# Free vs paid tools for getting first B2B customers. - working worksheet

Reviewed alongside the Eli guide: https://hireeli.io/resources/free-vs-paid-first-customer-tools

## Decision to make

Spend only where a paid tool removes a proven first-customer constraint

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

## Buyer questions

- [ ] Are free tools enough to get first B2B customers?
- [ ] When should a startup pay for sales software?
- [ ] Is annual billing sensible before product-market fit?
- [ ] What hidden costs belong in the comparison?

## Evidence-led work plan

### 1. Stay free while volume is small and learning is manual

A spreadsheet, free CRM, basic analytics and founder-owned outreach can support the first conversations.

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

### 2. Pay for better data only after defining good data

A paid database or research tool is justified when the account definition is stable and manual sourcing cannot provide enough qualified records.

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

### 3. Pay for reliability when failure has a visible cost

Upgrade when missed reminders, unavailable history, unreliable exports, weak permissions or integration errors repeatedly damage qualified work.

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

### 4. Count internal time and tool overlap

Include setup, imports, review, administration, content production and the handoff to the next system.

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

### 5. Use a monthly value ledger

Record the job the product was hired for, qualified output, time or risk removed, evidence created and next decision.

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

## Source ledger

- [ ] HubSpot: free CRM product information: https://www.hubspot.com/products/crm
- [ ] Eli: current plans and free tier: https://hireeli.io/pricing
- [ ] Eli: security and execution boundaries: https://hireeli.io/security
- [ ] Google Search Central: people-first content guidance: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/creating-helpful-content

## 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.