The best CRM setup for space industry consultants.

The best CRM setup for a space industry consultant is a simple one: three lists (prospects, referral partners and clients), a few stages in each, a reminder for every follow-up and a booking link that lets people schedule a call without email back-and-forth. Consultants, recruiters, attorneys, coaches and agencies who sell into space win most of their work through relationships, so the CRM's main job is to keep those relationships warm while you are busy delivering client work.

Here is how to set it up and what to look for in the software.

Where do space consultants get their clients?

For most consultants in this industry, the next client is someone they already know. A program manager remembers you from a panel. A former colleague at a prime passes your name to a new team. A founder hears you on a podcast and reaches out. A conference conversation turns into a call six months later.

Those moments come from staying in touch, and staying in touch is the first thing to slip when a project gets busy. Many consultants keep their relationships in a phone, LinkedIn and memory. That works until a busy quarter ends and the pipeline of new work is empty.

A CRM fixes that by giving every relationship a place, a stage and a next step.

What are the three lists every consultant needs?

1. Prospects. People who might hire you. Stages: New contact, First conversation, Proposal sent, Negotiating, Won, Not now.
2. Referral partners. People who send you work, such as attorneys, recruiters, other consultants, event organizers and podcast hosts. Stages: New, Introduced, Active partner.
3. Clients. People you work with now or have worked with before. Stages: Active, Between projects, Past client.

The referral partners list is the one most consultants skip, and it is often the list that sends the best work. A short note to a referral partner every quarter keeps you top of mind when they hear about a project that fits you.

Past clients matter too. Someone who hired you once already trusts your work. A check-in between projects often turns into the next engagement.

How should follow-up work?

Every contact in your prospects list should have a next step with a date. When the date arrives, the CRM reminds you. Three follow-up emails cover most situations:

• After you meet someone: a short note that mentions where you met and one thing they said.
• A few days later: a personal message that references their problem and offers a 20-minute call.
• Two weeks later: a one-line check-in asking whether the problem is still a priority.

For referral partners and past clients, a simple quarterly reminder works well. Share something useful, such as an article, an introduction or an event they might like, with no pitch attached.

Why does a booking link matter so much?

When someone says yes to a call, the next few days decide whether it happens. You send times, they send different times and a week passes. A booking link lets the person pick a time while they are still interested, and the call lands on your calendar with a reminder for both of you.

Put your booking link in your email signature, your follow-up emails and your LinkedIn profile. Many consultants find that this one change gets more first calls on the calendar.

What should a consultant look for in a CRM?

Many consultants also want to send a simple newsletter to their list, take payments and build a basic landing page. Choosing a tool that handles all of these saves you from paying for and connecting four separate apps.

Space Launch Agency runs on HighLevel and sets it up for consultants and service firms because it covers the CRM, the booking calendar, email and text follow-up, forms and landing pages in one place. Our guide to HighLevel for aerospace and space companies explains what it includes.

How do you set it up in a week?

• Day 1: Pull your contacts from your phone, LinkedIn connections export and inbox into one file.
• Day 2: Create your three lists and their stages.
• Day 3: Import your contacts and put each one in a list and a stage.
• Day 4: Set up your booking calendar and add the link to your email signature.
• Day 5: Load your three follow-up emails as templates.
• Day 6: Build a short form for your next talk, panel or conference.
• Day 7: Pick five past clients and five referral partners and send each one a short, useful note.

Common mistakes consultants make

• Tracking only prospects. Referral partners and past clients are often your best sources of new work.
• Relying on memory. Busy project weeks are exactly when follow-up slips.
• Buying enterprise software. A solo consultant rarely needs a tool built for a 200-person sales team.
• Pitching every touchpoint. Most of your notes to partners and past clients should simply be useful.

Would you like help setting it up? Book a free Growth Audit. You can also hear how other service businesses work in the space industry on the Space Launch Podcast.

Frequently asked questions