Revenue Operations: What It Is & Why It’s Important

Author:

Megan Heinz & Mark Kelly
Reading Time: 3 minutes

Episode

107

Revenue Operations: What It Is & Why It’s Important

Aurelien Mottier

CEO at Operatix

Megan Heinz & Mark Kelly

Mainsail Partners & NewEdge Growth

Revenue operations, or RevOps, has entered the revenue conversation. Because it’s a newer role, many leaders are trying to wrap their heads around what it is and whether they need to implement the function at their company.

Megan Heinz, Director of Revenue Operations at Mainsail Partners, and Mark Kelly, CEO at NewEdge Growth, join us to define RevOps and to explain why it’s so important.

We discuss how RevOps is different from sales ops, how to measure RevOps success, the challenges of implementation (including when you should do it), and finding the right people for your RevOps team.

RevOps vs. Sales Ops

Revenue operations? Isn’t that just sales operations? Not really.

It’s true that both exist to drive efficiencies and best practices when growing and scaling a business. But RevOps encompasses way more than just sales.

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Because revenue growth in today’s world cannot be limited to just sales, we really need a model for aligning every go-to-market team and your strategy for that customer growth.

Megan Heinz – Director of Revenue Operations at Mainsail Partners

RevOps involves every function of your go-to-market strategy. That includes marketing, sales, product, customer success, everybody that plays a role in the customer journey.

“It’s really coordinating the playbook across the entire company for sales enablement,” Mark says.

KPIs for RevOps

Because the function is so broad, you might be wondering how you can go about measuring success.

Megan says your best bet is to ensure your KPIs are tied to revenue.

“There’s a lot of KPIs within revenue that we can measure,” she says. “Both gross revenue and net revenue retention (or NR as it’s referred to) are great ones because then you’re measuring both aspects — the revenue maintained as well as the new growth within.”

Viewing those two metrics over time becomes a great measure of the success of your RevOps function.

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Shared measurements allow you to get out of silos as you think about different functions and allow you to work across the team.

Mark Kelly – CEO at NewEdge Growth

Velocity is also a great metric, according to Mark, and specifically velocity from different angles.

You should measure how well you’re converting to different stages of the sales process. But you should also measure velocity on the marketing side as well. That would include things like demand gen and customer lifetime value.

The Challenges of RevOps Implementation

Because RevOps is a relatively new role, there’s still a lot of experimentation around the best way to implement it and to orient the function within your organization. Companies are experiencing some common challenges.

Technology

A key advantage of RevOps is it breaks down the silos within your organization. That benefits companies who are increasingly using digital tools and technology cross functionally. In theory, that should make the work of IT asset managers easier. 

Still, leveraging technology to its fullest potential remains a challenge for many companies. Failing to think about what you really need and to come up with an overarching strategy might be to blame.

“If I had to give companies any advice, it is that you need to slow down before you go fast,” says Mark. “Take the time to slow down, analyze everything you’re doing, realize what you’re trying to optimize, and then make your moves. Don’t buy the technology first because it just slows you down.”

Changing Titles

Companies are falling into the trap of simply changing the title of their existing sales ops team to RevOps and expecting all the details to work themselves out. 

But if you stop there, there’s no way you will bring about the kind of foundational change needed to break down silos and bring about a truly effective RevOps strategy.

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It really needs to be a conscious, consensual change in how the entire organization is operating to be successful, as opposed to just focusing on what the title is.

Megan Heinz – Director of Revenue Operations at Mainsail Partners

Timing

When should you start thinking about RevOps?

It’s a question Megan receives often.

Most companies think about it a bit later on in their growth journey. But Megan believes that there is no barrier to entry for revenue operations.

“It’s something that is intended to truly implement and grow and scale with your business,” she says.

It can solve a lot of problems before they become problems. If there’s someone on your team focused on those issues, you won’t encounter as many problems with your tech stack or your processes.

Finding the Right People

When you put together a RevOps team, you should be looking for a breadth of experience. After all, it’s a broad function that touches nearly every part of your organization.

To that end, you should be looking for people who have particular experience in the areas that RevOps will be supporting. That includes people with experience in sales, marketing, and customer success.

“Having that on-the-job experience will bring so much more to the function itself,” says Mark.

In terms of individual qualities, you should look for people who are really passionate about analytics and processes — people with an interest in how things work. As you might imagine, RevOps values people who are endlessly curious.

There will be a lot of exploration and iteration so problem-solving skills are priceless as well.

In time, the RevOps function you put together will enable you to power incredible customer growth and unite your company into a lean, mean, revenue-generating machine.

