If you’re sick of chasing dead-end leads or dealing with half-baked contact info in your CRM, you’re not alone. Most B2B teams wrestle with stale data, missing fields, and a lot of guesswork when it comes to prospecting. This guide is for anyone who wants to cut the noise and actually use their CRM for what it’s supposed to do: help you find and close better deals. We’ll walk through how to use Rev to enrich your CRM data, what’s worth doing, what’s not, and how to skip the fluff.
Why Your CRM Data Probably Stinks
Let’s be honest: even the best CRMs turn into a dumpster fire over time. People change jobs, companies go under, and sales reps get lazy with data entry. Here’s what usually goes wrong:
- Outdated contacts: People move on, but your CRM doesn’t know.
- Missing info: You’ve got a name and an email—sometimes not even that.
- Duplicates everywhere: One company, three slightly different entries.
- No context: Is this lead a decision-maker or just someone who downloaded an ebook three years ago?
Bad data doesn’t just waste your time. It tanks your campaigns, annoys your reps, and can even get you blacklisted if you’re not careful.
What Is Rev, Really?
Rev isn’t the magic bullet some marketers claim, but it is a data enrichment tool that can help you clean up and fill in the blanks in your CRM. Instead of just appending a job title or LinkedIn URL, Rev tries to find your “best-fit” prospects by layering on firmographic, technographic, and intent data.
What does that mean in plain English? Basically, Rev uses a mix of public sources, proprietary databases, and algorithms to:
- Add missing contact and company details (emails, phone numbers, roles, etc.)
- Highlight which accounts are most likely to buy based on signals
- Uncover lookalike accounts that match your target profile
It’s not perfect. No enrichment tool is. But if you use it right, you’ll save a ton of time and avoid a lot of wild goose chases.
Step 1: Get Your CRM Ready for Enrichment
Don’t skip this. Rev (or any enrichment tool) is only as good as the data you feed it. If your CRM is a mess, you’ll just get a messier output.
Here’s what you need to do first:
- Deduplicate: Merge obvious duplicates so you don’t enrich the same account three times.
- Archive junk: Get rid of zombie leads (no activity in 2+ years, bounced emails, etc.).
- Standardize fields: Make sure things like company name, website, and job titles are in the right format.
- Back up your data: Always. Tools can and do overwrite things by mistake.
Pro tip: Run a quick report to see which fields are most often missing or wrong. That’ll help you prioritize what to fix (and what to enrich).
Step 2: Connect Rev to Your CRM
Rev supports most of the big-name CRMs—Salesforce, HubSpot, and so on. Connecting is usually straightforward, but don’t just click through the prompts.
A few things to watch out for:
- Permissions: Only give Rev access to the records you want enriched. Don’t open your entire database if you don’t have to.
- Field mapping: Double-check how Rev will map its data to your CRM fields. A mismatch here can create a new mess.
- Test on a small batch: Before you enrich your whole CRM, run a pilot on a subset. Look for weirdness—like wrong titles, mismatched companies, or overwritten fields.
What to ignore: Fancy enrichment options you don’t actually need (like social media URLs for manufacturing prospects who never touch LinkedIn). Focus on what your sales team will use.
Step 3: Choose What to Enrich (and What to Skip)
Not every contact or account needs to be enriched. Here’s how to decide:
- Prioritize high-value segments. If there are 500 accounts you really care about, start there.
- Ignore junk leads. Don’t waste credits or budget enriching records you’ll never touch.
- Be selective with fields. More data isn’t always better. Stick to the fields that actually help you qualify and close—think company size, industry, tech stack, and verified contact info.
Honest take: Don’t expect Rev to magically find a direct dial for every CEO. Some info just isn’t out there, and enrichment vendors will sometimes fill gaps with best guesses. Use common sense before hitting “update.”
Step 4: Run the Enrichment and Review the Results
Once you’ve set your filters and mapped your fields, let Rev do its thing. When it’s done, don’t just assume everything is perfect.
- Spot-check results. Pick a sample and look at what’s changed. Are the job titles accurate? Did anyone get assigned to the wrong company?
- Look for “fuzzy matches.” Sometimes Rev will fill a field with something that’s close but not quite right (like “Head of Marketing” instead of “VP, Growth”). Decide how much “fuzziness” you can live with.
- Watch for overwritten data. If Rev updated an existing field, make sure the new info is actually better than what you had.
Pro tip: Set up a workflow to flag big changes (like a company name update) for manual review before pushing them live.
Step 5: Put the Enriched Data to Work
Enriched data is only helpful if you actually use it. Here’s how to make it count:
- Update scoring models. If you use lead or account scoring, plug in your new fields to get more accurate scores.
- Segment smarter. Build lists based on real buying signals, not just what your reps guessed last quarter.
- Personalize outreach. Now that you know what tech they use or their exact job title, tailor your emails (without being creepy).
- Find lookalikes. Use Rev’s lookalike modeling to surface new accounts that match your best customers.
What not to do: Don’t blast your entire enriched database with the same tired sequence. Use the new data to actually get more targeted and relevant.
What Works, What Doesn’t, and What to Watch For
What works: - Cleaning up and filling obvious gaps (company size, industry, job role) - Identifying best-fit accounts based on your real customer data - Uncovering new targets you might’ve missed
What doesn’t: - Expecting perfect or instant results—there will be duds and mismatches - Blindly trusting every field Rev fills in (always spot-check) - Enriching your entire CRM just because you can (waste of time and money)
Watch for: - Overwriting good data with generic or “guessed” info - Adding too much data that clutters sales workflows - Privacy and compliance—don’t get sloppy with personal data
Keep It Simple and Iterate
Enriching your CRM with Rev isn’t rocket science, but it’s not “set it and forget it” either. Start small. Fix what matters most. Review your results, and don’t be afraid to tweak your approach as you go. The goal isn’t to have a “perfect” CRM (that’s a myth), but to have just enough accurate, useful data to help your team find and close better deals. Stay skeptical of hype, trust your gut, and keep it practical.