Best CRM for coaches

As a coach, managing your clients, tracking their progress, and keeping your business organized can become overwhelming, especially as your practice grows. A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system designed for coaches can help you stay on top of client relationships, schedule sessions, track goals, and automate follow-ups—all in one place. The right CRM allows you to focus more on delivering valuable coaching sessions while keeping your business running smoothly.
In this blog post, we’ll explore the best CRM options for coaches like you, highlighting tools that will help you manage your clients effectively and grow your coaching practice.

Why you need a CRM

The right CRM system can have a positive impact on how you manage your coaching business, streamline processes, and drive growth. One of the biggest reasons why someone might need a CRM is to create a single source of truth for the multiple contacts they have everywhere. It makes it hard on the coach, who needs the time back to work on client side things because they constantly have to switch context, find notes, and figure out if someone's contact information is up to date. A CRM can help provide real-time contact information and bring together everyone from your inbox, to your socials.

Challenges without a CRM

Managing coaches without a CRM hinder your business's efficiency and growth. In fact – you might already be experiencing the following challenges.

• Disorganization: Keeping track of client interactions and coach schedules manually can become chaotic.
• Missed opportunities: Without a centralized system, potential leads can fall through the cracks.
• Inefficient processes: Manual data entry and task management consume valuable time.
• Lack of insight: Difficulty in tracking performance metrics and client progress.
• Inconsistent communication: Managing communication across multiple platforms can lead to misalignment.

Benefits of a CRM

With the right CRM in your tech stack, there are a lot of advantages you can expect that will make a difference across multiple parts of your business from client-side to the operational side of things.

• Centralized information: All client and coach data is stored in one place, making it easily accessible.
• Enhanced efficiency: Automate routine tasks, freeing up time for strategic activities.
• Improved customer relationships: Track client interactions and personalize communication to boost satisfaction.
• Better decision-making: Gain insights from analytics to make informed decisions.
• Increased sales: Streamline the sales process and follow up on leads more effectively.
• Consistent communication: Ensure all team members are on the same page with integrated communication tools.

How to boost your coaching efficiency with a CRM

There are a few ways you can use a CRM to boost the operational side of your business as a coach. Below is a high level overview of how you can use a CRM. You may find that there are elements here that align with your process, or ones you may want to tweak or bounce off.

1. Map your process

Defining and tracking the stages of your coaching process is crucial for streamlining operations. A CRM can help you map out each phase, from initial client inquiry to the final coaching session. By visualizing your workflow, you can identify bottlenecks and optimize each step to ensure a smooth client experience.

2. Lead qualification

Assessing and qualifying leads effectively is essential for maximizing your coaching business's potential. Use your CRM to score leads based on criteria such as engagement level, readiness to commit, and specific coaching needs. This helps you prioritize high-potential clients and tailor your approach to their unique requirements.

3. Outreach and follow-up

Automated email and LinkedIn campaigns can significantly enhance your outreach efforts. Set up personalized email sequences for new leads, follow-up reminders for ongoing clients, and re-engagement campaigns for inactive contacts. This ensures consistent communication and helps you maintain a strong relationship with your coaching clients.

4. Nurture existing business relationships

Effective nurturing strategies can lead to upselling and cross-selling opportunities. Use your CRM to segment your client base and send targeted content that addresses their evolving needs. For example, offer advanced coaching programs to existing clients or introduce complementary services that can enhance their coaching experience.

How to evaluate and choose a CRM

With a lot of CRMs on the market – it's easy to feel overwhelmed. To help you with your decision making process, we've put together some tips for you to keep front of mind so that you can make sure you find the right one for you.

1. Define your requirements

When selecting the best CRM for coaches, it's crucial to identify the key features that will support your coaching business. Look for functionalities such as client management, scheduling, communication tools, and performance tracking. These features will help streamline your operations and enhance client interactions, ensuring you can focus more on coaching and less on administrative tasks.

