2026 is approaching quickly, and AI has officially transitioned from a buzzword to a business tool. What's your plan to put it to work profitably?

Approximately 58% of U.S. small businesses currently use generative AI (U.S. Chamber of Commerce), and this trend will continue to rise. That's why I've compiled a list of ways to implement AI in your business to help keep you ahead of the curve and stay ahead of that trend!

Here's the good news: you don't need to be techy—or even that curious—to benefit from AI. If you've ever wished for a clone to keep up, a simple AI assistant might be the next best thing. It's easy to implement and will make a significant difference in your business operations.

AI Assistants Are Quietly Saving Hours, Easing Your Workload
Employees report saving approximately five hours a week on average with AI-assisted work (≈approximately 52 minutes/day). That's nearly a full day back every week—without adding anyone to payroll.

What Can These AI Assistants Do?
Think of them like reliable, no-drama assistants that don't need sleep, coffee, or context switching.

With the right tools and prompts, they can help you:

1. Plan your day based on energy and urgency
2. Reword emails in your voice
3. Summarize messy notes or meeting transcripts
4. Sort your to-do list by impact
5. Follow up with leads (without you even thinking about it)

Small tasks? Yes. But when they run consistently, they give you back focus—and sanity.

The Best No-Code Tools for Building Your AI Assistant
Here are the top tools grouped by function:

Planning, Focus, and Daily Support

1. ChatGPT (Free or Plus): Acts like a sounding board, planner, and editor in one—with the right prompts
2. Notion AI: Great for organizing notes, SOPs, and team updates
3. Tability: Keeps team OKRs and goals on track with lightweight updates

Client Communication & Follow-Up

1. Springboard: My favorite CRM for automating email workflows, lead follow-up, and reminders
2. Tidio or ManyChat: Easy-to-use chatbot tools for websites or Messenger
3. Chatbase: Lets you train a bot on your documents so it can answer FAQs for you

​Workflow Automation

1. Zapier: Links tools together to handle tasks like email sends, CRM updates, or tagging
2. Make: Similar to Zapier, but with more customization and logic branches

A Quick Word on ChatGPT's Newer "Agent" Feature
Some of you may have heard about OpenAI's newer Agent tool. It can browse, plan, and even attempt to act on tasks such as booking a service or placing an order. It's powerful but not infallible—treat it like a sharp intern: helpful under supervision, not for high-stakes tasks.

Start Small. Save Hours. Repeat.
It's as simple as picking one task you're tired of doing, choosing one tool, and giving it a chance. Let it free up some space in your week and see the difference it makes.

Want some help with that? Then sign up for my 5-Day AI-Powered Business Boost Challenge! This email challenge will guide you through the process of selecting and implementing an AI tool for a specific task in your business. Each day, you'll receive a new lesson and a task to complete, helping you to start putting AI to work for you!

Every business runs on processes, but when they start dragging, growth stalls. Process steps can sometimes feel like climbing up an endless staircase.

The trouble is, inefficiencies rarely shout. They creep in until deadlines slip, employees get frustrated, and hours vanish. One of my clients lived this: a rigid stage-gate slowed a new product cycle to three years. Believe me, the pain was real. That pain didn't show at first; spotting it required zooming out to see patterns, not one-off misses.

So, how do you identify if your processes are slowing you down? Here are five telltale signs your processes are ripe for streamlining. Recognizing these signs helps you take a decisive first step towards regaining control and accelerating your business's growth. It's a moment of hope, knowing that you can unlock your business's full potential.

1. Delays pile up and deadlines slipApprovals bounce between too many desks, and nothing moves. The real issue is the lack of visibility into where work stalls, making it difficult for teams to unblock quickly.

2. Too many handoffs with no ownershipWork passes through a maze of steps with no clear owner. Teams lose context, rework rises, and "I thought someone else had it" becomes the norm.

