CRM data is trustworthy when the notes say what is missing, the clean-up is checked by a person, and a request to stop contact is recorded once. This guide covers those three fixes, with the Claude prompts for the first two.
None of this needs a new tool. It needs one rule per fix.
In this guide
- The word “missing”: a one-line fix for CRM notes nobody can use
- Clean CRM data with three prompts and one rule
- A do-not-contact field belongs on every person in your CRM
The word “missing”: a one-line fix for CRM notes nobody can use
“Good call, send proposal” isn’t a note. It is a reminder to yourself, and it is useless to whoever opens the deal next.
Here is the prompt I would use to fix it:
Rewrite these CRM notes so the next person can pick up the deal with no context: [PASTE]. Use this structure: pain in their words, who decides, what happens if they do nothing, next step with a date. Under 120 words. If an item isn’t in the notes, write “missing.”
The useful part is the last line
When Claude writes “missing,” it is pointing at a question you never asked the buyer. That is information, not a failure. Without that line, a model will often fill the gap with something that sounds plausible, and you may not notice.
What to do with it
- Fill the gaps by asking the buyer, not by guessing.
- Paste the clean version into the CRM.
- Keep the structure as your template for next time.
The catch
You still read the result against your own notes before it goes anywhere. Remove private details you don’t need before you paste, and follow your employer’s rules on AI tools.
Clean CRM data with three prompts and one rule
Most CRM clean-up is dull and gets skipped. These three prompts handle the first pass. The rule that keeps them safe is the same for all three: Claude suggests, and you decide.
Pull field values from a call
The key phrase is “not stated.” Without it, a model will often guess a value to fill the field.
From this call transcript [PASTE], pull values for these CRM fields: [LIST OF FIELDS]. If a value isn’t stated, return “not stated.” Do not guess.
Check before you use it: Spot-check three values against the source before you save them to the CRM.
Spot duplicate companies
This prompt groups near-matches and suggests one clean name, but it will not merge anything it is unsure about. Those go on a separate list for you to check.
Here are company names as typed in our CRM: [PASTE LIST]. Group the ones that look like the same company and suggest one clean name for each group. Don’t merge anything you are unsure about; list those separately.
Check before you use it: Merge by hand in the CRM. Claude suggests, you decide.
Tidy lost reasons
Free-text lost reasons are hard to report on. Grouping them into six to eight categories gives you a dropdown that people will actually use.
Here are free-text lost reasons from our CRM: [PASTE]. Group them into six to eight categories I can use as a dropdown. Show each category with the examples it covers, and list any reasons that don’t fit.
Check before you use it: Fewer categories is better. Merge until each one has a clear owner.
The rule
Never let the model write straight into the CRM. Read the suggestions, spot-check them against the source, and make the change yourself. That is the same approval rule I use for every agent.
Related: If the CRM doesn’t enforce it, reps will skip it
A do-not-contact field belongs on every person in your CRM
If someone asks you to stop contacting them, the request should live somewhere other than your memory.
My own CRM has a do-not-contact field on every person. I added it for a simple reason. People ask to be left alone, and that has to be recorded where anyone who might email them can see it.
What the field is for
- A person asks to be removed. You flag them once.
- Anyone building a list can exclude flagged people.
- A teammate who joins later doesn’t need to know the history.
What a field can’t do on its own
A flag only helps if it is checked. If you pull emails from a data source or an enrichment tool, those tools may not know about your flags, so you have to exclude flagged people before you send. Don’t assume that one system’s opt-outs carry into another.
A short checklist
- Add the field to the person record.
- Make “exclude do-not-contact” part of every list you build.
- Check the field again before you send, not just when you build the list.
The catch
This is a good habit, not legal advice. Rules on outreach differ by country and by channel, so check what applies to you.
Where to go next
Every prompt here comes from a set of 50 I wrote for the moments in a sales week. A free sample of 10 and the full pack are in the shop.
If you’d rather have this built into your CRM than run it by hand, that’s what RevLathe does.
I’m Seth Levanen. I find the AI shortcuts that keep the quality and drop the busywork. Email me if you want to talk about it.