How to Create a Brand Identity in Your CRM
Have you ever started to do a task for your business, and then gotten sidetracked into seven other tasks because you realize in order to complete the first task, the seven others need to be done? It’s frustrating, and points to an irrefutable fact of business ownership: Everything is connected.
This is going to come into play a lot in today’s blog. But before we dive in too deep, let me introduce myself. My name is Chloe, owner and founder of It’s Chloe G, and I am a client experience strategist. I build custom Honeybook and Dubsado systems to improve the client journey, create automations that restore your work life balance, and design beautiful back-end systems so every touchpoint feels polished and intentional.
In this blog, I want to talk about how to create a brand identity in your CRM and why it matters far more than you think it does. So grab a seat in your cushiest chair and let’s get started.
First, What is a CRM?
A CRM is a client relationship manager. It is the hub through which all of your client communication, including invoicing, contracts, and questionnaires, takes place. In addition to all of this, you can also build custom automations within your CRM to send followups, links, and important reminders throughout the client journey.
Ultimately, a CRM provides an elevated experience for your clients and allows you to spend more time doing the work you love—rather than hunting through your inbox for important documents and sending repetitive emails. Read this blog for a deeper dive into what a CRM is and why service providers need one!
How Your Brand Identity Affects Your CRM
There is a common misconception that because your CRM is a more technical software, it can’t be pretty. That is the furthest thing from the truth!
When done correctly, your CRM can be as full of life and color as your brand. In fact, a large part of my job is integrating your branding within your CRM. Anything that your client interacts with can and should be designed with your branding. I’m talking about emails, contracts, welcoming guides, questionnaires… The list goes on!
The things that are more templated by nature, like scheduler pages and invoice layouts, have less room to play, but we can still pull in brand colors. The goal is for your CRM to match so seamlessly with your branding and website that it feels like one continuous experience for your clients.
The Client Perspective
Your clients fall in love with their brand long before they book you. Everything from the colors to the fonts to the images and tone pulls them in, enough for them to click into your website and even inquire! And then they sign.
And if your CRM isn’t branded, all of that just… stops. Abruptly. They went from interacting with a beautiful brand to filling out a generic Google Form and they’re suddenly thinking “Wait, is this the same business?”
It doesn’t necessarily create distrust, but it creates a gap between the promise and the delivery. It’s like walking by an absolutely stunning store. And the closer you look at it, you remember that you’ve seen this store online! Everything about it is so you, and you can’t wait to get inside. But when you do, the inside is bare. There are products on the shelf, but it feels wrong, somehow, It’s like you’ve had the rug pulled from underneath you. And you leave without buying anything because the delivery doesn’t match the expectation.
That’s what an unbranded CRM does to your clients. You built the most beautiful storefront, and then you left the inside bare.
The Business Owner Experience
Listen darling, a branded CRM isn’t just for your clients. It impacts you, too! If you’re a business owner, there’s a halfway decent chance that you are an above and beyond type of person. You like things done well. And when something isn’t quite hitting that mark… you feel it.
So sending clients a thrown-together proposal, an unbranded Google Doc, or invoicing via Venmo gives you the ick. It doesn’t represent the business you have worked so hard to build, and you’ve probably been dealing with that underlying feeling for months.
Imagine what it will feel like when that ickiness is gone.
Well, I don’t have to imagine, because I’ve seen exactly what happens for my clients! Almost universally, my clients have raised their prices within six months of getting their CRM redone— up to 20-30% of what they were charging previously! Because now, they’re not just offering a great product. They’re offering a white-glove experience, which more than justifies their prices.
And a custom CRM build goes beyond branding. Think about automations which land emails in your client’s inbox at exactly the right moment. You’re answering questions before they fully form and providing seamless, intuitive communication. This is a luxury experience, and it is worth paying for. The brand makes it look beautiful. The systems make it feel effortless. Together, that’s a genuinely elevated experience, and elevated experiences command elevated prices.
How to Create a Brand Identity for Your CRM
So if you have been considering a custom CRM build, a brand identity is non-negotiable. Honeybook and Dubsado allow significant customization, which means your clients don’t even need to know they’re in a separate software! It all feels like one experience within your brand. The more fully developed and professionally executed your brand is, the more cohesive and intentional the final product looks.
Which, of course, is why I’ve decided to partner with Kelly on this blog! Kelly delivers some of the finest branding I have ever seen. I have worked with dozens of clients who have received a strong brand identity from Kelly, and then come to me for a fully custom Honeybook or Dubsado build! It’s truly a match made in heaven.
So where are you in the process?
→ I’m Want a Strong Brand Identity
→ I Have My Branding And am Ready for a Bespoke CRM Setup
It’s always an honor to work with Kelly’s previous clients, considering I myself am one! Kelly completed the branding for It’s Chloe G, and I am still obsessed with it. So if you want to learn more about CRMs, what they do, and how they can change your business, I would love to chat with you! Fill out the calling card on my website and we can schedule a short, free, no-strings-attached discovery call.
