrations – enough firepower to track every moving part in a complex consulting practice.
• Works well if you’re handling multiple consulting teams or rolling out services for different types of clients, with granular controls and custom workflows.
• Can connect your pipeline to just about anything: accounting, contract management, marketing, you name it.

What trips up most consulting teams:

• Don’t expect to get up and running by Friday. Zoho’s customization means a real learning curve, and it’s easy to get lost in the options if you’re new to CRM systems.
• Too many features can bog down solo consultants or small firms—sometimes, less is more.
• Starting at $23 per user/month, Zoho seems affordable, but adding premium features quickly raises the total cost. Explore a full Zoho CRM pricing breakdown here.

Zoho CRM is a great consulting CRM for firms chasing scale and complete control. But if your firm moves fast and values simplicity, Capsule brings structure to your chaos without slowing you down.

Nutshell – all-in-one simplicity for small teams

Sometimes, small consulting teams just want a CRM that doesn’t turn setup into a weekend project. Nutshell covers the essentials without overloading you with features you’ll never use.

See how Capsule CRM compares to Nutshell here.

Where Nutshell fits best:

• Onboarding is painless; you can get your whole team inside and up to speed before your next client call.
• Handles the core of client management so no update or opportunity is missed.
• At $19 a month, it keeps things affordable for small businesses, with straightforward plans that cover what most consultancies actually need. Get a detailed breakdown of Nutshell’s pricing here.

Where it comes up short:

• When you need custom fields, advanced reporting, or tailored workflows for more complex consulting services, you’ll feel the limits fast.
• Integrations with niche consulting tools or deep automation aren’t as flexible as bigger platforms.
• Designed for lean teams – if your consulting business grows or you want more control over your pipeline, you may outgrow Nutshell quicker than expected.

For boutique firms wanting the best consulting CRM for the basics—without distractions—Nutshell is a refreshing change. If your ambitions or client roster start to scale, Capsule offers more room to grow and customize as your practice evolves.

Explore the best Nutshell alternatives for consultancy firms.

Keap – automation and follow-ups for busy consultants

Keap is the CRM for consultants who want every lead, follow-up, and client invoice to run on autopilot. It’s packed with lifecycle automation, reminders, and built-in email/SMS—so client communications don’t fall through the cracks, even on your busiest days.

Compare Capsule CRM vs Keap.

Where Keap fits best:

• All-in-one automation handles emails, reminders, invoices, and payments – ideal for consultants juggling a high volume of client touchpoints.
• Smart templates and lead scoring help you segment prospects and stay ahead on follow-ups, without needing a marketing degree.
• Integrates with Google Calendar, QuickBooks, Zapier, and more, letting you keep existing processes in place.

Where it comes up short:

• Pricing is very steep – starting at $249/month for two users and up to 1,500 contacts; adding more clients or automation pushes costs higher fast.
• The setup and reporting dashboards can overwhelm. Many consultants need extra time (or help) to get the most out of Keap.
• For complex analytics or role-based reporting, Keap’s built-in tools may feel too light for larger or data-driven firms.

Keap is a strong pick for consultants who crave reliable automation and need sales, marketing, and payments to play nicely together. However, Keap’s pricing is significantly higher than many competitors. It starts at a high base price and increases based on the number of users and contacts, which can become very expensive as your business grows. If you want less complexity and a clearer path from client intro to project wrap-up, Capsule may be a more practical fit.

Explore best alternatives to Keap.

CRM for consulting – your selection checklist

Before you commit to a CRM, run through these questions to see if it truly fits your consulting business:

• Does it centralize all client data, notes, and project history in one place? Your customer data should be organized and accessible, so every consultant can stay in the loop for a successful CRM implementation.
• Can your whole team – partners, associates, contractors – get up to speed quickly, or will onboarding drag? Quick adoption and simple onboarding are critical; otherwise, your CRM becomes a hurdle rather than a solution.
• How well does it handle your core workflow? Check if it supports your main business activities—whether that’s business development or managing ongoing client communications.
• Will it integrate smoothly with the tools you already use? Look for connections to your existing stack – especially email marketing, calendar, accounting, and time tracking – so you’re not stuck with double entry.
• Does it offer automation that actually saves you time, or will it add more steps? The right CRM streamlines tasks, from setting reminders to automating parts of your email marketing.
• How flexible is it when your processes, team, or client base change? As your firm evolves, your CRM should scale and adapt – without forcing a costly overhaul.
• Can you get the reporting and analytics you need to track growth, profitability, and client satisfaction? Effective reporting should give you insights into both client relationships and business outcomes.
• Is it affordable – both now and as your business scales? Check beyond the sticker price! Make sure user limits, upgrades, or additional email marketing features don’t blow your budget as you grow.
• Are there real reviews or case studies from consultancies like yours? Learn from similar firms to spot the real benefits and pitfalls of each CRM platform.
• Can you test-drive it with a free version or trial before making a decision? A trial helps you experience what a successful CRM implementation feels like for your unique consulting workflow.

Pick a CRM that checks these boxes and supports your growth – at all times.

Grow your consulting services with the right CRM

Consultants lose time and momentum when information is scattered or hard to track. Capsule gives you clarity from day one. Instead of wrestling with spreadsheets or missed reminders, you’ll find it easier to stay connected to every client and keep projects moving. There’s no steep learning curve – you get a set of practical tools that work with the way you run your business.

When your CRM removes friction, you get more headspace for your clients and more confidence in your growth. Try Capsule free and see how it changes your day-to-day for the better.

Frequently Asked Questions

What CRM do consultants use?

What is CRM in consulting?

Which software do consultants use?

What is the best consulting CRM software?

Agencies love to try new analytics and automation tools, but most still treat CRM as an afterthought. Instead, teams manage clients in spreadsheets, Slack, and whatever inbox is handy. This can work until someone forgets to follow up, or a client gets handed off so badly you have to fix it in real time.

Still, many agencies believe a CRM will just slow things down. The numbers say otherwise. Agencies that actually use a CRM report faster decision-making (58%) and more streamlined operations (54%).

The gap between “we’ll get to it later” and “we actually use a CRM” is the difference between another lost deal and a team that’s in sync.

Clients expect nothing less than personal attention and flawless handover at every stage. CRM often is what separates agencies that scale from those that stall.

We dug into the latest user feedback, real stats, and lessons from teams that have switched. What follows is a straight-up take on the CRMs agencies actually stick with – starting with the one that makes agency life easier instead of adding more work.

Best CRM for marketing agencies

Capsule CRM – The top pick for marketing agencies

Capsule is designed for agencies where speed and clarity decide who wins the client. You see the whole pipeline, every project, and every conversation.

If you want a CRM that fits how agencies really work, Capsule delivers from day one.

Capsule puts your creative, accounts, and new business teams on the same page. And while Capsule brings all the core CRM muscle, there are four features that genuinely solve the daily headaches agencies face.

Project workflows that don’t drop the ball

Managing client work shouldn’t feel like herding cats. Capsule lets you set up custom project stage: from the first brief through planning, delivery, and final review. Automations kick in at every key moment, so assigning an owner or flagging a task happens on time, not after the fact.

When the work moves forward, Capsule updates everyone. For agencies managing multiple campaigns or clients, this means better onboarding and tighter delivery.

Actionable reporting, built for agencies

You don’t just want pretty graphs; you need answers. Capsule tracks every type of client touchpoint and ties them to both people and projects. Instantly spot who’s delivering, where things are stuck, or which campaigns actually get results.

Export what you need for clients or board meetings. The reporting keeps teams accountable and lets you fine-tune your process. If you’ve ever sat in a Monday morning huddle wondering where last week’s time went, you’ll see the appeal right away.

A sales pipeline you can run your agency on

Capsule’s pipeline is a real-time map of what’s happening across all your new business, upsell, or retainer opportunities. Each deal gets its stage, owner, and value, laid out in a way your whole team can see.

Moving deals forward is as simple as dragging a card—no weird filters, no Excel exports. You always know what’s at risk, what needs a push, and what you’re about to close. For agency leaders, this means more accurate forecasting and less last-minute scrambling to hit targets.

A 360° client view – every detail, all together

Agencies rely on context: what’s been promised, what’s been sent, what’s still open. Capsule gives you a complete timeline for every client: emails, files, meeting notes, tasks, event invites, even who on your team is involved.

Need to prep for a status call? It’s all there. Picking up an account from a teammate? Nothing’s lost in translation. This isn’t just for account managers – creative, ops, and finance all get the same clear picture.

Who’s Capsule for?

• Small/medium agencies juggling many brands, accounts, and freelancers
• Teams with both remote and in-house members
• Agencies tired of bloated CRMs

As Adam H. puts it, Capsule isn’t just a CRM – it’s the tool that brings order to agency chaos.

His team relies on Capsule to map out client strategies, track every conversation, and assign work without second-guessing who owns what.

And that’s not the only glowing feedback. Jamie D. highlights how intuitive Capsule is, with easy setup, powerful filtering for custom lists, and regular updates that keep improving how agencies manage projects and reporting. He also calls out Capsule’s top-notch support and deep integration options – making it a CRM that keeps up as your agency grows.

If your agency is ready for less scrambling and more clarity, Capsule is built for you. Try it free and see how it fits into your daily flow.

Nimble

Nimble is aimed at digital marketing agencies and advertising agencies looking for CRM software that streamlines contact management and simple customer relationship management. It’s best for agencies with a heavy focus on networking, quick lead tracking, and client outreach – less so for those needing deep marketing automation or project management tools.

Read how Nimble compares to other CRMs for agencies.

Where Nimble works well for agencies:

• Automated contact enrichment. Pulls customer data from emails, social media, and web forms, so your marketing teams don’t have to chase down info.
• Unified inbox. Manage client interactions, email marketing, and follow-ups from one place.
• Quick setup. Fast to launch for agencies wanting to start managing customer relationships right away.

Pricing:

Pricing is simple – $24.90 per seat/month. No free CRM available. Learn more about Nimble’s pricing.

Real agency feedback:

“It’s good for lead tracking and simple email campaigns, but the workflow automation and reporting don’t go deep enough for larger client projects. Menus can be confusing. We needed more campaign management and better task management tools.” (Software Finder)

Considerations:

• Project management, campaign management, and advanced marketing features are missin – making it tough for agencies needing to create targeted campaigns or coordinate across teams.
• Limited reporting and customizable dashboards, so it’s harder to track the entire customer journey or analyze marketing processes in detail.
• Storage, customization, and team collaboration tools hit limits fast as your agency grows.

If you want a CRM system for digital marketing that covers the basics but doesn’t stretch to the full reality of agency life, Nimble may get you by for now. But if your agency needs deeper project management, campaign control, or true visibility across the entire customer journey, you’ll want to look elsewhere.

For a closer look at options built for how agencies really work, check out this guide to the best Nimble alternatives for agencies.

Copper

What happens when your entire agency lives in Google Workspace, but your sales and client communications are scattered? That’s where Copper steps in. It’s a sales CRM that syncs tightly with Gmail and Google Calendar, making it a natural choice for agencies that already work out of their inbox.

While it simplifies day-to-day lead management, anyone needing deep project management or advanced marketing features may find themselves outgrowing it fast.

See how Capsule CRM compares to Copper here.

Where Copper works well for agencies:

• Native Gmail and Google Workspace integration. Every email, meeting, and client update auto-syncs into your sales funnel—no more manual data entry. This makes managing communications and client relationships easier, and is a huge plus for agency operations already living in Google.
• Visual pipeline and lead management tools. Easily track every deal from first touch to close. Agencies get a clear view of business opportunities, customer satisfaction trends, and progress with existing clients.
• Automated data capture. Copper pulls contact info, notes, and attachments straight from your inbox, so sales and marketing efforts always have up-to-date customer data.

Features and pricing:

Pricing starts at $12/user/month. Free trial available. Get a detailed breakdown of Copper’s pricing here.

Real agency feedback:

“Easy for managing customer interactions and staying on top of follow-ups, but the more advanced features are pricey and customization is limited.” (Stackfix review)

Considerations:

• No built-in marketing automation for personalized marketing campaigns or automated email campaigns; agencies have to rely on outside tools.
• Reporting and dashboard customization are limited unless you upgrade to higher-tier plans.
• Project management and financial management aren’t native – so it’s not a full solution for teams needing to link CRM and accounting software.
• Agencies looking for a fully integrated marketing platform or managing large-scale marketing materials will need more than Copper offers out of the box.

Copper stands out for agencies that rely on Google tools and value streamlined communication above all. The direct Gmail integration removes friction from daily tasks and keeps the sales pipeline crystal clear for account managers.

Still, once your campaigns get more sophisticated or you need features beyond contact management, Copper starts to feel restrictive. Agencies focused on growth and multi-channel campaigns often move on to more flexible platforms.

Explore the best Copper alternatives for agencies.

