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The Rise of Revenue Ops:Why Marketing & Sales Operations Make Growth Possible

Introduction

Rise of Revenue Ops

Major trends driving the marketing & sales ops evolution

Accelerating the path to growth with Revenue Ops

BenefitsofRevenueOps

Revenue Ops Framework

Pillar #1 - Management & Strategy

Pillar #2 - Process Optimization

Pillar #3 - Technology & Project Management

Pillar #4 - Data & Analytics

Revenue Ops Technology Landscape

Conclusion

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Table of Contents

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Introduction

IfyoutalktoanyenterpriseCEOandaskthemwhatstopofmind,theirresponseswillrangefromgrowth,revenue,toanupcomingearningsreport.Theymayevenhighlightanewproductlaunchthatsupportsgrowthorrevenueinitiatives.Thatsultimatelythecommonthreadforallcompanies-revenue.Itsnothardtoseewhysincerevenuehasandalwayswillbethelifebloodofallorganizations.

InthisAgeoftheCustomer,itsthemarketingandsalesteamswhoareprimarilytaskedwithleadingthischarge.Butwiththeproliferationofdata,theincreaseincapabilitiesandcomplexitiesoftechnologies,andthedigitizationofinformation,theresamajorskillgapacrossgo-to-market(GTM)teams.Namely,managingallthedata,processes,andtechnologythatmakesupthiscomplexengine.Traditionally,marketingandsalesoperationsweretaskedwiththedirtywork:workers,re-arrangers,andfixerspushingandpullingdataacrosssystemsattherequestofmarketingandsalesleadership.Theworkwasnecessarybutsolelytactical.Today,thisroleinvolvesmuchmore;opsteamsfocusonpromotingcross-functionalalignment,overseeingresourceandperformanceplanning,optimizingkeyprocessestoincreaseefficiencies,andadoptingbest-in-classtechnologiestosupporttheentireGTMuniverse.

This evolution of ops roles has created a new paradigm - one where ops is a direct contributor to an organizations top-line and a major stakeholder for an organizations revenue strategy. Whatstartedasaresponsetoaddressmarketingandsalestechnologicaldestinyhasquicklyspiraledintoamassiveundertakingthatdirectlyfeedsintoanorganizationsrevenueengine.This transformation has created a necessity for Revenue Ops, a set of responsibilities that are the linchpin to scalable growth. It has also created thepotentialforanentirelyneworganization,whichcombinesthebestofmarketing&salesoperationswithastrong,fundamentalfocusondrivingrevenue.Consequently,inacknowledgementoftheirtruepotential,werereferringtothemasaRevenueOpsorganization.

Tohelpforward-thinkersfindsuccesswithmarketingandsalesops,wevedevelopedacomprehensiveframeworkthatdefinesthepillarsandcoreresponsibilitiesofRevenueOps and will encourage innovative companies to build a world-class Revenue Ops organization.

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Rise of Revenue Ops

Marketingoperationsandsalesoperationshaventbeenconsideredthecoolestorevenmostlucrativepartsofgo-to-marketteams.Anduntilthelastdecade,opsrolesthatsitinsidethego-to-marketorganizationwerenotcommonplace.

Ops is the unsung hero of the go-to-market organization and thats not a fun fact that your operations professionals relish - its a problem. And its one that I expect will be solved as the role is elevated by the demands of customer obsession.

Simply stated, the insights-driven decision making required by modern marketing & sales is a threat to organizations with insufficient operations talent and resources. If ops activity stopped moving forward, the go-to-market wheel would stop turning.

Asrecentas2015,only13%ofexecutivesdescribedtherelationshipbetweenmarketing and IT as very collaborative and productive1.But,ithasbecomeincreasinglycleartoeveryrevenue-focusedorganizationthattheresponsibilitiesthathistoricallylandedunderITrequiredmoreinvestmentthanever.

Asamatteroffact,theenterpriseofthepastleanedsolelyontheITdepartmenttofulfillallthingsintegration,technology,data,andanalytics.However,whileITmaintainedtheexpertisetoexecutesuchorders,itlackedtheincentivetomovefastandinnovateforgo-to-marketprojects.Why?ITisntmeasuredonrevenue,customergrowth,orconversions.ThislackofcommonalityandbrokenstructurebetweenITandgo-to-marketteamscreatedseriousinefficienciesthatnegativelyimpactedgrowthandalsoledtowell-knowncross-departmentaltensionandstrife.

