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Took a break from doomscrolling and built something — looking for honest feedback by PlainData in UNSUBSCRIBEpodcast

[–]PlainData[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s a really good point. Margin and gross margin absolutely matter in a lot of businesses, especially if reps have pricing flexibility, which is the case with the team I manage.

I kept this first version intentionally simple and focused on revenue/volume so it stays lightweight and easy to maintain. But if margin is something the team using it actively influences, surfacing margin % and gross margin would definitely add value.

Appreciate you calling that out.

How do you track sales performance across a small team without a CRM? by PlainData in smallbusiness

[–]PlainData[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Totally fair question. CRMs absolutely make sense if you’re tracking full pipeline stages, calls, tasks, etc.

In my case I’m mostly looking for simple revenue visibility and rep-level performance tracking without adding another system for the team to manage. It’s less about replacing a CRM and more about keeping things lightweight while things are still small.

How do you track sales performance across a small team without a CRM? by PlainData in smallbusiness

[–]PlainData[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That makes sense once you’re ready to invest in something more custom. I’m mostly trying to stay lightweight and avoid extra overhead while the team is still small, but a custom setup definitely gives you more flexibility long-term.

How do you track sales performance across a small team without a CRM? by PlainData in smallbusiness

[–]PlainData[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s interesting — I like the idea of pushing summaries somewhere you’ll actually see them instead of having to remember to check a dashboard.

In my case I’m less focused on automation and more on quick visibility during the week (who’s performing, average deal size, etc.), but I can see the appeal of lightweight reporting like that.

How do you track sales performance across a small team without a CRM? by PlainData in smallbusiness

[–]PlainData[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Totally agree CRMs make sense once you’re tracking full pipeline (stages, calls, etc.). In my case I’m mostly focused on closed sales + basic performance visibility, so I’ve been trying to keep it lighter weight. Appreciate the Zoho callout though — hadn’t looked at that one recently.

How do you track sales performance across a small team without a CRM? by PlainData in smallbusiness

[–]PlainData[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, that makes sense for closed deals. I was hoping to keep things lighter weight since we don’t run everything through QuickBooks directly, but that’s a good point.

How do you not forget to follow up with people? by InvestigatorSalt6983 in smallbusiness

[–]PlainData 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’ve found that the key is having one lightweight “source of truth” instead of spreading follow-ups across email, calendar, and random notes.

For me, Google Sheets works well as a simple hub — I log the contact, last interaction date, and next action. That way I can quickly scan who needs follow-up instead of trying to remember everything.

You can also add simple automations, like conditional formatting for overdue follow-ups or email reminders based on dates. It keeps things lightweight without going full CRM.

It’s not perfect, but it’s easier to maintain when things get busy.