27: What is Dubsado & Why I Love It As A Family Photographer (The Systems And Workflow Magic Podcast)

Are you taking advantage of a CRM tool like Dubsado in your business? Over the next eight weeks, I’ll be diving into topics related to Dubsado, why you should use it, and how it works! In today’s episode, I’ll be introducing you to Dubsado and my top four reasons as to why I love it!

The Systems and Workflow Magic Podcast is brought to you by Dolly DeLong Education. This is a podcast for creative business owners who want to learn tangible steps to automate their business through workflows, systems, tools, and strategy in order to go from scattered to streamlined with purpose. Because even muggles can become automated wizards.

Are you struggling to convert your inquiries? Maybe your contact form is simply an afterthought on your website that doesn’t attract your ideal client. It’s time to level up your lead capture form by creating a contact form that WOWS. Your client experience starts all the way back at the contact form level.

Join this free video training with a behind-the-scenes look at how I’ve built my contact form, along with my system that teaches you how to not get ghosted!

Check Out the Training >>

Review the Show Notes

Upcoming Series Introduction (:51)

What is Dubsado? (2:00)

What is a CRM? (2:40)

Why I love Dubsado ()

Reason 1: It streamlines all services in my business (4:40)

Reason 2: I can put all main service workflows under one tab (8:43)

Reason 3: Dubsado’s customer service is phenomenal. (15:51)

Reason 4:  They are a more robust CRM platform over their competitors (18:55)

How I create a Contact Form that WOWS using my CRM platform ()

Dubsado is an all-in-one business management tool that allows you to send contracts and invoices, handle project management, create questionnaires and other forms, manage bookkeeping, track your time, send and receive emails and SO much more… all from ONE place.

Try Dubsado >>

Links Mentioned

Try Dubsado

Dubsado Toolkit for Creatives

How to Create a Contact Form that Wows

Connect with Dolly ⬇️

instagram.com/dollydelongeducation

facebook.com/DollyDeLongEducation

pinterest.com/dollydelong

Did you like this episode? Please share it on Pinterest!

Review the Transcript:

Welcome to the systems and workflow magic podcast where I help entrepreneurs go from scattered to streamlined in their creative businesses. I’m your host, Dolly DeLong, a wife, a mom, and a photographer turned systems educator. Join me every week as we have conversations centered around creating tactical workflows, and strategic automations for your business. Now, let’s make some strategic workflow magic.

Hello, and welcome back to another episode of the systems and workflow magic podcast. I am your host, Dolly DeLong. And I just want to express how happy I am to have you alongside me, as I share more systems and workflow tips this week. Seriously, thank you so much for being here, friend. So we are currently diving into an eight-week series all centered around the topic of Dubsado for your creative business. But before you tuned me out entirely, I do want to encourage you to give this episode in the next several weeks a listen. Because I am a strong believer in having a great CRM in your business, so that you can not only be better streamlined and organized, and automated, but the heart of CRM begins with clients. So my hope is that you can take these episodes and apply them to your own services to your own workflows with your clients in mind. Just think about how can you serve them better to make a better impact on your business. So that is the mission of the next eight weeks, let’s just talk about how we can serve our clients better using a CRM platform. Okay, so now that I’ve pumped you up, or at least I’m pumping myself up because I love talking about Dubsado. Let’s dive into Dubsado itself. So let me answer the question.

I’m sure somebody’s out there listening. And they’re wondering what the Flippity flop is Dubsado dolly! So let me answer that. So Dubsado is an all in one business management tool that allows you to send contracts, and invoices, it helps you handle project management, it helps you create questionnaires, and other forms, it helps you keep track of your bookkeeping helps you track your time, it helps you send and receive emails and so much more I could go on and on and on. So it’s all under one digital roof in one place. And it is a CRM tool. And a CRM tool stands for a client or customer relationship management tool. So if you are a service-based business owner, who currently has no processes set up, meaning your contracts are in your Google Docs buried somewhere and then your questionnaires are buried somewhere has a template in some program you sometimes use and then your invoice system, what invoice system, it’s super scattered, and you don’t have a consistent method of getting paid, you sometimes get paid. And sometimes you get a Venmo. And sometimes people write you a check, but then you forget that you owe this much. Well, that sounds very stressful to me. So the point of Dubsado is to keep everything under one roof. And that’s why if that past sentence or sentences was you if you are in your car, or if you’re listening in wherever you are, and you’re like, I am guilty of being so scattered and not having a structure to my business.

