--- title: Small Business CRM Implementation Lies, Myths, and Tall Tales description: The lies CRM salespeople tell about implementation—fast, easy, painless—and why most CRM projects still fail. Straight talk from The Sales Whisperer®. image: https://thesaleswhisperer.com/hubfs/Affilliate/Infusionsoft%20small%20business%20success%20club.gif --- [Skip to content](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/small-business-crm-implementation-lies-myths#main-content) [![Wes Schaeffer is The Sales Whisperer®](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/hs-fs/hubfs/wes-header-lockup.png?width=1560&height=360&name=wes-header-lockup.png)](https://www.thesaleswhisperer.com/) - Work With Me Show submenu for Work With Me - [Fix Your Follow-Up](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/follow-up) - [Best Day Ever](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/best-day-ever) - [HANK The AI](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/hank) - [12 Weeks To Peak™](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/12-weeks-to-peak) - [48-Hour Fix](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/48-hour-fix) - [Start](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/start) - [Blog](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog) - [The Daily](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/daily) - [Speaking](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/sales-keynote-speaker) - [Podcast](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/podcast) Show submenu for Podcast - [Podcast Guests](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/podcast-guests) - [About](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/about) Open main navigation Close main navigation - Work With Me Show submenu for Work With Me - [Fix Your Follow-Up](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/follow-up) - [Best Day Ever](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/best-day-ever) - [HANK The AI](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/hank) - [12 Weeks To Peak™](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/12-weeks-to-peak) - [48-Hour Fix](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/48-hour-fix) - [Start](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/start) - [Blog](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog) - [The Daily](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/daily) - [Speaking](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/sales-keynote-speaker) - [Podcast](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/podcast) Show submenu for Podcast - [Podcast Guests](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/podcast-guests) - [About](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/about) - [Get The Daily](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/daily) [Get The Daily](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/daily) Jun 13, 2025 # Small Business CRM Implementation Lies, Myths, and Tall Tales ![Picture of Wes Schaeffer](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Wes%20Schaeffer%2c%20The%20Sales%20Whisperer%20black%20white.png?width=50&name=Wes%20Schaeffer%2c%20The%20Sales%20Whisperer%20black%20white.png) [Wes Schaeffer](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/author/wes-schaeffer) Share: [facebook-f icon](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/small-business-crm-implementation-lies-myths) [linkedin-in icon](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/small-business-crm-implementation-lies-myths) [Twitter icon](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/small-business-crm-implementation-lies-myths) [pinterest-p icon](http://pinterest.com/pin/create/link/?url=https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/small-business-crm-implementation-lies-myths) [envelope icon](mailto:?body=https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/small-business-crm-implementation-lies-myths) 2026 Update From Wes The tools changed. The platforms got new names, new features, and new prices. Why most owners struggle never changed: they bought the tool before they wrote down the process. Keep reading, and see the note at the bottom. ## CRM Implementation Struggles 63% of small businesses buy CRMs and marketing automation software for the wrong reasons. That's probably why 63% of CRM implementations fail, as measured by the Merkel Group in 2013. ***"But Wes, that report is old. Surely things have gotten better."*** You'd think, wouldn't you? In fact, Gartner Group conducted one of the first well-publicized studies back in 2001 and discovered a CRM implementation failure rate of 50%. By 2009, Forrester found a failure rate of 47%. Then VentureBeat reported at the end of 2014 that only 4.1% of businesses were using marketing technology at all, let alone CRMs and marketing automation. In 2017, CIO magazine reported that one-third of all CRM projects fail. Edinger Consulting Group founder and Harvard Business Review blogger Scott Edinger, on the other hand, found that the failure rate for customer relationship management (CRM) implementation may actually be as high as 90%. He found that most companies don’t know how to use these systems, so they are unable to maximize their CRM software for profit. ([Commence](https://commence.com/blog/2020/07/14/crm-implementation-failures/)) ## Small Business CRM Implementation Lies Follow the money. There is big money in