When is the Right Time to Invest in a CRM? 3 Signs It’s Time to Make the Switch

At the Accelerator Centre (AC), we support founders through every stage of growth - from building their first product to developing a repeatable sales strategy. We understand what it's like during the early stages of building a business where you’re tracking leads in Excel, jotting client notes in your phone, and using sticky notes to prioritize your tasks. It’s easy to get caught up in scrappy, do-it-yourself systems, but there comes a time when these systems can start to hold you back.

As your company grows, so does the complexity of managing your pipeline. That’s when a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system becomes not just helpful, but essential to grow your business. So how do you know you’ve hit that point? And what exactly does a CRM offer a scaling startup? We’ve asked our CRM and Sales Mentor, Lucas Oldfield, to identify the signs that suggest it may be time to switch to a CRM system, and how to make that shift with clarity and confidence.

What a CRM really is and why it matters

Think of a CRM as the central intelligence system for your business. It connects the dots between your sales, marketing, and customer relationship efforts, bringing clarity and structure to your operations.

A great CRM isn’t just a fancy contact list. It becomes the brain of your business, a place where you track every conversation, follow every lead, and build workflows that support growth. When used effectively, it helps founders make smarter decisions, close more deals, and build stronger relationships with customers.

When to make the switch

If you’re wondering whether it’s too early for your startup to adopt a CRM, here are some clear indicators it’s time, according to Lucas:

You're dropping balls

You forget to follow up. You can’t remember the last conversation you had with a lead. There’s no clear record of what your team is working on. If your system, be it spreadsheets, post-it notes, or Slack messages, is letting you down, it’s time for an upgrade.

Your sales and marketing efforts aren’t aligned

Maybe your marketing team is driving leads, but your sales team doesn’t have visibility into where they came from or what content they’ve seen. A CRM improves efficiency and collaboration by capturing every interaction a lead has with your company; from the first website visit to the email they clicked on, so that everyone on your team has context when engaging with a prospect. Your CRM will become a shared source of truth that everyone can rely on to help them make informed decisions.

You want to scale without chaos

As your team grows, the systems that worked in the early days can start to buckle. You need a platform that not only organizes customer information but also supports workflows, automation, and reporting.

CRMs can help you streamline key workflows like lead routing, follow-up reminders, and deal tracking. They offer automation to reduce manual work, and built-in reporting so you can see what’s working and what’s not at a glance. As your processes evolve, your CRM scales with you, giving your team the clarity and consistency needed to grow faster and smarter.

What to look for in a CRM

Now that you know when you should start looking for a CRM, you also need to know what you should look for in one. It's important to remember that a CRM is not just a database - it’s a tool for growth. The best CRM is one that meets your company’s current needs and will grow with you. You want to look for a system that is:

• Easy to use - Your team should actually want to use it.

• Customizable - The ability to tailor it to your sales process.

• Integrational - Can sync with tools you already use (email, Slack, calendars, etc.).

Is your startup ready to implement a CRM?

Implementing a CRM system isn’t about adding another piece of software. It’s about future-proofing your startup. As you grow, the ability to manage relationships, streamline operations, and make data-driven decisions becomes critical.

At the AC, we believe CRM readiness is more than a technical milestone, it’s a signal that your startup is ready to scale with structure and intention. That’s why we’ve partnered with HubSpot; founders in our programming can receive up to a 75% discount on HubSpot software to help them grow and scale better, and faster.

Through our structured programming, we help startups move from early-stage hustle to high-performance growth. Whether you’re choosing your first CRM or optimizing one you’ve already adopted, we can help you implement the right systems, align your team, and turn customer data into strategic advantage.

One of the most valuable parts of our approach is the access to seasoned mentors like Lucas Oldfield. With deep expertise in CRM systems and a proven track record in sales strategy, Lucas helps our founders build scalable revenue engines from day one. Whether you're mapping out your sales funnel or choosing the right tools to support growth, Lucas brings the practical insight and hands-on support that turn scattered sales efforts into a cohesive, data-driven process.

Ready to take the next step?

AC:RevLab turns your early traction into structured, scalable revenue, and provides hands-on support building sales systems — from prospecting to pipeline management and closing deals. Sign up to be notified when applications for Cohort 2 are open!