Slippery Rock Gazette

Justin Shaw

Stone Fabricator Elite

Running a successful stone fabrication business or countertop company requires efficient management of customer relationships. Yet, many businesses in the industry overlook the potential of a proper Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system. In this article, we’ll explore why not using a suitable CRM is hindering the growth and revenue potential of stone fabrication businesses and countertop companies.

What is a CRM system and what it its relevance to the industry?

A CRM system is a software tool designed to help businesses manage and nurture customer relationships effectively. For stone fabrication and countertop companies, a CRM can be the backbone of your operation. It enables you to store customer data, track interactions, and manage communications. With a suitable CRM system, you can streamline your sales and marketing strategies, improve customer experiences, and drive growth.

Why does an ERP fall short as a CRM solution?

While an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system may handle various aspects of your business operations, it will not provide the comprehensive features required to manage prospect/customer relationships effectively. ERP systems often focus on inventory management, production, and financials, but they lack the specialized functionality and sales and marketing-centric features of a dedicated CRM.

The limitations of stone industry-specific software

There are several excellent stone industry-specific software packages available. The Slippery Rock has reviewed and written about most of them. These valuable tools cater to the specific needs of stone fabrication businesses and countertop companies, and are top-notch in such areas as project management or job tracking, creating takeoffs and estimates. However, in my assessment, they lack some specialized tools to fully support and power your sales, marketing efforts, and growth. Something additional is needed that CRM provides.

Excel Spreadsheets are also insufficient for managing deals and pipelines.

Relying on Excel spreadsheets to manage deals and customer information may seem convenient, but it falls short when it comes to managing the complexity of customer relationships. Spreadsheets lack the automation, collaboration, and visualization capabilities necessary to effectively manage a sales pipeline. Investing in a proper CRM system ensures you have the tools to automate tasks, collaborate with team members, and visualize your sales pipeline, enhancing efficiency and driving revenue.

Focus on a proper pipeline, automation, and data visualization system.

A robust CRM system empowers stone fabrication companies by providing a centralized pipeline that aligns with the entire sales process. From lead generation to deal closure, a CRM allows you to track and manage every interaction, ensuring that no opportunities are missed. By automating repetitive tasks, you can save time, reduce errors, and focus on building strong customer relationships that lead to repeat business and referrals.

Leverage the right CRM to power sales and marketing.

A CRM is not just a tool for sales teams; it can also revolutionize your marketing efforts. By capturing and analyzing customer data, a CRM provides valuable insights into customer preferences, behavior, and purchasing patterns. Marketing campaigns such as Facebook and Google ads can be integrated or launched from within the CRM, allowing you to get a clear picture of what marketing efforts are attributing to sales, jobs, and return on investment.

Harness reporting and dashboards for informed decision-making.

A key advantage of a CRM is the ability to generate comprehensive reports and dashboards that offer real-time visibility into your business’s performance. For stone fabrication businesses and countertop companies, this means having insights into sales metrics, customer trends, and marketing campaign effectiveness. By leveraging these insights, you can make data-driven decisions, identify areas for improvement, and optimize your strategies to drive growth and maximize revenue.


Sales reps can sell more jobs, more easily, with a proper CRM.

A CRM provides a structured framework for managing leads, ensuring that none slip through the cracks. Sales reps can easily capture and qualify leads, assign follow-up tasks, and set reminders for timely engagement. With the proper CRM, sales managers can monitor lead progression, identify bottlenecks, and provide necessary support and guidance.

Gain insight into a sales rep’s performance with a CRM.

With a CRM, business owners and sales managers gain access to comprehensive performance tracking and reporting features. They can measure key sales metrics, such as conversion rates, call volume, response time, deal velocity, and revenue generated by each sales rep. This data helps identify top performers, highlight areas for improvement, and implement targeted training or incentive programs.

What’s the right CRM for your shop?

We’ve been working with stone fabricators since 2017, and have been helping shops to build high performing Sales Engines to drive growth and profitability for the past three years. The tool that enables and powers a Sales Engine is a CRM. Not all CRMs are created equal, selecting the right one for your shop should be a well-researched decision. If you want information on the CRM all of our clients are using feel free to get in touch with us directly at info@stonefabricatorelite.com

Justin Shaw is the founder of Stone Fabricator Elite, a new business development and sales improvement agency. Their flagship program includes providing end-to-end CRM implementation, full on-boarding, support and monitoring to ensure sales teams are effectively using the tool and that the shops see a measurable improvement in sales.
You can learn more about Stone Fabricator Elite at www.stonefabricatorelite.com .