Deals link to Contacts via a linked-record field. That link is the whole CRM architecture.
Lead / Contacted / Proposal / Won / Lost. One field; resist inventing fourteen stages.
Grid view for data entry, kanban view for thinking. Dragging cards is how you'll actually use it.
A calendar or filter view sorted by next-action date becomes your daily call list.
Import from spreadsheet/email history. A CRM with yesterday's deals in it gets used; an empty one doesn't.