Nutshell

Nutshell pitches itself as the all-in-one CRM for agencies that want to get moving fast, without wrestling with endless setup or customization. It covers the basics – contacts, deals, and some light email marketing – in a single package. Still, when your agency needs to manage anything more complex than a straightforward campaign, the cracks start to show.

See how Capsule CRM compares to Nutshell here.

Where Nutshell works well for agencies:

• Centralized contact and deal management. Agencies can keep track of leads, sales deals, and client info without jumping between tools.
• Built-in email marketing and web forms. Send basic campaigns and collect leads directly—useful for straightforward marketing efforts.
• Easy to get started. Most teams can import contacts and start working in under a day.

Pricing:

Pricing starts at $19/user/month, but advanced marketing and engagement features require higher plans. Get a detailed breakdown of Nutshell’s pricing here.

Real agency feedback:

“I’ve been using it for about a year. The reports are a bit lacking but I’m hopeful they’ll improve that.” (Reddit user)

Considerations:

• No advanced project management—tough for agencies running multi-step campaigns or projects.
• Reporting and dashboards are basic; not enough for agencies who need detailed analytics or custom views.
• Costs can climb fast if you need all the marketing and engagement features; integrations with some project management tools are limited.

For small agencies or teams dipping their toes into agency CRM for the first time, Nutshell can keep things organized and painless. But as soon as your clients or campaigns get more complicated, you may find yourself fighting the platform instead of focusing on your work.

Advanced reporting, automation, and project management are more afterthought than strength here. Most established agencies will want something built to handle more than the basics.

Explore the best Nutshell alternatives for agencies.

Zoho CRM

How much complexity can your agency handle before “all-in-one” becomes “all too much”? Zoho CRM aims to cover every base – leads, sales, marketing, client interactions, project management, and even financials – making it a magnet for agencies chasing growth or looking to centralize their tech stack.

So, what is the tradeoff? Getting the most out of Zoho means using a feature set that can overwhelm smaller teams or those after quick wins.

Read how Capsule CRM compares to Zoho CRM here.

See a head-to-head feature comparison here.

Where Zoho CRM works well for agencies:

• End-to-end sales process coverage. Manage leads, customer interactions, deal tracking, and workflow automation in one platform.
• Personalized marketing campaigns. Segment contacts, automate email campaigns, and create targeted campaigns that support client satisfaction and customer success.
• Strong integrations. Zoho connects with accounting software, project management tools, social media platforms, and a wide range of apps, supporting agency operations from marketing materials to financial management.

Features and pricing:

Pricing starts at $23/user/month for the Standard plan, with more advanced marketing features and dashboards on higher tiers. Full Zoho CRM pricing breakdown here.

Real agency feedback:

Some apps have slightly outdated UI/UX compared to newer SaaS platforms, and initial setup can feel a bit overwhelming due to the range of features. (Trustpilot)

Considerations:

• Zoho CRM can feel overwhelming for agencies that want a lighter CRM for digital campaigns or simple sales funnel management.
• Customizing Zoho to fit your agency operations and marketing platform can be time-consuming.
• Some reporting and financial management modules aren’t tightly integrated, so getting a full view of business opportunities can require extra setup.
• Customer service and support get mixed reviews, which is something to consider for agencies managing critical client relationships.
• Costs can climb as you need more marketing features or users.

For agencies ready to invest time in customization and process-building, Zoho can support nearly every step of the client journey under one roof. But all that flexibility comes at the cost of simplicity.

Many fast-moving teams find themselves slowed down by extra steps, steep learning curves, and the sense that the tool is doing more than they really need. Sometimes, “everything in one place” just makes it harder to find what actually matters.

Salesmate CRM

Salesmate CRM appeals to agencies that want to keep their sales process visible and straightforward. It works well for teams tracking new leads, handling routine follow-ups, and staying on top of client conversations. Many agencies pick it because it’s not overloaded with features they’ll never use. But when client projects or marketing campaigns get more complicated, Salesmate’s limitations in automation and project management become hard to ignore.

Where Salesmate CRM works well for agencies:

• Easy lead management and sales funnel tracking. Agencies can organize potential customers, manage leads, and monitor deal progress using simple visual pipelines.
• Workflow automation and tracking tools. Salesmate helps automate repetitive sales tasks, send automated email campaigns, and set up reminders – helpful for client follow-ups and staying on top of agency operations.
• Customizable dashboards and reports. Marketing teams can track key features, business opportunities, and campaign results with built-in analytics.

Features and pricing:

Pricing starts at $29/user/month for basic plans, but more advanced features and integrations require higher tiers.

Real agency feedback:

While Salesmate is great overall, the A2P verification process can take longer than expected, which delays texting features. Also, some of the third-party integrations feel a bit limited or clunky—there’s definitely room for improvement to make them more seamless and robust. (G2)

Considerations:

• Limited marketing automation and campaign management compared to larger CRM platforms; best for agencies who focus on sales CRM needs.
• No advanced project management or financial management features, so agencies may need additional tools to cover all operations.
• Some integrations and workflow automation features are only available on higher-priced plans.

Salesmate supports basic lead tracking and everyday sales tasks without extra complexity. However, its reporting, automation, and project management features lack the depth required for agencies managing multiple campaigns or larger client accounts.

Check out the best Salesmate alternatives for agencies.

Insightly

If your agency needs a CRM solution that combines lead management, project management, and workflow automation in one package, Insightly is worth a look. Designed for digital marketing agencies that want to track the entire customer journey – from first touch through project delivery – Insightly goes beyond what many sales CRMs offer. But as with any all-in-one tool, there are limits.

See how Insightly compares to other leading CRMs.

Where Insightly works well for agencies:

• Integrated sales and project management. Manage leads, track deals in your sales funnel, and hand off closed sales straight into project delivery without switching systems.
• Customizable workflow automation. Automate tasks, set reminders, and manage communications so your customer service teams stay on top of deadlines and client requests.
• Relationship and contact management. Map out complex client relationships, connect contacts to sales opportunities, projects, and marketing materials—useful for agency operations that thrive on context.

Features and pricing:

Pricing starts at $29/user/month. Some key features and customizations require higher-tier plans, but a free trial is available.

Real agency feedback:

There is a higher barrier of entry that, in my opinion, necessitates having a success rep help you. I am not sure if it is ideal to require your product to have a guide that I still use weekly 6+ months into working on the platform. (G2)

Considerations:

• Advanced marketing automation, campaign management, and analytics don’t match what larger marketing platforms deliver.
• Some agencies find dashboard performance slow and project management less robust for multi-phase, cross-team projects.
• Integrations for financial management and accounting software are basic – more specialized solutions may be needed as you scale.

Insightly works for agencies with straightforward processes and smaller teams. But agencies that rely on granular campaign tracking, custom analytics, or integrated marketing automation will run up against its limitations quickly. Most fast-growing teams move on to more comprehensive platforms as their operations expand.

Explore alternatives to Insightly for agencies here.

Pipedrive

Pipedrive is built for agencies where tracking sales is the main priority. The visual pipeline makes it easy for account managers to move deals forward, assign owners, and quickly spot which prospects need attention.

Many agencies start with Pipedrive because the setup is quick, and the interface never buries you in extra tabs or features you’ll never touch. However, it’s not without its drawbacks.

See how Pipedrive compares to other top CRMs for agencies.

Where Pipedrive works well for agencies:

• Visual pipeline management. Pipedrive’s drag-and-drop pipeline makes it easy to manage leads, track deals, and see exactly where every client is in your sales funnel.
• Automation and integrations. Agencies can automate routine tasks, launch basic personalized marketing campaigns, and connect Pipedrive to marketing platforms, accounting software, and project management tools.
• Quick onboarding. Sales and marketing teams can get started with minimal training, making it ideal for fast-paced agency operations.

Features and pricing:

Pricing starts at $21.90/user/month, with a free trial available. Advanced analytics, campaign management, and customization require higher-tier plans. Get a full breakdown of Pipedrive’s pricing here.

Real agency feedback:

Pipedrive is a bare-bones CRM that is trying (and failing) to be more fully featured. Every “feature” within Pipedrive beyond the basic Deal-Pipeline flow is about 50% put together and functions like a proof-of-concept copy of someone else’s tool. (G2)

Considerations:

• No native project management – complex campaign or client delivery will require additional project management tools.
• Limited marketing automation and personalized marketing campaign features compared to full-scale marketing platforms.
• Financial management and accounting integrations often depend on third-party connectors.

Where Pipedrive starts to struggle is after the deal closes. Agencies needing integrated campaign planning, marketing handover, or shared views between sales and delivery teams often find themselves stitching together outside tools or managing work in spreadsheets.

For agencies that care most about the front half of the client lifecycle, Pipedrive works quite well. Anyone trying to bring sales, marketing, and delivery under one roof will run out of runway.

See the best Pipedrive alternatives for agencies.

What agencies actually need from CRM software (and what to avoid)

What to look for:

• Fields and tags you can actually control. Every agency has its own way of sorting clients, labeling campaigns, or flagging last-minute deliverables. If you can’t customize fields and tags in seconds, you’ll end up back in spreadsheets by next quarter.
• Onboarding that’s quick, not cryptic. Agencies run on deadlines and shifting teams. When a freelancer joins or a new account manager steps in, you shouldn’t spend two days explaining how to use the CRM or digging through settings just to give them access.
• Reporting that makes sense to humans. You need to show results for five brands by Friday, not decipher another generic dashboard. Your CRM should break down campaigns, deals, and team activity per account, without extra clicks or exports.
• Plug-and-play integrations. Agencies use a patchwork of tools – email, proposals, accounting, project trackers. If your CRM doesn’t connect with the stack you actually use, it’s going to slow you down instead of speeding things up.
• Free version and free trial to test for real. Don’t just trust the feature list—try it yourself, risk-free. Capsule gives agencies a genuinely free CRM for basic use, plus a free trial on all paid plans, so you can see what fits before spending a cent.

What to avoid:

• CRMs so complex you need an internal training manual just to add a client.
• Setups that require a consultant to “customize” basic agency workflows.
• Support that disappears as soon as your trial ends.

Capsule ticks all the boxes above – so you can spend less time fixing process, and more time actually growing client business.

Over to you

The best agencies don’t waste time wrestling with clunky software or chasing lost emails – they give their sales teams the right CRM software and get back to the business of winning clients. If your idea of efficient communication is endless reply-all threads, it’s time for a rethink. In agency life, tools that save time and keep you in control are just how you win more work.

Capsule is the all-arounder agencies rely on when they want a CRM that just works, every day, for every client. If you’ve got ultra-specific needs, check out the niche picks above – but for most agencies, Capsule covers it all. Try it for free today!

Your LinkedIn summary is often the first thing a potential client or partner reads, and it’s your best shot at standing out. But writing one that’s both strategic and human? That’s where most people get stuck.

Today, we’re going to show you what a LinkedIn summary is and why it’s so powerful. We’ll also walk you through writing an effective LinkedIn summary and show you real-life examples and tips you can learn from.

What is a LinkedIn summary, and where can you find it?

A LinkedIn summary, also known as the About section, is a space that sits just below your headline and above your experience section on your LinkedIn profile. It’s your chance to introduce yourself personally, explain your professional journey, highlight key accomplishments, and share what drives you, all expressed in your own words.

The summary has a character limit of 2,600 characters, including spaces. This gives you roughly 350 to 400 words to use.

What the LinkedIn summary is not

The LinkedIn summary is not your resume.

It’s not a place to share your entire work history; you already have separate sections for that.

It’s also not a headline or job title – those belong elsewhere on your profile.

How to write a LinkedIn summary, step-by-step

Writing a compelling LinkedIn summary is easy once you break up the process into smaller, more manageable chunks. Here is how to write a LinkedIn summary, step by step.

Step 1: Start with a clear, engaging opening

The first 2–3 lines are crucial, since they appear before the “See more” cut-off. Use this space to summarize who you are and what you do in plain, human language.

A simple formula you can follow:

“I’m [your role or expertise] who [what you help people do / key result you deliver].”

This keeps your opener focused and memorable.

Example:

“I’m a B2B SaaS marketer who turns complex product features into stories that drive conversions.”

Tip: Write in the first person. Think of it as a quick intro at a networking event.

Step 2: Share your professional background and key focus areas

Once you’ve hooked the reader, give them context. This is where you briefly tell your professional story and highlight the areas where you bring the most value. Keep it focused on the present — what you want to be known and remembered for — rather than retelling your entire career history.

A useful structure to follow:

“Over the past [X years], I’ve [type of work you’ve done] for [industries, clients, or teams], helping them [specific results or outcomes]. My focus areas include [top skills or services].”

Make sure you touch on:

• Your standout strengths, including the skills or approaches you’re consistently recognized for
• The industries or types of teams you’ve supported (e.g., SaaS startups, enterprise B2B, nonprofits)
• Your current focus areas or services, ideally connected to measurable outcomes

Example:

“Over the past 6 years, I’ve helped early-stage startups and scaling tech companies grow a qualified pipeline through integrated campaign planning. My sweet spot is bridging product, sales, and marketing to create campaigns that generate revenue.”

