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Cross-team collaboration encourages employees to align their efforts and contribute meaningfully to shared company goals.

Creating a culture of open communication and information sharing is particularly important in SMBs where lean teams and tight resources make every contribution matter.

In this article, you’ll learn what effective cross-functional collaboration looks like and how to improve it. You’ll also discover the role of technology and how tools like Pipedrive and AI keep teams on track and boost productivity.

What is cross-team collaboration?

Cross-team collaboration happens when employees from different departments work together towards a shared goal using open communication, shared responsibility and collective problem-solving.

This approach is mission-critical in small businesses and remote teams where resources may be limited and workflows are naturally decentralized.

Here’s what cross-team collaboration looks like at a startup SaaS company where employees hold multiple roles:

• The founder or tech lead provides technical expertise, showing customer-facing employees how clients can use the product’s features to solve specific pain points

• The lone member of the sales team collaborates with a marketing agency to explain customer needs and refine messaging

• The sales lead shares sales objections with the founder to shape the tool’s value proposition and development roadmap

• The customer success lead, who is also responsible for billing, meets with the founder every month to run through churn rates and payment queries

Open communication and teamwork prevent information siloing, helping everyone juggle multiple responsibilities successfully.

What are the benefits of cross-team collaboration?

Increasing teamwork between departments helps small businesses boost productivity, improve workplace culture and deliver better, more consistent customer experiences.

Here are three benefits of cross-team collaboration for SMBs.

1. More open communication, fewer siloes and higher productivity levels

According to McKinsey research, collaborative teams complete projects 20% to 25% faster. They share knowledge, solve problems and are more productive by using technology to enhance collaboration.

Clear communication breaks down information siloes, making departments less likely to duplicate their work and better able to keep cross-functional projects moving forward.

Shared data also improves decision-making by ensuring all teams can access the same insights.

For example, when the marketing department shares lead reporting data with sales reps, they won’t waste time on unqualified prospects. Similarly, customer support teams that relay customer feedback to developers help them inform and accelerate product roadmaps.

2. Happier workplaces and higher talent retention rates

Employees thrive in workplaces that encourage cross-team collaboration. Like team-building activities, cross-team collaboration efforts boost employee engagement, build trust and create a better corporate culture.

A strong workplace culture will help you hang on to employees, too. Research by MIT Sloan finds that corporate culture is a more reliable predictor of employee attrition than wages.

Culture is also a compelling factor for younger employees. An EY survey of US workers found that nearly four in 10 Gen Z and millennials say it significantly impacts their intent to stay at their current workplace.

Cross-team collaboration directly improves culture by breaking down departmental barriers and creating shared wins, which younger workers value.

The benefits of collaborating with cross-functional teams also add up over time. Long-time employees find collaborating easier, improving workplace happiness and retention rates.

3. Better alignment and more consistent customer experiences

According to research by Forrester, a lack of organizational cooperation is the biggest impediment to improving the customer experience.

When different teams work together towards a shared goal and communicate openly, they’ll naturally deliver a consistent customer experience that contributes to your brand story, increases customer trust and boosts sales.

When sales and marketing align on their target audience’s pain points, they deliver consistent and relevant messages that reduce friction and keep prospects moving through the sales funnel.

5 ways to achieve cross-team collaboration

To enjoy the benefits of cross-team collaboration, you must align teams, increase communication and improve knowledge sharing throughout your small business.

Use these five cross-functional team collaboration strategies to build cooperative teams without tearing up your existing workflows or hiring expensive outside consultants.

1. Create shared goals to align teams

Start every cross-departmental project or initiative by clearly defining what you want to achieve. A common goal helps teams work together and align their work with company objectives.

Uniting behind clear goals also eliminates territorial behavior and cross-departmental competition. Rather than competing to find the right prospects, marketing and sales work together to close sales.

How to achieve it

Use the objective and key results (OKRs) framework to create a big-picture business goal and smaller milestones or sales metrics that let each department track its progress.

For SMBs, OKRs focus scarce resources on the most valuable business activities.

For example, a software company that wants to expand its business by launching a new product might set key results, such as generating 50 new leads per quarter.

Since they rely on marketing to drive growth, they also aim for 75% of those leads – marketing-qualified leads (MQLs) – to be validated by the sales team as sales-qualified leads (SQLs). The company might also target 95% customer satisfaction to maintain quality as it scales.

In action, creating relevant OKRs means:

• Breaking down your big vision into a set of short-term tasks and objectives for each department to make progress visible and more realistic

• Making the process even more collaborative by involving each team at the start of the process to ensure you get buy-in

• Setting individual and departmental goals (like sales commission), while also creating company-wide initiatives like a bonus scheme that rewards all employees fairly

Remember to celebrate each department’s achievements across the business to boost teamwork and reinforce each department’s role in helping your company meet its goals.

2. Invest in tools to boost communication and collaboration

Long email chains, project bottlenecks and missed deadlines happen in businesses of every size. Collaboration tools stop them from becoming major roadblocks for small teams that might otherwise struggle to play catch-up.

Technologies like project management software and video conferencing let small teams be even more agile than larger competitors and complete every project on time.

For example, a shared project dashboard like the one below makes it easy to see each task’s owner and status:

Here are three essential collaboration tools for small businesses seeking to eliminate data silos and enhance their communication plan.

SMBs can purchase tools on subscription, meaning they don’t have to invest in expensive one-off solutions to improve collaboration.

How to achieve it

Choose the best collaboration tools for your company by considering:

• Ease of use. Does the tool have a clean navigation and a simple interface that every employee can use?

• Scalability. Will the tool grow with your business and adapt to evolving workflows?

• Integrations. How well does the tool integrate with your existing business apps?

• Support. What support is available, and what does the onboarding process look like?

However, be careful when implementing too many tools simultaneously, as it may make it harder for teams to keep track of tasks.

3. Systematize and automate workflows

Everyone has different perspectives and working styles, but systematized and automated workflows remove ambiguity from cross-departmental tasks.

By clearly defining processes and responsibilities, there’s less risk of duplicated work or essential tasks falling through the cracks. Teams can leverage diverse skill sets while everyone takes responsibility for tasks, and work progresses smoothly.

Workflow automation streamlines processes, handling monotonous tasks like notifying someone that a piece of work is ready for your review.

Project management tools often let you create automations using pre-defined triggers. Here’s what it looks like in Pipedrive:

GP Law Group, an LA-based personal injury and mass tort litigation firm, shows how automation transforms collaboration. Since centralizing work in Pipedrive, they’ve increased their caseload by 160% and doubled team size.

Their automated workflows ensure they never miss filing deadlines by:

• Populating each new deal with pinned notes for maximum visibility of important case information, like treatment plan, status of medical records and status of negotiations

• Creating calendar events when the team adds essential dates, like the Statute of Limitations (SOLs), to deals

• Pushing important activities to Slack, where the team holds each other accountable

Centralizing and automating work on the platform improves collaboration and speeds up client onboarding.

How to achieve it

Start systematizing processes by identifying critical and repeatable workflows. For every department:

• Document the process. Write down each task employees must complete, including step-by-step instructions that make it easy for a new hire to complete the task.

• Standardize procedures. Add templates, best practices and examples that help employees complete tasks similarly.

• Automate repetitive tasks. Use existing software to automate manual processes, such as assigning a task to an employee or creating a due date.

• Assign roles and responsibilities. Add job titles and names next to every task in your workflow.

You now have a set of standard operating procedures (SOPs) that employees can use to complete a task or learn how another department works.

4. Make resources accessible to everyone

Assets like your SOPs are only helpful if everyone can access them. A knowledge management system (KMS) can organize internal information into an easily accessible repository where teams can find and share it.

This central hub removes information barriers between departments, aligning everyone around the same playbook for a consistent customer experience.

As well as SOPs, a KMS holds all your organization’s most important data:

For example, adding buyer personas and ideal customer profiles (ICPs) to your KMS ensures marketing and sales teams focus their messaging on similar topics relevant to your target audience’s needs.

How to achieve it

Several dedicated knowledge management software solutions, like HelpScout, and cloud-based storage solutions, like Google Drive, are available. However, any platform that stores or organizes information works as a knowledge repository.

For example, create a KMS using Pipedrive Smart Docs. It integrates with your CRM, meaning you can autofill documents with sales data, and it comes with user access permissions, so you can decide exactly which documents each team views.

Whichever tool you use, make your system as intuitive as possible using document hierarchies and hyperlinks to help users quickly find the necessary information.

5. Collect and action employee feedback

Frontline employees are often the first to spot collaboration issues like redundant meetings or overly complex workflows. Get their opinion to find and fix roadblocks that stop your team from working together efficiently.

Employee feedback systems, such as surveys and suggestion boxes, foster open communication and help create a culture where everyone feels heard.

How to achieve it

Gather employee input with:

• Employee surveys. Use a tool like SurveyMonkey to create a collaboration-based questionnaire that gets sent to staff automatically every month

• In-person meetings. Hold regular check-ins with employees or team meetings to discuss ways they think collaboration can improve

• Suggestion boxes. Encourage team leaders to create an anonymous suggestion box in their department where employees can leave feedback and propose ideas

Employees are more likely to provide feedback if it leads to fundamental changes. Share your improvement plans every month or quarter and follow through promptly to demonstrate your commitment to collaboration.

How to boost collaboration efforts with Pipedrive

Pipedrive is a CRM that centralizes all of your sales and customer data, increasing accessibility and making it easier for separate teams to work together towards shared goals.

For example, Pipedrive’s Contacts timeline, shown below, offers a complete history of customer interactions that sales and customer success (CS) teams use to align themselves during the customer onboarding.

The timeline gives CS teams access to every interaction, allowing them to learn which features customers care about and tailor the onboarding process. It’s easy to see which sales rep to contact if customers need clarification.

Pipedrive does more for collaboration than centralizing sales data, though. Here are three other ways to use the platform to help teams in your small business work more effectively together.

Optimize post-sales delivery processes using project management tools

Projects by Pipedrive is a project management software available on Power and Enterprise plans and as an add-on for Professional accounts and lower.

Companies use it to bridge the gap between sales and delivery teams, helping with onboarding and project completion as soon as they finalize a deal.

For example, a digital marketing agency can use Projects to set up a new client workflow every time its sales team closes a deal. It can assign, track and complete regular marketing tasks, like creating blog posts and social media assets, without using another tool.

Pipedrive’s Projects has several features that increase cross-team collaboration, including:

• A centralized workspace that brings all project-related information, such as tasks, documents and timelines, into one place

• A kanban-style board so team members see the status of live projects at a glance, increasing visibility and accountability

• Task assignment and tracking capabilities so everyone knows their responsibilities and how their tasks contribute to the bigger picture

• Communication tools like notes, comments and mentions to encourage in-app knowledge sharing and reduce context switching

• Project templates that ensure standardized workflows and save time at the start of projects

This project management tool also syncs with Pipedrive’s CRM, meaning your team doesn’t have to switch between different tools. This integration simplifies small business workflows while reducing the risk of tool fatigue and data loss.

Streamline hand-offs between departments with workflow automation

Pipedrive’s Automations feature helps you automate the repetitive manual parts of your processes to reduce errors, increase productivity and ensure work moves smoothly from one department to the next.

For example, create an automation that automatically transfers the ownership of a deal between marketing and sales teams once it reaches a certain point in your sales pipeline. Another trigger can then transfer ownership from sales to customer success once you sign the contract.

Here’s what creating a trigger in Pipedrive looks like:

Automating hand-offs ensures that no deal slips through the cracks and every team member has the information they need to complete their task.

Increase collaboration and communication with tool integrations

Pipedrive integrates with hundreds of business apps to eliminate data silos, automate processes and increase team communication.

Here are a few examples of how to use three popular communication and collaboration tools with Pipedrive:

• Asana – keep teams up to date with sales developments by automatically updating tasks when a deal’s status changes

• Trello – increase information flow and eliminate human error by automatically attaching customer information from Pipedrive to task cards

• Slack – improve communication by creating automatic alerts about important activities, like a new deal

Use SmartApps, Pipedrive’s AI-powered recommendation engine, to suggest relevant integrations based on your existing workflows.

You can also manually search for apps. Pipedrive’s AI-powered search feature will recognize natural language queries to find the perfect tool integration, even if you don’t use the exact terminology.

Why AI should be part of cross-team collaboration

AI solves cross-team collaboration challenges in small businesses by breaking down communication silos, enabling real-time insights and automating routine tasks to increase efficiency and alignment across various departments.

Here’s how AI can be part of cross-team collaboration.

Keep teams on track with AI project managers

AI agents act as project managers, automating routine tasks, sending reminders and automatically scheduling work. They reduce manual workload and human error, ensuring cross-team projects stay on track.

Here are some of the ways AI improves project management:

• Analyze project data to identify potential delays and bottlenecks

• Send reminders and suggest actions when employees miss task deadlines

• Summarize project information, allowing employees to grasp essential details quickly

Pipedrive’s Sales Assistant acts as an all-in-one sales-focused AI agent. It does everything from recommending actions on deals to summarizing lengthy email threads.

For example, customer success teams use the email summarization tool to quickly understand what customers liked during the product demo and help them achieve their goals:

Sales Assistant improves task management and increases productivity, meaning fewer bottlenecks and delays in sales-focused workflows.

Increase information flow with AI insights

AI-powered analysis improves cross-team collaboration by unlocking insights and increasing access to information. Artificial intelligence analyzes data sets much faster than humans, spotting trends they might miss.

It also makes sharing and consuming those trends easier using AI dashboards and reports. For example, Piperdrive’s AI report generator lets teams ask simple questions about vast data sets.

This automation means marketing teams don’t have to wait for sales to discuss lead quality. Using a text-based prompt like the following gives a real-time answer from Pipedrive Insights instead:

By automating information retrieval and accelerating analysis, AI keeps information flowing across departments, ensuring each team completes tasks on time and to a high standard.

Boost productivity with generative AI

A novel way to strengthen cross-team collaboration is by using generative AI as a virtual teammate that helps with supporting tasks, such as brainstorming ideas and creating content.

AI handles tasks others don’t have time for, reducing bottlenecks and freeing up teams to focus on higher-value tasks.

For instance, if sales teams are always waiting on marketing for outreach emails or one-pagers, ChatGPT can help generate content quickly, freeing up marketing’s time and accelerating sales.

Pipedrive’s AI email writer takes this further by crafting engaging and personalized messaging that sales reps can send without waiting for input from other teams.

To reach out to a sales prospect, they can simply give the tool a short prompt:

The employee can then tweak the output to get the desired effect and personalize it with data from Piperdrive’s CRM.

Final thoughts

Cross-team collaboration helps small businesses stay aligned and productive, even with limited resources. With the right tools and a culture of open communication, teams tackle and achieve ambitious goals together.

With AI, it becomes even easier to streamline workflows, share insights and improve productivity.

Pipedrive combines AI and collaboration tools into a single platform that gives small businesses everything teams need to work well together. Improve collaboration in your SMB by signing up for a 14-day free trial.

One of the core goals of marketing teams is to reach their target audience with messages that feel personal across every channel.

Integrated marketing helps brands cut through the noise, align teams around a strategic approach and deliver a seamless experience from the first ad to the final purchase.

In this article, you’ll learn what integrated marketing is, why it matters for SMBs and how to build an integrated marketing plan that drives real results.

Key takeaways from integrated marketing

• Integrated marketing unifies your brand image across different channels for a stronger impact.

• A customer-centric, data-driven approach helps optimize campaigns and build brand loyalty.

• Measuring KPIs like reach, engagement and conversion rates proves ROI and guides future efforts.

• Pipedrive gives marketing teams a central hub to manage integrated marketing campaigns. Try it free for 14 days.

What is integrated marketing?

Integrated marketing is the practice of delivering consistent messaging across all customer touchpoints to create a unified brand experience.

Instead of treating each channel as a separate initiative, an integrated marketing strategy combines digital marketing, social media marketing, email marketing and even offline tactics like billboards or events into one cohesive plan.

The goal is to eliminate silos within a marketing team so that every campaign feels connected, reinforces the same brand identity and builds trust with the target audience.

For example, a small business launching a new product might:

This integrated marketing approach ensures that customers encounter unified messaging no matter where they engage.

Are integrated marketing and multichannel marketing the same?

Multichannel marketing and integrated marketing are often interchangeable, though not the same.

• Multichannel marketing means using different channels, such as social media, email marketing and TV ads. Each channel runs independently. For example, a company might launch LinkedIn ads and send email promotions, each with different messaging.
  

• Integrated marketing also uses multiple channels, but coordinates them under one marketing plan. In this case, the LinkedIn ads and emails would all deliver the same messaging and brand experience.

Why integrated marketing matters for SMBs

Marketing teams operate in an environment where customers engage with brands through more touchpoints than ever, including social media platforms, webinars and industry events.

The challenge is that showing up across multiple channels isn’t enough. Gartner research shows that while 86% of customers appreciate personalized communication, 55% will disengage if it feels invasive, and 40% will leave if it’s irrelevant.

Customers expect every touchpoint to align with their needs, interests and behaviors. By unifying campaigns, SMBs can cut through fragmentation and deliver seamless customer experiences at every stage.

Companies that master integrated marketing communications have clear advantages: stronger brand recognition, higher conversion rates and more loyal customers.

This approach ties every sales channel together under a single brand identity.

Core principles of integrated marketing

Integrated marketing only works when teams align around a few core principles. The following table gives a quick summary of what those principles are and why they matter:

Together, these principles form the foundation of an integrated marketing approach that scales across platforms and delivers unified messaging at every touchpoint.

How to develop an integrated marketing plan

An integrated marketing plan gives your team a clear framework for coordinating campaigns.

Below is a four-step process to help teams align on priorities and measure the impact of your campaigns.

1. Choose the right marketing channels

The first step in building an integrated marketing plan is deciding which channels to invest in.

Base this on where your target audience spends time and how they prefer to engage with your brand.

To make the right choices, start by analyzing:

• Customer demographics and pain points

• Existing channels’ website traffic and conversion rates

• Past campaign metrics such as reach, engagement and sales promotion performance

• Competitor activity across social media platforms, email marketing and other digital marketing channels

By identifying which channels matter most, your marketing team can focus resources where they drive the greatest impact.

2. Create unified assets and messaging

Once you’ve identified the right channels, the next step is to ensure that every piece of content reinforces a single brand message.

Email campaigns, social media ads and landing pages should all share the same tone, visuals and value proposition.

To make this happen, marketing teams should:

• Develop a clear brand message and brand positioning statement

• Use shared design templates and brand guidelines

• Align campaign messaging with customer needs and pain points

• Ensure every asset supports a consistent brand identity

Consistent messaging increases the chances that your target audience will remember your campaigns.

3. Assign clear ownership across the marketing team

Every campaign should have defined ownership at each stage.

Assigning specific people to manage campaign strategy, content creation and performance avoids overlap and confusion.

For example, a software company running an integrated marketing campaign for a new product launch might assign:

• The content team to create assets

• The demand generation team to manage paid media

• The communications team to handle public relations

• The marketing manager to oversee reporting

Smaller teams may need to wear multiple hats. For example, the content team handles both assets and PR while demand generation runs paid media, reporting and campaign analysis.

4. Launch campaigns with coordinated timing

Now it’s time to launch campaigns in a coordinated sequence across channels.

Timing matters because launching assets in isolation can confuse the target audience. Coordinated rollouts create momentum and reinforce the brand message.

To align timing, marketing teams should:

• Map out a campaign activity calendar that schedules launches across all chosen channels

• Sequence assets so that awareness content (like PR and billboards) supports demand-focused efforts (like email marketing and landing pages)

• Align timing with customer journey stages to move prospects smoothly from awareness to conversion

For example, say a real estate agency issues a press release to announce the release of a new report. It immediately follows the announcement with social media marketing via LinkedIn and Instagram. Finally, it pushes email marketing to leads.

The company takes all these steps within the same week to maximize impact.

