Cordwainer CRM Automation Roadmap — Elder Mark/Further

Overview

Following the post-launch workplan meeting, Asymmetric and Cordwainer agreed to pursue a dedicated CRM automation initiative inside Elder Mark and Further. The goal is to systematize and scale the personalized prospect outreach that Erica Lathrop currently handles manually — reducing her administrative burden while maintaining the warmth and continuity that characterizes Cordwainer's relationship-driven sales process.

Karly Oykhman (Asymmetric) will lead this workstream. A dedicated deep-dive call with Erica is the immediate next step before any automation is built.

Current State

• Erica manages prospect nurturing personally and manually — follow-up emails, tour follow-ups, waitlist communications.
• Karly has done an initial orientation pass inside both Elder Mark and Further to understand how the systems are currently configured and used.
• No automations are in place yet. The CRM is being used primarily as a contact database and manual task tracker.

Automation Opportunities Identified

1. Automated Nurture Campaigns

Trigger: A prospect submits a tour request form or otherwise engages with the website.

Sequence: A series of timed emails that continue the conversation after the initial touchpoint — e.g.:
- Day 7 post-tour: follow-up email with additional information or a relevant article
- Day 14: another touchpoint with a call to action (e.g., schedule a second visit)
- Day 21+: continued nurture content

Each email should function as a "chapter" in a story — building familiarity and trust incrementally, with a clear call to action at each step.

Why it matters: Erica already does this manually. Automation preserves the cadence without requiring her to track and execute each step individually.

2. Automated CRM Field Updates

Trigger: A prospect takes a tracked action (opens an email, submits a form, clicks a link, etc.).

Action: Automatically update relevant CRM fields — e.g., pipeline stage, last engagement date, contact status.

Why it matters: Keeping contact records current is time-consuming when done page-by-page. Automated field updates ensure the CRM reflects reality without manual data entry, making reporting and prioritization more reliable.

3. Waitlist Newsletter Automation

Current process: Erica creates a monthly newsletter for prospects on the waitlist — people who are interested in Cordwainer but not yet ready to move. She distributes it manually.

Proposed automation: Once Erica creates the newsletter content, the distribution is handled automatically to the waitlist segment maintained in the CRM.

Why it matters: The newsletter itself is high-value relationship maintenance. Automating distribution removes a recurring manual step and ensures consistent delivery.

Process for the Deep-Dive Call

Before any automation is built, Karly needs to map Cordwainer's current workflows in detail. The dedicated call should cover:

1. How prospects currently enter the CRM — form submissions, phone calls, referrals, etc.
2. How contacts are categorized — prospect vs. current resident vs. waitlist vs. past inquiry
3. What manual steps Erica takes at each stage — what she sends, when, and why
4. What triggers currently exist (if any) in Elder Mark or Further
5. Where the biggest time sinks are — what Erica most wants off her plate

From this mapping, Karly will identify which automations to build first and in what order.

Key Contacts

Next Steps

• [ ] Bodo to email Karly to schedule the CRM deep-dive call; include Erica, Bodo, Melissa, and Sebastian for the first session
• [ ] Karly to prepare a current-state map of Elder Mark/Further configuration before the call
• [ ] Deep-dive call: map Erica's manual workflows and identify automation entry points
• [ ] Karly to propose a phased automation build plan following the call

Related

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