Step 3: Highlight your top achievements or results

Once you’ve set the stage with your background, back it up with proof. Specific results show credibility and help your profile stand out in search. Avoid vague claims like “helped increase sales”. Instead, share measurable, concrete outcomes.

You can use a simple framework:

“In my role as [position], I [action you took] which led to [specific result + metric].”

Think in terms of:

• Percentages or numbers (e.g., “increased organic traffic by 80% in 12 months”)
• Revenue or cost savings (e.g., “generated $1.1M in net-new ARR”)
• Efficiency gains (e.g., “cut onboarding time from 10 days to 3”)

Example:

“In my last role, I led a growth strategy that increased organic demo signups by 120% in nine months. At a previous company, I spearheaded a co-marketing campaign that generated $1.1M in new annual recurring revenue and built a partner network that still drives leads today.”

Don’t overload this section with every achievement. Two or three high-impact wins are enough to build trust.

Step 4: Mention tools, skills, and keywords (naturally)

Your LinkedIn summary is searchable, so including the right terms increases your chances of showing up when someone’s looking for your expertise. The key is to weave these into sentences instead of dropping them in a lifeless list.

Start by identifying:

• Tools you use daily (software, platforms, frameworks)
• Core skills that define how you work and deliver results
• Industry or role-specific keywords recruiters and clients are likely to search for

Example:

“I work at the intersection of demand generation, SEO content strategy, and product marketing. My day-to-day toolkit includes Capsule CRM, Clearbit, Ahrefs, Google Analytics, and Figma — all used to build strategies that connect marketing with revenue.”

Presenting your skills in context transforms them from buzzwords into proof of competence. It signals to the reader not just what you know, but how you apply it, making it easier for them to picture you solving their problems or driving their goals forward.

Step 5: End with a personal note or call to action

Wrap up your summary in a way that feels approachable yet directs the reader toward the next step. Be specific about what kind of opportunities, conversations, or collaborations you’re interested in — and make it easy for them to act on it. A generic “let’s connect” won’t stand out, but an invitation tied to your expertise or interests will.

Example:

“I’m always keen to swap ideas with founders and marketing leads who want to turn strategy into measurable growth. If you’ve got a challenge worth solving or a vision that needs traction, drop me a message and let’s talk.”

The final product

Once you’ve completed all the steps, your LinkedIn summary should look like this:

I’m a B2B SaaS marketer who turns complex product features into stories that drive conversions. I focus on building growth strategies that not only look good on paper but also move the numbers that matter.

Over the past 6 years, I’ve worked with early-stage startups and scaling tech companies to grow a qualified pipeline through integrated campaign planning. My sweet spot is bridging product, sales, and marketing so that every campaign is aligned with revenue, not just clicks.

In my last role, I led a growth strategy that increased organic demo signups by 120% in nine months. At a previous company, I spearheaded a co-marketing campaign that generated $1.1M in new annual recurring revenue and built a partner network that still drives leads today.

I work at the intersection of demand generation, SEO content strategy, and product marketing. My day-to-day toolkit includes Capsule CRM, Clearbit, Ahrefs, Google Analytics, and Figma — all used to build strategies that connect marketing with revenue.

I’m always keen to swap ideas with founders and marketing leads who want to turn strategy into measurable growth. If you’ve got a challenge worth solving or a vision that needs traction, drop me a message and let’s talk.

Now that you’ve seen a sample summary built from scratch, here are a few real-world examples to inspire your own.

LinkedIn summary examples you can learn from

One of the best ways to write a great LinkedIn summary is to learn from what is already out there. Here are some great examples.

A SaaS CEO’s summary

Here’s an example from Steven Ledgerwood, CEO of Capsule. His summary works because it’s approachable yet professional, walking the reader through his focus, leadership philosophy, and career path without feeling like a résumé dump. He weaves in personal touches (like his roots) that make him memorable, while keeping the emphasis on customer success and measurable business outcomes. The narrative flows naturally from past experience to current passion, and he closes with a call to connect that feels genuine.

A marketing consultant’s summary

Maja Voje, a growth marketer and bestselling author, makes full use of her LinkedIn summary space. She blends authority with approachability, backing up her expertise with recognizable brand names, hard numbers, and tangible wins: from building communities of 150K+ members to driving a $22.5M crowdfunding campaign.

The summary doubles as a resource hub (even though the links are not clickable), mentioning free templates, checklists, and a newsletter, which positions her as both an expert and a go-to source for ongoing insights. She closes with a direct invitation to connect – complete with her email – so it’s effortless for potential clients and collaborators to take the next step.

A creative director’s summary

What happens when a creative leader tells their story like a well-paced campaign? Steve Tozzi, a veteran creative director and designer, does exactly that. He starts with the big picture (his approach to solving problems and leading multi-disciplinary teams) before pulling you into the arc of his career, from designer to visual effects director to department head.

The journey is peppered with hints of his creative philosophy, shaped by decades in advertising and broadcasting. And just when you’re invested, he switches gears and gives you the hard proof: Cannes Lions, Webby Awards, Telly Awards, plus a clear list of specialties and technical skills.

6 common LinkedIn summary mistakes to avoid

Leaving it blank or copying your résumé

Your summary is prime real estate for telling your story, not just listing dates and job titles. Use it to share what drives you, the problems you solve, and what makes your approach different. Think of it as your professional “about me” page, not a second résumé.

Writing a wall of text

Dense, unbroken paragraphs turn readers away fast. Keep it to short, skimmable sections that highlight who you are, what you do, and why it matters. Instead of squeezing everything into one block, break it into 3–4 bite-sized chunks for easy reading.

For example, in one rewrite, we cut a LinkedIn summary’s Hemingway App readability score from Grade 16 to Grade 10 just by simplifying sentence structure and removing filler.

Before:

After:

Make sure you spot overly complex phrasing and turn it into something conversational and clear.

Using empty buzzwords

Terms like “passionate,” “results-driven,” or “go-getter” are filler unless you prove them. Replace them with specifics: instead of “results-driven marketer,” try “helped a SaaS brand grow MRR by 42% in six months through targeted content campaigns.”

Speaking in the third person

“John is an experienced…” might work for an award acceptance speech, but on LinkedIn, it feels distant and detached. You want readers to feel like you’re speaking directly to them. Switching to first person (“I help…,” “I’ve worked with…”) makes your profile warmer, more approachable, and more likely to spark a genuine connection.

Ending without direction

Your summary should lead somewhere. If you simply stop after listing your experience, readers are left wondering what to do next. Close with a clear call to action: invite them to connect, share your email, or encourage them to message you about collaborations or opportunities. The easier you make it for someone to reach out, the more likely they will.

Ignoring keywords and updates

Keywords are what help you get found – both in LinkedIn search and beyond. Sprinkle in the specific skills, tools, and industry terms you want to be associated with. It’s fine to use AI for content creation here, but always remember about some human touch! Then, update it whenever you take on a new role or shift focus. A stale summary can signal a stale career, even if that’s far from the truth.

Rate your LinkedIn summary: gamified checklist

Score yourself 1–10 on each point below:

1. Opening hook. Does your first line grab attention instantly?
2. First-person voice. Does it feel like you’re speaking, not a corporate bio?
3. Value clarity. Can a stranger tell who you help and what you do within 10 seconds?
4. Proof of results. Do you show specific wins, metrics, or examples?
5. Personality. Does it sound human, approachable, and authentic?
6. Clear next step. Do you invite people to connect or contact you?
7. Keyword relevance. Are industry, role, and skill keywords woven in naturally?
8. Up-to-date. Does it reflect your latest role, focus areas, and achievements?
9. Readability. Is it easy to scan, with short paragraphs and plain language?
10. Search impact. Would recruiters/clients find you for the right terms?

Your score: add up your total out of 100.

• 90–100 → Your summary is a magnet. Keep it fresh every 6-12 months.
• 70–89 → Strong, but you’re leaving opportunities on the table. Tweak weak spots (anything you rated below 6).
• 50–69 → It’s doing some work, but you’re probably missing connections.
• Below 50 → Rewrite time. Your profile isn’t working as hard as it could for you!

Over to you

A LinkedIn summary is often the difference between being skimmed past and being remembered. When it gives proof, shows personality, and invites action, it works in the background to connect you with opportunities you might never see coming.

Good luck!

Scott Harrison is the founder and face of his company, The Six Pack Revolution. We sat down with him for an episode of Small Business Diaries to explore how a moment in the school playground led to a global wellness business.

Reinventing a career from the ground up

Before making the jump, Scott was the Sales Director of a large double-glazing company. “It was really successful, we turned over about 18 million pounds a year.. But I didn’t enjoy it.”

While he was grateful for the skills the role provided, he decided he wanted to move on to doing something he loved. He explains: “I took a big gamble to come away from the financial security that I had there. But it was also trying to do something that I loved and could see myself, you know, giving back and finding something that would take me happily into my later years.”

Scott’s programme has now changed lives across 90+ countries, helping to bring people together through physical results and profound shifts in confidence, discipline, and mental health.

Inspiration in the strangest places

In 2015, Scott had an unexpected realisation. While waiting to pick up his children from school, he noticed how so many of the parents looked sluggish, tired, and visibly unhealthy.

“All the little kids were running out to their role models, and I’m thinking, well, that’s not very good.” Scott explained, “And then I realised I was one of them.”

That moment became the turning point. As a New Year’s resolution, he set a goal to get a six-pack and publicly documented the process on Facebook. Thirty-six people joined him. By the end of 90 days, 19 had completed the challenge, and their transformations were staggering.

“It was an accidental business,” Scott recalls. “But when people started asking me to do it again, I knew I had something special.”

From there, The Six Pack Revolution grew rapidly and is now a global health brand with tens of thousands of participants, including celebrities and even a famous A-list actor. “People send me thank you cards saying, ‘I don’t know how to thank you for giving my children their mummy back.’ Getting messages like that just makes my heart explode.”

Managing adversity

Scott is very open about his health struggles with anxiety and shared how alcohol amplifies it. He explains, “People think I’ve got it all together. The body, the business, the family. But I battle with anxiety, and alcohol makes it worse.”

That vulnerability isn’t just personal; it’s an essential part of the programme. The Six Pack Revolution isn’t just about fitness; it’s about building mental strength, reframing setbacks, and owning your choices.

“I call it giving them the key to happiness. Whether everyone uses it all the time or not, that’s up to them. But they will have it. No one can take it from them.”

Scott describes himself as a “sergeant major with love,” pushing people to confront their obstacles with humour, honesty, and hard truths.

He adds: “I don’t just tell people what to eat or how to move, I teach them how to think.” Participants emerge not only leaner but emotionally stronger, often reporting reduced symptoms from chronic conditions like fibromyalgia, IBS, eczema, and even type 2 diabetes.

Turning a setback into a best seller

Despite its success, the journey hasn’t been without its setbacks. Scott described a misstep he had when he raised his prices, which led to a dip in participant numbers.

“I only raised it by £10, but maybe breaking the psychological barrier of £150 was too much at once. It was frustrating, but it taught me something about timing and perception.”

One of Scott Harrison’s most significant breakthroughs came from an unexpected falling out.

“In the very early days, I asked a team member to help develop some recipes because we didn’t have any,” Scott explains. “I gave her the job and said, ‘These are the rules. This is what’s got to be on the plate. Go create.” The results were basic but useful, but shortly after, they left the business and claimed ownership of the recipes.

“She even said they were her mum’s,” Scott laughs. “I said, ‘So your mum’s been designing recipes for the Six Pack Revolution since before I invented it?’”

Rather than pursue legal action, Scott took his solicitor’s blunt advice: “You can either go to court or pull your big boy pants up and do it yourself.” He chose the latter.

He started from scratch and over the next year created an entirely new recipe collection that was bigger, better, and bolder. “I worked out lasagnas, cookies, satays, even fish and chips with proper chip shop curry sauce. It took days, months, everything I had. But it was worth it.”

Changing perceptions around business

Over the years, Scott has found that The Six Pack Revolution’s name is both its biggest strength and weakness. For many, the phrase “six pack” creates images of elite athletes and hardcore gym culture, which can feel alienating to the people the programme helps most – everyday people in their 30s, 40s, and 50s.

“People see the name and think, ‘That’s not for me,’” Scott says. “But our biggest demographic is people with mum and dad bods, people who haven’t been fit in years.”

This difference between perception and reality has recently caused real-world challenges. ITV once blocked one of Scott’s ads from running on air, citing concerns that the name could be seen as misleading or unrealistic.

“It might be time for a rebrand,” Scott admits. “That situation made me realise that the name could be holding us back. Maybe it’s a blessing in disguise, a push to evolve.”

For a brand built on accessibility and life-changing results, the next step may be finding a name that better reflects The Six Pack Revolution’s real promise: total transformation — mind, body, and lifestyle.

Advice for busy business owners

Small business owners are often strapped for time and spend most of their days being pulled in different directions. Health and wellness often get bumped to the bottom of their list, but for Scott, taking care of your body isn’t a luxury; it’s an essential part of keeping his business running.

