CRM best practices for small businesses (2025 guide)

Let’s be honest. There are lots of “CRM best practices” and implementation guides out there on the internet, and most just rehash the same standard set of tips. 

We’re going to try to make this one a bit different by zeroing in on best practices and implementation techniques for small businesses using QuickBooks as part of their core operations. These insights are backed by Method’s deep expertise and long history providing CRM software to small businesses around the world. 

What we’ll cover: 

• What are “CRM best practices”?
• 8 CRM best practices for small businesses that run on QuickBooks
• Put these CRM best practices into action

What are“CRM best practices”?

Getting a customer relationship management (CRM) system is only half the battle. The other half is making sure it actually works for your business needs. That’s where these CRM best practices come in. 

Think of CRM best practices as your game plan. They’re the steps that help turn your new CRM system into an invaluable business tool that helps you close deals, serve customers faster, and keep your team on the same page. 

We’re talking about fundamentals like: 

• Setting clear goals,
• Centralizing your customer data,
• Automating repetitive tasks, 
• And (this one’s big) getting your team to actually use the system. 

If you’re still juggling spreadsheets and QuickBooks to track customers and sales, you’re not alone—40% of sales reps still rely on Excel to store and track customer data. But that fragmented data can lead to human error, double data entry, and lost revenue. According to QuickBooks, this “spreadsheet chaos” is one of the biggest reasons growing businesses make the leap to CRM.

A CRM platform can provide significant ROI and improve customer retention and satisfaction. But here’s the kicker—many CRM projects flop without a solid plan.

CRM best practices are your insurance policy. They help you avoid costly missteps and actually see the ROI you were promised. And if you’re using Method CRM, you’re already a step ahead in helping your business reach its full potential. That’s because we built it to match the way you already work, especially if that work starts in QuickBooks.

8 CRM best practices for small businesses that run on Quickbooks

Now that we’ve unpacked what CRM best practices actually mean, let’s dive into specific examples and how to implement them. Below are eight practical and proven best practices—designed specifically for small businesses using QuickBooks—that’ll help you get real value out of your CRM.

1. Set clear goals and requirements for your CRM

Before you jump into software selection, take a step back. What exactly do you want your CRM to do? What are your business needs? If you don’t answer that question first, your CRM will likely become an expensive to-do list that no one uses.

A lot of CRM projects fail—and that failure is usually avoidable with proper goal planning. That’s a lot of wasted time and budget.

To avoid CRM failure, start with the basics. What problems are you trying to solve? 

Maybe your sales team is dropping leads, or maybe you’re duplicating work between QuickBooks and spreadsheets. From there, define what success looks like. That could be reducing manual data entry by 50%, sending quotes twice as fast, or increasing repeat business.

This step doesn’t have to be complicated—you just need to be specific about what you’re trying to achieve. The best CRM solutions can help during this stage. Method, for example, offers comprehensive deployment and configuration services, alongside ongoing customer support to help you set and meet your CRM goals. 

When you have a goalpost, you’re no longer hoping a CRM works. You’re making sure it does.

Need help deciding on a CRM? Read our guide comparing Method CRM vs. Salesforce.

2. Pick the right CRM system

Some CRMs look impressive on paper but fall short once your team members start using them. Often, this comes down to a mismatch between your specific needs and who the CRM was built for. Small businesses likely don’t need enterprise-level features like complex revenue forecasting, ERP integrations, or custom APIs. When a system is overloaded with features you won’t use, it becomes cumbersome, adding confusion instead of clarity.

For teams currently relying on QuickBooks and spreadsheets, the priorities are entirely different. You need straightforward tools that simplify your business processes—like contact information tracking and segmentation, web-to-lead capture, and two-way QuickBooks sync to eliminate duplicate data entry. 

If your CRM doesn’t fit how you already work—or includes a surplus of unnecessary and complex features—it creates friction. You’ll likely end up spending hours training staff, troubleshooting integrations, and wrestling with a system that was never designed for your business. 

The right CRM should feel intuitive and connect naturally with the tools you already rely on. For many small businesses, that makes two-way QuickBooks integration essential—which is exactly why Method puts it at the heart of its platform.

Stand out features as a small business to look for include: 

• Real-time, two-way QuickBooks sync, accessible via a customer portal, so customer info, invoices, and payments stay in sync automatically. 
• User-friendly interface. Your team should be able to learn it fast, without needing a manual.
• Customizable fields and screens. Tailor it to match how your business already works.
• Built-in automation to handle repetitive tasks like follow-ups, invoice creation, or sales and marketing automation.
• Customer information and sales tracking. Keep tabs on every lead, quote, and deal in one place.
• Quick setup and onboarding help. Not just software, but a team to walk you through it. 
• Mobile access so field teams or on-the-go staff can update info from anywhere.
• Role-based permissions. Make sure employees only see what they need to.
• Contact and activity history. See every interaction tied to a customer experience, all in one place.

The takeaway? Pick a CRM tool with features and capabilities that align with your business, and one that your team will actually enjoy using, not dread logging into.

3. Make a CRM implementation plan and phase the rollout

Too many CRM projects fail to achieve their original goals because they try to do everything all at once. One day, your team is using spreadsheets. Next, they’re expected to master a whole new system. That’s a recipe for confusion.

Here’s a better way. Break the rollout into phases. Start small. Get one team or feature up and running—like contact management or your sales pipeline—before adding more.

This phased approach works. Tackle one piece at a time to reduce risk and gather feedback. CRM failures happen when companies rush or skip steps. Give yourself a three to six month window and plan each step intentionally.

With Method CRM, you don’t have to figure this out alone. Our professional services team can work with you to map the rollout, and will offer ongoing support if needed.

