Tips for Aligning Revenue Operations

Every revenue leader talks about sales and marketing alignment—but most still struggle to make it work. Here’s why. Sales and marketing should operate as a single, high-performing revenue engine. But in most organizations, they function more like disconnected teams, leading to missed revenue, wasted budget, and deals slipping through the cracks. If you’re a revenue leader facing these challenges, here are the three biggest roadblocks getting in your way—and how to fix them. 1. 𝗗𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 Marketing focuses on MQLs, brand awareness, and content engagement. Sales focuses on closed deals, quota attainment, and speed to revenue. If these goals aren’t aligned, it creates tension. Fix it: • Set shared KPIs that both teams are accountable for—like pipeline velocity, win rates, and customer retention. • Regularly sync on revenue impact metrics, not just lead volume. 2. 𝗣𝗼𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 & 𝗟𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 Too often, marketing hands off leads without sales understanding the strategy behind them. Sales dismisses marketing’s efforts as “not helpful.” The disconnect creates frustration and lost opportunities. Fix it: • Implement structured feedback loops so sales can report back on lead quality. • Create joint working sessions where both teams contribute to messaging, targeting, and go-to-market execution. 3. 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀 & 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 If sales and marketing aren’t rewarded for the same outcomes, they’ll never truly work together. A sales team compensated only on closed deals won’t care about lead nurturing. A marketing team judged on MQLs won’t focus on sales enablement. Fix it: • Align compensation and incentives around revenue impact. • Ensure marketing KPIs include pipeline and sales contribution—not just lead gen metrics. 𝗕𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗲:The companies that will win in 2025 and beyond aren’t just the ones generating more leads—they’re the ones ensuring their sales and marketing teams operate as a single, high-performing revenue engine. If you’re seeing any of these roadblocks, you’re not alone. The companies solving them now will have a real competitive edge in the years ahead.

Dear CMO/Marketing Leader/VP - Most of you will eventually burn out and fail because you aren't focused on keeping marketing aligned, respected, and driving growth. Luckily, I've burned out and failed before you. Listen up. I was lucky to be on the Databox podcast, not just because I get to talk about alignment, but I also love the brand and the team Peter Caputa has built. During the conversation, I was asked about the importance of revenue alignment. **starts dragging out a worn, wooden box with DIAL painted on the side** Good thing I have a framework and my soapbox this morning. I call it the CREM de la CREME of Revenue. C- Communication / R - Revenue / E - Enablement / M - Metrics C – Communication: Own the Narrative > Marketing should be the loudest voice in alignment because we facilitate the most. We are central! One of the biggest changes I’ve made? Every marketing request goes through a gated intake form with a business case. Half the requests vanish on their own, freeing up the team to focus on what matters. R – Revenue: Align to the Right Number > If Marketing isn’t tied to revenue, it’s a side show. We should own the pipeline number, and in a multi-product company, that’s often best stewarded by Product Marketing. When I report up, I start with bookings (broken down by stage, source, segment, and SKU) and pipeline. Boards don’t care about “influenced revenue” if deals aren’t closing. E – Enablement: Go Beyond Sales > Enablement isn’t just for sales teams. Every marketer should be demo-certified (WIP). Every new hire should understand our product, positioning, and pipeline goals. And before a launch, the whole company should be aligned on the message. If the CRO can pitch it, so should the CMO. M – Metrics: Create a Source of Truth > Misalignment usually comes from fighting over numbers. You need one agreed-upon source of truth for all GTM metrics, with clear definitions and a signed-off SLA. **stomps on the DIAL box** That’s it. CREM de la CREME. And if you take nothing else from this virtual soap box stomping, take this: MARKETING IS HARD. The context switching alone will eat you alive if you let it. It’s okay to step back, breathe, and reset. So go on, taste the delicious CREM and own the story. And for the love of all things pipeline and BENJAMINS, get everyone looking at the same damn dashboard. ❤️

