So, you're a career coach, huh? Seems like a cool gig!
You empower people to plan their career paths, nail their interviews, and negotiate higher salaries. Basically, you get a front-row seat to their professional success and happiness.
If you're really good at this sort of thing, your clients might even give you a shoutout on social media. (Let's be honest, that's pretty much all our society cares about these days.) Win!
But here's the thing: you can't build a successful coaching practice on your own. You need tools to help you track and manage leads, host coaching sessions, etc.
One of those tools is customer relationship management software, CRM software for short. Once you add this to your tech stack, you'll be able to store client information, run automated email marketing campaigns, schedule appointments, generate reports, and more.
In this article, I'm going to dive deep into the benefits of CRM, how to choose the right platform for your small business, and the seven best options available in 2025.
CRM software helps users manage business relationships.
For career coaches, this means that CRM software gives them the ability to organize contact data, communicate with potential clients, and create new revenue opportunities.
But that's not all! A great CRM will also help you cut back on tedious administrative tasks, automate your follow-up process, generate custom sales reports, forecast future sales, and otherwise streamline your current workflows.
Certain CRM tools include appointment scheduling, payment processing, and bookkeeping, functionality, too. But we'll dive more into features in a minute. For now, just know that the right CRM will simplify your marketing, sales, and business management processes.
(Note: CRM software can help general business coaches, life coaches, health coaches… All kinds of coaches, really. So, if you operate in one of those industries—or want to expand your career coaching business to cater to a different set of clients—you should still use a CRM.)
If you're feeling stuck in your current job and looking to overcome career stagnation, check out these helpful tips and resources to take your career to the next level.
You know you need to invest in a quality CRM for your coaching business. So what do you do? You fire up the internet and type "best CRM for coaches" into Google, of course.
That's when you realize that there are dozens of options. Which one is right for you?
I'm going to share seven apps in the next section of this article. Each was specifically chosen to meet your needs as a career coach. But before I do that, I want to share a few tips to help you pick a solution you'll actually enjoy using. Drumroll please…
Elevate your contractor business by adopting one of the top CRM solutions available in the building trade.
First, make sure that the CRM you choose has the features you need.
Look for basic features such as client management tools, task automation capacity, email and SMS messaging functionality, custom notifications, and in-app sales reports.
I suggest looking for a few advanced features, too. After all, the more your CRM does, the fewer apps you have to purchase and integrate. I'm all about simplicity.
With that in mind, you may want to consider CRM platforms that enable you to create webpages, schedule coaching sessions, and accept online payments, too.
Oh, and no matter what, choose a user-friendly app. Your CRM solution should make life easier. If it requires a master's degree in robotics to operate effectively, give it a hard pass.
(In case you're wondering, that means you should stay away from enterprise-level tools like Salesforce. They're not bad. But they can be tricky to use—especially if you're new to the CRM world.)
What do you do when you want new clients?
If you're like most other career coaches, you market yourself on social media. Or promote your services to your email list. Or guest blog on popular websites. You might try to schedule a few podcast interviews, too, or even invest in a social media advertising campaign.
The objective? To drive traffic to your website. Once you accomplish this goal, you probably send potential clients questionnaires to learn more about them. If they seem like a good fit, you might pitch one of your coaching packages or online courses. BAM! New client!
It doesn't matter what your sales process is. Just make sure you choose a CRM that supports it. You should have to overhaul your normal workflows to accommodate a new piece of tech.
Speaking of tech, which apps do you already use?
You might send emails with Mailchimp. You may draft and distribute contracts with DocuSign. Maybe you schedule your coaching sessions with Google Calendar and host them via Zoom. The CRM you choose should integrate with your current technology providers.
Fortunately, most CRMs integrate with Zapier, which simplifies the integration process. But for the best (and cheapest!) results, look for a CRM that will connect to your tech stack natively.
How much can you spend on a CRM solution? Some of the tools in this category are pretty pricey. Before you fall in love with a specific app, make sure you can actually afford it.
Here's the good news: you don't have to sacrifice your right hand to use CRM software. Many of these tools are quite affordable. This is especially true if you're a one-person operation. If you don't have other team members to account for, CRM is often cheap.
Bottom line: always check pricing to make sure you can pay for your CRM. The last thing you want to do is invest in a tool that your coaching services can't afford. Yikes!
Okay, we've covered the benefits of CRM software and how to choose the right tool for your career coaching business. Now it's time to discuss specific solutions. Let's do this!
Source: Close
Best for: Supercharging your sales process
Close is a popular cloud-based CRM. Why? Because it's easy to use and powerful. You can build automated email and SMS campaigns to connect with new customers, access organization tools to manage client accounts, and even run detailed reports to keep track of your efforts. Grow your coaching practice with an entire suite of top-level sales tools that won't break the bank.
Pros of Close:
Cons of Close:
How much does Close cost?
