Do I need a CRM? CRM, spreadsheet or Back to Zero
By Jorge Avila Meléndez · updated Sunday, September 27, 2026 · 6 min read
"Which CRM do you recommend?" is one of the most common questions from people who want to sell more. Sometimes the answer is a CRM, sometimes a spreadsheet is enough, and sometimes the problem isn't follow-up at all but how often you close. This guide helps you tell them apart.
What each tool solves
| CRM | Spreadsheet | Back to Zero | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it's for | Managing opportunities, stages, contacts and forecasts | Keeping a list and doing the math | Keeping the focus on closing: days without a sale, the goal and celebrating every sale |
| What you log | Every call, email, meeting and stage change | Whatever you decide | Only closed sales |
| Setup | Days or weeks | Minutes, but everyone does it their own way | 5 minutes: goal, team and email time |
| What the team sees | Whatever they open in the system | Whatever someone shares | An email every morning, without logging in |
Signs you need a CRM
- You handle many opportunities in parallel and follow-ups slip through the cracks.
- Your sales go through several stages (lead, proposal, negotiation) over weeks or months.
- Each account has several contacts and several people on your team work it.
- You need to forecast what you'll close next quarter.
If that's you, there are many options (for example HubSpot, Pipedrive, Zoho or Salesforce) with small-business plans. Start with the minimum and grow.
Signs the problem isn't the CRM
- You already follow up, in a CRM or your own way, but weeks go by without closing anything and nobody notices in time.
- You bought a CRM and the team barely opens it.
- The goal is only reviewed at month-end.
- Your team is small and what's missing is habit and focus, not more fields to fill in.
In these cases, what helps is a visible daily number, like days without a sale, and a goal everyone sees every morning.
Using them together without duplicate work
Back to Zero doesn't replace your CRM: it doesn't manage opportunities, contacts or stages. It works alongside it:
- Your CRM or spreadsheet stays the place for follow-up.
- When you close, you log the sale in Back to Zero in a minute: date, amount, recurring or one-time, and who took part.
- Every morning, the daily email reminds the whole team how many days they've gone without a sale and how far they are from the goal.
If today you only use a spreadsheet, Back to Zero can be your first step: it gives you a closing rhythm from day one and, as you grow, you add a CRM for follow-up.
The right question
Before picking a tool, ask yourself: is my problem that I don't know where each opportunity stands, or that we don't close often enough? A CRM solves the first. A habit solves the second. To start building the habit, see getting started with Back to Zero.