“You are your business’s engine,” he says. “If your brain isn’t firing properly, your business won’t either.”

His advice is practical and actionable, even for those always on the go:

• Hydrate aggressively: “Drink 3–4 litres of water a day. It’ll change everything from your mood to your digestion.”
• Cut back on caffeine: “I love coffee too, but too much of it wrecks your sleep and keeps you anxious.”
• Eat with intention: “It’s not about being perfect, it’s about making better choices. You can always find a healthy option if you look.”

Scott also mentioned that restaurants are more accommodating than people assume. “There’s no kitchen in the world that can’t grill a chicken breast and give you a side of veg. You’ve just got to ask. They hear more complicated requests daily.”

Whether you’re staying in a hotel or running from meeting to meeting, Scott insists that living healthy is always an option if you’re willing to prioritize it.

Building a brand through service

So much of online content is hyper-curated, and Scott uses this to his advantage. Instead of relying on gimmicks or inflated promises, Scott stays authentic. Just real stories, real people, and real transformations.

Scott says, “I just tell the truth. I’m not trying to be anyone else, and when people see that, they trust you.”

His Instagram and TikTok feeds are filled with before-and-after success stories, motivational snippets, and behind-the-scenes moments from both clients and his own life. This honesty has helped him grow a loyal following of not just fans, but advocates.

Final thoughts

At its core, The Six Pack Revolution is about more than just aesthetics. It’s about taking back control of your life, helping participants build confidence, regain energy, and unlock better versions of themselves both physically and mentally.

Fitness is just the entry point; the real value comes from giving people structure and power to decide how they want to live.

His story is a powerful reminder that the best businesses aren’t always built from spreadsheets and market trends. Sometimes, they grow from a moment of self-reflection and a deep desire to help others feel better in their skin.

Listen to the episode, in full, by visiting our YouTube page.

In our podcast, Small Business Diaries, we talk to small business owners of organizations from across the world. This blog post is a summary and the lessons we learned from the episode [link].

We talked with Andy Culligan, a seasoned B2B marketer who’s the CEO and Co-Founder of Purple Path, a company that helps SaaS businesses grow.

He shared his journey – from being a young Irish expat with limited German language and sales experience to becoming a successful business leader.

Andy discussed his insights with Jon and Steve on how to stay resilient in a very unpredictable small business world and the importance of trusting the process.

Managing adversity

Andy grew up in Ireland but made a big life decision and moved to Austria at just 23 years old.

“I moved without thinking. My wife wasn’t happy in Ireland, and I just said, ‘Fine, I’ll move to Austria,’” Andy says. What followed was a tough and he had to quickly learn to adapt to the culture shock, unemployment, and language barriers.

“I struggled for a couple of years,” Andy recalls. “I didn’t speak German and couldn’t find stable work. I even managed to get hired into a German-speaking SDR role despite not really knowing the language.”

But Andy didn’t let it stop him. Instead, he stayed resilient, and now he is grateful that he tried his luck. “If I could go back and tell myself that 15 years later I’d be doing what I’m doing now, I wouldn’t have believed it,” he shares.

On tech companies and managing risk

Andy is very active on LinkedIn and created a popular post that compared a younger and current photo of himself. It sparked many conversations about change, growth, and job insecurity, having seen countless talented professionals laid off in recent years.

He reflected on the state of the tech world, saying, “Post-pandemic, companies overhired and then had to pull back hard. I know people who were crushing their targets for years and were still let go without warning. It makes you question the system.”

Both Andy and Steve acknowledge the challenges of leading or working in small businesses, especially during times of instability. Andy points out how business owners are often forced into making tough hiring and firing calls during periods of growth and risk. Something crucial, despite being one of the more unenjoyable aspects of the job.

The “accidental” entrepreneur

Andy’s consultancy (AndyCulligan.com) wasn’t part of his original plan. After finding himself burnt out after years as a CMO in a high-growth SaaS business, he took a step back. During this time, he found that clients kept reaching out to him, and before long, he had a full roster and was being introduced as a “fractional CMO”.

“I didn’t even know what that meant,” Andy explains. “But I was helping startups build their marketing functions without hiring full-time staff. It worked, and I scaled from there.”

Now, with a small team and over 95 years of combined experience, Andy helps businesses fine-tune their marketing operations. From lead generation to brand building, he and his team offer big agency insight with startup agility.

Marketing is all about execution

When asked what the biggest challenge is for small business marketing teams, Andy pinpoints the problem exactly.

“It’s a lack of execution. Not because people don’t care or aren’t good, but because they’re stretched too thin or being pulled in too many directions.”

He urges small business CEOs to avoid the “one marketer fits all” mentality and to prioritize focus, saying, “If you want someone to do social media, product marketing, lead gen, events, and content… expect all of it to be done badly.”

Burnout, boundaries, and personal branding

Throughout the episode, Andy is candid about the toll that startup life and leadership can take. From struggling to adjust in Austria to burning out as a CMO, he’s no stranger to rough patches.

He emphasizes the importance of setting boundaries for both yourself and your team. “You can’t just give people stuff they can’t do. That’s how burnout starts. It’s not about working hard; it’s about feeling out of control.”

Andy’s vulnerability is also part of what makes his brand so compelling. Whether he’s sharing a photo of his post-marathon faceplant or offering raw insight into mental health, his authenticity has helped him build a following—and a business.

Lessons in leadership

Andy offers his advice for aspiring founders or marketing leaders thinking of going solo: “If you don’t have a network, where will your customers come from? It won’t fall out of the sky.”

His success has been built on years of trust and visibility on LinkedIn. Now, he’s doubling down on scaling smartly, without losing the values that got him here.

Final thought

Andy’s story is a blueprint for anyone navigating the world of small business leadership and marketing. It’s about doing the hard things, knowing when to pause, and embracing the unpredictability of growth.

When asked what he’d ask the next podcast guest, he knows exactly what he wants to know: “Tell me about a failure – and what you learned from it.”

Listen to the episode, in full, by visiting our YouTube page.

If you’re new to sales or marketing, the term lead generation might sound a little intimidating – or vague. How on earth do you go about generating leads? Who has that magic wand?!

Lead generation is about capturing prospects by building interest around your products or services, and then ‘warming’ those leads so you can sell to them. It’s about eliciting their recognition and trust in you so that when you approach them to make a sale, they don’t give you the cold shoulder.

While lead generation is a precursor to sales, it’s actually a marketing activity. But that doesn’t mean it’s off-limits to other commercial roles like sales managers.

Let’s take a look at the lead generation tactics you can use to build your pipeline and make more sales (ka-ching!)

Lead generation tactics

1. Engage using an on-site webchat

Did you know that your chance of conversion increases by 98% if you respond to inquiries in five minutes? So, it’s worth engaging while they’re still ‘warm’.

Ever visited a website and had a little chat bubble pop up asking if you needed help? That’s a webchat, and it’s one of the fastest ways to start conversations with prospective customers.

Installing a webchat feature on your website lets you:

• Greet visitors in real time
• Answer questions immediately
• Offer demos or links to relevant content
• Capture contact information for follow-up

Since your website visitors are taking the time to contact you, you know they’re already interested. Tools like Conversations by Transpond make it easy to respond to incoming inquiries. Perfect for customer support and sales teams alike, you can connect visitors instantly to a live chat.

Or implement an AI Assistant that learns your business inside and out, to respond to customer queries any time of day, helping to avoid cart abandonment or your lead going cold.

2. Embed web forms to capture new lead data

Another way to inject your CRM with fresh new leads is to add a contact sales form to your website. It could be a ‘contact us’ or ‘speak to sales’ form. Or share content like a brochure, discount, or report behind a form.

And since they’re approaching you and handing their contact data over, you know they’re already warmed and interested in what you sell.

You get to choose what fields the lead must fill out, so you can also determine what data you’ll receive. Just make sure you don’t put off visitors by asking for too many things, or overly personal information.

3. Share newsletters and helpful guides

You could also encourage potential customers to subscribe to your newsletter. Whether your newsletter unlocks a one-off discount, regular industry commentary, or simply shares your business updates, you know one thing for sure: your lead wants to hear from you.

Getting your subscribers inside your CRM allows you to create lists of people that fit certain criteria, so you can create specific series of emails for the relevant audiences.

Let’s imagine you have a weekly newsletter, commenting on trends in different industries. If your form asked users to choose the themes they’re interested in, you could add them to a list relevant to that theme.

So when it comes to inviting them to demo your service or make a purchase, your lead:

• Knows who you are
• Receives personalized outreach based on what they’re interested in
• Is warmed, and very likely ready to compare solutions to their problem.

4. Automate reminder emails and follow-ups

Sometimes following up on leads can be overwhelming. And with all your other sales admin, things are forgotten, or fade into the background. Meanwhile, your competitors swoop in and woo your solution-aware, purchase-ready lead.

The good news is that you don’t need to rely on your busy brain, sprawling notes, or bottomless inbox to manage it.

Automate email sequences (like new subscribers) and quarterly follow-ups (e.g.“Want to see how [our product] works? Book a 5-minute chat with our product experts”) to take the stress out of follow-ups and reduce missed opportunities.

Low-cost platforms like Transpond make it easy to get started with marketing, with tools like automated follow-ups, webchats, webforms and more to warm leads, build pipeline, and convert more.

5. Connect your CRM to lead gen tools

You’ve probably done some lead generation yourself, finding leads in places like LinkedIn. The good news is, there’s a ton of tools available to help you find new leads and then add them into your CRM automatically.

Automated data transfer tools like Magical quickly locate and migrate data like like name, job title, and employer straight into Capsule. It’s quick and easy to set up an automation pulling key data from LinkedIn directly into your CRM. Then you can get straight to nurturing and outreach.

Tools like lemlist house vast databases of leads that already fit your ICP. lemlist goes further, offering enhanced targeting, outreach at scale, and automated contact and Opportunity creation when you integrate with Capsule.

Let the tools pick up the research and admin, so you can focus on your pitch and win the sale.

Lead generation isn’t just for marketers

Lead generation isn’t a one-off campaign or a magic switch. It’s a process, and marketing plays a key role in warming up leads so sales reps don’t have to start cold.

You don’t need to be an expert to get started with lead generation – you don’t even a marketer on your team. Start with one or two tactics – a webform and an email nurture, for example – and build from there.

By aligning your sales and marketing efforts, you’ll create a process that not only attracts leads, but warms them into customers.

Cut the admin, build pipeline, and win more business with Capsule CRM. Get started with Capsule’s free CRM, or try any Capsule plan free for 14 days.

Launching a startup in 2025 isn’t cheap. The average cost just over $28,000 with some industries costing even more – and this is before you even open your doors to the public.

Most founders can’t afford to waste time or money. Every hire, every subscription, every decision has to pay off.

Startups move at speed. You need customer relationship management that’s lean and fast to set up – not another platform weighing you down with features you’ll never use or costs you can’t justify.

This guide covers the best CRM software for startups right now, highlighting the tools that help young companies stay organized, convert more leads, and scale.

Why every startup needs a CRM

It’s tempting to push CRM adoption down the road – until you realize what it’s costing you to wait.

Most startups are already using one (or wish they had).

Nearly all tech companies (94%) and seven in ten small businesses rely on a CRM to organize customer data, track interactions, and keep everyone on the same page. If your competitors aren’t running spreadsheets, you shouldn’t be, either.

It’s about scaling smart.

Companies using CRM are 86% more likely to smash their sales goals, with revenue jumping by as much as 30% after rollout. For founders, that means less guesswork and no lost leads when you’re busy chasing growth.

Retention, not just acquisition, wins the long game.

Startups that use CRM don’t just close more new business – they also see user retention jump by 25% and customer lifetime value rise by 20%. No more churn due to dropped follow-ups or forgotten promises!

You buy back time (and sanity).

CRMs save your team precious hours every week. Admin shrinks, and sales cycles are up to two weeks shorter, so you can get back to building or launching your next feature.

Lower costs, higher ROI.

With CRM, nearly half of businesses reported a drop in customer acquisition costs by up to 20%. It’s about earning more with the customers you already have.

The market is voting with its wallet.

The CRM for startups market is projected to nearly triple in the next decade. Why? Because startups that implement CRM get better, faster, and more sustainable results.

Persuaded yet?

Top CRM features for startups

It’s easy to drown in a sea of CRM features, especially when every platform promises the world.

But as a startup, you don’t need a CRM system overloaded with tools you’ll never use. You need a CRM that fits where you are right now and supports the way your team works.

To make your selection easier, we’ve split the features into two camps: the non-negotiables you can’t grow without, and the nice-to-haves for when you’re ready to scale.

Must-have CRM features for startups

Flexible contact and deal tracking

Early-stage startups talk to investors, beta users, prospects, and partners – all at once. You need a CRM that tracks any kind of relationship. It should help you nurture leads and ensure that you never lose track of important conversations.

