Struggling to keep track of all your coaching clients and potential clients, too? If that’s the case, a CRM for coaches could be just the tool you need.

But what exactly is a CRM, and how do you know if a specific CRM is well-suited for coaches? Keep reading to discover:

• What is a CRM for coaches
• What to consider before choosing a CRM for coaches
• Best CRM for coaches who want to keep things simple
• Best CRM for coaches with scaling teams

What Is a CRM for Coaches?

CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management. As such, a CRM for coaches is a tool that allows you to manage your clients throughout the entire customer journey.

Not only do CRMs for coaches make it easier to keep track of every client, but they also help you manage your time. For example, most CRMs allow you to send automated follow-up emails to help you spend less time in your inbox.

You’ll also spend much less time sifting through client notes when they’re all neatly organized in your CRM.

Keep in mind that CRMs exist in nearly every industry. For example, Investor Relations (IR) professionals use IR CRM systems to manage relationships with investors. A CRM for coaches should be focused on:

• Managing free discovery sessions
• Keeping clients organized
• Creating (and sharing) coaching packages
• Keeping track of which client purchased what
• Organizing your calendar
• Helping you support your coaching clients

Not all CRMs have these capabilities. On the other end of the spectrum, some CRMs are so packed with features that they’ll overwhelm most coaches.

Pro tip: Paperbell is the best CRM designed specifically for coaches! Launch a stunning coaching website and start selling and managing all your coaching from a single platform by claiming your free account.

What to Consider Before Choosing Your Coaching CRM

There’s no one-size-fits-all CRM software for every single coach. Consider the following 4 points before you make a choice.

1. Your coaching business model

Not all coaches have the same coaching business models, which means your needs can vary drastically.

For example, some coaches offer one-on-one coaching, while others prefer group coaching. Many more will do a mix of both.

Other coaches offer digital products, either as standalone offers or as part of their coaching packages.

But if your CRM doesn’t support your business model, you’ll need a separate tool to keep your business running smoothly.

For instance, Dubsado can help you manage incoming coaching leads and automate processes like emails and contracts. But it doesn’t have any features to manage coaching groups, which makes it less than ideal if group coaching is part of your business model.

2. Your marketing strategy

Several CRM platforms for coaches also come fully loaded with marketing tools.

For example, coaches who rely on advanced email marketing strategies may prefer ActiveCampaign for its marketing automation features.

But coaches who prefer strategies such as podcast guesting or blogging won’t need everything ActiveCampaign offers.

And this is exactly why you should take your marketing strategy into account before you choose your CRM. The correct platform will empower you to execute the strategy that makes sense for you, while the wrong platform will hold you back and overcomplicate your life.

3. The size of your team

How many coaches are on your team?

If you’re going solo, your needs will differ vastly from someone who’s running a team of over a dozen coaches. And if you choose a tool that’s designed for large teams, like HubSpot, you may get overwhelmed with all the fancy features you don’t even need. 

However, if you have a large team, then big CRM shines with its extensive features and integrations, making it easy to make calls directly from HubSpot and consolidate various tasks within a single platform.

4. Coaching-specific needs

Some CRMs are industry-agnostic, which means they can be adapted for pretty much any type of business.  But these tools have several shortcomings for coaches because they fail to understand the reality of a coaching business.

And that’s okay. These tools weren’t designed with coaches in mind! 

However, be on the lookout for such coaching-specific needs and features when shopping for a CRM. 

For example, let’s consider Honeybook, which is a popular CRM for service providers. Even though coaches are a type of service provider, this platform was clearly designed for other types of service providers, such as photographers.

You can’t tie a coaching session to a client project, which means it’s impossible to automatically keep track of how many sessions a client has left. Honeybook also assumes each client will go through a custom sales pipeline, which means you need to create each project from scratch.

This is the case for Honeybook, but almost every non-coaching CRM software will have similar pitfalls. 

Consider your own specific needs as a coach. For example, do you use Zoom to run your coaching sessions? If you do, you may need a Zoom integration, which isn’t available in all CRMs.

Whether you’re using advanced email marketing or content creation, a CRM tailored to your needs can support your outreach efforts.