12016CMODigitalBenchmarkStudy:FindingsandConsiderationstoAccelerateGrowthintheDigitalWorld,LeapfrogMarketingInstitute

AllisonSnow,SeniorAnalyst,B2BMarketingatForrester

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Rise of Revenue Ops

If there was a metaphorical basement in the House Of Marketing, marketing operations was down there, shoveling data like coal. But then a funny thing happened. The world got wired. Geek became chic. Customers were being won (or lost) by the experiences they had with companies on the web, with email, and via mobile devices. Data and software were moving from the back office to the front office. And the center of gravity in marketing started to shift to those who could make that machinery work.3

AsScottmentions,theworldbecamewired-organizationscouldntsolelyrelyontheirITteamsfortechnologyneedsespeciallyinarapidlydigitizedspacewherewaitingoninsightswasakintolosingoutonopportunities.Thatswheremarketing&salesopscametotherescue.

Aftertechnology,thenextfrontierthatmanycompaniesbegantotacklewasdata.AccordingtoanannualreportbyEconsultancyandAdobethatsurveysover14,000professionals,themostimportantopportunityin2017forgo-to-marketteamsisoptimizingthecustomerexperience.Thosesamerespondentsindicatedthatimproving data analysis capabilities to better understand customer experience requirements was the most important factor in delivering a great customer experience over the comingyear(63%indicatingveryimportant)2.

Withtheincreasedfocusondataandexpansionofthetechlandscape,organizationsarebetterequipped,nowmorethanever,todriverevenueandimpacttheirtop-andbottom-lineinameasurable,efficientmanner.ButthesefactorsalsoledtoamassivetransformationacrossB2Bcompanies.SomenotablehighlightsincludedtheriseofnewroleslikeChiefRevenueOfficer(CRO),whichisstillarelativelynoveladditiontotheC-suitebuthasseensomegoodtractioninforward-thinkingorganizations.Secondly,the onus is increasingly on marketing and sales to drive revenue - this was historically aresponsibilityforsales.But,perhapsthebiggest transformation has been around the increasing skill gap, particularly when it comes to managing all the data and tech availableinB2B.

2DigitalIntelligenceBriefing:2017DigitalTrends,EconsultancyandAdobe3InTheLandOfMarketing,OperationsMayBecomeKing,April2013,ScottBrinker

ScottBrinker,Chiefmartec

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Major trends driving the marketing & sales ops evolution

Thegrowingprevalenceofmarketing&salesopsisreadilyvisiblefororganizationstoday.But,inthepre-teenyearsoftechnology,operationswasaseeminglynovelapproachconsistingoflooselydefinedbusinessactivitiesandprocesses.Infact,mostpeopleworkinginsalesops,andmorerecentlymarketingops,movedintotheserolesfromotherfunctionsandperformednon-revenue-drivingtaskswiththesolepurposeofsupportingtheirgo-to-marketinitiatives.

Despitetherecentdevelopmentofthisroleinmostcompanies,weveseenthatopsteamswerehighlytacticalandaddressedalltheday-to-dayneedsoftheirmarketingandsalescounterparts.But,inthelastdecademarketingandsalesteamsconstantlyevolvedandimprovedtheopsroleinanefforttoadapttoexternalandinternalchanges.

Marketing Operations is evolving into a critical role for marketing organizations because the role of marketing itself is evolving. Its no longer thought of as a fluffy function thats just there to make the company look good. More and more businesses are recognizing that marketing can (and does) drive real business impact, and they demand it. Marketing Ops is at the center of this, bringing business acumen, technology and meaningful data that enables and drives the marketing engine.

LeslieAlore,Director,GlobalMarketingOperations&Automation,IronMountain

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Thisevolutioncanlargelybeattributedtothreefactors:

1) Rapid growth of technology and digitization of customer touchpoints

Thesimpleandwell-knownfactis-technologyhasgrownrapidlyoverthelastdecadeandsohasthequantityofinformationreadilyavailabletobuyersandsellers.Onthebusinessside,organizationsbecamebetterequippedtosegmenttheiraudiences,trackkeybehaviorsacrossthecustomerlifecycle,andgatherdatathroughoutthebuyingjourney.Buttheyhadtobeabletomanagethesedigitaltouchpoints,sortthroughthenoise,andmakesenseoftheresultstheyweremeasuringtofeedbackintotheirdecisionmaking.

2) Increase in complexity of buying behaviors

Onthebuyersside,therewasasuddenboomininformationthatwasreadilyavailableandeasilyaccessible.Buyers could easily learn about products and services long beforetheyevenconnectedwithcompanies.Withthisgrowingtrend,buyersbegantoexpectinformationtobedelivered at the right time and available through the right channels.Also,withamajorityofthepurchasingdecisiontakingplacepriortoconversationswithsalesteams,organizations had to ensure that they built the necessary infrastructuretosupportthesenewbehaviors.Thesavinggraceforallsolutionprovidersisthatwhilebuyersexploredigitally,theyleavebreadcrumbsalongtheirjourneythatcanbegathered,crunched,andleveragedtodeliveronthebuyersheightenedexpectations.

