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CRM note checklist.

The 28 things a complete note carries after a sales call or text thread, with a score for the note you are writing, an example of a strong note, and the statuses that lie.

The customer
The vehicle
The money
The commitments
The next step

In this note0 of 28

Tick what the note you are writing already has. A note that scores under half usually means the next rep will have to call the customer to ask.

A strong note

Inbound call at 9:12. Marisol, cell is best, prefers text after four. Asking on stock 7742, the white three-row with the tow package, and open to the gray one if that sells first. Trade is her sedan, around 78,000 miles, still owed on, one key. Her husband Daniel is on the title and has to sign, and he works nights. Wants the payment near what she pays now. No numbers quoted on the phone. Held Thursday at 6:15 with me, she is bringing the title and both licenses. Confirmation text tonight, reminder call Thursday at noon. If she goes quiet, text Friday morning.

The usual note

Called on the white one. Gave him a price. Seemed interested. Will follow up this week.

Synthetic names. Runs in your browser. Nothing you type is sent anywhere.

The statuses that lie

StatusWhat it should meanHow it gets misused
Appointment setThe customer agreed to a specific day and clock time, and somebody at the store wrote it down with the vehicle and the person they are meeting.It gets used for he said he might swing by Saturday, which is how a calendar fills with visits nobody expects.
Appointment confirmedThe customer answered a confirmation and said yes, close enough to the visit that the answer still means something.A rep sends a text, nobody replies, and the record says confirmed because the text went out.
WorkingThere is a live conversation with a next step and a date attached to it.It becomes the parking spot for leads nobody has touched in weeks, because nothing about it forces a decision.
Callback scheduledThe customer asked to be contacted at a stated time, and that time is on a real calendar with a name on it.It gets used to cover a call the customer never answered, so a missed attempt looks like an agreement.
SoldThe customer took delivery, and the record shows which vehicle left with them and who delivered it.It goes on early, during the paperwork or before funding, and the follow-up that protects the delivery never happens.
LostThe customer said in their own words that they bought elsewhere or stopped shopping, and the note quotes them.It closes out anyone who got hard to reach, which quietly turns a busy week into a shorter list.

Questions about CRM notes

What should a CRM note contain after a sales call?

Who the customer is and who else decides, the vehicle and any alternatives, the trade, what the customer expects on price or payment without a number quoted over the phone, every commitment made on both sides with day and time, and the next step with an owner and a date.

How long should a CRM note be?

Long enough that a different salesperson could pick up the customer tomorrow without calling to ask. Five short lines usually do it. The example on this page is about a hundred words.

Why do lead statuses mislead managers?

Because a status is a click, not a fact. "Contacted" can mean a voicemail, "working" can mean nothing happened this week, and "lost" can be a customer who asked a question yesterday. The statuses table on this page lists what each should mean and how it gets misused.

See how Pinpoint is built to keep the record true to the conversation.

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