Stop forcing alignment. Start redesigning revenue systems. Because here's what most leaders get wrong: Your teams aren't broken. Your processes aren't broken. Your systems are. And you can't fix systems with just: ❌ Another meeting ❌ Another tool ❌ Another mandate ❌ Another org chart Here's how sales and marketing can stop finger-pointing and focus on how to fix it once and for all: **Foundation Signs** ✅ Mutual respect (this comes first, always) ✅ Clear lead stage definitions ✅ SLAs defined and followed ✅ Leadership enforces alignment ✅ Customer-first mindset always **Process Signs** ✅ Weekly action-based syncs ✅ Pipeline velocity tracking ✅ Funnel drop-off reviews ✅ Sales shares call recordings ✅ Real-time buyer intel sharing ✅ Unified customer journey map **Strategic Signs** ✅ Shared revenue goals ✅ Joint ICP and persona creation ✅ Aligned KPI dashboards ✅ Tech decisions made collaboratively ✅ No blame in tough months ✅ Sales backs brand building **Collaboration Signs** ✅ Marketing joins sales calls ✅ Sales helps shape content ✅ Sales-ready collateral ✅ Sales feeds content stories ✅ Cross-functional training assets ✅ Feedback on lead quality ✅ Objection libraries are maintained together **Growth Signs** ✅ Campaigns built together ✅ Co-developed email sequences ✅ Co-owned event/trade show plans ✅ Late-stage deal content support ✅ Win/loss reviews together ✅ Celebrate wins as one team Because the best revenue engines aren't built on better communication. They're built on alignment in action. What would you add to the list? 👇 _____________ ♻️ Share to help other teams grow + Follow Jennelle McGrath for more like this

Everything you know about RevOps is holding you back. Before you go to the comments, hear me out: • “𝘉𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴” 𝘺𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘴. In RevOps, aiming for “good enough” is a missed opportunity. Instead, pursue practices that are uniquely suited to your team's real goals and challenges. • 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴-𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. Flexibility and rapid response to real-world dynamics win over static plans every time. • 𝘋𝘢𝘵𝘢 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩; 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳. Having numbers is just the start—real value comes from understanding what the data tells us about solving core revenue problems. • 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵. Keep stakeholders focused on shared goals rather than diluting initiatives with competing perspectives. Prioritize simplicity and focus on what drives revenue. • 𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘴 𝘙𝘦𝘷𝘖𝘱𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴. Ruthlessly optimize—cut out what isn’t working to make space for strategies that do. • 𝘈𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘴 𝘪𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭—𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭. Revenue Operations thrives on cohesive teamwork across Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success, so build connections that enhance adaptability and responsiveness. • 𝘉𝘪𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴? 𝘞𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦. Focus on the right people and efficient processes to avoid costly setbacks. • 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘫𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘺𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘢 𝘮𝘺𝘵𝘩. Today’s buyers take complex, non-linear paths, which means flexibility is non-negotiable. Create processes that support real-time adaptability. • 𝘙𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘶𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘵𝘩 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴. Transform every interaction into a foundation for loyalty and enthusiasm. Bold moves drive real growth. If your ideas don’t cause a stir, they’re likely too safe to deliver real impact.

I had an amazing conversation yesterday with Sterling Snow, the former CRO at Divvy from BILL and SVP of Revenue at BILL. Sterling shared his journey of scaling Divvy from zero to a whopping $2.5B acquisition in just 4 years. Divvy’s standout approach? Effectively aligning and incentivizing all revenue-facing departments to collaborate. Here are some highlights 🥇 Building a Winning Culture 🤾 - Hire for the Right Fit:  Divvy’s culture thrived on speed and a winning spirit. They had high expectations from their team but ensured outstanding rewards for young leaders. His go-to interview question was to ask candidates for a 30, 60 and 90-day plan and then have them condense the 90 day plan into just 30 days. Good answers show that they’re adaptable and can think through resource constraints and tradeoffs quickly but elegantly. - Rapid Testing:  Before Divvy had a clear Ideal Customer Profile (ICP), Sterling crafted around 25 ads daily to gauge efficacy. He also focused on finding unconventional channels for “proprietary lead flow.” One that worked well was calling up newsletters that didn’t even have direct advertising to ask if he could write sponsored content (this was pre the newsletter mania we have today). More than half of Divvy’s most effective channels didn’t have direct advertising opportunities. Best Practices for CROs 💰 - Early Alignment of Revenue Teams: Divvy had a CRO within their first year. The sooner you can unite all the teams that touch revenue (sales, marketing, implementation, support), the less finger pointing and headaches there will be down the line. - Invest in Revenue Operations:  It’s easy for sales leaders to ignore things that aren’t directly tied to quota, but understanding revenue enablement tools and orchestrating them effectively makes everyone more productive. - Design Metrics that Incentivize Collaboration: All revenue functions had some KPI tied to one stage later in the sales funnel than they could directly impact. For example, marketing should not only be measured on demand generated, but also on closed new business. Implementation should not only be measured on how quickly they onboard and generate revenue from a new customer in 60 days, but also on how they retain in the long term. This is key to incentivizing teams to work together. - Mastering Quota Management: Establish three quota benchmarks - a surefire board number that only execs know about, a quota number for your revenue team (15-20% higher), and aspirational stretch goal (20% higher than quota). Celebrate grandly if you hit the stretch goal. - Check in Weekly: Every manager should review a weekly scorecard of top metrics that matter for each of their individual team members. This ensures that you don’t wait until the end of the quarter to course correct and also allows you to compound best practices quicker. You can view the whole interview here: https://lnkd.in/gjRz4Myq