Well, again, definitely tune in to today’s episode because Dubsado is a perfect all-in-one platform, which can help you keep everything under all your boring contracts and invoices and documents under one roof for your services. Okay, so as you may know, I have shared this in previous episodes, but I am a creative business owner myself. So in addition to running this podcast and being a Dubsado certified Pro, where, which means I help set up other creative business owners’ Dubsado accounts with VIP experiences. I also serve as a family and branding photographer. So I use Dubsado for all three of my main services. And I love it. I love that I can keep everything under one roof. So reason number one I love Dubsado For my own business it streamlines all of my different services within my business. So everything is in one spot and my processes have become more streamlined. So let me tell you, this, I know I’ve shared this before But every time I like to think about the story, it makes me laugh. So I have to share this again, before I was a consistent Dubsado user, I would depend on sticky notes to write down all the processes of my business. And there’s nothing wrong with sticky notes.

I love a good sticky note. But although it felt great to get everything from my head onto paper, sometimes, okay, the sticky notes were a little too chaotic, okay for me to then look at. So I got everything from my head to paper, and I stuck them on the wall. And then I would forget what process went with what process or what note went with one what note or my handwriting was so awful, I didn’t know what the sticky notes said. And to top that off, okay, just to make matters even sweeter. This is sarcastic by the way, my sweet son who was a year and a half at the time was able to reach like a certain process that I wrote out, he ran into my room, because at the time, my room also me and my husband’s room, it also served as an office for me. So part of the room, had my desk in my office was all set up. And so I had a bunch of sticky notes on one side of my mindset of the room, and my son ran into the room, which is normal, and we let him run into our room. But he found the wall of sticky notes. And you all probably know where this is going.

He just, like tore him off the wall like a true toddler because he’s curious. And he proceeded to throw them in the toilet. I’m just laughing because of how ridiculous that is. And so yes, that is a true story. And it was like, even at the moment, it was hard for me to get mad at my son. Because the humor in it made me think that he was trying to tell me in his baby way, like Mommy, you got to get a better system in place. And I know he wasn’t trying to say that. But looking back, I like to laugh and think it was just a symbolic moment. For me a reminder, like, hey, Dolly, baby, you should write these processes out digitally, not just depend on sticky notes. So let’s go back to Dubsado. So how does Dubsado keep everything in place for me? So as mentioned earlier, I can input all of my specific contacts, my fours, my questionnaires, invoices, packages that go with invoices, etc, I can put that all in Dubsado that pertain to all of my services. And I can be organized. So remember, I offer I just shared, I offer three main services within my brand, okay. And so that means I have three different types of contracts. Three different types of lead capture form three different types of questionnaires.

So instead of having them disorganized through Google, my Google Drive and me hoping, oh, that I won’t lose them, or, as much as I love Trello, like, not just depending on Trello, my project management tool, I, I needed to keep it under one digital roof. And so that is what Dubsado has done for me. And if I can share further, once I have my main services, now that I’ve gotten them all organized and categorized in Dubsado, I can then set up workflows based on what service I offer. So that leads me to Reason number two, I love Dubsado so much, is the fact that I can put all of my main service workflows under one tab. Okay, so when I say that, so when you open up Dubsado, and you go to unlike literally visualizing this right now, because I use Dubsado Every single day for my business, and I teach others how to use Dubsado. But when you open up your main Dubsado I guess like the interface, I’m probably using the wrong word. You go to the left and tab and there is under templates is called the workflows you opened up you like literally click on workflows, and that’s where all of your workflows are housed. So you can make unlimited workflows. So that’s why I’m sharing that essentially, you can, you can put all of your main workflows under one tab. So that’s what I mean, and categorize each of your services.

