Fix the leaks in your pipeline before AI speeds them up.
We fix the CRM, ERP and revenue data your AI tools will run on, for manufacturers, distributors and contractors, at a fixed price.
Quotes that never get a follow-up. Won work re-typed into the ERP. Invoices that go out late. We fix the systems behind all of it, so the work stops leaking now and tools like Agentforce or Breeze have clean data when you turn them on.
Founder-led: Gage Staruch scopes, reviews and stands behind every engagement.
Does this sound like your business?
Each of these costs you money today. Each one gets worse, faster, the day you switch AI on. That's the reason to fix it now.
- Quotes and bids go out. Nobody follows up for days.
- Won work gets re-typed by hand into the ERP, job or accounting system.
- Invoices go out late while someone chases paperwork.
- The same customer is in the CRM three times, spelled three ways.
- The CRM and the ERP disagree on who the customer is and what they ordered.
- Deals sit with no owner and no dated next step.
- "Proposal" means one thing to one rep and something else to the next.
- The forecast is built by calling around, because nobody trusts the report.
- Everything runs through the owner or one key person.
Recognize two or more? Your CRM isn't ready for AI yet. That's fixable.
Is it safe to turn on AI in a messy CRM?
No. AI doesn't clean up your data. It acts on it. Faster, and at scale.
An AI agent reads what's in your CRM and does something with it. If a customer is in there three times, it emails them three times. If a lost deal still says "Proposal," it chases a buyer who already said no. If a deal has no next step, it fills the gap with a guess. If the amounts are wrong, your forecast comes back wrong with total confidence.
The engine is powerful. Feed it garbage and it breaks loudly, in front of your customers. Fix the data model, the rules and the handoffs first. Then turn it on.
What does an AI-ready pipeline actually look like?
Same six deals. Left side is how most deal sheets look today. Right side is what AI and automation need to work from. Drag the line to compare.
Before: The Deal Sheet
Duplicates. Blank owners. Broken formulas. Notes like "CALL BACK" and "Mike has notes." A person can squint and guess. An AI tool will guess too, and act on it.
After: The Data Asset
One record per customer. Stages with clear rules. An owner and a dated next step on every deal. Clean values you can total. Now automation has something real to run on, and the forecast adds up.
- Every deal shows where it stands, by the same rules for everyone.
- Duplicates, blanks and broken formulas are gone.
- Renewals get flagged months ahead, not the week they lapse.
- The data is structured so automation and AI can act on it safely.
Illustration only. Company names are made up. Not a client result.
How do you make a CRM ready for AI?
Four steps. Same order every time. No step gets skipped because it's boring.
Map It
We trace how a lead becomes a quote, a job and an invoice. Every system, every handoff, every field, every person who touches it. We settle which system owns the customer record, the order and the invoice: CRM, ERP or accounting. You get one clear picture of your data model. AI can't follow a process nobody has written down.
Find the Leaks
We find where money and data fall out. Duplicate records. Blank required fields. Stages with no definition. Deals with no next step. Won work re-typed by hand. Integrations that quietly broke. Each leak gets ranked by cost and by risk: what's safe to automate now, and what would blow up if you turned AI on tomorrow.
Fix It
We build the fix inside the systems you already have. Merge duplicates. Define stages with entry and exit rules. Require the fields that matter. Set validation rules, permissions and ownership rules so the data stays clean after we leave. Connect the CRM to your ERP or accounting system so nobody re-types a won job, and each record has one owner system. Clear rules for who can change what, enforced by the system.
Prove It in the Numbers
We build the reports that show whether it worked: follow-up time, handoff time, quote-to-invoice time, and how complete your data actually is. When the numbers hold, we turn on automation or AI in a small, controlled scope and measure that too. No big-bang launch. No guessing.
What does the audit look for?
The leaks that keep good operators from growing. These are the tactics we check for, then build into your systems.
Every quote, bid or estimate gets an owner and a dated follow-up the day it goes out. No quote sits silent.
Won work flows into the ERP or job system once. Nobody re-types it. Nobody waits on an email.