A pipeline that matches your actual sales (or funding) journey

Your process probably isn’t “lead > demo > close”. Sometimes you’re running pilots, sorting through admin, or pitching VCs. Your CRM should let you label and move deals however your process works, so it supports early sales and partnerships as you grow.

Quick task reminders and follow-up nudges

Startup days are chaos: between product fires and sales calls, it’s easy to drop balls. The right CRM pings you to reconnect after a demo, remind an investor about due diligence, or follow up with a pilot customer before they go dark.

Easy integrations with what you already use

You don’t have time for tool soup. The best CRM for startups plugs into Gmail, Slack, Google Calendar, or whatever your team already lives in, so updates and context show up without manual entry.

DIY setup and customization

No developer? No problem. Startups pivot fast, and your CRM should too. Add custom fields or stages when your business model changes, without waiting for an IT ticket or paying for extra support.

Nice-to-have CRM features for startups

Workflow automation to save founder time

Automate busywork, like follow-up emails or meeting scheduling, so your lean team can focus on fundraising or growth.

Real-time dashboards and reporting

Get instant insights into pipeline health, conversion rates, or investor outreach. Know what’s working now, so you don’t waste a month chasing dead ends.

Mobile-first access for hustling on the go

Whether you’re demoing at a conference, traveling for a pitch, or just working from a café, you should always have your latest contacts and deals in your pocket.

Simple scaling when the team grows

When you go from founder-led sales to building out a team, your CRM shouldn’t slow you down. Look for easy user management and permissions to bring in a sales hire or SDR in minutes.

Top CRM software for startups in 2025

Below, we break down the best CRM options for startups in 2025, so you can skip the guesswork and pick a tool that’ll help you grow from day one.

Capsule CRM

If you’re building a startup, you need a CRM that matches your pace. With Capsule, you get up and running in minutes, and suddenly, your contacts aren’t scattered across spreadsheets, inboxes, and memory.

Why startups choose Capsule

• Fast, frictionless onboarding. Setup takes minutes, not days. The interface is intuitive and built for daily use.
• Custom pipelines and project tracking. You can adapt Capsule to your real sales process, not the other way around. Move opportunities with drag-and-drop speed, track every milestone, and never lose sight of what’s next.
• All your conversations, files, and follow-ups live in one place. Capsule becomes your single source of truth as you build your first partnerships or move through funding rounds.
• Built-in integrations for real-world tools, including Gmail, Outlook, Xero, Mailchimp, Slack, QuickBooks, and dozens more. Capsule connects with what you already use, you don’t have to reinvent the stack.

Pricing

Free for up to 2 users and 250 contacts. Paid plans start at $18/user/month.

What startups say about Capsule

Capsule isn’t trying to be everything. It’s the CRM startups actually finish setting up, actually use, and actually stick with as they grow.

Don’t just take our word for it. Founders and teams keep coming back with the same story: Capsule fits, it grows with you, and it just works. Here are a few straight-from-the-source reviews that tell the real story:

Team have not wanted to use CRM systems before but successful pilot with Capsule convinced them it’s a good thing!

Capsule was exactly what we needed in the early stages of our start up.

I’ve implemented it in major international aid charities, replacing CRMs which are far too complex. I also recommend it to start-ups because who has time for a tricky implementation phase?

I have been using Capsule for just under a year. Looked at many but found it fitted my business needs as a start up.

Hubspot CRM

HubSpot CRM is often one of the first stops for startups searching for a free system to organize contacts and track deals. Its wide adoption means you’ll probably hear about it early on, and it’s easy enough to get started, though the learning curve can catch some teams by surprise.

Key features for startups

• Customizable pipeline to visualize sales progress
• Tools for email templates, meeting links, and basic activity tracking
• Integrates with common startup tools, including Google Workspace, Stripe, and Slack

Pricing

The basic CRM is free, making it approachable for new startups. HubSpot’s paid plans start at $20/month and add marketing automation, but extra features can increase your costs quickly.

Considerations

• The interface can feel crowded for small teams who just want the essentials, and some features may go unused.
• Setting up automation or more complex reporting requires extra time and technical know-how.
• As your business grows, the price jumps when you move to paid tiers, especially if you need support or advanced functionality.
• HubSpot works best for teams who plan to expand into its larger suite; for startups looking to keep things lean and simple, it may be more than you need.

Pipedrive

Pipedrive stands out among sales-focused CRMs for its simplicity. Founders who want a straightforward way to overview their pipeline – and don’t need a full suite of marketing or support tools – often gravitate here.

Key features for startups

• Deal “rotting” alerts to help you spot when opportunities have stalled too long
• Quick deal creation directly from your email or calls, saving you extra clicks
• Activity scheduler for booking calls and reminders
• Revenue forecasting tools based on your current pipeline health

Pricing

Pipedrive pricing starts at $14.90 per user/month. That price gives you the basics: pipeline management, activity scheduling, and mobile access. More advanced automation and insights live in higher plans.

Considerations

• Pipedrive is focused on sales, so you won’t find built-in marketing automation or customer support features.
• If your startup needs project management or wants to track more than just deals, you’ll need to connect third-party apps – or look elsewhere.
• Reporting is more complex in upper-tier plans, so scaling startups may find themselves upgrading sooner than expected.

Zoho CRM

Trying to find a CRM that doesn’t box you in as you experiment with new offers, pricing, or even whole business models? Zoho CRM is a favorite for startups that want room to adapt their CRM. It’s less of a single tool, instead, its features can be dialed up or down as your needs shift.

Key features for startups

• Automation for follow-ups and lead assignments
• Easy add-ons for things like finance, support, or HR, letting you plug gaps without leaving Zoho’s ecosystem
• AI-powered suggestions (in higher tiers) that help you spot leads or deals worth another call

Pricing:

Zoho is free for up to 3 users, with paid plans starting at $14 per user/month.

Considerations

• The interface can feel cluttered, especially if your team prefers modern, minimalist design.
• Connecting multiple Zoho tools sometimes means wrestling with settings and workflows.
• With so many options, it’s easy for small teams to spend more time customizing than actually selling.

Freshales (Freshworks CRM)

Freshsales gives startups a simple way to organize sales and communication without drowning in extra features. If your team wants to handle calls, emails, and sales activity from one place, this tool covers the basics right out of the box.

Key features for startups

• Contact and deal tracking with AI-based lead scoring
• Built-in email, phone, and chat
• An AI assistant that suggests next steps and helps manage data

Pricing

Start with a free plan for simple needs. If you need more, the entry paid plan is $15 per user per month and adds things like built-in calling and advanced automation.

Considerations:

• Some of the smarter automation and AI tools are only available on higher-tier plans.
• If your startup already relies on a stack of niche tools, integrations might not be sufficient.
• Once you add complexity or scale, you may find yourself looking at paid upgrades sooner than you planned.

Copper CRM

If your team already lives in Gmail, Copper offers a way to manage leads and deals without leaving your inbox. It centralizes sales activity for teams that rely on Google tools.

Key features for startups

• Manage contacts and deals directly in Gmail – no need to switch platforms
• Automatic capture of contact details and communications from email and calendar
• Connects with Google Drive and Sheets for easy access to documents

Pricing

Copper CRM pricing starts at $23 per user per month for Gmail integration, pipeline tracking, and reporting.

Considerations

• Most valuable for teams fully committed to Google Workspace
• Limited features for marketing or customer support – focus is on sales
• Can feel restrictive if you want to mix in tools outside the Google ecosystem
• Not ideal if you expect your workflow or software stack to change frequently

Streak CRM

Another option for Gmail fans is Streak. It’s built for startups that want a CRM experience without leaving their inbox.

Key features for startups

• Build and manage sales pipelines directly within Gmail
• Use email tracking, scheduling, and mail merge without extra tools
• Speed up routine outreach with email templates

Pricing:

A free plan is available for basic pipelines and tracking. Paid plans start at $15 per user per month with expanded features and mail merge.

Considerations:

• Only works with Gmail, so not suitable if you use a different email platform
• Analytics and automation are minimal compared to dedicated CRMs
• May feel limiting for teams needing more than simple pipeline tracking
• Better for early-stage or solo founders than for growing teams needing depth

Conclusion

Startup life is packed with big ideas and constant changes, but that pace comes with a messy side. Customer info ends up in random docs and small teams spend hours fixing things that could run smoother.

Most startups don’t have the luxury of time or extra hands – every minute spent sorting out details is a minute not spent building your vision. Capsule brings scattered customer data, to-dos, and opportunities into one clear view. That way, you can focus on moving your business forward, instead of playing catch-up.

Start with Capsule today and build a strong foundation for your business.

Whether you’re juggling client work, managing a growing team, or simply trying to stay ahead of your pipeline, having speedy access to the right insights makes all the difference. We’re excited to unveil our advanced reporting dashboards — a powerful new way to view your Capsule CRM data through a sharper, more strategic lens.

With these new dashboards, Capsule transforms your activity, sales, and performance data into clear, visual insights you can act on. No spreadsheets, no digging: just everything you need to make smarter decisions, faster.

Why reporting dashboards make a difference

Advanced Reports help you:

• Spot risks and opportunities before they snowball
• Coach your team more effectively using real data
• Forecast and plan with confidence
• Track what’s working (and what’s not) across your business

Whether you’re leading a consultancy, growing a sales team, or running your business solo, our reporting dashboard puts the answers at your fingertips.

What kind of dashboards can I use?

We’ve added even more reporting capabilities to the Capsule CRM dashboard. In addition to the existing sales tracking reports, you can take advantage of six core dashboards, each designed to answer specific questions and support better decisions.

Let’s explore the uses and takeaways of each dashboard.

The Task dashboard

Get more insight into what’s getting done and what’s slipping. You can break it down by user to better understand team capacity, workload balance, and individual performance.

The Task dashboard also makes it easy to spot overdue or recurring tasks, which may point to pitfalls or blockers in your team and its processes.

The Pipeline dashboard

Instantly understand your total pipeline value and forecast income by month, so you can quickly determine your team’s performance. You can also use this to spot seasonality to plan your outreach and marketing more accurately.

Using Tags, you can identify your most valuable contacts and open opportunities, as well as determine your high-performing service lines.

The Conversion dashboard

Use this dashboard to track conversion rates across your clients’ industries and regions, as well as your team members.

Here, you can also see your average deal duration and the value of the Opportunities you win.

It’s great for pinpointing where proposals stall and who’s closing deals fastest.

The People & Organizations dashboard

Admins and Business Development Managers can take advantage of this opportunity to view how many new contacts are being added, to help divide up work between the team and offer forecasts to senior management.

Here, you can segment your audience with filters like region and last contacted date. You can also spot outdated records or under-engaged leads, helping drive decisions to change outreach strategy or simply clean up your CRM.

Discover the importance of data hygiene in your CRM.

The Open Projects dashboard

Use the Open Projects dashboard to track in-progress projects by owner and team. With this clarity, you can balance your team and each individual’s workload, as well as align these efforts with departmental and company-wide objectives.

Likewise, you can visualize open projects across different boards to compare the delivery value. If you offer a variety of services, this is useful for highlighting your real breadwinners.

The Closed Projects dashboard

Here, you can determine the time it takes to deliver different projects. So you can quickly understand which services close quickly or consistently deliver, potentially influencing business or departmental decision-making.

Use the delivery time and closed data to spot operational inefficiencies so you can refine your delivery processes and scale your business.

What does that look like in my business?

Let’s take a look at some examples of how you could use these in your business.

Dashboards for accounting firms

Accounting teams juggle recurring deadlines, time-sensitive compliance tasks, and a diverse client base. Capsule’s dashboards help streamline operations and strengthen client relationships.

Use the Task dashboard to track client deadlines (e.g. VAT returns, audits), ensure nothing is overdue, and balance workloads across accountants. Here, you can spot recurring delays on quarterly filings and reassign to a team member with greater availability.

Take advantage of the People & Organizations dashboard to segment clients by last contact date to keep in touch before key milestones or deadlines. This way, you can identify inactive clients before tax season to initiate check-ins and re-engagement.

You could filter the Pipeline dashboard with Tags like “Bookkeeping”, “Payroll”, or “Audit” to see where new work is coming from. This makes it easier to forecast income for seasonal services like annual accounts or year-end filings.

To sum up, Capsule’s dashboards help you to reduce late submissions, keep client communication warm, and plan for seasonal demand.

Reporting for a consultancy

Consultancies thrive on relationships, long-term projects, and repeatable outcomes – reporting dashboards offer visibility into delivery, performance, and revenue.

Using the Conversion dashboard, identify which team members and service lines (e.g. Strategy vs. Change Management) have the best conversion rates. Now you can make data-backed decisions like shifting focus to sectors or consultants with higher win rates.

Track delivery timelines and value across boards like “Client Delivery” or “Advisory” using the Open Projects dashboard. Use it to determine whether transformation projects regularly overrun while strategy projects finish faster. And if so, you can make relevant changes to your processes.