There are 4 critical elements to successful revenue orchestration implementation: 1. All-around a data-first alignment is the first step. Everything you hear from vendors touting their software’s AI capabilities is predicated on the quality of the data that feeds the models. If the data is not good, the insights it provides are unlikely to be of value. They will not drive the right actions, and those actions won't drive the right outcomes. If you guide sellers to actions that don't drive the right outcomes, they will immediately lose confidence in either the system or leadership. 2. Employees need to be able to do all their work within a single platform.  Swivel-chairing between a bunch of different applications, systems, and analytics (which are often at odds with one another) wastes time and money. It also muddies the water with competing insights or incomplete data sets. I don't care if they are BDRs, AEs, AMs, or CSMs; they all need a single source of truth to guide your workflows. 3. Sales and marketing must work as one cross-functional team. Both groups generate and consume signals all day long, so it’s important that the information they’re using aligns. If the marketing organization and selling organization are looking at different signals or (even worse) interpreting the same signals differently, the prospect’s buying cycle runs the risk of going off the rails. They’ll hear one thing from marketing and a totally different thing from sellers, and that creates a lot of confusion and very rarely leads to a successful outcome. 4. Well-designed AI is absolutely critical to revenue orchestration. It makes sellers and leadership smarter in the moment, and that's really important. Not only can a Revenue Orchestration Platform reduce administrative overhead for customer-facing employees, but it also increases the value of their interactions with prospects by turning outcomes into data points that drive repeatability. If you remember these 4 things as you pursue your revenue orchestration journey, you’ll be well on your way to successful implementation and continuous sales cycle improvement. #revenueorchestrationplatform #salestech #AIinsales #revtech #ai

CEO: We've done the work - narrative, ICP, sales enablement. Why aren't we growing faster? Me: Because your GTM feels aligned - but it's still siloed underneath You've got the deck You've run the workshops Your sales team can rattle off the value prop But under the surface? - Sales is qualifying for quota - Marketing is optimising for leads - Product is shipping roadmap themes - CS is stuck holding churn back with duct tape You're not broken - you're just disjointed And it only shows up later, when: - Your win rate dips in segments you thought you understood - Pipeline looks full, but nothing closes - Deals stall and no one agrees why 📉 70% of GTM strategies still fail due to misalignment (RevOps Lab0 📉 Only 8% of B2B orgs have real, systematic alignment (McKinsey) CEO: So what's the fix? Me: Stop trying to align functions. Start aligning execution around buyer stages The new way → Horizontal GTM programs that span functions → Shared context, shared metrics, shared ownership → Execution built for the buyer's journey - not your org chat 📈 What happens next? ⬇️ 30% GTM cost reduction ⬆️ 20% increase in sales productivity ⬆️ 200% increase in marketing ROI ⬇️ 15% faster time to close GTM isn't alignment theatre It's the system that decides whether your strategy turns into revenue Even the best old way... still loses to a unified one Who's driving your GTM right now? #saas #sales #gotomarket #productmarketing