Seasoned Marketer: CRM as a Growth Engine: A Conversation with Jeshanah Fox on What Really Drives Success

In accounting firms, CRM success rarely happens overnight; it evolves from basic adoption to strategic intelligence. For this month’s Seasoned Marketer article, I had the chance to interview Jeshanah Fox, Director of Marketing and Strategy at Brown Plus, on how Brown Plus’ CRM approach has matured over the past eight years since its launch, what she would do differently and what accounting marketers should prioritize if they want their CRM to become a true growth engine. Check out her amazing insights below, FAQ-style!

What CRM does your firm use?

We use an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) version of Sugar CRM, built on our buyer’s specifications. That flexibility has been helpful, but it has also taught us important lessons about customization and scalability over time.

How do you define “CRM success” in an accounting firm? What does good utilization actually look like?

When we launched our CRM back in 2018, I defined success very simply: usage.

If people weren’t in the system, nothing else mattered. So, we tied the CRM to processes that could not be circumvented – for example, getting a client ID number assigned required going through the CRM. That was intentional. We needed engagement to be embedded in the workflow, not optional.

We also eased into it. Initially, we focused only on inputting client data. We deliberately required the least amount of information possible so we wouldn’t overwhelm people.

Now, eight years in, my definition of CRM success has changed. About five years into the journey, once I felt confident in user adoption and had strong leadership champions, success shifted to pipeline tracking for business development (BD).

Today, I define CRM success as having clear visibility into opportunities, understanding what’s coming down the line and using that information to track progress toward our strategic goals. It has been a journey to get here, but I think the slow and steady approach has served us well.

What CRM activities create the most value for an accounting firm, if done consistently?

The activities that create the most value are the ones that solve real business problems.

For Brown Plus, that includes:

• Maintaining accurate client contact information.
• Tracking new business opportunities in real time.
• Mainstreaming the assignment of new client ID numbers.
• Monitoring opportunity sources and service lines.

What are the most common ways CRM data gets “dirty”?

The biggest issue I see is not having someone dedicated to data entry and maintenance. When everyone is responsible, no one is accountable.

There’s also a delicate balance in system design. You need to make it simple enough that people will actually use it, but sophisticated enough to make it meaningful.

My advice is to start your CRM requiring the least amount of information possible. Once people are comfortable and usage habits are formed, then you can layer in complexity. Trying to build a fully sophisticated system on day one is usually what causes resistance.

How do you show leadership that CRM is a strategic tool, not just an administrative one?

Leadership buy-in is absolutely critical.

Our President and Managing Principal was (and still is) a huge champion of the CRM. He would literally say, “If I can do it, you can do it too.” That modeling matters.

For the CRM to be seen as strategic, leadership must connect it to the firm’s Strategic Plan. It must be positioned as the tool that tracks progress toward goals – especially revenue and growth.

We also use CRM data in annual performance evaluations for BD. That reinforces that it’s not a marketing database – it’s a firm-wide growth tool.

At the same time, I would caution firms about over-customization. Early on, we built the system to match our old processes. A few years later, we wound up making process updates that required us to undo much of that work, which was time-consuming and costly. Build something that can grow with your firm, but don’t over-engineer it around legacy habits.

What role should workflows and automation play?

Honestly, I wish we had more workflows and automation built into our CRM.

The more you can automate steps and build in measures to self-guide people through processes, the better. Workflows reinforce consistency and reduce the burden on individuals to remember steps. Especially in professional services, where everyone works a little differently, automation can help standardize execution without constant oversight.

How do you train users without overwhelming them?

When we rolled out the CRM, we held small, in-person group trainings – about 10 to 15 team members at a time. Everyone brought their laptops, and we walked through the process step by step. We also held make-up sessions to ensure full participation.

After launch, I offered CRM office hours. Today, I would probably set up a dedicated Microsoft Teams channel where users could post questions.

We also created an FAQs document on our Intranet, which I update regularly and review annually.

Most importantly, we train on process – not product. Software interfaces change. Processes endure. If people understand the business process the CRM supports, they can adapt to system updates much more easily.

What dashboards are must-haves for accounting firm leadership?

We use layered dashboards because not every audience needs to (or should) have access to the same types of data.

At Brown Plus, we have:

• An All-Firm dashboard.
• An Executive Committee dashboard, showing revenue by office location and other high-level metrics.
• An Internal Accounting Committee dashboard that supports onboarding and financial review decisions.

Across those dashboards, some of the core metrics that we track include:

• Pipeline tracking.
• Opportunities by source.
• Opportunities by service line.
• Lost opportunities and lost clients.
• Average opportunity value.

That last one is particularly strategic. It helps us answer, “Are we going after the right types of work? Are we pursuing the most profitable opportunities?”

You also have to pay attention to what leadership already talks about. Often, you can’t just ask what KPIs matter – you need to sit in conversations, listen to recurring questions and determine whether your CRM data can answer them.

For our Marketing Department, opportunity source and service line data are especially critical. For leadership, it usually comes down to one thing: what’s going to hit the bottom line and when?

How can a CRM improve client experience (CX)?

Admittedly, we still have room to grow here.

Ideally, the CRM should support structured workflows that align with each client’s needs – tracking key touchpoints, deliverables and required steps in line with your overall CX plan to ensure a consistent, high-quality experience.

It should also serve as the source of truth for client notes, including preferences and relationship history. One area where this becomes especially important is leadership transition. When partners retire, having documented notes about client relationships, communication styles and expectations is invaluable. In this way, the CRM can become the firm’s institutional memory.

What’s the biggest CRM mistake you see accounting firms make?

Building a system around current processes without re-evaluating those processes.

As I mentioned previously, we did that at first, mirroring the processes of how we had always worked. Within a few years, we realized many of those processes needed to change – and we had to rebuild entire sections of our CRM accordingly, which was expensive and time-consuming.

CRM implementation should be seen as an opportunity to improve how your firm operates, not just digitize old habits.

What advice would you give to a firm just starting to take CRM seriously?

Baby steps.

Don’t overwhelm people. Pick one major pain point and solve it well. Once professionals see how the CRM makes their lives easier – whether that’s assigning client IDs, tracking pipeline or clarifying opportunity ownership – they naturally become much more willing to adopt it.

Integration with the software your firm already uses is also key. If the CRM operates in isolation, it will struggle. If it connects to the systems that drive revenue and operations, it becomes indispensable. For example, if your CRM isn’t tied to your time and billing or project management system, there simply won’t be enough motivation for professionals to engage consistently.

Lastly, in an accounting firm, billable time always wins – but, unfortunately, time spent entering information into the CRM is not usually billable. That’s why the CRM has to be integrated and expected, with clear, communicated usage expectations from the top.

Any last thoughts?

Eight years into Brown Plus’ CRM journey, one thing is clear to me: CRM success in an accounting firm isn’t about the software. It’s about leadership, process discipline, cultural buy-in and strategic patience.

When those elements align, a CRM stops being a database; it becomes the firm’s growth intelligence engine.