Doug sits down with David and Jarin for a potentially controversial conversation on the right time to implement RevOps teams. Doug dives into the importance of having a strong data plan, the areas of most impact for an early stage RevOps team, and why now is the time to double down on understanding your ICP.

Takeaways:

• While it may seem controversial, many early stage companies should hire for RevOps before sales. While CEO’s need to focus on leading the growth of the first million before bringing on more sales people, RevOps can enable the CEO to sell better.
• As companies focus on scaling, they need to ensure they have strong data practices in place. Without knowing what data and metrics drive the success of your company, you will fail to grow efficiently. 
• In today’s market companies need to be focusing on one thing, ICP. Building a pipeline is hard, and you need to ensure that you are targeting the right people, in the right ways, at the right times. 
• At early stage companies, the best thing a RevOps leader can help with is building an overview dashboard. This helps senior leadership not only understand the business better, but communicate more effectively with the board of directors
• If your sales team doesn’t understand what a RevOps team should do, that RevOps team becomes a catch all team. When sales is more aligned with RevOps, they can advocate for better support for RevOps teams as work loads fluctuate during the year.
• Pipeline is the heartbeat of any company, and companies need to be focusing on tracking the right metrics to understand it. Identify your company goals and their corresponding metrics to track, rather than solving with technology. 
• When planning ahead on strategy, you need to also incorporate the ramp up time of your reps into your timeline. If you only start hiring by the time you start implementing, you are already behind on hitting your goals. 

Quote of the Show:

• “The right rev ops leader who is really strategic in the business understands what fundamentally we're trying to do from the top down.” - Doug Landis

Shoutouts:

• Amy Volas: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amyvolas/ 
• Samantha McKenna: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samsalesli/ 
• John Barrows: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/ 
• Ian Koniak: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iankoniak/ 
• Kevin "KD" Dorsey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kddorsey3/

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/douglandis/ 
• Website: https://www.emcap.com/ 

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/08a4b302-d25e-4b7b-a11a-60e9b51df083/revops-rockstars 
• Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/revops-rockstars/id1654084702 
• Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6ynGAP60cktaDs1Cb6Chxh 

Chris sits down with David Carnes and Jarin Chu for a thoughtful discussion on the role of RevOps. Chris explores how Otter is using their own tool internally, how AI can help ops teams, the value of building a scalable dashboard, and why RevOps is a seller’s best friend. 

Takeaways:

• To excel in RevOps, one must learn the importance of ruthless prioritization due to the limited time available for completing tasks. Additionally, mastering the art of saying no is crucial in order to focus on the most significant priorities.
• As a mighty team of one, Chris holds four pivotal roles, encompassing DealDesk, Business Systems, Go-to-Market Operations, and Reporting Dashboards. Through careful planning, Chris enabled efficient processes and data-driven decision-making.
• With a small ops team, you need to efficiently leverage outside help. While responsibilities like deal desk need to be handled internally, CPQ systems and data research are prime for outsourcing. 
• A strong RevOps team allows sales to focus on selling, leading to increased opportunities and closed deals. By relieving them of administrative tasks and providing insights from reporting and analytics, time can be better utilized for maximum impact.
• An important cross functional initiative for any team to consider is taking information from the sales team and relaying that back to product teams. Innovation happens at the edge and bringing design teams closer to that edge results in a better product. 
• While building a fleshed out dashboard can be a time consuming project, you will quickly reap the benefits. As future reports are requested, instead of rebuilding the dashboard, you can simply tweak the parameters to get the data you need. 
• Otter provides a shared repository of information and an AI chat feature that helps align executives, product managers, and sales teams. Sharing this knowledge internally allows Otter to expedite their own ops processes.

Quote of the Show:

• “One of the main things that I love about my job is I get to teach.” - Chris Hudson

Shoutouts:

• RevOps Co-op: https://www.revopscoop.com/ 
• Wizards Of Ops: https://wizops.org/ 
• Modern Sales Pros: https://modernsaleshq.com/ 
• Stephen Daniels: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenhdaniels 
• Jeff Ignacio: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffbethechange/ 

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cjhudsonsf/ 
• Website: https://otter.ai/ 
• Blog: https://cjhudson.com/ 

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/08a4b302-d25e-4b7b-a11a-60e9b51df083/revops-rockstars 
• Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/revops-rockstars/id1654084702 
• Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6ynGAP60cktaDs1Cb6Chxh 

Takeaways:

• RevOps teams in a portfolio should focus on prioritizing quality over quantity in their outbound strategies. Utilizing new AI tools and personalized messaging can significantly improve pipeline building and enhance ABM strategies.
• The role of BDRs is evolving as companies leverage AI to improve outreach and achieve better success. While there may be a decrease in the number of BDRs needed, their focus will be on following up more effectively with targeted accounts.
• A successful RevOps team should prioritize both growth and retention, focusing on leading indicators of retention and product usage. By taking a data-driven approach to measuring pipeline, finger-pointing can be eliminated and shared goals can be achieved.
• Leveraging your CRM and incorporating a buyer-driven process ensures accurate pipeline reports and qualified leads, removing uncertainties and improving sales forecasting.
• It is important to consider red flags in RevOps due diligence, such as the lack of retention data, focus on inefficient growth, and absence of thoughtful processes implemented by the RevOps team.
• Companies should evaluate their tech stack and streamline their tools to avoid duplication and improve data integration. Additionally, they should explore new technologies, such as AI, to drive better outcomes and maximize ROI.
• It is crucial for companies to focus on one target market, such as mid-market, before expanding to enterprise. Attempting to cater to multiple market tiers simultaneously can strain resources and hinder success.

Quote of the Show:

• “It starts with really understanding your ICP and your buyer journey.” - Mandy Cole

Shoutouts:

• Andrew Bennett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewleebennett/ 
• Greg Kokino: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkokino/ 
• Modern Sales Pros: https://modernsaleshq.com/ 

Links:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/MandyHCole 
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mandyhcole/ 
• Website: https://www.stage2.capital/ 

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/08a4b302-d25e-4b7b-a11a-60e9b51df083/revops-rockstars 
• Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/revops-rockstars/id1654084702 
• Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6ynGAP60cktaDs1Cb6Chxh 

Takeaways:

• Proper management of a tech stack, including processes for testing and development, is crucial for empowering sales teams and minimizing the impact of system changes. This requires rigor similar to software development, even for customization changes.
• Outsourcing certain tasks, such as data cleanliness and repetitive work, can allow companies to focus on more strategic and complex responsibilities. Factors to consider include the complexity of the work, availability of talent, and fluctuations in workload.
• A key focus area for scaling a company is efficiently and responsibly establishing sales processes, methodologies, and operating cadence. These foundational elements are crucial for sustainable growth and achieving success in scaling efforts.
• Effective sales performance requires a balance between short and medium-term initiatives. While immediate change is possible in short deal cycles, significant results require two quarters of consistent effort to assess effectiveness and adapt accordingly.
• AI offers the ability to leverage personalized messaging and outreach to improve the conversion rate from outreach to meetings, ultimately leading to significant revenue impact. 
• Notion's AI functionality offers features like summarization and improved writing, making work more efficient and impactful. By transforming meeting notes into action items and creating effective outreach, teams can enhance collaboration and productivity.
• In PLG companies, cross-functional initiatives between the growth and sales teams are crucial to impacting the full customer journey. By aligning onboarding processes with product usage from the beginning, teams can optimize the customer experience.

