Why a CRM is essential for a custom manufacturing company

A CRM is relevant for all businesses, regardless of size or sector. It centralizes customer data, tracks communications, and helps teams take action more quickly. In short, a CRM becomes the backbone of revenue operations, while ensuring an optimal customer experience.

But for a manufacturing company that does custom work in 80% to 100% of cases, the importance of a CRM becomes even more valuable. When each project is unique, it becomes crucial to have a system capable of:

• gather information related to specific requests,
• ensure quick and accurate follow-ups,
• structure the sales process from start to finish,
• and above all, manage the customer relationship from A to Z throughout the buying cycle.

Today, personalization is no longer an option, but an expectation. Of course, product quality and price are essential criteria, but what really makes the difference in a hyper-competitive market is the customer experience.

So, one question: are you proactive or just reactive in how you serve your buyers?

Concrete example: a custom manufacturing SME

Take the case of a manufacturing company with 50 to 200 employees, with a sales force of 5 representatives and a small marketing team of 2 people.

In this context, HubSpot CRM is a powerful ally to support the management of revenue transactions. The platform combines both advanced marketing and sales functionalities:

• Integrated forms: collect quote requests directly on the website and automatically assign them to the right representative.
• Content management tools: generate demand and stimulate interest through the site and digital channels.
• Integrated Buyer Intent: identify the businesses that visit your website, track the key pages visited and assign a relevance score in order to arm your representatives with valuable data for targeted prospecting.
• Intuitive sales pipeline: visualize the opportunities created by marketing or prospecting in a simple, clear, and customizable funnel.
• Automation and AI : create intelligent workflows that generate follow-up tasks, remind representatives of their priority actions, and ensure personalization at scale.

CRM and ERP integration: a must for the custom manufacturer

In the world of custom manufacturing, tendering is at the heart of the process. Having a CPQ (Configure Price Quote) system integrated into the CRM is a real competitive advantage.

Often, the CPQ is directly linked to the company's ERP. This is why the integration between HubSpot and your ERP is becoming essential. For example, the native integration between HubSpot CRM and Genius ERP makes it possible to trigger a quote from the CRM, while exploiting the power of the configurator already set up in the ERP (raw materials, parts, costs).

Result?

• A quote generated quickly,
• Fewer double data entries,
• And total fluidity between the sales team and the production team.

Simplified adoption for your representatives

On a daily basis, your representatives want a simple solution:

• fewer manual entries,
• quick access to information,
• an intuitive and pleasant to use interface.

That's exactly what's on offer HubSpot. Its integration with ERP makes it possible to connect operations in an intelligent technological ecosystem that is easy to adopt and focused on a common goal: to generate more revenue by offering an exceptional customer experience.

Conclusion

For a custom manufacturing company, investing in a CRM like HubSpot isn't just about internal efficiency. It is a strategic choice that:

• promotes personalization,
• aligns sales, marketing and production,
• speeds up follow-ups,
• and reinforces the end-to-end customer experience.

In a market where every detail counts, a well-integrated CRM becomes your best competitive advantage.

FAQ- CRM for custom manufacturing companies

1. How long does it take to implement a CRM?
   The duration varies according to the size of the company, the complexity of the processes and the necessary integrations (e.g. ERP, CPQ). In general, a project can last from a few weeks to a few months. For a manufacturing SME, we often talk about 8 to 16 weeks before being fully operational.
2. Is a CRM difficult for a manufacturing team to use?
   Not at all. Modern CRMs like HubSpot are designed to be intuitive and easy to adopt. With basic training and the right configuration, your representatives can quickly use it without heavy administrative burden.
3. Is a CRM expensive?
   CRM solutions are now very accessible. HubSpot offers modular plans that allow you to start small (often free) and add features as your needs change. The real hidden cost is not the software, but the loss of efficiency if you don't have a centralized tool.
4. Why integrate CRM into my ERP?
   The integration between CRM and ERP is essential in custom manufacturing. It eliminates double entry, reduces errors, accelerates quote generation (CPQ), and ensures better fluidity between sales, production, and customer service.
5. Does a CRM really improve the customer experience?
   Yes By centralizing interactions, automating follow-ups and personalizing your communications, your customers have a more fluid and professional experience. In a competitive market, that's often the difference between winning and losing a sale.

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