How to build a free sales pipeline in Google Sheets

Growing teams all hit the same wall: the sales pipeline lives in someone’s head, a half-updated CRM, and a messy spreadsheet. Let’s turn Google Sheets into your best free sales pipeline software, then show how to scale it with no‑code and AI agents.## 1. Manual Google Sheets pipeline – the classic way### 1.1 Design your pipeline structure1. In Google Sheets, create a new spreadsheet and name it 'Sales Pipeline'.2. Add columns like: - Deal ID - Company - Contact name - Email - Deal value - Stage (Lead, Qualified, Meeting, Proposal, Closing, Won, Lost) - Owner - Next action - Next action date3. Freeze the header row so it stays visible as you scroll (View → Freeze → 1 row).Reference: Google’s help on creating and formatting spreadsheets: https://support.google.com/docs/answer/6000292### 1.2 Capture every lead consistently1. After each inquiry (website form, LinkedIn DM, cold email reply), immediately add a row.2. Set Stage to 'Lead' and fill in value (even rough) and owner.3. Always add a specific next action (e.g. 'Send case study', 'Book demo') and a concrete date.4. Use filters (Data → Create a filter) so reps can quickly view only 'Lead' or 'Meeting' stage.### 1.3 Run weekly pipeline reviews1. Sort by Stage, then by Next action date.2. For each row, during your meeting, update: - Stage (did it move forward?) - Next action and date - Deal value if it changed3. Insert a second tab 'Metrics' and build simple charts using COUNTIF and SUMIF to show: - Deals by stage - Total pipeline value - Win rate over the last 30/60/90 daysGoogle’s chart guide: https://support.google.com/docs/answer/63824**Pros (manual):**- Totally free, flexible, easy to start today.- Everyone understands spreadsheets.**Cons (manual):**- Heavily dependent on human discipline.- Easy for follow-ups to slip; no reminders or automation.## 2. No‑code automation on top of Google SheetsOnce the basics work, you can bolt on no‑code tools so reps spend less time updating Sheets and more time selling.### 2.1 Auto-create deals from form submissionsUse Google Forms or your website forms integrated with Sheets.1. Create a Google Form with fields that match your pipeline columns.2. Link it to your Sheet (Responses → Select response destination → Existing spreadsheet).3. Every new response creates a row with the right headers filled.Docs: https://support.google.com/docs/answer/2917686### 2.2 Trigger email tasks from pipeline changes (via no‑code)With tools like Zapier or Make:1. Trigger: 'New or updated row in Google Sheets' where Stage changes to 'Meeting'.2. Action: Create a calendar event and send a templated confirmation email via Gmail.3. Add a 'Last contacted' column in Sheets and let the automation update it.Result: reps only change the Stage; your no‑code stack handles the admin.### 2.3 Build a live dashboard without touching formulasUse Google Sheets' Explore and connected charts:1. On your 'Metrics' tab, use pivot tables (Data → Pivot table) to group by Stage and Owner.2. Build a chart that shows deals by stage over time.3. Use the Explore box to auto-generate suggested charts and formulas.Pros (no‑code):- Still low‑cost, but you gain reminders, basic workflows, and dashboards.- Non‑technical ops people can maintain it.Cons (no‑code):- Every new rule or field can require editing multiple zaps.- Still reliant on reps touching the sheet correctly.## 3. Scaling with AI agents (Simular Pro)At some point, your constraint is no longer the template; it’s the keystrokes. This is where an AI computer agent like Simular Pro starts to feel like another team member sitting at a desk, living inside your tools.### 3.1 Let the agent operate your entire pipeline workspaceUsing Simular Pro’s desktop and browser automation, you can:1. Instruct the agent: 'Every morning, open Gmail, scan for new replies from open deals, and update the Stage, Last contacted, and Next action in the Sales Pipeline Google Sheet.'2. The agent: - Logs into Gmail. - Reads email threads, understands intent (interested, stalled, asked for proposal). - Opens your Google Sheet in the browser. - Locates the matching row (by email or deal ID). - Edits Stage, Next action, and Next action date with human‑like precision.Because Simular Pro is designed to automate nearly anything a human can do on a desktop, you are not limited to APIs – it literally clicks, types, and navigates your browser.### 3.2 Automated research to enrich dealsYou can also have Simular agents run prospect research and push it into your pipeline:1. Give the agent instructions: 'For each row in the Sales Pipeline sheet where Company URL is blank, search the web, find the official website and LinkedIn, and fill those columns.'2. The agent: - Opens the sheet, filters for blanks. - For each record, opens a new browser tab, searches, validates the right domain. - Pastes the website and LinkedIn URL back into the sheet.Pros (AI agent at scale):- Works across Gmail, LinkedIn, CRMs, and Google Sheets without fragile APIs.- Production-grade reliability for workflows with thousands of steps.- Every action is inspectable and modifiable, so you can audit what it did.Cons (AI agent at scale):- Requires clear instructions and initial supervision.- Best suited once you have a stable pipeline structure and naming conventions.### 3.3 From spreadsheet to semi-autonomous revenue machineCombine everything:- Google Sheets as the free, flexible database and dashboard.- No‑code tools for simple triggers (form → sheet, sheet → email).- Simular Pro agents to handle complex, high-volume, cross-app work: following up, updating stages, logging research, and even drafting outbound.This layered approach lets a scrappy business owner or agency start with a simple sheet, then graduate to a semi-autonomous pipeline without ripping anything out. You keep control of the logic; the AI agent just takes over the clicking, typing, and tab‑switching you and your team don’t have time for.