7 Brutally Effective Ways to Optimise Your CRM and Actually Get Value from It

Let’s be real: most CRMs sit there collecting dust or confusion.

Sales says it’s slow. Marketing says the data’s a mess. Leadership doesn’t trust the pipeline.

But it’s not the software that’s broken — it’s how it’s set up.

If your business runs on HubSpot, Salesforce, or anything close to that, optimising it is one of the fastest ways to reclaim lost hours, clean up your data, and actually drive growth.

But how do you do that without getting trapped in jargon or re-inventing the wheel?

1. Audit Before You Automate

Everyone loves jumping straight to automation — it feels productive. But if your foundation is shaky, you’re just automating a disaster.

Start with a CRM health audit:

• Are your deal stages still relevant to how your team actually sells?

• Is data being captured consistently, or are there holes everywhere?

• Are your reports stitched together with Excel?

Scenario: One SaaS team thought they had a solid pipeline — until a quick audit showed reps skipping three of six stages because “they never made sense anyway.”

Fixing structure first means automation won’t multiply your mess.

Pro tip: Run a quarterly 100-point CRM check. You’ll catch issues before they become habits.

2. Align Your CRM to Real-World Processes

Here’s a hard truth: if reps avoid the CRM, it’s not them — it’s either the processes or the system.

Your CRM should reflect how people actually sell, not how someone imagined it in a kick-off meeting two years ago.

This might mean:

• Removing fields no one uses.

• Re-sequencing stages to reflect modern buying behaviour.

• Only automating steps where humans don’t add value.

Scenario: A B2B firm had five required fields just to log a lead — reps started writing them down on paper to avoid the system. After simplifying, adoption shot up.

When your CRM works the way your team thinks, you stop fighting for adoption.

3. Standardise, Then Customise

Over-customising early is how you get a CRM that feels like Frankenstein.

Start simple. Standard deal stages. Shared dashboards. One clear view of performance.

Once that’s working, then tailor views and reports for each team.

Example:

• Consistent pipeline across all sales regions.

• Leadership dashboard with big-picture metrics.

• Custom views for SDRs, AMs, or marketing — built off the same base.

Consistency makes reporting easier. Customisation makes it usable.

4. Connect the Dots Between Systems

Your CRM is only as good as the data it talks to.

If finance, inventory, or order systems don’t sync with it, then you’re relying on guesswork.

Integrate where possible:

• HubSpot <> Xero

• Salesforce/HubSpot <> NetSuite

• or really: CRM <> system of your choice

Example: After syncing HubSpot with their ERP, one distribution team cut manual entry by 80% — and finally had accurate delivery dates in sales proposals.

When systems talk, humans stop duplicating effort.

5. Build Dashboards That Drive Action, Not Just Awareness

Your dashboards shouldn’t just look good — they should do something.

If it’s not helping someone make a decision or take the next step, it’s just decoration.

Trade vanity metrics (like “calls made”) for meaningful ones:

• Deal-to-close ratio

• Avg. days in each stage

• Deals stalled over 14 days

• Which deals are being actioned today

6. Treat Training as an Ongoing Habit, Not a One-Off Event

Most teams treat CRM training like an dentist visit — painful, occasional, and quickly forgotten.

Instead, build continuous enablement:

• Monthly micro-trainings

• Tips of the week

• In-person coaching when someone gets stuck

7. Iterate Quarterly Like You Mean It

CRMs aren’t set-and-forget tools. They are (or should be) living systems.

Every 90 days, ask:

• What’s been a success?

• What’s being ignored?

• What’s slowing people down?

The best bit is that HubSpot lets you see that data at a glance. 

The Bottom Line

A great CRM isn’t the one with the most bells and whistles. It’s the one your team actually wants to use.

If you treat your CRM like a living system — audit it, align it, and iterate it — you’ll stop losing hours to confusion and start gaining clarity, adoption, and real growth.

So before buying another system, step back.

Fix the one you already have.

That’s how modern businesses turn their CRM from a chore into a competitive advantage.