By Rob Kall, Co-Founder & CEO, Cien.ai

“In five days, we went from two messy CRMs to a single source of truth — and a clear plan to hit our number. The board stopped asking if I had control over the pipeline.”

–  CRO, Global SaaS Company

The Post-Acquisition Data Problem No One Talks About

Closing the deal is only the beginning. For CROs and VPs of Sales, the real challenge starts the day after the acquisition papers are signed.

Retention of high-value clients, protecting and growing the pipeline, unlocking cross-sell opportunities, producing a unified forecast — these are now urgent, high-stakes priorities. But the reality is often ugly:

• Customer records exist in two different CRM systems, each riddled with duplicates and inconsistent formatting.
• Opportunities from the acquired team can’t be easily compared to those from the legacy team.
• The board is asking for a single, reliable forecast… and you can’t produce one without guesswork.
• Every day without unified data increases the risk of revenue leakage and missed targets.

Forecasting becomes a minefield, credibility with the CEO and board is on the line, and the fear of losing momentum is real.

Why Speed Matters in the First 90 Days

Traditional consulting-led data integration projects take three to six months to deliver insights — far too slow when your market, competitors, and board expectations won’t wait. The first 90 days after an acquisition are when the story of the deal is written. If that story starts with a messy, unreliable view of the combined pipeline, every decision you make is riskier.

From Messy Data to Clear Strategy — in Five Days

For the B2B sales leader accountable for delivering predictable revenue, Cien is the AI-powered GTM diagnostic platform that replaces uncertainty with an actionable growth plan. Unlike point solutions that only show you what is happening, Cien reveals why it’s happening.
In just five days, our platform:

• Cleans and standardizes combined CRM data to remove duplicates and fill in gaps.
• Maps retention risk across both customer bases, with a spotlight on high-value accounts.
• Assesses pipeline health — volume, quality, and velocity — across legacy and acquired teams.
• Surfaces hidden cross-sell and upsell potential in both directions.
• Delivers a unified, data-backed forecast the board can trust.

What Success Looks Like

When your combined data house is in order, the benefits are immediate and measurable:

• Unified pipeline visibility in five days
  
• $Millions in cross-sell opportunities uncovered from duplicate accounts.
  
• Forecast variance typically cut from 31% to 12% in one quarter.
  
• Clear, confident board updates — replacing “we think” with “we know.”
  
• A unified GTM motion with aligned messaging, pricing, and enablement that energizes the sales team.
  

The GTM Diagnostic doesn’t drown you in technical jargon. It identifies misalignments, inefficiencies, and integration opportunities in plain language — so you can focus on decisions that grow revenue faster.

About the Cien.ai Data Exec Series

This article is part of our Data Exec Series, inspired by our work with B2B leaders, growth consultants, and PE operating partners. These pieces focus on how to become a data-driven executive ready for the AI revolution. If you’re interested in RevOps analytics and GTM performance strategy, be sure to also check out our Growth Essentials and Practical RevOps Analytics series.