Finally, with the help of the Pipeline dashboard, you can monitor who’s keeping up with recurring client check-ins or who’s overburdened. It’s not so much an opportunity to play a blame game as it is a chance to redistribute recurring tasks or retainers to reduce burnout.

In summary, these dashboards enable you to align resources with revenue-generating services and scale delivery with more predictability.

Analysis for creative agencies

From campaign management to production timelines, creative teams need to track progress and performance across multiple clients and deliverables.

Use the Open Projects dashboard to keep a tab on deliverables by their project phase — e.g. “Concepting”, “In Review”, “Final Delivery”. This makes it easier to spot bottlenecks in the approval stage and follow up with clients faster.

The Task dashboard provides insight into workloads. Use this to assign and monitor research, strategy, and creative work across the team.

Forecast upcoming work tagged as “Branding”, “Social Campaign”, “Web Design” using the Pipeline dashboard. These reports illustrate what types of creative work are in highest demand and adjust marketing focus accordingly.

In brief, Capsule’s dashboards help you deliver creative work faster, keep client expectations aligned, and surface the projects that bring in the most value.

A clear view of your business (in the same place you manage it)

With Capsule’s new reporting dashboards, you’re no longer left guessing what’s working or where to focus next. Whether you’re managing tax deadlines, running strategy projects, or delivering creative campaigns, these insights help you stay proactive, not reactive.

Each dashboard is designed to give you quick, meaningful takeaways — from tracking team performance and project delivery to spotting pipeline gaps and sales trends. And because it’s all built directly into Capsule, there’s no need to export data, switch platforms or manually piece things together. Your data stays where your work happens.

Log in to Capsule to explore your new dashboards and start making more confident, data-led decisions today.

New here? Try Capsule on for size with our free plan. Or start a 14-day trial of any paid plan and experience the full power of advanced reporting.

Everyone’s fighting for attention on LinkedIn – your competitors, your boss, and probably your previous boss, too. It’s not enough to share content; you need a real plan to stand out. Visibility on LinkedIn is a battleground, and it’s more crowded than ever. Knowing when your audience is online and ready to engage with you is a real challenge.

You can write the sharpest post in your industry, but if it lands when no one’s looking, it disappears fast. Timing isn’t everything, but it does play a real role in how visible you are.

With so much conflicting advice on the “best time to post,” it’s hard to know what really works – or if it even matters. Here’s how to cut through the noise and build a posting schedule that works for you.

When to post on LinkedIn?

You’re not the only one asking this question. Plenty of brands, agencies, and social media experts have spent years trying to crack LinkedIn’s timing code.

The results are always varied, and the only real constant is that the algorithm never sits still for long. Here’s what some of the latest research says:

• SproutSocial: The best time to post on LinkedIn is from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. The second best is 10 a.m. Monday and Friday, 9 a.m. Thursday, 9 a.m. Saturday, broad 7 a.m.-5 p.m. range on a Sunday.
• Hootsuite: Peak times are 4 a.m.- 6 a.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Other great choices include 5 a.m. Monday and Friday, 6 a.m. Thursday, late morning 10 a.m.-12 p.m. on weekends.
• CoSchedule: The top three hours to post LinkedIn content is: 12 p.m., 10 a.m., 1 a.m. (all times global). The best days for your posting strategy are Tuesday, Thursday, and Wednesday.
• LinkedIn: You’ll achieve the highest results on weekdays, especially mid-morning (10-11 a.m.) and lunchtime (12-1 p.m.) Tuesday through Thursday. The most active day overall is Tuesday.
• Blogging Wizard: It’s best to post between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. on weekdays for maximum engagement.

Source

So, what does all this conflicting advice actually mean for your business? According to the research, the “best” times often fall between 4–6 a.m. and 10 a.m.–12 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Sounds simple enough… until you look closer.

In reality, what works for one page may flop for another. Your results hinge on your unique audience, industry, content style, and even your goals for each post.

Why your best posting time can be completely different

Building your LinkedIn strategy on someone else’s research is risky because your audience isn’t theirs. What works for a global SaaS company might fall flat for a local consultant. The best time for you could be miles apart from the “industry average.”

Here’s what throws the numbers off:

Your audience may not match global averages

The problem with broad advice? Your audience might be nothing like the one in those studies. Your target group may be located in a different country or even spread across several continents.

Time zones only make things messier.

• If you work with a global audience, your 6 a.m. could span everything from early morning in London to the middle of the night in New York.
• Targeting clients on the West Coast of the US? Posting at 9 a.m. Eastern means your message hits their feed at 6 a.m. – when they’re still asleep.
• Or maybe your niche is in Australia, but your team schedules posts on Central European time – what looks like lunchtime for you could be well after work for them.

In short: the best time to post is the one that lines up with your actual audience’s daily routine, not the one that tops a global average.

Post engagement depends more on content than timing

You can hit the so-called “perfect” posting window, but if your update is bland, it’s still going to get ignored. Meanwhile, a genuinely valuable post can take off no matter when it’s posted, especially if people save, comment, or reshare it later. For example, you’d be surprised how often this happens over weekends, too. For many of those “best time” studies, Saturday and Sunday are dismissed as dead zones, but standout content often finds a second life when people finally have time to scroll without back-to-back meetings.

What actually grabs attention?

• A hook that stops the scroll (your opening line matters more than the clock)
• A clear point of view or insight, not recycled advice
• Visuals that stand out (images, videos, or documents catch the eye)
• A relatable story or real example – something that feels personal or specific
• A call to action that sparks conversation (inviting real responses, not just “likes”)

Remember – even the best posting window in the world can’t rescue a weak post.

LinkedIn platform features add more confusion

You can control when you hit “post,” but what happens next isn’t always up to you. A few things that throw off even the most careful timing. Your audience might reshare your post days after it goes live, or comments can trigger a new wave of visibility long after you’ve published.

All this means that the so-called “best time” isn’t as clear-cut as it seems. With so many moving parts, the only way to make sense of it is to pay attention to what’s actually happening on your own posts.

LinkedIn’s algorithm is unpredictable

And if you’re still holding out hope for a clear formula, here’s another wrinkle: LinkedIn has even published a breakdown of how their algorithm works to sort viral content and weed out spam.

Timing doesn’t even play a significant role here – there’s also human review, spam filters, and “virality moderation.” Even if your timing is perfect, your post might still get held up, deprioritized, or quietly filtered before it ever sees a wide audience.

Combine that with the recent Business Insider revelation that LinkedIn is deliberately resurfacing older posts to “balance recency with relevance,” and it’s clear – the platform is in constant flux. The rules of the game keep changing, and no amount of timing tricks will guarantee results if the algorithm decides otherwise.

Everyone else wants to post in the “best” hours, too

Let’s say, for argument’s sake, there is one best time to post on LinkedIn. Word gets out, and suddenly every marketer, recruiter, and founder is scheduling their updates for that exact moment. Instead of increasing your reach, you’re now lost in a flood of competing posts, all fighting for the same bit of attention.

When everyone piles into the same posting window, your chances of standing out shrink. And if your content keeps getting buried, it’s a sign to break away from the herd and test different time slots – ones where your audience is still active but the competition is lighter.

Following the crowd rarely works. The only “best time” that matters is the one that works for your audience and your goals.

Not all posts have the same intent

Even if there were a universal “best time,” it wouldn’t apply to every kind of post. The right timing depends on what you’re trying to achieve. A few examples:

• If you’re building a personal brand or aiming for thought leadership, you might want to hit times when your peers are most active and ready to engage.
• If you’re nurturing existing leads or pushing a new offer, you’ll get better results by aligning with their local business hours.
• Recruiting? Early mornings or lunchtime might catch job seekers when they’re scrolling, even on mobile.
• Sometimes you just want to share something light – a meme or a team update – where timing matters less than simply being present.

And it’s not just intent. The format of your content plays a big role, too. Video, text, carousels, and polls all perform differently, sometimes regardless of when they go live.

How to find your own best time to post on LinkedIn

At this point, you might be ready to give up on the idea of a “best time” altogether. But there’s good news – your best time to post does exist. It just takes a bit of testing to uncover it.

Here’s a simple, step-by-step way to find out when your audience is actually listening:

Set a short test period

Start by posting at different times across the day for two to three weeks. This gives you enough data to spot real patterns, without letting too many other variables get in the way.

A few things that might influence your numbers during this window:

• You could pick up a batch of new followers after a popular post, which skews engagement upward for a few days.
• A major industry event or holiday might temporarily slow down LinkedIn activity in your niche.
• Maybe one of your posts gets a boost from a high-profile reshare, bringing in unusual visibility that isn’t tied to timing.

The goal is to collect enough consistent data to filter out these anomalies and focus on what’s really working.

Include weekend posts

We’ve already touched on this, but it’s worth repeating: weekends can surprise you. Schedule at least one post on both Saturday and Sunday in each time slot you’re testing. This helps you see if your community is active even outside the regular workweek.

For most B2B audiences, business hours during the week are usually the busiest. But if you’re only posting when everyone else does, you might miss out on a segment of your audience that prefers catching up on LinkedIn over the weekend.

Then, in your tracking, split your data by weekday and weekend. Does your Monday 10 a.m. post behave differently from your Saturday 10 a.m. post? Sometimes the most valuable conversations happen when there’s less noise.

Test both, and let the results lead you.

One thing to keep in mind: if you do post on weekends, be ready to engage. LinkedIn conversations don’t pause just because it’s Saturday. If your post picks up steam, you might find yourself replying to comments or DMs when you’d normally be offline. It’s all about what fits your work-life balance – and how responsive you want to be if engagement hits at an unexpected time.

Account for follower locations

Don’t just post based on your own schedule – always check where your audience is.

For example, if your analytics (like the chart above) show most followers are in Berlin, Munich, and Hamburg, make sure your posts go out on German time. If you’re scheduling from the UK, remember a 4 p.m. slot is already 5 p.m. in Berlin—possibly too late to catch people before they log off.

The key is to align your timing with your audience’s workday, not your own.

Define clear time blocks for posting

Don’t just post at random – choose four specific windows that reflect different parts of the day and different user habits. For example:

• Early morning before work (around 7 a.m.)
• Mid-morning (about 10 a.m.)
• Lunch break (between 12 and 1 p.m.)
• Late afternoon (around 5 p.m.)

If you have a global audience, add an evening slot to catch those in other time zones or who tend to scroll after hours.

These slots should also fit your own workflow. If mornings are quieter for you, use that time to craft and post updates live. If your days are packed, schedule your content in advance—and keep a backlog ready so you always have something to share.

Collect performance metrics twice

Check your post analytics twice for every update:

• First, 48 hours after posting, to catch the early spike in engagement
• Then again after seven days, to see how much traction your post picked up over time

Don’t just look at raw numbers. Track impressions, reactions, comments, shares, click-throughs, and any new followers. LinkedIn’s built-in analytics are a great starting point, but if you want a broader view, tools like Buffer or Hootsuite can help you spot trends over time.

For real insight, don’t just add up totals – calculate averages for each time slot. For example, measure reactions or comments per 1,000 impressions instead of just counting likes. This helps you see which windows deliver the most engaged audience, not just the biggest numbers.

With this approach, you’ll move past cookie-cutter advice and find the best times that actually work for your brand.

It also helps you spot patterns that aren’t always obvious day to day. For example, look at the profile viewers chart above: even when daily engagement seems steady, there are sudden spikes – maybe after a post goes viral or a key industry event. Then things settle again, but often at a new “normal” that’s higher or lower than before..

Refine your content beyond timing

Ultimately, timing only gets you so far. Strong content will break through, no matter when you post. A few ways to boost your odds:

• Respond to comments quickly – engagement in the first hour can push your post further in the feed.
• Re-share your best posts in a quieter slot a few weeks later to reach new people.
• Double down on quality: a compelling hook, clear insight, and a real point of view always outlast the latest posting trend.

Experiment with your schedule, but never compromise on content. That’s what consistently builds visibility – and results – over time.

Conclusion

There’s no single “best” time to post on LinkedIn – and that’s actually an advantage. It means you’re not stuck in someone else’s playbook. You have room to experiment, adjust, and find a rhythm that works for your audience. This freedom lets you stand out on your own terms – instead of battling for space in a crowded window.

When your content finally clicks and you start building new connections or leads, don’t let that momentum fizzle out. Capsule makes it easy to turn those LinkedIn interactions into real business opportunities. You can import your LinkedIn contacts directly into Capsule in just a few steps, keeping all your key relationships and opportunities organized in one place.

Here’s a quick guide if you want to see how it works.

Find your best time, make it count – and be ready to capture every connection that comes your way.

The average net profit margin for marketing agencies ranges from 6% to 12%. That number says two things: competition is fierce, but so is the opportunity for profitability and growth – if you know what you’re doing.

To help you sidestep the usual traps – and tap into that growth – we asked 15 agency leaders and key team members to share the lessons they learned building successful marketing businesses from the ground up.

Here’s their practical advice for starting a marketing agency that lasts.

