Choosing a CRM shouldn’t feel like buying a car from a persuasive salesperson — but it often does. Every provider promises smarter automation, better insights, and seamless integrations. In reality, not every platform will fit how your team actually works.
At Gather ’n’ Grow, we’ve seen hundreds of CRM setups — from one-person startups to scaling enterprises — and one lesson stands out: the right CRM isn’t about features; it’s about fit.
Here’s a practical, no-fluff guide to help you decide what matters most when choosing the CRM that will power your growth.
Whilst we may be HubSpot Partners and have chosen to specialise in this one software, it does not mean it is for everyone and it’s important to pick the right CRM for YOU at your stage of business/revenue growth.
1. Start With Your Business Stage
A CRM that suits a 10-person startup rarely fits a 200-person sales team. Be clear about where you are and where you plan to be in the next 12–24 months.
Ask yourself:
- Are you managing leads manually or through another tool (like spreadsheets)?
- How complex are your customer interactions?
- How many people will need access to your CRM?
- Will you need marketing automation or reporting down the line?
Your answers will help you shortlist tools aligned with your scale and resources.
We have seen even 1-man band companies use HubSpot to streamline their processes so it’s easier to bring on future team members all the way up to enterprise level businesses that use HubSpot across business units, teams and more.
Tip: If you’re still early-stage, avoid overpaying for enterprise features you won’t use yet. Choose a platform that can grow with you and start small (with the long term in mind). But don’t completely close off enterprise plans because like HubSpot, you can buy per seat. Meaning you could benefit from certain enterprise features from a little upgrade but get so much better value, short and long term.
2. Map Your Current Processes — Then Your Goals
Before picking a CRM, look closely at how your team works today.
Do you log every client interaction? Are deals tracked consistently? Where are things falling through the cracks?
Map your current process first, then outline what you’d like to improve. That gap — between how you work now and how you want to operate — defines what your CRM needs to deliver.
Example: If your team forgets to follow up on quotes, prioritise a CRM with built-in follow-up automation. If your biggest issue is scattered data, look for a single-view dashboard.
3. Involve All Departments Early
A CRM doesn’t live in isolation — it connects sales, marketing, and service. Involve all relevant teams early so you don’t end up with a system that only one department can use effectively.
We’ve seen too many “sales-only” setups that marketing couldn’t access or service couldn’t update. A cross-department view prevents duplication, gaps, and friction.
It does not have to be implemented all at once, but definitely keep other related revenue teams in mind.
4. Evaluate Ease of Use and Adoption
The best CRM is the one your team will actually use. Of course, this is assuming implementation and training were incorporated into CRM adoption.
If your staff finds it confusing, adoption will drop — and you’ll be right back to spreadsheets.
When testing platforms, consider:
- Is navigation intuitive?
- How steep is the learning curve?
- Can users update data quickly on desktop and mobile?
Example: During HubSpot trials, many teams realise how much easier it is to log calls and emails automatically compared to CRMs that require manual updates.
5. Look for Real Support, Not Just Live Chat
Every CRM says they offer “great support.” The real question is: how accessible is it when you need help?
Check response times, regional coverage, and access to resources like onboarding sessions or help centres. A vendor that answers questions quickly — or offers local implementation partners — is worth far more than one with a generic chatbot.
6. Prioritise Integrations That Fit Your Stack
If your CRM can’t integrate with your key tools, you’ll lose efficiency fast.
Check compatibility with email providers, marketing platforms, and accounting or project tools (like Google Workspace, Xero, or Slack).
Some integrations might be native (best but not always possible), some via Zapier/Make (less ideal but still better than none) and sometimes you need to do some manual actions/workarounds.
Remember this is just one aspect. Whilst it’s important, you’ve to incorporate other factors when choosing a CRM.
7. Consider Scalability and Future Add-Ons
The CRM you pick today should still make sense when your customer base triples. Review how easily each platform can scale in terms of:
- User licences
- Data volume (think, are there automations to ensure you’re paying for contacts you’re marketing to?)
- Automation capacity
- Advanced features (e.g. forecasting, custom reports, AI tools)
Some vendors reinvest heavily in research and product development — meaning you’ll gain new features without needing to migrate later.
8. Keep Your Budget Realistic — and Flexible
Price should never be your only factor, but it does matter.
Compare plans carefully and look beyond the base subscription cost.
Factor in onboarding, training, add-ons, and integrations — these often account for 20–40% of total spend in the first year.
Pro Tip:
- Think of your CRM as an investment in efficiency, not just software. The right setup should pay for itself in time saved and opportunities gained.
- One thing businesses often don’t consider is the HIDDEN cost.
9. Check Data Security and Storage Compliance
Where your customer data is stored — and how it’s secured — is critical.
Check whether the CRM provider complies with major standards such as GDPR, SOC 2, or ISO 27001.
If your business operates internationally, ensure you can store and manage data in line with each region’s privacy laws.
Check whether your business needs to store financial and health data and whether the CRM can handle them. But also question if those data points MUST be in the CRM, or is it nice to have?
10. Always Request a Tailored Demo
Don’t settle for a generic walkthrough.
Ask the vendor to demonstrate workflows that reflect your real-world use case — such as how leads are captured, assigned, and followed up.
During the demo, test:
- How easy it is to build your most common reports.
- Whether automation fits your internal approval steps.
- How quickly users can switch between contacts, companies, and deals.
You’ll know whether the CRM fits your team’s daily rhythm.
11. Don’t Choose a CRM Based on Features Alone (SMS, Email, “Nice-to-Haves”)
This is one of the most common mistakes we see — especially when marketing teams are heavily involved in the CRM decision.
Many businesses choose a CRM because it offers a specific feature they need right now:
SMS marketing, email campaigns, sequences, or a particular integration.
While those features can be useful, choosing a CRM this way is backwards.
A CRM is not a marketing tool.
It’s a revenue system.
When decisions are made purely on features, teams often overlook the bigger picture:
- How data flows between marketing, sales, and service
- How lifecycle stages are defined and used
- How ownership and accountability are tracked
- How reporting supports decision-making across teams
- How processes evolve as the business grows
We regularly see CRMs selected because they “do SMS well” or “have good email tools,” only for the business to realise later that:
- Sales pipelines don’t reflect reality
- Reporting is limited or unreliable
- Automation becomes messy as the team grows
- Data doesn’t support forecasting or strategic decisions
- Other revenue teams are forced to work around the system
Another common trap is optimising only for immediate needs.
For example:
- Marketing chooses a CRM for campaigns
- Sales struggles with pipeline visibility
- Service lacks historical context
- Leadership can’t trust the numbers
The result is a system that works well for one team — and creates friction for everyone else.
Instead, ask:
- Does this CRM support how revenue actually flows through the business?
- Can it scale beyond marketing into sales, service, and operations?
- Will this data structure still make sense in 12–24 months?
- Does it encourage clarity, ownership, and consistency — or workarounds?
Features can usually be added later.
Architecture is much harder to fix.
The right CRM decision balances:
- Current needs
- Future growth
- Data integrity
- Cross-team usability
- Long-term operational clarity
When you choose with the whole system in mind, the features start working for you — not the other way around.
Wrapping Up
Choosing a CRM isn’t about ticking boxes — it’s about building a foundation that fits your processes, people, and pace of growth.
If you’d like expert input before committing to a platform, we can help assess your current setup and recommend a CRM that aligns with your strategy.