Quote of the Show:

• “All these different metrics that the teams are goaled on is indirectly your goal. Because your job is to make sure that they are successful.” - Namrata Ram

Shoutouts:

• Erica Anderson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erica-anderson-54b5878/ 
• Eli Weiner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eliweiner/ 
• Robert Frati: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rfrati/ 

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/namrata-ram-715ba415/ 
• Website: https://www.notion.so/product 

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/08a4b302-d25e-4b7b-a11a-60e9b51df083/revops-rockstars 
• Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/revops-rockstars/id1654084702 
• Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6ynGAP60cktaDs1Cb6Chxh 

Takeaways:

• Driving alignment across teams and maintaining clear communication are essential to success. Creating transparency, understanding the audience, and simplifying complex ideas are key strategies for achieving this.
• Outsourcing or offshoring can be effective for new initiatives, but overreliance can become costly and less efficient. It's crucial to strategically hire for long-term projects that support teams and organizations.
• Achieving company goals and fostering alignment around strategy, definitions, and data are key indicators of success in the role of RevOps. A successful RevOps team ensures company growth and effective collaboration across departments.
• When it’s time to interact with the board, alignment and understanding your audience are the two main components. Partnering with the right teams, and tailoring the information to the makeup of the board ensures you continue to be involved in decisions. 
• For Apollo, the use of an automated SDR is allowing them to revamp their sales engagement. By more effectively tracking demographic and product signals, they can trigger automated emails in a timely, personalized manner.
• Tech stack consolidation and leveraging AI are key disruptive trends in RevOps, with potential benefits and risks. Simplifying and streamlining tools can enhance efficiency, while harnessing AI can significantly boost productivity without job replacement.
• RevOps teams need to look at AI as a tool to help boost efficiency and productivity, rather than a concern that will take their jobs. Good ops teams who can leverage AI tools will see a boost in the output of their team. 

Quote of the Show:

• “If the company is aligned around strategy, definitions, and data, then I think RevOps is doing a good job.” - Henry Mizel

Shoutouts:

• Brad Smith: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sonarbrad/ 
• Matt Curl: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-curl-51470714/ 
• Peter Kazanjy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kazanjy/ 

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/henrymizel/ 
• Website: https://www.apollo.io/ 

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/08a4b302-d25e-4b7b-a11a-60e9b51df083/revops-rockstars 
• Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/revops-rockstars/id1654084702 
• Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6ynGAP60cktaDs1Cb6Chxh 

Hugo joins hosts David Carnes and Jarin Chu to delve into the impact of generative AI in regard to the future of RevOps. Hugo shares his insights on the use cases of AI tools such as Phrasee and Chat GPT, and utilizing generative AI to create on-brand content for your company while optimizing your data with the aid of AI.

Takeaways:

• In RevOps, nothing will ever be perfect. RevOps is full of change and it is important to acknowledge and understand that. While you may seek perfection, you need to utilize iterative change to make small improvements. 
• Although it feels like companies are finally understanding what the role of RevOps is, it continues to evolve. While traditionally it was about marketing and sales alignment, RevOps teams are now responsible for also aligning CS teams. 
• RevOps has the ability to provide crucial insights into the pricing structure for your company. By analyzing market trends, competitor pricing, as well as insights from sales calls and current clients, Ops teams can make crucial pricing decisions. 
• When you interact with the board of directors, you need to be concise, and understand who your stakeholders are. Understand your metrics of success, and condense your findings into short insights that speak to your audience. 
• One area of advancement with AI that Ops leaders should focus on is automation of tasks. Models that will allow you to connect applications and automate data entry will save hours of manual work. 
• AI models that provide predictive analysis offer another opportunity for Ops leaders. Data engineers and analysts come at a high cost, and having an AI assistant that provides even a base level of predictive analytics will help many teams. 
• While generative AI models are tempting tools for marketers, not all tools are created equal. Before sending your prompt, consider if that tool can write within your brand standards, follow regulations, and ultimately produce good content. 

Quote of the Show:

• “You need to understand what you want to achieve before going into AI. Otherwise, you're going to get a solution and you won't have any idea of how you're going to use it” - Hugo Robein

Shoutouts:

• Matthew Volm, CEO and Co-Founder of RevOps Co-op: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewvolm 
• Erol Toker, Automation, Technology, and RevOps: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eroltoker 

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hsrobein 
• Phrasee (Company Website): https://phrasee.co
• Photography: https://chloeboucherit.com/ 

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/08a4b302-d25e-4b7b-a11a-60e9b51df083/revops-rockstars 
• Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/revops-rockstars/id1654084702 
• Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6ynGAP60cktaDs1Cb6Chxh 

On this special episode, David and Jarin take some time to discuss his new book, the process of writing it, and why OpFocus strives to be a hub of RevOps knowledge. 

Takeaways:

• There is a strong SaaS RevOps community, but no one is graduating with a degree in RevOps. To help industry members, OpFocus sought to become a hub of RevOps knowledge with podcasts, Dashboard Dojos, and David’s newly released book.
• Developers have become the driving force behind organizational development environments, but with how new RevOps is, it can be a bit confusing. By providing devs with resources, OpFocus helps them create better implementations. 
• As a consumer of O’Reilly books, David was enthusiastic about joining their lineup of resource books. To write the book, David compiled his teachings from the Dashboard Dojos with his passions for dashboards into one integrated resource. 
• While the book covers many topics, there are a few David thinks are the most important. Inside the book you’ll find resources for extending your reporting reach, ways to combine features, and how to properly utilize trending. 
• If you’re struggling with your reports, the best thing you can do is play around with dashboards. Try running reports on the same dashboard with different components, or clone an existing dashboard and try to see how you can improve it. 
• Writing a book is a daunting task, but leaning on your editor makes the process much easier. As you write chapter after chapter, their feedback will help bind everything together into a seamless experience. 

Quote of the Show:

• “Nobody's coming out of school with a degree in rev ops yet.” - David Carnes

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidpcarnes3/ 
• Website: https://opfocus.com/ 
• Dashboard Dojo: https://www.dashboarddojo.com/ 
• Book Link: https://a.co/d/1GsBLuK 

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/08a4b302-d25e-4b7b-a11a-60e9b51df083/revops-rockstars 
• Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/revops-rockstars/id1654084702 
• Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6ynGAP60cktaDs1Cb6Chxh 

Jeremy joins hosts David Carnes and Jarin Chu to discuss the ways he supports RevOps functions at multiple companies at the same time. Jeremy shares his tips for success and advice on how to make sense of data, the importance of having a common thread in your portfolio, and how to best support your companies. 

Takeaways:

• As no two companies are identical, providing them with support requires the ability to understand where they are. Once you understand their uniquities, then you can start to fix problems with things like data, accounts, and segmentation. 
• When your company portfolio focuses on a common thread of companies you can better advise each individual company. Because of their commonalities, you can draw on past experiences to address problems that arise. 
• Companies have an in-depth understanding of where their wins are, but can often lack the perspective to make sense of the data. By helping organize the data, you will identify areas to make incremental improvements.
• Data is good, but the real value comes from people and the execution. In a PE firm, you need to also provide assistance to RevOps leaders. Sharing wisdom, showing new tips, and being there when they need you are common responsibilities. 
• When you intake a new company, you need to quickly figure out what is, and isn’t working. The best place to start is by looking at the GTM strategy, and the ways the RevOps team is setting targets and driving alignment. 
• In a Private Equity role, you’re working with different companies on a daily basis. While exciting, the variability presents a challenge. To stay on top of the work, the best things you can do are learn as much as you can, and build strong relationships. 
• In a PE role, your main objective is enabling others at your portfolio companies to succeed. It’s important to to be available as a resource, be there as a contact for advice, and provide transparency and communication.

Quote of the Show:

• “My job is not to take credit, my job is really to help people do great work.” - Jeremy Curley

Shoutouts:

• The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-diary-of-a-ceo-with-steven-bartlett/id1291423644 

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremycurley/ 
• Website: https://www.jmi.com/ 

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/08a4b302-d25e-4b7b-a11a-60e9b51df083/revops-rockstars 
• Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/revops-rockstars/id1654084702 
• Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6ynGAP60cktaDs1Cb6Chxh 

Paul talks about the harm in too much research and data, the four jobs of an operating partner, and the way to create realistic and attainable budgets for the portfolio company. Learn the mistakes you may be making when advising companies on how to burgeon success. 