Key features of a CRM for coaches

• Automated processes: Streamlines tasks by automating repetitive workflows.
• Contact enrichment: Automatically finds Leads, Candidates, Customers email addresses and contact information, enhancing efficiency.
• Structured pipeline: Tracks Leads, Candidates, Customers through defined stages, ensuring process clarity and effectiveness.
• Email sequences: Increases communication efficiency with follow-up templates and automated sequences.
• LinkedIn connection: Seamlessly imports Leads, Candidates, Customers from LinkedIn and tracks conversations within the CRM.
• Reporting & forecasting: Provides essential data analysis and predictive insights for better planning.

2. Budget considerations

Balancing cost and return on investment is vital when choosing a CRM for your coaching business. Assess your budget and consider both initial and ongoing costs. Look for affordable CRM solutions that offer a good mix of essential features without breaking the bank. Remember, the right CRM can significantly improve your efficiency and client satisfaction, ultimately leading to higher revenue.

3. Selection process

Researching and selecting the right CRM vendor involves several steps. Start by reading reviews and testimonials from other coaches. Attend webinars or demos offered by CRM providers to get a firsthand look at their features and usability. Additionally, consider the vendor's customer support and training resources, as these can be crucial for a smooth implementation and ongoing use.

4. Get a demo

Make sure you try the platforms you've shortlisted. Use this period to assess how well each CRM aligns with your specific needs and workflows. Pay attention to user interface, ease of integration with other tools you use, and overall performance. You can often get personalized demos as well, so if there's anything specific you're after from your CRM – make sure you mention it during the call. Get started with a demo of folk here, to see how it can help your coaching business.

3 tips for implementing a CRM

To make sure your new CRM aligns with your workflow from day one, we suggest keeping these three tips front of mind.

1. Import your data in your new CRM

Transitioning to a new CRM can be seamless if you start by importing your existing data. Most CRMs allow you to export your data as a CSV file from your current system. This way, you won't have to manually import each person's contact details – and you can make use of their contact enrichment feature to fill in any missing information.

2. Create your first pipeline

Once your data is imported, the next step is to create your first pipeline. For coaches, this could include stages such as 'New Lead', 'Initial Consultation', 'Proposal Sent', 'Client Onboarding', and 'Active Client'. Tailoring these stages to your specific coaching process will help you track and manage your client interactions more effectively.

3. Explore its integrations

To fully personalize your CRM according to your workflow, we suggest exploring what integrations it comes with. Things such a Chrome web extension means that you'll be able to capture information directly into your CRM without leaving the web page you're on.

The 5 best CRMs for coaches

1. folk

folk is a modern CRM platform for managing contacts, workflows, and relationships, offering customizable pipelines, AI-driven tools, and integrations to enhance deal management and prospecting. folk is suitable for one person businesses and larger teams, allowing it to scale with you as your business grows.

Key features

• Contact enrichment: Automatically enriches contact details by finding emails and LinkedIn URLs, enabling efficient outreach without manual data entry or additional costs for email services.
• Contact management and sync: Bring all your contacts from multiple inboxes and social media platforms into one place and organize them into multiple pipelines and more.
• Social media integration: Seamlessly import contacts from LinkedIn, Sales Navigator, Instagram, X and more and track contacts within folk, and use templates for quicker, streamlined communication.
• Mail merge and email sequences: Full email sync compatible with Gmail and Outlook, access to templates, and tracking features, enabling users to manage all communications directly from the CRM.
• AI-powered features: AI tools assist in managing contacts and relationships, automating routine tasks, and suggesting actions to improve productivity.
• Integrations: folk integrates seamlessly with over 6,000 apps, including Gmail, Zapier, and Make, allowing users to centralize their workflow and reduce manual data entry.
• Mobile and tablet responsive: Take folk on the go with you on iOS and Android and take the full app with you. Find contacts in seconds and view as well as take notes out and about.

