1) Role Definition: What “owning the CRM” means

You are responsible for:

• Speed to lead (calls/texts within minutes)
  
  
• Clean data + next steps on every lead/job
  
  
• Moving deals through stages with clear outcomes
  
  
• Coordinating estimating → approval → invoicing
  
  
• Reminder systems (quotes, no-shows, unpaid invoices, follow-ups)
  
  
• Reporting (pipeline health + weekly manager updates)
  
  

Golden rule:
If it’s not in the CRM, it didn’t happen.

2) Phone Speed (Speed to Lead)

Service Level Targets (Non-negotiables)

• Answer rate: 80%+ during business hours
  
  
• Callback time: within 5 minutes for missed calls (max 15)
  
  
• New web lead response: <5 minutes (call + SMS)
  
  
• After-hours: auto-reply + next-business-day call within first hour
  
  

Immediate workflow (every inbound lead)

1. Create/locate contact → confirm name, suburb, mobile, email
   
   
2. Tag lead source (Google/FB/Referral/etc.)
   
   
3. Log the inquiry (job type + urgency)
   
   
4. Book the next step (estimate booking or site visit)
   
   
5. Set Next Task + Due Date
   
   
6. Send confirmation SMS/email (job + date/time + what to expect)
   
   

Speed-to-lead scripts

Missed call SMS (send within 2 mins):
“Hey {{first_name}}, missed your call — it’s {{rep_name}} from {{business}}. What can we help you with and what suburb are you in?”

Web lead SMS (immediate):
“Hey {{first_name}}, it’s {{rep_name}} from {{business}} — got your enquiry for {{job_type}}. I can call now or book a time. What suits?”

Callback opener (phone):
“Hi {{first_name}}, it’s {{rep_name}} from {{business}} — thanks for reaching out. I’ll ask a couple quick questions then we’ll lock in the next step.”

3) Sales Hygiene (CRM cleanliness standards)

Non-negotiables per record

Every lead/job must have:

• Correct name + mobile + suburb
  
  
• Lead source
  
  
• Job type + short notes
  
  
• Pipeline stage
  
  
• Next Step (task + date/time)
  
  
• Estimate value (even a rough range)
  
  
• Attachments/photos/messages saved
  
  

Daily hygiene checklist (10 minutes, twice daily)

• No leads sitting in “New” without a task
  
  
• No tasks overdue
  
  
• Every open deal has next contact date
  
  
• Duplicates merged
  
  
• Notes updated after every call
  
  
• Quote sent = quote attached + stage updated
  
  
• Lost deals have a reason code
  
  

Data rules (keep it consistent)

• Notes: use bullets, include date + outcome
  
  
• Use tags sparingly (lead source, urgency, job type)
  
  
• Don’t create custom fields unless they’ll be used in reporting
  
  

4) Sales Process (Pipeline + actions)

Recommended pipeline stages (trade business)

1. New Lead
   
   
2. Contacted
   
   
3. Qualified
   
   
4. Booked Estimate
   
   
5. Estimate Completed
   
   
6. Quote Sent
   
   
7. Follow-up
   
   
8. Quote Accepted
   
   
9. Scheduled / In Progress
   
   
10. Invoiced
    
    
11. Paid
    
    
12. Lost
    
    

If your business separates “sales” vs “operations”, stages 9–11 may be owned by admin/accounts, but the rep still tracks it.

Stage exit criteria (how you know you can move it)

• New → Contacted: attempted call + SMS sent + task set
  
  
• Contacted → Qualified: job type, location, timeframe, budget range, decision maker confirmed
  
  
• Qualified → Booked Estimate: booked time + confirmation sent
  
  
• Booked → Estimate Completed: estimator completed visit / measurements done
  
  
• Estimate Completed → Quote Sent: quote created + sent + follow-up task scheduled
  
  
• Quote Sent → Follow-up: follow-up attempted at least once
  
  
• Follow-up → Approved: written confirmation / deposit paid / signed acceptance
  
  
• Approved → Scheduled: job booked into calendar/job system + customer notified
  
  
• Scheduled → Invoiced: job completed + invoice issued
  
  
• Invoiced → Paid: payment received and receipted
  
  
• Any stage → Lost: logged reason + competitor if known + nurture tag applied
  
  

Qualification questions (fast but effective)

• “What’s the job and what outcome are you aiming for?”
  
  
• “Where’s the property (suburb) and is access easy?”
  
  
• “What’s your ideal timeframe?”
  
  
• “Have you had quotes before or is this the first one?”
  
  
• “Is anyone else involved in approving the quote?”
  
  
• “What’s most important: speed, price, finish quality, or warranty?”
  
