How to Fix a Broken CRM

CRM implementations fail more than half the time. Here's how B2B revenue leaders fix adoption before layering on AI.Sharlene Reimer, HubSpot specialist at Roadmap, joins Steve Whittington for a masterclass on why most CRMs become expensive digital filing cabinets — and what it actually takes to turn a system of record into a system of action. If your pipeline is fiction, your data is incomplete, and your team is quietly avoiding the platform, this episode is the reset you need before you invest another dollar in AI tooling.Sharlene has implemented CRMs across dozens of B2B companies, and she's blunt about what she walks into: siloed teams, undocumented processes, and CEOs who treat the CRM like a checkbox instead of a growth engine. She breaks down the crawl-walk-run sequence that gets sales reps to actually use the system, why quick wins beat big rollouts, and the exact foundation your data needs before AI features like meeting summaries and next-step recommendations become reliable.In this episode:- Why more than 50% of CRM implementations fail — and the process, people, and culture issues behind it- How to map your customer journey and document current sales processes before touching the tech- The 3-month adoption curve every team goes through and how to protect it with quick wins- Why an internal CRM champion matters more than the platform you choose- What your HubSpot or Salesforce data must look like before AI tools deliver real ROI- The pain-point list exercise any revenue leader can run this week to diagnose a broken CRMSharlene Reimer is the HubSpot specialist at Roadmap, where she builds CRM systems, workflows, and reporting that revenue teams actually adopt. Find her on LinkedIn for practical tips on turning your CRM into a system of action.Download the Revenue Factory Toolkit at roadmapagency.com/podcast and start turning your forecasts into predictable growth!Subscribe today wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes are available on the first and third Wednesday of each month.LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/weareroadmap/Instagram: instagram.com/weareroadmap/Facebook: facebook.com/weareroadmapYouTube: youtube.com/@roadmapagencyDriving Growth is produced by Morreale Digital.Follow Steve Whittington on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sbwhittington/