Best CRM for Coaches

1. Paperbell

Paperbell is by far the easiest way for coaches to manage their clients and get paid! And because it was designed for coaches, by coaches, it comes fully loaded with coaching-specific features other CRMs are missing.

Yet it’s simple enough for tech-hating coaches to feel at ease! You won’t get buried in superfluous features coaches don’t need. 

Here’s an overview of what you can do with Paperbell as a CRM software for coaches:

• Let clients self-schedule into your calendar: Fully customize your availability so clients can book your free discovery sessions or paid packages. 
• Get paid upfront: Never chase clients for payments again. In Paperbell, you can choose whether clients pay before or after booking a spot in your calendar for a paid session. But regardless of your choice, they’ll access the checkout page in the same flow.
• Stop no-shows: Since you can automate reminder emails, you won’t ever have to remember to remind people about their upcoming appointments with you.
• Eradicate invoicing nightmares: Instead of sending manual invoices for every coaching client, you can create your coaching packages and send a link directly to your booking page! 
• Sliding scale “pay what you want”: If you’re flexible with your coaching rates, Paperbell lets you offer multiple investment options for the same package.
• Custom intake forms for every package: Collect all the information you need, no matter the situation.
• Group coaching: Whether you offer one-on-one or group coaching, Paperbell allows you to sell (and manage) those offers.
• Branded website and landing pages: Every coaching package gets its own custom branded landing page, but you can also get a complete website that lists your packages, testimonials, FAQs, and even an email opt-in form.
• Digital downloads: You decide when clients get access to their digital downloads, and you can sell them as standalone offers, too!
• Integration with Zoom: Your clients won’t ever have to scramble for that Zoom link again!
• Autobilling subscriptions: Booked an ongoing package with a client or want to start a membership? Paperbell allows you to turn on “subscription” payments for any package.
• Client portal: Your coaching clients can log in to book new appointments, buy more sessions, access their resources, and more.

Here’s an example of coach Carmen Low offering appointment booking followed by the checkout process in Paperbell:

But the best part? You get access to a handy client management dashboard specifically catered to coaches. This means you can track:

• Complete appointment histories for each client
• Intake survey answers
• Your private coaching notes
• Upcoming appointments in your calendar (or for each client)
• How many appointments each client has left in their package
• Purchase history and spend for each package (and each client)
• Signed contracts

It’s powerful enough to automate your coaching business, but it focuses only on the tools a coach or consultant needs. 

That means you don’t get overwhelmed by fancy tools you don’t need, especially if you’re running your coaching business solo.

Real User Reviews For Paperbell

1. Automate the entire coaching workflow

When you run your own coaching business, you’ll waste a lot of time in your inbox keeping up with client communication, sending invoices, or managing your calendar.

Paperbell allows coaches to automate the admin side of their business so that they can focus on what they actually love doing — coaching.

Professional coach Molly M. has this to say:

Paperbell is making my life easier. It gives me peace of mind to know that clients are being prompted and reminded, reducing my no-shows and completely removing me from the hassle of rescheduling.

2. All-in-one solution specifically for coaches

Many coaches start out juggling multiple platforms to run their business:

• One for scheduling
• Another for payments
• Yet another for contracts
• And sometimes more!

Paperbell eliminates this complexity by combining everything into a single intuitive system.

Rae T., a professional coach, shared her experience about this:

Paperbell understands the importance of combining the number of sessions included to packages, and more. Paperbell recently released the option to add discounts on pay-in-full packages and I can’t think of any other app that does this!

2. ActiveCampaign

ActiveCampaign is a full-fledged marketing automation platform that handles email marketing and CRM.

So if you’re growing your email list and building a sales team, there’s virtually nothing you can’t do with this tool.

Here are some of the things you can do inside ActiveCampaign:

• Sales pipeline management: Create pipelines to track deals, automatically notify team members, and predict win/loss probability
• AI-powered lead segmentation: Segment leads based on behaviors and conditions with AI-suggested segments you might have missed
• Cross-channel marketing automation: Automate email campaigns, SMS marketing, and WhatsApp messaging with AI-generated content
• AI campaign creation: Generate optimized email campaigns from simple prompts and create forms/landing pages and even sales funnels with AI assistance
• Predictive engagement: Send messages when contacts are most likely to engage and analyze sentiment across all touchpoints
• Multi-language support: Translate messages across languages while preserving your brand tone and personality

However, ActiveCampaign doesn’t handle checkouts, appointment scheduling, group coaching management, or digital product delivery. 

