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How to Create a CRM Template in Google Sheets

Cody Schneider•

Managing customer relationships is essential for any business, but you don't always need expensive software to get started. A simple, well-organized Google Sheet can be a surprisingly powerful and free alternative for tracking leads, deals, and interactions. This guide will walk you through creating a functional CRM template in Google Sheets from scratch, giving you the control to build a system perfectly tailored to your process.

Why Use Google Sheets as a CRM?

Before jumping into a dedicated CRM platform with a monthly subscription, consider starting with a tool you already know. For startups, freelancers, and small businesses, using Google Sheets as a CRM has several distinct advantages:

  • It's Free: There are no subscription fees or user limits. If you have a Google account, you have access to a powerful spreadsheet tool ready to be customized.

  • Completely Customizable: You are in full control. You can add, remove, or modify any field, tab, or report to perfectly match your sales cycle and terminology - something that can be difficult or costly with off-the-shelf software.

  • Familiar and Accessible: Most team members are already comfortable working with spreadsheets, which significantly reduces the learning curve and training time.

  • Collaborative: Google Sheets is built for teamwork. Multiple users can view, edit, and comment on the CRM in real-time, making it easy to keep everyone on the same page.

Of course, a spreadsheet has its limits. As your team grows and your processes become more complex, you may eventually outgrow it. But for getting your customer data organized and building a foundational sales process, a Google Sheets CRM is an unbeatable starting point.

Planning Your Google Sheets CRM Template

The key to a successful spreadsheet CRM is solid planning. Before you start creating columns and rows, take a moment to think about what information is most critical for you to track. A well-structured template typically breaks down into three key areas:

1. Contacts

This is your address book. It’s a master list of every individual you interact with. Essential fields include:

  • Full Name & Company: The basics.

  • Email & Phone Number: Primary contact information.

  • Role/Title: Helps you understand their position and influence.

  • Lead Source: How did they find you? (e.g., Website, Referral, Cold Outreach, Conference). This is vital for understanding which marketing channels are working.

2. Deals or Opportunities

This is your sales pipeline. It tracks potential sales from the initial conversation to the final outcome. Key fields are:

  • Deal Name: A clear identifier for the opportunity (e.g., "Q4 Website Redesign - Acme Corp").

  • Associated Contact/Company: Link this deal back to a contact on your list.

  • Deal Stage: The current status of the deal. Having defined stages (e.g., Lead, Qualified, Proposal, Negotiation, Closed Won, Closed Lost) allows you to visualize your funnel.

  • Deal Value: The potential revenue from this deal.

  • Expected Close Date: Your estimate of when the deal might close, which is helpful for forecasting.

3. Interactions or Activities

This is your log of every touchpoint. Tracking interactions ensures you know when you last spoke to a lead and what the next steps are.

  • Date of Contact: When did the interaction happen?

  • Type of Interaction: Was it a call, email, meeting, or demo?

  • Notes: What was discussed? What did you learn?

  • Next Step/Follow-up Date: What is the immediate next action and when is it due?

Step-by-Step: Building Your CRM Template in Google Sheets

With our plan in place, let's build the template. The best practice is to separate your data into different tabs to keep things organized and easy to manage.

Step 1: Set Up Your Tabs (Sheets)

Open a new Google Sheet. At the bottom, you'll see a single tab named "Sheet1." We'll rename this and add two more for our core components:

  1. Right-click on "Sheet1" and rename it to Dashboard.

  2. Click the "+" icon to add a new tab and rename it Contacts.

  3. Add another tab and rename it Deals.

  4. Finally, add one more and rename it Interaction Log.

You now have a clean foundation with four distinct tabs for managing your CRM data.

Step 2: Build the 'Contacts' Tab

Navigate to your "Contacts" tab and set up the column headers based on our plan. This will be your central database for every person you do business with.

In the first row, enter the following headers:

  • A1: Contact ID

  • B1: First Name

  • C1: Last Name

  • D1: Company

  • E1: Role/Title

  • F1: Email

  • G1: Phone Number

  • H1: Lead Source

  • I1: Date Added

Pro Tip: Freeze the header row so it stays visible as you scroll. Click on row 1 to select it, then go to View > Freeze > 1 row.

