Customer relationship management (CRM) is the software and set of practices a business uses to track every interaction with leads and customers. A CRM stores contacts, companies, deals, activities (calls, emails, notes), and the pipeline stages a deal moves through from first inquiry to closed sale. It acts as the system of record that connects sales activity, including quoting, to the wider revenue process.
How it works
A CRM organizes data into a few core objects: contacts (people), companies (the accounts they belong to), and deals or opportunities (potential sales worth a specific amount). Each deal sits in a pipeline stage such as “quote sent” or “negotiation,” and every email, meeting, or note is logged against the relevant record. Reporting then rolls this up into forecasts and win rates.
Why it matters for B2B quoting
B2B sales rarely close on the first touch. A buyer requests pricing, you send a quote, they come back with questions, and the deal moves through several stages before payment. Without a CRM, that history lives in scattered inboxes and spreadsheets. A CRM keeps the full thread in one place so any team member can see where a deal stands and what was quoted.
Example on Shopify
Say a wholesale buyer submits a quote request. In a CRM view, that becomes a contact tied to a company, with a deal record showing the requested items, the amount, and the current stage. As you convert the request into a draft order and the buyer accepts and pays through Shopify checkout, the deal advances to won. Tracking open, click, and conversion signals on the quote tells you which deals are worth a follow-up. See the B2B quoting glossary for related terms, or pricing for plan details.