How to measure integrated marketing campaign performance

Once you’ve created and launched your integrated marketing plan, the next step is proving its impact.

You need the right key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure performance accurately. These metrics should show how campaigns drive engagement and revenue across different channels.

Below is a table briefly explaining some of the most important KPIs to track.

Tracking these KPIs allows marketing teams to move beyond vanity metrics and make data-driven adjustments that improve performance and return on investment (ROI).

Multi-touch attribution models

While the KPIs above are essential for tracking performance, they often treat each channel in isolation, which creates a partial view of campaign impact.

In integrated marketing, no single channel carries the entire weight of conversion. That’s why multi-touch attribution is important.

Multi-touch attribution models assign value to every touchpoint a customer engages with along the journey, whether that’s a social media ad, an email campaign or a landing page.

Example: an accountancy firm might see strong email click-through rates and assume email marketing drove most conversions.

With multi-touch attribution, the data could reveal that initial awareness came from a LinkedIn ad and the final push came from a webinar follow-up.

Using a multi-touch attribution model, marketing managers can see how different platforms contribute to conversion rates and allocate budgets more effectively.

This data-driven approach ensures integrated marketing campaigns are optimized across the entire customer journey rather than overvaluing one channel.

Successful integrated marketing examples

Integrated marketing is most effective when campaigns combine multiple channels in a cohesive, impactful way.

The following real-world B2B integrated marketing examples show how two small businesses managed this successfully.

UserEvidence

In 2023, customer feedback platform UserEvidence launched The Evidence Gap report, a research-driven piece designed to spark conversation about how B2B companies use proof in their marketing.

The campaign combined influencer marketing, employee advocacy on LinkedIn and coordinated social media activations, ensuring the report’s insights reached the right target audience.

The campaign fueled UserEvidence’s social media marketing for months, extending its life beyond the initial launch

This integrated marketing approach worked because every touchpoint reinforced the same brand message – that proof is critical to closing the gap in B2B marketing.

Clay

Prospecting tool Clay’s integrated marketing engine uses partners, creators and customers to drive reach across social media.

The product is flexible and horizontal, so agencies and experts can build novel workflows like waterfall enrichment, then publish tutorials and demos that Clay amplifies across LinkedIn.

For Clay, partners are an extension of the brand. Advocates congregate in a large Slack community of about 27,400. Clay seeds playbooks, collects feedback and turns the best examples into content marketing that powers a steady drumbeat on search engine-friendly pages and social media platforms.

Power your integrated marketing strategy with Pipedrive

Pipedrive is a CRM software for marketing and sales teams that gives your team a single place to plan campaigns, track sales and unify messaging across touchpoints.

Here are some ways Pipedrive can help.

Visual pipelines for connected campaigns

One of the biggest blockers for integrated marketing is the lack of visibility between marketing campaigns and sales activity.

If each team works in separate systems, you lose track of how leads flow from the first campaign touchpoint into the pipeline.

Pipedrive’s pipeline management software gives both teams a single view of the customer journey.

You can set up multiple pipelines for different campaigns, products or markets, then track how prospects move from initial awareness to closed deals.

For example, a SaaS company might use one pipeline for inbound leads from email campaigns and another for outbound efforts, keeping progress and performance clear in both streams.

With everything visible in one place, marketing can see which campaigns are creating momentum and sales can see exactly where each lead came from.

Automation for consistent follow-ups

Even strong campaigns can lose their impact if follow-ups are delayed. When leads wait too long for a response, they forget your message and move on to other options.

Pipedrive helps by automating follow-ups so every prospect hears from you at the right moment.

Set emails or tasks to trigger when someone takes an action or reaches a new stage in the pipeline.

Triggers ensure a consistent experience and allow your team to spend less time on repetitive work.

Integrations for a seamless workflow

Integrated marketing only works when your tools connect smoothly. If your CRM and campaign platforms don’t sync, data gets messy and customers end up with a fragmented experience.

Pipedrive’s Marketplace offers over 500 integrations with sales and marketing tools that tie your workflow together. For example:

• Trello. Track campaign creation tasks as Trello cards so marketing teams can manage progress in one place.

• lemlist. Send personalized email sequences from lemlist while keeping engagement data in Pipedrive.

• Jotform. Capture leads through forms and send them straight into your CRM without manual entry.

• Zapier. Automate repetitive marketing workflows, like adding new leads from form submissions into Pipedrive or triggering nurture emails.

Integrations let you streamline your tech stack by combining multiple tools into one access point.

Case study: how Trainify unifies CRM and email marketing

Trainify combined Pipedrive’s CRM with the Campaigns add-on to manage email marketing and sales in one place, reducing tool sprawl and saving two hours per week.

The team created 28 targeted campaigns from within Pipedrive, tying messages to deals and stages so outreach stayed consistent across touchpoints.

How Trainify used Pipedrive:

• Built and sent emails with Campaigns using CRM data for segmentation and personalization

• Linked campaign activity to the pipeline to monitor movement and adjust messaging in real time

Result: One system for CRM campaign management that keeps integrated marketing communications aligned and measurable

Read the full case study.

Final thoughts

Integrated marketing is essential for teams that want to grow. Consistent messaging across channels builds trust and keeps the customer journey smooth.

The key is having a plan that connects your channels, aligns your team and shows you what’s really driving results. With the right KPIs in place, you cut wasted effort and double down on what works.

Try Pipedrive free for 14 days to see how it can simplify your integrated marketing campaigns and help you grow smarter.

For small businesses, solid conflict resolution skills can turn potential disputes into stronger team and client relationships.

Resolving conflicts effectively helps protect your revenue and builds trust, giving your business a long-term advantage.

In this article, you’ll learn the essential conflict-resolving skills SMB leaders need and conflict resolution strategies for common business scenarios. You’ll also discover actionable systems and processes to stop conflict before it happens.

Key takeaways from conflict resolution skills

• For SMBs, conflict resolution skills protect client relationships and revenue by preventing minor issues from spiraling into costly disputes.

• Active listening, emotional intelligence, clear communication and mediation skills form the foundation of effective conflict resolution.

• Processes like client check-ins and team retrospectives reduce the risk of recurring disputes.

• Pipedrive helps you monitor customer relationships and build conflict-resistant systems into your workflows – try it free for 14 days.

1. Active listening to defuse tension

Active listening means listening to understand, not just reply.

When you listen, you give your full attention to what someone says. This skill stops conflicts from escalating between team members or with customers.

Active listening slows the conversation down, ensuring all parties feel heard and understood.

Here are some active listening skills with responses you can tailor to your situation:

• Paraphrase what you heard. “So you’re saying the project timeline feels unrealistic because…”.

• Ask clarifying questions. “Help me understand what you mean by ‘unfair workload’”.

• Reflect emotions back. “You sound frustrated about the lack of communication”.

• Summarize key points before responding. “Let me make sure I’ve got this right…”.

• Be aware of your nonverbal communication. Wait three seconds before you respond and maintain eye contact when you do.

Practice this soft skill and you’ll find that you’re naturally less inclined to jump to conclusions. You’ll also save time by addressing the real issue from the start.

2. Emotional intelligence to understand what’s driving conflict

Emotional intelligence means recognizing and managing emotions (both yours and others’) during tense situations.

Strong emotional intelligence stops you from worsening team or customer conflicts through reactive, empathic responses. When you understand what’s driving emotions, you address the real problem instead of just the surface tension.

Here are key emotional intelligence skills and response techniques to consider:

• Notice your body language and facial expressions. Tight shoulders or a furrowed brow signal rising stress. Use these signs as a cue to pause before you react.

• Name emotions out loud. “I can see this situation is really frustrating for both of us”.

• Take a pause when you feel triggered. “Let me think about this for a moment” buys you time to respond thoughtfully.

• Match your tone to the situation. Use a calm, steady voice, even if others raise theirs.

• Acknowledge others’ feelings before offering solutions. “I understand you’re worried about the deadline”.

Emotional intelligence helps you focus on solving team and customer problems instead of winning arguments.

3. Negotiation and problem-solving to find win-win solutions

Negotiation and problem-solving involve finding win-win solutions for both parties, where everyone gets something they need.

Smart sales negotiation protects both current deals and future sales opportunities. When you focus on mutual benefit instead of winning, you build a level of trust that leads to better partnerships and greater customer loyalty.

Here are some examples of conflict management skills for successful negotiations between team members or customers:

• Identify shared goals first. “We both want this project to succeed and stay profitable”.

• Offer multiple choices. “We could extend the deadline, add resources or adjust the scope. What works best for you?”.

• Be firm on priorities but flexible on methods. Protect the non-negotiables, like quality assurance, while exploring creative ways to meet deadlines or sales budgets.

• Acknowledge trade-offs openly. “If we rush this, we might compromise quality, but if we delay, you’ll miss your launch window”.

• Focus on future value, not past mistakes. “How can we prevent this issue on the next project?”.

Master this balance between assertiveness and flexibility, and you’ll not only de-escalate conflict but shorten your sales cycle.

4. Clear communication to set expectations early on

Clear communication means expressing your needs and boundaries in ways customers or team members can easily understand and accept.

Effective communication prevents workplace conflict before it starts. When team members know exactly what’s expected and why, confusion and resentment don’t have room to grow.

Clear communication with customers also builds trust and prevents disputes. Stating expectations around timelines or deliverables up front reduces the chance of frustration later on.

Here’s how you can communicate to reduce and resolve conflicts:

• Use “I” statements to express concerns. “I need the reports by Tuesday to meet our client deadline”. Not “You always submit things late”.

• State boundaries with business reasons. “We can’t extend credit beyond 60 days because it affects our cash flow”. Not just “That’s our policy”.

• Be specific about expectations. “Please update the project status every Friday by 3 PM” beats “Keep me informed”.

• Choose neutral language over charged words. Say a project is “behind schedule”. Not that it’s “a disaster”.

• Acknowledge different perspectives before presenting your point of view. “I understand you’re focused on quality, and we also need to consider the deadline”.

Strong communication skills help you create a work environment where issues get resolved through understanding rather than arguments.

5. Mediation and facilitation to find common ground

Mediation and facilitation means guiding conflicting parties toward solutions with an open mind and without taking sides.

Strong mediation skills turn you into a valuable asset when workplace conflict arises between team members or with customers.

Instead of letting disputes damage relationships and productivity, you become the person who helps involved parties find common ground. Here’s how:

• Set ground rules at the start. “We’ll each speak for two minutes without interruption, then discuss solutions”.

• Ask open-ended questions that reveal shared interests. “What outcome would make this project successful for both departments?”.

• Redirect blame toward problem-solving. “Let’s focus on preventing this issue next time rather than what went wrong”.

• Summarize each person’s perspective before moving forward. “Sarah needs faster approvals, Mike needs quality control, but both ultimately want to delight the customer”.

• Stay neutral with your language. Use “the situation” instead of “your problem” or “their mistake”.

Developing dispute resolution skills is useful for anyone, and learning how to apply them in real-life work scenarios will help you feel confident when team or customer disputes arise.

How to apply conflict resolution skills to common business scenarios

Conflict situations aren’t just unpleasant. They can derail sales activity and impact your team’s well-being.

Be prepared for everyday causes of conflict with the following tips to stop them from hurting your business.

When service delivery goes wrong

Service delivery failures, like a broken feature or delayed shipment, put customer connections and sales revenue at immediate risk.

Own up to the impact on your customer’s business right away with an apology email. Here’s a good example from Zocdoc:

Next, create a plan with specific steps and deadlines so customers know exactly how you’re fixing things.

Offer a discount or account credits to say sorry. It’s a small gesture that shows you care about customer relations.

Send a follow-up email within 24 hours that spells out what happens next. Good follow-through shows accountability and often makes relationships stronger than if nothing had gone wrong.

Navigating pricing and scope disputes

Pricing and scope disputes can kill deals and damage client relationships if you handle them poorly.

When clients ask for extra work don’t just say no, as that can make them feel dismissed. Instead, explain how the new request affects timeline, quality or other priorities they care about.

Find middle-ground solutions that work for both sides. You might offer a basic version now and the full version later. Or even let them choose features to cut to make room for new ones.

Reset expectations early when budgets get tight. It helps to use language that connects costs to business goals. Instead of “This costs $5,000”, try “This feature will save your team 10 hours per week, which pays for itself in two months”.

Resolving team conflicts that impact customers

Workplace conflict between team members can cause a lack of professionalism that hurts your company’s reputation and potential deals.

Address any tension fast before customers notice. Get both sides to explain their point of view. Focus on finding common ground around shared work goals, like customer satisfaction, then figure out how to deliver it together.

Stay neutral when conflict situations come up by focusing on the work impact, not who’s right or wrong. Ask questions like “How does this affect our client deliverables?” instead of taking sides.

Managing vendor and supplier disputes

Supplier problems can hurt your customer relationships (even when the mistake isn’t yours), as you’re ultimately responsible for the outcome.

Fix today’s problem for your customer. Sometimes, that means adjusting timelines. Other times, it’s about finding alternative suppliers. Occasionally, it requires eating into extra costs to keep everyone happy.

Know when to escalate issues and when to handle conflict management yourself. Let go of minor issues with good vendors.

Repeated failures need higher-level conversations about the relationship. When the conversation happens, approach the dispute as a shared problem to solve together rather than as a blame game.

While knowing how to resolve common disputes is crucial, building systems that stop them from arising is even more powerful.

How to build a conflict-resistant business

The most effective conflict resolution strategies focus on preventing problems before they appear.

Here are three practical strategies for building prevention into your sales and customer success workflows.

1. Spot trouble early (and keep note of it)

Early warning signs help you address issues while they’re still small and fixable.

Most causes of conflict start as minor communication breakdowns or unmet expectations that grow over time.

Here are some warning signs to track for successful conflict mitigation:

A customer relationship management (CRM) platform like Pipedrive helps you track potential issues with employees you engage with and people you do business with.

Add a note to customer profiles whenever you notice changes in client communication or unusual behavior patterns. This oversight will help you keep your team aligned and proactive.

Create custom labels like “relationship risk” or “follow-up needed” to flag customer accounts that need extra attention.

To spot interpersonal conflict in your team, create safe spaces where people feel comfortable giving feedback to managers and each other.

Make it clear that employee feedback builds stronger personal relationships and prevents bigger conflicts that impact everyone’s well-being.

2. Set clear expectations from the start

Workplace and customer conflicts usually surface because people have different ideas about what was supposed to happen.

When you spell out exactly what everyone can expect, you remove the guesswork that leads to disappointment. Make sure to document:

• Project deliverables with quality standards and deadlines

• Communication preferences and response timeframes

• Change request processes and approval requirements

• Team member roles and decision-making authority

• Payment terms and late fee policies

Use Pipedrive’s Projects to create a central database for each customer where you store important documents and notes.

Log activities like phone calls and emails, or set tasks with assignees and due dates.

Documented expectations give you a shared reference point to return to whenever questions or disagreements arise.

3. Build feedback and training into your business processes

Sometimes, workplace conflicts escalate because people don’t know how to address problems. Or, they lack the communication skills to resolve disputes constructively.

Systematic feedback and employee training fix both issues. Here’s how to integrate these activities into daily operations:

• Weekly team retrospectives that identify stress points before they cause interpersonal conflict

• Quarterly satisfaction surveys about customer service

• Post-conflict reviews to update processes and prevent similar future issues

• Regular training sessions with human resources that improve self-awareness

• Team building activities to work on problem-solving skills and teamwork

Use Pipedrive’s automations to stay consistent with these conflict management strategies.

Set up automatic activities for customer check-ins or team retrospectives so everyone knows what’s coming up, keeping your team proactive and your corporate culture strong.

Conflict resolution skills FAQs

Final thoughts

Conflict resolution techniques turn potential disasters into stronger client and team relationships.

By integrating conflict-resolving skills into daily workflows, you can mitigate disagreements while nurturing healthy customer connections and fostering a positive team and company culture.

Try Pipedrive free for 14 days to monitor warning signs, organize your processes and strengthen your team’s ability to stop conflict in its tracks.

Conflict is a natural part of working closely in small teams. Handle it constructively, and you turn conflict into a catalyst for better business outcomes.

Effective conflict management defuses tension and turns challenges into opportunities to improve teamwork, increase employee engagement and build a more innovative, collaborative workplace.

In this article, you’ll learn five conflict management strategies you can implement in the workplace, along with example scenarios. You’ll also discover how a collaborative CRM like Pipedrive helps reduce disputes and solve them faster when they arise.

What is conflict management?

Conflict management involves identifying and resolving disagreements between two or more employees.

It’s a part of personnel management that uses emotional intelligence, active listening, problem-solving and mediation to minimize negative incidents. It also promotes positive outcomes, such as stronger levels of trust and better working relationships.

There are many sources of conflict in small businesses, including:

• Unclear roles – a chief sales officer and customer success manager both believe they own the customer onboarding process, leading to tension and duplicated work

• Communication gaps – a remote development team blames a missed project deadline on the design team’s inability to answer emails promptly

• Creative differences – two marketing managers have vastly different ways of creating campaigns, leading to intra-department tension and missed deadlines

Conflict resolution strategies resolve issues before they escalate and impact morale.

Imagine a mid-sized B2B SaaS company where project handovers consistently cause issues between designers and developers, delaying product launches.

A director holds a mediation session to solve the conflict. They actively listen to each team’s grievances. Then, they make them aware of the conflict’s impact on the business and help them create a collaborative handover management process that delivers clarity and accountability.

By encouraging teams to work together to solve the issue, the director improves collaboration and productivity and ensures products launch on time.

Now you’ve got an idea of what conflict management looks like, you’ll want to know why it’s so important when managing small businesses.

Why conflict management matters in SMBs

Conflict management is critical in small teams with fewer resources, where a single personality clash can derail entire projects. While intimate settings can heighten tensions and spotlight poor working relationships, they also make it easier to address the problem.

Here are the benefits your small business can expect when you apply effective conflict management strategies.

Lower costs and higher productivity

Conflict management stops workplace disputes from becoming enormous productivity drains, saving businesses millions.

Research finds that conflict costs US companies $3,216.63 per employee per year in productivity. That’s over $1.6m annually for a company with 500 employees..

Quick resolutions let people focus on their work rather than managing tension or ignoring employees. Work gets completed rather than delayed.

Effective conflict management also frees up managers’ time dealing with disputes, which averages over four hours a week, according to the Myers-Briggs Company.

Happier employees and higher retention rates

Conflict management stops disputes from becoming a leading driver of turnover by increasing employee engagement and boosting morale.

Studies show that those who rate their work environment as “uncivil” are three times more likely to be unsatisfied with their job and twice as likely to leave within a year. Conflict also causes 53% of people to feel workplace stress and 77% to disengage.

Solving issues openly and fairly gives your employees confidence that you will address their grievances. It empowers them, allowing them to contribute ideas without fear of backlash.

A more innovative and collaborative workplace

While disputes can damage relationships if left unmanaged, constructive conflict management fosters trust, cooperation and innovation.

The Myers-Briggs Company finds that the most frequently mentioned positive benefit of workplace conflict was the opportunity to increase collaboration and cooperation.

Disagreements can even lead to innovative approaches, writes Amy Gallo, a cohost of the Women at Work podcast and the author of Getting Along: How to Work with Anyone (Even Difficult People):

Conflict resolution skills and open communication prevent costly disruptions, transforming tensions into growth opportunities.

Next, discover how to improve your conflict resolution decision-making by knowing which conflict management styles yield the best results.

What are the different conflict management styles?

The Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Model identifies five distinct conflict modes, each with different levels of assertiveness and cooperativeness.

In assertive styles, users address their own concerns. In cooperative styles, participants satisfy the concerns of others.

You can see the different types of conflict management styles explained in the following table:

Another way to compare the styles is to use the level of assertiveness and cooperativeness to place them on the following matrix:

5 examples of workplace conflicts and how to manage them

Workplace conflicts are commonplace, with CIPD research suggesting that a quarter of employees face them every year. Disputes occur for various reasons, ranging from simple misunderstandings to significant differences in style and approach.