3) Need for more productivity and operational efficiencies

Taskedwithincreasingefficienciesacrossmarketingandsales,opsteamsincreasinglyhavetonavigateacombinationofcross-functionalprocesses,technologyinvestments,andadvancedanalytics.Infact,withtheincreasingamountofoverlapbetweenmarketingandsalesprocesses(seetheshiftinworkflowonthenextpage),opsleadershavetoalsopossessbroadermanagement and go-to-market skills overseeing strategicfunctionsincludingplanning,campaignexecution,andGTMperformancemanagement.

Major trends driving the marketing & sales ops evolution

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Whilethesefactorshaveresultedinamorestrategicapproachtooperations,webelievethatopsteamsarepoisedforyetanothermajorevolution-onethatwillfurtherup-leveltheirimportanceasrevenuestakeholders.

Major trends driving the marketing & sales ops evolution

The OLD Go-to-Market Workflow The NEW Go-to-Market Workflow

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Accelerating the path to growth with Revenue Ops

Today,opsteamsarestructuredinsuchawaythattheyeachsupporttheircounterpartsontheGTMside-marketingopshelpingthemarketingteamandsalesopshelpingsales.

MarTech

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Accelerating the path to growth with Revenue Ops

Wealsoseethisfromaresponsibilitiesstandpoint-marketingopsresponsibilitiestendtorevolvearoundplanningandprocessmanagement,budgetingandperformancetracking,andMarTechsystemsandanalytics.Salesops,ontheotherhand,focusonareassuchassalesproductivityandeffectiveness,processdesignandmanagement,forecasting,dealsupportandpursuit,andCRMadministration.Buttheblurringofthelinesbetweenmarketingandsalesonthego-to-marketfrontcallsforevenmorealignmentamongstopsteams.Bothmarketing&salesoperationsneedtocommunicatemorethaneverandtheyneedtobuildanintegrated,cohesiveworkflowthatsupportstheirrevenue-focusedcounterparts.

Asaresultofthisaddedneedforalignment,we envision the rise of a new centralized ops team focus called Revenue Ops.

This Revenue Ops approach would encompass all operations roles including marketing&salesopswithafocusonsupportingtheentirecustomerjourney.Fromanorganizationalstandpoint,thisnewphilosophywouldbetterenableopstoworkwithmarketingandsalesinanefforttotrulyachievecross-functionalalignment.Ratherthanapproachingmarketingandsalesasseparateteamswiththeirowngoals,theRevenueOpsorganizationwouldtightlycoordinateandsupporttheentirecustomerlifecycle.

CEO

CRO

Marketing SalesRevenue Ops Organization

Sales OpsMarketing Ops

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Better alignment to achieve revenue goals.

Marketing and sales are therevenuedriversinorganizationstoday,butthisrequiresanincreasinglycohesivego-to-marketenginethatcanidentifyandtargetthebestopportunities.Thiscallsforefficientprocesses,morealignmentacrossteams,andtherighttoolstosupportitall.RevenueOpswouldplayacriticalroleinaddressingalltheseneedsandensuringthatthelinesbetweensalesandmarketingaretrulyblurred.

Better process optimization across cross-functional GTM teams.

The go-to-marketsideofanorganizationisusuallycomprisedofrobust,andoftentimesvast,teamsthatneedtobedrivingtowardsthesamegoal.Thevaryingresponsibilitiesandownershipacrossmarketingandsalescallsforanequallyrobustprocessmanagementstrategy.RevenueOpswouldaddressthecomplexitiesacrossprocessesforbothteamsandensurethatefficienciesaremettotrulystreamlinetheGTMorganization.

More comprehensive customer lifecycle and better customer experiences.

A largerpartofthebuyingjourneytakesplaceviadigitalchannelspriortosalesconversations,andthesetouchpointsfalldirectlyundermarketingandsalespurview.WithanintegratedRevenueOpsteam,companieswouldbewell-equippedtohandletheentireend-to-endcustomerjourneytodeliverapositiveexperience.

Mend relationship with IT.

