Don’t Let Your CRM Become a Fancy Spreadsheet
Let’s be honest—most businesses don’t love their CRM. They tolerate it. Maybe even avoid it.
But the problem isn’t the tool itself. It’s how it’s set up, used, or (most often) ignored.
A good CRM should feel like your growth sidekick, not another thing to manage. So if you’re feeling stuck or underwhelmed, you’re not alone—and you’re probably making one of these common mistakes.
Here’s what to look for, and how to course-correct.
Mistake #1: Using the Default Setup and Never Touching It Again
Too many teams install a CRM, import contacts, and… never really finish the job.
Why It’s a Problem:
You’re not capturing the fields you care about. Your pipeline doesn’t reflect how you actually sell. You’re missing the automations that save time.
What to Do Instead:
- Customize your fields to match your sales or donor flow
- Create tags or segments based on actual needs (not just industry defaults)
- Build basic automation to remind you or your team to follow up
Start simple. Even two or three well-set-up automations can change the game.
Mistake #2: Not Training the Team (or Yourself)
You’d be shocked how many CRMs are paid for but barely used—because no one knows how to use them.
Why It’s a Problem:
People fall back on spreadsheets or post-its. Leads slip through the cracks. Managers lose visibility. The CRM becomes a chore, not a tool.
What to Do Instead:
- Block time for training (even 30 minutes goes a long way)
- Assign a CRM “owner” on your team to help others
- Create quick cheat sheets or Loom videos for common tasks
If your CRM has a mobile app, make sure your team downloads and knows how to use it.
Mistake #3: Overcomplicating It
It’s easy to go too far in the other direction—adding fields for every tiny data point, building five-stage nurture journeys, or requiring 10 clicks to log a call.
Why It’s a Problem:
People get overwhelmed. Data gets inconsistent. No one uses it the same way.
What to Do Instead:
- Audit your CRM once a quarter and clean up what’s not needed
- Use required fields sparingly
- Focus on fields and flows that lead to action—not just data collection
You don’t need “favorite color” or “industry keywords” if you’re not actually using them.
Mistake #4: Not Integrating with Other Tools
Your CRM is strongest when it connects the dots. If it’s siloed from your email platform, forms, website, or invoicing tool—you’re missing major automation opportunities.
Why It’s a Problem:
Leads don’t auto-populate. You’re doing double entry. You’re not tracking email engagement or contact behavior.
What to Do Instead:
- Connect your CRM to tools like Mailchimp, Calendly, Shopify, QuickBooks, etc.
- Use Zapier or native integrations to sync contacts and actions
- Make sure every new lead automatically lands in the CRM—no copy/paste required
Even a basic “contact form → CRM → welcome email” flow can save hours per week.
Mistake #5: Letting the List Go Stale
Your CRM is not a junk drawer. If your contact list is outdated, unengaged, or full of duplicates, you’re hurting deliverability and wasting time.
Why It’s a Problem:
- Emails land in spam
- Sales reps call dead leads
- Reports aren’t accurate
What to Do Instead:
- Clean your list quarterly
- Use tags or lists to segment by last activity
- Run re-engagement campaigns before purging contacts
Quality beats quantity. An active, accurate list performs better than a bloated one.
Mistake #6: No One Owns the CRM
If everyone’s in charge, no one’s in charge.
Why It’s a Problem:
- Inconsistent data entry
- Missed follow-ups
- No one knows how to fix things
What to Do Instead:
- Assign a CRM owner (even if it’s you)
- Set simple data entry standards
- Do monthly or quarterly reviews to keep things clean and functional
Ownership doesn’t mean one person does everything—it means someone makes sure it’s working for everyone.
Need Help Cleaning Up or Rebuilding Your CRM?
Your CRM isn’t just a database—it’s your growth engine. But like any tool, it needs the right setup, habits, and love to work.
Whether you’re nurturing leads, tracking donors, or automating customer touchpoints, the key is clarity. Know what you want your CRM to do—and make sure it’s doing it.
At Root Company, we help teams ditch the tech headaches and finally get their CRM running the way it should.
Book a free 60-minute strategy call and we’ll show you what’s working, what’s broken, and how to make your CRM a revenue (or donation!) machine.