We trace lead to quote to order to job to invoice, and find where work or cash stalls.
One record per customer. One system that owns it. No duplicates, no guessing.
Every open deal has an owner, a stage that means the same thing to everyone, and a next step with a date.
Contracts and repeat orders get flagged ahead of time, not the week they lapse.
Past customers get a check-in and a referral ask on a schedule, not when someone remembers.
AI goes on only after the foundation is clean. Small scope first. Measured.
What does an audit report look like?
Illustrative sample. Not a client. No real data.- Process map. One page: lead, quote, order, job, invoice. Every system and handoff in between.
- System-of-record table. Which system owns the customer, the contact, the order and the invoice. Where they conflict.
- Gap list. Each leak with where it happens, what breaks if AI is switched on, the fix, and a priority.
- AI-readiness call, per use case. For example: "AI follow-up emails: not yet. Needs duplicates merged and dated next steps first." "Pipeline summaries: after stage rules are set."
- Ranked fix plan. Fix first, fix next, later. Ranked by cost and risk.
- Recorded video walkthrough. Rewatch it, share it with your team.
| Leak (example) | Where | Risk if AI is on | Fix | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quotes with no follow-up date | CRM | AI has nothing to act on, or guesses | Required next-step date on every quote | Fix first |
| Duplicate customer records | CRM and ERP | Same customer contacted twice | Merge, then set one owner system | Fix first |
| Won jobs re-typed into ERP | Sales to ops handoff | Order data drifts from the deal | One-way sync on close | Fix next |
| Reorders not tracked | Nowhere | AI can't flag what isn't recorded | Reorder date field and reminder | Later |
Illustrative sample only. Rows show the format of the report, not findings from any client.
Our no-commission policy
Desert West Digital does not resell software, take referral fees or accept commissions from any platform we recommend. If that ever changes, we'll tell you in writing before we recommend anything. The advice is just the advice.
Prices on the page
$3,500 fixed for the audit. $2,000 or $3,500 a month for retainers. No hourly meter, no surprise line items. See pricing.
Who is behind Desert West Digital?
Founder-led: Gage Staruch scopes, reviews and stands behind every engagement.
Gage Staruch, Founder
Started in sales as an account executive. Carried a quota. Knows what it's like to work a pipeline you don't trust and fill out a CRM that gives you nothing back.
10+ years building the systems revenue teams run on. Pipelines, forecasting, lead routing, reporting, and the handoff from sales to operations to billing.
The belief behind the firm: most CRM problems aren't software problems. They're data and process problems wearing a software costume. AI makes that more true, not less. The operators who get real value from AI will be the ones who fixed the boring foundation first.
Based in Maricopa, Arizona. Working with companies across the US.
Gage Staruch scopes, reviews and stands behind every engagement. No account managers in between.
The fix gets built in your tools, not left in a slide deck.
Systems salespeople will actually use.
No reseller deals, no referral fees. In writing.
Quotes, bids, jobs, reorders, branches and invoices come first.
We work in the CRM and ERP you already have. We sell clean data and solid process, not AI software.
Is this a fit for your business?
It's a fit if you're a traditional operator doing $10M to $100M. It's not a fit if you sell software or you're backed by private equity or venture capital.
Good fit
- Traditional operators doing roughly $10M to $100M in revenue
- Manufacturers, distributors, contractors and trades, multi-location service businesses, professional services firms
- A CRM and an ERP or accounting system that don't agree, or a deal sheet nobody trusts
- Being pitched AI tools and want to turn them on without chaos
- Want a fixed price and a founder accountable for the work
Not a fit
- SaaS or software companies
- Private equity or venture-backed firms
- Teams looking for a large agency or a bench of specialists
- Anyone who wants AI turned on this week, data or no data
What does it cost?
A $3,500 fixed-price audit to start. Then, if you want help building the fix, a month-to-month retainer at $2,000 or $3,500 a month.