3. Data scattered across tools and peopleKey info lives in spreadsheets, inboxes, and memories. Without a single source of truth, decisions take longer to make, and duplicate work increases.

4. Teams constantly reinvent the wheelWithout standards, people recreate templates and steps. Teams don't capture lessons learned, so mistakes repeat and momentum fades.

5. Employees bogged down with repetitive tasksMcKinsey Global Institute estimates that about 30% of work activities in 60% of occupations could be automated (A Future That Works, 2017). This means that tasks such as manual scheduling, reporting, and data entry, which currently drain focus from high-value work, could be automated, freeing up time for more strategic tasks.

How to Fix the BottlenecksBack to that client: once they streamlined, planning took two months, and they launched within a year, plus five cross-line subsystems. Here's the kicker--we didn't automate any of it. Imagine if we had affordable options for automation in the 2018, they could have experienced even great benefits:

1.     Delays → automated approvals and reminders keep things moving.
2.     Handoffs → workflows assign ownership and pass context automatically.
3.     Scattered data → centralized CRM and ops systems.
4.     Reinventing the wheel → reusable templates and playbooks standardize best practice.
5.     Repetitive tasks → AI agents handle routine updates, routing, and reporting.

With all these benefits, they would have experienced even shorter cycle times, cleaner accountability, and throughput that would have scaled without adding headcount.

ConclusionInefficient processes don't just waste time — they slow growth and frustrate your best people. The upside? When you spot the signs, you can redesign workflows and apply automation where it matters most.

Ready to streamline your processes and boost efficiency? My team and I are offering a sweet deal! Sign up for our FREE 30-minute consultation, and we'll assess what's slowing you down and share tailored automation solutions to fix it.

Do you ever feel like your CRM is a confusing puzzle that boggles your mind every day?

A CRM should be the command center of your marketing, helping you track leads, guide campaigns, and measure success. But too often, businesses treat their CRM like a glorified contact list. They're overlooking the essential puzzle pieces that make it function like a well-oiled machine. The result? Missed sales, wasted ad spend, and stalled growth.

The good news: these mistakes are fixable — and the fixes often deliver quick wins, giving you immediate results and boosting your confidence. Here are the five that most often derail marketing results.

1. Lack of Integration Across Your Marketing Stack
Impact – Disconnected systems = disconnected results
When your CRM doesn't link with email, ads, forms, and analytics, data lives in silos and meaningful opportunities slip through the cracks.

Fix – Integrate your CRM with every key marketing and sales tool
Connect your CRM to all core platforms so data flows in real time. My favorite CRM, Springboard, is an all-in-one solution that often removes the need for separate integrations.

2. Not Cleaning Data Regularly
Impact – Dirty data = wasted effort
Duplicate, outdated, or incomplete records waste marketing dollars and create inaccurate reports.

Fix – Run monthly audits to remove duplicates and update records
Run monthly data audits and validate entries at the point of capture. Treat data hygiene as an ongoing process, not a one-time project.

3. Underutilizing Automation
Impact – If you're doing it manually, you're already behind
Manual processes slow response times and let leads go cold.

Fix – Automate lead capture, scoring, nurturing, and follow-up
One of my clients had scattered contacts and no automation. After adding segmentation and automated lead scoring, open and click-through rates jumped to 40–50%. According to Gartner, automation in lead management can deliver a 10%+ revenue lift within 6–9 months.

4. Failing to Define Clear Goals
Impact – Without a target, you can't measure success
Vague goals don't produce measurable results and can turn your CRM into a static database.

Fix – Set measurable objectives and track them in your CRM
Set measurable objectives like "increase MQL-to-SQL conversion by 15%" or "reduce time-to-first-touch to under one hour" and align dashboards accordingly.

5. Tracking Too Many (or the Wrong) Metrics
Impact – Vanity metrics won't pay the bills.
Tracking too much data leads to analysis paralysis and hides the numbers that matter.