  

5) Estimating (handover + follow-up)

Estimating booking SOP

• Confirm:
  
  
  • site address + parking/access
    
    
  • photos if possible (SMS link)
    
    
  • time window and who will be onsite
    
    
• Send “what to expect” message:
  
  
  • arrival window
    ‍
    
  • what we need access to
    
    
  • typical turnaround for quote (e.g., 24–48hrs)
    
    

Estimate confirmation SMS template:
“Booked ✅ {{date}} {{time_window}}. We’ll have a quick look, ask a few questions, then send your quote within {{timeframe}}. If you can, reply with photos of {{job_area}}.”

Quote follow-up cadence (simple)

• Day 0: quote sent + “got it?” SMS
  
  
• Day 2: call
  
  
• Day 5: SMS + alternative option (“good/better/best”)
  
  
• Day 10: call + “close the loop”
  
  
• Day 21: final check-in + move to nurture
  
  

Day 0 SMS:
“Hey {{first_name}}, quote is through ✅ Any questions I can clear up? If you want to proceed, I can lock in a date.”

Close-the-loop call line:
“Just wanted to close the loop — are you keen to move ahead, or should I mark this one as on hold?”

Quote acceptance process (avoid confusion)

When they say yes:

• confirm scope + start date
  
  
• confirm deposit/payment terms
  
  
• send acceptance link or “reply YES” instruction
  
  
• immediately update stage + schedule + notify team
  
  

6) Invoicing (handoff + ownership)

If invoicing is your responsibility, follow this:

Invoice creation checklist

• Job marked complete
  
  
• Any variations approved and recorded
  
  
• Correct customer details
  
  
• PO/reference (if required)
  
  
• Payment link included
  
  
• Due date set
  
  
• Invoice sent + CRM stage updated
  
  

Payment follow-up cadence

• Due date -1: reminder SMS/email
  
  
• Due date +2: call + SMS
  
  
• Due date +7: firm reminder + “any issues?” + escalate to manager
  
  
• Due date +14: final notice / hold future bookings (per policy)
  
  

Friendly reminder SMS:
“Hey {{first_name}}, just a quick reminder invoice #{{invoice_no}} is due {{due_date}}. Here’s the link: {{pay_link}}. Let me know if anything looks off.”

7) Pipeline Reports (what to track weekly)

Core pipeline metrics (minimum)

• Leads received
  
  
• Contact rate (% contacted within 15 mins)
  
  
• Booked estimate rate (% of qualified)
  
  
• Show rate (% estimates attended)
  
  
• Quote sent rate (within SLA time)
  
  
• Close rate (% quotes won)
  
  
• Average job value
  
  
• Time to close (days)
  
  
• Aging quotes (0–7 / 8–14 / 15–30 / 30+)
  
  
• Uninvoiced completed jobs
  
  
• Outstanding invoices (aged receivables)
  
  

Pipeline health snapshot (one-page)

• Total open pipeline value
  
  
• Next 7 days: estimates booked
  
  
• Next 14 days: follow-ups due
  
  
• Bottlenecks (e.g., “quote turnaround too slow”)
  
  

8) Pipeline Questions (use these to diagnose problems)

Ask these weekly:

Speed & Contact

• Are we contacting leads in under 5 minutes?
  
  
• Where are leads dropping (New → Contacted)?
  
  

Quality

• Are we qualifying properly or quoting junk leads?
  
  
• Are we missing photos / scope details that delay quoting?
  
  

Conversion

• Which job types convert best/worst?
  
  
• Are we offering options (good/better/best) where needed?
  
  

Aging

• How many quotes are stuck in 15–30 days?
  
  
• What’s the follow-up compliance rate?
  
  

Operations

• Are won jobs getting scheduled quickly?
  
  
• Are completed jobs getting invoiced within 24–48 hours?
  
  

Cash

• What’s the overdue invoice total and what’s the collection plan?
  
  

9) Team Communication (internal coordination)

WhatsApp

• Team members have a group with sales rep
  
  
• Sales rep has group with directors
  
  

What is sent through WhatsApp

• Quote details
  
  
• Upsell opportunities
  
  
• Variations
  
  
• Job status

Sales rep

• Updates CRM accordingly
  
  
• Updates quotes and estimates
  
  
• Invoices sent
  
  
• Payments tracked

10) Quick Reference: Your daily schedule

Start of day (15 min)

• Check new leads + call back missed calls
  
  
• Review today’s appointments
  
  
• Clear overdue tasks
  
  

Midday (10 min)

• Follow-ups due today
  
  
• Confirm next-day estimates
  
  

End of day (15 min)

• Update notes/stages
  
  
• Set tomorrow tasks
  
  
• Manager quick note on any risks

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