Handling conflict quickly and effectively requires a tailored approach that considers the issue and the employees involved.

To guide you, here are five common examples of conflict management and suggestions for resolving them.

1. Cultural misunderstandings

Cultural misunderstandings happen when employees from different backgrounds misinterpret a colleague’s language, behavior or communication style.

Conflicts aren’t malicious at first, but they can generate resentment, create rifts, cause good employees to leave and even lead to legal action.

How to resolve the conflict:

The HR manager decides that a policy of mediation, open communication and listening is fundamental to solving the matter. They arrange the following:

• A private meeting where one colleague explains why they found the comment so offensive

• Establishing communication guidelines that encourage employees to discuss their perspectives on culturally sensitive topics

• Mandatory diversity training that teaches employees how to navigate cross-cultural issues in the workplace

A successful meeting involves the offending employee apologising to their colleague, eliminating the need for disciplinary action. An honest conversation and ongoing training help both workers collaborate better moving forward.

2. Work-style clashes

Work style clashes are a type of interpersonal conflict that occurs when employees have differing approaches to completing tasks. They can erupt into arguments, lower employee morale and hinder productivity.

They’re the most common cause of conflict in the workplace, according to the above-mentioned CIPD study.

What issues did the most serious incident of conflict focus on?

Almost half (46%) of survey respondents said classes resulted from personality differences. The second most common cause was incompetence, responsible for 36% of conflicts.

How to resolve the conflict:

Noticing the delays, the business owner steps in to mediate the issue and find a compromise between the two working styles that are unlikely to change significantly. Mediation steps include:

• Facilitating a conflict resolution session where both parties share their working preferences and concerns

• Building a hybrid workflow that strikes a balance between both working styles

• Changing “due dates” to “start dates” to encourage employees to work on projects sooner

The business owner acknowledges that neither employee is willing to change their working style drastically. They find a middle ground that gives both some leeway while ensuring work gets done on time.

3. Power struggles

Power struggles happen when unclear roles or overlapping responsibilities mean senior leaders compete to own the same task. This lack of structure results in duplicated or unfinished work because each team thinks the other is responsible.

Ownership-related conflicts are prevalent in small businesses with limited teams and flat hierarchies.

How to resolve the conflict:

Seeing how the power struggle is destroying the customer experience, the CEO makes intervening a priority:

• Holding individual meetings helps the CEO to understand each leader’s perspective

• Chairing a mediation session lets both parties air their grievances with the existing process and work together toward a solution

• Creating a shared vision and strategy enables leaders to see that they both care about giving the customer a great experience

• Building a collaborative workflow offers a compromise where both teams can have input over the process

Senior leaders rarely back down from a power struggle, so a win-win solution requires compromise.

By demonstrating that the heads of sales and customer success ultimately share a common goal, the CEO effectively turns the conflict into an opportunity to establish new workflows that improve customer experiences.

4. Performance-related issues

Underperforming colleagues commonly cause workplace conflict, as coworkers take on more work to complete tasks.

Whether due to laziness or unclear instructions, managers must resolve performance issues promptly before high-performing employees seek new roles.

How to resolve the conflict:

When high-performing SDRs complain to sales managers about the state of affairs, it’s up to them to have an honest conversation about the rep’s performance. The sales manager:

• Uses CRM reports to compare the under-performing rep’s activity with the rest of the team

• Sits down in private with the rep to show the disparity and uncover the reason behind it

• Realizes the rep’s underperformance wasn’t due to laziness but a lack of training

• Arranges for the rep to redo the company’s onboarding process and have one-on-one sales coaching

Performance-related issues don’t have to escalate into an argument or disciplinary action. Difficult conversations can uncover the root cause, improve productivity and boost team morale without having to let a team member go.

5. Resistance to change

Some conflict situations occur when employees are unable or unwilling to adopt new policies. They can cause resentment among team members who go out of their way to learn new practices, and lead to incomplete work due to poor communication.

How to resolve the conflict:

The development lead acknowledges their team’s concerns and speaks to the developer in private to resolve the situation. They:

• Ask why the developer doesn’t want to use Slack, validating the person’s feelings rather than dismissing them

• Communicates the reasons for the change clearly and honestly, showing them how their work life will improve by using the tool

• Provide training and support to get up to speed with Slack

• Offer to meet regularly with them to see how they’re getting on and whether they can improve workflows further

By addressing the developer’s resistance with empathy and involving them in the change, the manager reduces tension, encourages adoption and builds a more collaborative remote team.

How Pipedrive supports conflict management

Pipedrive is a sales-focused customer relationship management (CRM) tool that small business owners can also use to mitigate workplace conflict.

The platform can help SMBs overcome some root causes of power struggles, performance problems and work-style clashes through effective collaboration, communication and accountability practices.

Here’s how to manage conflict in the workplace using Pipedrive’s core features.

Centralize sales and customer data to increase visibility

A CRM system acts as a company’s single source of truth, centralizing customer data, contact information and interaction history. The software ensures everyone in your business works from the same set of accurate information, reducing silos and increasing transparency.

Features like activity tracking and communication logs minimize misunderstandings and reduce disputes about responsibilities.

For example, employees can use Pipedrive’s contacts timeline feature to see who contacted a lead and when:

If performance or work-related issues crop up, managers have the data to address and fix them quickly and effectively.

Use project management features to set deadlines and assign responsibility

Projects by Pipedrive is a project management tool that lets you map out projects, delegate tasks, set deadlines and track progress.

Here’s what a typical dashboard looks like in Projects:

Use the following features to reduce conflicts within and across departments:

• Set task ownership and deadlines – assign tasks and subtasks to specific team members with due dates, ensuring everyone knows their responsibilities and timelines

• Centralized communication – add notes, share files and mention team members directly within specific projects to centralize information and minimize communication issues

• Progress tracking – create customizable dashboards to track project statuses and bottlenecks, allowing you to resolve conflicts before they escalate

Centralizing your small business’s tasks in Projects reduces power struggles and other conflicts that stem from project ownership or communication issues.

Run reports to solve performance-related conflicts

Use Pipedrive’s Insights feature to address conflicts about performance by tracking real-time sales activity.

Insights lets you break down rep performance in the following ways:

• Activity reports – the number of sales activities reps complete

• Email reports – the performance of emails that reps send

• Lead conversion – how well reps convert leads into deals

You can monitor everything through customizable dashboards like the one below:

Regularly reviewing reports helps sales managers identify underperforming salespeople before their poor performance leads to team unrest.

Conflict management FAQs

Final thoughts

Effective conflict management turns disputes into growth opportunities. Increasing collaboration in your small business boosts employee satisfaction and cultivates a positive, results-driven workplace.

A CRM like Pipedrive enhances transparency and communication to fix your conflicts fast. It prevents clashes over responsibilities and priorities, centralizes work efforts and stops tasks falling through the gaps.

Discover how Pipedrive’s collaborative features can improve your team’s collaboration and reduce workplace conflicts with a free 14-day trial.

Increasing market share is an easier growth strategy for small business-to-business (B2B) companies than chasing new territories or innovating new products.

You can use several strategies to increase market share, like optimizing pricing and improving sales efficiency.

In this article, you’ll learn seven market penetration strategies, why increasing market share matters and how to calculate your current penetration rate.

Key takeaways for market penetration

• Market penetration measures how much of your total addressable market currently uses your existing product or service.

• Higher penetration directly correlates with profitability, economies of scale and wide competitive moats.

• Increase market penetration by refining your pricing, enhancing product-market fit or pursuing sales strategies like account-based marketing.

• Pipedrive increases market penetration by streamlining sales processes, centralizing data and increasing efficiencies – try it free for 14 days.

What is market penetration?

Market penetration measures how much your target market uses your product or service.

In other words, it’s how well your product sells.

Market penetration is calculated as a percentage of your total addressable market. Use this metric to benchmark your performance, analyze competitors and find business expansion opportunities.

Market leaders have high penetration rates – think Apple and the smartphone market.

Startups and small-to-medium businesses (SMBs) may have less penetration, but can win a larger market share through a solid market penetration strategy.

Successful market penetration leads to more brand recognition and higher sales without launching a new product or entering a new market.

It can also lead to greater market share, a term people commonly confuse with market penetration.

Market penetration vs. market share vs. market expansion

Market penetration, market share and market expansion are similar terms with slightly different meanings:

• Market penetration measures customer adoption rates within your defined target market. It tells you what percentage of your target market you’re serving.

• Market share calculates your revenue as a percentage of total industry sales, so you know how much of the total market you control.

• Market expansion is the process of entering new potential market segments, customer segments or product categories. It encompasses strategies for growing beyond your current market.

While increasing product market fit can increase market share and penetration, it’s not a market expansion strategy as it doesn’t increase your total addressable market.

Is customer penetration the same as market penetration?

Customer and market penetration are related but distinct concepts that measure different things in marketing and business analysis.

• Market penetration: The percentage of the total addressable market using your product. E.g., if there are one million potential smartphone users in a region and your company sells to 100,000, your market penetration is 10%.

• Customer penetration: The percentage of your existing customer base that uses a specific product or service, or the average number of products adopted per customer. E.g., if you have 1,000 customers with 200 using your premium service, your customer penetration for that service is 20%.

Now that you know the difference between all these terms, it’s time to learn why increasing penetration matters for SMBs.

Why high market penetration matters for small B2B brands

Deeper market penetration creates advantages rival companies find difficult to replicate.

It’s why small business leaders often prioritize penetration over market expansion or product diversification strategies.

Here are the full benefits of market penetration.

Increase sales and market share

Greater market penetration means more sales, a bigger market share and a larger company without investing heavily in product development or new market expansion.

That means higher profits. The Harvard Business Review identified market penetration as a key determinant of profitability as far back as 1975:

Source: The Harvard Business Review

More recent research by McKinsey finds that a 5% increase in revenue per year results in an additional 3% to 4% increase in total shareholder returns. That’s like increasing your market cap by 33% to 45% over a decade.

Leverage economies of scale

Higher market penetration rates allow you to spread fixed costs like salaries and equipment across more accounts. It lowers per-unit costs and improves profit margins.

SMBs with bigger customer bases often enjoy more supplier bargaining power. You could negotiate better rates with volume discounts to further increase your margins.

In a SaaS business, this could involve negotiating better rates on cloud infrastructure and operational tools like employer of record (EOR) software.

Build a competitive moat

Strong market penetration builds a competitive moat, which Warren Buffett calls the sign of a “truly great business”.

Higher penetration rates create a flywheel model. The more people who use, review and talk about your products, the stronger your word-of-mouth marketing. The result is even more customers without higher marketing costs.

You may even enjoy network effects if you’re a community-based B2B business like Slack and G2. As more customers adopt your platform, it becomes more valuable for everyone and more consumers will be interested in it.

Increase customer data

A bigger customer base generates more customer data. Small businesses can use the data to improve personalization efforts and keep pace with larger, more advanced competitors.

Consumers prefer brands that make them feel understood and unique. Research by Deloitte finds that brands that excel at personalization are 48% more likely to exceed revenue goals and 71% more likely to improve customer loyalty.

Source: Deloitte

Your data advantage will compound over time. It can lead to even greater personalization efforts, stronger customer success programs and more accurate sales forecasting.

Before you can look at increasing penetration, learn to measure your current penetration rate.

How to calculate your market penetration rate

To calculate your market penetration rate, you must know the number of customers you currently serve (your total sales) and the target market size.

You’ll find the first figure in your customer relationship management (CRM) system and the second in market research reports. Many reports are available from market research firms like Mintel, Statista and IBISWorld.

The market penetration rate calculation is simple:

Consider an e-commerce software company targeting mid-market retailers with 500–2,000 employees.

If its total addressable market contains 5,000 companies and there are 400 current customers, market penetration equals 400 ÷ 5,000 × 100 = 8%.

Once you have your market penetration rate, proceed to implement strategies to improve it.

7 B2B market penetration strategies

The Ansoff Matrix, a strategic model that helps leaders choose business growth strategies, depicts four main ways to grow a company.

Here’s what the matrix looks like:

Most businesses view market penetration as the lowest-risk option. Product development, market development and diversification often require significant upfront investments in new ventures without a guaranteed payoff.

It’s a safer bet for small businesses to do more of what works.

Here are seven proven SMB market penetration strategies you can use individually or in combination to win more of the market.

1. Manage everything in a CRM

Centralizing all your sales data into a single platform, like a CRM, makes it easier for sales reps to address your target market.

Your team can access all relevant data in one place, eliminating silos and ensuring consistent and personalized interactions across every touch point.

The result: a faster and more responsive service that prioritizes customers and closes more deals.

Pipedrive’s visual sales pipeline and in-depth customer profiles are a great way for sales teams to find customer information, track deal progression and identify bottlenecks.

Here’s what your team’s sales process could look like in Pipedrive:

Reps can add notes to customer profiles and refer to them to stand out in future conversations. For instance, if a client loves to travel, a salesperson can make a note to ask about upcoming trips.

Pipedrive’s workflow automation features let you further streamline processes. You can create triggers that send personalized follow-up emails, move deals along pipeline stages and update customer contact cards.

These combined features help sales teams manage more deals at once, improve customer relations and finalize more sales.

2. Optimize your pricing

Pricing is a powerful market penetration strategy that helps you gain market share by undercutting competitors and removing barriers to adoption.

Here are four effective sales pricing strategies to increase penetration:

Zoom’s pandemic pricing strategy shows how you can rapidly gain market penetration.

3. Find and increase product market fit

Better product-market fit increases customer satisfaction and makes it easier to grow.

Sales reps will face fewer objections and convert more deals, faster. Happy customers will tell their friends about a great product, creating organic growth through customer referrals.

Achieving all these benefits requires systematic feedback collection and rapid product development. Start by collecting feedback throughout the customer journey:

• Hold individual or group customer research sessions

• Run in-product surveys and feedback widgets to gather real-time, contextual input

• Deliver automated NPS surveys at key touchpoints

• Organize focus groups or beta testing sessions to observe user interactions

Once you’ve collected all that feedback, you’ll need a place to store it.

Pipedrive lets you create a customer feedback tracker to store, review and action customer suggestions.

From there, it’s a case of implementing feedback to improve product-market fit.

4. Implement account-based marketing to drive demand

Account-based marketing (ABM) is a sales strategy that concentrates sales resources on high-value prospects within your target market.

Instead of trying to sell to everyone, you take a personalized approach that addresses key decision-makers’ unique pain points and goals.

A high-touch service accelerates sales processes, increases deal sizes and boosts conversion rates. Increase your ABM success using the following tips:

Data platform Snowflake has achieved remarkable success with its account-based marketing efforts.

5. Use AI to increase sales efficiency

Artificial intelligence can dramatically boost your sales productivity and sales efficiency. It helps teams close more deals in their existing markets with less effort.

For example, Pipedrive is an AI-powered CRM that helps sales teams automate repetitive tasks, find high-value prospects and create engaging sales messages faster.

Pipedrive’s AI Sales Assistant monitors your pipeline and sales data. It highlights at-risk deals and suggests which prospects reps should focus on instead. Sales teams spend more time on the deals that are most likely to convert as a result.

The AI email writer helps reps create high-quality, personalized emails at scale, including choosing the type, tone and length of content

6. Run marketing campaigns

A comprehensive marketing campaign increases market penetration by rapidly raising brand awareness and attracting new customers.

Use targeted placements, engaging sales messaging and high-impact offers to stand out and capture more of the market’s attention.

For example, a software company could:

These efforts can be costly, but they can significantly accelerate market capture while increasing brand recognition and driving higher sales volumes.

7. Leverage partnerships and loyalty programs

You can reach more of your sales prospects with the help of partner companies and platforms.

For example, a project management platform might partner with productivity consultants to reach more of its addressable market.

By carefully selecting and supporting these partnerships, you can reach the same customer demographics and grow market share without investing a lot of your own team’s time or resources.

Here are three ways you can expand your distribution channels:

Pipedrive Marketplace is a great example of this strategy.

By creating an ecosystem for third-party apps, Pipedrive accesses new target audiences and markets without direct sales effort. The CRM also benefits from increased product adoption, deeper brand loyalty and better platform functionality.

Final thoughts

Market penetration strategies like price optimization and ABM can increase market share without the need to launch new products or enter new markets.

Market penetration strategies can also build brand recognition, stronger relationships and economies of scale for your SMB.

Pipedrive gives you the tools to streamline your sales process, improve your sales efficiency and convert more leads. Start a free trial today to see the AI-powered CRM in action.

Before home buyers pick up the phone, they spend weeks browsing listings online.

An internet data exchange (IDX) integration lets you add those listings to your website, capturing leads before they bounce to a competitor.

In this guide, you’ll learn how IDX works, which features matter most and how to set it up on your own site. You’ll see how to turn your website into a lead-generation tool that keeps buyers engaged.

IDX in real estate key takeaways

• IDX in real estate is a system that shows live property listings from the multiple listing service (MLS) on your website.

• When visitors search your site, the IDX system pulls up the latest property data and displays it under your brand.

• To add IDX to your website, choose a plug-in solution or an all-in-one provider and get approval from your local MLS.

• Pipedrive’s CRM helps real estate agents automate lead capture and nurture long-term prospects. Try it free for 14 days.

What is IDX in real estate?

IDX is a system that enables real estate agents to display live property listings on their own websites, whether they’re part of a large brokerage or working independently.

When someone searches for homes, they see the same fresh information that appears on major syndication portals like Zillow and Trulia. The difference is, they’re doing it on your site, where you can capture their details and build rapport.

Here’s what it looks like in practice:

So what does IDX mean in real estate?

Think of it like a news feed. Instead of visiting different websites for updates, users can see all the latest stories through your personalized feed.

Here’s why IDX makes sense for your business:

Before setting up your own IDX feed, make sure you really understand how it works.

How does IDX work in simple terms?

IDX works by creating a direct connection between your local property database and your website.

Here’s the basic process:

1. In the real estate industry, realtors list properties on a shared database called the multiple listing service. The MLS is like a central filing service that all licensed agents in an area can access.

2. IDX providers then convert the MLS data for websites, making sure search filters work and every real estate listing shows up correctly.

3. When someone visits your website and searches for homes, your IDX system checks the MLS database. The results appear on your site as if you maintain all those listings yourself.

Here’s what an MLS listing looks like, showing all relevant information about the property:

When one agent lists a house on the MLS, every other agent can see it and show it to their buyers. You’ll need the listing agent’s permission and follow the rules about sharing the sales commission.

Now that you know how IDX works, it’s time to put it to use. Adding IDX to your real estate website takes a few steps, and the result is worth it.

How to add IDX to your real estate website

Adding an IDX feed to your website transforms it from an online brochure into a lead-generating machine.

Displaying live property listings gives buyers a reason to stick around, search for properties and connect with you.

Here’s how to add IDX to your own website in four easy steps.

1. Check your local MLS rules and requirements

Before you display any IDX listings, you need official permission from your local MLS. It guards data carefully to ensure only licensed real estate professionals use it.

Each MLS has different rules about displaying listings. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) influences many of these policies.

Some standard requirements include:

• You must be an active MLS member in good standing

• Your agent website needs to display specific disclaimers or attribution text

• You might need MLS approval before going live with IDX

• Some MLS systems require specific data refresh rates or search limitations

First, contact your local real estate board or MLS provider and ask it about its process for getting an IDX data feed. You’ll need to fill out paperwork, agree to the terms of use and pay an access fee.

Just make sure you have the right MLS. There are over 500 independent, regional MLSs in the US. An agent working in a large metro area might need data from more than just one.

2. Choose your IDX solution

Once you have approval, you need the right real estate sales stack to get listings from the MLS onto your website.

There are two main choices: an all-in-one provider or a plugin for your site.

An all-in-one provider is the easiest, most hands-off approach. These companies specialize in building real estate websites with IDX fully integrated from the start. They handle the technical setup, design and any ongoing maintenance.

