If you’ve ever tried to get sales, marketing, and customer success folks on the same page, you know how messy it can get. Sharing spreadsheets, tracking updates in Slack, and then realizing you’re all working off different info—fun times, right? This guide is for anyone who wants a more honest, less hair-pulling way to collaborate across teams using shared account lists in Rev. Whether you’re in revenue ops, sales leadership, or just tired of chasing people for updates, here’s how to actually make it work.
Why Shared Account Lists Actually Matter
Most companies say they’re “aligned,” but then go off and build their own lists of target accounts. The result? Confusion, wasted effort, and nobody really knows who owns what. Shared account lists in Rev aren’t a silver bullet, but they do give everyone a single source of truth—if you set them up right.
Worth knowing up front: - Shared lists only work if you keep them tidy and everyone uses them. - They’re great for visibility, but they won’t magically fix broken processes. - You’ll still need to communicate—Rev isn’t telepathy.
Step 1: Agree on What “Shared” Actually Means
Before you even log in, get the right people to agree on: - Who’s included in the “shared” part: Is it just sales? Sales and marketing? CS too? - What counts as an account: Are you going by company HQ, region, parent company? Set clear rules so everyone’s tracking the same thing. - How you’ll use the list: Is it for outreach planning, tracking handoffs, or just visibility?
Pro tip: Write this down. Otherwise, someone will “forget” and you’ll be back to square one.
Step 2: Set Up Your Shared Account List in Rev
Once you’re clear on the basics, it’s time to build your list in Rev. Here’s the clean way to do it:
- Create a new account list.
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Go to the Accounts tab, click “New List,” and give it a name everyone will recognize (“2024 Target Accounts – Shared” is better than “List 3”).
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Add the right accounts.
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Import from your CRM, upload a CSV, or manually add accounts. Don’t overthink it—start with what you have.
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Set permissions.
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Decide who can view, edit, or just comment. Be stingy with edit rights unless you like cleaning up messes.
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Share the list.
- Use Rev’s “Share” feature to invite team members. Make sure they know what’s expected—just “adding people” isn’t enough.
Things to skip: - Don’t bother color-coding accounts for “vibe.” Stick to real data: status, owner, next step.
Step 3: Define Ownership and Roles
Shared doesn’t mean “everyone does everything.” Make it clear: - Who owns each account: Assign a single person or team. No “joint custody”—that’s how things fall through the cracks. - Who updates what: If marketing is tagging accounts for a campaign, that’s their job. Sales updates stage, CS flags at-risk accounts, etc. - Frequency of updates: Agree on how often people should update statuses (weekly, biweekly, whatever fits your sales cycle).
Honest take: If nobody’s on the hook for updates, the list will rot. Assign real accountability.
Step 4: Build Simple, Useful Views
Rev lets you filter and sort lists. Use this, but don’t get lost in the weeds.
- Create saved views: Filter by owner, region, deal stage, or whatever matters to your teams.
- Pin important views: Make it easy for people to see what’s relevant to them (e.g., “My Accounts This Quarter”).
- Avoid over-customizing: If you need a PhD to understand your filters, you’ve gone too far.
Skip: Endless tagging and custom fields. More fields usually means more confusion.
Step 5: Make Collaboration Part of the Workflow
This is where most teams blow it. The list gets made, then ignored. Instead:
- Integrate with your weekly meetings: Pull up the shared list in Rev during pipeline reviews or handoff calls.
- Use comments for real discussion: Tag teammates, ask questions, flag blockers—keep it all in one place instead of a dozen email threads.
- Track activity, not just status: If an account hasn’t been touched in a month, call it out. The list should reflect reality, not wishful thinking.
Reality check: If all updates happen right before a meeting, you’re not collaborating—you’re cramming. Try to make updating the list a daily habit, not homework.
Step 6: Handle Conflicts and Overlaps
No tool can prevent turf wars, but a shared list makes them visible:
- Spot duplicate outreach: If sales and marketing are both working the same account, you’ll see it fast.
- Resolve overlaps quickly: Use the comment or assignment features to decide who takes point.
- Document decisions: If you move an account from sales to CS, make a note on why—that way, you’re not arguing about it next quarter.
Don’t: Ignore duplicate entries. Merge or resolve them so you’re not stepping on each other’s toes.
Step 7: Keep It Clean (and Honest)
Shared lists get messy over time—dead accounts, bad data, old leads. Schedule regular cleanups:
- Review ownership and status at least quarterly.
- Archive or remove stale accounts.
- Spot-check for missing info or weird outliers.
Honest take: Nobody likes cleanup, but if you don’t do it, your “source of truth” becomes just another ignored spreadsheet.
What Works (and What Doesn’t)
What works: - Keeping the list simple and focused. - Assigning real owners to accounts and updates. - Using comments and tags for actual collaboration, not just documentation.
What doesn’t: - Over-complicating with endless custom fields or workflows. - “Sharing” the list, then never looking at it again. - Assuming Rev will fix communication problems on its own—it’s just a tool.
Ignore: Any advice that promises “effortless alignment.” That’s not real life. Shared lists are a foundation, not a magic trick.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Iterate Often
Shared account lists in Rev aren’t rocket science, but they do take discipline. Start with a small group, keep your process simple, and get feedback as you go. Don’t try to build the perfect system on day one—you’ll just slow everyone down.
Keep your list clean, your ownership clear, and your collaboration honest. If it stops working, adjust. The best teams aren’t perfect; they just fix problems early and don’t overcomplicate things.
Now go make your shared list, and give yourself one less spreadsheet to chase.