#1 Identify your ideal customer

Many new agencies try to be everything to everyone, offering every digital marketing service under the sun. But the fastest path to a successful marketing agency is picking a clear, viable target market and designing your marketing services for their specific pain points.

That’s the lesson John Reinesch, founder of StorIQ, learned while building his own digital marketing agency.

“We settled in on self-storage and have adjusted our service to provide maximum value for this group of businesses. That meant going from only offering SEO, to adding PPC and conversion rate optimization to our offer. Once we nailed that down, the next constraint was building a marketing growth engine to consistently generate leads. We tested a lot. YouTube videos, social media organic content, cold outreach, SEO, PPC, until we found what reliably drove the right traffic and conversions.”

For John, specializing was about attracting the right prospective clients, who valued the agency’s expertise in solving their unique challenges.

This niche approach fueled targeted content creation and stronger client relationships – everything needed for a thriving business.

“If I were starting from scratch today, I’d lock in a niche from day one. Early on, I resisted it. I believed I could do SEO or PPC for anyone and didn’t need to box myself in. But the truth is, it’s almost impossible to scale or build a team efficiently without a clear niche.”

John’s advice for agencies: the narrower your focus, the stronger your brand – and the easier it is to build marketing strategies that cut through the noise and actually attract clients who stick around.

#2 Share your journey to attract the right clients

Most new agencies focus on campaigns and tactics, but Justin Herring, founder of YEAH! Local, found that the best way to generate more leads was about building visibility and trust by showing his work in the open.

Justin’s entry into consulting started with helping a friend’s local business improve website traffic.

“I stumbled into SEO consulting after helping a friend’s local business improve their Google rankings, which led to referrals and eventually founding YEAH! Local.”

Word of mouth, rather than paid ads or cold outreach, became the foundation for growth.

Looking back, Justin says,

“I wish I had invested more in building systems and processes from day one—now we retain clients by having clear SOPs for everything from onboarding to reporting, but those early days were much more chaotic than necessary.”

According to Justin, you shouldn’t rely on offering the same service as other agencies.

“Build a presence in your industry. Share your results, your failures, and your learning process in real time – whether that’s through social media management, blog posts, or speaking at industry events. It attracts valuable connections and makes your agency more approachable to potential clients.”

#3 Start with value, not vanity

In the marketing industry, it’s tempting for new agencies to focus on a slick website or trendy branding, hoping to impress potential clients.

Ramzy Humsi, founder of Vortex Ranker, quickly learned that the fastest way to attract ideal clients is actually to focus on real results.

“My path into consulting started as a mix of curiosity and necessity rather than a strict plan. After years of experimenting with various marketing channels, I found Google Maps SEO to be an area where I could deliver real, measurable results for local businesses. That discovery led me to focus entirely on consulting in this niche.

Finding and retaining clients today comes down to providing value first. Demonstrating success with local businesses and offering free consultations has been effective in attracting the right clients. Maintaining open communication and regularly showing progress keeps them engaged long term.

If I were starting now, I would focus more on creating helpful content and sharing insights publicly – this attracts clients who already trust your expertise. It also makes the sales process smoother by the time they reach out.”

Don’t get caught up in the vanity metrics. Make sure your marketing efforts – whether it’s paid advertising, content marketing, or social media campaigns – solve your target audience’s pain points and prove your worth through clear, client-focused outcomes.

#4 Let relationships fuel your first wins

You can master every project management tool and pay for all the latest digital marketing certifications, but Sinoun Chea, founder of ShiftWeb, says that no essential tool replaces actual trust.

The secret to finding – and keeping – your first clients is going deeper than market trends and showing clients you understand what they value most.

“It’s all about building genuine relationships. I focus on understanding their core values and aligning them with my services. This alignment creates trust and naturally leads to long-term partnerships.

If I were starting now, I’d leverage storytelling to showcase successes and case studies. Authentic narratives can deeply resonate and attract clients who feel an emotional connection to the brand’s mission.”

Sinoun’s agency didn’t grow by pushing the same paid ads or email marketing campaigns as everyone else. Instead, she built a professional brand identity on real conversations, listening carefully to client feedback, and then highlighting those stories in her marketing efforts.

For creative agencies starting out, it’s this blend of authenticity and strategic planning that turns small wins into valuable connections and new leads into loyal partners.

#5 Set clear expectations – then deliver what matters

Plenty of agencies talk a big game about growth, but for Wayne Lowry, CEO of Scale, the real advantage comes from making promises you can actually keep – and building a track record around them.

Wayne started out helping businesses that were invisible on search, quickly discovering that

“Clients don’t just buy SEO services, they buy confidence in their digital future.”

At Scale by SEO, Wayne explains,

“We combine the power of expert writers with the precision of AI tools to deliver high-impact, search-optimized writing that connects with real people.”

But that’s not what gets clients to stay.

For Wayne, client retention comes down to something simple:

“The key to retention is setting realistic expectations upfront, then consistently over-delivering on both strategy and communication, because trust is everything in this business.”

#6 Use referrals to grow your agency

Many new agencies chase every possible lead. Aaron McGurk, Managing Director of Wally, discovered, that the best clients come not from cold outreach or paid advertising, but from a well-earned referral program.

Aaron’s journey started by helping friends’ businesses improve their search rankings.

“My journey into SEO consulting began after repeatedly helping friends’ businesses improve their search rankings, which naturally evolved into a full-service agency.

The biggest surprise was realizing that you need solid systems for client communication and project management to scale effectively.”

How does Wally attract new clients now?

“We now get most clients through referrals and retain them with monthly performance reports and strategy sessions, but if I were starting fresh, I’d focus on building a strong personal brand in one specific industry.”

#7 Systematize early (or risk drowning in the details)

It’s easy for agency founders to get caught up in chasing client work. Ryan Young, owner of Revive Marketing Services, learned that scaling a digital marketing business requires more than just hustle.

He started by helping a local business owner with Facebook ads – a project that quickly led to more referrals. But he soon realized that

“The importance of setting clear boundaries and scope definitions could make or break an agency’s future. I learned the hard way when clients kept requesting ‘small favors’ that ate into my profitability.”

To avoid chaos, Ryan invested in systems and collaboration tools from the outset.

“Today, I find my best clients through strategic partnerships with web developers and business coaches, while retaining them by delivering monthly strategy sessions and clear ROI reports.”

For Ryan, careful planning turned a handful of one-off projects into a sustainable business.

#8 Go beyond client expectations

Many digital marketing agencies start out by providing a technical service, but the real opportunity is in turning that expertise into strategic partnerships.

Or Moshe, founder and developer at Tevello, found this to be the secret behind his own company’s growth.

“With my tech background, I accidentally stumbled into consulting while helping Shopify merchants optimize their stores—they kept asking for more advice beyond just technical solutions. I wish I’d known earlier that specializing in a specific niche (ecommerce SaaS) would be more valuable than trying to be a jack-of-all-trades consultant. Today, I find my best clients through the Shopify ecosystem and retain them by solving their specific pain points with measurable results.”

His go-to strategy now? Position your agency not just as a provider of digital marketing services, but as a hands-on collaborator. “If starting now, I’d focus even more on building authority through educational content specifically for ecommerce merchants.”

#9 Build your processes and network before you need them

Adam Burrage, Managing Director at Trident, found that true growth starts with internal discipline and genuine industry connections.

“The biggest misconception about starting an agency in 2025: That you need to be everything to everyone. New agencies often try to offer every service under the sun instead of focusing on what they do best. Specialisation wins over generalisation every time.”

You also shouldn’t wait until you need help to start building your network:

“Build relationships before you need them. Network genuinely within your industry and with complementary businesses. The best opportunities come from people who already know and trust your work. Find businesses that are bigger than yours and connect with them, and find out what they are doing to get to that size.”

#10 Build your agency around people, not just services

A successful agency is more than its service offerings or flashy search engine optimization results. Ben Foster, CEO of The SEO Works, credits his agency’s long-term growth to a focus on team culture and clarity, right from the very first hires.

Ben says,

“One thing I wish I had known when I started is that the first 5 hires you make will be the most important in terms of setting the culture of the business. Don’t make shortcuts or compromises with these people – make sure you are fully aligned on values and outlook. There will be lots of ups and downs to ride, so these people need to be resilient.”

For Ben, building an effective SEO agency is about setting a direction and getting the right people on board to drive lead generation and innovation as the agency scales.

“Define your ideal client and their core problem, then craft your offer to solve that problem. Being vague won’t help anyone. Also, set up and be present on LinkedIn. Modern social media marketing relies more on people than brands. Your presence on these channels is key.”

For agencies dealing with rising startup costs, expensive market research, and the hunt for their next office space, Ben’s story is a reminder: invest in your team and culture early, and the rest will follow.

#11 Make sure you’re truly “client-first”

For Kinga Edwards, CEO of BB Media Group, everything comes down to one core thing : putting clients at the heart of every decision.

“Client-first approach is often the only thing you need, and don’t tell me otherwise. You have to be client-obsessed – not just to win a client, but to keep them and make them truly attached to your agency. If your clients are obsessed with you, you’re as close as you can be to becoming irreplaceable.”

But there’s more at stake than loyalty. Kinga explains,

“When they trust you that much, they give you freedom – freedom to experiment, to bring fresh ideas, and to be truly creative. That kind of trust changes everything and turns clients into partners to let you do your best work.”

For her, it’s more than delivering what’s expected – it’s about building a relationship where clients root for your success as much as you root for theirs.

That’s the difference between being just another agency and being the one clients would never dream of leaving.

#12 Filter for fit – even when you’re just starting out

It’s tempting to say yes to every prospective client when you’re building your marketing agency.

But as Matt Bowman, founder of Thrive Local, learned the hard way, not every client is a good fit for your new company – or your sanity.

Matt didn’t plan on running an agency; he just kept getting results, and demand followed.

“I helped a local business with their site, fixed a few things, got them more traffic – and they told someone else. Word got around…then, I’m running an agency. It basically happened because I was actually getting results for people.”

He admits,

“If I could go back, I’d be more careful about who we agree to take on as clients. In the beginning, we accepted any client willing to pay. Some of them were draining. They had slow communication, unrealistic expectations, and little respect for our process. This consumes your team’s time and energy. Now we filter leads more carefully. If a lead doesn’t fit our way of working, we turn it down.”

For new agency founders, the takeaway is simple: set your standards early. The right clients will value your approach and help you grow in the right direction.

#13 Your price isn’t just a number

When Nick Mikhalenkov from NinePeaks left his corporate job for what he thought would be a short stint in freelancing, referrals and results quickly snowballed into a full-blown agency. But his biggest early struggle? Pricing.

“Wish I’d known pricing isn’t just numbers, it’s positioning. Undercharging nearly burned me out. Clients value confidence as much as competence.”

For agency founders, Nick’s experience serves as a warning: price isn’t just about covering your costs; it’s about setting expectations and boundaries. Undercharge, and you risk being treated like a commodity, inviting the kind of stress that kills momentum.

Nick found that value is about how you present what you do. Great clients are attracted by confidence, but retained by results.

#14 Start with results, scale with discipline

When launching a marketing agency, it’s easy to believe growth is just a matter of landing more clients.

Kevin Heimlich, CEO of The Ad Firm, shows that the foundation for a successful agency is laid in the very first wins you deliver.

“Those initial accomplishments taught me the potency of the digital marketing unit,”

Kevin says, reflecting on his transition from freelancer to agency leader.

Early on, he invested a significant amount of personal time in building relationships and wasn’t afraid to make strategic moves, even relocating his office as his team and client base grew.

But for Kevin, a key lesson came with the inevitable overwhelm of trying to do it all. That was the turning point:

“It was that important moment that prompted me to drastically reorganize our business and model, as well as improve them.”

Instead of chasing every opportunity, Kevin began to get selective, focusing only on clients where he could build long-term, high-quality relationships.

“Our devotion to a ‘we win when you win’ attitude, and our continuous learning, coupled with continuous investment in our people, is what actually helped propel us to exponential growth.”

Today, his time goes to strategic leadership and maintaining standards of excellence for every client.

#15 Deliver traction, not just talk

Dave Miller, co-founder at purple path, has a different take on what clients actually want from a new agency.

“Instead of selling retainers and waiting months for traction, we go straight to the pain point: what does the client need to move the needle, now?”

For Dave, success as a co-founder isn’t about building out the biggest menu of services, but about immediacy and focus.

“Most SaaS companies aren’t after another agency report – they need hands-on marketing execution that shows up quickly in their pipeline. That’s why we listen hard, diagnose the core problems, and deploy people who can make change visible in weeks, not quarters.”

This approach means refusing to stretch too thin. The purple path team built their agency on the discipline of tackling challenges where their skills made the fastest impact.

“We’re not here to collect monthly checks. We’re here to create real momentum… and if we can’t do that, we’re not the right fit.”

Don’t assume your value lies in having the widest service menu or the longest pitch deck. Zero in on what you can solve well and solve fast, and become known for getting results when others just talk.