Takeaways:

• More data does not automatically derive more results. Be selective when determining potential questions to research. Find out which are the essential questions that will impact business performance and only then spend resources to collect the data.
• Sales and marketing are not independent departments. They are meant to go hand in hand. Marketing is meant to make sales more manageable, and the departments need to communicate and collaborate. 
• The operating partner has four jobs: to keep the standard, create business-improving agreements, keep score using metrics and reporting, and foster a demanding and supportive environment. 
• Data is preferably industrial rather than artisanal, it should be readily available and constantly tracked, rather than dug up and recorded when necessary. This reduces the overall effort required to produce and increases reliance on data for improvement. 
• Growth and success are not achieved through a one-and-done process, rather, they require constant feedback and incremental improvements on each version of the process or report created.
• Collaboration between the PE firm and the Portfolio Company is critical. Collaborative budget building will make a realistic budget that will be adhered to and employees feel respected and valued when the operations leader is open to input from them. 
• When suggesting a plan to enact, provide the necessary resources and foster a safe and welcoming environment for questions and clarifications. Doing so will allow employees to be honest and vulnerable when a newly implemented process is unfamiliar.

Quote of the Show:

• “You are there to help make growth inside the company more predictable, more repeatable, and just feel easier.” - Paul Stansik

Topics: 

00:00 - Intro.

01:14 - What do you wish RevOps teams within your portfolio companies would stop wasting time on? 

03:30 - About Parker Gale Capital.

05:42 - Measuring success in RevOps.

07:32 - Engaging with the RevOps teams.

09:11 - How a RevOps team might disappoint.

10:13 - Paul’s day-to-day.

14:46 - Measuring the success of the PE firm.

18:53 - Red flags in RevOps.

21:39 - RevOps teams should be doing more… 

25:40 - Inquiry versus Advocacy.

29:37 - What actions should RevOps teams take today?

32:02 - Learning about Paul.

36:03 - Shoutouts.

41:04 - Contact and close.

Shoutouts:

• Dave Kellogg https://kellblog.com/ 

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulstansik/  
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/paulstansik 
• Medium: https://pstansik.medium.com/ 
• Company website: https://www.parkergale.com/ 
• ParkerGale PE FundCast: https://www.parkergale.com/podcasts 
• Book Link: https://www.parkergale.com/salesmetricsplaybook 

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/08a4b302-d25e-4b7b-a11a-60e9b51df083/revops-rockstars 
• Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/revops-rockstars/id1654084702 
• Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6ynGAP60cktaDs1Cb6Chxh 

Yin goes in depth on how to fine tune the priorities and projects of your team and adopt a forward thinking mindset in the beginning stages of operation. Yin also shares his insights into improving your Salesforce infrastructure, preparing for a potential IPO, and nurturing the RevOps ecosystem.

Takeaways:

• Over-communicating is underrated. Cross-functionality necessitates over-communicating with all stakeholders you interact with regularly or occasionally. Doing so will allow for all parties to maintain the same level of understanding of priorities in action.
• With the virtualization of the workplace, there’s less opportunity for unstructured conversations between team members. To combat this decreased opportunity, schedule regular cross-department and team meetings to recalibrate or refocus your mission. 
• Get comfortable with prioritization. As a specialist and a leader, there is always more to get done. However, your time is valuable and if you’re not careful, you may stray from the company’s objectives if you don’t prioritize. 
• In an industry that is relatively new, heavily regulated, and experiencing rapid growth, such as the cannabis industry, it is crucial to keep up with regulatory changes, such as potential legalization of distribution and use either on a state or federal level. 
• IPO readiness is another growth opportunity that is important to track and prepare for. Get ahead of the game in part by properly architecting Salesforce to collect and organize the data that government bodies, investors, and banks are interested in. 
• Though difficult, justifying the creation of a team or hiring of a new employee can be found by looking at data about points of tension for the existing team, gaps in the skills of current employees, and high rates of growth beyond a team’s capabilities.
• Both strategically and tactically, RevOps teams have a valuable role to play in the pricing and packaging of the product because they are the medium of communication between the customer and the producer.

Quote of the Show:

• “My team's success reflects on my success as a leader.” - Yin Cheng

Shoutouts:

• 
  RevOps Platform:
  • https://www.clari.com/
  • https://exchange.tableau.com/ 
  • https://www.looker.com/ 
• Podcasts:
  • Sean Lane https://www.operationspodcast.com/ 
  • Rosalyn Santa Elena https://therevopscollective.com/ 

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yin-c-540a4722/ 
• Website: https://dutchie.com/ 

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/08a4b302-d25e-4b7b-a11a-60e9b51df083/revops-rockstars 
• Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/revops-rockstars/id1654084702 
• Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6ynGAP60cktaDs1Cb6Chxh 
• YouTube - https://youtu.be/BwHNEhrDNaQ 

Takeaways:

• Being right is not the same as being effective. While you may know what you want to do, you need to be able to evangelize for it. You can have the right ideas, but if you can’t convince people of them, it’s the same as not having the right ideas. 
• There are two main types of work that would be outsourced, small easy tasks, and larger long-term projects. Small tasks are easy to hand off, but larger ones require a contractor who can easily integrate into your workflow and tech stack. 
• Organizing a RevOps team is a project on its own, but a ticketing system is a great way to stay on task. A ticketing system will help plan for upcoming work, balance requested work with current tasks, and give you feedback into where you spend your time.
• Measuring success in RevOps comes from internal and external objectives. When looking externally, are you getting good feedback and supporting stakeholders? When looking internally, are you on track for projects and are there any slipped dates?
• Communication is key as you need to establish the value the RevOps team provides the company. A stakeholder doesn’t need to understand every detail, but they should have a clear picture of the time and effort put into a project. 
• A unique way RevOps can bolster sales is by providing insights to the free trials team. If you can identify the product features that current customers enjoy the most, you can boost conversion rates by including them in the product trial. 
• At presentations, the best way to get on an exec’s good side is to make their life easier. Take the info you are presenting on, and create a higher level more digestible version. Doing so takes away the hard thinking, allowing the exec to focus on making a decision. 

Quote of the Show:

• “There's a relatively straightforward path to becoming indispensable when you're making your execs' lives easier.” - Hoppy Maffione

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cmaffione/ 
• Website: https://www.harness.io/ 

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/08a4b302-d25e-4b7b-a11a-60e9b51df083/revops-rockstars 
• Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/revops-rockstars/id1654084702 
• Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6ynGAP60cktaDs1Cb6Chxh 
• YouTube - https://youtu.be/svw-JnZHpJ8

r3wgYyDaRY1S0K6JhwWQ

Takeaways:

• One of the most important things with major projects in RevOps is to get stakeholders involved from the start. You need someone who is in the trenches, and who can credibly defend the reasons for doing the project to leadership.

• For many companies, their systems teams often align closely with IT teams. For Invicti, their systems teams roll up into RevOps. For Chris, this means managing a team of generalists who cover data, business systems, revenue systems, and finance systems.

• Utilizing automation for CS Ops can offer many advantages, but getting started can be confusing. Start is with your communication channels. Automation tools allow you to quickly customize outreach, allowing you to more frequently contact customers. 

• When balancing in house and outsourced work, Chris considers the timeline of a project. Day-to-day fixes and projects under 2 weeks are perfect for internal teams. As projects approach longer timelines, those are ideal for outsourced help. 

• While you may want to focus on 2 or 3 long term projects that are most valuable for the company, you need to find a balance. If you’re too narrowed in, you won't be able to focus on compliance, preventing tech debt, efficiency gains, and operational gains. 

• When implementing new processes or changing systems, your work’s not done after implementation. Change management is people management, and you’ll need to continually work with people to keep them utilizing the system effectively. 

• Your investors are a valuable operations asset. Operating partners work with numerous companies, and can quickly distill what works, and what doesn’t. As an additional layer of help, their operating teams may even have analysts to assist you. 

Quote of the Show:

• “For me, success is more about the journey than it is about the destination.” - Chris Glen

Shoutouts:

• Maggie Astolfi: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maggieastolfi/ 

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-glen-08a8851b/ 

• Website: https://www.invicti.com/ 

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/08a4b302-d25e-4b7b-a11a-60e9b51df083/revops-rockstars 

• Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/revops-rockstars/id1654084702 

• Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6ynGAP60cktaDs1Cb6Chxh 

• YouTube - https://youtu.be/oJ7ATUJ4GAQ 

Takeaways:

• As a RevOps leader you need to be careful with the tech you implement. When looking for new options, pick ones that are asked for in the field. Having a partner in the field to help drive implementation is a crucial step to make sure the implementation is effective. 

