If you’re reading this, you’re probably tired of generic outreach that goes nowhere. Maybe you’ve got a CRM full of data but struggle to actually use it to talk to prospects like humans, not spreadsheet rows. You want real personalization—without losing hours to manual work or duct-taped tools.
This guide is for sales folks, marketers, and anyone who wants to make their CRM data work for them, not against them. We’ll go step by step through using Spiky to hook up your CRM, pull out the right data, and keep your prospecting sharp (and sane).
Why bother? The problem with CRM data and “personalization”
Let’s be honest: CRMs can be a mess. Even the best ones are stuffed with stale contacts, half-filled fields, and notes nobody reads. When it comes time to write a prospecting email, what do most people do? They grab the first name and maybe the company, slap them in a template, and call it “personalized.”
It’s not. People can tell when you’re phoning it in.
True personalization means pulling in details that actually matter—recent activity, industry pain points, who referred them, or anything that shows you’ve done your homework. But doing this at scale is tough. That’s where a tool like Spiky comes in.
What is Spiky, really?
Spiky is a connector: it sits between your CRM and your outreach tools, making it easy to bring in the right data for each prospect. It’s not going to magically clean your CRM or write your emails for you. But it does help you:
- Sync and filter CRM data (without needing an IT degree)
- Enrich records with extra info (if you want)
- Pipe personalized fields straight into your email or LinkedIn outreach
If you’re expecting a “set it and forget it” miracle, look elsewhere. But if you want a flexible way to actually use your CRM info, Spiky’s worth a look.
Step 1: Get your CRM in order (yes, really)
Before you connect anything, do yourself a favor: spend an hour cleaning up your CRM. Spiky can only work with what you give it. If your data is junk, your results will be junk.
Quick wins: - Archive or delete dead leads. - Standardize fields—especially names, emails, and company info. - Fill in missing info for your top 50 prospects by hand. (It’s tedious, but it pays off.)
Pro tip: If you have a lot of missing data, Spiky can help enrich it later. But basic hygiene is still on you.
Step 2: Connect Spiky to your CRM
Here’s where the magic (or at least, the plumbing) happens. Spiky supports most major CRMs—Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, Zoho, and a handful of others. The process is usually:
- Log in to Spiky.
- Select “Add Integration” and choose your CRM.
- Authenticate using your CRM login or API key.
- Choose which data you want to sync (contacts, accounts, deals, etc.).
- Map your CRM fields to Spiky fields. (Don’t skip this—field mismatches cause headaches down the line.)
Heads up: If your CRM has custom fields, double-check that Spiky pulls them in. Some setups need extra steps.
What works well:
- Out-of-the-box support for most standard fields
- Handles big data sets without choking
What’s annoying:
- Some CRMs (looking at you, custom Salesforce setups) need admin help to get API access
- If your fields are a mess, mapping them is a pain
Step 3: Decide what “personalization” actually means for you
Before you go wild with merge fields, stop and think: what details will actually make your outreach better? More isn’t always better. Here are some fields that actually help:
- Recent activity (calls, meetings, emails)
- Industry or vertical
- Key pain points or goals
- Referral source (“Hey, [Referrer] mentioned you!”)
- Company news or funding rounds
Skip the stuff nobody cares about (“I see you’re based in Tulsa…”). Focus on what moves the needle.
Step 4: Set up your data filters in Spiky
You don’t want to blast every contact in your CRM. Use Spiky’s filtering to create targeted, relevant lists.
How to do it: - In Spiky, create a new “Segment” or “Audience.” - Add filters—job title, last activity date, deal stage, industry, etc. - Exclude anyone you don’t want to contact (existing clients, competitors, etc.) - Preview your list before moving on.
Pro tip: Start small. It’s better to have a tight list of 50 good prospects than 500 random ones.
Step 5: Add enrichment (optional, not magic)
If your CRM is missing key info—like LinkedIn URLs, recent news, or company size—Spiky can enrich your data from third-party sources. This is handy, but don’t expect miracles.
- Enrichment is hit-or-miss, especially for small or private companies.
- Always double-check enriched data before using it in outreach.
- You’ll probably need to pay extra for heavy enrichment.
What works:
- Filling in gaps for basic firmographic data
- Adding public info (like social links)
What doesn’t:
- Up-to-the-minute insights or deep research (that’s still on you)
- Fixing messy or totally missing records
Step 6: Connect Spiky to your outreach tool
Now you’ve got your list and your data. Time to actually use it.
- Spiky integrates with common outbound tools—think Outreach, Salesloft, Mailshake, or even plain old Gmail.
- Map your Spiky fields to your email templates (e.g., {{first_name}}, {{company}}, {{last_meeting_date}}).
- Set up test sends to yourself first. It’s embarrassing to send “Hi {{first_name}}” to a VP.
Watch out for:
- Field mismatches—double-check your merge tags
- Overpersonalization (“I see your dog’s name is Buster…” is creepy, not charming)
Step 7: Test, tweak, and keep it simple
Nobody nails personalization on the first try. Run a small batch of emails. See what lands. Iterate.
- Track replies, not just opens. Real engagement is what matters.
- If a field is getting weird results (e.g., “Hello, null!”), fix it or drop it.
- Don’t get stuck in analysis paralysis—better to start basic and improve.
Pro tip: Save your best-performing templates and segments. Spiky makes it easy to clone and adjust them over time.
What to ignore (for now)
- Super-fancy AI writing add-ons. They sound cool, but most spit out bland, generic copy. Focus on real details, not robot prose.
- Every possible CRM field. More data isn’t better. Only use what actually helps you stand out.
- “Set it and forget it” promises. Personalization is never 100% hands-off. Spiky streamlines the grunt work, but you still need to think.
Wrapping up
Getting real personalization out of your CRM isn’t rocket science, but it does take a bit of setup and human effort. Don’t get distracted by shiny features or try to automate every last detail. Clean your data, use Spiky to connect the dots, and focus on what actually matters to your prospects.
Start small, keep it simple, and tweak as you go. The best outreach is the stuff that actually sounds like you—and Spiky just helps you get there faster.