Why Proper CRM Usage Is Imperative for Sales & Marketing Success

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platforms like Salesforce are the backbone of modern sales and marketing workflows. They are the central hub where these two departments intersect, ensuring alignment and efficiency in generating leads, nurturing opportunities, and closing deals. However, when sales team members neglect to use the CRM properly, they unintentionally disrupt the entire system, creating roadblocks that hinder marketing efforts and, ultimately, sales success.

The Symbiotic Relationship Between Marketing & Sales

Marketing and sales have a symbiotic relationship, with each department relying on the other to fulfill its respective roles. Marketing focuses on generating and measuring interest, moving Marketing-Qualified Leads (MQLs) to Sales-Accepted Leads (SALs). Sales then take the baton, converting SALs into Sales-Qualified Leads (SQLs) and, ideally, into closed deals. When sales representatives fail to maintain CRM accuracy, this balance collapses, leaving both teams struggling to meet their objectives.

How Inaccurate CRM Data Disrupts Marketing

When Salesforce data is incomplete or outdated, marketing campaigns lose their edge. For example, if a sales rep forgets to input the correct contact information or updates an account correctly, marketing cannot identify the proper audience for outreach campaigns. Whether the initiative involves nurturing new leads, resurrecting dormant accounts, or targeting upsell opportunities, marketing is flying blind without accurate data. This wastes resources and damages the brand’s reputation if campaigns reach the wrong people or miss key stakeholders entirely.

The Ripple Effects of Poor CRM Management

The impact of poor CRM management extends beyond targeting issues. When sales teams fail to update an opportunity’s stage, such as leaving a deal marked as “Proposal Sent” when it has already progressed or closed, the pipeline becomes unreliable. Marketing relies on accurate pipeline data to analyze where leads drop off, refine campaigns, and allocate resources effectively. Without this visibility, weak points in the sales funnel remain unaddressed, and marketing cannot support sales in moving deals forward.

CRM workflows are also disrupted when sales neglect to follow established stages like MQL, SAL, and SQL. Skipping key gates or leaving required fields incomplete derails this process. For instance, marketing loses valuable insights if sales fail to convert a SAL into an SQL or don’t input reasons for a closed-lost deal. These insights are essential for adjusting strategies, identifying bottlenecks, and ensuring that both teams work toward shared goals. Without this data, collaboration between marketing and sales falls apart, making it harder for either department to succeed.

The Importance of Salesforce Stages and Gates

The stages and gates configured in Salesforce aren’t arbitrary—they are essential tools for creating a seamless workflow between marketing and sales. Properly moving leads through these stages clarifies where each prospect stands in the funnel. For marketing, this data allows for the refinement of lead generation strategies to ensure sales receive high-quality, sales-ready opportunities. For sales, these stages highlight which prospects to prioritize, reducing wasted time and effort on leads that aren’t ready to convert.

Accurate CRM usage also drives visibility into conversion metrics, which are critical for both departments. Marketing needs to track how well their MQLs convert to SALs to measure the effectiveness of their campaigns. On the other hand, sales need to monitor the progression of SALs to SQLs and closed deals to identify areas for improvement in their approach. Without this information, the metrics that guide both teams’ performance become meaningless, leaving the entire system in disarray.

The Bigger Picture: Enabling Both Teams to Succeed

Proper CRM usage is more than data entry—it’s about enabling marketing and sales to perform their roles effectively. When sales teams maintain accurate and updated records in Salesforce, they empower marketing to deliver better leads and more substantial support. Marketing can fine-tune its strategies based on what works, translating into fewer unqualified leads, more sales-ready opportunities, and a higher likelihood of closing deals.

CRM transparency also builds trust and fosters collaboration between marketing and sales. Both teams can align their efforts toward shared objectives when they have access to reliable data. Sales can rely on marketing to provide the tools and resources needed to close deals, while marketing can trust that sales give the feedback and insights necessary to refine their campaigns.

The Cost of Neglecting CRM Etiquette

The consequences of neglecting CRM etiquette are significant. Marketing cannot measure interest, and sales cannot measure intent without accurate and consistent data. This failure creates a vicious cycle in which neither team can effectively do its job, leading to missed opportunities, wasted resources, and lost revenue. Salesforce and other CRMs are powerful tools, but their potential is only realized when marketing and sales use them as intended.

Proper CRM usage is not just a best practice but a necessity for aligning marketing and sales toward a common goal. By ensuring that every contact is entered correctly, every stage is updated promptly, and every field is completed accurately, sales teams empower marketing to generate interest and convert it into intent. Together, they create a seamless workflow that benefits the entire organization.

Let EyeVero Help You Align Your Teams

Is your marketing and sales alignment suffering from poor CRM usage? EyeVero specializes in bridging the gap between teams, ensuring your CRM is set up and utilized effectively to maximize results. Our experts can help you optimize Salesforce workflows, streamline communication, and improve collaboration to drive success. Connect with an EyeVero specialist today to empower your team and transform your operations.