Companies like IDX Broker provide hosting, website design and IDX functionality as one package. Here’s what one of IDX Broker’s hosted websites looks like:

While it costs more monthly, it removes the headaches of managing hosting and plugins separately.

If you already have a website that works well for you (like one using WordPress), a plugin is your best bet.

You can add plugins to your website to connect the MLS feed and show active listings. While it’s more flexible, you’ll need some technical know-how to set it up yourself.

3. Select the right provider or plugin

IDX solutions offer different features, perks and pricing.

Here are a few things to investigate:

• Call the provider and confirm they have a feed from your local MLS board

• Ask about how often they refresh data from your MLS

• Find out if they’ve had any recent outages or issues

• Confirm they support all property types you want to show

If everything looks good, make a note of that IDX solution. Once you have a shortlist of options, compare features.

What to look for in an IDX solution for real estate

Here are the key IDX features to consider and how they’ll benefit your real estate

website:

Beyond the core features, consider what other marketing tools the provider offers. Some include built-in features for creating property landing pages or sharing listings on social media, adding more value.

Most importantly, they should have a reliable connection to your specific MLS.

Some providers claim to work with hundreds of MLSs but actually get data through third-party feeds that can be slower or less reliable.

Additionally, customization options vary between providers. Some give you total control over colors and layouts, while others only provide basic branding options.

If you have a particular design in mind, ensure your chosen solution supports that customization.

4. Integrate your IDX solution and check compliance requirements

Once you’ve chosen a provider, all you need to do is integrate it with your website.

The process will differ depending on whether you used a plugin or a complete solution.

• If you chose an all-in-one provider: It will handle most things. It’ll use the credentials from your MLS to connect the data feed, build the search pages and let you know when it’s ready to launch.

• If you chose an IDX plugin: You or your web developer will install the plugin on your website. Enter your MLS credentials to activate the feed and change the settings to match your brand positioning.

Either way, you’re probably looking at around 1–3 weeks for full setup and testing.

Upload high-quality versions of your logo and any brand elements. Your IDX pages should feel like part of your website, not like a completely different site that happens to share your logo.

Once you set it up, test everything:

• Run searches for different property types and price ranges

• Test the mobile experience

• Save favorites and ensure they remain on your profile

• Fill out inquiry forms to verify leads flow to your CRM

• Check that all required MLS attributions display properly

• Verify property images load correctly and aren’t distorted

• Test search filters to ensure they comply with fair housing requirements

It’s usually something like “Listing information courtesy of Regional MLS” with the current date and time. Some MLSs want this in a prominent spot, while others are fine with a smaller font at the bottom of the page.

Also, double-check whether your MLS needs you to show agent contact information alongside each property. Some boards mandate this and others let you show only your own details.

How IDX and a CRM can work together for your real estate business

You can turn website visitors into lifelong clients by connecting your IDX listings to your CRM’s real estate sales process.

An IDX website acts like your digital storefront, attracting buyers with a live feed of every property for sale. The CRM is your command center, managing your contacts and deals.

On their own, they’re both useful tools. When you connect them, you create an automated sales system that guides sales prospects from their first click to a closed real estate transaction.

Using Pipedrive as a CRM example, here are three ways this integration can transform your business to close more deals.

1. Automate lead capture for instant follow-up

Automating your lead capture means you spend less time manually entering data into your CRM.

Speed matters most when converting customers. When you automate real estate lead generation in Pipedrive, you get instant notifications to follow up within minutes. You can even set up welcome emails that send the second someone registers. Here’s how to do it.

First, log in to your Pipedrive account and click your profile picture at the top right corner. Select “Personal preferences” > “API” from the menu on the left.

Copy your CRM API token (a long string of letters and numbers) to connect Pipedrive to your IDX system.

Next, create your real estate pipeline stages. Click the gear icon to open “Settings”, then select “Pipelines”. Choose “Add stage” and create pipeline stages like “New website lead”, “Qualified lead” and “Deal won”.

Now connect your IDX provider. Go to your IDX dashboard and look for a setting like “Integrations” or “CRM”. Every IDX software will be different, so check the guides or contact customer support if you have trouble.

Paste your API token and choose which pipeline receives new leads. Select the starting pipeline stage and save your settings.

Next, set up workflow automation for your welcome emails. In Pipedrive, go to “Settings” > “Automations”. Choose “+ Create automation” and set the trigger as “Deal created”.

Add the action “Send email” and write an email template that greets your lead and gives them a heads up that you’ll call them soon. Use merge tags for the lead’s name and property address to personalize your messaging.

You can also use Pipedrive’s AI email writer to fine-tune your sales email template. Give it a simple prompt and it’ll generate an email template that helps you enrich leads.

Finally, test your setup. Visit your IDX website and register as a new user with a test email address. Save a property or request information, then check Pipedrive to confirm the new deal appears in the correct pipeline stage.

2. Gain deeper insights for smarter conversions

One of the advantages of an IDX and CRM integration is the data it gives you.

Instead of making blind calls, you can have value-driven conversations based on a lead’s search behavior.

This data is the key to faster conversions. Here’s how to find these insights in Pipedrive.

First, find the lead’s activity log. Open the new deal that Pipedrive created in your pipeline. Some IDX integrations will add the lead’s browsing activity as a note or custom field inside the deal’s detail view.

Look for details like:

• Properties viewed – list of the specific addresses they clicked on

• Searches saved – the exact criteria they’re using (e.g., “4 bedrooms in Denver, CO,” “Price < $850,000”)

• Properties favorited – the listings they have saved, which indicate a high level of interest

Next, analyze this data to build a client profile. Before you call, you can identify their preferred suburbs, budget and must-have features.

Now, use this information to have a smarter first conversation. Instead of a generic introduction, you can provide immediate value.

• Generic approach: “Hi, I saw you signed up on my website. Are you looking to buy a home?”

• Insight-driven approach: “Hi, I saw you saved a few 3-bedroom homes in the Capitol Hill area. I know that neighborhood well and a great property just came on the market that isn’t on the portals yet. Do you have a minute to chat about it?”

Finally, use custom filters to prioritize your hottest leads.

If your IDX provider can sync data like “Last Seen” or “Number of Properties Saved” to Pipedrive, you can create custom fields for this information under Settings > Data fields.

Then, go to your “Deals” view and create a new filter to show you leads who have been active in the last seven days and have saved more than five properties. You’ll focus your energy on buyers who are actively searching and most likely to convert.

3. Nurture long-term leads with targeted real estate marketing

The key to converting leads is to build trust and nurture them through consistent, relevant real estate marketing.

Most of the leads from your website won’t be ready to buy a home immediately.

In Pipedrive, you can create custom fields to store IDX search criteria. Go to Settings > Data fields and select “Add custom field”.

Set up fields for the data you want to track, like preferred city, price range or number of bedrooms. Your IDX might be able to send these to your CRM automatically, but if not, you’ll need to add it manually.

Next, build a targeted filter to segment your contacts. Go to the “People” tab in the left-hand menu. Click on the filter dropdown menu and select “+ Add new filter”.

Now, create a condition that targets a specific group. For example, you can filter for all contacts whose “Preferred city” is Denver and “Target price range” is $750k–$900k.

Then, send a group email with hyper-relevant real estate marketing content. With your new filter active, you have a curated list of best-fit prospects with the same goals.

Select all the contacts in the filter, click the “…” button and choose “Send group email”. (This requires Pipedrive’s Campaigns add-on).

Send them a targeted message, like a quarterly market report for Denver or a new listing that just came up. It’ll prove you’re an expert who pays attention to their needs

IDX in real estate FAQs

Final thoughts

IDX turns your website into a property search tool for your local market. Instead of sending potential buyers to large portals, you provide everything they need under your brand.

A successful IDX website means more leads to manage. The challenge is giving everyone the attention they deserve without letting anyone slip through the cracks.

Try Pipedrive’s CRM free for 14 days and see how it can help you organize every lead into a visual sales pipeline, so you always know who to follow up with next.

Customer adoption is more than just getting someone to sign up, it’s about helping them realize the full value of your product as quickly and smoothly as possible. When users understand how to use your solution and see results early, they’re far more likely to stay, succeed and advocate for your brand.

The customer adoption guide breaks down the process into clear, manageable stages. You’ll learn how to identify friction points, track the right metrics and apply proven strategies to improve onboarding, engagement and long-term retention.

Whether you’re launching a new SaaS product or refining your customer success strategy, strong customer adoption is key to driving growth and loyalty.

What is customer adoption

The adoption process often starts after the initial sale. Key stages include onboarding, first use, feature engagement and routine usage. Each step builds familiarity and confidence, ensuring customers not only understand the product but continue using it to solve real problems.

Successful adoption reduces churn, increases lifetime value and boosts referrals. It also strengthens alignment across marketing, sales and customer success by shifting the focus from acquisition to sustained impact.

Why customer adoption matters

Customer adoption reflects how successfully users integrate your product into their daily operations. It’s not just about activation, it’s about continued usage, growing confidence and expanding value over time. When adoption is high, customers are more likely to renew, upgrade to higher tiers, refer peers and explore new features.

Low adoption, on the other hand, signals deeper issues. It often stems from confusing onboarding experiences, unclear value messaging or a lack of support post-signup. Even the best products can struggle if users don’t understand how to use them or why they matter, creating churn risk and reducing the long-term return on investment (ROI).

A well-defined adoption process helps users reach outcomes faster. It turns signups into long-term success through clear onboarding, support and engagement.

As Satya Nadella put it, “We’ve seen two years’ worth of digital transformation in two months,” highlighting how quickly customers must adapt and why guiding that journey matters.

The customer adoption process explained

Customer adoption typically unfolds in three phases: onboarding, engagement and retention.

Each stage builds on the last, starting with the first login, progressing to core feature use and ultimately driving habitual usage. Setting clear milestones helps track where customers are in their journey and where support may be needed.

Visualizing the adoption process in a customer relationship management (CRM) tool or customer success platform gives teams a real-time view of user behaviour. Users can quickly spot drop-off points, delayed activations or high-performing segments.

Refining each stage based on feedback, usage data and lifecycle triggers creates a more personalized and efficient experience. Small adjustments, like tailored onboarding content or targeted follow-ups, can significantly improve adoption rates and long-term retention.

Stages in the customer adoption process

The customer adoption process moves through several distinct stages. Each one plays a critical role in building user confidence and encouraging long-term usage.

Knowing which stage a user is in allows your team to tailor communication, support and product experiences to maximize adoption at every touchpoint.

How to accelerate adoption

Effective customer adoption starts with personalization. Tailor the onboarding experience based on user role, use case or behavior. Welcome emails, product walkthroughs and in-app checklists should guide new users through the product’s most valuable features.

It’s recommended to use behavior-based triggers to encourage engagement beyond the first login. For example, if a user completes a key action, surface a relevant next step or offer a tip to deepen usage. Timely check-in emails or customer success calls can also help reinforce value and quickly resolve any confusion or roadblocks users may face.

Finally, highlight milestones and outcomes that matter to the user. Whether it’s hitting usage goals, inviting team members or automating a task, celebrating progress makes the product feel valuable.

Common adoption challenges and solutions

If users feel overwhelmed during onboarding, break the experience into smaller, guided steps with clear progress indicators. Rather than introducing every feature at once, focus on showing the most relevant tools first based on the user’s goals or role.

Many teams rely too heavily on email nudges to encourage adoption, but these can be easy to overlook or mistimed. Embedding in-product prompts or scheduling outreach based on usage patterns and real-time customer observations helps reduce drop-off and improve long-term adoption.

– Richard Tallboy, CIO, Wagamama

With B2B buyers now engaging across an average of 10 channels during their journey, supporting adoption through multiple touchpoints is no longer optional. Teams that build seamless, omnichannel experiences are better equipped to maintain engagement and reduce drop-off.

Why strong adoption benefits growth

Well-executed customer adoption increases customer lifetime value, reduces churn and boosts referral rates. When users see value early, they gain confidence, trust the product and are more likely to stick around. That early success lays the groundwork for long-term loyalty and ongoing engagement.

For subscription businesses, adoption is central to sustainable and scalable growth. Products that are embedded in daily workflows create habits, not just usage. Satisfied users convert, renew and become powerful advocates who drive organic growth through word-of-mouth and referrals.

How to drive successful customer adoption

Turning signups into active users requires more than onboarding flows. Success depends on guiding users to value with coordinated support across the customer journey.

Start with clear success criteria: what should the user achieve in week one, month one and beyond? Track progress and adjust messaging based on behavior, not just time-based triggers.

Cross-functional alignment makes a difference. When product, sales and success teams operate from the same data, they can proactively engage users, address blockers early and deliver a more consistent experience.

Common adoption roadblocks and how to solve them

Successful customer adoption often stalls due to a few repeatable issues. Spotting and addressing these early helps boost retention and long-term satisfaction.

• Unclear onboarding paths: When users are unsure what to do next, engagement drops. To create momentum, use structured checklists, welcome flows and step-by-step onboarding.

• Feature overload: Presenting too many options at once can overwhelm new users. Instead, introduce key features first, then gradually reveal more advanced functionality.

• Lack of follow-up: Without timely check-ins or nudges, users may disengage. Use automated reminders, milestone notifications or invite-only training to re-engage at key points.

• No success metrics: If teams don’t track adoption key performance indicators (KPIs), it’s difficult to measure progress or spot friction. To stay aligned, assign adoption tasks and track milestones using tools like Pipedrive.

Proactively resolving these blockers leads to higher product satisfaction, stronger user outcomes and scalable growth over time.

How Pipedrive supports stronger customer adoption

Pipedrive gives teams the tools to manage every stage of the customer adoption journey, from initial onboarding to long-term engagement.

The tool’s visual pipelines make it easy to track onboarding milestones, usage triggers and support interactions – all essential parts of effective customer management. By assigning activities to each phase of adoption, teams can standardize the process while staying responsive to individual user needs.

Pipedrive also integrates with email, scheduling and automation tools, ensuring timely follow-ups, engagement campaigns and support check-ins happen without delay.

As adoption data flows into the CRM, businesses gain a real-time view of user health, helping reduce churn and improve retention.

Final thoughts

Customer adoption is the bridge between delivering a product and creating a sustainable, revenue-driving ecosystem. A structured process, data-led engagement and value-driven onboarding transform casual users into dedicated customers.

Improving adoption strengthens retention and deepens customer lifetime value. A well-planned and measurable adoption process helps turn day-one value into long-term growth.

In video production, building strong client relationships is as important as producing high-quality content. From corporate shoots to wedding films and documentaries, staying on top of leads, contracts and communication can quickly become overwhelming without the right tools in place.

A customer relationship management (CRM) for videographers helps centralize workflows, streamline daily operations and support long-term business growth. Whether working solo or managing a small production team, the right platform turns a creative business into a more structured and scalable one.

What is a CRM for video production?

CRMs can capture incoming inquiries from email, social media or website forms, helping videographers quickly log potential projects and qualify leads without manual data entry.

A CRM also simplifies tracking production timelines, storing client information and automating tasks like follow-ups or invoice scheduling. With a central hub in place, it becomes easier to manage workloads, maintain consistent communication and deliver a smoother client experience from inquiry to the final cut.

Why videographers benefit from a dedicated CRM

Many traditional CRM systems are built for sales teams, making them too rigid for creative workflows. Videographers need a CRM that supports planning, shooting and delivery – without adding complexity.

Rather than switching back and forth between various tools, a CRM brings together all aspects such as leads, client information, shoot schedules and file links into one central location. Using this system results in quicker response times, improved team collaboration and a streamlined client experience.

Even on the go, mobile access ensures that shoot details or task updates are always within reach. Integration with tools like Google Calendar or file storage systems also reduces the need to duplicate work across platforms.

– Bonisile MgidiBonisile Mgidi, Commercial Insurance Broker

Key features to look for in a CRM

Not every CRM is designed with creative businesses in mind. Choosing one that supports the unique pace and structure of video production makes daily tasks smoother and client interactions more professional.

These capabilities help streamline day-to-day tasks while supporting creative work, making it easier to manage projects, clients and communication in one place.

How a CRM supports video production workflows

A CRM improves each stage of the production lifecycle, starting with lead capture. Inquiries from web forms or social media can be automatically logged and qualified by budget, location or shoot type. Proposal templates simplify the booking process and help maintain a professional, timely flow of communication.

Once a project is confirmed, production moves through clearly defined stages – planning, filming, editing and delivery. Within the CRM, tasks can be assigned to team members, shoot dates tracked and status updates logged, keeping everything transparent and aligned.

According to Rentman, many video professionals also benefit from mobile access, which allows quotations, task updates and timelines to be viewed or updated on the go – ensuring real-time coordination, even during busy shoot days.

After delivery, the CRM can prompt follow-ups for testimonials, reviews or future bookings. Tracking long-term client data also supports retention and referral opportunities, helping maintain momentum even between projects.

Onboarding new clients with consistency

A CRM enables videographers to effectively convert new inquiries into confirmed projects by following a systematic approach.

Right from the initial contact, automated emails and intake forms can gather important information, such as event dates, shoot locations and project objectives, without the need for constant communication.

As the project moves forward, the CRM acts as a central hub for contracts, payment timelines and production notes. Using templates for quotes and agreements keeps communication consistent, while reminders help track next steps without relying on memory.

When managing multiple shoots, a consistent onboarding system ensures nothing is missed. CRMs give teams visibility into what’s confirmed, what’s pending and what’s needed – so every client receives a timely, professional experience.

Common CRM mistakes in creative businesses

When properly utilized, a CRM can enhance efficiency and organization in creative tasks, but if not implemented correctly, it can hinder progress and cause unwanted challenges for videographers.

A common problem is trying to do too many things at once. Using complex processes, many automated tools and custom categories can make getting started harder. Starting simple and adding more processes over time leads to better results in the long run.

Automation is often underused. Many teams still manage follow-ups and reminders manually, making project tracking harder than it needs to be. Simple automations‌, ‌like scheduling follow-ups after proposals – ‌can save hours each week and keep projects on track.

Disorganized records make it harder to deliver consistent service. Missing details or scattered notes can lead to confusion and delays. Storing communication, preferences and documents in one place keeps the team aligned and reduces miscommunication.

Lastly, skipping regular reviews can cause the system to feel cluttered or outdated. Without maintenance, pipelines fill with inactive leads and outdated projects. Reviewing and updating the CRM monthly keeps it focused and useful.

Using CRM insights to improve business decisions

In addition to managing daily tasks, a CRM can provide valuable insights to inform larger decisions. Analyzing patterns in lead generation, deal duration and project scope enables the CRM to identify successful and unsuccessful strategies.

For instance, if most bookings are made through Instagram, direct messages or referral emails, marketing strategies can be adjusted accordingly. Similarly, monitoring the conversion rates for different types of shoots can assist in improving the services offered or pricing strategies.

Custom fields allow teams to track details like shoot location, gear required or editing time. Over time, these data points can be used to estimate timelines more accurately or plan resourcing more efficiently.

CRMs also help measure client satisfaction. Tracking repeat bookings, testimonial requests or response times can highlight areas to improve client experience, which is key to long-term growth.

Building a CRM habit across the team

For production teams, the CRM becomes more powerful when it’s part of the daily routine. CRM Adoption often fails when only one person uses it or when updates happen sporadically.

Integrating CRM use into onboarding, weekly meetings or shoot planning helps ensure everyone is aligned. Team members should know how to log updates, tag contacts and complete tasks consistently.

Setting up shared views, project dashboards or task queues keeps responsibilities visible and ensures nothing slips through. Clear ownership of each CRM stage – from lead intake to delivery helps maintain momentum across projects.

A CRM isn’t just a tool for producers or managers. Editors, assistants and freelancers can all benefit from visibility into timelines, shoot details and client preferences, especially when schedules are tight or shoots run back to back.

Why Pipedrive works for videographers

Pipedrive provides a visually appealing interface that caters to the workflow of video production teams. Its drag-and-drop pipelines simplify the process of planning and monitoring various stages of a shoot, including discovery and editing, across multiple projects.

