Choose Your Tools UK & US
CRM Selection Checklist
Choose a CRM by testing the work your small B2B team needs to do. Download a checklist for requirements, seats, costs, data exit and trial evidence.
Use the same task in every CRM trial. Keep a simple record of what you need, what the supplier documents and what your team actually completes. A product demonstration and a successful team trial are different evidence.
Download the CRM Selection Checklist (text) ↓
No sign-up is required. Copy the plain-text file into your preferred document editor or print this page. It contains no tracking and does not submit your answers.
1. Define the job
Write your team size, incoming enquiry sources, one-record-per-purchase rule and essential stages. List must-haves separately from preferences. State the present system and the specific action it cannot perform reliably.
2. Specify the configuration
Record vendor, edition, billing country, currency, number and type of seats, monthly or annual commitment, tax assumptions, add-ons, onboarding and renewal basis. Link the official plan page and record when you checked it. Put Unknown beside unresolved items; do not write zero.
3. Run a repeatable trial
Use ten fictional enquiries, including one without an owner, one with missing information, one deferred and one with a confirmed mismatch. Have all three users perform these actions:
- Create a potential purchase and associate the right contact.
- Record evidence, unknowns and a qualification decision.
- Assign an owner and due activity, then hand it to another user.
- Find overdue actions and records with no next step.
- Produce the small report you actually need.
- Export the agreed records and verify them outside the CRM.
For each action, record Pass, Fail or Not run, plus the exact step and limitation. An unused feature is Not run, not a pass. Record how much assistance was needed.
4. Check the data exit
Inspect exported fields, notes, tasks, relationships and attachments separately. Confirm user-removal behaviour and access permissions. An exported contacts list does not prove you can restore the complete system. A restoration test needs its own evidence.
5. Decide and record why
Compare total subscription and implementation cost with the specific gap addressed. Record unknowns that would change the choice, the responsible person and a review date. Include “keep the present system” as an option.
Limits and UK/US notes
This checklist is an editorial method, not a supplier certification or guarantee of suitability. A GBP/USD label does not convert a quote. Check actual local billing, tax and data-processing terms. Use fictional records until you have reviewed your real-data responsibilities.
Apply the checklist to the three-person CRM comparison. If the process itself is unclear, start with qualification rather than a subscription.