NEW! Nimble CRM Customization Package

Articles, CRM

I have identified 20 distinct areas where we can customize your Nimble CRM account to meet your specific needs and we can do that in one to three meetings (3 hours total). I am making this package available for $450, paid in advance. This is a $525 value.

A large percentage of my clients are existing Nimble users. Many of them have been on and off Nimble several times. What they all have in common is that they have been attempting to make Nimble work for them by using it “straight out of the box”. In other words … it rarely looks like, or works like, they want it to. 

They watch videos, read articles, and flop around without direction. What they need is a little hand holding in order to fully understand the potential of Nimble and how to customize it for their special unique needs in order to effectively leverage it to its maximum potential.

What is your time worth to try to do it yourself? I think it is safe to assume that you decided to subscribe to Nimble with the hopes of making your life easier and to increase your revenues. Are those goals being reached? If not, what would it mean to you if they could be achieved?

If you would like to proceed, our ability to accomplish all of this during the three (3) allotted hours is entirely contingent on how well prepared you will be to address these areas. I will provide you with an expanded version of this document in a worksheet format. We will cover …

YOUR EMAIL SIGNATURE 

Nimble has the ability to directly connect to your Google, Microsoft, or any other IMAP enabled email and it will sync your emails both ways between Nimble and those services. However, you can also generate emails directly from within Nimble.

You have a few options for creating your signature …

  1. Create it manually in Nimble. Note that you will have limited formatting options.
  2. Generally, you can copy and paste your existing email signature in either  Gmail or Outlook. Note that you may need to copy this from your email client settings screen rather than from a signature from an actual email.
  3. In a pinch, you can do a screen capture of your signature only and save that as a .png or .jpg image and then upload to the signature screen. You can also assign a hyperlink (one only) to that (per) image.

EMAIL TEMPLATES 

You can create multiple email templates in Nimble and automatically merge (personalize) each email with fields found in the contact’s record. These templates can be used for group messages (same email but personalized for each recipient) or sent to individual contacts. These templates are also available in the Gmail web interface but not in Outlook.

There are two ways to create templates in Nimble …

  1. Manually type them in and format them.
  2. Copy and paste from Word or Google Docs (note that some reformatting may be required).

We will create (1) email template

NIMBLE NOTIFICATION SETTINGS 

There are multiple notification settings and many have one or more options depending on the notifications …

  1. Email notification 
  2. Notification in Nimble (seen in Nimble only)
  3. Browser pop up – Visible when not in the Nimble application

Note that notifications for calls, tasks, etc. are only needed if you may have team members who might interact with these activities. We will discuss all of this when we meet.

CONTACT SYNCING AND INTEGRATIONS 

First off, know that there are multiple ways to easily add contacts to Nimble …

  1. Manually
  2. From your Gmail or Outlook inbox
  3. From the Nimble messages inbox which will be a mirror image of your Google or Outlook Inbox
  4. Via the Nimble Prospector browser extension
  5. Import via a .csv file or by using a data connector like Zapier to connect to another web source such as an email marketing program or a contact form
  6. Or by syncing contacts from your phone, Google, or Microsoft 365 ( MS 365)

Google and MS 365 offer contact syncing options. With both, you can bring contacts from these sources either on demand or on an automatic schedule. With MS 365, this contact syncing can work both ways. I.e. MS 365 to Nimble and Nimble to MS 365. Additionally, you can sync contacts from your phone book.

I am not a huge fan of contact syncing as, if not done properly, a bunch of junk will be populated to your Nimble database. I use Google and I have thousands of contact records in that database. I would only want a small fraction of those in Nimble.

In order to make contact syncing work, you would want to first create groups (via tags) in Nimble as well as Google or MS 365 and then choose to sync those groups only. Please be thinking about this and we will discuss.

Other Integrations

Nimble has the ability to “integrate” with a number of third-party applications. Many can be found in the Nimble Apps Marketplace. The devil is in the details. Some, such as PandaDoc, will provide an app window within Nimble. Nimble also has a built-in routine to export contacts directly to MailChimp. 

Other integrations may be done with a data connector like Zapier. Zapier integrations are based on triggers and actions. Create a contact record in Nimble, create that same record in QuickBooks. Each “Zap” is a specific one-way action activated by a specific trigger.