The built-in workflow automation feature takes care of repetitive tasks such as sending contracts, assigning editors and reminding clients of delivery dates. With the use of custom fields, users are able to record shoot locations, equipment requirements and preferred video formats, ensuring that the entire team is well-informed and maintains consistency.

Pipedrive also supports campaign management, showing which marketing channels generate the most qualified leads. With integration options for tools like Google Workspace, Zoom and invoicing software, it becomes a hub for both client communication and internal coordination.

For videographers looking to scale without losing creative control, Pipedrive offers a practical and flexible solution.

Final thoughts

A CRM for videographers is more than a tool for storing contact information. It serves as a central platform for managing client relationships, tracking projects and supporting business growth. From lead capture to production planning and follow-up, it brings structure to every stage of the process.

Pipedrive’s adaptability, automation and user-friendly design make it a strong choice for production professionals who want to improve workflows while focusing on what matters most – creating great content and building strong client partnerships.

Your brand identity does the heavy lifting regarding customer recognition and trust. Get it right, and people will remember your business and return when they’re ready to buy.

Building a brand identity takes some planning, but it’s one of the best investments you can make to ensure people will recognize your brand.

This guide provides nine practical steps for creating a brand identity that connects with your target audience and supports your business goals.

What is brand identity?

Your brand identity is everything that makes your business recognizable. It includes visuals (like your logo and colors) and how you communicate with customers.

When brand identity elements work together, they create a clear picture of what your business stands for. Customers know what to expect, and your team knows how to represent your company.

Take Red Bull, for example. The company built a memorable brand around high-energy advertising and sponsorship of extreme sports.

Every piece of marketing reinforces the idea that Red Bull “gives you wings”, fuelling adventure. When you see a Formula 1 car or a skydiving video, you expect to see Red Bull’s logo.

For small businesses and startups, a great brand identity builds trust with potential customers. Every touchpoint reinforces who you are and why customers should choose you.

Some companies go bold and playful, while others choose serious and professional. The key is making sure all of the pieces fit together and reflect what your business is really about.

How to create a brand identity that drives engagement

Developing a brand identity helps you build the customer relationships necessary for growth. It provides a clear framework for your customer service, marketing and sales.

Here’s a nine-step brand identity development process for your small business.

1. Define your brand’s core personality and values

Before you pick colors or design logos, you need to know what your brand stands for and how it should feel to customers.

Your brand’s values are the foundation of your identity. They guide every decision, from the products you sell to how you interact with customers.

Patagonia is a solid example of a good brand with strong values. It built its brand around the mission “We’re in business to save our home planet”.

The company’s personality is rugged and rebellious, encouraging customers to buy less and repair their gear.

Start defining values by answering a few core questions about your business:

A useful way to categorize your brand’s personality is with Aaker’s “Five Dimensions” framework:

• Sincerity: down-to-earth, honest and cheerful

• Excitement: daring, imaginative and modern

• Competence: reliable, intelligent and successful

• Sophistication: upper-class, charming and luxurious

• Ruggedness: outdoorsy, tough and resilient

For example, a new accounting firm might use a mix of competence (to build trust) and sincerity (to feel approachable). Its choice informs future branding decisions, steering them toward a design that looks both professional and welcoming.

Write down your answers to these questions. You’ll reference them during the next steps and when making future decisions.

2. Research your target audience’s visual preferences

Once you know your brand’s personality, you must understand what appeals to the people you want to reach.

When your visual identity matches your audience’s expectations, you’ll see stronger engagement and higher conversion rates. Mismatched branding can make potential customers uncertain about your business, causing them to look elsewhere.

Start by gathering basic information about your target customer personas. If you’re just starting out, look at your current customer base or research your ideal customer profile.

Here are the main areas to research:

To gather this information:

Finally, review the websites and marketing efforts of other businesses in your field. Note the colors, logos and overall tone they use.

Analyze your competitors and look for opportunities to differentiate your business. A more friendly approach could help you stand out if they all use a corporate style.

3. Choose your brand colors using psychology principles

Colors trigger emotional responses and influence how people see your business. Understanding psychology helps you pick shades that support your brand personality and appeal to your target audience.

For some companies, color becomes a crucial part of their brand image. Take Tiffany & Co., which has used its signature “Tiffany Blue” since 1845.

The robin’s egg blue appears on everything from store interiors to jewelry boxes, creating an emotional connection and driving brand loyalty.

Pipedrive uses this same strategic thinking with its color choices. Its vibrant green reflects the company’s goal of driving growth for small businesses.

It balances this with pops of purple to create an energetic yet professional feel.

The right color palette can make customers feel more confident buying from you. Marketing studies frequently show how people associate certain colors with specific emotions.

Here are some common color associations to consider, according to a recent review of the research:

To build a balanced palette, use the 60-30-10 rule:

• Use your primary color 60% of the time. The color that best represents your brand’s core personality.

• Use your secondary color 30% of the time. This one should support your primary color and provide contrast.

• Use an accent color 10% of the time. Use this shade sparingly for essential elements like call-to-action buttons.

When you’ve settled on a palette, run a focus group, show the colors to your target audience and ask what comes to mind. Their responses will tell you if your colors send the right message.

Colors can look different on screens versus printed materials. Always test your colors across the platforms where your audience sees your brand most often.

4. Design a memorable logo that tells your story

Your logo is often the first thing people notice about your brand, but a strong design doesn’t have to be complex or expensive. Simple logos work better because they’re easier to recognize.

Zoom’s logo design shows how effective basic visual branding can be:

It’s just a simple camera icon, yet it became instantly recognizable during the remote work boom.

The most common types of logos include:

A high-quality logo should:

• Work in black and white (not just color)

• Look clear when small (like a social media profile picture)

• Work in different sizes for different types of marketing content

• Reflect your brand personality and leave a lasting impression

• Stand out from competitor logos

• Be easy to reproduce both digitally and physically

• Be visible on different colored backgrounds

If the budget is tight, start with simple text-based logos using clean fonts. Tools like Canva can help you create something professional-looking for free. As your business grows, consider investing in a graphic designer.

Skip trends that might look dated in a few years. Instead, focus on timeless design principles rather than popular ones to avoid rebranding early.

Finally, save your final logo in multiple formats (PNG, JPG, SVG) so you can use it everywhere from business cards to billboards.

5. Select typography that matches your brand voice

The fonts you use help define your brand’s voice. Good typography makes your written material more readable and adds personality to your communications.

Spotify shows how typography reinforces its voice. It uses a custom font called “Spotify Circular” with rounded letters that feel modern and accessible.

This typeface matches their personality as a platform that makes music discovery easy and enjoyable.

You’ll need two fonts: one for headlines and another for body text. Your primary font should be distinctive, while your secondary font keeps text clean and easy to read.

For example, pair a serif or sans-serif font with a script one. Here’s how they differ:

• Serif fonts like Times New Roman have small decorative lines on the letters. They’re more traditional and authoritative.

• Sans-serif fonts like Arial lack these lines. They look modern and are very easy to read on screens, making them the best for email.

• Script fonts like Pacifico imitate digital handwriting. They’re elegant and personal, but better for accents because they’re less legible.

When choosing fonts, make sure they’re readable at small sizes (12 pt and smaller), readily available on different platforms and devices and work well in digital and print formats.

Google Fonts offers hundreds of free options. Two popular combinations are Montserrat (headlines) with Open Sans (body text) or Playfair Display (headlines) with Source Sans Pro (body text).

6. Develop your brand voice and messaging framework

Your brand voice is how your business sounds when it communicates. It should feel consistent whether someone reads your website, social media posts or sales emails.

Consider the difference between how a bank talks to customers and how a coffee shop does. The bank uses formal language, while the coffee shop uses casual terms that make customers feel welcome.

Both approaches work, but they serve different brand personalities.

To create a consistent brand voice, you need a strong messaging framework to guide you. It’ll define the key points you want to communicate and how you do it, so your brand always sounds the same.

For example, Pipedrive built its brand around the idea that it’s “a tool created by salespeople, for salespeople”. This concept guides everything from product development to marketing, ensuring every customer interaction reinforces its expertise in sales.

Here are some messaging takeaways to consider (with examples from Nike):

Once you’ve defined these elements, draft responses to common customer questions using your brand voice. It’ll give your team examples to follow when talking to prospects.

Write down specific words and phrases your brand will use or avoid. For instance, you might use “affordable pricing” instead of “cheap” to position your product as valuable rather than low-quality.

With a clear outline, you ensure everyone in your company talks about the brand similarly.

7. Create brand guidelines that your team can use

Brand guidelines explain how to use your branding. They’re a document that keeps your brand representation consistent as your business grows and you create more content.

Your guidelines should answer the questions after establishing a brand identity, like when someone creates marketing materials.

For example, Pipedrive uses a detailed style guide to ensure consistent branding. It uses simple phrases like “easily manage leads and deals” to showcase how its CRM provides key features that sales teams need.

Its action-oriented messaging reflects the brand’s commitment to empowering sales teams.

Start building your brand guidelines with a short deck slide, like this example from OntraPort:

It’ll be more practical and easier to use than a long document. Make sure to include everything you’ve created up to this point:

It’s also a good idea to include a “what not to do” section with examples of incorrect usage. Explicit visual references help your team avoid off-brand messaging.

Create your guidelines in an easily shareable format, such as a PDF or Google Docs, and store them somewhere your team can always access the latest version.

Introduce the document to key team members and make the guidelines part of your onboarding process for new hires and freelancers.

Treat these guidelines like a living document. Update them regularly as your brand evolves from an unknown startup to a recognizable company.

8. Apply your new brand identity across all touchpoints

Now that you have your brand identity design, use it everywhere customers encounter your business.

Consistency across the customer journey helps them recognize you immediately, whether they visit your website or receive a package from you.

Start with the touchpoints your customers see most often. If you do most of your business online, prioritize your website and social media profiles. If you meet customers in person regularly, focus on business cards and printed materials first.

Here are the main touchpoints to consider:

Don’t overlook the less visible touchpoints like packaging materials and your office space (if customers visit). Your email auto-responses, voicemail messages and customer support scripts should also reflect your brand voice. These small details add up to create a cohesive brand experience.

Tackle brand elements step by step. If you have existing materials, use them before ordering new ones with updated branding. When you reorder, make sure everything follows your brand guidelines.

9. Maintain brand consistency in your sales process

Your sales process is where prospects become customers. When every customer interaction reinforces your branding identity, prospects are more likely to see you as organized and reliable.

Slack is a good example of how to make a brand strategy consistent across sales and marketing.

The brand’s marketing strategy incorporates the same friendly voice into every sales touchpoint. Pointers like “don’t make me think” and “be compelling” guide writing across Slack interfaces and materials, including sales demos and emails.

Here’s an example:

As a result, when reps step in, they speak the same language as users, both in the app and on the website.

To develop your branded sales process, start with email templates for your most common sales conversations. Write templates for initial outreach and follow-up messages that follow your brand style guide.

Next, create proposal templates that use your brand colors for section headers and keep the same tone throughout.

Brand consistency isn’t just about looking polished – it builds trust. When every email, proposal and interaction feels like it’s coming from the same company, leads are more likely to feel confident in your offer.

But as your team grows and juggles a dozen deals at once, maintaining consistency becomes harder. Different reps may use different wording, forget to update files or skip the brand guidelines altogether.

That’s where a central system becomes essential to keeping everyone aligned.

A customer relationship management (CRM) system organizes your sales process. It stores customer data, tracks interactions and keeps your sales playbook in one place.

With Pipedrive’s CRM, you can:

The result is a sales experience that reinforces your brand at every step, giving prospects confidence and driving customer loyalty.

Final thoughts

Learning how to build a brand identity is an investment that’ll help you connect with your ideal customers and build trust for long-term growth.

Define your brand’s values, then build your visuals and messaging. Stay consistent across your marketing and sales so every customer interaction feels the same.

A CRM helps you create a successful brand with a consistent sales process. Start a 14-day free trial to see how Pipedrive enables you to find more leads and close deals faster.

The right sales management course gives you the skills to develop and empower your sales team to hit their targets and close high-quality deals.

With so many management courses available online, it can be difficult to choose one that matches your circumstances, budget and learning needs.

In this article, you’ll learn how sales management training can help salespeople at all career stages, explore seven of the best online courses to consider and choose the one that’ll best equip you to lead and sell more effectively.

Key takeaways from management courses online

• Management courses online help new and seasoned leaders keep up with shifting customer demands, employee expectations and sales trends and technologies.

• Effective sales management training combines data-driven decision-making with strong people management to coach high-performing teams effectively.

• The best course choice depends on your career stage, time availability and intended outcomes: new managers benefit from foundational learning, while senior leaders gain most from strategy-focused training.

• For managers looking to put leadership skills into practice with a smart CRM, Pipedrive Academy courses are a strong place to start online – sign up for a 14-day Pipedrive trial.

Why sales management training is critical for sales leaders in 2025

New and aspiring sales leaders aren’t the only ones who can benefit from online sales management training programs.

With buyer behaviors constantly evolving, even highly experienced sales managers must keep updating their skillsets to succeed. Here are three main reasons why:

1. The current shift toward digital-first selling, data-driven decision-making and remote team management means today’s sales leaders need both traditional people management skills and technological fluency.

2. Modern consumer attitudes toward corporate social responsibility, omnichannel shopping and brand loyalty mean sales teams have new expectations to meet. It’s a leader’s job to go beyond traditional coaching to ensure every rep is closing sales deals in line with customer needs.
   
   

3. Employees’ expectations and priorities in flexible working, sustainability and diversity are changing. Sales managers must account for this changing landscape and embrace new sales models and technologies to be effective leaders.

With all this in mind, great sales management courses can teach you how to:

Become a better coach for developing salespeople to build high-performing teams

Best 9 sales management courses to hone your skills in 2025

To simplify your search for the perfect course, this article has built a list of starting points to consider.

Here are nine of the best sales management courses online in 2025, covering a range of leadership styles, skill levels, teaching methods and time demands.

First, explore this handy table summarizing all nine course recommendations – starting from beginner-friendly, freely accessible options and moving on to more advanced leadership courses to support more comprehensive business strategies.

Next, delve into the specifics of each course to help you plan and incorporate your learning efforts into your time management system.

1. Best for basic leadership knowledge: Udemy – Sales Management: Creating a Solid Foundation

This “fast-track overview” tailors sales leadership foundations for beginners transitioning into managerial positions. The no-frills taster course uses simple terminology to give salespersons a solid understanding of sales management roles.

The short course includes

• Seven best-practice frameworks for effective team management

• Hands-on tips for solving common, day-to-day sales team challenges

• A downloadable workbook and personal action plan to reinforce key learnings

There are five modules with 14 self-contained lectures that learners can follow in any order, followed by a final five-question test to reinforce the newly gained knowledge.

Course details:

Format: Online, self-paced

Cost: Free

Duration: 46 minutes of on-demand video

Teaching method: Video tutorials with a supporting workbook and a short quiz at the end

Certification: No formal badge or certificate provided (the course focuses on practical learning rather than credentials)

2. Best for developing your leadership skills: ASLAN – Catalyst

As well as offering training for sales managers in inside sales, call center sales and field sales, ASLAN provides a sales leadership training program called Catalyst.

The course consists of three core modules: Lead, Manage and Coach.

Throughout, learners can leverage the cloud-based Catalyst Dashboard to manage 200+ developmental activities for reps and track results, productivity, competency and engagement levels.

Upon completion of the workshop, a post-training certification path helps leaders integrate newly acquired skills into their daily practices and initiatives.

One of this course’s biggest selling points is its focus on changing how you see and approach leadership. If your one-size-fits-all management approach isn’t getting results, you’ll find ASLAN’s Other-Centric leadership philosophy valuable and insightful.

Course details:

• Cost: Varies based on cohort, individual or group sales and management training requirements. – Contact ASLAN for a quote.

• Duration: The core training is a concentrated two-day workshop, with customized pacing also an option. Post-training certification typically lasts 90 days.

• Teaching method: Online or in-person interactive workshops with skill development activities and a dashboard for tracking results.

• Certification: Learners complete a structured assessment and receive ASLAN Leadership Certification on completion.

3. Best for driving sales growth: eCornell – Sales Growth Certificate Program

Based on the 2016 book Sales Growth: Five Proven Strategies from the World’s Sales Leaders (authored by McKinsey experts), this five-stage course by Cornell University helps managers build actionable roadmaps for driving sales growth.

While it’s useful for salespeople at all levels, managers are eCornell’s main focus. In the course’s five units, you’ll learn how to:

• Discover sales growth opportunities

• Get the most from your sales efforts

• Win with your key customer accounts

• Negotiate effectively to maximize the value of every sale

• Manage sales performance for team and business growth

Renowned faculty members teach the unit and the content is authored by a host of senior sales specialists from McKinsey & Company, including Director Maria Valdivieso, Senior Partner Homayoun Hatami and Chief Business Development Officer René Langen.

This lineup means you’ll gain access to a goldmine of experience-backed insight from industry leaders.

Course details:

• Cost: $3,900 or $830 per monthly instalment

• Duration: 3–5 hours per week for three months, with each unit lasting two weeks

• Teaching method: Online, instructor-led videos and supporting texts, with a maximum class size of 35 students

• Certification: Learners receive the Sales Growth Certificate from Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management upon completion

4. Best for beginner sales managers using a CRM: Pipedrive Academy – Master Sales Management

Part of the Pipedrive Academy’s free resource library for everything sales- and CRM-related, this beginner-friendly course teaches practical leadership skills that integrate directly with Pipedrive’s CRM workflow for effective sales enablement.

Master Sales Management: Leading Sales Teams with Confidence equips novice sales managers with actionable, tool-specific strategies they can implement immediately, including guidance on:

• Managing and motivating a sales team within a CRM environment

• Tracking sales pipelines and team performance effectively

• Implementing structured sales processes

• Coaching reps to improve their sales deal results

While the course is specific to Pipedrive, all managers can apply the leadership and coaching frameworks learned to their specific roles or sales scenarios.

Course details:

• Cost: Free (all Pipedrive Academy content is free to access)
• Duration: Self-paced, 11 lessons of around 35 minutes
  
• Teaching method: Video tutorials, walkthroughs and CRM-integrated lessons with practical examples
• Certification: Learners receive a badge of completion from the Pipedrive Academy

5. Best for inspiring team performance: RAIN Group – Sales Management

RAIN’s Sales Management training course gives managers the skills to keep their teams motivated, accountable and hitting performance objectives.

Recognizing some of the role’s biggest challenges, it promises to help leaders host more valuable team meetings, forecast performance more effectively, hire great new talent and coach reps to consistently exceed sales targets.

RAIN’s modular approach means participants and their employers can get a more personalized learning experience by focusing on the topics most relevant to their needs to become effective managers.

There are various modules within the leadership course, including:

• Sales Forecasting and Pipeline Management

• Interviewing and Hiring Sales Superstars

• Leading Exceptional Team Meetings

Course details

• Cost and duration: Both vary based on business and learner requirements, and you can contact RAIN Group for a consultation

• Teaching method: Each course comprises online classroom or in-person sessions, online resources and application coaching

• Certification: n/a

6. Best for stepping up to management: LinkedIn’s Transitioning to Management for Salespeople

LinkedIn Learning is a great place to upskill in many professional fields, including sales and marketing management.

At the time of writing, there are 55 courses in the Sales Management section of the platform

The Transitioning to Management for Salespeople course specifically targets new and aspiring sales leaders.

Led by sales consultant and author of Selling with Noble Purpose, Lisa Earle McLeod, this well-reviewed mini-course gives learners an idea of what to expect when switching from team member to team leader.

McLeod focuses on the areas in which new sales managers typically get stuck, including:

• Sales pipeline management

• Sales strategy

• Coaching

• Reporting

• Sales forecasting

• Attracting and retaining talent

• Holding sales meetings

• Working with other departments

• Dealing with failure

It’s a short course, but the points raised here should set the groundwork and inspire your next steps in sales management education.