NotonlyisitmakingGTMteamsmoreefficient,butRevenueOpsisactuallymendingtherelationshipbetweenmarketingandIT.ITgetstoworkontheprojectsandimplementtechnologiestheywantto,whilemarketingandsaleshaveself-sufficiencytoimplementandmanagethetechnologiestheyneedtobesuccessful.Asaresult,thepercentageofmarketersdescribingtherelationshipwithITasverycollaborativeandproductive doubled in 2016 alone.4

Benefit of Revenue Ops

Beyondamorestreamlinedapproach,companiescouldseeafewkeybenefitsfromreimaginingtraditionalopsroleswithaRevenueOpsmodel:

Withamorestrategicpositionalongsidemarketingandsalesteams,opsisbetterpositionedtohelpcross-functionallyandsupporttheentirego-to-marketinfrastructure.SowhatdoesthisintegratedRevenueOpsapproachlooklikeinpractice?

42016CMODigitalBenchmarkStudy:FindingsandConsiderationstoAccelerateGrowthintheDigitalWorld,LeapfrogMarketingInstitute

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Revenue Ops Framework

RevenueOpsencompassesabroadfunctionthatsitsattheintersectionofmarketingandsalesops.GroupingthekeypillarsandresponsibilitiesintoaRevenueOpsframeworkprovidesastructuretocreatethisnewconcept.Thisframeworkconsistsofthreelayers-thepillarsthattheopsfunctioncanbesegmentedinto,thekeycategoriesthatmakeupeachpillar,andtheresponsibilitiesthatspanacrossbothmarketing&salesopsroles.

Asnotedintheframework,forward-thinkingcompaniesthatwanttodirectlyaffectchangetotheirrevenueneedtobuildanopsorganizationthat:

Oversees management and strategy

Continuallyoptimizeskeymarketingandsalesprocesses

Accountsfortherighttechnology

Deliverstherightdataandcanquickly&efficientlytranslatethemintoinsights

Inthesubsequentsections,wellexamineeachpillarindetailandsharebestpracticesfromotherleadingorganizations.

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Tohelpbringthecompanyvisiontolife,opsshouldfocusonthesetwoareas:

1) Cross-functional alignment

Operations bridgesthegapbetweenotherfunctionalteams,ensuringthereiscross-departmentalintegrationbetweenmarketingandsales.Bybuildingtrustandaligningkeyteams,RevenueOpscouldensurethatallnecessarycriteriaaremettodeliverasmoothend-to-endworkflow.Thiscaninvolvedefiningkeygoalsandstrategyacrossmarketingandsales,determiningteamorganizationalstructure,anddevelopingkeyprocedureslikeservice-levelagreementsacrosssalesandmarketing.Italsoincludesbreakingdowndepartmentalsilosbyensuringpropercommunicationinfrastructureisinplaceandoverseeingoperationaltaskslikefilemanagementbetweengo-to-marketteams.

2) Resource & Performance planning

Oncethestrategyisfinalized,itstimetoplanoutresources,specificprocesses,andidentifybenchmarksforsuccess.Ontheresourcesside,opshastoplanoutannualmarketingandsalesprocesses,coordinatecampaigns,overseeforecastingandbudgeting,andmanagethepipeline.ThesearethetacticalitemsthatultimatelyfoldupintotheoverallstrategyandhelpkeepGTMteamsontrack.

Pillar #1 - Management & Strategy

ThefirstpillaroftheRevenueOpsapproachisestablishingastrongfoundationalstrategyandmanagingresources.Opsteamsneedtoshapeandexecutestrategythatdeliversonthecompanyvisionandultimatelydrivestowardsthatcommonrevenuegoal.Thiscanrangefromhelpingformulatetheoverallmarketingandsalesstrategytoensuringtherightprocessesareinplacetoactuallyexecuteonthem.

Every action starts with an investment and before every investment, there must be a plan. That is why competency and attention in Management and Strategy is critical for every marketing and sales organization. Without the strategy and management behind revenue growth, organizations would be left with just random acts of marketing and sales actions and hope they hit their numbers.

SamMelnick,VPofMarketing,Allocadia

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Pillar 1 - Management&Strategybestpracticesfrom

RevenueOpsprofessionalsrunmarketingandsales.Whilemuchofthego-to-marketorganizationisfocusedondoingorexecutingcampaignsandtactics,RevenueOpsrunstheshowbehindthescenes,guidingtheactualexecution.

Itrequiresplanning,decisionsandanalysisaroundresourceandinvestmentmanagement,andultimatelythecriticalevaluationofwhatisworkingandwhatisnot.

Asmarketingbudgetsrise(upto12%ofcompanyrevenuein2017according to Gartner),andthatinvestmentisheldtostricterlevelsofaccountability,MarketingPerformanceManagementcontinuestomatureandbecomeanecessarypartofmoreorganizations.

