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1. Start with three workflows, not a list of software

A CRM centralises useful information about customers and prospects, helps track opportunities and can automate some sales tasks. But the project fails fast if the requirements simply reproduce every existing habit. Describe three concrete workflows first: handling a new lead, chasing a quote, and handing a won customer over to the team that will look after them.

For each one, note who is involved, what data is needed, which event triggers the next step, and which indicator tells you it worked. The FTC's guidance on handling customer data is a useful frame here: know what you collect and why, before you pick the tool that will hold it.

2. The grid of 9 criteria to compare

3. Check data handling and the contract

A CRM holds personal data about your customers and prospects. The UK ICO's guidance is a good baseline whatever your jurisdiction: collect only what you need, tell people what you hold, set retention periods, and apply security measures that fit the risk. For a SaaS service, also ask where the data is hosted, how access is managed, how an incident gets notified, and what happens when the contract ends.

The real test: ask the vendor to show you a full export of a demo account, and the deletion procedure. A promise of portability has to produce a file you can actually use.

4. Test the tool for a week with clean data

Put together a small group spanning sales, marketing and admin. Import a cleaned sample, then run the three priority scenarios with no help from the vendor. Measure how long it takes, the workarounds, the errors and the questions. Finally, ask each tester what they'd still do in a spreadsheet: that answer usually reveals the real friction.

5. Work out the total cost over three years

Compare the offers over an identical period. Multiply the monthly price by the number of users and by 36 months, then add migration, setup, training and support. Include the cost of paid connectors and the time spent each month administering the tool. A cheaper licence can cost more if it forces manual work or a contractor for every change.

Separate what's essential at launch from what can wait. The first phase should cover the three priority workflows, the minimum data, and the dashboards that actually get read. This discipline cuts the initial budget and stops you configuring features before you know they'll be used.

6. Roll out in stages and measure usage

Prepare the data in week one, configure one priority flow in week two, have a pilot group test it in week three, then open access to the team in week four. Every stage needs an owner and a condition for sign-off. The rollout isn't finished when the accounts are created: it's finished when the information is reliable enough to decide on, and the important actions are tracked in the CRM.

For the first 60 days, track four simple indicators: active users, opportunities with no next action, time to handle a new contact, and the share of required fields correctly filled in. Then hold a short review with the teams. Delete the useless fields, fix the automations that create noise, and write down the rules that prevent duplicates.

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