Course details

• Cost: $29.99 or free with a one-month trial to LinkedIn Learning

• Duration: One hour and 15 minutes (self-paced)

• Teaching method: A series of video tutorials, slideshows and real-life examples presented by Lisa Earle McLeod, with quizzes to test your knowledge

• Certification: Learners receive a LinkedIn “Certificate of Completion” after finishing the course

7. Best for a big-picture view of sales leadership: West Virginia University – Sales Operations/Management Specialization (Coursera)

This Coursera “Specialization” is a five-course series using a mix of theoretical and practical methods to teach students about sales management.

Three highly qualified West Virginia University professors speak on all areas of sales management, including organizing, selecting, training, motivating and compensating team members.

You’ll learn how to:

• Develop a plan for organizing, staffing and training a sales force

• Identify the key factors in establishing and maintaining high morale in the sales force

• Develop an effective sales compensation plan

• Evaluate the performance of a salesperson

• Organize sales territories to maximize selling effectiveness

• Evaluate sales ethics and sales management strategies in relation to current legal standards of practice

Students also get to meet practicing sales managers and build up to an “Applied Learning Project”, which involves analyzing the sales function of a real business.

Course details:

• Cost: Requires a Coursera Plus subscription at $399 per year or $59 per month (includes a seven-day free trial and access to 7,000+ other certificate programs). You can access the course materials for free, but not the assignments, support or certification.

• Duration: This specialization contains one course of five weeks, three courses of four weeks and a final capstone project, for a total of 18–19 weeks.

• Teaching method: A mix of instructor-led course videos, supporting text, graded quizzes and a hands-on assessment project.

• Certification: Learners earn a shareable certificate from West Virginia University on completion.

8. Best for exec-level, strategic management: Harvard – Strategic Sales Management

Unlike entry-level courses, Harvard’s Strategic Sales Management course focuses on strategic decision-making and performance management. Interactive online sessions help learners to master key aspects of sales leadership.

Participants in this intensive four-day course will explore:

Management Essentials also applies strategic theory to real-world business scenarios using interactive exercises and real-world case studies.

Course details:

• Cost: $2,950
• Duration: Two consecutive Tuesdays and Thursdays
• Teaching method: Online instructor-led sessions
• Certification: Certificate of completion from Harvard Division of Continuing Education

9. Best for more win-win outcomes: Sandler – Negotiating Mastery

Sandler’s Negotiating Mastery course emphasizes the power of relationships in sales. As a sales manager, you’ll:

1. Become a stronger negotiator for your own deals

2. Be better positioned to coach reps in sales negotiation styles and best practices

The nine-lesson course includes modules like:

• Understanding and Dealing with the Professional Negotiator

• Sources of Negotiating Leverage

• Personality, Style and Persuasion

• The Most Common Negotiating Mistakes

• Top 12 Gambits Buyers Use and the Countermeasures

Sandler’s teaching methodology is all about reinforcement. As well as providing plenty of theory-based content, it encourages learners to practice new leadership skills through role-play, simulations and other low-risk situations before transferring them to the field.

Course details:

• Cost and duration: Dependent on business and learner requirements – contact Sandler for a custom quote

• Teaching method: A mix of video content and supporting texts, with access to the Sandler Resource Library of podcasts, whitepapers, reports, webinar recordings and e-books

• Certification: n/a

How to choose the right sales management course

All sales management courses have their own focuses, methods and credentials. The following factors should help you make the best decision for your problem-solving and leadership requirements:

Unsure where to start? Take a shorter and broader fundamentals course to get some basic ideas on what you want to pursue in depth as you scale your management efforts.

Management courses online FAQs

Final thoughts

The best sales management training courses allow you to refine old skills, learn new ones and keep up with evolving trends to close deals successfully and stay ahead of your competition.

With such a broad range of sales management training programs available, you should have no trouble finding one that matches your ambitions, schedule, learning style and budget.

Pipedrive Academy courses include sales management and many relevant topics to help you lead teams and sell more effectively. Develop your sales skills and learn how to seamlessly apply them to your CRM processes with a free 14-day Pipedrive trial.

Cloud systems like IaaS, SaaS and PaaS help SMBs create custom applications, manage business operations and drive revenue growth.

The key is knowing which model fits your needs – whether that’s full infrastructure control, a flexible platform for developers or ready-to-use business tools. Using the right option helps you reduce costs and maximize resources.

This article breaks down each system to show differences, benefits and best use cases, so you can confidently choose what works for your business.

Key takeaways about IaaS, SaaS and PaaS

• PaaS (platform as a service) delivers a full app development environment, suiting developers who want to build quickly without managing hardware.

• Pipedrive’s SaaS CRM helps SMBs automate sales tasks, centralize customer data and access clear dashboards to drive smarter decisions – sign up for a free trial today.

What is IaaS, SaaS and PaaS? A simple breakdown

IaaS, SaaS and PaaS providers are cloud computing service models that offer different levels of control and management for business operations.

Choosing the correct type of cloud computing ensures you have the right balance of control, cost and convenience.

For small and medium businesses (SMBs) with limited resources and budgets, selecting the best tool is crucial to avoid overspending and free up time and money without unnecessary technical overhead.

Here’s a breakdown of each type and what it offers.

Infrastructure as a service

Instead of buying and maintaining physical hardware, businesses rent IaaS resources from a provider and scale them up or down as needed.

This flexibility allows companies to:

• Host websites and applications. Companies can deploy websites, e-commerce platforms or software applications with minimal setup, while the provider handles server maintenance and uptime. IT teams can then focus their efforts on development and user experience.

• Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure are popular examples of IaaS platforms, providing:

Here’s an example of the AWS interface:

These platforms offer ready-to-use cloud infrastructure with advanced security, monitoring and compliance tools – letting businesses focus on running applications rather than maintaining hardware.

Software as a service

This format makes it ideal for businesses that want fast, reliable access to tools without the technical overhead.

Teams use SaaS systems to manage business processes, communicate and collaborate efficiently. The SaaS provider handles updates, security and backend maintenance.

This setup enables companies to:

• Access tools instantly. Employees can log in from anywhere on any device without complex installation, boosting productivity.

• Simplify IT management. The provider handles updates, security patches and infrastructure. Internal IT teams can focus on strategic planning and tasks rather than routine maintenance.

Pipedrive is a good example of a SaaS cloud platform. The sales CRM lets growing businesses manage leads, track deals and organize customer interactions entirely online.

Sales teams can access dashboards from anywhere, automate repetitive tasks like follow-ups and gain insights from real-time reports.

Sales reps can focus on closing deals instead of managing the system itself.

This is what a sales dashboard looks like in Pipedrive:

Here are some other features that make Pipedrive a useful SaaS tool:

• Automatic updates and security maintenance. Pipedrive handles all system upgrades and data protection in the background, so businesses always work with the latest features while keeping sensitive information secure.

SaaS systems like Pipedrive save time on technical management, reduce infrastructure costs and give teams more freedom to focus on growth and customer relationships.

Instead of worrying about servers or updates, SMBs can focus their energy on winning new customers and building stronger relationships to drive growth.

With ready-to-use tools, SaaS gives smaller businesses the kind of efficiency and agility that helps them compete with larger players without stretching their budgets or resources.

Platform as a service

Side note: A runtime environment is part of a system that lets your code run. It provides the necessary software, libraries and settings so applications can operate without needing developers to configure the underlying system.

Teams use PaaS systems to build, test and deploy applications without worrying about managing servers, operating systems or backend maintenance.

This setup enables companies to:

• Test and iterate efficiently. PaaS provides pre-configured environments for testing new features, launching prototypes or running pilot programs – reducing setup time and minimizing technical errors.

• Deploy apps seamlessly. Once development is complete, the system quickly deploys applications across multiple environments. The provider also handles scaling and resource management, ensuring reliability and performance.

Popular examples of PaaS providers include Google App Engine and Heroku, which provide:

• Developer tools such as application programming interfaces (APIs), libraries and deployment pipelines

Here’s how the Google App Engine appears in the Google Cloud:

SaaS platforms remove the operational burden of managing infrastructure, so developers have more time to focus on creating value for users.

What are the benefits of IaaS, SaaS and PaaS for SMBs?

As SMBs transition from on-premises data centers toward cloud-based solutions, they can leverage IaaS, SaaS and PaaS in different ways depending on their goals and resources.

Each model offers unique advantages that support businesses at different stages:

Here’s a real-world example of how a cloud-based SaaS application helped an SMB reach tangible outcomes.

5 key differences between IaaS, SaaS and PaaS

Understanding the differences between IaaS, SaaS and PaaS helps businesses choose the right cloud solution.

Each model balances control, flexibility and technical expertise differently, shaping how companies build and use technology.

Here are five key differences that highlight how these services compare.

1. Level of control

Different cloud models offer varying levels of control, which affects how much technical expertise you need and how quickly you can create or customize new features.

Here’s a breakdown of the control you get with each type of cloud services provider:

IaaS provides full control for highly customized setups, while PaaS develops apps without managing the backend. SaaS provides ready-to-use software with minimal technical overhead.

2. Primary use case

Each cloud model supports different business needs, so picking the right solution depends on what you want your business to achieve.

Take a look at some of these use cases to see which cloud services are right for your business:

To sum up, IaaS supports flexible infrastructure needs, SaaS delivers ready-to-use tools for everyday business operations and PaaS speeds up app development.

3. Who uses it

Each cloud model serves different users depending on their technical expertise and business needs.

Here are some examples and use cases of who might use the different cloud services within SMB settings:

IaaS suits technical teams that need full control, while SaaS is ideal for general business users who need ready-to-use tools. PaaS supports developers as they build and deploy apps.

4. Maintenance responsibility

Different cloud models require varying levels of maintenance. This maintenance affects how much time, effort and technical expertise your team needs to invest.

More involvement often allows for greater customization, while less involvement reduces operational overhead.

Here’s how much maintenance each cloud service requires:

IaaS gives full control but requires hands-on maintenance. SaaS removes almost all maintenance responsibilities so teams can focus entirely on using the software. Meanwhile, PaaS reduces technical burden by handling infrastructure while you manage apps.

5. Cost structure

Each cloud model has a different pricing structure, which affects sales budgeting, scalability and how much you pay upfront versus pay-as-you-go.

Understanding the cost structure helps you choose the most cost-effective solution for your needs.

Here’s what to expect when it comes to pricing for IaaS, SaaS and PaaS solutions:

IaaS lets you scale resources with usage-based costs while SaaS provides predictable subscription pricing with minimal operational overhead. PaaS ties costs to development activity.

When should SMBs use IaaS, SaaS and PaaS?

Knowing when to use IaaS, PaaS or SaaS helps SMBs choose the right cloud solution, saving them time, money and technical headaches.

Below are common use cases for each type of cloud service.

Use IaaS for flexible and scalable infrastructure

IaaS providers give SMBs access to powerful infrastructure without the cost of buying or maintaining physical servers, making it easy to scale resources up or down as business needs change.

For example, an online retailer can increase server capacity during holiday shopping periods and scale back afterward.

This flexibility makes IaaS ideal for several use cases:

Although IaaS offers flexibility, it only works well for companies with some in-house technical expertise to manage configurations and security settings. Monitoring usage is important to prevent unexpected costs from scaling resources too quickly.

SaaS for ready-to-use systems

SaaS products give SMBs access to fully managed software tools that require no installation, maintenance or updates, allowing teams to focus on running the business.

For example, a small financial services firm can use a cloud-based CRM to track client interactions, automate follow-ups and generate reports without needing an in-house IT team.

SaaS works well for several key business needs:

• Handling accounting, payroll and HR tasks with cloud apps. SMBs can streamline operations while keeping sensitive data secure.

• Using project management platforms to coordinate teams. Cloud tools allow team members to collaborate, track progress and meet deadlines efficiently.

Typically the most cost-effective option for SMBs, SaaS offers less customization than IaaS or PaaS.

Platforms like Pipedrive, however, let you personalize dashboards, workflows and processes by:

Here’s an example of a custom sales workflow in Pipedrive:

This flexibility lets SMBs tailor the platform to their workflows rather than adapting to a one-size-fits-all system.

Users can also access the Developers’ Corner for advanced integrations. This space provides access to APIs (application programming interfaces) that let your team connect Pipedrive with other software or build custom features.

For example, you can automatically sync data from your accounting system, trigger alerts in your messaging app or create tailored reports that fit your business processes.

This means teams can extend Pipedrive’s functionality to match their workflows without having to manage servers, software updates or backend infrastructure.

PaaS for customizing applications

PaaS lets SMBs build and customize applications without managing the technical backend, making it easier to innovate quickly while managing costs.

For example, a startup can use Google App Engine to test a new mobile app, revise features and launch updates without worrying about server setup or maintenance.

PaaS is ideal for several use cases:

Although PaaS reduces technical burden, there’s a risk of vendor lock-in if you switch service providers later.

“Vendor lock-in” means that once you’ve built your applications or workflows on a particular PaaS provider, it can be difficult or costly to move them to a different provider. This happens because each platform has its own tools, frameworks, APIs and ways of managing data.

Switching might require rewriting parts of your application, retraining staff or adapting integrations, which can be time-consuming and expensive.

Costs can also increase if the platform scales heavily or usage grows unexpectedly.

Final thoughts

IaaS, SaaS and PaaS offer unique advantages, from building infrastructure and developing apps to running everyday operations with minimal technical effort.

Choose the right model by focusing on whether you need maximum control, faster innovation or user-friendly tools.

For many SMBs, SaaS provides the quickest path to value. Pipedrive’s CRM offers instant access to customizable pipelines, dashboards and automation to improve sales processes and close more deals.

Start your free 14-day trial today to simplify sales management without added technical overhead.

When SMBs master psychographic segmentation in marketing, campaigns shift from generic to personal. The result is higher engagement, better conversions and sales teams that know which leads to prioritize.

In this article, you’ll learn the definition of psychographics in marketing and how to gather actionable insights into your customers’ motivations, interests and values. You’ll see how to turn that information into practical segments that power your sales and marketing strategies.

Key takeaways from psychographic segmentation in marketing

• Psychographic segmentation groups customers by motivations and values, not just consumer behavior or demographic data.

• Combine surveys, behavioral data and social listening to build accurate customer segments.

• Create three to five segments that are specific enough to guide messaging but broad enough to be actionable.

• Pipedrive makes it easy to organize psychographic segments with custom labels and track which segments drive the best results – try it free for 14 days.

What is psychographic segmentation in marketing?

Psychographic segmentation divides your audience by their attitudes, interests, motivations and lifestyle.

The purpose is to group people by what matters to them most, so you can personalize campaigns and messages based on their values.

On the other hand, traditional customer segmentation focuses on surface-level data. Demographics groups customers by information like their age or location. Behavioral segmentation groups customers by what they do, like their purchase history or app usage.

Psychographics in marketing reveals what drives customers to act. Using this approach helps you:

• Improve targeting. Craft messages that resonate with specific motivations and interests.

• Increase engagement. Connect with audiences on a deeper level, boosting clicks, email opens and interaction.

• Drive better conversion. Align campaigns with customer values to boost purchases and upselling opportunities.

• Align sales strategy. Help sales prioritize leads and tailor sales outreach based on segment insights.

• Boost campaign efficiency. Reduce wasted spend by focusing on the most relevant audience segments.

Now that you understand what psychographics are in marketing, learn how to extract valuable data to reach and convert your audience.

How to collect psychographic data

To ensure the effectiveness of your psychographic segmentation, you need solid data.

Here are three data collection methods you can combine for a complete picture of your target audience.

Surveys and customer feedback

Questionnaires allow you to ask customers directly about their values, interests and lifestyle choices at scale.

Use tools like SurveyMonkey or Typeform to create and send customer surveys. Ask respondents no more than 10 questions to increase your completion rates (how many people finish your survey).

A mix of quantitative and qualitative questions gives you measurable patterns and a deeper understanding of customer motivations. For example:

Customer interviews or small focus groups can add depth to survey findings. Speaking directly with your ideal customers helps uncover the stories and emotions behind their choices. The valuable insights you glean make your segments more accurate.

Behavioral tracking and analytics

Rather than segmenting your customer base by how often they use your product or what features they use most, leverage behavioral tracking to uncover patterns that reflect their motivations.

Visiting pages about sustainability might reflect eco-friendly values. Downloading whitepapers might show that a customer feels motivated by learning.

If you use a customer relationship management (CRM) tool, you can link it to behavioral tracking to help you capture these psychographic signals.

For example, Pipedrive integrates with the customer journey tracking and scoring tool Salespanel:

The integration tracks website activity like page visits and downloads, then sends the data to your CRM system.

Social media and third-party data sources

Monitoring conversations your customers have outside of your business helps you understand what drives them in their own words.

Here’s how to do it:

• Track relevant mentions and topics with tools like Sprout Social or Hootsuite Insights

• Explore forums like Reddit or see what questions people are asking on Quora

• Tap into industry reports, related blogs and public market research to spot recurring topics

Say startup product managers are one of your main buyer personas. You follow top creators on LinkedIn and the product management Subreddit, noticing lots of conversations around pain points like budgeting and pricing strategy.

This information suggests that a “budget-conscious” or “savings-driven” segment could work for your target market.

How to analyze your data to create psychographic segments

Once you have your customer data, follow these four steps to decide what your psychographic segments will be.

1. Identify your customers’ values, interests and motivations

Gather your data in one place, like a Google Doc or Google Sheet, to make it easy to search.

• If you’ve collected open text like social media comments or qualitative survey answers, look for repeated words and sentiments

• For quantitative survey data, examine the most common or highest-rated responses. Map those top reactions to categories (e.g., if 70% rank “saving time” as important, include that under the motivation category)

• Sort your common topics into groups like values (e.g., sustainability, customer trust), interests (e.g., fitness, tech trends) and motivations (e.g., saving time, growing sales revenue)

As this exercise can be time-consuming, you might prefer to feed your data into ChatGPT to sort responses into categories and highlight recurring patterns. Just make sure to check the output for accuracy.

2. Group your customers into actionable segments

Once you’ve categorized your data into values, interests and motivations, look for combinations that naturally occur together.

Choose specific groups to guide messaging, while ensuring they’re broad enough to reach a meaningful number of customers.

For each potential segment, write a brief customer profile that includes:

• Their primary motivation (e.g., saving time)

• Key values (e.g., simplicity, ease of use)

• Common interests or behaviors (e.g., prefer streamlined tools)

• Audience size (aim for at least 15-20% of your customer base)

You can store these profiles in a shared Google Doc for easy team access or create a simple spreadsheet with columns for each segment attribute.

Use the document as your reference guide when creating personalized marketing campaigns. Visibility helps ensure everyone on your team understands what drives each target segment.

3. Organize your segments

Once you’ve defined your psychographic segments, organize them so your team can act on them.

Simple options include spreadsheets or email lists. A CRM like Pipedrive makes it easier to track engagement and group contacts by segment.

In Pipedrive, you can create contact labels to assign each lead or customer to a segment. For example, you might add labels for “Efficiency-focused users” or “Value-conscious buyers”.

Then, you can assign labels to your contacts in the list view or the contact detail view.

The label functionality helps sales and marketing teams see at a glance which customers belong to which segments.

4. Assign customers to segments

Now that you’ve defined your segments, decide which customers belong to each one.

Start by reviewing individual customer data against your segment profiles. Look at any survey responses, behavioral patterns and qualitative feedback you have on file to see which segment they match best.

Some customers won’t fit neatly into any segment, and that’s okay. Others may not have in-depth data available to make a clear assignment. Focus on the clear matches first, using these segments as your test group for targeted campaigns.

As you gather more data over time, assign the remaining customers or create additional segments if needed.

The following example shows how campaigns for psychographic segments work in practice.

A real example of psychographic segmentation

The North Face often runs ads showing tough climbs and rugged landscapes, aimed at hardcore outdoor athletes.

The brand used a different angle in this city storefront: “Shoes that help your mind wander.”