Tobesuccessful,twoareastofocusonwithinManagementandStrategyare:

LeadingResourceandPerformancePlanning BuildingandManagingCross-FunctionalAlignment

Resource and Performance Planning:

WithinResourceandPerformancePlanningtherearedifferentfocuses,eachofwhichmustbealignedacrosstherevenueteamsandupanddowntherestoftheorganization:

Go-To-Market Plan Whatareourgoalsandwhatwillwedotomeetthese?

Investment Management Howmucharewegoingtospendandwherewillspenditinordertoexecuteourplan?

Targets What results must we drive (and measure) to assure we are on tracktobeatmarketexpectations?

WhentakingontheplanningportionofRevenueOps,bestinclassorganizationsdothefollowing:

1. Align plans with corporate objectives:

Creatingplansinavacuumisalmostaguaranteedrecipeforfailure.Withoutthecontextofwhatthebusinessistryingtoachieveaplanmayneverhaveachancetosucceed.High-growthorganizationsare2XmorelikelytoalignmarketingKPIs directly to contributiontothebusinessthanthosewithnegativetoflatgrowth.

KenEvans,SeniorDirectorofMarketingOperationsatFuzehighlightsthispointwell,(Aligningwithcorporateobjectives)allowsyoutocreateaplanthatisspecifictocertainbusinesstargetsandthatisscalableandrepeatableand,attheendoftheday,canshowareturnoncorporateinvestments.

2. Structure plans according to industry standards

Therealityis,RevenueOpsplansneedtocoordinateeffortsforamultitudeofareas.Audiences,channels,departmentalfunctions,productlines,andregionsareallinvolved.Whileeveryplanandmeasurementframeworkisgoingtobeslightlydifferent,youwontbeabletosucceedattheabovewithoutaformalframework.

ForInvestmentplanning,bothIDCsCMOAdvisoryService and SiriusDecisions Marketing Operations Grouphavestrongtaxonomiesandbenchmarks.ForDemandGenerationandRevenueplanning,SiriusDecisionsDemandWaterfall is a great place to start.

http://www.gartner.com/smarterwithgartner/gartner-cmo-spend-survey-2016-2017-shows-marketing-budgets-continue-to-climb/http://www.gartner.com/smarterwithgartner/gartner-cmo-spend-survey-2016-2017-shows-marketing-budgets-continue-to-climb/http://content.allocadia.com/ebooks/2017-mpm-maturity-benchmarking-reporthttps://www.slideshare.net/allocadia/idc-vmware-and-allocadia-present-best-practices-in-marketing-budgeting-for-improved-roihttps://content.allocadia.com/blog/there-s-a-framework-for-thathttps://content.allocadia.com/blog/there-s-a-framework-for-thathttps://artandscience.siriusdecisions.com/demand-marketing-leader/the-siriusdecisions-demand-waterfall-overview

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3. Create Top-Down and Bottom-Up Plans

Bothtop-down,strategicplans,andbottom-up,tacticalplans,areincrediblyvaluableandnecessary.Butifyoufocustooheavilyonthetop-downplan,youriskgettingseparatedfromreality.Jumptooquicklytothetacticalactivity-basedplanandyoucouldendupbeingstuckinasilo.

The recommended approach is that Revenue Ops partner with executives to set strategicobjectivesandthenbringthesetothefieldandcoordinateaglobalbottom-upplanningprocess.Inaperfectworld,thesetwoactionswillsmoothlymeetinthemiddle-therealityistherewillalwaysbesomenegotiationandreconciliation.

Cross-Functional Alignment

ThemosteffectiveRevenueOperationsprofessionalsbuildstrongrelationships.ThefirstandmostobviousrelationshipthatmustbebuiltiswiththeC-suite.Afterall,theysetthecorporateobjectives,theymanagethebudgets,andopsmustbeinlockstepwiththeirobjectives.

OneimportantallythatisoftenforgottenisFinance.WhileMarketingandSalesalignmenthasbeentalkedaboutfordecades,alignmentwithFinancehasoftenbeencastaside.ResearchfromAllocadiasMarketingPerformanceManagementBenchmarkStudyshinessomelightonthisproblem.Marketingorganizationsathigh-performingcompaniesare3XmorelikelytoalignwithFinanceoverall,and2outof3high-performersalignonbudgetsandreturns,ascomparedto1outof3low-performingorganizations.PrioritizingalignmentisamustforanyRevenueOpsfunction,asMarketing,Sales,andFinancearereallythetrioofrevenuecreationfortheorganization.

