RevOps Rockstars RevOps Rockstars

This week's guest on RevOps Rockstars is a strategic sales & operations leader who was recognized as one of Utah’s 2020 Business Executive 40-under-40. He helped Qualtrics go from a $1B unicorn to an $8B SAP acquisition and then through an IPO at a $20B+ valuation. Welcome to the show Chief Operating Officer, GTM Operations at Workato, Cody Guymon! David, Jarin, and Cody sit down this week to discuss the value a statistician brings to a ops team, why you should start preparing for board meetings as soon as the quarter ends, and the value of doing ride-alongs with sales reps. 

 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

On this week’s episode of RevOps Rockstars, we’re joined by someone who enjoys scaling teams and organizations to make them more efficient and productive. He’s a proven relationship builder, and an established leader who knows how to use data to drive decision making processes. Welcome to the show, VP of Revenue Operations at Muck Rack, Tyler Uteg! Tyler is a RevOps pro who joins hosts David Carnes and Jarin Chu to give them the scoop on how Muck Rack has built a successful RevOps department. In this episode we’ll discuss all things KPIs, the importance of a good CRM, and how to make sure you give the right accounts to the right people.

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

She’s led go-to-market operations for award winning consumer and SaaS products mentioned in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Forrester and TechCrunch. She’s the Global Technology Chair for Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs, and a member of Google Women Techmakers. Julia Kim, VP of RevOps at Electric, is this week's guest on RevOps Rockstars. Hosts David Carnes and Jarin Chu sit down with Julia to learn more about her experience as a RevOps leader, and dive into how she runs her teams. In this episode we’ll cover some pitfalls of AI data tools, why you need to create brand awareness for your RevOps team, and the most effective way to communicate with the board.

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

On this episode of RevOps Rockstars, we’re joined by a GTM & Customer Leader with a deep experience guiding growth stage enterprise SaaS companies to hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue. He’s a senior global go-to-market and operations executive who has a proven record of delivering enduring value to shareholders. Staring on the show this week is VP RevOps at Formstack, Daniel Swimm. Hosts David Carnes and Jarin Chu sit down with Dan to learn about his role at Formstack, how he ties teams to metrics, and why Ops teams don’t need to always strive for perfection.

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

Today's RevOps Rockstar is a highly effective strategy-to-action professional with 15 years of experience in marketing and sales operations. She’s a skilled leader who is passionate about creating alignment, partnership and operational efficiencies between Marketing, Sales and Revenue departments. Taking the stage this episode is the VP of Revenue Operations at Tiger Connect, Olga Traskova. Hosts David Carnes and Jarin Chu sit down with Olga to make sure no leads get left behind, discuss the future of RevOps, and learn how Olga manages 300 kpi’s.

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

This week’s guest on RevOps Rockstars is someone who brings over 23 years of global sales operations experience. He’s the author of the upcoming book “What A Unicorn Knows,” coming out next week on Feb 21, 2023. Our guest this week is none other than Operating Partner, Sales and Customer Success at Insight Partners, Pablo Dominguez. David, Jarin, and Pablo take a deep dive into strategies Ops teams can implement to make their processes more efficient. We’ll cover how to utilize lean processes, Pablo’s new book, and how to make the perfect rack of smoked ribs.

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