Here, the target isn’t mountain climbers. It’s city workers craving balance and relief from office life. The mountains are still in the background, but the hook is about clearing your head, not conquering a peak.

By shifting the message, The North Face connects with stressed professionals who see the outdoors as recovery, not competition.

SMBs can use the same principles in their own campaigns. Say a boutique business retreat company has two key segments:

The hospitality business could create LinkedIn ads with different visuals and messaging tailored to each segment.

To get the ads in front of the right people, it targets the wellness-focused segment using job titles like “Head of People & Culture” and the team-building segment through team lead roles.

This approach makes for more effective marketing campaigns, though marketing isn’t the only department that benefits from psychographic segmentation.

How insights from psychographic segmentation can support sales

The benefits of psychographic segmentation extend beyond marketing and toward sales teams, too. Here’s how psychographics optimizes your SMB sales operations.

It makes decision-making easier when choosing leads to target

Psychographic segments help sales reps spot which leads are most likely to convert.

Instead of treating all prospects the same way, reps can prioritize people who match personality traits linked to previous successful deals.

Take the efficiency-focused users segment from the project management SaaS example. These customers rank saving time as very important and dislike complex tools. For sales, this means:

• They’re more likely to respond to products with simple, intuitive features

• Messaging about “quick setup” or “no learning curve” will resonate

• They may be strong candidates for products designed around ease of use

In Pipedrive, salespeople can filter by label to find the segment with those psychographic characteristics.

A targeted approach means reps spend less time on mismatched prospects and more time on genuinely interested leads.

It helps sales teams tailor messages and outreach for stronger responses

Once you know which segment a lead belongs to, shape your outreach so it speaks directly to their motivations.

Generic sales pitches are easy to ignore, while personalized messages show prospects you understand what matters to them.

Pipedrive’s AI email writer customizes your emails automatically, suggesting subject lines and messaging tailored to each lead’s psychographic segment.

For efficiency-focused users of a project management SaaS product, this could look like:

• Sales email subject lines. “Get set up in minutes, not hours” or “Cut admin time in half with [Product]”.

• Call openers. “I know many product managers tell us they’re frustrated by tools that take too long to learn. Does that sound familiar?”

• Framing the sales demo. Highlight the fast setup process first before covering advanced features.

Psychographic information makes this level of personalization possible in ways that other types of segmentation can’t match.

It helps align marketing efforts and sales goals

Psychographic segmentation works best when marketing and sales are on the same page.

When your marketing team knows what motivates your best customers, they can design campaigns that attract similar leads. Sales reps then get prospects who are already warmed up by marketing messages that match their priorities.

In Pipedrive, shared segment data makes this handoff seamless:

• Marketing can tag new leads by segment (e.g., “efficiency-focused”) as they come in

• Sales sees those tags in the CRM and knows which angle to lead with during outbound sales calls

• Both teams can track which segments convert best and adjust campaigns or pitches accordingly

The result is fewer wasted leads, faster follow-ups and a smoother customer journey.

To get the most from psychographic segmentation, it’s also important to know what you should watch out for.

6 common mistakes to avoid with psychographic segmentation in marketing

Psychographic segmentation isn’t an exact science. Your approach will take some trial and error, but here are some key mistakes to avoid.

1. Creating too many micro-segments

If a segment is too small, it will be challenging to act on.

The cost of building dedicated marketing strategies, ad sets or email flows for an audience of only a few dozen people outweighs the return.

Small segments also limit testing and measurement: if only 50 people see a message, you won’t know if the results are meaningful.

2. Assuming psychographic traits never change over time

Customer interests and motivations aren’t fixed.

Someone who values simplicity today might later prioritize sustainability or advanced features as their circumstances or market trends shift.

Ensure your segments are always accurate by:

• Reviewing your data every six to 12 months using new survey responses, behavioral trends and social listening insights

• Updating your messaging and campaigns when you notice shifts in attitudes or interests

Keeping your segments up to date ensures your marketing and sales efforts stay relevant.

3. Using assumptions or stereotypes instead of real customer insights

It’s tempting to rely on gut feeling or stereotypes when creating segments, especially if data feels incomplete or time-consuming to collect.

However, assumption-based segments rarely reflect true customer motivations, which can backfire.

Take the earlier project management SaaS example. Say the marketing team assumes that customers value advanced new features, not simplicity, as the survey data shows.

The risks are several:

• Campaigns might miss the mark. Ads and emails highlighting complex features could confuse or overwhelm the audience

• Engagement can drop. Customers ignore messages that don’t resonate with their priorities, lowering click-through, email open and engagement rates.

• Sales teams waste effort. Reps spend time pitching solutions that don’t align with their leads’ needs, slowing conversions

• Marketing and sales risk misalignment. Teams work off incorrect assumptions, creating inconsistent messaging and a disjointed customer experience

Instead, base your segmentation on real customer data – survey responses, behavioral patterns and qualitative feedback – to ensure your campaigns and sales efforts hit the mark.

4. Overlooking the role of behavior and purchase data alongside psychographics

Psychographics show why customers act, but buying behavior shows what they actually do.

Combining the two makes your segments more accurate and actionable, so it’s essential to map psychographic traits to measurable actions.

For instance, for your efficiency-focused SaaS segment, track which users visit quick-start guides, download productivity whitepapers or open emails with time-saving tips. Each behavior will confirm the segment’s motivation.

Over time, notice which behaviors consistently align with each psychographic segment. This data lets you tailor messaging, campaigns and sales outreach with confidence.

5. Not connecting psychographic insights to measurable business outcomes

Segments only matter if they drive measurable business results, like:

While tracking these outcomes informs whether your psychographic segmentation is improving marketing and sales performance, the opposite leaves you in limbo.

Make sure you tie each psychographic segment to specific marketing and sales KPIs.

For example, you know your efficiency-focused SaaS segment values simplicity and fast setup. Use Campaigns by Pipedrive to track whether emails emphasizing quick onboarding increase conversions compared with a generic message.

By linking segments to measurable outcomes, you can show the real impact of psychographic insights on marketing and sales performance.

6. Not integrating psychographic segments into your CRM

Failing to incorporate psychographic segmentation into a CRM can make your insights invisible and hard to act on.

When you tag and track segments in a tool like Pipedrive, your marketing team can tailor campaigns for each group. Your sales team sees which leads match which segment.

This visibility enables coordinated messaging and a single source of truth for both teams. You can even set up automated sequences or tasks for each segment, ensuring the right messages go out at the right time.

A CRM also makes reporting easier. You measure which segments drive conversions, retention and upsells, ensuring your segments don’t just sit in a spreadsheet awaiting action.

Final thoughts

Psychographic segmentation gives you insights that demographic segmentation and behavioral segmentation can’t.

By understanding what truly drives your customers, you can create segments that guide messaging, improve targeting and help sales prioritize the right leads.

Sales teams track dozens of metrics – from lead conversion rates to deal cycle length – but doing it in spreadsheets takes forever. With so much information coming in, it’s hard to spot the patterns that help you hit your targets.

A sales graph changes that by showing your data visually and making it easier to understand. You see trends and make decisions based on clear evidence instead of guesswork.

In this article, you’ll learn how to read sales graphs like an expert, build your own tracking system and present data in ways that impress stakeholders and advance your career.

Key takeaways from sales graphs

• A sales graph turns spreadsheet data into visual insights that help you spot trends and make faster decisions.

• Visual data eliminates guesswork by highlighting patterns, seasonal changes and performance gaps that spreadsheets hide in plain sight.

• Different graphs answer different questions. Use line graphs for performance over time, bar graphs to compare categories and pie charts to see where your revenue comes from.

• Pipedrive automatically creates these charts from your CRM data, so you spend less time building reports and more time acting on insights. Start your 14-day free trial to see how it saves time and gives you data-backed stories to present to stakeholders.

What is a sales graph and why does it matter

A sales graph is a way to visualize your data. It makes it much easier to understand patterns than scanning through numbers in a spreadsheet.

The main benefit is clarity. When your sales manager asks how Q3 revenue compares to last year, you can reference a line graph instead of calculating percentages. Charts make profit drivers immediately apparent across product lines.

Spreadsheets store your sales data, but graphs make that data easier to interpret.

A spreadsheet might show you sold 150 units in January and 180 in February. A graph makes it clear you’re on an upward trend that could hit 250 units by April if it continues.

How to choose the right sales graph

Different types of graphs have different use cases. Here’s a guide for when to use each type of sales graph in your work.

Use line graphs to track trends over time

Line graphs show how metrics change over time. They help track business growth, conversion rates or any number that moves up and down over weeks or months.

The horizontal axis shows time periods, like months or quarters. The vertical axis shows your sales metric, like revenue or deals closed. Each point on the line represents performance for that specific time.

Here’s an example line graph that’s a combined sales report and forecast:

The solid line shows actual sales (the sales report part), with revenue on the vertical axis and months along the horizontal axis. The dotted line shows forecasted sales.

Annotations help viewers understand what’s happening, even if they aren’t professional data analysts.

The example above shows the highest and lowest recorded sales, the goal amount and notes that explain dips and why the forecasted sales are so much higher.

Line charts work best for:

• Tracking sales revenue growth over months or quarters

• Monitoring conversion rates to spot performance changes

• Identifying seasonal patterns in your sales

• Showing progress toward annual targets

• Comparing this year’s performance to last year’s

They make trends obvious that would take much longer to spot in a spreadsheet.

Use bar graphs to compare performance

Bar graphs compare different categories side by side. Each bar represents a distinct group, like sales reps, products or regions. The height of each bar shows the value, making it easy to see who or what performs best.

For example, a bar graph might show five sales reps on the horizontal axis and their monthly revenue on the vertical axis.

Everyone can see the top performer when presenting to your team without reading the numbers.

Here’s an example bar chart that compares print copies sales to digital sales:

Bar graphs work best for:

• Comparing individual sales rep performance

• Ranking products by revenue or units sold

• Measuring different sales territories or regions

• Showing monthly or quarterly performance side by side

• Identifying top and bottom performing products quickly

• Comparing your current period’s results to your targets

You can also use bar graphs to compare the same metric across different periods. For example, your bars might show revenue from Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q4 to see which quarter performed best.

Use pie charts to understand the spread

Pie charts show how your total breaks down into parts. Each slice represents a percentage of the whole, making it easy to see what contributes to your overall sales performance.

For example, a revenue pie chart might show that software sales make up 60% of your business, consulting accounts for 25% and training accounts for 15%.

Here are two pie charts that show how certain products bring in a larger percentage of revenue than others:

In the first graph, you can see that Product A makes up the largest share of total units sold, while Product D accounts for the smallest share. Yet in the second graph, it’s clear that Product B and Product A bring in a much larger share of total revenue compared to the number of units sold.

When presenting to stakeholders, this makes it easy to show that some product lines (like Product B) may sell fewer units but generate more revenue, highlighting where the business’s most profitable opportunities lie.

Pie charts work best for:

• Breaking down revenue by product line or service type

• Showing lead sources and their contribution to your pipeline

• Displaying how you allocate time across different sales activities

• Presenting your company’s market share within your industry

• Illustrating how you spread the budget across sales initiatives

• Demonstrating customer segments by value

Pie charts are most effective when you don’t have too many categories. Too many thin slices become hard to read and compare.

Use combo charts to see multiple metrics together

Combo charts combine different graph types to show related metrics at once.

For example, your chart could show your revenue as bars and the conversion rate as a line. If revenue grows but conversion rate drops, you’re probably generating more leads but closing a smaller percentage.

Here’s another example where the bar chart shows revenue (in millions), while the line graph tracks customer acquisition cost over the same period:

When presenting this to your manager, this makes it clear that the company is becoming more efficient – bringing in higher revenue while spending less to acquire each customer.

Combo charts work best for things like:

• Tracking revenue alongside sales KPIs like deal volume or average deal size

• Comparing actual performance to sales targets on the same chart

• Showing pipeline value by displaying win rates per month

• Displaying activity metrics with the results they generate

• Presenting cost per lead (CPL) alongside lead quality metrics

The trick to combination charts is titling and labeling each part so that it’s clear what’s happening.

How to read and interpret sales graphs like a pro

Reading a sales graph starts with knowing what to look for. The chart presents the evidence, but you must know how to look for clues, ask the right questions and piece together what’s happening in your sales pipeline.

Here’s what to look for in each type of graph.

Line graphs: identify trends by looking at the direction and momentum

A trend is the overall direction of your data. Simply saying “it’s going up” isn’t enough. The fundamental insight comes from analysing the trend in more detail.

First, analyze the slope (the steepness of the line graph). The steepness tells you the speed of sales growth or decline.

A revenue line trending upward is good, but you also need to look at the growth angle. Is it accelerating or starting to flatten?

Here’s what to look for:

Next, look for changes in momentum (the curve of the line). If the curve is getting steeper, it’s accelerating. That means your efforts aren’t just adding to your sales, they’re multiplying them.

A steeper curve is always a sign of a scalable sales process.

In contrast, if the curve is getting flatter, you’re losing momentum. It’s a warning sign that, even if your revenue is still growing, you might be reaching a point of diminishing returns.

A flatter curve tells you it’s time to revisit your sales process, test new tactics or expand into fresh channels to regain momentum.

Finally, look for volatility. If your graph is a smooth, steady line like above, it suggests that you have a predictable sales performance. If it’s a jagged line like the example below, something is inconsistent:

In this case, you need to ask why. The fluctuations might be due to seasonal differences or pricing promotions or they could indicate that your sales process needs adjusting.

Bar graphs: compare categories by analyzing heights and gaps

While line graphs show data over time, bar graphs compare different categories at a single point in time.

First, compare the heights of the bars to see which categories are the biggest and smallest:

Next, look at the gaps between the tops of the bars. A significant difference between your top performer and everyone else could mean you have a superstar pulling away from the pack.

A narrowing gap suggests that your training programs are working and that other team members are successfully catching up.

When you analyze the heights and gaps, you can quickly spot the strongest and weakest links in your sales efforts and decide where to focus your coaching attention.

Pie charts: understand proportions by looking at slice size

Pie charts show how much each category contributes to the total. To interpret them, you need to compare the relative size of each slice.

Here are a few things to look for:

While simple to read, be cautious with pie charts. They become difficult to interpret when there are more than five or six slices.

They’re best for providing a quick, high-level snapshot of your business composition, helping you see where the most significant revenue streams are coming from.

All graphs: investigate outliers and anomalies

Outliers are data points that differ dramatically from the rest of your graph. They’re valuable because they represent something exceptional – either good or bad.

Pinpoint the exact data point. A single bar on a chart that is twice as tall as any other or a point on a line graph that suddenly drops to near zero.

Here’s what to look for:

Before you panic or celebrate, rule out simple mistakes. A misplaced decimal point or a problem during data migration can create an outlier that isn’t real. Always verify the source data first.

If it’s real, compare the outlier across different charts to find the reason. For example, if you see a spike in “deals won”, pull up the “new leads created” chart for the last period.

You might find that a marketing campaign created a surge of high-quality leads that caused the sales peak.

How to create a sales graph in Excel

Tracking sales progress is essential for understanding performance. Many build sales graphs using spreadsheet software like Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets.

Creating a sales graph in these apps involves organizing your data with time periods in one column and sales figures in another, then using their built-in charting tools to visualize trends.

For example, here’s how to make a projected sales graph in Excel:

1. Prepare your data: Set up your Excel sheet with time periods in column A (like Jan, Feb, etc.) and sales values in column B. Keep your periods consistent. If you use months, stick to monthly throughout for an accurate forecast.

2. Visualize historical performance: Click and drag to highlight all the cells containing your data, including the headers. Press “Insert” and choose “Charts”. Select the “Line Chart” icon, and Excel will generate a chart that shows your sales history.

3. Add a predictive trendline: Right-click on the line in your new chart and press “Add trendline”. Excel will add a straight dotted line over your data, showing the general trend of your sales.

4. Extend the trendline to forecast sales: The “Format trendline” menu should appear on the right-hand side when you add the trendline. Look for the “Forecast” section and type the number of future periods (in months if you used months) for Excel to project.

5. Title and label your graph: Select the “Chart title” and give it a name, like “2025 Sales Forecast”. Next, select the “+” icon next to your chart and check the box for “Axis Titles”. Label the horizontal axis “Sales ($)” and the vertical axis “Month”.

While learning how to create a sales graph in Excel is relatively easy, this manual approach has significant limitations. Every data update requires rebuilding charts, adjusting formulas and reformatting presentations.

For sales teams managing multiple metrics and frequent reporting cycles, this becomes a productivity bottleneck that diverts energy from revenue-generating activities.

How to make a sales graph in Pipedrive

Creating sales graphs in your customer relationship management (CRM) software is faster and better. It already holds your real-time sales data and most CRMs have built-in reporting features that generate graphs automatically.

Here’s how to use Pipedrive’s CRM charts to make essential sales graphs that track your performance.

Track your personal pipeline velocity in Pipedrive

Sales velocity measures how quickly deals move through your pipeline and how much revenue you can expect over a period.

A higher velocity means you’re making more money in less time. Tracking this helps you spot bottlenecks and understand the overall health of your pipeline.

To create a deal velocity report with Pipedrive’s reports and insights feature, navigate to the “Insights” tab on the left-hand sidebar. Click the green “+ Create” and choose “Report”, then select “Deal”.

Pipedrive has a pre-built report for this, which you can find in the list of report types. Choose “Duration”, select the time frame and hit “Save” to finalize the report in your dashboard.

You can also create reports with Pipedrive’s AI report generator. Click “+ Create” and select “Generate report (AI)”. Type a prompt to tell Pipedrive what kind of report you need or choose from the suggested examples.

Pipedrive’s AI will instantly generate that exact report without you needing to navigate through the menus.

Analyze your lead source performance in Pipedrive

A lead source graph shows which marketing methods generate leads that close. It helps you focus prospecting efforts on the sources that deliver the most promising sales opportunities.

To analyze your lead sources in Pipedrive, go to “Insights”, press the “+ Create” button and choose “Report”. Choose “Deal” and select “Conversion”.

Click the “Segment by” dropdown menu on the right-hand side in the report view. Select the “Lead source” chart template from the list of fields.

The sales figures will show you the total value or count of deals won, broken down by source.

Monitor your monthly quote progress in Pipedrive

Monthly quote progress shows you how you’re doing against your sales quota. It’s essential for staying on track and knowing how much more you need to close to hit your target.

To create this report, go to “Insights” > “+ Create” > “Report” > “Deals” and choose “Performance”.

Use the filters to set the period to “Monthly” so you’ll only see sales deals closed within the current month.

Next, select “+ Create” > “Goal”.

Set the “Goal type” as “Deal” > “Won”.

Enter your monthly quote in the “Goal value” field. When you view your “Deals won this month” report on your CRM dashboard, you’ll see your progress against the sales goal you set.

Link your activities to outcomes in Pipedrive

Effort doesn’t always equal results. That’s why linking your activity performance (like calls and emails) to outcomes (like deals won) is crucial.

When you do this in your sales charts, you’ll be able to see which activities are most effective at driving deals forward.

The report will show a chart showing how many activities you started and how many led to winning a deal. Use the filters to select specific activities (e.g., sales calls or meetings) to analyze.

You might find that, while you make hundreds of calls, the 20 sales meetings you book lead to 90% of your closed deals. You can then focus on securing more meetings.

5 best practices for presenting sales graphs

In sales meetings, a graph can be a powerful tool that demonstrates your strategic thinking to your colleagues and managers.

With these best practices, you can turn your simple charts into compelling stories that highlight your insights and make your requests undeniable.

Here’s what to do:

1. Don’t just report numbers, show sales strategy. Your graph should explain why the data matters. Label your graph clearly so everyone understands what’s happening (and why). It’ll be clear that you know the factors driving sales success.

2. Focus on a single, powerful message. Powerful graphs make one clear point. Strip away any data that doesn’t support your main argument. To show that Product A is your top performer, compare it to your other products in a simple bar chart.

