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CRM Data Organization Guide for the End of the Fiscal Year and the Start of the New Fiscal Year — Customer Data Maintenance to be Performed in March and April
Hello, this is Matsubara, CRM Evangelist.
March and April are the busiest months for business decisions and milestones.
During this time of year, when financial statements, budget formulation, personnel changes, new contracts, and renewal negotiations are all in motion, having well-organized CRM data can make a huge difference in how quickly you start the new fiscal year.
"The new fiscal year has begun, but last year's sentiment levels remain unchanged." "The person in charge has changed, but the CRM's assigned field hasn't been updated." "Follow-up settings for customers who closed deals last year have stopped." —This article explains the steps for organizing your CRM data at the start of a new fiscal year to resolve these issues.
Why you should reorganize your CRM at the start of the new fiscal year.
While CRM systems accumulate data the longer they are used, they also deteriorate over time.
① Personnel changes and resignations (concentrated in March and April)
→ The assigned field remains the same as the previous person's.
→ The handover is incomplete, and the context of the relationship is lost.
② Neglecting emotional temperature
→ The emotional temperature setting from last year has not been updated.
→ The risk of making decisions based on data that deviates from reality
③ Accumulation of unnecessary records
→ Customers who have lost their business, become inactive, or gone out of business
Mixed in the active list
The start of a new fiscal year is the best time to "reset your CRM."
The habit of reviewing a year's worth of data and starting the new fiscal year with accurate data will increase the long-term retention rate of your CRM.
Things to do in March - Finalizing closings
① Simultaneously take stock of the emotional state of all customers.
The end of the fiscal year is a natural time to review the results of the current period.
We will take this opportunity to reassess the emotional state of all our customers.
STEP 1: Open the list of client companies,
Filtering by emotional temperature
STEP 2: Each person in charge will be responsible for their own clients.
Check and update from top to bottom.
(Estimated time: 30 seconds to 1 minute per item)
STEP 3: In the narrative, enter "State at the end of the {fiscal year}"
Add a brief note.
Example: "End of fiscal year 2025: Continued stability. Positive attitude towards next renewal."
Example: "End of fiscal year 2025: Some distance after change of responsibilities. Requires close monitoring."
STEP 4: Set up follow-up for customers who are below the Cool level for the current term.
Conditions that should be checked in particular during inventory:
| Status | Supported |
|---|---|
| Emotional temperature hasn't been updated in over a year. | I have instructed the person in charge to check the current status. Update is mandatory. |
| Emotional temperature as set by the previous person | The new person in charge will re-evaluate and update the information. |
| It deviates significantly from the nurturing score. | Interview the person in charge to find out the reason for the inconsistency. |
② Complete the record-keeping for unmet targets and lost deals this quarter.
We will officially close this term's projects by the end of March.
- Change the deal phase to "Lost Deal"
- Narratively document the reasons for losing the deal.
(Examples: "Price, competitors, timing, compatibility with the person in charge")
- Assess the possibility of re-approaching in the next fiscal year and set the emotional level accordingly.
Set up follow-up tasks for 6 months and 1 year later.
Designing a strategy where "losing a deal isn't the end, but the start of a new approach" leads to the continuation of customer relationships across fiscal years.
③ Record the emotional temperature distribution for this period as a snapshot.
Recording the emotional temperature distribution at the end of the fiscal year makes it possible to compare it with the end of the next fiscal year.
Emotional temperature distribution at the end of fiscal year 2025 (all customers: XX companies):
• Hot: ○ companies (○%)
• Warm: ○ companies (○%)
• Cool: ○ companies (○%)
Cold: ○ companies (○%)
This record serves as a baseline to check at the end of the following fiscal year whether the number of "cools" increased or decreased during the year.
Things to do in April - Setting up for the new academic year
① CRM update due to change in person in charge
We will update the CRM data to coincide with the personnel changes in April.
□ Change of assigned field to new person in charge
□ The new person in charge reads the narrative and confirms the handover details.
□ New person in charge updates emotional level after initial contact
□ Confirm that the workflow tasks have been handed over from the previous person in charge.
□ Update security role permission settings
□ Deactivate the account of a predecessor who has retired or moved to another position.
Using narratives to improve the quality of handovers:
"Handover Memo (April 2026):"
The key person for this client is not the president, but Department Head Tanaka.
Building a direct relationship of trust with Mr. Tanaka is key to securing the order.
They are not price-sensitive and prioritize speed above all else.
The best time to contact me is the first Monday of each month in the morning.
Our previous proposal lost to the competition,
I've received the comment, "I'd like to work with you next time."