the CRM / SaaS space, which means there will be unscrupulous salespeople attracted to the industry who are just there to make a buck. And by "unscrupulous," I mean CRM salespeople will lie to you either outright or through omission just to make a buck. **Related Articles:** - **[Salesforce vs. Keap as a Small Business CRM](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/salesforce-vs-keap)** - **[Small Business CRM Questions](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/small-business-crm-questions)** Some of the more common tall tales you'll hear include: - **Your CRM implementation will be fast**. - I tell people to plan on at least 90 days of focused effort by their core team and then plan on working inside the tool daily for as long as they own it...which is forever. - If you have a large team and no central database or platform, then it will take weeks of focused "nagging" to get everyone even to let you know what it is they want and need to be tracked in your new CRM. - If you have a central database or platform, it will still take weeks of focused effort to ensure all current fields are mapped into your new CRM, so nothing falls through the cracks. - **Your CRM implementation will be easy**. - If switching toothpaste isn't easy, how can switching CRMs be easy? - Launching a new CRM is like changing the sparkplug on your car as you're driving down the highway at 70 mph. Your business must continue operating while you flip the switch, and that is never a walk in the park. - **Your CRM implementation will be adopted by everyone with no pushback**. - Ha! See the toothpaste remark above. - You will always have the rabid supporters, the neutral "yeah-whatevers," and a few angry detractors. Just remember that you can't please everyone. Write down your process before you log in (more on that below), make an informed decision, then move ahead with a determined focus. - **Your CRM implementation will be compatible with all of your third-party applications**. - This is where writing down your process before you log in comes into play. You need to document your current and/or desired tools, such as: - Shopping cart / eCommerce - Accounting software - Webinar platform - Affiliate tracking - Email marketing - Marketing automation - Sales automation - Inbound sales - [Social media marketing](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/7-reasons-social-media-marketing-experts-are-broke) - Video Marketing - SMS marketing - Voice broadcasts - ERP - Landing page software - Etc. - Once you document your vital and nice-to-have tools, your CRM implementation specialist can help create a transition plan that includes a smooth and affordable 3rd party integration launch. - **Your CRM implementation will be fully supported for as long as you need**. - A lot of CRMs and inbound marketing platforms have limited support that you only discover after you've committed your right arm, left leg, firstborn, and signed a 99-year contract. - While most decent CRMs offer some sort of support for as long as you pay each month, they can vary from - 24-48 hour delayed email support - Chat-only support during business hours - Phone support during business hours - Phone support only for premium members - Forum/knowledge base support - Assigned implementation specialist - 30 days - 90 days - 12 months - 3rd party / certified partner support - Ask the hard questions and read the fine print to know how your CRM implementation will be supported. (**CRM Support Sidebar:** After nearly two decades of working with CRMs, I've found **HubSpot** to offer the best support of any CRM, marketing automation, or inbound marketing SaaS provider. They offer phone support, fast email support, a vibrant online community, and a robust partner community to help you get the most out of your CRM. I've been a customer of theirs since 2014.) ## Why CRM Implementations Continue To Fail Having personally worked with databases and CRMs in Corporate America since 1997 and as a CRM implementation specialist since 2007, I can tell you these numbers are accurate and not improving. The reasons CRM implementations fail are bountiful, but here are the big reasons why your small business CRM implementation will fail and what you can do about it: 1. You buy the CRM that your competitors are using. 2. You buy the CRM that your friends recommend. 3. You buy your CRM based solely on price. (See **[Total Cost of Ownership: HubSpot vs. Keap](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/true-cost-hubspot-vs-keap)**.) 4. You think your sales team will embrace the CRM and will update it regularly and correctly. 5. You think your sales team will happily keep multiple tabs open in their browsers to efficiently use your CRM and store all communication between their prospects and clients in the CRM. 6. You think your sales team will create stunning, compelling emails with trackable links to track engagement for prospects and customers. 7. You buy your CRM based on one "cool" feature. 8. You don't know why your customers buy. 9. You don't know why your prospects don't buy. 10. You can't articulate your sales funnel. 11. You create duplicate effort by: - Forcing your team to create Excel spreadsheets and other reports that your CRM can do. - Not leveraging the templates your CRM can store for your team's most common communications. 12. You don't know how to offer an upsell. 13. You don't know how to offer a down-sell. 14. You don't know how to develop and offer a free bonus. 