You Can’t Build AI on Chaos: Fixing Broken CRM Data w/ Torquil Thomson

Episode notes

Episode Summary Is 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 .