In today’s competitive business landscape, having a CRM system is no longer optional — it’s essential. However, not all CRM platforms are created equal. Many solutions in the market are designed primarily for B2C (Business-to-Consumer) operations, where each customer represents an individual lead and the sales cycle is short. For B2B (Business-to-Business) organizations — especially those dealing with complex sales processes, multiple stakeholders, and long decision cycles — this model quickly becomes a constraint.
That’s exactly what a leading financial services and leasing company experienced firsthand.
The Challenge: A CRM That Didn’t Fit the Business Model
The company initially adopted a CRM system popular among industries such as education, healthcare, and real estate — sectors that rely on high-volume, individual leads. However, their business model was entirely different. They provided leasing and financing solutions to corporate clients, where each deal involved multiple decision-makers — CFOs, finance controllers, project heads, and operations leaders.
A B2C-oriented CRM structure couldn’t represent this reality. Opportunities were tied to individual leads instead of company accounts, making it difficult to track engagement at an organizational level. Managing 10–30 contacts under the same company became cumbersome and led to duplicate data and poor visibility. Over time, users lost confidence in the system, and CRM adoption dropped sharply.
The Turning Point: Reimagining CRM for B2B
Recognizing these limitations, the leadership team decided to redesign the CRM framework entirely. The goal was to build a B2B-centric CRM that accurately reflected how corporate sales relationships function and that could scale with business growth.
After evaluating multiple solutions, Odoo was chosen for its flexibility, modularity, and cost-effectiveness. Working with a digital transformation partner, the team implemented a CRM that focused on companies as the core entities, rather than individual contacts.
Key enhancements included:
- Company-first structure: Each client organization became a master record with multiple point-of-contact (POC) relationships underneath.
- Independent opportunity management: Opportunities were linked to company accounts and could involve several POCs.
- Integrated meeting and call reports: All discussions and follow-ups were logged at the company level, ensuring a unified view of client engagement.
Balancing Customization and Best Practices
One of the major lessons from this transformation was finding the balance between necessary customization and system stability. While tailoring the CRM to B2B workflows was crucial, over-customization risked making the system complex and harder to maintain.
To mitigate that, the team adopted a “lean customization” approach — building only what added business value and relying on Odoo’s standard features for everything else. This kept the CRM robust, scalable, and easier to enhance over time.
The Outcome: A CRM That Works for the Business, Not Against It
Within just a few weeks, the organization successfully rolled out its new B2B CRM platform. Inside Sales and Sales teams could now access a unified view of all company interactions, track opportunities efficiently, and collaborate more effectively with credit and operations functions.
By adapting a B2C-style CRM to meet B2B realities, the company improved visibility, accountability, and decision-making. The new system became a foundation for digital growth — a CRM designed to reflect how the business truly operates, not how a template assumes it should.
About GTM Technology Solution
GTM Technology Solution helps businesses implement and scale Odoo-based CRM and ERP systems tailored for real-world B2B operations. We focus on stability, usability, and measurable impact — enabling teams to work smarter and grow faster.
#Odoo #CRM #B2B #BusinessTransformation #DigitalInnovation #GTMTechnologySolution