Pros

• Ease of use: folk is praised for its intuitive interface, making it accessible even to non-technical users with quick onboarding and a minimal learning curve.
• All-in-one: folk streamlines your workflow by allowing you to import contacts from LinkedIn, automatically find their emails, reach out through customizable email sequences, and track interactions in a pipeline, eliminating the need for multiple tools and saving time and money.
• Full personalization: Make folk work for you through its custom fields, pipelines, dashboards, automation and workflows.
• Integrations: folk integrates seamlessly with over 6,000 apps, including Gmail, Zapier, and Make, allowing users to centralize their workflow and reduce manual data entry.

Cons

• Reporting: Currently lacks reporting features, but there are plans for future implementation.

Price and plans

You can try folk for free with a 14-day free trial. After that, a monthly or annual subscription plan is as follows.

• Standard: $20 per user, per month.
• Premium: $40 per user, per month.
• Custom: Starts from $60 per user, per month.

2. HubSpot

HubSpot CRM is a user-friendly, scalable platform offering integrated tools for managing sales, marketing, customer service, and operations efficiently.

Key features

• Marketing hub: Includes email marketing, ad tracking, landing pages, and lead generation tools, perfect for attracting new leads and engaging current clients.
• Sales hub: Provides deal tracking, pipeline management, sales automation, and reporting, helping coaches manage candidate progress and client conversions efficiently.
• Service Hub: Offers customer service tools like ticketing, live chat, and knowledge bases, ensuring a seamless experience for your coaching clients.
• Lead scoring: Prioritize leads with predictive scoring to improve sales efficiency, allowing coaches to focus on the most promising candidates.
• Customizable dashboard and reports: Create customized dashboards and reports to track metrics and gain insights into your coaching business performance.

Pros

• User-friendly interface: The intuitive and easy-to-use interface makes it accessible for coaches of all skill levels.
• Comprehensive free plan: Offers a robust free version with essential CRM features, ideal for small coaching businesses and startups.
• Seamless integration with Marketing Tools: Integrates smoothly with marketing, sales, and service hubs, creating a unified platform for client management.
• Automation capabilities: Provides powerful automation tools for tasks like email marketing and lead nurturing, helping coaches save time and improve efficiency.
• Extensive learning resources: HubSpot Academy offers a wealth of free courses, certifications, and resources to help users get the most out of the platform.

Cons

• High cost at higher tiers: Pricing can become expensive as you move to higher tiers, which may be prohibitive for small coaching businesses as they scale.
• Limited customization in free plan: The free plan and lower tiers have limited customization options, restricting flexibility for growing coaching practices.
• Complexity in advanced features: Some advanced features, such as custom reporting and workflows, have a steep learning curve and may require additional training.
• Email marketing limits: Email marketing functionality in the free plan is restricted by limits on the number of emails you can send, which can be a drawback for coaches with larger client lists.
• Additional costs for add-ons: Many useful features, like advanced CRM capabilities and integrations, come as paid add-ons, increasing the overall cost.

Price and plans

Prices and plans on the CRM suite for an annual subscription are as follows.

• Starter: $15 per user, per month.
• Professional: $450 per user, per month.
• Enterprise: $1,500 per user, per month.

3. Streak

Streak is a customer relationship management (CRM) tool that integrates directly with Gmail, allowing users to manage their sales pipeline and customer interactions from within their email inbox. Designed to simplify CRM tasks, Streak offers features such as email tracking, mail merge, task management, and pipeline visualization, all seamlessly embedded in Gmail’s interface.

‍

Key features

• Advanced CRM,
• Shared pipelines,
• Email tracking and snippets,
• Google Workspace integrations,
• Mobile access.

