HOW TO USE YOUR CRM

How to Use Your CRM

Once your pipeline is live, this is how it stays accurate: the operating rules everyone follows, and the responsibilities of the Salesperson, Sales Manager, CRM Administrator, and the CRM itself.

MVP OPERATING RULES
Once you have imported your data and set up your pipeline, you are ready to operate. The rules below apply to everyone who touches the system - salesperson, sales manager, and CRM administrator alike. They are what keep your reporting accurate and your team working from the same picture of reality.
OPERATIONAL AXIOM
CRM data is operational truth. If it isn't logged in the CRM, it never happened.
OPPORTUNITY REQUIREMENTS
  • Every opportunity is created in the CRM once vendor intent is first observed.
  • Missing or outdated required fields must be updated before the expected close date.
ACCOUNTABILITY
  • Every opportunity has exactly one accountable owner at any given time.
  • Ownership can be transferred as many times as needed.
OPPORTUNITY PROGRESSION
  • Work directly within the opportunity to email, call, schedule activities, and log notes.
  • Advance stages only when buyer evidence fulfills the current stage's exit criteria.
  • Opportunities only move forward, never backward, and never skip stages.
  • Always have a valid next activity scheduled, until the opportunity closes.
OPPORTUNITY CLOSURE
  • Opportunities can only be won from the final sales stage. Opportunities can be lost at any stage.
  • Lost reasons must be selected from a list of mutually exclusive values.
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Salesperson
The Pathfinder.
Moves opportunities through the pipeline and finds the critical path to close each one. Owns every opportunity from first contact to close.
Sales Manager
The Navigator.
Charts the territory for the sales team and keeps execution on track. Maintains pipeline hygiene and coaches based on recorded evidence.
CRM Administrator
The Cartographer.
Maps and maintains the CRM environment that the sales team depends on. Establishes the architecture and enforces the validation rules.

EXECUTABLE BEHAVIORS

  • Create opportunities directly in the CRM

    • Opportunity Title

    • Status

    • Stage

    • Value

    • Scope of Work

    • Expected close date

    • Next step

    • Buyer information

    • Organization information

    • Opportunity Owner

  • Log buyer evidence (calls, emails, meetings, etc.) in real time

  • Make CTAs based on buyer evidence

EXECUTABLE BEHAVIORS

  • Maintain pipeline hygiene

  • Monitor forecast validity

  • Identify and reconcile duplicate records

  • Reassign ownership when needed

  • Coach salespeople based on recorded buyer evidence

  • Review lost reason patterns for trends

  • Take corrective actions when defects are found

EXECUTABLE BEHAVIORS

  • Establish and maintain the approved CRM architecture

  • Establish and enforce approved data validation rules

  • Manage user roles & permissions

  • Audit CRM data

  • Take corrective actions for duplicate, invalid or incorrect records

  • Monitor the CRM's Agentic Behaviors

  • Establish and maintain CRM architecture documentation

THE CRM — THE EQUIPMENT

Automations

  • Triggers workflows based on a predefined condition.

Automatic Assignment

  • Routes new leads and opportunities to the correct rep.

  • Reassigns ownership when trigger conditions are met.

Email Sync

  • Establishes two-way email sync with Gmail or Outlook.

  • Logs emails on contacts, opportunities, or organizations automatically.

Calendar Sync

  • Syncs your calendar with Google, Microsoft 365, Outlook, or Exchange.

  • Automatically syncs activities you create in the CRM to your external calendar.

Duplicate Management

  • Detects and merges duplicate contacts, organizations, or opportunities.

Reporting & Goals

  • Creates real-time reports showing opportunity statistics, revenue won, KPIs, and revenue forecasts.

  • Tracks company and individual user goals in real time.

Visibility & Permissions

  • Restricts visibility of leads, opportunities, contacts, and product inventory by group.

  • Enforces permission sets that define what each user can do.

Security

  • Authenticates users via SAML SSO.

  • Enforces two-factor authentication.

  • Surfaces security alerts on suspicious activity.

Data Validation

  • Enforces required fields before an opportunity can progress.

  • Flags important fields without blocking opportunity progression.

Opportunity Rotting

  • Identifies opportunities that have stalled.

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