Crop factor is dependent on your camera's sensor. Focal length is dependent on your lens.
Combine them to get the effective focal length, which is stated in 35mm-frame-size terms. This will let you "talk the same language" as the 35mm/full-frame folk (which is by and large the standard).
For example, if you hear someone state that "85mm is a good focal length for a portrait lens", (and you know they're referring to a 35mm/full frame scenario), you could divide that number by your camera's crop factor (1.5x on my D90) and get the real focal length that will give you the same effect. 85mm / 1.5x = 57mm, so I can use my 50mm lens and get close to the same results.