"The first month after handing over to the new person in charge is crucial."
With this narrative, the new person in charge can start from "the continuation of the relationship" rather than "resetting the relationship to zero."
② Set KPIs and goals for the new fiscal year on the dashboard.
Once your sales and customer count targets for the new fiscal year are set, you will configure them in the KPI widget on your personal dashboard.
sales representative:
Sales target for this term
• Target number of new customer acquisitions
• Target for maintaining emotional temperature (hot/warm)
manager:
• Team's projected total sales for this term
- Target number of customers with an emotional temperature of "cool" or lower to reduce.
• Target percentage for client retention
executive:
Cumulative sales target for this fiscal year
• Churn rate target (%)
• Target number of new referrals
By setting KPIs in the CRM dashboard, "goals and daily actions" are directly linked on the screen.
③ Review of workflow for the new fiscal year
We will review the workflow we set up last year, disabling unnecessary parts and adding necessary ones.
① Workflow that remains effective this year
→ Continue as is
② A new workflow born from last year's challenges
→ Newly added
Example: "For customer segments that have been increasingly cool this year"
Strengthen early alerts.
③ Unnecessary workflows
→ Disable (Disabling is recommended over deleting. This allows for later verification.)
④ Listing of inactive customers and annual follow-up strategies
We will create a list of cold customers who "should be re-engaged with this fiscal year."
April: New Year's Greetings
May: Check in on each other's activities after Golden Week.
June: Time for reviewing the first half of the year.
September: Start of the second half of the year
October: Planning consultations for the end of the year.
December: Year-end greetings
January: New Year's greetings
March: Discussing the conclusions for the current term and planning for the next term.
April, the start of the new fiscal year, is the most natural time to contact dormant customers to offer them a "New Year's greeting."
A simple "Thank you for your support last year. I look forward to working with you again this year" can be the trigger to return from dormancy.
Key points for adjusting fiscal year-ends and new fiscal year-ends by industry.
Tax accountant/accounting firm
• Clients with a March fiscal year end are in their busiest period.
Conversely, since the consulting services for companies with a December fiscal year end are completed in February,
We can take stock of our emotional temperature by the end of March.
Points for April:
• New customer acquisition season (many companies are being established)
- A time when consultations regarding labor and social insurance increase due to new employees joining the company.
Real estate and construction companies
- Peak demand due to last-minute rush at the end of the fiscal year (moving, construction completion).
- Check the after-sales follow-up settings for customers who have made a purchase.
Points for April:
- Organize the list of potential customers for the new life season.
- Set up a one-year follow-up inspection for customers who signed a contract last year.
Manufacturing and B2B Sales
・There are many confirmed orders due to a concentration of orders to use up the budget.
- Analysis and recording of the causes of lost deals
Points for April:
- Start building relationships with new contacts following changes in the contact person at client companies.
Timing of proposals to clients with new budgets
Beauty, service, and repeat business
- Peak demand for store visits before graduation, job hunting, and moving.
- Record the "last visit" of customers who are moving.
Points for April:
- Set the emotional temperature of new customers who have started a new life early on.
- To announce new spring menus and services
Organizing the hot customer list
Summary—The first week of the new fiscal year sets the tone for the next year.
Accuracy and timeliness are paramount for CRM data.
With emotional temperature levels remaining the same as a year ago, the person in charge still in their position, and lost deals left unresolved—accurate judgments and appropriate follow-ups cannot be made based on data like this.
By dedicating two weeks—the last week of March and the first week of April—to organizing our CRM, we can start the new fiscal year with "accurate data."
The most effective order is: "Complete inventory of emotional temperature data → Update of personnel changes → Setting of KPIs for the new fiscal year."
These three things alone will significantly change the quality of your CRM utilization in the new fiscal year.
Click here for a 30-day free trial of EMOROCO CRM Lite.
Digitalization and AI Implementation Subsidy 2026 Compatible Tool Number: DL07-0022934
Product Info:https://www.emoroco.com/
Related article
- A "two-axis matrix" of nurturing score and emotional temperature—gain a clear understanding of customer relationships through objective and subjective data.
- EMOROCO CRM Lite's "Personal Dashboard"—Designed to allow you to check your own KPIs and progress toward business goals every morning.
- Business Succession × EMOROCO CRM Lite — A complete design for "relationship asset succession" to pass on 30 years of customer relationships from founders to the next generation.
- What happened to a company that continuously used Emotional Temperature for a year? — The compounding effect of CRM 4.0
- EMOROCO CRM Lite CSV Import Complete Guide: Steps to Migrate Customer Data from Excel or CRM Today
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