Why Accurate Data Is the Only Data That Matters

Data drives everything from sports to poker to business. Sales goals, marketing plans, customer insights, and even how you measure success is driven by data. Here’s a truth that is often overlooked: data coming out is only as good as the data going in.

You can have the best CRM system and the most impressive dashboards, but if the information inside isn’t right, your decisions won’t be either.

The Cost of Bad Data

Bad data is expensive. It wastes time, money, and energy.

  • According to Gartner, poor data quality costs organisations on average $12.9 million per year. Gartner

  • In one study, a company used inaccurate CRM info and ended up wasting marketing budget, losing deals, and seeing sales reps frustrated by chasing dead leads. SalesIntel

  • A review of the business impact of incomplete or inconsistent data found that US companies lose up to $3 trillion annually because of bad quality data. Delpha

  • Duplicate and outdated database records not only drive wasted effort but result in messaging to the wrong customers, repeated outreach, or emails that never land. Simple Strat

Real-life ripple effects:

  • Sales teams lose morale when they’re working with bad contact details, wrong titles, outdated companies. That time is taken away from actual selling. SalesIntel

  • Marketing teams cannot trust lead attribution when the data is messy. They may keep funding channels that aren’t working simply because they lack clean input data. revops802.com

  • Operationally, inaccurate forecasts, wrong customer segmentation, or bad product-info feed into bigger downstream problems (wrong stock, wrong offers, mis-timed campaigns). lakeFS

If your CRM, marketing automation or analytics are giving you “good enough” data instead of accurate data, you’re paying a tax on inefficiency and very possibly losing out on whole opportunities.

How to Keep Your CRM Data Clean

Your CRM should be your company’s source of truth, not a pile of guesses. Here’s how to keep it that way:

  1. Set clear rules for data entry. Make sure everyone enters names, phone numbers, and emails the same way.

  2. Use tools that verify data automatically. Validate emails and phone numbers before they’re saved.

  3. Audit your CRM regularly. Go through it every few months to remove duplicates, merge records, and update old info.

  4. Train your team. People need to understand why accuracy matters. When they know how bad data hurts the business, they’ll take ownership of keeping it clean.

Better Data Leads to Better Marketing

Marketing data can get messy fast because it comes from so many places like ads, forms, events, social media, and third-party lists. Here’s how to keep it under control:

  • Start with verified data. Use enrichment tools like Clearbit or ZoomInfo to check and fill in missing details.

  • Connect your platforms. Sync your CRM with your marketing and ad tools so you always have consistent, updated information.

  • Use AI tools to flag problems. Many CRMs can now detect duplicates or incomplete records automatically.

  • Keep your forms simple. Only ask for what you’ll actually use. Every unnecessary field is another chance for bad data to slip in.

The Payoff of Accurate Data

When your data is accurate, everything gets better.

  • You spend less money on ads and see better conversions.

  • You forecast sales with confidence.

  • You communicate with customers in a way that feels personal and relevant.

Final Take

At Peak Hour Consulting, we look at data as the foundation for every smart business decision. If your data is off, everything else will be too. Clean, accurate data leads to better marketing, stronger customer relationships, and a much higher return on effort.

If your CRM or marketing systems are starting to feel messy, it’s probably time for a data cleanup. We can help make sure your data is clear, reliable, and working for you instead of against you.