Get in touch with Megan on LinkedIn or at Mainsail Partners and Mark on LinkedIn or at NewEdge Growth.

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About Operatix

Operatix is a Sales Acceleration company specialized in supporting B2B Software vendors to identify new revenue streams, increase qualified sales pipeline, and accelerate channel development across Europe and North America. Operatix has a wealth of experience in working with the biggest tech players worldwide as well as a multitude of emerging software vendors.

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Channel Transformation

Digital transformation is changing how companies buy and use business solutions, making vendors re-assess the capabilities of their channel ecosystem. With channel dynamics in constant flux, vendors need to be ready to cut ties with partners that don’t share their vision or have connections with the right B2B buyers.

 

Operatix has supported numerous vendors in their path to Channel transformation by assessing current partners and recruiting new partners that are more aligned with their new channel strategy. Once the right partners have been identified, Operatix built scalable outbound sales development programs that accelerated their routes to market.

Inbound Response Management

In a competitive industry like technology every lead counts. Operatix can help you maximize conversion from MQL to SQL and from lead to pipeline, increasing both your revenue and ROI on marketing activities.

Account Identification

Identifying the accounts that are more likely to buy from you is part of our expertise. We will research the market, identify verticals and industries that can benefit from your solution and set up qualified sales engagements for your teams to kick-off the sales process. 

Cold Prospecting

Our team will identify new sales opportunities within the strategic accounts that you haven’t been successful in penetrating through your sales & marketing efforts. By applying the ‘Challenger Sale’ methodology we use a tailored, multitouch approach to connect with prospects, generating qualified sales engagements for your team and ultimately increasing your pipeline.

Outbound Sales Development

Using a proactive outbound sales approach has been proven to be one of the most effective methods to engage with prospective customers. By applying the ‘Challenger Sale’ methodology we use a tailored, human approach to getting in touch with prospects to increase your qualified sales engagements and ultimately generate more pipeline.

Outbound Sales Development

Using a proactive outbound sales approach has been proven to be one of the most effective methods to engage with prospective customers. By applying the ‘Challenger Sale’ methodology we use a tailored, human approach to getting in touch with prospects to increase your qualified sales engagements and ultimately generate more pipeline.

Partner Concierge Service

Our Partner Concierge Service helps vendors accelerate their channel programs, by engaging and nurturing channel partners and supporting them to get to revenue quicker.

Demand Generation

Whether you need to implement a demand generation strategy or get more results out of your existing demand gen engine, Operatix can work alongside your marketing team to yield better results out of your demand generation programs.

Account-based Marketing

An Account-based Marketing strategy is only as successful as the revenue it generates. At Operatix we will support your 1:1, 1:few or 1:many approach to get your team in front of decision makers in the accounts that matter the most to you. 

Lead Qualification

If your marketing leads aren’t converting, it might be a lead qualification issue. Operatix can help sieve through leads that need further qualification, so they are ready for an AE or sales team member to engage with.

Account-based Selling

At Operatix we will support your 1:1, 1:few or 1:many approach to get your team in front of decision makers in the accounts that matter the most to you. 

Pipeline Generation

Generating Pipeline for our clients is our key-objective. And we do that by using a multi-touch, multi-channel approach to generate qualified sales engagements for our customers’ sales teams.   

Account Intelligence / Deep Dive

Understanding buying centres, hierarchies and relevant personas in strategic accounts is a fundamental step to increase conversion rates. By leveraging account intelligence in a sales conversation your team can tailor their message and provide value to their prospective customer. But sales & marketing teams often struggle to dedicate time and resources to do the deep research and this is where Operatix can help.

DMID – Decision Maker Identification

Finding quality data is an on-going challenge for B2B Tech vendors. The accuracy of data platforms is questionable and that is why Operatix developed a manual process to identify & verify contact details for decision makers within strategic target accounts.

Playbook design

Operatix can develop Sales Playbooks that enable teams to sell more effectively. Your Playbook will be fundamental to get your messaging right, accurately position your solution against competitors, and adapt the communication of your value proposition to different buyer personas.

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Sales Playbook Development

Operatix can develop Sales Playbooks that enable teams to sell more effectively. Your Playbook will be fundamental to implementing the correct messaging, accurately position your solution against competitors, and adapting the communication of your value proposition to different buyer personas.

Lead Qualification

If your leads aren’t converting, it might be a lead qualification issue. Operatix can help filter through leads that need further qualification, ensuring that they’re ready for an AE or sales team member to engage with and progress through the funnel. 

