Early-Stage SaaS Startup

The Challenge

Ahead of a fundraising round, the founders needed a credible sales system and a support tracker fast, without committing to a long implementation project.

Zoho Products Used

The Solution

Deployed a lean CRM pipeline the founders could adopt immediately, plus a Zoho Creator app to track early customer issues, both live before the round closed.

1
Week 1
Scope down to what the round actually needed
Cut the wish list to what investors would ask about and what the founders would use daily: a pipeline with real numbers in it, and a record of customer issues. Everything else was explicitly deferred rather than quietly dropped.
What came out of it
• Two-page scope with a written “not now” list
• Lean pipeline definition
2
Week 2
CRM build and data load
Configured the pipeline, loaded existing prospects from the founders' spreadsheets, and set up the handful of reports that answer diligence questions without manual assembly.
What came out of it
• Configured CRM with imported prospect history
• Pipeline, conversion, and activity reports
3
Week 3
Creator support tracker and handover
Built a lightweight Zoho Creator app for logging and triaging customer issues, linked to CRM accounts, and handed it over with a walkthrough rather than a formal training programme.
What came out of it
• Support tracker linked to CRM accounts
• Founder walkthrough and admin notes

Before and After

Business Results

• Working sales system live in 3 weeks
• Investor-ready pipeline visibility
• A foundation built to expand as the sales team grows