If these features are important to you as a growing coaching business, consider using ActiveCampaign and Paperbell together.

For example, using Zapier, you can update your lead data in ActiveCampaign when someone purchases in Paperbell:

Zapier lets you trigger actions from Paperbell to ActiveCampaign when it detects the following in Paperbell:

• New Appointment
• New Purchase
• New Client

This makes it easy to make both apps work seamlessly together without having to manually update your data. 

While ActiveCampaign can manage your marketing and sales process, you can use Paperbell to manage your paying coaching clients.

Real User Reviews For ActiveCampaign

In general, many small business owners love how robust ActiveCampaign is, but don’t enjoy how clunky it can feel at times:

Other users feel that despite how much time it can take to learn, it’s well worth it:

3. HubSpot

HubSpot is a comprehensive, AI-powered customer platform that brings together marketing, sales, and customer service in one unified system. 

For coaching businesses looking to scale with advanced automation and extensive integrations, HubSpot offers enterprise-level features, including AI-powered agents, advanced reporting, and multichannel communication tools. 

While it may be overwhelming for solo coaches, it’s ideal for larger coaching teams that need robust pipeline management and sophisticated marketing automation.

Key features

• Smart CRM: AI-powered contact management with custom properties and unified customer data
• Marketing automation: Advanced email marketing, lead nurturing, and campaign management
• Sales pipeline management: Deal tracking, forecasting, and sales workspace tools
• AI-powered agents: Breeze agents for customer support, prospecting, and content creation

Real User Reviews For Hubspot

One Reddit user praised HubSpot’s simplicity and scalability, noting how it can replace multiple tools while keeping all client data in one place.

4. Bonsai

Bonsai is a unified platform designed specifically for service businesses, offering an all-in-one solution that consolidates client management, project delivery, and financial operations. 

For coaches who want to streamline their entire business workflow beyond just client relationships, Bonsai provides comprehensive tools for proposals, contracts, project management, time tracking, and automated billing. 

It’s particularly well-suited for coaches who manage complex projects or work with corporate clients requiring detailed proposals and project oversight.

Key features

• Client workflow automation: CRM with deals pipeline, proposals, contracts, and client portal
• Project management: Task management, time tracking, budgets, and Gantt charts for project delivery
• Financial management: Automated invoicing, payments, expense tracking, and detailed financial reporting
• Proposal and contract tools: Professional estimates, proposals, and agreement management

Real User Reviews For Bonsai

Some reviewers claim Bonsai is too clunky and not usable enough for the price point:

Yet, other customers love the customer support and find Bonsai easy to use:

5. Simply.Coach

Simply.Coach is a comprehensive digital coaching platform designed specifically for coaches, therapists, consultors, and trainers who want to digitize all aspects of their practice. 

With strong security credentials including SOC2, HIPAA, and GDPR compliance, SimplyCoach focuses on simplifying administrative tasks so coaches can concentrate on delivering results to their clients. 

The platform excels at managing both one-on-one and team engagements with robust client management and business automation features.

Key features

• Client management: Goal and development planning, session management, shared resources, and detailed reporting
• Business automation: Invoicing, contracts, subscriptions, session packages, and showcase pages
• Security compliance: SOC2, HIPAA, and GDPR-compliant for handling confidential client data
• Team engagements: Tools for managing group coaching and team development programs

Real User Reviews For SimplyCoach

Users of SimplyCoach enjoy how the platform stays up to date and keeps adding new features, although there appears to be some disappointment with the pricing plans:

Other reviewers, while enjoying the customer support team, feel that too many features are missing to make this a solid CRM for coaches:

6. HoneyBook

HoneyBook is a business management platform designed for creative professionals and service providers who need to streamline their client workflow from inquiry to payment. 

