Colie James is a family filmmaker turned Dubsado and systems guru. She is based out of Colorado, has been married 21 years, has an almost 12 year old, and a love for Disneyland.
In this episode, we talk all things automations, systems, Dubsado, and more. Here are a few highlights:
- Colie’s background and how she got started with automations
- What a CRM is
- Automating emails and how you can still sound personable
- Using gifs to add personality to your emails (and how Colie makes her own gifs!)
- Colie’s favorite CRM and another great system for photographers
- Setting your website up to help clients clearly understand what it is you do and offer (and how that can possibly allow you to skip over client phone consults)
- How to figure out what CRM is right for you
- Colie’s process from contact form to proposal to onboarding
- Simplifying emails and using a system so you don’t have to hold all the information in your head
- Getting people into your CRM even if they don’t go through your normal contact form or process (i.e. they reached out over Instagram DMs)
- How automations can help you stick to your boundaries
- Always tell the client when they will hear from you next
- How to get started with automations
- Setting up your systems before hiring a VA
- Info on Colie’s VIP days and online course
A few highlights from this episode:
[6:46] – I didn’t come into the industry when CRMs were really popular, but once I figured out what a CRM was, I never looked back.
[7:04] – A CRM is a client relationship manager. And basically how I describe it to people who have never had a CRM is it’s a virtual assistant that you don’t have to pay. It runs the backend of your business for you.
[10:36] – If I had to pick just one, it would definitely be Dubsado because that’s the one that gets me the clients. That’s the one that get my leads to the finish line in terms of signing my contract and paying me money, which honestly is the biggest step to client relations.
[37:02] – If you are getting to another level, if you’re starting to scale, start with a CRM. And then in 3 months, if you still feel like you need a virtual assistant, by all means hire a virtual assistant. But by having all of those things inside a CRM, it is going to make the onboarding of any virtual assistant, or any team member in general, a much easier process.
This was a great conversation with Colie as she truly is an expert in all things CRMs and automations. We share a love for Dubsado, and it was so fun to hear about her processes and how systems can make businesses (and lives) run smoother.
You can connect with Colie on Instagram @coliejames or her website is coliejames.com. She has information about her VIP days here!
Dubsado was a big part of my interview with Colie – and for good reason! Dubsado saved me from my hodge-podge system of excel spreadsheets, paper contracts, and checks by mail. It helped me organize my clients in a way that made it easy for me to keep track of them, their projects, and also save me some time. Ever since I started using Dubsado, it has been my right hand software. It was my assistant before I could afford to hire an assistant.
It allows me to send and accept digital contracts, no printing or scanning, just all done online. I can send invoices and receive payments faster. It also integrates with so many other platforms that I use, like Google calendar, so I never miss an appointment.
When people ask me the one business tool I can’t live without, it’s Dubsado! If you are ready to up-level the back end of your business and make your life easier, you can click here and use the code MADDIEPESCHONG to get 20% off your first month or year.
Some of the best conversations happen after the show in my private Facebook group, Take It Personally Podcast. Click here to join in!
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