I’ve used HubSpot, Salesforce, Attio, and custom CRMs.
They’re all based on the same fundamentals.
This cheat sheet covers every component of an effective CRM 👇
1. Map lead sources
Every lead source should sync into the CRM:
Inbound and opt-in content (forms, booked calls)
1st, 2nd, and 3rd party signals
Outbound and ABM targets
Product and PLG sign-ups
Partners and events
Ads
2. Data architecture
Everything downstream depends on how the data model is built:
Object model: standard objects (company, contact, lead, deal) plus custom ones (workspace)
Associations: object relationships (1:1 or 1:many) with labels and rules
3. Enrichment and cleanup
Every record should be researched, deduped, and enriched before a rep touches it:
Account research mapped to standard and custom properties
Deduping at the point of creation, with subsidiaries linked to parent accounts
Automated CRM enrichment on every new record
4. Lifecycle and lead management
Taking a record from unknown to qualified:
Lifecycle stages updated 100% automatically
Lead creation pipeline that qualifies at scale (inbound, PLG, outbound, intent)
Standardised ownership per stage and motion
Qualification based on enrichment and sales discovery
5. Segmentation and scoring
Scoring is where most reps either trust the CRM or stop using it:
Tiering based on account fit (not intent)
PQL score from product usage events
Awareness score: Identified, Aware, Interested, Considering, Selecting
6. Opportunity and pipeline
The structure sales leaders need to run the business without asking around:
Commercial motions: new business, upsell, cross-sell, renewals
Pipeline requirements by segment, deal size, complexity, product
Stages that reflect real milestones (e.g. proposal sent)
Deal progression rules per stage (properties, buyer progress, next action)
Deal governance for stalled deals and hygiene
Reporting on activity, deal velocity, win rate, closed lost
7. Customer success
CS teams should run out of the same CRM:
Data foundation: sync data warehouses and support tools into the CRM
CS ops: onboarding, adoption, churn prevention, expansion