Fix – Focus on KPIs tied to revenue and retention.
Focus on KPIs tied to revenue and retention, such as conversion rates, pipeline velocity, and customer lifetime value.

Turn Your CRM Into a Growth Engine
These five mistakes are just the beginning. In my free checklist, Top 10 CRM Mistakes to Avoid, you'll find more pitfalls to sidestep so you can turn your CRM into an actual growth engine. Download it today and start making your CRM work for you.

The Feeling That Sticks With YouYou know that rare kind of customer experience that feels so smooth that you're pleasantly surprised?

For me, it's Chewy, a pet supply company I've used for years. Every time I've reached out with a question or concern, their support team has been kind, responsive, and empowered to help. I can't count the number of times they've refunded something instantly; no pushback, no delay. It's not flashy—it's just excellent. That's white glove service.

But what makes it so consistent? Behind the scenes, it's all about systems. These systems are the structured processes, tools, and technologies that enable a business to consistently deliver a high level of service. They ensure that every customer interaction is smooth, timely, and personalized, leading to a white glove service experience.

What White Glove Service Really Means

White glove doesn't mean luxury. It means your customer never has to wonder what's happening next. It means your communications feel timely, your process feels thought through, and your brand feels like it has its act together.

And that? It comes from systems that are working even when you're not, providing a sense of relief and control.

Why Systems Matter More Than Hustle

Trying to "wow" clients without structure is like trying to host a dinner party without preparation—you're sweating in the kitchen while your guests wonder where you've gone.

Take, for example, one of my clients, an energy consulting firm that was doing all the right things but was spending a tremendous amount of time on manual processes. But with fragmented contact lists and no visibility, their outreach felt like a shot in the dark. Once they centralized everything with our CRM, they began segmenting their audience and tracking engagement. Their open rates soared into the 40–50% range, empowering them with a new level of confidence and capability.

They didn't add more work—they added clarity.

Where Systems Create Magic Moments

You don't need to automate everything. Just focus on the touchpoints that matter:

1. Welcoming new clients with automated next steps
2. Keeping them informed with status updates and milestone emails
3. Following up in a way that feels personal, not robotic

These are the moments that make clients feel valued—and they're easy to overlook without a system in place. Systems provide reassurance to your customers, making them feel more secure and valued.

One Step Is All It Takes

You don't need a whole tech stack or an enterprise budget to deliver a premium experience. Start with one repeatable process, such as onboarding, follow-ups, or a simple check-in sequence, and build from there. Little by little, those systems stack up to create something that feels personal, polished, and easy to maintain.

Not sure where to begin?
​
Download The Ultimate CRM Health Check—a quick, practical assessment to help you identify gaps, spot opportunities, and get clear on what to improve first. It's the first step toward delivering a white glove experience without adding more to your plate.

Funnels get a lot of hype—but most people imagine the wrong thing.

They envision a lead capture form, a few scheduled emails, and possibly a sales page. That’s not a funnel. That’s a contact form with accessories.

A real funnel is a measurable, strategic journey—from the moment someone hears about you to the point they take action. And if you’ve built it right, that journey doesn’t stop when you log off. It runs in the background, quietly guiding people toward a decision, even when you're not actively involved. This is the power of a well-constructed funnel-it works for you, not the other way around.

Let’s break it down.

What a Funnel Is

Funnels aren’t just tools. They’re systems designed to move leads through five key stages:

1. Attract – You catch their eye. Maybe through a social post, paid ad, blog, or event. Something that says, “Hey, this is worth your time.”
2. Engage – A landing page or lead magnet captures their interest. This method involves trading value for contact information—something useful enough that they want to hear more about.
3. Nurture – This is where most businesses drop the ball. A thoughtful nurture sequence helps people get to know you, trust you, and see how you can help—before you ever pitch.
4. Convert – Your CTA (call-to-action) should be clear and aligned with their stage in the journey. Whether it’s scheduling a call or making a purchase, the path should feel natural.
5. Follow Through – Post-sale is where you build loyalty. Clear next steps, onboarding, ongoing communication, and opportunities to deepen the relationship matter more than people think.