• When you’re fixing problems, you need to balance the different internal stakeholders. An executive who brings you in and a frontline agent will have two different perspectives on the problem. Balancing their needs is critical to ensuring a proper solution. 

• When balancing in-house and outsourced work Michael factors scope and time. For projects that someone in-house couldn't handle or wouldn’t have time for, he chooses to outsource. Most other projects are then in-housed.

• When interacting with the board, you need to make sure your data is accurate. Pre-empt the questions that will be asked, and prepare data to back up your answers. It will take time, but it is important to demonstrate what is being worked on. 

• To drive success for multiple departments, you don’t need to obsess over the minute details. However, constant communication is key. Establishing weekly meetings to align on goals and discuss vision allows you to move forward in the same direction. 

• Tools like Gong and Chat GPT will revamp RevOps by providing new types of data. The challenge for teams will be the way the data is presented. Analyzing this unstructured data is the next big problem ops teams will need to solve. 

• As new technologies trickle out, ops teams need to adapt swiftly. If you want to maintain a competitive edge, you need to ensure early adoption, and mastery of new technologies. If you can master the tools, you will give yourself an advantage. 

Quote of the Show:

• “When I join an organization, I spend a ridiculous amount of time talking to people.” - Michael Boardman 

Shoutouts:

• Drew Mullen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drewmullen13/ 

• Taylor Young: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylorvictoriayoung/ 

• Phoebe Farber: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phoebefarber/ 

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-j-boardman/ 

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mjboardmanphotography/?hl=en 

• Website: https://riskonnect.com/ 

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/08a4b302-d25e-4b7b-a11a-60e9b51df083/revops-rockstars 

• Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/revops-rockstars/id1654084702 

• Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6ynGAP60cktaDs1Cb6Chxh 

• YouTube - https://youtu.be/o7n3yjj1VNI

Takeaways:

• When you move slow you actually move fast. In RevOps it can be tempting to move quickly, but you’ll soon encounter issues. Moving slowly and thinking about the long term impact of actions will help prevent future issues. 

• RevOps is inherently cross functional. Even with small requests, it is important to understand what is trying to be done, what is trying to be accomplished, and who is going to be impacted by that change. 

• Laura’s team at Spekit works to serve the BDR’s sales teams, and the CS organization. With the current financial climate, Laura has prioritized CS ops to better understand what their journey looks like, and to protect ARR. 

• For startups, outsourcing work has a few benefits. It allows you to handle out of scope projects with short timelines very efficiently. While adding headcount allows you to invest in long term solutions, onboarding takes time and money you may not have.  

• As a RevOps leader, you need to take ownership of how engaged employees are. If they aren’t confident in their role or hitting their targets, that responsibility falls on you to provide them with solutions. 

• As AI tools progress in their ability, RevOps leaders would look to adopt them into their tech stack. AI tech has the potential to revamp the way sales departments write battle cards, construct pitches, and create engaging emails. 

• While RevOps leaders don’t need to be frontline leaders, having a close relationship can be beneficial. Close observation will help you understand where you’re falling short on revenue, what new tools you may need, and how messaging may need to be revamped. 

Quote of the Show:

• “I take ownership of how engaged our employees are because those are my stakeholders.” - Laura Wheeler

Shoutouts:

• Wizards of Ops: https://wizops.org/ 

• Amy Volas: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amyvolas/ 

• Thursday Night Sales: https://aspireship.com/thursdaynightsales/ 

• Sales Enablement Collective: https://www.salesenablementcollective.com/ 

• The Enablement Squad: https://enablementsquad.com/ 

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wheels-spekit 

• Website: https://spekit.com/ 

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/08a4b302-d25e-4b7b-a11a-60e9b51df083/revops-rockstars 

• Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/revops-rockstars/id1654084702 

• Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6ynGAP60cktaDs1Cb6Chxh 

• YouTube - https://youtu.be/Wjcy5PKGupc

Takeaways:

• While RevOps teams get a reputation for having all the answers or knowing every solution, it’s ok to not know everything off the top of your head. If someone asks you for an answer you don’t know, do some research, and return with the answer. 

• In a well run organization, your success, marketing, and sales departments are tightly interwoven. RevOps needs to drive an organized GTM function. You don’t need to know the nuances of each department, but you should understand their function. 

• On a RevOps team, it’s important to understand the root behind each request. While adding in a new field may seem like the solution, a good ops team can address if that change may complicate other areas. 

• One crucial function of a RevOps team is preventing tech debt, but tech debt comes in many forms. Most commonly it is having multiple pieces of software that do the same thing. But it can also be owning a single piece of software that you don’t actually need.  

• Dustin organizes Flashpoint’s RevOps on a hub and spoke model. The core team is 3 people, with operational partners in different departments. Rather than owning everything, the RevOps team enables teams, while protecting the system’s integrity

• While Dustin’s team is the primary owner of their Salesforce, individual partners have their own dev sandboxes. Through multi stage deployments, departments are able to work towards fixes, and RevOps is able to ensure a smooth integration. 

• When outsourcing work, Dustin looks to an outside partner as assistance with overflow, and as an advisor. While sometimes he just needs extra person hours, he finds the real value in targeted engagements where you need expert opinion and guidance. 

Quote of the Show:

• “I really believe that our role is to support the business holistically” - Dustin Brown.

Shoutouts:

• David Giller: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidgiller/ 

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dustinmbrown/ 

• Website: https://flashpoint.io/ 

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/08a4b302-d25e-4b7b-a11a-60e9b51df083/revops-rockstars 

• Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/revops-rockstars/id1654084702 

• Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6ynGAP60cktaDs1Cb6Chxh 

• YouTube - https://youtu.be/B48r1Wns_no 

Takeaways:

• Building out a RevOps team requires balance. Ops teams handle both long term revenue issues and short term fixes. It’s important to hire people who enjoy both types of work, and are able to transition seamlessly between them. 

• When you lead a team with members in different locations and time zones, an extra degree of flexibility is required. As a leader, allow your team members to structure their day in a way that works best for them. 

• Building a RevOps team is a two step process. When you start, hire people to add in cross support to other areas you serve. Once you have a strong foundation, new hires should be adding new value rather than just taking over operational tasks. 

• If your company already offers remote work, hiring outside the country offers a few key benefits. Hiring globally allows you to draw from a wider, stronger talent pool, and allows you to save money on new hires. 

• When determining whether to in house or outsource a role, Danny likes to consider timeline and investment. Tasks that require a lengthy training process are done in house, while those that are quick and don’t require in depth access to data are outsourced.

• When planning to interact with the board, you need to be efficient and prepared. When preparing slides, try to predict the questions you’ll be asked. When building a narrative on your work, allow the data to shape and shift the narrative as you build slides. 

• When planning for the future of RevOps, teams should be looking to implement AI and automation to their workflows. Using automation on repetitive time consuming tasks frees up valuable time for Ops teams to work more efficiently. 

Quote of the Show:

• “You need to be excited about both the destination of the cool stuff that we’re building, as well as the journey of getting there.” - Danny Schonfeld

Shoutouts:

• Kyle Stout: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stout0/ 

• Bart Piela: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bartpiela/ 

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dannyschonfeld/ 

• Website: https://www.glia.com/ 

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/08a4b302-d25e-4b7b-a11a-60e9b51df083/revops-rockstars 
• Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/revops-rockstars/id1654084702 
• Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6ynGAP60cktaDs1Cb6Chxh 
• YouTube - https://youtu.be/L-HCXJB9o_o

Takeaways: 

• Not everyone truly appreciates the role that RevOps plays in an organization. This is especially true if the organization has never had a RevOps role before, which also means you’ll need to teach yourself as you go. 

• The people who are asking questions when rolling out a new process are the perfect internal stakeholders who can help you champion success. Their eagerness and curiosity provides a valuable source of data and insights.  