While popular among photographers, event planners, and other creative professionals, HoneyBook offers comprehensive tools for managing proposals, contracts, invoicing, and project delivery. 

For coaches who want professional-looking client experiences with automated workflows, HoneyBook provides an elegant solution, though it lacks some coaching-specific features.

Key features

• Professional proposals: All-in-one proposals combining invoices, contracts, and payments in one document
• Contract management: Digital signatures with smart highlighting and instant notifications
• Payment processing: Secure online payments with scheduling and automated reminders
• Workflow automation: Custom sequences for emails, tasks, and client communications

Real User Reviews For HoneyBook

Some skeptical users end up loving HoneyBook thanks to its templated file creation and robust automations:

Some users still love the platform, but find the price increases unfairly steep:

7. Satori

Satori is an all-in-one coaching platform specifically designed to streamline the entire coaching business workflow from discovery to client expansion. 

Built exclusively for coaches who want to escape administrative overwhelm, Satori focuses on creating seamless client experiences while providing powerful backend automation. 

The platform excels at converting discovery calls, managing multi-session packages, and tracking client progress throughout their coaching journey with personalized touches that enhance the coaching relationship.

Key features

• Discovery conversion tools: Qualifying questionnaires, session reminders, and personalized conversation setup
• Client engagement automation: Single-link onboarding, custom booking pages, and automated coaching agreements
• Progress tracking: Multi-session packages with intake forms, check-ins, and session notes sharing
• Business growth tools: Actionable metrics, automated billing, and flexible payment plans

Real User Reviews For Satori

Satori is generally well-loved among its user base! Customers typically adore the appointment booking tools and the ability to chat with customers:

Some users, although they love the tool, do find there is room for improvement in speed and UI:

8. Dubsado

Dubsado is a comprehensive business management platform designed for creative service businesses, including coaches, that helps streamline operations from lead capture to project completion. 

With a focus on creating repeatable processes and delivering polished client experiences, Dubsado excels at automating workflows, managing contracts, and organizing client communications. 

While it’s particularly strong for project-based work, coaches can leverage its professional proposal system and client portal features to enhance their business operations.

Key features

• Lead capture and conversion: Professional branded forms, proposals, and automated workflows for consistent client processes
• Contract management: Legally binding agreements with e-signatures, templates, and smart field auto-population
• Invoice and payment processing: Branded invoices with automatic reminders, recurring billing, and multiple payment options
• Project tracking: Automated tasks, project dashboards, and goal setting with business metrics

Real User Reviews For Dubsado

No one can claim Dubsado doesn’t have enough features. That’s what people love about it. What most reviewers claim is that these features are often overkill for their needs:

Yes, Dubsado has all the tools you need, but in most cases, the learning curve is steep:

FAQs About CRM for Coaches

What is the best CRM for coaches?

The best CRM depends on your specific needs. For solo coaches who want simplicity, Paperbell is ideal as it’s designed specifically for coaches with features like client scheduling, payment processing, automation, and even a complete coaching website.

What is CRM in coaching?

CRM in coaching stands for Customer Relationship Management. It’s software that helps coaches manage their entire client journey. It includes features like scheduling discovery sessions, organizing client info, automating follow-up emails, and managing payments to streamline your coaching business.

What are the four types of CRM systems?

The four types are operational (daily interactions), analytical (data insights), collaborative (team communication), and strategic (long-term relationships). Coaches typically benefit most from operational CRMs.

What software do coaches use?

Most coaches use multiple tools for scheduling, payments, and client management. Paperbell simplifies this by combining all essential coaching features – scheduling, payments, client portals, and session tracking – in one platform.

Get a Handle on Your Coaching Business with Your Coaching CRM

Now you have a better idea of what to look for if you’re a coach who needs a CRM. You can choose the software that fits your needs, or use a combination of several platforms using Zapier.

Before you make a final decision about the best CRM software for you, remember to consider your:

• Coaching business model
• Marketing strategy
• Team size

If you’re a solo coach who wants to simplify the process of running your business, Paperbell is the best CRM for you.

But you don’t have to take our word for it. You can grab your free account and try it out yourself!

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in April 2023 and has since been updated for accuracy.