Again, let me stress I do not miss the days of me writing out my workflows on a sticky note, and then losing it or having my son throw it away in the toilet, or writing out my processes on a Google dot. And then losing track of that Google Doc, I mean, raise your hand I’m raising my hand. Raise your hand if you have started a Google Doc and like you had the best intention As with it, and then you just got up, because life happened or, like you had to go on to the next task, or you had to end the workday, and then you lost track of that Google Doc. And so you open up a new Google Doc, and then come to find out, there’s like, 50, like, I’m done, Google Docs that, like, don’t really have a purpose. So that’s kind of what Dubsado does. For me. It keeps everything under one roof, and streamlines all of my processes for me, especially in the process of workflows.

All right, my friend, are you still struggling to get those inquiries in because they are ghosting you once they fill out your contact form, or is your contact form just a rushed afterthought on your website, and it’s not really attracting your ideal client. If you’re raising your hand and you are guilty of this, then it’s time to level up your lead capture form by creating a contact page that Wow. So I am pulling back the curtain to show you all the elements I’ve used in my business to create an incredible client experience. Yes, starting at the contact form level, because I’m a firm believer that you’ve got to wow your viewers and show them that you are the person they need to hire as soon as they fill out your contact form. So with this free training, you’ll get video training with a behind-the-scenes look at how I have crafted and created a contact form again at the top of that client journey. And I spill the tea, I also give you a free PDF that accompanies this free training. And you have access to my just like my system as to how not to get ghosted. So, grab the link at Dolly, the long photography.com forward-slash create a contact page that WOWS and the link will be in the show notes. And I am so excited for you to level up your lead capture form.

Let’s answer the question of what a workflow is. So workflow, I define it as a series of steps that you take in your specific service. So aka what is the client’s journey when they work with you. So what are all of the steps and actions you take with your client from start to finish, think of a workflow as a blueprint of your service. It needs to be well thought out and laid out for you to look over in order to like best optimize it and customize it. But if you don’t have a consistent client experience, you most likely will have a choppy and clunky or non-existent workflow. So I’m hoping that as a service business owner, you have your processes mapped out, or even if you’re a beginning, you are mapping out your services because you shouldn’t depend on just your memory. Like I pride myself or I like grew up priding myself that had like the best memory, I could memorize something and just like know it by heart. And if my husband’s listening to this, he’s probably laughing because you know, that’s not true. And I will call myself out now that I am a mom and I like Mom Brain is real. Your Mom Brain is so real. And I have so much on my brain now like because of my sweet family. And so my memory is not that great anymore.

And so I can’t just depend upon my memory of the workflow for certain services, because certain clients will miss out. There’ll be gaps in that client journey. So that’s why I think it’s really important to write out your systems and processes for each of your client services. So that there’s a consistent journey. All right. So yes, I love that like going back. I love that once I have nailed down my services, I can put them in as workflows in Dubsado. And let me just share that just because you’ve put in your workflow once in Dubsado. It’s not a one-and-done thing. Like you will always continue to tweak and optimize them as your business grows. And but still, like the whole point I’m trying to make is it’s not living in your brain, alright, you’re not just depending upon memory to do the same step over and over you have your standard operating procedures for this specific service mapped out in Dubsado and workflow form. And I think that’s really awesome because again like I am so guilty of having major Mambo I mean, all the time, like, it is so true, it feels like I have 50 tabs open at all hours of the day. And if you would have told me in my 20s, that this is what my life would be like in my 30s, I would love you because I could not imagine this. So I’m sure there are many moms out there who are laughing alongside me or you just think I’m a hot mess.

But I just am so grateful that I can write out my systems and workflows and processes within Dubsado. And it does not have to live in my brain. And again, I can always continue to tweak them and optimize them as that client journey grows and ebbs and flows. All right. Okay, so let’s go into Reason number three, why I loved upside of so much. It’s this, although there is a huge learning curve when you were first starting out with Dubsado. So I know, I know, it can be very frustrating as a small business owner, because honestly, you feel like you have at least 10,000 things you’re juggling in the air. But you can rest assured that you are in good hands with their customer service. So let me repeat that. So there is a big learning curve in Dubsado. But the thing is, the reason I loved Dubsado so much is their customer service. They are always so responsive and communicative whenever I have questions and yeah, like, even though I am a certified probe, even though like I feel like a study Dubsado constantly, I want to get better and better and better.

