An Automation for People Who Hate CRMs

Raise your hand if you’ve ever thought: If I can just find the right tool, it will fix everything.

But here’s the thing—it won’t.

Don’t get me wrong. The right tool can solve a lot. But if you always grab a screwdriver because your drill is never charged, it doesn’t matter how fancy the drill is.

In other words, you actually need to use the tool for it to help you.

I’ve never been much of a CRM guy; everything I tried was either too complicated or just didn’t suit my needs. But there are three tools I use every day:

• Notion
• Cal.com
• Make.com / Zapier

Using these, I built a simple CRM that does exactly what I need it to.

Here’s how it works.

First, I created a new database in Notion called “CRM.” This is one of the few things that can be manipulated externally.

Then, I set up Make.com to access that database. (Unfortunately, you can’t grant workspace-wide access in Notion, so I had to do this per database.)

Finally, I created a “Discovery Call” event type in Cal.com.

In Notion, I have a CRM database that looks something like this:

I track a lot of information in it, but what I love about using Notion is that I can hide most of that data in views and take notes directly on each entry.

The key fields for me are the stage, last contact date, and next follow-up. I’ll explain more about this in a minute.

Here’s the automation I use:

I call it my “Scheduling Router.” Different actions are triggered depending on the event name—including a complete workflow for my podcast guest bookings. The branch of interest here, though, is for the “Discovery Call” event.

When someone books a Discovery Call, they’re added to Notion as a “Lead.” If there’s interest after our call, I move them to the “Prospect” stage.

Any other information from the booking form is mapped to fields in Notion.

This simple CRM has been clutch for me. It’s helped me land work and strengthened my client relationships. I’ve become so much better at following up.

But as I always say, systems and processes are iterative. I already have a few improvements in mind:

1. Automated Follow-Ups: I missed follow-ups last week because I was sick, and that’s a solvable problem with automation.
2. Automatic Entry Updates: If there’s an existing entry for a person (identified by email address), I want the entry to update with the next meeting time. This way, I can preload information before a client books—which is something my VA will handle now that she’s doing more research.
3. Tracking Lead Sources: I want to track where leads come from better. I already have a field for this, but I’d like custom calendars or a hidden field that passes information to Notion, so I’m not left guessing.

Why does a system like this matter?

For one, client work is still my core focus, so a better system is better for business. But I also use it to manage potential podcast partnerships.

This CRM also frees up mental energy, letting me focus on:

• New and better podcast episodes
• Course development
• Planning VIP days

…or just being sick without feeling like my business is falling apart.

And hey — if this sounds like something you could use help with, get in touch.