A client's sales reps needed 47 clicks to create a deal in HubSpot.
Forty-seven.
Someone had built a "comprehensive" deal creation process with 23 required fields, 4 dependent dropdowns, a mandatory notes section, and a "data quality checklist" popup. The intention was good — capture everything upfront so reporting would be accurate.
The result? CRM adoption at 23%. Three-quarters of the sales team had quietly stopped using HubSpot altogether. They entered deals retroactively on Fridays — if they remembered. Pipeline data was useless for forecasting. The VP of Sales was making decisions on gut feel because the numbers couldn't be trusted.
When I showed the sales team a new deal creation flow that took 3 clicks, one of the reps said: "Wait, that's it?"
That's it.
Within 8 weeks, adoption hit 94%. And the "comprehensive data" they'd been trying to force? It was better than ever — because the system was collecting it automatically instead of depending on frustrated humans to type it in.
This is the 3-Click Rule™. And it's the single most impactful CRM design principle I've found in 200+ implementations.
Here's the conversation I have at least once a month:
Client: "Our sales team won't use HubSpot."
Me: "Show me how they create a deal."
Client: demonstrates a 12-step, multi-screen process
Me: "Found your problem."
Everyone blames the team. "They're resistant to change." "They're not tech-savvy." "They don't see the value of CRM."
Rubbish.
Your sales team will use any tool that makes their life easier. They use their phones, their calendars, their LinkedIn. They adopted those tools without training because those tools are easy.
The problem isn't your team. The problem is that someone designed your CRM for data collection instead of for the humans who have to use it.
Your CRM is a mirror. Low adoption doesn't reflect a lazy team. It reflects a complicated system.
Let me walk you through what this B2B software company's sales reps faced every time they needed to create a deal: navigate to contacts, search, click the record, create deal from sidebar, select pipeline, enter deal name with specific naming convention, select stage, enter amount, enter close date, select owner, then fill in 13 more required fields — Lead Source (47 options), Product Interest, Company Size, Industry (32 options), Region, Competitor, Decision Maker, Budget Confirmed, Timeline, Pain Points, Previous CRM, Number of Users, Integration Requirements — acknowledge a data quality popup, confirm, and save. Plus dependent fields that appeared based on earlier selections.
The rep who showed me this said: "I usually just write it on a Post-it Note and enter it Friday. Or I forget."
Can you blame him?
The 3-Click Rule™: If the core action in your CRM takes more than 3 clicks, your team won't use it. Design every primary workflow to complete in 3 clicks or fewer.
Why 3? Because I've tested this across 200+ implementations:
There's a cliff between 3 and 4. Three maps to how humans think about simple tasks:
That's a natural workflow. Anything beyond 3 clicks starts to feel like work.
Of the 23 required fields, we analysed usage: 5 were used in reports, 2 in active workflows, 5 needed at creation, 13 could be auto-populated later, 5 served no current purpose.
We reduced required fields from 23 to 5:
The other 13 fields? Automated via workflows: Lead source pulled from contact, company data enriched automatically, competitor info captured in a follow-up task after the first meeting, budget and timeline captured via a Discovery Call Notes form.
The data was still collected — but at the right time, in the right context. Not crammed into a 47-click form.
The New 3-Click Flow:
Time: approximately 15 seconds.
Simplicity scales. Complexity dies.
Day 1: "Where are all the fields?"
Day 2: "That was too easy. Is this broken?"
Day 3: Four reps created deals in real-time — immediately after calls, not on Friday.
Week 1: The VP of Sales: "I can see what's happening. I haven't been able to say that in a year."
The counterintuitive result: data quality went UP when we removed fields. Real-time data from engaged users beats force-filled data from reluctant ones. Every time.
Stop reading. Open HubSpot. Create a test deal. Count every click.
Then audit your required fields. For each one, ask: Does this data need to exist at deal creation, or could it come later? Could it be auto-populated? If you removed this requirement, would anyone notice within 30 days?
The 3-Click Rule isn't about cutting corners. It's about cutting friction.
Your CRM's job is to support your sales team, not to interrogate them. Every extra click is a small tax on their time and patience. Enough small taxes and they stop paying — they stop using the system.
Reduce the tax to 3 clicks. Watch what happens.
Simplicity scales. Complexity dies. And 3 clicks is all it takes.
Want us to audit your deal creation flow? Book a free 15-minute CRM health check — we'll count the clicks together and tell you exactly where to simplify.