# What CRM should a startup use for its first 20 B2B customers? - working worksheet

Reviewed alongside the Eli guide: https://hireeli.io/resources/crm-for-first-20-b2b-customers

## Decision to make

Define the minimum CRM requirements before selecting software

Owner: ____________________
Review date: ____________________
Canonical page or destination: ____________________

## Buyer questions

- [ ] Which CRM is best for the first 20 customers?
- [ ] Can a startup use a spreadsheet as a CRM?
- [ ] When should a free CRM be replaced?
- [ ] Which fields matter in an early B2B pipeline?

## Evidence-led work plan

### 1. Begin with eight fields the team can maintain

Store account, primary contact, problem evidence, stage, last interaction, next action, owner and loss or win reason.

Evidence or artifact: ____________________
Status: [ ] not started  [ ] working  [ ] verified  [ ] blocked

### 2. Use a spreadsheet only with one clear owner

A spreadsheet is acceptable when one person owns follow-up, the number of open conversations is small and changes are reviewed daily.

Evidence or artifact: ____________________
Status: [ ] not started  [ ] working  [ ] verified  [ ] blocked

### 3. Choose a free CRM for shared memory and reminders

A free CRM becomes useful when the team needs a single timeline, task ownership and consistent stages.

Evidence or artifact: ____________________
Status: [ ] not started  [ ] working  [ ] verified  [ ] blocked

### 4. Pay after a named workflow breaks

Upgrade for automation, reporting, permissions, enrichment or integrations only when the manual version is understood and costly.

Evidence or artifact: ____________________
Status: [ ] not started  [ ] working  [ ] verified  [ ] blocked

### 5. Protect the learning during migration

Export the complete history, map old stages to new stages and keep original source and loss reasons.

Evidence or artifact: ____________________
Status: [ ] not started  [ ] working  [ ] verified  [ ] blocked

## Source ledger

- [ ] HubSpot: free CRM product information: https://www.hubspot.com/products/crm
- [ ] Pipedrive: CRM product information: https://www.pipedrive.com/en/products/sales/crm
- [ ] Google Analytics: traffic-source dimensions: https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/11242870

## Measurement boundary

Baseline date and exact context: ____________________
7-day observation: ____________________
14-day observation: ____________________
30-day observation: ____________________
Known limitations: ____________________

Keep technical eligibility, citations, recommendations, visits, leads and revenue as separate evidence. This worksheet does not guarantee an external ranking or commercial result.