I’m planning to build a CRM for a non-tech startup, and I’d love to hear from people who’ve solved similar problems.

Right now, our entire sales process runs on calls and Google Sheets.

Our sales cycle is pretty long, usually around 3–6 months, and most of our customers aren’t active on LinkedIn or other platforms. So traditional CRM features like LinkedIn enrichment aren’t particularly useful to us.

We also have a specific lead qualification process. For example, customers need to meet a minimum unit requirement to qualify for our product. If they don’t meet that requirement, we may offer them an alternative deal.

I’m trying to figure out what features would actually make our sales team’s lives easier rather than building another complicated CRM.

A few things I’m thinking about:
Lead qualification based on our own criteria
Tracking calls, conversations, and follow-ups
Managing deals across a 3–6 month sales cycle
Automating repetitive tasks currently handled in Google Sheets

Making the CRM simple enough for a non-technical sales team

My question: If you’ve built or used a CRM for a traditional, phone-first sales business, what features turned out to be genuinely useful?
What mistakes should I avoid, and what should I prioritize in the MVP?
I’m particularly interested in practical workflows rather than AI features added just for the sake of it.