• Cross department collaboration is important in RevOps. Ali likes to identify things the ops team needs to own now, and future areas of ownership. For future tasks, the ops team works closely with the task owner until ops can fully own it.  

• As a RevOps leader, you need to encourage people to leverage you as an internal resource. Ops leaders know better than anyone else the pain of the buyers for their companies.

• One of the best parts of RevOps is getting to drive improvements for your teams. To execute effectively, you first need to find where you need to improve. Sit down with people who are struggling, identify their pain points, and implement solutions.

• Being a former customer and then ending up working at the company you were a customer of creates a great synergy and gives valuable insight into what parts of the software works, what doesn’t and how to fix it.

• As a RevOps leader, you may not always have someone at your company to learn from. The best resource for gaining more knowledge about RevOps is to follow and connect with other RevOps thought leaders on LinkedIn. 

Quote of the Show:

• “You're someone who has to essentially introduce order to chaos.” - Ali Seibel

Shoutouts:

• Brandon Redlinger: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonredlinger/ 

• Jordan Henderson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanmichaelhenderson/ 

• Hilary Headlee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hilaryheadlee/ 

• Rosalyn Santa Elena: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosalyn-santa-elena/ 

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/therevopsswissarmyknife/

• Website: https://www.groove.co/

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/08a4b302-d25e-4b7b-a11a-60e9b51df083/revops-rockstars 

• Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/revops-rockstars/id1654084702 

• Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6ynGAP60cktaDs1Cb6Chxh 

• YouTube - https://youtu.be/c0wI9S2qonw

Takeaways:

• Data is the language of RevOps, but everyone speaks at a different level of fluency. While some things may seem obvious internally, Ops teams need to take the time to effectively communicate their observations. 

• When presenting your data, it’s not enough to just show the numbers and stats. RevOps teams need to distill into actionable insights. You need to convert the data into benchmarks or milestones that teams can work towards completing. 

• RevOps professionals need to also consider themselves revenue leaders. RevOps leaders need to keep an eye on booking targets and the forecast pipeline. Pacing on gross and net retention alone is not enough. 

• Kay breaks his RevOps team into 6 operating pillars. Sales operations, revenue enablement, business analytics, CS operations, marketing operations, and go to market systems. 

• When it comes to finding the balance between in-house and outsourced work, a large factor for Kay is time. For time bound projects that require expertise on tap, Kay prefers to leverage external consultants. 

• It wouldn’t be RevOps if there wasn’t something that needed immediate attention. As a RevOps leader, you need to rely on your teammates under you for critical escalations. Setting metrics of importance allows you to supervise the team without micromanaging. 

• While simpler is often better, RevOps teams operate within multiple pieces of software. Having a central source of truth is good, but ensuring the way you construct your reports are synonymous is a crucial step. 

Quote of the Show:

• “Our stakeholder’s success is our success.” - Kay Dastgheib

Shoutouts:

• Josh VanGeest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jrvangeest/ 

• Anil Somaney: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anilsomaney/ 

• Chris Hays: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrishays1/ 

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kayvandb/ 

• Website: https://www.mural.co/ 

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/08a4b302-d25e-4b7b-a11a-60e9b51df083/revops-rockstars 

• Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/revops-rockstars/id1654084702 

• Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6ynGAP60cktaDs1Cb6Chxh 

• YouTube - https://youtu.be/zKGrhOCwbFI 

 Takeaways:

• When assigning territories you need to keep fairness and equity in mind. You don’t want one rep to have 80 customers and another rep to have one. By using data to assess spending and industries, you can divide up accounts more fairly. 

• While Cody measures general success through the company number, he also ties each functional unit to the function they support. A Field Ops Director for EMEA is tied to EMEA results, a CS op is tied to the overall goals of the CS team. 

• To drive successful results, you need to be methodical. Block out time in your calendar for strategizing. Talking with frustrated sales reps will help boost their morale, give you a better understanding of issues, and build stronger relationships. 

• When balancing outsourced and in housed work, Cody prioritizes outcomes and speed. For features that have high impacts, are needed quickly, and take a while to build, he will outsource. For longer term, less urgent projects, those are handled in house. 

• The best thing you can do in a new RevOps position is to “nail it and scale it”. Whatever function you start in, learn the ins and outs of the role, become world class at it, and then scale yourself. 

• When preparing for board meetings, earlier is better. If you start preparing right after the quarter ends, all of your data and initiatives are fresh in your memory. Starting early gives you extra time, giving you weeks before a meeting to review a polished deck.

• A best practice for RevOps leaders is to stay close to your sales and revenue teams and really understand how they work. Riding shotgun with sales people and attending marketing events will give you a clear picture of how those teams operate. 

Quote of the Show:

• “I find a lot of the innovation just comes from listening to sales.” - Cody Guymon

Shoutouts:

• BJ Larsen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryanjlarsen/ 

• Yezi Peng: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yezi-peng-5223652b/ 

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/codyguymon/ 

• Website: https://www.workato.com/ 

• Email: cody@workato.com 

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/08a4b302-d25e-4b7b-a11a-60e9b51df083/revops-rockstars 
• Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/revops-rockstars/id1654084702 
• Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6ynGAP60cktaDs1Cb6Chxh 
• YouTube - https://youtu.be/Ej0FSaMWEis

Takeaways:

• Because of how new RevOps is, there is no playbook. One of the hardest challenges is figuring out exactly what a company needs from their Ops team. You’ll need to be able to balance and meet the needs of many departments.
• On an Ops team, you’ll be asked to complete a lot of different tasks. It’s important to understand that not everything is urgent. Ops teams need to be strategic in prioritizing the core issues to drive effective progress.
• As a RevOps lead, you need to be proactive about hiring as you don’t want to react to things on the spot. To help align leadership with your goals, build out clear roles and responsibilities, and explain why each role will help the overall business growth.
• As RevOps’ responsibilities change frequently, it’s important to be aligned with your team. Set quarterly OKRs for your department, align on vision and strategy, and identify your core deliverables.
• As a RevOps team, you need to have the right team members targeting the right accounts. Different accounts have different needs, and pairing those accounts with the member who best supports them reduces churn.
• While there are lots of great tech tools out there, your CRM is the foundation of your tech stack. If you’re not effectively using your CRM, the other tools in your tech stack will fall short.
• Looking towards the future of tech in RevOps, more teams need to take advantage of AI enabled call analysis software. These tools allow you to rapidly analyze sales calls and outreach methods, and allow you to improve outreach at a faster rate.

Quote of the Show:

• “Core alignment is the most important thing for any RevOps professional in any business.” - Tyler Uteg

Shoutouts:

• Jordan Henderson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanmichaelhenderson/
• Jeff Ignacio: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffbethechange/
• Jacob Dailey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daileyjacob/

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyleruteg/
• Company website: https://muckrack.com/

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/08a4b302-d25e-4b7b-a11a-60e9b51df083/revops-rockstars
• Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/revops-rockstars/id1654084702
• Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6ynGAP60cktaDs1Cb6Chxh
• YouTube - https://youtu.be/SonWEGcacPY

Takeaways:

• While it’s tempting to solve issues with tech, there is no perfect tool. A tool could have all the features you could ever want, but you also need to ask “is this something people will use”? You need to balance the usability of a tool with the likelihood someone uses it.
• There is a lot of buzz around AI data tools. These tools often promise forecasting or predictive analytics, but frequently fall short at customization. To utilize data effectively, RevOps teams need more traditional data teams that give them customization.
• RevOps is almost managed like a startup. You need to manage your budgets, be on top of tech spend, and be able to clearly communicate the value of the tools you are using.
• When it comes to balancing in house and outsourced work, Julia will have external teams handle non critical projects. For larger scale projects, having that internal knowledge of the company is required to execute efficiently.
• When building out your tech stack, most teams have their typical CRM and marketing automation tools. One tool Julia feels is equally important is a lead routing tool, as it ensures leads get handled with a high priority.
• AI and predictive analytics are only as good as the data you give them. If your reps are putting varying, inaccurate data into your databases, you are going to get terrible predictions. Before implementing these tools, make sure you have good data accuracy.
• Interacting with the board requires you to paint a strong narrative around the revenue work you are doing. Instead of shying away from issues, focus on those areas in your presentation. Be confident about the situation, and highlight how you’re addressing it.

