13 Questions Every Small Business Owner Faces – And One Solution That Answers Them All

Running a small business is no small feat.

Every day, you’re faced with decisions that can impact your bottom line, your team’s efficiency, and your ability to grow. From managing your sales pipeline to ensuring your team is on the same page, the questions can pile up quickly. But what if there was one solution that could answer them all?

Here are 13 common questions small business owners like you ask—followed by one solution that can help streamline your operations and set you up for success.

1.Do I really need to use a CRM, or can I just stick with Excel?

While Excel is great for simple data tracking, it quickly becomes unmanageable as your business grows. A CRM automates data management, provides real-time insights, and helps you scale efficiently—allowing you to focus on growing your business.

2. How much should I be spending on my CRM?

The cost of a CRM should align with the value it brings to your business. Look for a solution that scales with your needs, so you’re only paying for what you use. The ROI from improved efficiency and increased sales often justifies the investment.

Hot Tip: Plan for what you’ll need for the next 12-24 months. Think about how your business is growing, and how your needs may evolve.

3. How can I track my team’s deals?

Ok, it’s more like “I can’t see anything that my team is doing and it’s driving me crazy”…but I digress. A visual sales pipeline is good for tracking deals. It allows you to see the status of each deal at a glance, prioritise actions, and forecast revenue with greater accuracy.

4. What’s the best project management tool for small businesses?

This one is interesting because there are so many options on the market. What I personally found is that the most important thing is that it connects with your existing workflow. Look for project management tools that can sync with your central tool like a CRM, so all your customer and project data are seamlessly connected.

5. How can I get my team to put their notes in a single place & not on their notepad?

One of my favourite questions! Mostly because I was a teacher's pet when it came to updating my notes when I was a junior salesperson. Centralised note-taking on a system like a CRM ensures that all client interactions and updates are stored in one accessible location, making collaboration easier and reducing the risk of information slipping through the cracks.

6. I need a quick and easy way to see all our prospects—how can I do that?

This is achievable through using spreadsheets, but we’ve already covered some of those limitations. A CRM with customisable filters and views can give you an instant overview of all your prospects, helping you manage your sales pipeline more effectively and making sure no opportunity is missed.

7. How do I manage and track customer communications?

You can integrate your email and communication tools with your CRM to automate follow-ups, track interactions, and respond promptly to customer inquiries, all from a single platform.

8. I’m not an analyst! Help! How can I keep track of important sales metrics without spending hours on reports?

Use a CRM that offers real-time reporting with customisable dashboards. This is an absolute game changer. You want your tools to help you, not hinder you. This allows you to monitor key metrics at a glance, saving time and enabling you to make informed decisions quickly.

9. I don’t want to snoop but, how do I know if my team is following up on leads consistently?

It’s not snooping or big brother-ish. This can be the difference between a great sales month and a terrible one. A CRM can automate follow-up reminders and track each interaction, ensuring that no lead falls through the cracks and your team maintains consistent communication with prospects.

10. Things are pretty manual—what kind of automation can we add to our sales process?

Automating repetitive tasks can save time and reduce errors. A CRM like pipedrive allows you to automate tasks such as follow-ups, lead nurturing, and data entry, so your team can focus on high-value activities that drive sales.

11. I need a way to track customer feedback - How can I do that?

Implement a CRM that integrates customer feedback tools, enabling you to gather, track, and analyse feedback directly within the platform, ensuring customer satisfaction is always a priority. 

12. As my team grows, it is hard to track everyone’s performance - is this easy in a CRM?

With a CRM that tracks sales goals and performance metrics in real-time, you can easily monitor your team’s progress and provide timely support to help them achieve their targets.

13. How do I keep my sales process organised as we grow?

A CRM with customisable sales stages and pipeline views ensures that as your business grows, your sales process remains organised and scalable, adapting to new challenges and opportunities.

The One Solution: Pipedrive

There’s a common theme with all of these questions - having a single source of truth across the business. After going through these questions, it’s clear that having the right tools in place can make a world of difference. Pipedrive is designed to answer all these questions and more. Here’s why:

CRM Over Excel: Pipedrive offers automation, scalability, and real-time insights that Excel simply can’t match.

Cost-Effective Investment: With Pipedrive, you only pay for what you use, ensuring that your CRM investment directly correlates with your business needs and growth.

Efficient Deal Tracking: The visual pipeline management in Pipedrive allows you to see the status of every deal, helping you prioritise actions and forecast revenue accurately.

Integrated Project Management: Pipedrive has “Projects by Pipedrive” - you can collaborate, assign tasks,  share files and more 

Centralised Notes: Pipedrive’s built-in note-taking features keep all your team’s notes in one place, ensuring that everyone is on the same page.

Prospect Overview: With Pipedrive’s customisable filters and views, you can easily track and manage all your prospects, ensuring no opportunity slips through the cracks.

Seamless Communication: Pipedrive integrates email and communication tracking, so you can manage all interactions directly within the CRM.

Real-Time Reporting: Pipedrive’s customisable dashboards allow you to track all the sales metrics that matter most, without spending hours on reports. Analysts - be gone!

Automated Follow-ups: Pipedrive automates reminders and tracks interactions, ensuring that your team follows up consistently and effectively.

Sales Process Automation: Pipedrive’s powerful automation tools handle everything from lead nurturing to data entry, freeing up your team to focus on closing deals.

Customer Feedback Integration: Pipedrive integrates with customer feedback tools, ensuring you can track and act on feedback seamlessly.

Sales Target Tracking: With Pipedrive, you can set and monitor sales targets in real-time, keeping your team motivated and on track.

Scalable Sales Process: Pipedrive’s customisable pipeline stages and views ensure your sales process remains organised, no matter how much your business grows.

Bonus: Pipedrive is recognised as a top-rated CRM tool and has earned over six industry-leading awards this year alone.

Ready to Get Your Questions Answered & Simplify Your Business?

Pipedrive is more than just a CRM; it’s a comprehensive solution designed to make your business operations smoother and more efficient.

If you’re ready to stop juggling multiple tools and start focusing on growth, give Pipedrive a try - click here to go for a ride

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