The right CRM should make growth easier – not harder.
Most SMEs start their CRM journey with the best intentions. They want better visibility, smoother processes, and stronger customer relationships. But somewhere along the way, small missteps start to creep in – and over time, those small mistakes become big blockers.
I’ve seen this first-hand in my work with SMEs – and I’m lucky to be part of the Collier Pickard team, who’ve been helping businesses get CRM right for over 20 years. Together, we’ve spotted the patterns that cause problems time and time again. The good news? Every single one of them is fixable.
Mistake 1: Choosing a CRM that’s too big (or too small)
An enterprise-grade CRM can be overkill for an SME. All that extra complexity means you end up paying for features you’ll never use – and your team struggles to adopt it.
On the flip side, lightweight tools might get you started quickly but won’t keep up as your business grows. You’ll hit a ceiling, and migrating to a new system mid-growth can be a painful (and expensive) exercise.
The fix: Choose a right-fit platform that matches both where your business is today and where you want it to be in three to five years.
Mistake 2: Treating CRM as a sales-only tool
Your CRM isn’t just for sales. It should be the central hub for your service, marketing, and operations teams too.
When departments work in silos, handoffs get messy, customer information gets lost, and opportunities are missed. A customer who feels disconnected from your business won’t stay a customer for long.
The fix: Make sure everyone who interacts with customers is connected to – and working from – the same CRM system.
Mistake 3: Ignoring your users
No training, no champions, and no plan for adoption? That’s a recipe for failure. I’ve seen too many businesses spend money on a CRM that the team avoids using – turning it into nothing more than an expensive contact list.
The fix: Involve your team early, appoint internal champions, and make training a priority. The system only works if people use it.
Mistake 4: No roadmap for growth
Your CRM should be able to handle the business you’re building – not just the business you have right now. If adding new users, products, or processes feels like a nightmare, you’re setting yourself up for roadblocks later.
The fix: Plan your CRM setup with scalability in mind. Build for where you’re going, not just where you are.
Mistake 5: Forgetting to review
Businesses evolve. A CRM that was the perfect fit in 2022 could be holding you back today.
The fix: Review your CRM regularly. Look at adoption rates, data quality, and whether it’s still supporting your business goals. Small adjustments along the way are far cheaper than a full rebuild later.
Conclusion
Mistakes are fixable – if you act early
These issues are common, but they’re also solvable. A quick review can highlight where your system is helping and where it’s holding you back.
Book a quick CRM review call and see how your setup stacks up.
