Are You Leaving Money on the Table? CRM for Builders with Shari Morton

CRMs aren't sexy. Understatement of the year! They're not the kind of thing you get excited to talk about at the jobsite. But here's the thing: if you're building homes and not using one, you're probably leaving serious money on the table. And we're not talking pocket change here.

In this episode, Michael invited Shari Morton, founder and Chief Growth Officer of Shared Drive, to talk about something most builders would rather avoid: customer relationship management systems. We call it the "broccoli" of the building industry. Everyone knows it's good for you, but most people stay away from it because it seems complicated, overwhelming, or just plain boring.

But here's what makes this conversation different. Shari isn't trying to sell you some complicated tech solution you'll never use. She's talking about the real problem: builders are terrible at following up with leads. Like, really terrible. Her team does an annual study where they reach out to hundreds of builders across the country as mystery shoppers. The average response time for builders without an online sales team? 38 days! That's over a month. By that time, your potential buyer has already moved into someone else's home.

Even builders with dedicated online sales people are averaging 47 hours to respond. In a world where people expect instant answers, that's an eternity.

"In this day and age, if you don't have an automated email coming out when someone signs up, even if it's just like, Hey, this is an automated email - which I don't recommend you do - but at the very least have some sort of response so that they know you're in business." - Shari Morton

The conversation digs into why this happens. Most builders are trying to do everything themselves. You're out there building homes, finding new sites, managing crews, and somehow you're also supposed to be nurturing leads? It doesn't work. 

And even when builders do invest in a CRM, they often make a critical mistake: they let management pick the system without asking the salespeople who'll actually use it. It's like building a custom home without ever meeting the client.

"Typically that decision of how much of a CRM or what type of CRM is made high level in your management who do not use it. And then they ask someone who sets it up, who again, does not consult with your salesperson. And by the time it reaches your salesperson, it was designed and created without them truly in mind." - Shari Morton

Shari shares a case study that'll make you rethink those old leads sitting in your database. One builder she worked with was doing about 60 homes a year. Her team went into his aged leads, the ones everyone had written off, and within the first 90 to 120 days, they generated enough sales to cover their entire fee. We're talking three to four sales from leads that were just sitting there, forgotten. Nobody had bothered to ask if they were still interested.

"I'm looking at homes two years ahead. I'm looking at homes three years ahead. I'm fantasizing. I'm pinboarding. Imagine if you stayed in front of this person for two and a half years, how top of mind you would be." - Shari Morton

The mindset shift Shari advocates for is treating leads like a savings account. She even shares a story about a woman in West Virginia who puts handles on teacups all day and has saved over $100,000 just by consistently putting money away.

"I think of CRMs and leads that way. No matter how small you are, you can always start saving. And you don't necessarily need to open a premier checking account. You just open a free savings account and make sure you continue to work that account." - Shari Morton

The episode also tackles the AI elephant in the room. Shari's company uses AI to augment their human online salespeople, handling after-hours inquiries and keeping leads warm until they're ready to buy. But she's quick to point out that AI isn't some magical solution that'll replace your sales team.

"AI right now is just a choose your own adventure. I think people super glorify AI. It's got no thoughts, it's just whatever you train it to. AI is just a series of, “if this, then that”, so how you train it and how it speaks is entirely up to you." - Shari Morton

Michael and Shari get into the practical stuff too. What CRM should you start with if you're a smaller builder? How do you customize it so your team actually uses it? What's the minimum setup you need to stop losing leads? And maybe most importantly, how do you shift your mindset from thinking of leads as "hot" or "cold" to understanding that someone looking at homes today might not buy for two or three years, but if you stay in touch, you'll be the first builder they think of when they're ready.

"The smaller you are, the more you need to grab onto every single name you possibly can, because you know that the sales cycle for homes are a lot longer than you think." - Shari Morton

There's also a good discussion about the value of past clients. Most builders think the relationship ends when the keys get handed over. But those homeowners are your best source of referrals, and a CRM can help you stay connected with them through the building process and beyond. Simple things like sending video updates during construction can turn a nervous buyer into a raving fan.

"A lead isn't once they purchase a home, it's done. A lead can be a referral. A lead can be a repeat customer. A lead can do all sorts of things, give you testimonials. It surprises me that people don't keep track of homeowners." - Shari Morton

Shari's approach is refreshingly practical. She's not asking you to implement some massive system overnight. Start small. Get a free CRM. Start putting your contacts in. Connect it to your website. Build from there. The key is to stop treating your leads like a Rolodex you flip through when you remember, and start treating them like the savings account they actually are.

And here's something that might surprise you about why Shari does what she does:

"It's not because I'm a geek that likes to stay in my dungeon and not have feelings. I think the most impactful thing that you can do for yourself and for your company is to find ways to leverage these amazing tools that these big brain people have made for us so that we can free up our time to be humans with each other." - Shari Morton

By the end of the conversation, the message is clear: the builders who figure this out aren't just selling more homes, they're building better businesses that don't require them to work 80-hour weeks. And isn't that the whole point?

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About Shari Morton

Shari Morton is the Founder and Chief Growth Officer at Shared Drive, where she helps builders scale smarter through lead nurturing, sales process optimization, and tech that actually works. With a background in new home sales and marketing, she's known for transforming OSC programs and aligning CRM systems to truly support everyday sales teams.

During her standout role at Dorn Homes, Shari was awarded the NAHB Gold Award for Online Sales Counselor of the Year after driving nearly half of a builder's annual sales through online channels and building a 24/7 OSC program still in use today. She later earned a spot on the IBS 40 Under 40 list in 2021 for her leadership and innovation at Shared Drive.

Shari's leadership is bold, collaborative, and deeply grounded in the belief that systems should serve people. She has a gift for making complex strategies feel human and effective.

What sets Shari apart is her ability to meet teams where they are, challenge the status quo, and build systems that save those that use them with efficiency and data.

www.shareddrive.com

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
00:49 Sound Capital
02:26 Welcome Shari Morton 
02:46 Broccoli Analogy: Understanding CRMs
03:41 Shari's Journey into CRMs
06:15 CRM and Its Evolution
07:13 Challenges and Misconceptions about CRMs
09:10 CRMs for Builders
10:52 Importance of Lead Nurturing
19:33 Getting Started with CRMs
20:57 AI and Automation in CRMs
24:07 ShareDrive's Role and Services
33:50 Importance of Follow-Up in Sales
34:07 Challenges Builders Face with Brokerages
35:07 Managing Leads and Sales Teams
37:11 Case Studies and Success Stories
39:43 Implementing CRM for Better Sales
43:35 Role of Technology in Sales
47:30 Power of Testimonials and Referrals
01:02:49 Final Thoughts