I still have so many questions about Dubsado. And so I love that customer support is right there to help me out right away. And that goes a long way for me. And the best part of customer service is they never make you feel dumb about your question. So right, there’s no such thing as a dumb question with them. And that’s also a huge deal for me because I don’t know about you. But I felt dumb for asking questions to other companies. And it just causes me to not just question myself, but to feel, you know, like a little insecure, like, oh, maybe I should know this automatically. But that’s not the way Dubsado Customer Support is they are a great company. And this is like, this is so silly. But whenever they answer a question, they always follow up with a funny GIF. I know for some of you, you’re like, who cares about gifts, but like for me, like, I find humor and gifts. And so they’re really good about making sure there’s some sort of connecting point like humorous connecting point, like light-heartedness. Like, hey, like we’ve got your back, like, even if you don’t understand it the first time, we’re going to send you helpful articles, we’re going to walk you through this, be patient with yourself. And so it’s just it’s a human behind that computer. So I really liked that about them.

And I know to invest. Like as a small business owner, I’d mentioned that we are juggling, like 10,000 Other things throughout the day, especially if you are a one-woman or one-man show. Plus, I know investing in a CRM tool can feel intimidating. So it’s always good to have that extra customer support. Hold your hand as you learn a new tool for your business. And again, let me remind you like like any other tool Dubsado does have a learning curve, but their customer support like really helps you out tremendously as you learn how to use it. So let’s go into Reason number four. And my final reason why well, there are more reasons but just to keep this episode short and sweet. Reason number four, I love Dubsado so much, they are a more robust CRM platform than their competition, okay, so this is what I mean because they have more robust features.

Again, I know I keep on saying this, there is a learning curve. But once you get the foundational concepts down, you will love how you can automate and streamline more processes and you can make all of your forms and your questionnaires and your contracts, like all of the forms more branded to fit your business. So if that is important, that’s important for me as a creative business owner, I want everything to be consistent to fit my logos, and my fonts, I know that’s so silly, but I want my clients to feel consistent when they work with me and not scattered all over the place. And so I love that upside. You can brand your forms within Dubsado. All right, so I know I can go on and on about Dubsado. But I do like, let’s like, take a step back. All right, and I’m gonna, this is my tough love addition to this episode, okay? So you got to take a step back and face reality as a creative business owner or as a, or as photographer, okay, because I know a lot of photographers listening to this to this podcast. So tough love for you, as a creative business owner. If you want to grow your business, you’ve got to scale it with a CRM tool, okay, I don’t care what CRM tool you use, you’ve got to utilize a customer relationship management tool, and keep everything under one roof. That means you can’t have full control over every system and process. There’s not enough time or enough of you to do that.

So what I mean by that is, you can’t like physically, like, know all your like, where everything’s located. If you do have a system through Google Docs, and then you do an invoice through wave, and then or if you do your questionnaires through Adobe, like, you might have it down at the beginning of your business when you have a lighter client load. But as you grow, and if you want to scale, I would encourage you to keep everything under one roof. And that way, you don’t have to use up so much of your brainpower to remember where everything is located. Because it will be located within your CRM platform. So like my encouragement to you is, why not try Dubsado and see if it’s a good fit. Again, there are so many other systems that a lot of creative business owners and photographers use, like HoneyBook or 17 hats. And there’s nothing wrong with those. So I want to encourage you to find what works for you, and go with it, do your research, and go with it. So in the next eight weeks, I’ll be sharing more facets of Dubsado. And I hope it encourages you to truly take a deep dive into implementing some sort of CRM system into your creative business. All right. And please don’t forget to dive into the free resource I’ve created for you. So it’s my playbook of how I create a contact form that wows using my CRM platform.

So it’s my secret to not get ghosted by inquiries. And yes, it’s taught from the perspective of using Dubsado. But I know you can apply it to your other CRM platform as well. So either way, check out this free resource in the show notes. And thank you so much for tuning in this week. And I hope you continue to make some systems and workflow magic in your life by thank you so much for listening to the systems and workflow magic podcast. You can find full show notes from today’s episode at dolly DeLong photography.com forward slash podcast. If you’re loving the podcast, I’d be so honored if you’d subscribe and leave a review on your favorite podcast player. Be sure to screenshot this episode, share it with your stories, and tag me at dolly DeLong education over on Instagram. Until next time, go make some strategic workflow magic!