A Google Sheets CRM is a single spreadsheet where each row is a deal or contact and each column tracks one fact: who it is, what stage it is in, what happens next, and when. It is free, fast to set up, and works well for one person with a few dozen active deals. Below is a copy-ready column layout, the rules that keep it usable, and an honest look at when a spreadsheet CRM starts to cost you more than it saves.
Most people build a spreadsheet CRM by accident: a list of names grows a "notes" column, then a "status" column, then three date columns nobody fills in. This guide gives you a deliberate structure instead, so your CRM template in Google Sheets stays useful for as long as possible.
The free Google Sheets CRM template: columns to copy
Create a new sheet, name the first tab "Deals", and set up these columns in row 1. Every row below is one opportunity. If one customer has two separate opportunities, give them two rows.
| Column | Header | What goes in it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Deal name | Short label you would say out loud | Carter Dental website refresh |
| B | Contact name | The person you actually talk to | Emily Carter |
| C | Company | Business name, blank for individuals | Carter Family Dental |
| D | Primary email | emily@carterdental.com | |
| E | Phone | Best number | (512) 555-0147 |
| F | Source | Where the lead came from (dropdown) | Referral |
| G | Stage | Pipeline stage (dropdown) | Proposal sent |
| H | Value | Expected deal value in dollars | 4500 |
| I | Owner | Who is responsible (dropdown) | Mike |
| J | Last contact | Date of the last real touch | 9/28/2026 |
| K | Next step | One concrete action, starting with a verb | Call to review proposal |
| L | Next step date | When that action is due | 10/7/2026 |
| M | Notes | Short context, newest first | Wants launch before holidays |
| N | Lost reason | Filled only when a deal is lost (dropdown) | Went with cheaper option |
That is the whole spreadsheet CRM. Fourteen columns is enough for most service businesses, agencies, and consultants. Resist the urge to add more until you have a specific question you cannot answer with these.
Suggested stages for the Stage dropdown
Use Data, then Data validation, then "Dropdown" on column G so nobody types "proposal", "Proposal Sent" and "sent prop" for the same thing. A simple set that works for most businesses:
- New lead
- Contacted
- Meeting booked
- Proposal sent
- Negotiation
- Won
- Lost
Do the same for Source, Owner, and Lost reason. Dropdowns are the single biggest upgrade you can make to a spreadsheet CRM, because they make filtering and counting reliable.
Two small formulas worth adding
- Overdue flag: add a column O with =IF(AND(L2<>"",L2<TODAY(),G2<>"Won",G2<>"Lost"),"OVERDUE","") and apply conditional formatting so overdue rows turn red.
- Pipeline value by stage: on a second tab, use =SUMIF(Deals!G:G,"Proposal sent",Deals!H:H) for each stage.
How to build a CRM with Google Sheets that stays usable
The template is the easy part. Discipline is what makes a Google Sheets CRM work. These habits keep it from turning into a graveyard of half-filled rows.
Checklist for a clean spreadsheet CRM
- Every open deal has a Next step and a Next step date. No exceptions.
- Turn on a filter view and sort by Next step date every morning.
- Keep notes short and put the date at the start of each note.
- Move Won and Lost deals to an "Archive" tab once a month so the main tab stays fast to scan.
- Never merge cells. Merged cells break sorting, filters, and formulas.
- Use one row per deal, not one row per contact, if you sell more than once to the same person.
- Protect the header row (Data, then Protect sheets and ranges) if more than one person edits.
When a spreadsheet CRM stops working
A spreadsheet is a table. A CRM is a table plus memory, timing, and coordination. You can fake the second part in Sheets for a while, but there are three places where the cracks show up first.
1. Reminders depend on you remembering to look
Your overdue formula only helps if you open the sheet, and notification rules in Sheets are built around edits, not dates. Once you have more than a couple dozen active deals, the follow-ups you miss are usually the ones you forgot to check, not the ones you chose to skip.
2. History gets overwritten
When you change a deal from "Meeting booked" to "Proposal sent", the old value is gone from the row. Version history technically keeps it, but nobody digs through version history to learn how long a deal sat in each stage. The Notes column turns into one long paragraph. You lose the timeline, which is exactly what you need when a client says "we talked about this in August."
3. Many people editing the same sheet
Two or three people can share a sheet if they are careful. Beyond that, someone sorts only one column, someone pastes over a formula, someone adds a column in the middle and breaks your SUMIFs. There is no real ownership per record, and no clean way to see "my deals" without everyone building their own filter view.
If two of the three sound familiar, it is time to look at a proper tool.