Quote of the Show:

• “There is no perfect tool.” - Julia Kim

Shoutouts:

• Winning By Design: https://winningbydesign.com/

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliajuleskim/
• Twitter: ​​https://twitter.com/juliajuleskim
• Company website: https://www.electric.ai/
• Linktree: https://linktr.ee/juliajuleskim

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/08a4b302-d25e-4b7b-a11a-60e9b51df083/revops-rockstars
• Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/revops-rockstars/id1654084702
• Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6ynGAP60cktaDs1Cb6Chxh
• YouTube - https://youtu.be/rno70NAT50U

Takeaways:

• It doesn’t always need to be perfect. In an ops role, you don’t have time to strive for absolute perfection. 80% of the way there is the right thing to solve for in an ops role.
• When determining whether to in house or outsource work, outsourcing can allow you to implement new systems without an expert on staff. That external expertise allows you to focus staff on things that are closer to the institutional knowledge of the business..
• At the end of the day, at board meetings the members want to hear how you are performing, but also how they can help you. Your board is a resource, and they are more than happy to help you make introductions or help you pursue new market opportunities.
• One of the most important roles of a RevOps team is building connections across the organization. RevOps teams are the one team that can speak to product, sales, finance, and marketing teams. Leverage that communication to drive growth for the organization.
• When looking at the future of RevOps, teams will need to focus more on the customer. As we look towards potential economic hardships, retention of current customers will play a more important role than before.
• When looking to find their next CRO or other executive leadership member, companies should be looking at RevOps leaders. As RevOps leads cover such a multidisciplinary focus, they bring a well balanced background of skills to leadership roles.
• The best RevOps teams tie themselves to their numbers and feel a partnership with other teams in the organizations.

Quote of the Show:

• “At the end of the day, the board really wants to hear how you're performing, but also how do they help you?” - Dan Swimm

Shoutouts:

• Sean Lane: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanrlane/
• Openview: https://www.linkedin.com/company/openview-/

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danswimm/
• Website: https://www.formstack.com/

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/08a4b302-d25e-4b7b-a11a-60e9b51df083/revops-rockstars
• Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/revops-rockstars/id1654084702
• Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6ynGAP60cktaDs1Cb6Chxh
• YouTube - https://youtu.be/r6qu1yO49Ok

Takeaways:

• It’s hard to study RevOps in theory, most aspects require a practical understanding. While you can rely on past experience, your methods and approaches will need to be tailored to each company.
• RevOps leaders come from a wide variety of backgrounds. The three most common backgrounds are sales, finance, and marketing. Each background provides a unique perspective on how they will lead a RevOps team.
• RevOps processes should not be for the sake of ops or the sake of the company. Your ops processes needed to be focused on the customer journey.
• When it comes to in-housing or outsourcing work, Tiger Connect does most of the work in-house. When it comes to upgrading and streamlining systems, those are the situations where they will rely on outside help.
• Prioritize progress over perfection. When making changes, sometimes it makes more sense to step back to keep the progress going, rather than trying to make it perfect.
• When looking towards the future of RevOps, it needs to be more than a fancy new title or a different name for SalesOps. RevOps needs to focus on analytics, enablement, managing the customer lifecycle, and driving change within the organization.
• As a RevOps leader, it is important to involve yourself in your community. One of the best ways to learn more is by taking part in community groups, or even just talking with other team members at your company.

Quote of the Show:

• “Your best tool is your team.” - Olga Traskova

Shoutouts:

• Jordan Henderson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanmichaelhenderson/
• The OG Ops Podcast: https://www.ogopspod.com/

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olgatraskova/
• Website: https://tigerconnect.com/
• Hiphop dance clips: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFb3IUtfoqU
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0fTl35HXkQ

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/08a4b302-d25e-4b7b-a11a-60e9b51df083/revops-rockstars
• Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/revops-rockstars/id1654084702
• Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6ynGAP60cktaDs1Cb6Chxh
• YouTube - https://youtu.be/Fx0Oic14llQ

Takeaways:

• Don’t over engineer the solution. While it can be tempting to custom build a new solution at each company you join, if something has worked well once, it likely works well a second time.
• When tracking metrics for success, ROI and ARR growth are quantifiable and easy to assess. Other metrics, like sales enablement, take longer to track, and are more subjective. Both types of metrics are valuable and need to be measured.
• When taking on a new portfolio company, start by establishing a baseline of where the company is. After setting the baseline, set your goals for 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, and a year out.
• As an ops lead, one of the best things you can do are “ride alongs” with your sales reps. Watching them work, and the processes they go through will highlight areas of improvement for your team.
• RevOps teams need to know their details. If asked for a number, and you give a wrong answer, that's a red flag. However, being able to provide accurate information, and show you know what you're doing, inspires confidence from higher ups.
• When asked why you didn’t hit a target, having an answer, and being able to explain your answer, is much better than saying “I don’t know”.
• Improving efficiency in sales doesn’t always mean buying a new piece of tech. By taking your existing systems and simplifying what is already there, you can remove 25% of the waste without spending a single cent.

Quote of the Show:

• “I don’t know is a terrible answer” - Pablo Dominguez

Links:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/pabtexas
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pabtexas/
• Website: https://www.insightpartners.com/
• Book Link: whataunicornknows.com

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/08a4b302-d25e-4b7b-a11a-60e9b51df083/revops-rockstars
• Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/revops-rockstars/id1654084702
• Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6ynGAP60cktaDs1Cb6Chxh
• YouTube - https://youtu.be/_nBwCH5eHUs

Takeaways:

• Being busy is not the same as being effective. While RevOps can be a busy field, it is important to be able to distinguish noise from a signal, and push projects that affect the bottom line.
• In RevOps, you need to understand the balance between technical and business. You may be a BI wiz, but if you can’t communicate effectively with your reps those tech skills won't get you far on their own.
• One way to measure success in RevOps is by tying the team to bottom line revenues. Even though RevOps does not carry quota, that is one way to stay accountable.
• DocPlanner is a global company with a RevOps team that spans multiple countries and languages. To ensure alignment, Gabriel has a high focus on communication and alignment meetings with the different teams.
• Frameworks at DocPlanner are established from both a global and local perspective. The overall structure and consistency comes from a top down global direction. Local teams make quick changes which are then replicated in other markets.
• When it comes to in-housing or outsourcing work, DocPlanner prefers to in-house any work they can do or should do. The tasks they will outsource are the ones that they truly can’t do internally.
• In many cases, the best RevOps tool is the simplest one that gets the job done. While lots of features and new tools can be appealing, more complexity does not mean it will help in terms of scalability.

Quote of the Show:

• “It's less about not having resources, it is how we make that happen in a way that brings value to the company.” - Gabriel Rustice

Shoutouts:

• Dana Therrien: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danatherrien/
• Rob Dandorph: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robdandorph/
• Rob Levey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roblevey/

Links:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/rustice
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabrielrustice/
• Website: https://www.docplanner.com/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@rustice2

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/08a4b302-d25e-4b7b-a11a-60e9b51df083/revops-rockstars
• Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/revops-rockstars/id1654084702
• Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6ynGAP60cktaDs1Cb6Chxh
• YouTube - https://youtu.be/FhuUeJQv4oA

Takeaways:

• Just because something is being done one way currently does not mean that it is the right way to keep doing it. When you come into a new position, performing an audit can highlight inefficiencies that need to be addressed.
• When measuring success for your RevOps leaders, there are two main areas of success. The first is how much revenue they have driven. The second is focused on their personal success, and ensuring they are growing and developing skills.
• When you work with a bootstrapped client, you may only have 30 days to gather information on how the different teams work together. While it may be a challenge to gather the data, having it will make your day to day decisions more effective.
• Even though your team members may work separately, the issues they face don’t need to be siloed! Having monthly or quarterly meetings where Ops can share problems and assist others creates an amazing learning environment.
• Technical integration is one of the biggest challenges a RevOps team can face. Ops teams need to be overly communicative, and clearly outline the steps of integration to ensure all parties understand what it will and won’t have.
• It’s ok to change processes. While you may worry about a sunk cost, if the tool doesn’t fit your process, or the process you are aiming for, change it.
• When it comes to supporting your sales and customer support teams, anything you can do to examine the health of existing customers is great.