Key Takeaways

1)ManagementandStrategyareparamounttoyourorganizationssuccess,donotoverlooktheseresponsibilitiesotherwise,yourrevenuegeneratingfunctionswillenduplikearudderlessship.

2)DontforgettheIorInvestments.Organizationsoftenfocusontoplineresults,butwithoutcontrolandvisibilityovertheIRevenueOpswillnevergettrueROIoftheorganizationsactions.

3)TheMarketingandSalesrelationshipisincrediblyimportant,butdontfor-getaboutFinance,theyhavesignificantinputintothebusinessandrevenuegenerationgoals.

4) When creating alignment always bring your partners into the planning processesearlyon.Communicationisthekeyincreatingcross-functionalharmony.

Pillar 1 - Management&Strategybestpracticesfrom

https://content.allocadia.com/ebooks/2017-mpm-maturity-benchmarking-reporthttps://content.allocadia.com/ebooks/2017-mpm-maturity-benchmarking-report

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Sincemarketingandsalesprocessescanvary,wevebrokenupthispillarintotwofunctionalcategories:

1) Marketing Process Innovation

On themarketingside,RevenueOpsneedstobefocusedonsupportingkeyactivitieslikeleadmanagement,listbuilding,audiencesegmentation,andcampaignexecution.Besidesthesedefinitivemarketingprocesses,opsshouldalsohaveamajorfocusonmarketingautomationandsystemsofinsight,importantareasformarketingteamslookingtocontributetopipelinegrowthandrevenue.Marketingleadersanddemandgenerationprofessionalsleanheavilyontheiroperationsteamstomakecampaignandproceduralideasareality.Withoutopsmasteryacrossthenumerousnecessarystepsthatenablemarketingtoperform,engagementwithpotentialcustomerswouldbeatastandstill.

2) Business Process Innovation

Outside ofmarketingprocesses,opsteamsalsoneedtosupportandinnovateonthesalesside.Thisincludeslayerssuchasleadroutingandaccountassignment,territoryplanning,dealpricing,andevencontract/businesscasesupport.Giventhelongsalescyclesassociatedwitheitherlargedealsandhighvelocity,highvolumedealflow,theopsteamsmustbeuniquelycapableofcraftingprocessesandfunctionsthatmarryhowthesalesteamachievesrevenuetargets.

Pillar #2 - Process Optimization

Afteroutliningmanagementdecisionsandplanningoutstrategy,opsneedstohelpdefinekeyworkflowsandexecutemarketingandsalesprocesses.Thegoalhereistomakego-to-marketteamsmoreproductiveandeffective-thiscanbeachievedbyfindingwaystoremoveorautomatesteps,streamlineprocesses,andreducefrictionbetweencross-functionaltasks.

The larger your company is, the more business processes it has, the more it makes sense to streamline. But no need to reinvent the wheel - many businesses have similar processes, so ask around to see if a solution already exists for what youre trying to solve. Build things for processes unique to your business - use industry-standard tools and methodologies for all else.

CharlieLiang,DirectorofMarketing,Engagio

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Processoptimizationisfundamentallyimportanttooperationsbecauseitsthedefinitionofgoodops.Goodprocess=goodops.

Itmanifestsitselfinmanyforms,butingeneral,itstheartofgettingridofexcessfatinthingsthatyouneedtorepeat,suchasfinding your next customer, loading lists from a tradeshow, converting CRM leads to opportunities, or something as simple as bucketing job titles.Truthis,ifitsavesyoutimeandcangetthejobdoneasgoodorbetter,itsgoodoptimizingtheprocess.

Operationsprofessionalsshouldtakeinventoryofhowtheyspendtheirtimeandbreakoutactivitiesintotwocategories:one-time processes and recurring processes. Youcancertainlyoptimizeboth,butingeneral,youshouldspendtimefocusingonimprovingrepeatedprocesses.

Thereareafewquestionstoaskyourselfwhendecidingwhetherornottotrytoimproveagivenprocess:

Is there a better way to dothis?

Is it worth the time savingstoimprove?

Do we have the internal know-howtoimproveflow?

Doit.

Noprocessoptimizationhere.

Pay someone who has the know-how to do it

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

No

Pillar 2 - ProcessOptimizationbestpracticesfrom

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Furthermore,whenaskedtoevaluatetheteamleadingtheprocessoptimizationproject,the more you answer yestothequestionsbelow,themore successful the project will be.

Personnel Doestheperson(s)inchargeofimprovingtheprocesshavetheappropriatedomain

expertise?

Istheperson(s)leadingtheprojectintouchwiththerightpeople? Dotheyhaveclearance+supporttoworkonthegivenprocess? Canthepersonorteamexecutewell?