Pros

• Seamless Gmail integration: Streak is directly integrated into Gmail, allowing coaches to manage CRM activities like tracking leads, candidates, and customers without leaving their email inbox. This integration simplifies the user experience, especially for those already familiar with Gmail.
• User-friendly and intuitive: Because it operates within Gmail, Streak is easy to use and requires minimal training. The familiar interface makes it accessible even to those new to CRM software.
• Customizable pipelines: Streak allows coaches to create and customize pipelines to fit various workflows, such as client onboarding, session tracking, and follow-ups, offering flexibility across different coaching processes.
• Email tracking and automation: Streak includes useful features like email tracking, mail merge, and automated follow-ups, which help coaches manage communication more effectively and improve response rates.
• Collaboration features: Streak enables real-time collaboration, allowing coaching teams to share pipelines, emails, and notes, improving teamwork and visibility across client management efforts.

Cons

• Limited advanced CRM features: Compared to standalone CRM platforms, Streak lacks some advanced features like detailed analytics, advanced reporting, and marketing automation, which may not meet the needs of larger coaching organizations.
• Reliance on Gmail: As Streak is tied to Gmail, it may not be suitable for coaching businesses that use other email platforms. This dependency also means that any changes or issues with Gmail could directly impact Streak’s functionality.
• Basic mobile experience: While Streak has a mobile app, it offers a more limited experience compared to its desktop counterpart, which might be inconvenient for coaches who need comprehensive CRM access on the go.
• Integration limitations: Streak has fewer integrations with other software tools compared to more robust CRM systems, potentially limiting its effectiveness for coaching businesses that rely heavily on a variety of third-party applications.
• Potential email clutter: Since Streak operates within Gmail, managing a large volume of CRM data within an email interface can lead to clutter and make it harder to maintain a clear, organized inbox.

Price and plans

• Pro: Starts from $49 per user, per month.
• Pro +: Starts from $69 per user, per month.
• Enterprise: Starts from $129 per user, per month.

4. Capsule CRM

Capsule CRM is a user-friendly customer relationship management platform designed for small and medium-sized businesses. It offers a clean, intuitive interface that helps users manage customer relationships, track sales pipelines, and organize tasks and communications efficiently.

Key features

• 30,000 contacts: Manage a large database of leads, candidates, and customers efficiently.
• Activity reporting: Track and analyze interactions and progress with clients.
• Task management: Organize and prioritize tasks to stay on top of coaching schedules and client needs.
• Customer milestone tracking: Monitor important milestones in your clients' journeys to ensure they are on track.
• Workflow automation: Automate repetitive tasks to save time and focus more on coaching.

Pros

• User-friendly interface: The clean and intuitive design makes it easy for coaches to navigate and access important features quickly.
• Contact and sales management: Robust tools for managing contacts and tracking client progress help maintain a clear view of relationships and coaching pipelines.
• Customization options: Customize fields, tags, and pipelines to fit specific coaching needs, offering flexibility in managing data and processes.
• Integration capabilities: Integrates with popular third-party applications like G Suite, Microsoft 365, and Mailchimp, creating a seamless workflow.
• Affordability: Competitive pricing with various plans makes it accessible for coaching startups and small businesses.

Cons

• Limited advanced features: Lacks more advanced features like in-depth analytics and complex reporting, which might be a limitation for larger coaching businesses.
• Basic email marketing capabilities: Relatively basic built-in email marketing features may require reliance on third-party integrations for more advanced needs.
• Limited customer support: Primarily offers support through email and an online help center, lacking live chat or phone support for immediate assistance.
• No built-in phone or SMS integration: Does not have built-in phone or SMS functionality, which could be a disadvantage for coaches relying on direct communication with clients.
• Scalability concerns: While suitable for small to medium-sized coaching businesses, it may be less scalable for rapidly growing companies with more complex CRM requirements.

Price and plans

• Starter plan: Starts from $21 per user, per month.
• Growth plan: Starts from $38 per user, per month.
• Advanced plan: Starts from $60 per user, per month.
• Ultimate plan: Starts from $75 per user, per month.

5. Pipedrive

Pipedrive is a web-based CRM for small businesses, offering lead management, automation, email integration, and customizable pipelines to optimize sales.