Quote of the Show:

• “Success should never feel like you're stagnant. There should always feel like there's something else that you're working towards.” - Megan Heinz

Shoutouts:

• Rosalyn Santa Elena: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosalyn-santa-elena/
• Jeff Gardner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-gardner-5aa7883/
• Phil Stern: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-stern/

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/megan-heinz-7b507019/
• Website: https://mainsailpartners.com/

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/08a4b302-d25e-4b7b-a11a-60e9b51df083/revops-rockstars
• Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/revops-rockstars/id1654084702
• Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6ynGAP60cktaDs1Cb6Chxh
• YouTube - https://youtu.be/ZS_uqyXAnR4

Takeaways:

• Nothing is irreversible, but the time to reverse it is all dependent on how much prep you have done.
• The role of an IT department had evolved from just a department that fixes computers and solves tickets. While Sisense’s IT department does that work, they are also responsible for managing business systems like Salesforce outreach and Marketo.
• When implementing systems, your main focus should be to allow reps to not have to think about the systems. Keeping this in mind will allow your reps to focus on satisfying the customer.
• When it comes to in-housing or outsourcing work, Stas has two main metrics, turnaround time and expertise needed. Quick turnaround times, and projects that require expertise not found internally, are when he outsources work.
• As technology improves, software will allow general admins to be able to make changes that would have required a developer 10 years ago.
• A good way to progress your rev ops career is to learn from those above you, and network with their peers. One of the best things you can do is build your network as quickly as you can.
• Take advantage of as many learning tools as you can. Many tools are free or low cost. Some great examples include Trailhead, Udemy, or LinkedIn Learning.

Quote of the Show:

• “Our focus is to allow all of our reps to not have to think about the systems.” - Stas Daszkiewicz

Shoutouts:

• Mike Sitter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikesitter/
• Maggie Cerami: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maggiecerami/

Links:

• LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/stasdaszkiewicz/
• Website: https://www.sisense.com/
• Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/DaszTimber

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/08a4b302-d25e-4b7b-a11a-60e9b51df083/revops-rockstars
• Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/revops-rockstars/id1654084702
• Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6ynGAP60cktaDs1Cb6Chxh
• YouTube - https://youtu.be/e45ogZr9FqU

Takeaways:

• While you may have an idea that is brilliant in theory, it may not fully pan out in reality. It is important to not take it personally, and be agile and adaptable with your progression.
• As Ops professionals, user feedback is critical to what you do. You need to collect data points, and have real conversations with all of your different users.
• As a RevOps leader, you are responsible for protecting both your time, and the company’s time. If there is no push back or prioritization of initiatives, everyone ends up wasting time.
• RevOps teams at companies of different sizes are varied. You may not have the same resources everywhere you go, so it is important to know how to work in the confines of your team.
• Once a quarter you should sit down with members of your sales and marketing teams to watch how they operate in the field. Doing these walkthroughs will give you new perspectives, and show first hand how those reps operate.
• VC backed businesses and public companies have different board interactions. In public companies, you are less likely to interact directly with the board, but with VC backed companies, your interactions are closer and are based on helping you accomplish goals.
• Despite all of the amazing tools out there, there is no perfect platform. To get a full picture, you need to combine the data you are given, with the knowledge you have on what is going on in the business.

Quote of the Show:

• “As ops professionals, user feedback is critical for us.” - Samantha Richey

Shoutouts:

• Marija Zivanovic-Smith: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marijazivanovicsmith/
• Jim Lenskold: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lenskold/
• Meredith Albertson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meredithpmorgan/

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samantha-richey/

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/08a4b302-d25e-4b7b-a11a-60e9b51df083/revops-rockstars
• Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/revops-rockstars/id1654084702
• Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6ynGAP60cktaDs1Cb6Chxh
• YouTube - https://youtu.be/wndU-FtBbcU

Takeaways:

• RevOps is not a side function. RevOps is a dedicated job that requires a dedicated leader to get that job done.
• Before you can scale your sales team, you need to have the infrastructure to support them. You need to be able to measure what is effective, and observe how the changes you implement take form.
• When implementing processes for sellers, you need to balance ease and structure. Processes need to be easy enough for sellers to learn quickly, but not so rigid that sellers need to unlearn things when the processes inevitably change.
• As RevOps interacts with multiple departments, having a consolidated comms channel is essential. While Slack, text, email, and face to face communication all offer benefits, having one central channel is crucial to keeping support tickets organized.
• As a growing organization, lean on your outside investors' experience and advice as much as you can. Their knowledge will help you ask the right questions, know what you don’t know yet, and identify what you want to measure for the next year.
• RevOps teams are made up of members from all different backgrounds. Instead of assuming everyone is on the same page, take time to identify the learning gaps, and make sure everyone is using terms in the same way.
• When establishing a tech stack, especially at a growing company, it is important to make sure the software you use is the single source of truth, and that employees know where to find that info.

Quote of the Show:

• “Rev ops is a function that needs dedicated focus. It is not a side project or part of someone else's job.”

Shoutouts:

• Kevin Sayles: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinsayles/
• Kevin Leighton: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kleighton/
• Taylor Gagliardi: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylorgagliardi/

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wjpost/
• Website: https://www.vidmob.com/

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/08a4b302-d25e-4b7b-a11a-60e9b51df083/revops-rockstars
• Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/revops-rockstars/id1654084702
• Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6ynGAP60cktaDs1Cb6Chxh
• YouTube - https://youtu.be/WimxHP5g_08

Takeaways:

• As a RevOps leader it can be exciting to help people solve any problem you can, but it can quickly take up your time. It is important to be a gatekeeper and not a yes man.
• When leading RevOps teams, success can be measured through ROI, but it is important to also ensure you are meeting the requirements of the shareholders.
• As a RevOps leader, Matthew finds himself following a 70/30 rule. He is reactive 70% of the time, and promotes strategic initiatives 30% of the time.
• When deciding between in-house and out-sourced work, Matthew looks at how many hours a week his company could give to that employee. If there is less than 20 hrs a week of work, it makes sense to hire a contractor rather than a full time employee.
• One of the most valuable things you can provide in RevOps is to help pull all the teams together and help align them on revenue goals.
• The best way RevOps can support PLG is by having a clear overview of the process. While it can be exciting to get your product in the hands of users via 6 month trials, it is important to assess the value you receive relative to the costs of doing so.
• The current field of PLG automation tools offer an exciting look at the future of RevOps. As technology improves, we can expect to see more integrated and cross communicating solutions.

Quote of the Show:

• “Right now it's probably 70-30 where I'm reactive 70% of the time and I'm promoting my strategic initiatives 30% of the time.” - Matthew Amadea

Shoutouts:

• Michael Heilmann: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeheilmann/

Links:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/mattamadea
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattamadea/
• Website: https://www.tigera.io/

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/08a4b302-d25e-4b7b-a11a-60e9b51df083/revops-rockstars
• Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/revops-rockstars/id1654084702
• Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6ynGAP60cktaDs1Cb6Chxh
• YouTube - https://youtu.be/5czIkGYeM7s

Takeaways:

• When you are building a comp plan on behavior that wasn’t incentivized in the past, you can’t expect it to correlate directly.
• When looking at success metrics focus on a revenue growth number, a productivity number, and a retention number. Having clear success metrics can help keep your team focused.
• When you take on a new leadership role, you can easily get flooded with problems and requests. Before diving in, take a step back and establish your long term goals, then see how these problems fit in with that goal.
• As a new employee, it can feel like you have a lot to learn. Don’t be afraid to ask to meet with company leaders, or employees who can teach you a skill. If you do get a meeting set up, be sure to have a goal so that you respect their time.
• When leading cross functional initiatives, it is important to understand the learning curve that newer members may face.
• When rolling out comp plans, roll it out to the leadership team first and gather their feedback.
• As RevOps continues to grow and become more established, we will see more and more roles like “Chief RevOps Officer” that place RevOps at a forefront of the company.