CRM & AI-Readiness Audit
- A process map: how leads, quotes, orders, jobs and invoices move through your CRM, ERP and revenue systems today
- A data model review: which system owns the customer, the order and the invoice, and where they conflict
- A gap list: duplicates, blank fields, undefined stages, missing next steps, broken integrations, manual re-typing
- An AI-readiness assessment: what's safe to automate now, what isn't, and why
- A ranked fix plan, by cost and risk
- A written report plus a recorded video walkthrough
About 2 to 3 weeks, delivered async. The full $3,500 is credited toward a retainer if you start within 30 days of delivery.
Book a fit call about the auditUp to 10 hours a month
For teams with a clear fix list who need steady progress.
- CRM cleanup and duplicate merges
- Stage rules and required fields
- Reports and dashboards
- Small integrations
- Keeping the data clean month after month
Up to 20 hours a month
For bigger rebuilds.
- Data model redesign
- CRM-to-ERP or accounting integration
- Governance rules and permissions
- A controlled rollout of automation or AI once the data is ready
Terms for both retainers
- Month-to-month. Cancel with 30 days' notice.
- Async by default. Requests by email or a shared board.
- Recorded video walkthroughs for every significant change.
- No useless standing meetings. Calls when needed, in the evening (Arizona time).
- Work scoped and approved before it starts.
- We take no more than two retainer clients at a time.
What you won't get
- Hourly billing or an open clock
- Change orders or surprise line items
- A 40-page deck that sits on a shelf
- Account managers between you and the founder
- A software license we get paid to sell you
Straight answers.
What's the difference between fractional RevOps and a full-time hire?
A full-time hire is one person on payroll, with recruiting, salary, benefits and ramp time. Fractional RevOps gets you senior work on your systems for a fixed monthly fee, without the hire. You can scale up, scale down or stop with 30 days' notice. If you truly need someone 40 hours a week, hire full time. We'll tell you if that's the case.
Why can't I just turn on the AI tools in my current CRM?
You can. They'll work from whatever is in there. If your CRM has duplicates, undefined stages, blank owners and no dated next steps, the AI will email the wrong people, chase dead deals and forecast numbers that aren't real. It just does it faster. Clean the data and set the rules first. Then AI has something worth acting on.
What does the audit actually look for?
The leaks that hold operators back from growing. Quotes with no fast follow-up. Gaps in the handoff between sales and operations. Work that stalls between the order and the invoice. Duplicate or ownerless customer records. Deals with no dated next step. Renewals and reorders nobody tracks. No system for repeat customers and referrals. And whether your data is clean enough to put AI on top of it yet.
What happens after the audit?
You get the written report and a recorded walkthrough. Then it's your call. Fix it yourself, hand it to your team, or bring us on a retainer to build it. No pressure, no obligation. The audit is useful on its own.
Do you resell software or take commissions?
No. Desert West Digital does not resell software, take referral fees or accept commissions from any platform it recommends. If we recommend a tool, it's because it fits. Most of the time the answer is to fix what you already have.
Do I need Agentforce or Breeze to work with you?
No. The audit is tool-neutral. Plenty of businesses get real value from clean data and simple automation before they touch AI at all. If you do roll out an AI tool, the work makes sure it has clean data to run on.
Which systems do you work with?
Whatever CRM, ERP and revenue systems you already run, such as Salesforce, HubSpot or NetSuite. We don't make you switch platforms. Your ERP, estimating or accounting system stays where it is. Our job is to make it and your CRM agree on which system owns the customer, the order and the invoice.
Who is Desert West Digital a fit for?
Traditional operators doing roughly $10M to $100M in revenue: manufacturers, distributors, contractors and trades, multi-location service businesses and professional services firms. Not SaaS or software companies, and not private equity or venture-backed firms.
Who leads the work?
Desert West Digital is founder-led. Gage Staruch scopes, reviews and stands behind every engagement. No account managers between you and the founder. Every significant change comes with a recorded video walkthrough.
Do you work with companies outside Arizona?
Yes. Desert West Digital is based in Maricopa, Arizona, and works with companies across the US. The work is remote and async.
Fix the foundation. Then turn it on.
Tell us what's broken. A few lines is plenty. Gage reads every one and replies within 2 business days.