itsual CRM Hygiene
Overview
CRM is only as valuable as its data. Hygiene — accurate stages, contacts, next steps, and close dates — is the foundation of forecasting, coaching, and marketing attribution.
When to Use
- Forecast accuracy problems
- Onboarding reps to CRM standards
- Preparing board or leadership reporting
- Enabling automation and sequencing tools
Core Practices
- Define required fields by stage with clear meaning
- Enforce next-step and close-date discipline
- Close or recycle stale opportunities
- Keep primary contacts and buying roles updated
- Audit regularly; don’t wait for quarterly panic
- Make hygiene easy with defaults and lightweight process
Principles
- Garbage in, garbage forecast
- Process should serve selling, not bureaucracy — but minimum standards are non-negotiable
- Managers model the hygiene they expect
- Clean data enables AI and automation later
Verification
- Stage definitions are understood and applied
- Stale deals are reviewed on a cadence
- Leadership trusts CRM-sourced reports