Quote of the Show:

• “Your board deck shouldn't be any different or any less quality than a Fortune 500 company.” - Brandon Bussey

Shoutouts

• Spencer Dent: https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencer-dent-2b23521/
• Dan Watkins: https://www.linkedin.com/in/d-watkins/

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonbussey/
• Website: https://www.entrata.com/

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/08a4b302-d25e-4b7b-a11a-60e9b51df083/revops-rockstars
• Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/revops-rockstars/id1654084702
• Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6ynGAP60cktaDs1Cb6Chxh
• YouTube - https://youtu.be/KujNy6p4QcU

Takeaways:

• It can be exciting to make changes to a system to improve efficiency. It is important to understand how the changes you make may affect others before you implement the changes.
• Comp plans need to go beyond a payment or inventive piece and be aligned with the goals of the company. The comp plan determines how your reps will sell, and can allow you to direct reps towards specific objectives.
• The best way to be successful is to generate trust with those you are serving.
• When building a RevOps team, you need to make sure people you hire are curious and want to learn more.
• Salesforce developers should be outsourced. Developers are expensive resources, and it’s better to go with someone who has prior experience.
• As a RevOps leader, it is ok to not take on extra work that is not related to revenue. While there may be a lot of people who want your help, if you don’t have time, it’s ok to prioritize certain tasks.
• When preparing to talk to the board, always come with an ask. The board should be helping you as well, don’t just provide them information.

Quote of the Show:

• “My favorite and least favorite part about rev ops is that we are involved in everything.” - Kaitlin MacKenzie

Shoutouts:

• Sherrie Mersdorf: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherriemersdorf/

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaitlin-mackenzie/
• Website: https://onapsis.com/

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/08a4b302-d25e-4b7b-a11a-60e9b51df083/revops-rockstars
• Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/revops-rockstars/id1654084702
• Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6ynGAP60cktaDs1Cb6Chxh
• YouTube - https://youtu.be/D2tRCHv3kF8

Takeaways:

• Failure is ok. Many of the projects RevOps teams partake in are difficult and don’t always run smoothly. When failure happens, the best thing you can do is learn from the situation, and improve for next time.
• You need to slow down some times to speed up your projects. While a new project can be exciting, it is important to take the right amount of time to gather all the details.
• For those starting their RevOps careers, it is important to be aware of how cross functional the role is. The sales department is tied to every other department, and understanding how it all comes together will provide a clearer sense of direction.
• In house and outsourced talent have different advantages. In house talent is great for repeatable problems that you are constantly fixing. For more temporary solutions, outsourced talent provides an advantage.
• When working cross functionally, define what the metrics are. Different departments may use different terms, but ultimately mean the same thing.
• When looking at implementing new technology, a single platform that only solves 80% of the problem is easier to operate than 3 platforms that solve 100% of the problem together.
• Having someone on the team who leads RevOps has evolved from a nice to have to a need to have.

Quote of the Show:

• “You feel like you're in a room of disagreements, but you're really agreeing. It's just a vernacular issue.” - Lisa Daly

Shoutouts:

• Teresa Swart: https://www.linkedin.com/in/teresaswart/

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-daly-7aa4162/
• Website: https://floqast.com/

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/08a4b302-d25e-4b7b-a11a-60e9b51df083/revops-rockstars
• Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/revops-rockstars/id1654084702
• Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6ynGAP60cktaDs1Cb6Chxh
• YouTube - https://youtu.be/0kbP7DMv1rs

Takeaways:

• As a RevOps team member, it’s easy to want to always be the hero and try to solve every problem. Instead of rushing in, take time to ask good questions, and speak up when you don’t understand something.
• When you join an organization, you don’t want to offend the person who built the RevOps foundation. It is important to quickly build trust so that you can address the issues in a way that is respectful and effective.
• Many organizations are currently running lean ops teams. While a smaller team can have financial incentives, it is important to understand that those members will be rolling up their sleeves more than anticipated.
• Finding the balance between in house and outsourced talent can be tricky. In house provides high levels of accountability, direction, and control. Consultants offer an outside perspective, and are often more tactical and quick with their work.
• Without a seamless customer experience, you won’t be able to take advantage of a product lead growth framework.
• When talking with the board, make sure your data is accurate and that your story is aligned.
• For RevOps professionals, online communities are helpful but can quickly become overwhelming with information. The best communities to join are ones that prioritize one on one interactions.

Quote of the Show:

• “The quicker I can see that visibility and understanding that everyone knows what's going on, that's success in my mind.” - Branden Baldwin

Shoutouts:

• Simon Sinek: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/
• Rosalyn Santa Elena: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosalyn-santa-elena/
• Hillary Headlee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hilaryheadlee/
• Jeff Ignacio: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffbethechange/
• Jordan Henderson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanmichaelhenderson/
• Gabriel Rustice: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabrielrustice/

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandenbaldwin/
• Website: https://www.mavrck.co/

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/08a4b302-d25e-4b7b-a11a-60e9b51df083/revops-rockstars
• Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/revops-rockstars/id1654084702
• Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6ynGAP60cktaDs1Cb6Chxh
• YouTube - https://youtu.be/o3ICoimvvz0

Takeaways:

• When implementing new systems, you need to sell what you’re about to do before you do it.
• It’s really easy for organizations to blame the data or analysts, however, it's rarely either group at fault. Most commonly the issue lies in the system that is generating the data not being set up properly.
• RevOps goes beyond just sales and marketing. While sales and marketing may generate leads, customer support and service help keep them around.
• Technology for RevOps teams is getting more and more advanced. Programs like Chili Piper and Gong are making the jobs of RevOps easier.
• It’s important to communicate what your team does. Otherwise you become the team that when things go well no one knows what you do, but when things go wrong, everyone blames your team.
• If you are starting out on a RevOps team, don’t sweat the technical skills. Be communicative, curious, and collaborative.
• RevOps leaders need to manage beyond KPI’s. While hard metrics may be easier to track, they can often push down and stymie your team.

Quote of the Show:

• “Data doesn't just make itself to be wrong” - Ben Bryer

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-bryer-b027872/
• Website: https://facetwealth.com/

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/08a4b302-d25e-4b7b-a11a-60e9b51df083/revops-rockstars
• Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/revops-rockstars/id1654084702
• Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6ynGAP60cktaDs1Cb6Chxh

Takeaways:

• When you first start your RevOps career, it can be easy to just be an order taker. What you really need to do is be a question asker. Ask what problems are trying to be solved, or what success looks like.
• Projects can be tough to track quantifiably, but the STAR method can help. Ask yourself, what are the Situations, the Tasks, the Actions completed, and the Results?
• Just because something is quantifiable does not mean it is impactful. You can set a goal to produce 50 RFP’s, but what does that entail?
• It is important to have a clearly delineated list of what the RevOps team is and isn’t responsible for. Without one, you will become the “get stuff done” department with extra responsibilities.
• Offshoring responsibilities as a small startup may save you some cash in the immediate future but will end up costing you in the long run.
• When dealing with the board, your number one goal is to anticipate what they are going to ask.
• While the future is uncertain and may lead to turbulence, it also provides a good opportunity for focus. Focus on what goals you and your team are trying to achieve, and establish a plan.

Quote of the Show:

• “At the end of the day, if we're not providing impact and ultimately driving revenue, I don't know why else I would be here.” - Heidi Thompson

Shoutouts:

• Managing Up: How to Forge an Effective Relationship With Those Above You - Rosanne Badowski
• Channeling Robert Glazer Elevate wisdom at 28:48
• Recognizing the brilliance of the one & only Dana Therrien at 31:32
• Huge respect and gratitude for Rosalyn Santa Elena at 32:09

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heidi-thompson-rawding/
• Website: https://www.unqork.com/

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/08a4b302-d25e-4b7b-a11a-60e9b51df083/revops-rockstars
• Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/revops-rockstars/id1654084702
• Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6ynGAP60cktaDs1Cb6Chxh
• YouTube - https://youtu.be/qfkgamL3JnI