The fields and screens matter less than a clear sales process, ownership rules and useful reporting. The useful answer depends on the company’s workflow, current systems, team and cost of staying as it is.
Define the decisions the CRM must support
Start with the questions sales managers and account teams need answered. That usually reveals which stages, activities and data are genuinely useful.
Remove fields nobody maintains
A large CRM can look complete while containing unreliable information. Every required field should have an owner and a reason.
Design the handover after the sale
The point where an opportunity becomes a delivery project is where many systems break. Define what must transfer, who confirms it and how the customer is introduced.
Automate only stable work
Do not automate a process that changes every week. First make the steps clear, then automate reminders, document creation and data movement.
Make the next step proportionate.
A short discovery, audit or prototype can often answer the highest-risk question before a company commits to a large build. The purpose is to reduce uncertainty, not create a long consulting phase.