Scaling 10x with Ontraport’s customizable CRM platform

Case Study

Software Equity Group: Achieving 10x Growth with Ontraport’s Customizable CRM Solution

10x

growth

1,000s

of hours saved

$1,000s

saved on tech

Company

Software Equity Group (SEG) is a sell-side mergers and acquisitions (M&A) advisory firm specializing in helping B2B SaaS companies in the lower-middle market. With a team of about 30 employees, SEG is dedicated to guiding software entrepreneurs through successful exits by delivering creative, honest and customized advisory services.

publicCalifornia, USA

Industry

Services

Key features used

CRM
Custom objects
Sales pipeline
Automation
Lead scoring
Email marketing
Marketing tracking

Introduction

In 2019, SEG faced significant operational challenges stemming from inefficiencies in managing client, prospect and buyer communications.

The firm was relying on multiple unintegrated CRM systems — Infusionsoft, Pipedrive and Salesforce — alongside a custom database and Excel sheets. This created silos of information that made it difficult to scale operations. SEG needed a solution that would consolidate its systems and streamline workflows.

SEG turned to Ontraport and has since experienced explosive growth.

Since implementing Ontraport our business has grown more than 10x. Ontraport played a critical role in supporting and driving our growth.

Allen Cinzori

Managing director

The Challenges

Before adopting Ontraport, SEG encountered several challenges that were hindering its ability to grow efficiently:

Disjointed Systems

SEG was using a combination of CRM systems (Infusionsoft, Pipedrive and Salesforce) alongside Excel spreadsheets, a custom-built database and separate email marketing automation platforms. None of these systems were integrated, making it difficult to maintain a clear view of client and prospect interactions. Managing deal activity was cumbersome and inefficient, and impacted client relationships and overall performance.

Lack of Customization and Flexibility

Infusionsoft and Pipedrive lacked the configurability SEG required, forcing the team to adapt to tools that didn’t fit their workflows. Salesforce, while robust, was too complex and expensive for SEG’s needs. SEG needed a CRM that could function like a relational database, allowing the firm to link clients, buyers and prospects while also tracking interactions — without requiring costly custom coding.

Inefficiencies in Communication and Reporting

Email campaigns were difficult to manage and track across different systems, which limited SEG’s ability to deliver personalized communications at scale. Segmenting audiences was a challenge, and the team needed to manually pull data from multiple sources to generate insights. This was impacted the effectiveness of their marketing efforts and slowed decision-making, hampering growth.

The Solution

SEG sought a CRM solution that could centralize its operations, deliver the flexibility of a relational database and automate key workflows without the complexity and cost of enterprise solutions. Ontraport provided the perfect balance of customization, scalability and ease of use.

Custom Objects and Relational Database

An image of a contact record inside of Ontraport

Ontraport’s custom objects feature was a game-changer for SEG. It allowed the team to configure the CRM to act like a relational database, linking clients, buyers and prospects while tracking all interactions (calls, emails, and meetings) across multiple contacts.

This functionality gave SEG complete visibility into its relationships, enabling the team to manage deal activity more effectively and offer greater value to clients. The flexibility of Ontraport allowed SEG to configure workflows and data fields in a way that fit their exact business needs without requiring expensive custom development.

Automated Internal Workflows

An image of an automation map in Ontraport

SEG implemented automated workflows for key internal processes, such as lead scoring, lead source tracking and updating fields based on activity. This eliminated much of the manual work involved in managing lead data and tracking project activity, allowing the team to focus on higher-value tasks.

Personalized Email Marketing

An image of the email builder in Ontraport

SEG used Ontraport’s email marketing tools to create personalized drip campaigns, run split tests and automate engagement tracking. These automations ensured that prospects and buyers received relevant, targeted content, increasing engagement and driving more qualified leads through the pipeline.

Seamless Implementation and Support

The transition to Ontraport was quick and seamless, with the Ontraport team providing expert guidance to structure SEG’s database and workflows to align with the company’s goals. Implementation was smooth, and the system was fully adopted across all departments within a short time frame, allowing SEG to begin benefiting from improved operations almost immediately.

Results

10x growth in five years by centralizing data and automating key processes

Reduced manual data entry, improved accuracy, and freed up time for high-value activities due to internal workflow automation

Data-driven optimization decisions with full visibility into its sales pipeline, real-time tracking and custom reports and dashboards

Improved engagement with each audience due to segmented email marketing

Complete more projects with a leaner team with automated processes and centralized data

Cost savings by avoiding the high price tag of enterprise systems like Salesforce

Looking Ahead

As SEG continues to grow, Ontraport will remain a central component of its operations, providing the scalability and flexibility needed to manage an expanding client base and complex deal structures. SEG is excited about leveraging new technologies, such as AI-driven CRM capabilities, to enhance automation and marketing efforts.

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“What would have taken months and a six-figure budget with other solutions, Ontraport delivered in weeks, at a fraction of the cost.”

Jeff Metcalfe

Chief Operating Officer

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28k

new members

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“Ontraport powers our back-end operations, and we’re able to run over 100 events annually and engage our 30,000+ members more effectively than ever before.”