The Case for a Stripped-Back CRM: Why Simplicity Wins for Solopreneurs

Recently, I was asked for my opinion on a particular CRM system. After reviewing it at an event and watching some videos, I couldn’t help but think that it looked impressive on the surface. However, based on my experiences, I couldn’t shake the feeling that it doubled down on the least valuable aspects of what a CRM should offer—especially for solopreneurs and small business owners.

The Problem with Overloaded CRM Systems

Many modern CRM systems seem to be designed by tech people for tech people, packed with automation features, integrations, and complex data enrichment tools. While this may sound appealing, in my experience, these features rarely drive meaningful business outcomes.

Take, for example, my time working at a company where we paid tens of thousands of dollars per month for a data enrichment add-on. It looked cool, but it made zero impact on booking calls and closing deals. The reality was that these tools often added complexity rather than value, creating the illusion of productivity without moving the needle on actual sales.

What Really Matters in Sales?

From my perspective, there are four key factors that genuinely drive sales growth:

1. Product-Market Fit: If your product or service doesn’t solve a real problem, no CRM feature will fix that.
2. Relationship with the Customer: The quality of the relationship you build with potential customers often outweighs any data enrichment tool.
3. Frequency of Engagement: Regular, meaningful engagement is critical for staying top-of-mind and moving deals forward.
4. Understanding the Customer and the Product: Deep knowledge of the customer’s needs and how your product addresses them is essential for closing deals.

The Beauty of a Simple Setup

I’ve seen people build multi-million-dollar businesses using a very lean setup. For example, a guy I learned from used a combination of Google Docs, a lightweight CRM, Zoom, and a few basic tools like email validators and LinkedIn automation. What set them apart was their relentless focus on follow-up & outreach. They followed up more frequently than anyone else I’ve come across, and that consistency paid off.

Lessons from Previous Roles

During my time working in customer success & sales related roles, our sales process was remarkably simple, yet effective. The successful teams tracked two primary metrics:

1. Meetings Booked
2. Cash Collected

The goal was always straightforward: do more outreach to qualified leads, get them on calls, and collect the cash. It wasn’t about sophisticated dashboards or multi-layered integrations. We generated hundreds of thousands of dollars within a few months using this no-nonsense approach before I was eventually made redundant.

Why lnks.to Fits the Lean CRM Philosophy

For solopreneurs, creators, and coaches, using a stripped-back CRM like lnks.to aligns perfectly with this lean approach to sales. Here’s why:

Simplicity: lnks.to offers the essential features you need to manage your contacts, follow up, and close deals without overwhelming you with unnecessary tools. It’s also expecting your users to come in via social media so its optimised for creating really simple funnels that help you keep leads organised from as soon as they sign up for their first lead magnet.

Mobility: You can manage your sales pipeline from your iPhone, tablet, or laptop, making it easy to stay on top of your outreach and follow-ups no matter where you are.

Focus on What Matters: lnks.to helps you prioritize warm leads and automate follow-ups, keeping you focused on activities that actually drive revenue.

 

Conclusion

The bottom line is that, as a solopreneur or small business owner, you don’t need a complex CRM to drive sales.

What you need is a system that allows you to track the basics—meetings booked and cash collected—while focusing on building relationships and understanding your customers. lnks.to provides the stripped-back functionality that helps you do just that, making it easier to run an effective sales process without the distractions.

If you’re interested in seeing the approach I took with building lnks.to’s CRM features, you can check it the lesson in our onboarding course.