Project Arethegoalsoftheprojectdefinedclearly? Doyouhaveagoodwayofmeasuringthesuccessoftheproject? Havetherebeencleartimelinesestablished? Doestheprojecthavevisibility&supportfromkeyexecutives?

Aslongasthereareorganizations,therewillbeprocessimprovement.Butthefailuretocontinuetostreamlineprocessescanbeabigrisktocompaniesiftheydontexecutewell.Thelargerthecompany,themoreimportantprocessoptimizationis,butalsotheharderitis.

Key Takeaways:1)Focusonimprovingrecurringprocesses

2) Make sure you have the right personnel to lead the project

3)DefineKPIsaroundtheproject&identifysuccess

4)Processoptimizationsbenefitlargerorgsmorethansmallerorgs

Pillar 2 - ProcessOptimizationbestpracticesfrom

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1) Software & Technology

Most organizationshaveanexistingtechstack,oftentimescomprisedofmultipletechnologiesthataredeeplyembedded,orwildlydisjointed,intoworkflows.Giventheintegratednatureoftechnologyinbusinesses,opsneedstobehighlyselectiveaboutanynewsoftwareorsolutionsthatmarketingandsaleswantstoaddtothestack.Thismeansevaluatingtechnologybasedonhowwellitfitsinwithexistingworkflows,understandingwhetherornotitintegratesintothecurrentstack,anddeployingandadministeringtechnologyacrossstakeholdersandusers.Opsteamsalsoneedtogiveprioritytocorego-to-markettechnologieslikeCRM,marketingautomation,andcustomerdatabaseswhichdirectlyfactorintorevenuegeneratingefforts.

2) Project Management & Training

Another importantaspectofthispillarisfocusingonprojectmanagementandtrainingmembersofvariousteams.Thiscanrangefromtrainingmarketingandsalesteamsonnewprocesses,newsystems,orevenhelpingthemdeveloptheirprofessionalskills.Tohelpfacilitatetheirtrainingefforts,opsshouldalsofocusonbuildingcampaignandsalesplaybooksthatcapturekeymarketingandsalesprocesses.Theseresourcesshouldbeusedtotrainnewemployeesandcanserveashelpfulguidestoreferenceinthelongrun.

Pillar #3 - Technology & Project Management

Thethirdpillar-technologyandprojectmanagement-isoneofthecornerstonesoftheoperationsrole.Withmostenterprisespayingforsomewherebetween10to16technologies5,theresamajorneedforopstosupportthetechnologyandprojectsthatcontributetotherevenueengine.

Revenue operations are strategic and marketers need to engage with that mindset. Evaluate marketing technology through a strategic lens, not tactical. That means only using tools that align with the overall business strategy and goals. Plan for and execute for success by investing in training and strong project management. Random acts of marketing result when people dont know what theyre doing and thats deadly for business and careers.

BrianHansford,VP,ClientServicesandMarketingTechnologyPractice,HeinzMarketing

5BusinessatWork2016Report,Okta

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Revenueopsleadersmustkeeptheirfocusontheoverallstrategyandobjectives.Adoptingawell-plannedandholisticapproachwillbenefitoperationswiththefocusthathelpsdrivecustomerengagementandrevenuegeneration.

Keepthesefourcriteriainmindwhenevaluatingnewmarketingtechnologies:

1. Strategic Impact how will a new tool improve overall marketing &salesoperations?Isthetechnologyamust-have,ornice-to-have?Whatistheoperationalplantogo-live?

2. Integration dontinvestintoolsthatonlyoperateinsilos.

3. Data Management integrated tools must support the overall data flowacrossdepartments.Analyticsandperformancemeasurementisnearlyimpossiblewithoutstrongdatamanagement.

4. People whowilluseandmanagenewtools?Howwilltheylearnthenewtool?

Peoplearethemostimportantresourceforsuccessfultechnologyoperations.Peopledevelopthestrategy,managetheexecution,measureresultsandusethetechnologytoenabletheoverallstrategy.Trainingisacriticalinvestmentthatcanbethedifferencebetweensuccessorsub-parperformance.Operationalsuccesswillcomefromhighlyskilledpeople,strongprojectmanagement,technologyplanning,andaclearstrategy.

Only9%ofcompanieshaveacomplete,fullyutilizedmartechstack,accordingtoa2015report.-Ascend2

Marketingsoftwarespendingisprojectedreach$32B+by2018.-Radius 87%ofmarketersbelievemartechisimprovingmarketingperformanceattheir

companies.-Ascend2

Inadditiontotechnology,projectmanagementiscriticaltokeeprevenueoperationsfocusedonexecutingagainsttheoverallbusinessstrategy.

