You Can’t Build AI on Chaos: Fixing Broken CRM Data w/ Torquil Thomson
Episode SummaryIs your "Pipeline Problem" actually a "Data Problem"? In this episode of Thoughts on Selling, Lee Levitt sits down with Torquil Thomson, founder of The Conversion Architects, to explore a hard truth that most revenue leaders ignore: Your Go-to-Market engine is only as good as the data beneath it.
Joining from Barcelona, Torquil shares astonishing stats from the field—like companies with 40–50% duplicate records or databases with 2 million accounts but only 1 million contacts. We discuss why "Frankenstein Tech Stacks" are stalling growth and why you cannot bolt AI onto a broken system. As Torquil puts it, "If your CRM is full of mud, your revenue engine runs on mud."
Memorable Quotes:
"You can’t build AI on chaos. AI isn’t magic—it’s a learning model." — Torquil Thomson
"If your CRM is full of mud, your revenue engine runs on mud."
"Automation should eliminate admin work, not connection, nuance, or judgment."
3 Actionable Takeaways for Leaders:
The "Mud" Audit: Before you buy another AI tool, audit your foundation. Torquil notes that many companies have 5-10% of contacts with no name. If you feed this "mud" into an AI agent, you will get hallucinations, not revenue. Clean, dedupe, and structure your data first.
Fix the "Bowtie" Middle: Most companies obsess over the funnel (acquisition) but lose value in the middle of the Bowtie Model (handoffs and renewals). Use automation to flag role changes and renewal risks, ensuring no momentum is lost between Sales and CS.
Confidence > Information: We discuss The JOLT Effect and why modern buyers don't need more information—they need more confidence. Your reps shouldn't use AI to drown clients in data; they should use it to anticipate risks and make the buyer feel safe moving forward.
Key Topics & Timestamps:
(00:00) – Introduction: From Scotland to Barcelona.
(04:30) – The Data Reality Check: Why 40-50% of your CRM might be duplicate records.
(11:15) – AI & The "Frankenstein" Stack: Why adding AI to bad processes creates faster chaos.
(18:40) – The Bowtie Model: Finding leverage in handoffs, renewals, and expansion.
(26:00) – Humans > Machines: Why automation should handle admin, not relationships.
(33:20) – The JOLT Effect: Why customers want confidence, not just more data.
(41:00) – Product-Triggered Outreach: Moving from cold blasts to behavioral signals.
About Our Guest:
Torquil Thomson is the founder of The Conversion Architects, a consultancy helping B2B SaaS companies fix the operational foundations that stall growth. With 20+ years of experience in Sales Ops and Country Leadership, Torquil specializes in cleaning, restructuring, and optimizing CRM data to support the modern, AI-driven revenue engine.
About the Host:
Lee Levitt is a seasoned sales performance consultant, sales coach and the Principal of The Acelera Group.
With decades of experience in Sales, Sales Leadership, Sales Enablement, Revenue Operations, and Sales Performance Management, Lee helps emerging and enterprise organizations build disciplined, replicable sales operating systems.
He is the voice behind the Thoughts on Selling™ brand, covering the intersection of deal mechanics and the "Inner Game" of selling.
Related Episodes:
Ep [Prev]: Death of the "Static" Account Plan w/ Ulrik Monberg: More on fixing CRM processes.
Ep [Prev]: The Unicorn Model is Dead w/ Amos Bar-Joseph: Scaling with intelligent systems.
Ep [Prev]: Agentic AI & The End of Inside Sales w/ Garth Fasano: The future of automation.
Resources & Links:
Fix Your Foundation: Visit The Conversion Architects.
Connect with Torquil: Find Torquil Thomson on LinkedIn.
Subscribe: Get the Thoughts on Selling newsletter at thoughtsonselling.com.
Keywords:RevOps, CRM Data Hygiene, Data Quality, AI in Sales, Sales Operations, Bowtie Model, Customer Success Handoffs, The JOLT Effect, B2B SaaS Growth, Tech Stack Optimization, Revenue Engineering, Sales Strategy.
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