Each of these stages should be connected. They’re not random pieces—they’re a system.

Where Funnels Break (and Why You Might Not Know It)

Most funnels don’t explode—they erode. Slowly.

Leads drop off. Emails don’t get read. Calls don’t get booked. And you might not even notice there’s no visibility into what’s happening.

Here’s what you should be watching:

• Where leads stall or exit the journey
• Response rates to emails and CTAs
• How long each stage takes
• Which automation steps are triggering—and which aren’t

Without this kind of clarity, even the most beautiful funnel will quietly underperform.

The Fix: Funnel Visibility + Simple Automation

Automation doesn’t mean complicated. It means repeatable. When your funnel stages are clearly defined—and your CRM tracks movement between them—you stop guessing and start improving. It's not about complex algorithms or intricate systems, it's about having a reliable process in place that you can trust.

That’s where a CRM like Springboard shines. It enables you to visualize pipeline progress, measure time-in-stage, and even trigger tasks and messages at the exact moment.

You don’t need to overhaul everything. Start with one journey. One offer. One CTA. Then, build out from there, stage by stage. By taking it one step at a time, you can make significant improvements without feeling overwhelmed.

Need help seeing where your funnel needs fine-tuning?

Download The Ultimate Sales Pipeline Visibility Checklist. It walks you through defining your pipeline stages, connecting them in your CRM, and spotting the weak links—so your funnel works smarter, not harder!

When hiring breaks down, it doesn't do it loudly. It creeps in quietly—missed follow-ups, lost resumes, candidates who never show up.

For one residential cleaning company, the signs were all there. They were growing fast, but every new hire felt like starting over. Their inboxes were full, their systems scattered, and no one had a clear picture of who they'd talked to—or what happened next. Good people were slipping through the cracks, and growth was stalling not because of demand, but because the process couldn't keep up.

Disorganization at Scale

On paper, they had a process. They collected resumes, sent emails, and interviewed when possible. But behind the scenes, it was barely holding together. Candidate data lived in paper files, email threads, and scattered memories. There was no centralized system or way to track who was worth following up with. Communication happened through Outlook lists without opt-in or feedback loops. Their monthly newsletter? More like a shout into the void.

A Smarter Way Forward

We guided them in implementing our CRM and transforming their recruitment process and communication strategy. With our CRM, every candidate interaction, from Facebook Messenger to email, was consolidated, making it easier to track and manage. We introduced automated interview reminders, which significantly reduced no-shows. We also added engagement scoring to track candidate interactions, showing who was opening emails and showing interest, thereby improving the quality of our candidate pool.

From Data to Direction

The shift was dramatic. Hiring productivity increased by more than 300%. Interview attendance improved while time spent manually chasing candidates decreased. The real breakthrough came when the team started using their data. With clear open and click-through rates—often in the 40–50% range—they could see which topics resonated.

Segmentation and Smarter Messaging

That led to segmentation. Instead of a general newsletter, they built specific campaigns around renewables, commercial cleaning, and public speaking. These campaigns were tailored to the interests of different segments of their audience, providing leadership with clearer insight into what their audience cared about, and helping shape future offers and content.

An Engine That Runs Itself

Automation didn't just make their process faster. It made it more innovative and sustainable. The team was no longer starting from scratch every time a role opened. They had a system that worked quietly and effectively in the background.

Embrace Liberation from Manual Processes

If you're trapped in manual processes and missed opportunities, you don't have to remain there. It starts with embracing CRM automation.

Want to see what this kind of clarity looks like in sales and marketing, too?

Download our case study on how an energy management consultancy used CRM automation to scale with precision and purpose!

Are you fully tapping into the potential of your CRM data? Or is it just a jumbled mess collecting virtual dust?

