On this page
What a video CRM holds that a general one does not
| On a lead or client | Why a production company needs it | In a general CRM |
|---|---|---|
| Shoot date, or a range | Availability is half of whether you can quote | A custom field |
| Project type | A wedding and a commercial quote differently | A custom field |
| Budget band | So you do not write proposals for the wrong client | A custom field |
| Scope: days, deliverables, rounds | It becomes the contract | Notes |
| Usage: term, territory, media | It changes the price | Notes |
| Which proposal, which version | So you know what they actually saw | An attachment |
| Who opened it, and when | So you follow up at the right moment | Sometimes |
| Crew on the job | Cost, and who to call | No |
| What they owe | The last conversation you have with them | No |
| Lifetime value | Who to call first in a slow month | Sometimes |
You can add custom fields to anything. The real difference is what happens to those fields next. In a general CRM they sit there. In a production CRM the signed scope becomes the agreement, and the price becomes the project's contract value.
What the pipeline should look like
Cutvey's board starts with New, Contacted, Qualified, Proposal Sent, Won and Lost, and the stages are yours to change. A healthy video pipeline usually adds one that a general CRM has no feel for: a hold.
Clients ask you to pencil a date long before they sign. Treat that as a stage with an expiry. If they do not confirm in a week, you need to know, because you are turning away other work for it.
The other habit that wins jobs is speed. A proposal sent the same day beats a better one sent next week. So a good CRM keeps your packages and rates ready to go, and it puts follow-ups in front of you on days you set. Cutvey's default is 3, 7 and 14 days after sending, with a drafted note, and a person always presses send.
Stages that mean something
A stage is only useful if everyone agrees what it takes to leave it. Here is a set that works for a small studio.
| Stage | Leave it when | Usual time in it |
|---|---|---|
| New | You have replied | The same day |
| Contacted | You have the brief and a budget band | A few days |
| Qualified | You have decided to quote | A day |
| Proposal Sent | They sign, or say no | Two weeks, with follow-ups |
| Holding a date | They confirm, or the hold runs out | A week, then ask |
| Won or Lost | It stays there |
Cutvey starts with all of these except the hold, which you add in Settings under Pipeline & Board.
A lead's first nine days
A sample inquiry: a regional bank wants a 90-second recruiting film, shot in March, with a budget band of $10,000 to $15,000.
| When | What happens | What the CRM should do |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1, 10:14 AM | The form on your site arrives with the type, the budget and the timeline | Put it on the board, scored, with the answers attached |
| Day 1, 11:00 AM | You call and take the brief | Keep the notes on the lead |
| Day 1, 4:30 PM | The proposal goes out with three packages | Mark it Proposal Sent and start the follow-up days |
| Day 3 | No reply | Put a drafted follow-up in front of you |
| Day 4 | They open it twice and spend most of the time on the packages | Show you the opens and the time on each part |
| Day 7 | They ask you to pencil in March 12 | Hold the date, with an end to the hold |
| Day 9 | They sign and pay the deposit | Make the client and the project, and raise the deposit invoice |
The options
| CRM | Entry price | Good for | After the signature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cutvey | Solo $49 a month, or $29 billed yearly | Video companies booking crew | Project, crew, call sheet, review, delivery |
| HoneyBook | $29 a month, billed yearly | Solo service businesses | Files and payments |
| Dubsado | $335 a year | People who build their own system | Forms, workflows, payments |
| Studio Ninja | $16 a month | Photographers | Job tracking and payments |
| Vidlead Studio | $97 a month | Video pros who need marketing | Pipeline, video review |
| Plutio | $19 a month | Freelancers of any kind | Projects, tasks, time |
| A general CRM such as Pipedrive or monday | See their sites | Larger sales teams | Handed to another tool |
Prices checked November 2026 on each seller's own pricing page. A price we could not read there is left out, so check their site.
When a general CRM makes sense
If you have a sales team of three or more, calling out, with a long pipeline of brand accounts, a sales CRM is better at the things it was built for: call logs, sequences, forecasting and reporting by rep. Some larger companies should run one for sales and a production system for the job. Cutvey's API and Zapier connection (by invite link, on Pro and up) can pass a won deal across.
For most companies under about twenty people, that is two systems too many.
What Cutvey's CRM does
- A lead board and list with an automatic lead score.
- Inquiry forms for your website with spam protection: 1 on Solo, 5 on Pro, 20 on Studio.
- Paste an email into the assistant and it drafts the lead. Nothing saves until you press.
- Photograph a business card to make a lead.
- A booking page with deposits, buffers and mini-session days.
- Client records with lifetime value, statements and a billing copy address.
- Up to 1,000 active leads and contacts on Solo, 5,000 on Pro, unlimited on Studio.
An archived client, or a lead that is won or lost, counts toward nothing, so old records never cost you a place.
What the CRM should hand the project
The moment of signing is where a general CRM stops and a production one earns its keep. This is what Cutvey carries over when a client signs.
| On the lead or the proposal | Where it goes when they sign |
|---|---|
| The client's name, company and email | A client record, found by email or made new |
| Everyone else who signed | The client list, and the project |
| The price they agreed | The project's contract value |
| The payment schedule | The deposit invoice, with later milestones waiting to be sent |
| The project type | The project's type, and any task templates you set for it |
| A call they booked from the proposal | Confirmed on your calendar |
| Answers to a questionnaire before signing | Kept on the project |
| The proposal's lines | A starting budget, with one press |
Where Cutvey's CRM falls short
There is no sales sequencing, no call logging and no email marketing. Its reports are made for a studio owner, with no per-rep forecasting. It holds one currency a workspace. If those are what you need, use a sales CRM.
Moving from a spreadsheet
Most video companies have never had a CRM. They have an inbox and a spreadsheet. The move is short:
- Export the sheet as a CSV with name, email, company and notes.
- Import up to 2,000 rows a file. The check runs before anything saves.
- Add the jobs you are quoting right now as leads.
- Put the inquiry form on your site.
Import a CSV and leads and pipeline have the detail.
Reading the pipeline once a week
Ten minutes on a Monday is enough. Three questions tell you most of what matters.
- How many inquiries came in last week, and how many got a reply the same day?
- How many proposals are out, and how old is the oldest?
- Of the proposals you sent in the last three months, how many were signed, and why were the others lost?
Cutvey's reports show the pipeline and the win and loss record, with the reason you gave for each lost proposal. The numbers matter less than the trend. A close rate that slides for two months usually means prices, speed or the wrong leads, and the lost reasons tell you which.
Frequently asked
What is the best CRM for videographers?
For a solo shooter with simple jobs, HoneyBook or Studio Ninja is plenty. Once you book crew, a CRM that carries on through the shoot saves more than it costs.
Does a video company need a CRM at all?
Past about two inquiries a week, yes. A lost lead costs more than a year of software. For more on getting those leads, read how to get video production clients.
Can I use monday or ClickUp?
Yes, with custom fields and a lot of setup. Someone has to maintain it, and call sheets and review still live elsewhere.