I, personally, do not support integrations. There are 100,000’s of programs that can be integrated with each other on some level. There is only one of me and I support Nimble only. I can assist you with third-party integrations only to the extent of advising you what to watch for.

CREATING CUSTOM FIELDS 

You can create up to 1,000 custom fields in a variety of formats. They can be assigned to contacts or to our deal records. Contacts are actually placed in workflows so custom fields are also available for workflows. These would be typically placed on cards. 

Note that if you will be importing records to Nimble from an outside source, if that source has fields of info that are not currently found in Nimble, and you want them in Nimble, you will need to create custom fields for those prior to importing although, in a pinch, custom fields can be created during the field mapping import process.

We will create up to (10) custom fields

Custom fields can have a hierarchy …

  1. Tab – The main grouping for a set of custom fields.
  2. Groups – A way to identify, separate, and organize fields under a given tab.
  3. Field types – These are available in a number of formats including single or multi-line text, numbers (whole, dollar, etc.), dates, select from list, and yes or no.

CREATING CUSTOM ACTIVITIES 

In addition to tasks, calls, and events you can create custom activities if you wish to get more granular. These custom activities can also be used to update the last contacted date whereas a normal “task” will not.

The “last contacted date” is a system generated field and it is tied directly to Nimble’s “stay in touch reminders”. This field is updated when an email is exchanged, a phone call is logged as being successful, or an event is scheduled and held. As earlier stated, a completed “task” will not update this field.

Custom activities can be created and you can choose whether or not to update the last contacted field. Please note that you cannot change this setting after saving a custom activity. You  can only archive that activity and then create a new one.

We will create up to (3) custom activities

TAGGING

Nimble offers three separate tagging systems … contacts, deals, and activities. Tags are an easy way to organize any of these areas by grouping them together. Tags can be created on the fly using whatever names you wish. As examples, a contact might be tagged “customer”, a deal could be tagged “service agreement”, and an activity could be tagged “virtual meeting”.

CONTACT RECORD FORMAT 

The left side of contact records is composed of info boxes (widgets). They can be reordered or boxes can be hidden. You can also create custom boxes with specific fields of information including custom fields. We will also activate a Bing search integration in contact records.

CONTACT LISTINGS 

We can move columns around in the contact listings, hide columns, and add columns.

WORKFLOWS

Workflows (and Pipelines) represent a process. A common example would be a Lead Qualification Workflow where, if a prospect is qualified, a deal record is then created and that record is moved into a sales pipeline. A contact record can be added to one or more workflows.

Workflow stages are customizable as are the fields that appear for each contact card. You can also specify how many days a contact should stay in any given stage before being moved to the next. If these days are exceeded, a “stuck” notification will be displayed.

Finally, a contact can be removed successfully, unsuccessfully, or just deleted from the workflow. You can create a choice of reasons for an unsuccessful removal. You can also get a listing of successful or unsuccessful removals but NOT deletions.

Some automations are also now available with workflows. A trigger (move to another stage) can generate an action (add a note, create a task, send a template email, create a notification).

We will create (1) workflow and (1) workflow automation (I would not exceed 10 stages)

SALES PIPELINES

Pipelines differ from workflows in a number of ways. 

  1. Individual deal records, generally associated with a contact record, are placed in your pipeline. This differs from workflows where a contact record is placed in a workflow. There is no separate workflow record, per se.
  2. Deal records include – a dollar value, a projected close date, and a percentage probability of closing.
  3. You can create custom fields for each individual pipeline and those will show in deal records that are placed in that pipeline.

Let’s discuss #2 and #3 a little bit deeper. In #2, all of these fields will be used to generate a sales forecast, sold reports, and a variety of other sales reports. The percentage probability of closing is integral to forecasting. This percentage is applied to a deal value to create a “weighted value” 

For example, a $100,000 deal with a 50% chance of closing has a weighted value of $50,000. Nobody closes every deal. Let’s say that I have a 60% close ratio and I need to sell $100,000 each month. This would mean that I would need to have $166,000 (100,000/.6) in my pipeline projected to close each month.

You have options for generating this weighted value ..

  1. Assign a default % chance of closing to each stage which can be overridden 
  2. Manually enter the percentage 
  3. Don’t use the percentage (highly NOT recommended)

As to #3, custom fields. Let’s say I create a deal and put it into pipeline #1. Custom fields associated with that pipeline (maybe it represents a specific product line) will appear in that deal record.