Key features

• Lead and deal management: Centralized tools to manage leads, candidates, and customers, helping coaches track interactions and opportunities efficiently.
• Sales automation: Automate repetitive tasks such as follow-ups and email sequences, allowing coaches to focus on client engagement and closing deals.
• Email integration: Sync emails, use templates, and track communications directly from the CRM, ensuring all client interactions are managed in one place.
• Advanced reporting and analytics: Real-time analytics and custom reports to track client progress, coaching effectiveness, and forecast revenue.
• Customization and security: Customize pipelines, fields, and user permissions with robust security measures to protect sensitive client data.

Pros

• User-friendly interface: Intuitive and visually appealing interface, making it easy for coaches to manage client interactions and track progress.
• Sales pipeline focus: Visual approach to managing client pipelines, helping coaches track candidate progress and activities effectively.
• Customization: Tailor the platform to specific coaching processes with custom fields and workflows.
• Affordability: Competitive pricing, making it accessible for coaching startups and small businesses without sacrificing essential CRM features.
• Automation features: Streamline repetitive tasks, such as sending follow-up emails and moving candidates through the pipeline, saving time and boosting productivity.

Cons

• Limited advanced features: Lacks some advanced CRM features like extensive marketing automation and AI capabilities, which might be available in other platforms.
• Basic reporting in lower tiers: Reporting and analytics features in basic plans are somewhat limited, requiring upgrades for more in-depth insights.
• No built-in email marketing: Does not include built-in email marketing features, requiring integration with third-party email tools for such functionality.
• Limited customer support hours: Customer support is not available 24/7, which can be inconvenient for coaches needing immediate assistance.
• Price increases with add-ons: The cost can increase quickly when additional features or integrations are added, making it less cost-effective for growing coaching practices.

Price and plans

An annual subscription plan basis is as follows.

• Essential plan: Starts from $24 per user, per month.
• Advanced plan: Starts from $44 per user, per month.
• Power plan: Starts from $79 per user, per month.
• Enterprise plan: Starts from $129 per user, per month.

Conclusion

Choosing the right CRM for your coaching business can significantly enhance your efficiency, client management, and overall growth. Whether you opt for the comprehensive features of folk, the scalability of HubSpot, the Gmail integration of Streak, the user-friendliness of Capsule CRM, or the sales-focused approach of Pipedrive, each platform offers unique benefits tailored to different coaching needs. By leveraging these tools, you can streamline your processes, improve client relationships, and ultimately drive your coaching business to new heights. Try folk for free here.

Need a helping hand? Use our free tool to find your perfect CRM match.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do coaching business use as a CRM?

Coaching businesses often use CRMs like folk, Hubspot, Streak, Capsule CRM, and Pipedrive to manage their client interactions, streamline processes, and enhance overall productivity. Each of these platforms offers unique features tailored to different needs, making it easier to handle client management, communication, and sales pipelines effectively.

Do I need a CRM?

Yes, depending on the complexity of your process, a CRM can significantly enhance your coaching business. It helps in organizing client information, automating repetitive tasks, and providing valuable insights, thereby improving efficiency and client satisfaction. For simpler processes, basic CRM features might suffice, but for more intricate operations, a robust CRM is essential.

How much does a CRM cost?

The cost of a CRM varies widely, typically ranging from $15 to $1500 per user, per month, depending on the features and scalability. Basic plans start around $15 per user, per month, while more advanced or enterprise-level plans can go up to $1500 per user, per month. It's crucial to choose a plan that aligns with your business needs and budget.

Does folk’s CRM respond to coaches' needs?

Yes, folk’s CRM is well-suited for coaches due to its intuitive interface, seamless LinkedIn integration, customizable pipelines, and AI-powered features. It allows coaches to manage contacts, track interactions, and automate communication efficiently, making it a comprehensive tool for enhancing client relationships and streamlining workflows.