15. You don't know how to build a list. For most companies, their CRMs turn into little more than expensive... - Online calendars, - Online address books, - Sporadic email blasters, and - Clubs that over-bearing managers use to club their salespeople over the heads with! Google will give you a calendar, address book, and email templates. Plenty of email tools will let you send blasts on a starter plan. You do a CRM implementation to bring everything together under one roof. To integrate them. To automate them. To dominate your niche. But doing this well doesn't come naturally or easily...and few owners get it right on their own. ## Why the CRM Didn't Fix It I've used Salesforce since 2004, Keap since 2008, and HubSpot and Ontraport since 2014. Every tool on this page works. Plenty of owners still give up on it. The tool was never the problem. A shiny CRM with no written process is just expensive dashboardery. Write down how a stranger becomes a customer first. Then pick the software that fits that process. [**Get a process before you get the software →**](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/process-first) Market like you mean it. Now go sell something. Want a sounding board while you fix it? 12 Weeks To Peak™ is 84 days of private coaching with me covering business, faith, family, fitness, and finance. I show up, I listen, and I tell you the truth. [See If We're A Fit →](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/12-weeks-to-peak) Not ready for private coaching? [Join the Inner Circle](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/inner-circle). Would you rather have it built for you? [Meet Hank](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/hank). [custom AI solution development](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/topic/custom-ai-solution-development), [Sales Training](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/topic/sales-training), [ROI of AI](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/topic/roi-of-ai) ## Related posts [![HubSpot vs. Salesforce CRM — AI-powered sales insights from Wes Schaeffer, The Sales Whisperer](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/racing-salesforce-hubspot-wes-schaeffer.jpg?height=200&name=racing-salesforce-hubspot-wes-schaeffer.jpg)](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/hubspot-vs-salesforce-crm) [custom AI solution development](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/topic/custom-ai-solution-development), [Sales Training](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/topic/sales-training), [ROI of AI](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/topic/roi-of-ai) ## [HubSpot vs. Salesforce CRM](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/hubspot-vs-salesforce-crm) ![Picture of Wes Schaeffer](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Wes%20Schaeffer%2c%20The%20Sales%20Whisperer%20black%20white.png?width=50&name=Wes%20Schaeffer%2c%20The%20Sales%20Whisperer%20black%20white.png) [Wes Schaeffer](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/author/wes-schaeffer) Jun 13, 2025 HubSpot vs Salesforce: Target Market Salesforce Target Market [Read more](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/hubspot-vs-salesforce-crm) [![Aleks Gollu, 11Sight Remote Selling Tactics on The CRM Sushi Podcast — AI-powered sales insights from Wes Schaeffer, The Sale](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog_Featured_Images/pexels-5083617.jpg?height=200&name=pexels-5083617.jpg)](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/11sight) [The Sales Podcast](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/topic/the-sales-podcast), [CRM Sushi Podcast](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/topic/crm-sushi-podcast) ## [Aleks Gollu, 11Sight Remote Selling Tactics on The CRM Sushi Podcast](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/11sight) ![Picture of Wes Schaeffer](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Wes%20Schaeffer%2c%20The%20Sales%20Whisperer%20black%20white.png?width=50&name=Wes%20Schaeffer%2c%20The%20Sales%20Whisperer%20black%20white.png) [Wes Schaeffer](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/author/wes-schaeffer) Jun 13, 2025 [Read more](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/11sight) [![](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/One%20Follow%20Up%20Call.png?height=200&name=One%20Follow%20Up%20Call.png)](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/365-ways-to-double-your-sales-6) [custom AI solution development](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/topic/custom-ai-solution-development), [Sales Training](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/topic/sales-training), [ROI of AI](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/topic/roi-of-ai) ## [365 Ways To Double Your Sales - 6](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/365-ways-to-double-your-sales-6) ![Picture of Wes Schaeffer](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Wes%20Schaeffer%2c%20The%20Sales%20Whisperer%20black%20white.png?width=50&name=Wes%20Schaeffer%2c%20The%20Sales%20Whisperer%20black%20white.png) [Wes Schaeffer](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/author/wes-schaeffer) Jun 13, 2025 Fix Your Follow Up Failure Here's the sorry state of affairs for the average salesperson: 48% of... 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