You wouldn’t eat moldy leftovers or go a week without brushing your teeth (we hope). So why are you OK with bloated spreadsheets, duplicate records and stale customer relationship management, or CRM, data?

A data quality survey found that 77% of organizations have data quality issues, and over 90% believe data quality impacts their company’s performance.

We live in a world where clean living is a way of life. Choking down liquified kale and juicing anything hiding in the back of the fridge is now a multibillion dollar industry, we walk 10,000 steps a day (or at least knock out the number of steps it takes to get across the parking lot to Trader Joes) and we take a vitamin D supplement for the days we forget what the sun looks like.

But here’s the thing: Your data needs the same care and attention as your gut health. The Great Expectations survey found that poor data quality contributed to a lack of documentation for 31% of those surveyed, and 22% reported that it impacted team alignment.

If you’re leading go-to-market teams and your systems are clogged with dirty data, it’s time for a detox. Let’s discuss why clean data is essential for healthy business operations.

Healthy living and healthy data: What they have in common

Just as a healthy lifestyle is essential for creating systems that support clarity, reduce stress and set you up for long-term success, maintaining clean data is equally crucial. When you drink more water, your body functions more efficiently. When you normalize your data sources, your business does too. The parallels are real: Both clean living and clean data require consistency, thoughtful habits and a willingness to cut out the junk.

No one feels their best after a week of fast food and zero sleep. And your CRM feels the same way after weeks of neglected inputs, outdated lead logic and 14 different definitions of “qualified.” Daily discipline, such as automated workflows and clear dashboards, can go a long way toward helping your go-to-market teams operate with energy, purpose and alignment.

“Think about it! If you already have all the data you need in the system, then you don’t have to wait days for someone to go through and clean data in your system,” said Josh Williamson, implementation analyst at Fullcast. “This allows for more transparency into how your company is running and grants you more nimbleness in decision-making. Having worked in software implementation consulting for over 7.5 years with a wide spectrum of industries, I am confident in saying that proper data hygiene cuts the fat out of decision-making.”

Clean data is an investment and a lifestyle choice. It fuels smarter decisions, better collaboration and more confidence across your entire GTM operation. So give your CRM a wellness check. It might just be the healthiest move you make this quarter.

Garbage in, garbage out (also true for fast food)

Take it from the experts: You can’t outwork a bad diet. And you can’t optimize your GTM motion with toxic data.

If your inputs are flawed, your strategy — no matter how brilliant — is running on fumes. Consider these real-life examples:

• A rep wastes 15 minutes on a lead that’s already in the pipeline (oops).
• Your forecast is off because “ACME INC” is in the system three different ways.
• Marketing keeps targeting CFOs who actually left the company in 2022.

All because no one cleaned out the fridge.

The benefits of healthy data hygiene

Just like getting enough sleep or finally giving up soda, the benefits compound over time.

• Faster time-to-lead: Your SDRs stop chasing ghosts.
• More accurate forecasts: You trust the number in the board deck.
• Better alignment: Marketing, sales, and ops are finally speaking the same language.
• Smarter AI plus automation: Your tools can only work if the data makes sense.

Clean data isn’t glamorous. But, hey, neither is flossing. That doesn’t mean you skip it.

It’s time for a data detox plan

You don’t have to rebuild your tech stack from scratch. Just like you wouldn’t run a marathon on day one of your health kick, start small:

1. Audit your CRM: What’s outdated, duplicated, or just plain wrong?
2. Set hygiene rules: Create standards for data entry and validation.
3. Automate cleanups: Use tools that flag and resolve issues in real time.
4. Assign ownership: Data hygiene isn’t just RevOps’ problem. Make it a team sport.
5. Monitor and improve: Because just like health, this is a journey, not a one-time fix.

Your GTM engine deserves better fuel

If you’re investing time and energy in scaling your go-to-market engine but neglecting your data health, you’re running a Formula One car on gas station nachos.

Don’t be that team.

“Your company is also a machine, complete with both the inputs and outputs,” Williamson explained. “As a bodybuilder, I have a strict diet of exorbitant amounts of chicken and rice. It’s not a particularly exciting diet. But consistent discipline with this diet has helped me gain a lot of lean mass, empowering me and helping me to think more nimbly and clearly. My body is, after all, a machine, and machines have inputs and outputs. The more consistent and clean the inputs are, the clearer the results become.”

Williamson added that to get the best outputs, you need the best inputs. He shared some input and output pointers.

• Remember to drink water, and often.
• Consider switching to Calrose rice (aka sticky rice). It has 3 grams of protein, 35 grams of carbs and 0 grams of fat per 1/4 cup serving. And it’s the tastiest rice.
• Review a sample array of your accounts and data sets to identify any commonly missing fields (e.g., country, zip code, email, etc.).
• Start cleaning your data as soon as possible.
• There are AI-based data enrichment services that can help fill in data gaps.

Just as healthy habits keep your body running strong, clean and reliable data keeps your business growing without burnout. So, skip the sugar crash, go green, go clean and give your data the glow-up it deserves.

J’Nel Wright is the content writer at Fullcast, a Silicon Slopes-based, end-to-end RevOps platform that allows companies to design, manage and track the performance of their revenue-generating teams.