Google Sheets vs a simple CRM
| Need | Google Sheets CRM | KMS AI CRM |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to start | Free | Free up to 300 deals, 1 user |
| Pipeline view | Rows sorted by a Stage column | Pipeline board with stages |
| Follow-up reminders | Manual, you check a formula | Reminders and a today agenda |
| Deal history | One Notes cell, overwritten values | Notes and call logs per deal |
| Changing structure | Edit columns by hand, risk breaking formulas | Add or rename stages and fields, changes saved in History with rollback |
| Working from an AI chat | Not built in | Run it from Claude or ChatGPT through the KissMySkills connector |
| Email sync, marketing automation | No | No |
Note the last row: if you need email sync or automated campaigns, KMS AI CRM is the wrong pick.
Moving from Google Sheets to KMS AI CRM
KMS AI CRM is a web app at crm.kissmyskills.com that you can use like a normal CRM: a pipeline board, deals, notes, and reminders. You can also run it from Claude or ChatGPT through the KissMySkills connector, which works in claude.ai, the Claude desktop app, Claude Code, and ChatGPT.
There is no CSV import feature, and we will not pretend there is. The move works through the chat instead. You copy rows from your sheet, paste them into a conversation with Claude, and ask the agent to create a deal for each one. It reads the columns, maps them to deal fields, and creates the deals one by one. For a few dozen rows this is quick. For several hundred, do it in batches so you can check the results as you go.
A practical migration order
- Sign up free at crm.kissmyskills.com and connect the KissMySkills connector in Claude or ChatGPT.
- Ask the agent to apply the industry template closest to your business, or set your own stages to match your Stage dropdown.
- Ask it to add custom fields for any columns that are not standard, such as Source or Lost reason.
- Paste your open deals first. Leave Won and Lost in the spreadsheet as an archive unless you want them for reporting.
- Ask for today's agenda to confirm next steps came across with the right dates.
Because setup changes (stages, fields, timers) are saved in History with rollback, you can try a structure, see how it feels, and undo it if it does not fit.
Example prompts to use after the move
- "Here are 25 rows from my sales spreadsheet. Create a deal for each one, use the Stage column as the pipeline stage and the Next step date as a reminder."
- "Add a custom field called Lead source with options Referral, Website, Cold outreach, and Event."
- "Show me today's agenda and which deals have had no contact in the last 14 days."
- "Log a call with Emily Carter: she approved the proposal, move Carter Dental website refresh to Won."
- "Set a reminder timer so deals in Proposal sent get flagged after 5 days without activity."
Who should stay on a spreadsheet, and who should switch
Stay on Google Sheets if you are one person, you have fewer than 30 active deals, you check the sheet every day without fail, and you rarely need to know what happened three months ago. A good template and the checklist above will serve you well.
Switch to a simple CRM if follow-ups are slipping, you need a timeline of notes and calls per deal, or a second person is now working the pipeline. KMS AI CRM fits small teams and solo operators who want a plain pipeline and like the idea of updating it by talking to Claude or ChatGPT.
Look elsewhere if you need inbox sync, marketing automation, or a large integration marketplace. Tools like HubSpot's free CRM or Zoho are built around that broader scope; check their current pricing pages for what is included.
On pricing: the Free plan covers up to 300 deals for 1 user. All-Access is $9/month with unlimited deals plus 2,500+ KissMySkills AI skills, prompts, and agents. Team is $29/month for 5 seats. If you are comparing AI-first options more broadly, our guide to the best AI CRM covers the field, and best CRM for startups looks at early-stage needs.
FAQ
Is a Google Sheets CRM good enough for a small business?
For one person with a modest number of active deals, yes. It becomes harder to manage when you need automatic reminders, a clear history per deal, or several people editing at once.
What columns should a CRM template in Google Sheets have?
At minimum: deal name, contact, company, email, phone, source, stage, value, owner, last contact, next step, next step date, notes, and lost reason. Use dropdowns for stage, source, owner, and lost reason.
Can I import my spreadsheet into KMS AI CRM?
There is no file import feature. Instead, paste rows from your sheet into a chat with Claude or ChatGPT (connected through the KissMySkills connector) and ask the agent to create deals from them. Work in batches for large lists.
Can Google Sheets send follow-up reminders?
Not on dates out of the box. You can highlight overdue rows with conditional formatting, but you still have to open the sheet to see them. Scripts can add email reminders, but then you are maintaining code.
Is KMS AI CRM free?
Yes, the Free plan includes up to 300 deals and 1 user. Paid plans add unlimited deals (All-Access, $9/month) or 5 seats (Team, $29/month).