If you're not segmenting that valuable information, you're missing out on a massive opportunity to supercharge your marketing and sales efforts. Segmenting your CRM data allows you to laser-target your campaigns and messaging to specific groups of customers or prospects. And when you nail that sweet spot of the right message to the right audience, your engagement, conversions, and loyalty skyrocket.

Ready to master CRM segmentation? Let's dive into exploring three straightforward steps:

1. Identify Your Target Segments

The first step is defining the specific segments you want to target based on your business goals and ideal customer profiles. Are you looking to re-engage lapsed customers, upsell existing high-value clients, or nurture promising leads closer to a sale? Analyze your CRM data to identify patterns and commonalities that can form logical segments.

Common examples include demographic segments like age, location, or job title. However, you can also create behavior-based segments around purchase history, engagement levels, or lifecycle stages. The key is understanding your audience personas inside and out and then slicing your data accordingly.

2. Cleanse and Organize Your Data

Before you can adequately segment, you need to ensure your CRM data is clean, complete, and accurately organized. Scan for duplicate entries, outdated information, formatting inconsistencies—anything that could skew your segmentation efforts. Establishing data hygiene protocols, like standardizing entry requirements, is also crucial for maintaining pristine quality.

While this data cleansing process requires some elbow grease upfront, it'll pay dividends in the long run. With a reliable, well-structured database, you can segment with total confidence and precision.

3. Implement Segmentation and Track Results

Now for the fun part—actually creating your targeted segments! Most CRM platforms allow you to build segments either manually or through automated rules and filters based on the criteria you've identified.

From here, leverage those laser-focused audience groups across your marketing and sales plays. Design hyper-personalized email nurture sequences, dynamically adapt website content, enroll subscribers in tailored loyalty programs, or equip your sales team to deliver value-driven outreach. Once you've segmented, the options are limitless.
Of course, be sure to closely track engagement metrics and conversion rates for your segmented campaigns compared to any prior' batch and blast' efforts. This continuous optimization will give you the confidence that your efforts are paying off!

# # #

There you have it—three simple steps to becoming a CRM segmentation expert. By identifying your key audience segments, cleansing your data, and strategically implementing your segments, you'll unleash a goldmine of potential revenue just waiting to be tapped into!
​
If you're wondering how you'll find the time or expertise to implement these steps, then you've come to the right place! I'm offering a FREE 15-minute CRM strategy call to get you started on the right path. Don't miss out on this game-changing opportunity!

Admit it: we've all been there before. You're browsing a brand's website, intrigued by their offering. Then, you follow them on social media and start seeing their ads everywhere. Excellent, this company is really putting itself out there!

But as soon as you engage with their chatbot or send an email inquiry, it's like they have no clue who you are or what you're interested in. The messaging is entirely disjointed from the other touchpoints you've experienced, leaving you feeling frustrated and undervalued.

That jarring, fragmented customer experience is a surefire way to get ghosted by your audience in today's crowded market. With endless choices at their fingertips, consumers expect cohesive, relevant engagements no matter where or how they interact with your brand.

So, let's explore how you can ensure your customers leave their experience with you with a smile on their faces:

1. The Pivotal Role of Your CRM

Fortunately, with the right strategy and tools, delivering a seamless, omnichannel customer experience is possible. At the core is your CRM system, which acts as the centralized hub where all customer data and touchpoints are integrated.
By leveraging that unified data, you can ensure that every engagement is personalized and contextual. No more disjointed convos that make customers feel like just another number! Your CRM empowers reps to pick up wherever the last interaction left off, giving you the control and confidence in your customer interactions.

2. Marketing Automation: The Secret Weapon

Of course, your CRM needs to have robust marketing automation capabilities. With automated workflows spanning channels like email, social media, and the website, you can deliver timely messaging tailored to each customer's preferences and behaviors.