Now let’s take that same deal and put it in a different pipeline. The custom fields associated with the previous pipeline will no longer appear. Instead, the custom fields associated with the new pipeline are now populated to that deal record.

Pipeline stages are customizable as are the “cards” that appear for each deal. You can again also specify common reasons for a lost deal. Finally, as with workflows you can also specify the maximum # of days that a deal should remain in any one stage.

We will create (1) pipeline (I would not exceed 10 stages)

SEGMENT SEARCHES 

There are a lot of ways to search for contacts by group on Nimble by its built-in filters (new contacts, recently viewed, etc), tags, or custom defined searches. Custom searches can be saved. 

You can search on literally any field of information found on a Nimble contact record and these searches can be multi-level and use Boolean (and/or) logic. For example, find me all contacts with the title CEO OR Founder OR President OR Owner AND who are located in Boise.

We will create up to (3) searches

REPORTS/DASHBOARDS 

Your today page and your deal report pages are customizable by available widgets. Widgets for deals are now also available on the today page meaning you would have one page to look at instead of two. Widgets can be added, hidden, or moved. 

There are a lot of different widgets available for each dashboard (too numerous to list here), but we will explore each in detail during our session.

Activity reports can be filtered and those filters can be saved.  As examples, you can filter …

  1. By activity type (tasks, calls, events, etc.)
  2. Who these activities are assigned to 
  3. Activity status (completed, pending, past due)
  4. By date range (today’s date to the past or forward)

Please give some thought to what might be of value to you in an activity report.

We will create (1) of each dashboard and create and save (1) filter for your activity report.

WEB FORMS

Web forms can be used to collect contact data (based on contact submissions) and have that contact automatically created in Nimble. The most common example would be a “contact us” form. These can be placed on your website, a landing page, or event sent as a link via email.

There are a lot of variables in creating and formatting a form (too many to address here), but we will explore this in our session. 

We will create (1) web form

Here is what recent clients had to say … 

“Craig Jamieson is an excellent consultant who knows Nimble inside out. I hired him to help me set up my CRM system, and I was blown away by the quality of his training and customization advice. He was patient, understanding, and always willing to go the extra mile to ensure that I was satisfied with the outcome. 

His “homework” assignments helped me to put what I learned into practice, and I now have a CRM system that is perfectly suited to my business needs. I would highly recommend Craig to anyone looking for a Nimble consultant who is knowledgeable, responsive, and genuinely interested in helping your business succeed.” 

J.L. Nave III, Nave Strategies

“I am delighted to offer my wholehearted recommendation for Craig Jamieson. Craig has proven to be an invaluable resource in helping me set up and effectively utilize Nimble CRM. His expertise and dedication have been instrumental in my success with this powerful customer relationship management tool.

Craig provided me with one-on-one set-up guidance for Nimble CRM, ensuring I started on the right track from the beginning. His approach was highly professional, bringing a wealth of experience and skill. It was evident that he possesses a deep understanding of Nimble CRM and how to tailor it to individual needs.

Moreover, Craig’s live training sessions on Nimble CRM were exceptional. He conveyed a comprehensive understanding of the software and ensured that I grasped its nuances. His dedication to providing insightful, practical, and effective training was impressive.

What sets Craig apart is his punctuality and commitment. He consistently delivered on his promises and appointments, respecting my time and ensuring that I received the best possible guidance.

I wholeheartedly recommend Craig Jamieson for his expertise in Nimble CRM. Craig is the ideal choice if you’re seeking a professional who can help you maximize the benefits of this CRM tool. His skills, experience, and dedication make him a valuable asset, and I am immensely grateful for the support he provided.” 

Michael Sloopka – Negotiating Coach

Questions? Please go to calendly.com/craigmjamieson to book a free 30-minute consultation. Thank you!

Craig M. Jamieson

Craig M. Jamieson

Managing Member at Adaptive Business Services
Craig M. Jamieson is a lifelong B2B salesperson, manager, owner, and a networking enthusiast. Adaptive Business Services provides solutions related to the sales professional. We are a Nimble CRM Solution Partner. Craig also conducts training and workshops primarily in social selling and communication skills. Craig is also the author of "The Small Business' Guide to Social CRM", now available on Amazon!
Craig M. Jamieson

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