In an increasingly complex business environment, prospecting is no longer limited to sending emails or making a few phone calls. Modern campaigns are multi-channel, run over several weeks, and involve a large amount of information: emails sent, LinkedIn messages, calls made, responses received, follow-ups planned, lead scoring, etc. In other words, a mass of data that needs to be structured, centralized, and tracked over time.
This is where CRM (Customer Relationship Management) comes in. Too often seen as a simple contact storage tool, CRM is actually the operational heart of your prospecting machine. It allows you to centralize interactions, manage sequences, structure reporting, and streamline the work between marketing and sales.
In this article, we explain in concrete terms:
- Why CRM is essential for multichannel prospecting
- How to configure it correctly for your use
- What are the right habits to adopt?
- And what mistakes should be avoided to ensure it remains a truly effective performance tool?
Why CRM is vital in a multichannel strategy
1. Centralize contact data
In a multichannel campaign, you interact with your prospects on different channels:
- Phone
- Webinars
- Retargeting or Ads
Without CRM, you risk losing sight of the big picture. Who received what? Who responded? Who needs to be followed up with? CRM becomes your sales memory, where everything is recorded in the right place.
2. Visualize the prospecting funnel
CRM allows you to map a prospect's journey, from initial contact to scheduling an appointment. You can:
- Follow the qualification steps
- See at a glance where each prospect stands
- Anticipate the actions to be taken for each stage
This is essential for conducting structured and consistent prospecting.
3. Ensure collaboration between teams
By centralizing data, CRM streamlines communication between sales, marketing, and even support. Everyone works with the same up-to-date information, which avoids duplication, oversights, or follow-up errors.
4. Measure performance accurately
A good CRM allows you to extract customized reports: number of leads contacted, response rate, conversion rate, number of appointments made, performance by channel, by sales representative, by persona, etc. These are all key indicators for managing your efforts and identifying areas for improvement.
How to structure your CRM effectively for prospecting
A well-configured CRM makes all the difference. Here are the key elements to structure:
1. Custom fields tailored to your prospecting needs
Don't just use the default fields (name, email, phone number). Add useful fields such as:
- Industry
- Company size
- Lead maturity (cold/warm/hot)
- Lead source (LinkedIn, webinar, referral, etc.)
- Last point of contact
- First point of contact
These fields will allow you to filter, segment, and prioritize.
2. Pipelines dedicated to prospecting
Create a specific pipeline to track outbound campaigns. Example:
- New lead
- First contact sent
- Recovery 1
- Response received
- Appointment scheduled
- Lost / To be contacted later
This allows you to visualize overall progress and avoid oversights.
3. Tags or labels to classify your leads
Tags help you track leads by campaign or segment:
- February AI Campaign
- CEO SaaS France
- Leads to follow up on in Q4
- Enriched via Clay
With these tags, you gain granularity and responsiveness.
4. Intelligent automation
Connect your CRM to your prospecting tools (Lemlist, LaGrowthMachine, LinkedIn, Calendly, etc.) to:
- Automatically create a contact record upon the first response
- Update the lead status based on actions
- Trigger a follow-up task if no response within 7 days
Automating means gaining in rigor without increasing the manual workload.
The right habits to get the most out of your CRM
- Update continuously: an effective CRM is a living CRM. Every interaction must be recorded.
- Segment your database regularly: to personalize your messages, tailor your follow-ups, and prioritize the right leads.
- Analyze performance every week: don't let data pile up without using it. A good dashboard is better than a forgotten Excel file.
- Train your team: if your salespeople don't use the CRM correctly, it will be useless. Show them the operational value it brings on a daily basis.
Mistakes to avoid
- Using CRM as a simple address book: it is not a static database, it is a dynamic management tool.
- Multiply your tools without connecting them: compartmentalizing information between your CRM, Lemlist, Sales Navigator, or spreadsheets means losing consistency.
- Creating too many unnecessary fields: an overloaded CRM quickly becomes unreadable. Stick to the essentials.
- Allowing data to become outdated: a poorly maintained database is a database that becomes detrimental to your campaigns.
In summary
In a multi-channel prospecting strategy, CRM is much more than a tool: it is a strategic lever. It allows you to:
- Follow up on every lead accurately
- Prioritize good deeds
- Optimize your prospecting pace
- Measure your actual performance
- Collaborate effectively between teams
A well-structured, well-used, and well-connected CRM becomes a powerful prospecting tool, capable of transforming your efforts into concrete results.