Partner Portal / Marketing Concierge Service

Vendors often spend thousands of dollars building multifunctional Partner Portals to help channel partners educate their teams, manage opportunities, and create marketing programs. Still, these portals are often underutilized due to lack of bandwidth and capacity from vendors to offer support in enabling their partner community. Operatix, through their Partner Development team, can support your partners to make the best use out of your partner portal, managing the relationship with your partners and helping them set up co-marketing campaigns to drive more revenue for both businesses. 

Marketing & Sales Alignment

The sales development function is often seen as the “glue” that brings sales & marketing teams together. By working as an extension of your teams, Operatix will be your predictable source of pipeline, sales & revenue.

Optimization of MDF

Market Development Funds are an important component of any channel ecosystem, though vendors believe they are not maximizing the return on investment they should be getting from their MDF programs. At Operatix, we build scalable outbound sales development programs that will give you the visibility of return over the invested spend and will provide clear value for your channel partners.

Increase Partner Productivity

The 80/20 rule is still very applicable to the channel, which means that investing in partner productivity should be a priority for vendors looking to grow their businesses. Operatix can increase partner productivity and shorten sales cycles, by identifying ready to engage sales opportunities for your most valued channel partners.

Virtual Channel Account managers

Our VCAM team is responsible for building, maintaining, and managing sound relationships with current and prospective channel partners. They can get involved in opening up new sales conversations as well as closing small businesses up to $ 10k.

Tier 1 & Tier 2 Activation

Whether your business decided for a Tier 1 or Tier 2 distribution model, Operatix can help your channel partners get to revenue quicker. By providing qualified sales engagements to your channel partners we can accelerate your route to market with tangible and easily measurable results.

Solution Selling Training

Far too often vendors insist on enabling their channel partners to talk about features and technical details of their solutions. Customers don’t buy features; they buy the benefits your solution can bring. Operatix will work with your partner community to train them in articulating your message from a high-level business perspective, enabling them to talk to prospects about the value your solution can bring to their company from a board-level perspective.

Channel Enablement

Enabling your channel partners have measurable wins for your business when done right. Operatix has a proven track record in enabling channel partners from a sales & marketing perspective, providing them the knowledge and tools to successfully pitch your solution and sell the value & benefits of it. 

Partner Recruitment

Recruiting the right Channel Partners is the first step for a successful channel program. Operatix has helped over 350 B2B Software vendors recruit suitable channel partners across EMEA and North America, supporting them to scale and expand their presence in different geographies and verticals. 

Risk/Reward Business Model

To truly work as an extension of our client’s sales & marketing teams, we have also adapted our business models to show how our clients operate, and how their success is measured. With our risk/reward business model your investment is proportional to the results our team delivers.

Sales Qualified Leads

On average, 52.5% of the sales engagements set up by our team progress into a next step in the sale process. That means that 5 out of 10 meetings will progress either into a POC, a Demo or a pipeline opportunity.

Geographical Scale

Trading in different geographical markets not only requires a knowledge of the native language, local rules & policies, but a deeper understanding of the local culture and habits. We have the ability to deliver campaigns in multiple countries with flexible resource allocation. This is through our team of international speakers, who have the ability to sell in 17 different languages across the globe.

Increase Revenue & Decrease Cost

Building an internal sales development team comes with many additional costs and challenges that aren’t always taken into account: recruiting resources, training and enabling them etc. You also need to take into account the need for having the data and tools to make them successful, which in turn requires time, capital and effort. By outsourcing your sales development to Operatix you will see your revenue increasing, while decreasing costs and business risk.

Predictable Pipeline Generation

On average, our clients see a 26X ROI on the programs we deliver. By understanding your revenue targets and sales pipeline gap, we will work on a sales & marketing plan that will deliver tangible results.

Vertical Growth

Entering new industries or launching new product lines? Operatix can accelerate your growth by supporting your go-to-market strategy, and getting your sales teams in front of decision makers in key target accounts.

Reduce Headcount

By outsourcing your sales development and partner programs to Operatix; we reduce headcount and the challenges that come with managing people, technologies, and processes. We take care of your sales development, so you can focus on what matters the most: growing your business.

Revenue Acceleration

Operatix helps your business get to revenue quicker. By providing qualified sales engagements for your direct sales team (to kick-off new sales cycles), or by accelerating the growth of your channel partners, our focus remains on delivering tangible results for your business. 

Persona-based Selling

Operatix team will design specifically tailored messages to influence the different levels of decision makers in the sales process, tailoring the communication according to each job function. Our focus is to sell the value of your solution from a business perspective, not its features.    

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