4. Clean up your data and centralize it

You can’t expect a CRM to work if you feed it bad data. Scattered contact lists, outdated info, and five different versions of the same customer? That’s a mess that will only get worse in the long run.

Before you go live, it’s worth taking time to clean house. 

Ask yourself: 

• Where does your customer data live right now? Spreadsheets, inboxes, sticky notes? 
• Are there duplicates? 
• Are there conflicting entries? 
• Do you have outdated records? 

Cleaning up your data upfront creates one master list your whole team can trust. When everyone’s looking at the same contact record—with the right phone number, address, and purchase history—things run smoother. This kind of centralization eliminates the “spreadsheet chaos” that causes costly mistakes and wasted time.

In fact, companies that improve their CRM data quality also see a boost in customer retention—not to mention significant productivity gains. All it takes is tidying up those old rows before you hit “import”.

Keep reading: Learn how to import transactions into QuickBooks from Excel.

5. Automate routine tasks to save time

Nobody starts a business to spend their day sending follow-up emails or logging every sales call manually. But for a lot of small teams, that’s exactly what eats up hours each week.

A good CRM should take that grunt work off your plate. Think functionality like: automatic email reminders, instant task creation when a lead goes cold, or invoices that build themselves the moment a deal closes. This can even extend to automations for email marketing campaigns and account-based outreach programs.

With Method CRM, this kind of automation is built in. You can trigger actions based on customer interactions, customer behavior, deal stage, or even time passed. 

For example: If a quote is accepted, Method can automatically email a thank-you message and create an invoice in QuickBooks. Or, if a job moves from pending to approved, it can assign a task to your ops manager to review next steps.

Automation saves reps hours every week—time they can use on customers instead. Method’s team will even help you set up those workflows, so they work exactly how your business runs.

You don’t need fancy tech skills to get this going. Just ask yourself: “What are we doing on repeat that we can automate?” Then, let Method handle the reminders while you focus on what matters most.

6. Appoint a CRM champion to drive adoption

If your team is defaulting to old habits—like spreadsheets, sticky notes, or forgotten follow-ups—there’s one proven way to turn things around: designate a CRM champion inside your business.

A great CRM champion is someone who’s confident using the system and enthusiastic about its value. They’re someone your team can turn to for quick tips, troubleshooting help, and encouragement when learning a new workflow.

Here’s what a CRM champion can do for you:

• Onboard new users with practical, real-world guidance. 
• Answer everyday questions about how to log a lead, send an estimate, or schedule a follow-up.
• Lead by example. Champions use CRMs themselves, and show how it saves time and reduces admin work.
• Spot adoption blockers early, and work with your team to address them before they become habits.

How do you choose the right person? Look for someone who’s comfortable with the platform, respected by peers, and has a good handle on your sales or customer process. This could be a manager, admin lead, or even a power user who just “gets it.”

Of course, even your champion needs a support system. That’s where Method CRM comes in. Our onboarding process includes guided setup with real humans—often over video calls—to walk your team through the parts of the CRM that matter most. And long after go-live, our customer success team is just a message away if you need us.

Finally, don’t treat adoption as a one-and-done event. Keep momentum going with quick Q&A sessions, cheat sheets, and lunch-and-learns to progressively upskill your entire team. When your team sees the CRM as a tool that works for them—not something imposed on them—they’re far more likely to use it. And that all starts with having a champion to lead the way.

7. Track performance to continuously improve

Getting your CRM set up is just the beginning. To see a real return on investment, you need to regularly evaluate how it’s performing—not just as a tool, but as a driver of business outcomes.

Start with the big questions:

• What’s working? 
• What’s not? 
• Are your goals being met?

To answer those, you need clear metrics tied to your CRM strategy. If your goal was to improve lead follow-up, reduce billing errors, or shorten your sales cycle, your CRM should help you measure progress against those targets.

But don’t stop at outcomes. Track how your team is actually using the system:

• Are reps consistently logging calls and notes?
• Are customer profiles complete and up-to-date?
• Are deals moving smoothly through your pipeline?
• Is there a measurable impact on lead conversion or customer retention?

This is where ROI starts to become clearer. To assess your return, compare your CRM pricing and associated costs—licensing, onboarding, staff training—against the financial gains it’s helping unlock. 

That could include:

• More closed deals due to faster, more consistent follow-up
• Time saved by eliminating manual tasks
• Fewer errors thanks to automated data syncing with QuickBooks or Xero
• Higher customer satisfaction and repeat business
• Positive impact to revenue and profitability after CRM implementation 

To make this real, set benchmarks and track against them. For example, if your team was closing 1 in 10 new leads before you implement CRM, can you get that to 1 in 7? If it used to take five days to send a quote, can you cut that down to one?

Working through these calculations help make the impact of your CRM clear, which in turn helps with adoption and confidence in the system—something that’s an ongoing problem across many businesses.

In fact, CRM adoption is fairly high across industries at about 64% but overall satisfaction with these platforms is still low overall—largely due to a lack of clarity around their impact and, as a consequence, low internal usage. This highlights the need to continuously track sentiment and outcomes related to your CRM to ensure that the tool is actually driving results.

Think of it like checking your mirrors while driving. A quick look tells you if it’s time to speed up, slow down, or change lanes. The better your visibility, the smoother the ride.

Put these CRM best practices into action

A CRM only delivers value when it’s planned, personalized, and actually used. Start small. Set clear goals, clean your data, and pick a system that fits how you already work. 

Roll it out in phases, train your team with real-world tasks, and use automation to lighten the load. Then check your progress, refine, and repeat. With the right habits in place, your CRM becomes more than just software—it becomes the engine that drives your business forward. 

And with Method, you’ve got a partner to help you do it right from day one. Discover how Method CRM can help you consolidate data management, streamline workflows, and get real-time insights into every aspect of your business. Learn more here.