Step 3: Create the 'Deals' Tab

Click on the "Deals" tab. This is where you’ll manage your active sales pipeline. Set up these headers in the first row:

  • A1: Deal ID

  • B1: Deal Name

  • C1: Company

  • D1: Contact Name

  • E1: Deal Value ($)

  • F1: Stage

  • G1: Expected Close Date

  • H1: Date Created

Add a Dropdown Menu for Deal Stages

To keep your data consistent, let's create a dropdown list for the "Stage" column. This prevents typos and ensures everyone uses the same terminology.

  1. Select the entire "Stage" column by clicking on the letter "F".

  2. Go to Data > Data validation.

  3. In the "Criteria" dropdown, select "List of items".

  4. In the text box next to it, enter your deal stages separated by commas: Lead,Qualified,Proposal,Negotiation,Closed Won,Closed Lost.

  5. Make sure "Show dropdown list in cell" is checked and click "Save".

Now, any cell you click on in column F will have a neat dropdown menu with your deal stages.

Step 4: Design the 'Interaction Log' Tab

Go to the "Interaction Log" tab. This is a running history of your communications. Set up these headers:

  • A1: Interaction ID

  • B1: Deal ID

  • C1: Date

  • D1: Type

  • E1: Notes

  • F1: Next Step

  • G1: Next Step Date

Just like with the "Deals" tab, you can use Data Validation on the "Type" column (D) to create a dropdown list with options like Email, Phone Call, Meeting, Demo.

Step 5: Create a Summary Dashboard

Manually scanning rows of data can be tedious. The "Dashboard" tab will give you a high-level, at-a-glance view of your sales performance using some simple formulas.

In your "Dashboard" tab, set up some labels in column A:

  • A2: Total Pipeline Value

  • A3: Total Open Deals

  • A4: Deals Won This Quarter

  • A5: Win Rate

Now, let's add the formulas in column B to automatically calculate these metrics.

Total Pipeline Value

This formula sums the value of all deals that aren't marked as "Closed Won" or "Closed Lost".

=SUMIF('Deals'!F:F,"<>Closed Won", 'Deals'!E:E) - SUMIF('Deals'!F:F,"Closed Lost", 'Deals'!E:E)

Total Open Deals

This counts the number of deals that aren't closed.

=COUNTIF('Deals'!F:F,"<>Closed Won") - COUNTIF('Deals'!F:F, "Closed Lost")

Number of Deals Won

This formula counts all the deals you've won.

=COUNTIF('Deals'!F:F,"Closed Won")

Visualize Your Sales Pipeline

A funnel chart is great for visualizing your pipeline. Let's create the data table for it first.

Somewhere else on your dashboard (e.g., cell D2), list out your stages:

  • D2: Lead

  • D3: Qualified

  • D4: Proposal

  • D5: Negotiation

Beside each stage, use a COUNTIF formula to count the deals in that stage:

  • E2: =COUNTIF(Deals!F:F, D2)

  • Drag the formula down to cover the other stages.

Now, select this data table (D2:E5). Go to Insert > Chart. In the Chart Editor, choose a Bar Chart or Pie Chart to get a quick visual snapshot of your sales pipeline.

Advanced Tips for Your Google Sheets CRM

Once you’ve mastered the basics, here are a few ways to level up your spreadsheet:

  • Conditional Formatting: Highlight deals that are close to their expected close date or high-value leads. Select your "Expected Close Date" column, go to Format > Conditional formatting, and set a rule to change the cell color for dates that are "in the past week".

  • Use VLOOKUP: The VLOOKUP formula can automatically pull data from one tab into another. For example, you can use it to pull the Contact Email from the "Contacts" tab into the "Deals" tab based on the Contact Name to save you from copying and pasting.

  • Share and Collaborate: Use the "Share" button to give your team access. Use comments (right-click on a cell > Comment) to discuss specific deals and @mention team members to assign tasks.

Final Thoughts

This guide provides a solid framework for building a robust CRM in Google Sheets that will help you stay organized and on top of your customer relationships. By starting with a simple, customizable system, you can build effective sales habits without committing to expensive software right away.

As your business grows, you might find that manually updating spreadsheets and pulling in data from other platforms - like Shopify, Google Analytics, or your ad accounts - becomes a time-consuming chore. We built Graphed to solve exactly this problem. We make it easy to connect all your data sources in one place and create real-time dashboards using simple natural language. Instead of wrangling formulas, you can just ask questions and get instant insights, giving you back hours to focus on strategy and growth.