Good news: Close is super affordable—especially compared to other CRMs.
More good news: Close offers a 14-day free trial. That way, you can experience the software for yourself. Sign up today to see if Close is the right CRM for your career coaching biz.
Source: Satori
Best for: All-in-one coaching platform
Satori was specifically designed for coaches, which makes it a worthy addition to this list. If you decide to invest in this CRM, you'll be able to offer signature coaching packages to your prospective clients, effectively onboard new clients, track existing client progress and engage them in conversation, and create flexible payment plans.
Pros of Satori:
Cons of Satori:
How much does Satori cost? The "Pioneer" plan costs $8 a month, billed annually, and is ideal for brand new career coaches. The "Trailblazer" plan costs $32 a month, billed annually, and is perfect for established career coaching businesses. And the "Pro" plan costs $66 a month, billed annually, and is geared towards scaling companies.
Source: HoneyBook
Best for: Business management tasks
HoneyBook is a "client flow" platform which means it helps customers streamline their small businesses. Use it to schedule meetings, communicate with clients, manage projects, keep track of various documents, send contracts and invoices, accept online payments, and more.
Pros of HoneyBook:
Cons of HoneyBook:
How much does HoneyBook cost? HoneyBook offers three plans: The "Starter" plan costs $16 a month, billed annually. The "Essentials" Plan costs $32 a month, billed annually. And the "Premium" plan costs $66 a month, billed annually. Obviously, the more you pay, the more features you'll have access to. So take a detailed look at their pricing page for more info.
Source: Quenza
Best for: Coaches who need project management features
Next up, Paperbell another CRM solution designed with coaches in mind. Need help scheduling sessions? How about sending contracts and collecting payments? Looking for a better way to manage clients and projects. Paperbell has you covered.
Pros of Paperbell:
Cons of Paperbell:
How much does Paperbell cost? Paperbell keeps it simple—there's only one plan, which includes every feature the app has. Sign up for $57 a month or $570 a year.
Source: Bonsai
Best for: A do-it-all application
Bonsai is a complete business management suite. Track your coaching business' leads and current client accounts; send proposals, contracts, and invoices; schedule appointments, share files, track your time, simplify your taxes…like I said, it's a do-it-all tool.
Pros of Bonsai:
Cons of Bonsai:
How much does Bonsai cost? Bonsai has three different pricing tiers. The first tier is called "Starter" and costs $17 a month, billed annually. It does not include custom branding, workflow automations, or the Zapier integration. The second tier is called "Professional" and costs $32 a month, billed annually. It does not include subcontractor management. The third tier is called "Business" and costs $52 a month, billed annually. It includes all features.
Source: Bitrix24
Best for: Large career coaching businesses
What can I say about Bitrix24? It's a massive software application, serving customers in a wide range of industries. It features marketing tools, sales tools, HR tools, communication tools, website-building tools…just a whole bunch of different tools. You don't have to pay an arm and a leg for all of this functionality, though. Bitrix24 has a straightforward pricing structure. But is it the right CRM for your coaching business? Let's find out.
Pros of Bitrix24:
Cons of Bitrix24:
How much does Bitrix24 cost? Bitrix24 offers a "Free" plan with limited functionality. A "Basic" plan for $49 a month, billed annually, which can be used by up to five team members. A "Standard" plan for $99 a month, billed annually, which can be used by up to 50 team members. And a "Professional" plan for $199 a month, billed annually, which can be used by up to 100 users. This straightforward pricing structure is why it's ideal for large businesses.
Source: HubSpot
Best for: Managing client relationships for free
Finally, we have HubSpot, one of the most popular CRMs in the world. You might want to invest in this app if you're low on cash, but still need access to core CRM functionality. (Note: I'm going to focus on HubSpot's CRM features only. I won't touch on any of the nifty sales and marketing tools. Mostly because they're crazy expensive and geared toward big companies.)
Pros of HubSpot:
Cons of HubSpot:
How much does HubSpot cost? I said it once, I'll say it again: the HubSpot CRM is totally free. Just know that paid plans start at $360 a month, paid annually. If you ever have to upgrade, you'll pay a steep price, but you will get access to a bunch of new features.
There you have it, seven CRM solutions you can use to sell more coaching programs.
Which one will you choose? Here's my opinion: select the app that has the features you need, fits your current sales process, integrates with your current tech stack, and won't break the bank, just like we talked about in this article. Then pull the trigger and start using it.
Of course, I'm partial to Close. Our app was specifically designed to streamline the sales process, allowing professionals like you to close more deals in less time.
That's why we gave it top-level features like task automation, customizable messaging templates, automated email and text marketing campaigns, and detailed sales reports. Close also integrates with other top apps like Google Calendar, Zoom, Mailchimp, and Zapier.
Start your free 14-day trial of Close today to see if it's the right CRM for your coaching business—we won't even ask for your credit card. I think you'll love what we have to offer!