3. Translate data to high-level business decisions. Use your graph for future decision-making. Use data visualization to propose a strategic shift, like a new sales process, to show you’re a proactive problem-solver.

4. Design for clarity and avoid complexity. Avoid distracting effects and colors. Use a simple palette with one highlight color to draw attention to the main point. Add clear labels and titles. The easier it is to read, the more people can act on it.

5. Know your audience. A graph that impresses your sales manager might confuse executives. Show your audience that you know what information matters most to them.

The goal is to share information quickly, strategize and improve business outcomes.

The more you report sales results in infographics, the easier you find them. Experiment with interactive charts and designs until you find out what works best. With time, you’ll become a seasoned data analyst.

Final thoughts

Sales graphs turn complex data into clear insights that drive informed decisions. Whether you track revenue or team performance, the right visual helps you spot opportunities and problems faster.

Start with the metrics that matter most to your business right now. Create simple, focused graphs that answer specific questions about your sales performance.

With Pipedrive, you can track sales metrics and create visual reports that keep your team focused on what drives results. Start your 14-day free trial today and see how much clearer your total sales data becomes.

Managing a notary business involves keeping client details accurate, tasks on schedule and follow-ups consistent. A CRM for notaries can simplify your workflow to reduce admin overhead and help you deliver a professional, reliable service.

In this guide, you’ll learn how CRMs support notaries and discover five tools to streamline your daily operations. You’ll also gain practical strategies to set up your system with confidence.

Key takeaways from CRM for notaries

• A CRM for notaries is a tool that supports notary operations by centralizing client data, tracking performance and automating tasks.

• It boosts productivity by streamlining client data management and automating key functions like email communication.

• Choosing the right management tool helps you save time, keeps you organized and enhances customer experience as your small business grows.

• A CRM like Pipedrive can help you easily design and manage your notary workflow. Try it out today with a 14-day free trial.

What is a CRM for notaries?

A customer relationship management (CRM) system for notaries is software that helps you organize client information, manage appointments and automate routine tasks in one place.

Instead of juggling spreadsheets, emails and paper notes, you use a single dashboard to track notary workflow step by step. CRMs for notaries often include tools for scheduling and client communication.

For mobile notaries and signing agents, this means spending far less time on admin and being free to focus on billable work and pursue business goals.

Tasks notaries can automate with CRM software

With a CRM, notaries can automate the following tasks right away:

Now that we’ve explored CRM systems’ benefits for notaries, let’s examine some of the top tools available.

The 5 best CRMs for notaries

We’ve compiled a list of the top 5 CRMs for notaries, considering features, usability and business outcomes.

1. Pipedrive

Pipedrive is an all-in-one CRM built for service businesses that need clear visibility into their client pipeline.

It gives notaries the tools to track clients, manage appointments and automate communication through a simple, visual dashboard.

One of Pipedrive’s strengths is its pipeline view, which allows you to set up stages for every step of your notary process, from booking to signing to payment. As you complete tasks, you can move clients along the pipeline to ensure you never lose sight of where each case stands.

Pipedrive also supports automated reminder emails, follow-ups and task management. These features combine to boost efficiency, improve the client experience and support business growth.

A CRM helps you deliver a consistent, professional customer experience that builds trust, improves loyalty and encourages referrals

With Pipedrive’s mobile CRM, notaries can update client records, check appointments and send confirmations from their mobile device in seconds.

As your notary business grows, Pipedrive adapts. You can manage more clients, track performance with custom reports and set revenue goals.

Notary businesses that engage in B2B marketing (e.g., to title companies or law firms) can use Pipedrive’s email marketing software to build professional communication funnels and email campaigns.

Key business outcomes with Pipedrive:

• Full visibility of the client pipeline

• Time savings with automation

• A consistent, professional client experience

• Scalable growth with reports and goals

For notaries who want to look professional while keeping admin light, Pipedrive offers a strong balance of flexibility, automation and ease of use.

2. NotaryAssist

NotaryAssist is a tool for notaries that focuses heavily on scheduling, invoicing and mileage tracking.

The software offers purpose-built notary features like expense tracking by signing, built-in reminders and templates for common notarial tasks.

Key business outcomes with NotaryAssist:

• Reduced scheduling conflicts and no-shows

• Real-time visibility of income and expenses

• Simplified tax prep and reporting

You can also use NotaryAssist to send invoices, track payments and generate tax-ready reports.

3. NotaryGadget

NotaryGadget is another notary-specific tool. Positioning itself as accounting software for notaries, it helps streamline invoicing and recordkeeping.

The software automatically calculates mileage, logs payments and links expenses to signing events.

Key business outcomes with NotaryGadget:

• Time savings on recordkeeping and invoicing

• Accurate financial tracking for each signing

• Quick and confident tax reporting

Lightweight and simple, NotaryGadget also creates tax reports in just a few clicks.

4. Ontraport

Ontraport is a marketing automation and CRM platform that works well for notaries investing in client outreach.

It combines client management with tools for notary marketing and payment processing.

With Ontraport, you can set up sequences to nurture long-term relationships and track how clients engage with your business.

Key business outcomes with Ontraport:

• Increasing repeat business and referrals

• Maximizing sales opportunities

• Strengthening client relationships

For notaries looking to expand into B2B prospecting, this kind of automation can save hours and increase client loyalty.

5. EasyWeek

EasyWeek is a scheduling-first platform with built-in CRM features.

It’s designed for service providers who want to simplify booking and client communication.

Notaries can use EasyWeek to publish an online booking page, send confirmations and automate reminders.

Key business outcomes with EasyWeek:

• Minimize no-shows and booking errors

• Deliver seamless remote notary services

• Accept payments with less admin

EasyWeek also offers online payment processing and video conferencing tools that support the delivery of remote notary services.

How to choose the best CRM for your notary business

The best CRM for your notary business is the one that fits your workflow, budget and long-term growth plans.

Here are key factors to keep in mind when evaluating your options.

Prioritize features that support your workflow

More than anything, Notaries need a CRM that makes their everyday tasks easier.

When evaluating systems, start by making a short list of the must-have features for your notary business.

The list might include functionality such as:

If you do a lot of remote work, ensure the system you choose has a strong mobile web version or mobile app. That way, you can update records and confirm appointments on the move.

Prioritizing features that match your daily workflow will help you get the greatest value from your investment.

Consider pricing, scalability and ease of use

Price matters, but so does software’s ability to scale as your business grows.

Start with a plan you can afford, but make sure the CRM offers room to expand as your business handles more signings.

Ease of use is just as important – a simple dashboard could save you time and reduce mistakes instantly, while a steep learning curve would likely slow you down.

Look for helpful integrations and flexible features

Your CRM should work with the tools you already use.

These integrations can make your notary workflow smoother, boosting your CRM’s functionality and saving duplicated effort.

With this in mind, look out for software that connects with solutions like:

Flexibility in CRM is also important, supporting you as your business expands. A CRM that allows you to customize your pipelines, templates and reports will give you scope to adapt without switching tools.

3 steps to set up a CRM for your notary business

Getting started with a CRM shouldn’t be overwhelming.

Following a few clear steps will help you set up your system and start seeing value immediately.

1. Import contacts and set up your workflow pipeline

Once you’ve chosen a CRM, import your client data.

Most systems let you upload contacts from spreadsheets or sync them from your email.

Next, create a pipeline that reflects your workflow. For example, your stages might include:

• “New inquiry”

• “Appointment booked”

• “Signing completed”

• “Payment received”

Setting up a clear pipeline ensures you track every client from first contact to final payment.

2. Automate routine tasks

With your workflow pipeline in place, you can set up automations to handle repetitive admin work in your notary business.

Depending on your priorities, you might want to start by setting triggers for client reminders, booking confirmations or follow-up emails.

If you run a large notary business or work in a team, you can use the CRM to assign tasks to other team members. Here’s an example in Pipedrive:

By prioritizing the tasks that currently take the most time, you can gain some “quick wins” from your new CRM and free up some time immediately.

3. Track performance with the software’s reporting tools

The final step of setting up a notary CRM is familiarizing yourself with the software’s reporting features.

Depending on the CRM’s functionality, you may be able to generate reports on metrics like:

For example, you can use Pipedrive to generate a deal revenue forecast:

Reviewing relevant business data regularly allows you to spot trends, set goals and make better decisions.

Sample notary workflow using a CRM

Notaries can use CRMs in various ways, but they will likely return to certain workflows repeatedly. Let’s look at a typical workflow, using Pipedrive as an example.

Step 1: Booking

Imagine a busy notary, Maria, who handles five to six appointments a day.

Her day starts with booking. One client schedules a power of attorney signing online, while another calls to set a last-minute appointment.

Maria enters both appointments into Pipedrive using the software’s scheduling tool.

The system automatically stores client names, contact info and appointment times.

Maria can also use Pipedrive to record special instructions, like notarizing multiple documents or verifying ID types.

Step 2: Appointment

Before each meeting, Maria prepares for the appointment by reviewing the client’s record in Pipedrive.

She checks which documents need notarization, confirms the client’s ID requirements and notes any special instructions.

Step 3: Notarization

During notarization, Maria logs each document the client signs. She seamlessly sends copies of the document to the client using Pipedrive’s Smart Docs feature and uses a payment and tracking tool integration to record the payment directly in Pipedrive.

If the client pays online, the system automatically updates the payment status.

Step 4: Follow-up

With notarization complete, Maria moves to follow up.

She uses a follow-up email template to send an automated thank-you email to her client.

Pipedrive reminds Maria of any follow-up tasks, such as scheduling a future appointment or sending additional forms.

By the end of the day, all of Maria’s client records are current, and she has a clear snapshot of her upcoming appointments.

CRM for notaries FAQs

Final thoughts

With a robust CRM, you can keep your notary business organized, reduce the time you spend on repetitive tasks and help clients feel informed and valued.

The software handles the routine work so you can focus on delivering excellent service and pursuing your business goals.

Whether you’re a solo notary or growing a mobile signing business, a CRM helps you work accurately and efficiently. Start your free 14-day trial of Pipedrive today.

White glove customer service doesn’t belong only to enterprises with big budgets and large teams. SMBs can deliver it too.

Small but thoughtful touches like proactive support and personalized care make every buyer feel valued. The impact is just as powerful: stronger loyalty and higher sales.

In this post, you’ll learn five practical steps to build your white glove service strategy, along with inspiring examples.

Key takeaways for white glove customer service

• White glove customer service means delivering attentive, tailored and seamless experiences beyond the basics.

• While effective white glove service builds loyalty, renewals and referrals, it requires consistency and attention to detail to be successful.

• Data and a robust customer relationship management (CRM) system are at the core of successful white glove tactics, making high-touch service scalable for SMBs.

• Pipedrive centralizes client data, automates reminders and streamlines handoffs to make every customer feel valued with less effort – try it free for 14 days.

What is white glove customer service?

White glove customer service focuses on offering high-level assistance to buyers and creating premium experiences.

These caring acts demonstrate that you’re willing to go the extra mile to make customers feel special.

Your SMB may not have the budget for luxury loyalty programs or large customer support teams. However, you’ll win by being faster and more attentive than bigger competitors.

For example, an accountancy platform may notice a client’s tax filing deadline is approaching. The team builds trust and long-term customer retention by:

As customer expectations grow, exceptional service like this becomes the baseline.

In fact, Five9 research suggests that 77% of consumers only buy from brands that offer proactive support and 79% expect them to anticipate their needs.

According to the same study, almost 40% of consumers say one negative interaction is enough to make them never buy from that brand again. The stakes are high.

At its core, the white glove approach rests on three pillars:

1. Proactive communication. Anticipating customer needs instead of waiting for them to reach out. For example, sending a follow-up email before a subscription deadline or checking in after a purchase.

2. Personalization. Treating each customer as an individual (not just a ticket number) by remembering and referring to past purchases, preferences or unique goals.

3. Seamless handoffs. Customers who move between sales, onboarding and support don’t have to repeat themselves or start from scratch.

You need a single place to track buyer information and automate key touchpoints to implement these pillars successfully.

5 steps to create a white glove customer experience using Pipedrive

Using a customer relationship management (CRM) platform like Pipedrive allows you to log interactions with customers, automate reminders for proactive check-ins and keep customer history in one place.

A data-driven system makes it much easier to stay organized and deliver a premium service-level customer experience without adding extra staff.

Here’s how to offer white glove customer support as an SMB with limited resources.

1. Build a single source of truth for customer data

Build a single source of truth for customer data to eliminate silos and ensure consistent, personalized service across every touchpoint.

Instead of scattered emails and spreadsheets, your contacts, conversations, purchases and preferences all live in one system that your team can access.

The result is faster, more coordinated service that makes every customer feel prioritized.

For example, at a boutique marketing agency with five employees, a client might email her project leader about updating her campaign and later mention a redesign to the business owner.

By logging everything in your sales CRM, the account manager’s following conversation could feel like a thoughtful and tailored solution:

Here’s how to create that single source of truth:

• Centralize customer feedback and interactions (e.g., emails, calls and notes) in your CRM system

• Make sure relevant team members have access to the same record, so nothing gets siloed

• Keep records updated to ensure you’re working from accurate information

How to use Pipedrive as a single source of truth

Pipedrive’s contacts timeline lets you see customer interactions at a glance:

This view highlights gaps or patterns in your customer engagement, so you’ll see if you haven’t contacted someone or if follow-ups are pending.

Adding custom fields in your pipeline also allows you to track relevant details.

With this information, you can personalize outreach, send timely reminders and tailor your offers to create exceptional experiences.

Say a subscription is about to renew. You could reach out with a custom recommendation based on that customer’s usage, share tips for maximizing value or even flag features they haven’t explored yet to show attention, care and expertise.

2. Personalize touchpoints to build trust and brand loyalty

Personalizing customer interactions based on history, preferences and goals shows buyers you’re paying attention and anticipating needs.

While SMBs may not have massive marketing budgets, personalized experiences make each customer feel like a priority. According to McKinsey research, it’s enough to drive loyalty and sales.

Imagine you want to check in with clients who have recently completed a project with your graphic designers.

Instead of sending the same generic email to everyone, you reach out with personalized insights like:

• Suggestions for next best steps

• Tips to get the most from their new designs

• Recommendations for complementary services

This customized, attentive outreach shows you’re paying attention to clients’ goals and care about their success.

How to use Pipedrive for personalization

Segment your clients to create groups based on project type, engagement level or upcoming deadlines using filters in Pipedrive.

By scheduling activity reminders to follow up at the right time (e.g., calling a week after launch), you’ll show clients you’re paying in-depth attention to their journey.

When you’re ready to reach out, use Campaigns by Pipedrive to create personalized emails for each segment:

Tailoring content to each person’s needs and behavior ensures a premium experience and keeps communication relevant and helpful.

As Laury (an account manager at digital marketing platform DashThis) says about Pipedrive:

By combining segmentation, reminders and targeted campaigns, you’ll deliver thoughtful, timely interactions that always feel personal.

3. Automate proactive communication that customers expect

Proactive communication – reaching out before customers need to ask or follow up – shows attentiveness and prevents minor issues from becoming friction.

As a small business, staying one step ahead can be a competitive advantage. Automation helps you manage your customer service, ensuring no client slips through the cracks while freeing your team to focus on high-value interactions.

Pre-emptive messages like reminders, check-ins or helpful tips create a seamless white glove experience that customers notice.

Say a client uses your accounting software to manage payroll and send invoices. Instead of waiting for them to ask about upcoming deadlines or missing reports, you send a:

• Heads-up before payroll submission

• Note when tax documents are due

• Follow-up after a quarterly review

These types of accounting workflow automation help them feel supported and confident.

How to automate communication using Pipedrive

Set sales activity reminder emails for key dates (e.g., payroll runs, tax filing deadlines or invoice follow-ups) so you always reach out at the right time.

Here’s where these live in the Pipedrive platform:

Workflow automations notify team members when they need to take action, ensuring smooth internal handoffs and timely client communication.

Here’s where you view all the sales task automations your team creates:

You can also create automated emails triggered by milestones, such as end-of-quarter summaries or alerts for overdue documents.

If clients never have to chase you or worry about missing something important, they’ll remember and appreciate you for it.

Anticipating needs and guiding them through the steps with proactive care makes the overall experience feel “white glove”.

4. Ensure seamless handoffs by aligning teams

Seamlessly moving customers between colleagues or departments (like sales to onboarding) makes them feel supported and cared for.

When buyers don’t have to repeat themselves or re-explain their needs, it’s a hallmark of professionalism that people remember.

In a smaller business, the same client might talk to:

Clean transitions show your team is organized, aligned and truly listening.

Imagine you run a growing HR software company. A prospect signs up with your sales manager, sharing that their biggest priority is simplifying onboarding for new hires.

If you capture that information in your CRM, the success leader now opens with:

How to use Pipedrive to align your teams

Here’s how to ensure seamless handoffs using Pipedrive:

• Use shared pipelines so marketing and support teams can see where the customer is in their journey

• Log notes and goals during sales conversations so customer success can pick up without missing a beat

• Assign activities to the right team member as soon as a sales deal closes, so the buyer knows you care post-sale

• Set workflow automations to notify the next owner when it’s time to take over, making the next steps effortless

For example, here’s where you’d add customer service notes in Pipedrive:

By aligning your team internally, you make the customer journey smooth and cohesive.

Clients feel like they’re working with one attentive partner and you create consistency that transforms handoffs into white-glove service quality.

5. Prove the value of your white glove customer service approach by tracking metrics

By tracking tangible outcomes like renewals, upsells and referrals, you can prove that your white glove customer service strategy drives real return on investment (ROI).

Say your small team invests time in delivering high-touch customer care. Demonstrating its payoff keeps them motivated and justifies the approach as you grow.

Clear, real-time metrics also help you identify what’s working and where to improve:

• Renewal rate. How well your service builds long-term customer loyalty.

• Upsell and cross-sell revenue. Whether proactive, personalized support leads to deeper client relationships.

• Referral count. If customers are satisfied enough to recommend you to others.

• Time-to-resolution. How efficiently your team solves customer needs (and how smooth transitions are).

• Customer lifetime value (CLV). The overall ROI of your white glove approach.

For example, an IT services company has invested more time in proactive check-ins and personalized training programs.

At first, it feels like extra effort, but then the numbers show that renewals are up, referrals have doubled and clients are buying add-on services more often.

This data motivates the team to go above and beyond to keep creating these premium experiences.

How to track white glove service effectiveness using Pipedrive

Use Pipedrive’s dashboards and reports to track key service metrics over time:

By reviewing insights about upsell revenue or average deal value, your team can see the direct link between high-end service and measurable results.

Create sales reports manually or using natural language prompts. Simply type what you need or choose a pre-written version within Pipedrive’s AI report generator feature:

By measuring its impact, white glove customer service becomes a proven growth driver.

Use the insights to keep your team committed and show customers you’re serious about delivering this level of care at every step.

6 B2B examples of white glove customer service to inspire yours

In business-to-business (B2B), white glove service doesn’t always mean luxury perks or add-ons.

It involves removing friction, anticipating needs and showing customers you understand their business goals as well as they do.

Consider two design agencies. One of them hands a new client a login and says, “Let us know if you need help”. The other sets up a kickoff call, sends a tailored onboarding guide and checks in weekly to track progress.

The work might be the same, but the level of service feels completely different.

Here are six white glove service examples from B2B companies doing it right:

These examples prove that delivering white glove service doesn’t require a huge team or an enterprise-sized budget.

It comes down to thinking about what customers need at every journey stage and how you can provide it before they have to ask.

White glove customer service FAQs

Final thoughts

For SMBs, white glove customer service is a powerful way to stand out against larger competitors. Anticipating needs, personalizing touchpoints and keeping handoffs smooth help build stronger relationships that translate into revenue.

With the right CRM, smaller teams can deliver customer-centric experiences consistently, without adding extra strain.

Try Pipedrive fee for 14 days to centralize client data, automate workflows and ensure that every buyer feels valued at each journey stage.