3. Mapping the Customer Journey

As you map out the full customer journey, from initial awareness to loyalty and advocacy, it's critical to maintain consistency. Your brand voice, visual identity, and core value proposition should remain cohesive no matter the channel. Disjointed messaging and aesthetics just create confusion.

4. Data-Driven Optimization

By tapping into metrics around engagement, conversion rates, and overall customer satisfaction, you can pinpoint friction areas in the experience. This data-driven approach reassures you that you're making informed decisions to enhance your customer journey.

5. Consistency is King: Branding and Messaging

The final piece of the puzzle is maintaining consistent branding and messaging across all channels. Your brand voice, visual identity, and core value proposition should remain cohesive whether customers interact with you on social media, your website, or through customer service. Disjointed messaging and aesthetics just create confusion and erode trust.

# # #

Ultimately, creating an exceptional omnichannel experience requires an integrated, perpetual approach that leverages your tech stack. But the payoff—increased loyalty, retention, and customer lifetime value—is well worth the effort.

Are you still unsure about harmonizing your brand's multi-channel presence? If you are, I have just the deal for you! I'm offering 15-minute strategy calls to help you personalize your approach and tech setup. Book a time to get expert guidance crafting seamless customer journeys!
​
With the right tools and mindset, you can foster cohesive engagements that keep modern buyers interested and coming back for more. What are you waiting for?

​By: Kathy Kent Toney, CEO & Founder of Kent Solutions

In today's hyper-competitive business world, having the right sales and marketing tools is table stakes. But simply investing in these technologies isn't enough. If your teams aren't maximizing their capabilities, you're leaving serious money on the table and putting your business at risk.

I get it. Over the years, I've used CRMs that didn't contribute much to my bottom line. But now that I'm using a robust CRM and am maximizing its potential, I've witnessed first-hand the power of doing so—I'm beginning to rake in the dough!

So, what are these risks?

Risk #1: Inefficient Processes and Workflows

Your shiny new CRM and marketing automation tools have loads of time-saving automation and optimization features. But if reps and marketers get bogged down with manual tasks, data entry, and redundant work, those "productivity boosters" are nothing more than expensive shelf ware.

Risk #2: Lack of Data-Driven Insights

The whole point of leveraging these tools is to gain deeper insights into your pipeline, marketing performance, customer behaviors, and more. When you're fully tracking and analyzing the metrics that matter most, you're not just avoiding a risk, you're empowering yourself to make smarter decisions and strategies.

Risk #3: Poor Customer Experience

In our hyper-connected world, buyers expect seamless, personalized experiences across every touchpoint. When sales and marketing teams underutilize tools, this results in disjointed messaging, fragmented nurturing, and tone-deaf interactions that frustrate customers and drive them straight to competitors.

Risk #4: Competitive Disadvantage

When you're stuck with inefficient legacy processes, your shrewdest rivals capitalize on their tools' full potential. They automate tedious tasks, leverage AI and analytics, and personalize at scale—the whole nine yards. If you don't keep up, you're not just at risk—you're positioning yourself to lose the game. It's time to get competitive!

Risk #5: Wasted Investment

In the end, improperly adopted tools represent a colossal waste of time and money. You've already invested the budget and resources, so why not maximize that ROI? Letting those capabilities go untapped is like throwing cash down the drain.

The bottom line: Whether it's lack of training, resistance to change, or misalignment of tools, underutilization puts your business at a serious disadvantage. It's time to prioritize comprehensive adoption and continuous learning to unleash your tech stack's value!

After learning about the potential risks associated with CRM systems, you might be wondering about the current state of your CRM. Well, you are in luck!

I'm thrilled to offer you access to a powerful resource--The Ultimate CRM Health Check, which is free of charge. This tool will help you analyze your CRM's performance, highlighting areas where you can make improvements and identifying the areas where you excel.
​
Don't miss out on this opportunity to gain a competitive edge--take the first step towards optimizing your CRM strategy by downloading our complimentary assessment today!