Updated 27 October 2026, by Siddhant Bhendkar
Should a 5-person agency track new business in a spreadsheet or a CRM?
If one person runs new business and you have a few dozen open deals or fewer, a Google Sheet with stages, next-action dates and an overdue view is enough. Move to a CRM such as Pipedrive or HubSpot when two or more people sell, when you need emails logged automatically, or when the sheet stops being updated. The tool matters less than a dated next action on every deal.
What does a sheet need to work?
- One row per deal, with stage, value, last contact and next-action date.
- A formula that flags anything past its next-action date.
- A weekly 20-minute review where every open deal gets a next date.
The free tracker has all three built in.
What does a CRM cost?
Entry plans start at about $14 per seat per month for Pipedrive and $20 for HubSpot, according to Dupple's 2026 comparison. Setup and the habit of updating it usually cost more time than the subscription.
FAQ
Is a free CRM better than a spreadsheet?
Only if your team will update it. An abandoned CRM shows you less than a sheet someone checks every Monday.
Can I move from a sheet to a CRM later?
Yes. Most CRMs import a CSV, so keep consistent stage names and dates in the sheet from day one.