Have you ever walked into a hair salon, not knowing what you wanted done, but just knowing that you needed a change? This is EXACTLY how I found my current stylist. I found a random salon online, within walking distance of my house, and scheduled an appointment with someone that I thought looked nice (true story, friends). When I showed up for my first appointment and she asked me what I wanted to do with my hair, I had NO IDEA, I just knew that I wanted something different. Lucky for me, before I could even open my mouth to tell her this, she told me that “you need some sunshine in your life. And some layers.” 

And because she was a professional and super experienced? I 100% trusted her to do what she needed to for me.

As it turns out, I did need some sunshine in my life. The lighter color that she added to my normally dark hair gave me so much more confidence and brought out a happiness in me that I didn’t know I was missing. For that, I’m forever grateful to her. Now, I’m not telling you this because I think you need a haircut OR confidence boost. 

I’m sharing this with you, because at some point in time we all need to decide whether or not to put our trust in a professional to step into our business to do some heavy lifting. 

So often in a photography business you think you have to do all the things by yourself. Especially when it comes to something “as simple” as plugging your clients into the brand new, shiny, CRM that you just invested in. The catch to this is that once you start to tiptoe your way into getting things set up? You realize that there are about 500 other things you need to be spending your time on. And maybe, just maybe, there are a few benefits of hiring a CRM set-up specialist to help you set up your CRM.

And that’s when you have to make a tough decision - do you keep plugging away, doing what little you can at a time, getting frustrated by something that other people make look super easy? Or do you just give up completely? So many creatives that I know wind up giving up completely, because if it’s too stressful for them to figure out on their own, then they decide it’s not really worth it. Or, they wind up thinking that there’s something wrong with them that they can’t figure it out as quickly as other people do. 

Honestly, babe, those are both shitty options. But I understand why you think they’re your only 2 options. Because for so long, they’ve been your only options. 

But there is a third option out there as well too. You could decide to hire a CRM set-up specialist to do all of the heavy lifting for you. Will it be an investment? Yes, of course. But the real question you need to ask yourself is if it will be worth it in the long run. And the answer to that will always be “HECK YEAH,” and for multiple reasons. 

Here are just a few benefits of hiring a CRM set-up specialist. 

Benefits of Hiring a CRM Set-Up Specialist 

1. You’ll save so much time

And I’m not just talking about an hour or two of your life. I’m talking about weeks. Especially if you’ve never set a CRM up before, even the simplest CRMS can seem overwhelming once you dive in. When I was still working full time as a wedding photographer, it probably took me close to a month to set up my CRM in my spare time. Just think about all of the other things that you could SHOULD be doing with that time: serving your clients, actually taking photos, marketing your business…can you say self care or spending time with your loved ones? This alone was enough to make me wish I had hired a pro to step in and help out. 

2. Can you say stress reliever?

I know that implementing any new piece of technology or setting up any new platform used to give me the hives, especially when it was one that I felt was out of my comfort zone. I hate to break it to ya, but that added stress doesn’t do anything good for you. Sleepless nights? Been there, done that. Super anxious and living on edge because I want everything to be absolutely perfect but am not sure I can get it there? That’s how I lived so much of my wedding photographer life. Hiring a pro will take all of that stress off your shoulders and ensure that you get at least a little bit more sleep at night. 

3. Everything will get set up right, the first time

And you won’t even have to think twice about it. Professionals are called professionals for a reason - because they’ve got loads of experience doing something specialized. Which means that you can trust them to set up your CRM and everything that needs to go in it right, the first time. When you set CRMs up on your own, there’s so much Youtubing involved…and how do you know that what you’re doing will actually work? Skip all of the second guessing, babe, and let the pros do what they specialize in.

4. They can help you implement and utilize new features

I’m not going to lie, in my wedding photographer days when I would set up a new CRM for our business? I went with just the basics. Getting my clients plugged in, and maybe setting up a few email templates. I honestly didn’t even want to mess with automations and workflows because I was worried I wouldn’t get them set up correctly or use them the way they should be used. SO MANY features of SO MANY CRMs scared the pants off of me because I thought they were above my head. BUT, the beautiful thing about bringing a professional in that knows your CRM inside and out? They’ll be able to help you not only set up, but also use all of those features efficiently and successfully to help make your business work FOR you. 

5. Identify the Gaps in your Workflow

Working with a CRM Set-Up professional will also ultimately help you identify any gaps in your workflows and systems. Whether it’s because they’ve asked you to write out your process from start to finish, and you find something missing, or you work together to layout your workflow and identify missing pieces together, sometimes all it takes is an outsider’s perspective to make you realize what might be missing. 

6. Set up will be fast and efficient

Because a CRM Set-Up specialist knows exactly what they’re doing when it comes to setting up a CRM, they’ll be able to get your CRM up and running much more quickly than if you were to do it yourself. Really, really good set-up specialists can build an entire custom workflow in just a few days, which means you can get back to running your business with all of your brand new pretty workflows quicker than you could have imagined. 

7. You can support a small business

From one small business owner to another, there’s nothing better than supporting another small business. I’m the biggest believer in community over competition and in lifting each other up and supporting other small businesses when we can. There’s nothing better than helping another small business owner reach for their dreams. 

If you’re struggling to set up your CRM and are debating on whether or not you should hire someone to help you? You most definitely should.

And not just because I’m telling you to OR because I want you to hire me. I’m telling you this because this is one of the easiest things you can outsource in your business, it will save you so much time and heartache, and will wind up setting you up for more success than you ever could have imagined. Are these all of the benefits of hiring a CRM set-up specialist? Most definitely not. There are many, many more incredible benefits. These are just my favorites.

Not sure which CRM is right for you? Get my guide to the BEST CRMs for Wedding Photographers right here. Not only do I share the CRMs, but I share why they are the best for a wedding photographer and do a complete feature comparison so you don’t have to. Free of charge for you  babe! 

Ready to dive in and start on your systems? Let’s do it! Reach out here so we can start to get your life back!