Agency Founder’s Checklist: 15 things to do before (and after) launch

1. Choose a niche and commit. Specialize early – focus your marketing services on a specific industry or audience pain point.
2. Document your journey. Share real results, failures, and learnings through content to build credibility.
3. Prioritize results over appearances. Let client outcomes – not fancy branding – do your selling.
4. Build genuine relationships. Invest time in understanding clients’ goals for long-term partnerships.
5. Set clear rules. Be upfront about deliverables and expectations from the start.
6. Create a referral system. Encourage satisfied clients to spread the word; referrals are your most powerful (and cost-effective) marketing engine.
7. Systematize your processes. Develop materials like SOPs, onboarding checklists, and project management workflows before chaos hits.
8. Go beyond technical skills: Position your agency as a strategic partner, not just a service provider.
9. Network before you need help: Nurture industry connections and alliances well ahead of crunch time.
10. Invest in your first hires. Choose people who share your values and help build agency culture.
11. Adopt a client-first mentality. Obsess over client satisfaction: trust, freedom, and creativity all flow from this.
12. Screen for client fit. Learn to reject projects and clients who don’t align with your values, model, or process.
13. Value your work (and price accordingly). Set fees that reflect your confidence, expertise, and the ROI you deliver.
14. Start with traction, scale with discipline. Focus on delivering a handful of great results before expanding your team or service menu.
15. Move fast on what matters. Identify the real pain point for each client, and act decisively to make visible progress.

Print it, pin it, check them off – then add your own lessons as you build. That’s how agencies with staying power actually get built.

It’s your turn

Building a marketing agency in 2025 means offering more than just what agencies offer by default.

The real winners find a few different ways to drive value through influencer marketing, smart crisis management, or hands-on use of Google Analytics, just to name a few examples.

Focus on discipline, creativity, and follow-through, and you’ll set your agency apart. Good luck!

Client management rarely gets the spotlight. There’s no shortage of advice on winning new business, but not nearly as much on what comes after.

So, what happens after someone says yes? For most small teams, managing clients day in and day out is a different beast. Deadlines, emails, handoffs, and the everyday chaos of delivering on promises can easily take over.

If you’ve ever found yourself chasing old emails, scrambling to remember what was promised on the last call, or feeling buried by follow-ups, you’re not alone. In reality, building a system to manage your clients well is often tougher – and far more important – than landing them in the first place. Fortunately, with a practical approach, client management doesn’t have to be overwhelming, even for the smallest team.

Today, you’ll see how to set up a client management system that works, using steps you can follow on your own.

What is a client management system?

Even a single spreadsheet can hold your client list… at least for a while. Most small teams start this way, keeping names, notes, and project updates all in one file. But once your client list grows or more people need access, things get messy. Suddenly, important details go missing, and no one’s sure which version is up to date.

Some teams just need a simple, free client management app to get started – and that’s completely okay. Others are ready for advanced features. There’s no one “best client management software” for everyone. What matters is picking a system that matches how your team works right now and leaves room for your process to evolve.

So, each business can land on a different setup:

• A simple spreadsheet
• Task lists and reminders
• Dedicated client management software
• A workflow built around your everyday habits
• Or a combination of these

The label matters less than the result: you need a way to keep track of client information.

How to build a client management system: step-by-step

Audit your current process

Before you build anything new, take a good, honest look at how you’re managing clients right now.

Even if you don’t think you have a “system,” you do have habits, tools, or routines – whether that’s a spreadsheet, your inbox, sticky notes, or simply keeping it all in your head. It doesn’t matter if you manage 10 clients or a hundred; this audit is for anyone who wants less chaos and more control.

To make this step easy, use a traffic light system to rate each part of your process:

• Green: It just works. No headaches
• Yellow: Sometimes causes delays or makes you double-check things
• Red: Regularly creates confusion, mistakes, or dropped tasks.

How to do it:

1. Write down each step you use to handle client work – like storing contact info, tracking projects, scheduling follow-ups, or sharing files.
2. Next to each step, mark it as green, yellow, or red. Be honest about what slows you down.
3. For anything marked yellow or red, make a quick note of what typically goes wrong. Is it hard to find the latest version of a file? Do emails get buried? Are you always one reminder behind?

Take a few minutes to map out your tools and habits:

This quick review makes your strengths and pain points easy to spot—even if your “system” is just a pile of notes. Once you see what’s working and what’s not, it’s much easier to know where to focus your improvements.

🔴 If you find a lot of reds in your audit, that’s a clear signal your current approach is holding you back.

For example, if tracking client interactions or project management always causes frustration, it may be time to look for a client management tool or CRM system with the right features for your business needs.

🟡 Too many yellows mean you’re spending valuable time on workarounds – like updating customer information in multiple places, managing follow-ups by hand, or losing track of client engagement because there’s no integration between your tools.

These routine tasks can quickly become repetitive and lead to manual errors, slowing your sales team and making it harder to keep customers happy.

🟢 Mostly greens? You’re in a good place – but look for small ways to streamline processes, gain real-time insights, or introduce automated workflows so you can grow without more administrative tasks piling up.

The right client management solution should support your team and help you deliver a better client experience as your business grows.

For each item, ask yourself:

• Will this help us manage customer relationships more effectively or just add complexity?
• Could this upgrade deliver valuable insights into our client projects or sales processes?
• Does it solve a real problem – like delayed follow-ups or a lack of integration capabilities between our tools?

And then, proceed to the next step.

Define what you need next

It’s easy to spot a dozen things you’d like to improve after your audit. But with limited time, budget, or people, you need to focus on what really moves the needle, right now. This is where a simple prioritization tool like the Eisenhower Matrix can help.

How to use it:

• Make a list of all the improvements or features you identified—everything from better client management tools to more automation or improved project tracking.
• For each item, ask two questions: Is this urgent for my business? Is this truly important for our client management process or customer relationships?
• Place each item into one of these categories:
  • Urgent and important: Tackle these first. (e.g., automating timely follow-ups to avoid losing clients)
  • Important but not urgent: Plan for these next. (e.g., integrating data analytics or a new CRM tool)
  • Urgent but not important: Delegate or set aside if possible. (e.g., minor tweaks that won’t change results)
  • Neither urgent nor important: Ignore for now. (e.g., advanced features you don’t need yet)

Be realistic about your resources. If you’re solo, you might only have time to fix one or two issues at a time. If you have a team, involve them in setting these priorities – everyone will have a different view on what makes the biggest difference in daily business operations.

Evaluate tools and CRM systems

With your priorities set, it’s time to look for solutions that fit your client management process. Tools are often easier to onboard (and offboard) than new hires, and can be scaled up or down as your needs change.

Many small businesses start with a free and basic client management app, but as the demands grow, a CRM like Capsule becomes a natural next step – centralizing all client relationships in one place.

Capsule keeps the entire client management process in one place. You always know where to find the latest notes, who last spoke with a client, and what’s coming up next – no matter how many projects or clients you handle. The intuitive interface means you don’t waste time on training or learning menus. Instead, you and your team can focus on real client engagement.

What makes Capsule even more effective is how easily it fits into existing business operations.

It connects with your email, calendar, and other essential apps, so you never miss a follow-up or lose track of client interactions. Automated workflows and reminders take the manual effort out of routine tasks, giving you more time to build strong client relationships and deliver a great client experience.

As your business grows, Capsule grows with you. It’s flexible, secure, and built for the realities of client-focused work. For any small business serious about client management, Capsule isn’t just a good option – it’s the right one.

Set up and organize your workflow

With your priorities and tools chosen, it’s time to build a workflow that makes managing clients easier every day. The goal is to keep everything related to your client relationships – from new inquiries to project milestones – in one organized system, so every next step is clear.

Start with these steps:

Import and centralize your data

Bring all your client information into your chosen tool, even if it’s just a spreadsheet to start. Include contact details and any notes or files that help track progress.

Map out your process

Define the main stages your clients go through – such as new lead, active project, follow-up, or completed work. Use these stages to create simple lists or dedicated fields in your software.

Track client interactions and tasks

Set up a way to log every client call, email, meeting, or project update. Pair this with task lists or reminders to prompt follow-ups and routine check-ins. If you’ve never done this before, try the simple CLIENT method:

• Calls: Record details from every phone call, including next steps or key decisions.
• Logs: Keep notes on meetings, emails, and any client communications for easy reference.
• Issues: Document any challenges, questions, or requests raised by the client.
• Events: Add important milestones or deadlines to your calendar or task list.
• Next steps: Always clarify and record what happens after each interaction.
• Tasks: Assign follow-up actions or reminders to ensure nothing gets missed.

Visualize your workflow

If your client management system allows, use dashboards or simple summary sheets to see all customer data and outstanding tasks in one place.

Stay flexible

Your workflow should be easy to update as your business grows. If you start with a basic system, keep an eye out for repetitive manual tasks – those are often the first signs you’re ready to upgrade to a more advanced solution.

A good workflow doesn’t depend on fancy software. It’s about consistency, clarity, and having the right information at your fingertips.

Onboard your team

Even the best customer relationship management tool only works if your team feels comfortable using it and sees the value in making it part of their daily routine. That’s why onboarding is often the trickiest part of the process.

To make it manageable (and successful), approach onboarding as a focused sprint. Here’s a simple way to structure those first two weeks, so everyone moves from curiosity to confidence:

Week 1: Foundations and familiarity

• Run a kickoff session. Start with a clear agenda so everyone knows what to expect and the training feels valuable. Guide your team through a hands-on walkthrough: add a new client together, update client data, and demonstrate how to access communication history. Point out where to find key features, from managing sales pipelines to keeping track of potential clients. Make it clear how these tools support daily customer interactions and help with task management.
• Assign roles and responsibilities. One of the main challenges in client management is not just knowing what needs to be done, but also knowing who’s responsible for each part. Clarify up front who updates contact information, handles routine tasks, and manages marketing efforts. Define responsibilities for tracking customer engagement and updating client records. Keep communication open for questions, so everyone feels supported as new processes settle in.
• Plan bite-sized training. Rushed or overloaded training can quickly turn people off, so keep learning sessions short and focused. Cover essential actions – like logging phone calls, setting reminders, and updating task lists – one at a time. Give everyone a chance to practice in real time, try out dashboards, and experiment with integrating other apps. Make sure the team feels comfortable with the user interface and everyday tasks before moving forward.

Week 2: Practice and feedback

• Test it with real workflows: Training often feels straightforward, but confusion can crop up when it’s time to work independently. Set aside time for each team member to walk through real client management scenarios: enter new clients, update follow-ups, and use integration features such as syncing with email marketing tools. Encourage the team to use contact management functions, customizable dashboards, and other key features in daily routines.
• Feedback check-in: It’s common for people to stay quiet if something in the process isn’t working for them. Schedule a team huddle and invite honest feedback on everything from user experience to workflow pain points. Ask what feels smooth, what feels off, and whether there are any key considerations or features – like extensive integrations or free plan limitations – that need attention.
• Spotlight early wins: This step is easy to overlook, but it’s essential. Share concrete examples of improvements – like reduced manual errors, faster contact management, or easier closing of deals. Highlight when customizable dashboards or automated reminders help deliver a huge benefit, such as happier clients or more responsive sales efforts.

Over to you

If your process still relies on manual updates and repetitive tasks, it may be time for a change. With the right approach, sales reps can spend less time searching for client needs and more time closing deals.

You don’t need a complex solution to get started. Even a straightforward platform, like Capsule CRM, offers enough flexibility for individual customers and teams. Start simple, and as your business expands, take advantage of paid plans and extensive features only when you actually need them.

What matters most is that your system fits your workflow and makes it easier to deliver on what you promise – every time. When your process supports your team, happy clients follow.

Good luck!

FAQ

What is a client management system?

In simple terms, a client management system is any tool or process you use to organize, track, and manage client relationships: covering everything from contact information and communication history to project progress and follow-ups.

What is an example of client management?

Often, client management looks like keeping a running log of calls and emails, setting reminders for upcoming tasks, and tracking project milestones in one place – whether that’s a spreadsheet, a dedicated app, or a full CRM platform. For example, an accountant might use a dashboard to monitor deadlines for each client, while a sales rep logs every touchpoint and schedules timely follow-ups.

What is the best client management system?

It depends on your business needs, team size, and workflow. Some teams do well with a simple spreadsheet or free app, while others benefit from platforms with extensive features and integration capabilities, like Capsule. The “best” system is the one that your team actually uses and that supports your goals without adding unnecessary complexity.

What is CRM management system?

“CRM management system” isn’t a standard term, but “CRM” stands for Customer Relationship Management. A CRM is a platform designed to help businesses track sales and support activities and automate repetitive tasks, all with the goal of improving client relationships and business outcomes.

What is the best client system for small business?

Small businesses need a system that’s simple, scalable, and easy to adopt. Look for a client management solution with intuitive features, such as contact management, task reminders, and the flexibility to grow – starting with a free plan and adding paid features only as your needs change.