Therevenuegoalswilldrivethestrategicfocusforoperations.Demandgenerationprogramstaketimetobuildandlaunchandcoordinatewithsales.Schedulingthedevelopmentandlaunchprocess,alongwiththeoverallmarketingcadenceallrequireprojectmanagementskillsandtools.

Projectmanagementtoolsshouldtrackthetimeframe,scope,andbudgetforallmarketingoperationsprograms.CMOsandmarketingoperationsleadersshouldlettheirteamchoosetheprojectmanagementtoolsinsteadofimposingthem.Thisensuresadoptionandutilization.

Technologyplanningandprojectmanagementenabletheoverallbusinessstrategyforrevenueoperations.Technologybyitselfisnotastrategy,andstrategywithoutexecutionishallucination.

Pillar 3 - Technology&ProjectManagementbestpracticesfrom

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Marketingandsalesteamshaveabroadrangeofprojectmanagementandcommunicationstoolstochoosefrom.Easeofuse,organization,collaboration,updates,andreportingareallimportant.Someorganizationscanutilizearigorousprojectmanagement methodology and tool while others may need tools that a lower adoption threshold.EffectiveprojectmanagementwillultimatelyhelptheC-suitemeasurehowwellgo-to-marketteamsareperformingagainstaplan.Notusinganyprojectmanagementvirtuallyguaranteesinefficientoperations.

Anastounding97%oforganizationsbelieveprojectmanagementiscriticaltobusinessperformanceandorganizationalsuccess.(Source:PricewaterhouseCoopers)

80%ofprojectmanagementexecutivesdontknowhowtheirprojectsalignwiththeircompanysbusinessstrategy.(Source:Changepoint)

High-performingorganizationssuccessfullycomplete89%oftheirprojects,whilelowperformerscompleteonly36%.(Source:PMI.org)

Key Takeaways:1) Tech accountability - Only evaluate marketing technology tools that support theoverallbusinessstrategy.Atightstackimprovesexecution,effectiveness,andoverallrevenueoperationssuccess.Moretoolsarenotbetterandcomplicateoperationsandincreasescrutiny.

2)Integrationseverywhere-Applicationsilosaredisastrousforworkflowanddatamanagement.Onlyevaluatetoolsthattightlyintegratewiththecorestack.

3)Planforutilization-Signingalicenseagreementiseasy.Utilizationrequirespeople,planning,andtraining.

4)Projectmanagementdrivessuccess-Strategyrequiresexecution.Projectmanagementfocuseseffortsontheobjectives,timing,budgets,andcommunication.

Pillar 3 - Technology&ProjectManagementbestpracticesfrom

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1) Data Stewardship

Companieshavemoredataabouttheircustomersbehaviorandhowtheyreinteractingwiththeirbrand,marketingcampaigns,andsalesrepsbutitsnotalwaysconsumable.Thefirststepincreatingdatahealthforopsteamsistoimprovetheoverallcleanlinessoftheirsystemsofrecord.Thisincludesde-duplicatingdata,removingolddata,andupdatingbasicyetcriticalfields.Oncethedataisclean,theyneedtoappendandenrich customer and prospect data that will help go-to-market teams better reach andengagebuyersinmoremeaningfulways.Thegoalhereistobuildascompleteapictureaspossibleformarketingandsalestoactupon.Lastly,RevenueOpsneedstomanagedataqualityonaconsistentbasis.Dataisdynamicandgoesstaleitmustberefreshedsotheinsightsthataredrawnfromdataareasgoodasthequalityofthedataitself.RevenueOpscanbecomethestewardsofdatabycreatinganaccurate,comprehensive,andfreshsystemofrecord.Therevenueandefficiencyimpactsoftruedatastewardshipcanbemonumental.

2) Analytics & Reporting

Data stewardshipisjustpartofthepuzzle-opsalsoneedstodrawinsightsfromallthedatathatsavailable.Tobeginwith,opsneedstoworkwithstakeholdersfrommarketingandsalestodefinewhatmetricsmatterfortheirbusinessandaligneachKPIwithstrategicgoals.Thisprovidesmarketingandsaleswithbenchmarksthattheycanthenusetomeasureperformance.Opsshouldalsofocusoninterpreting&analyzingkeymetrics,drawingactionableinsightsandcommunicatingittostakeholders,andhelpingGTMteamsattributerevenuetoeachteamsefforts.

Marketing and sales are closed-loop systems that need actionable insights to drive performance.However,whilethesegohand-in-hand,theyeachinvolveauniquesetofresponsibilities.

Pillar #4 - Data & Analytics

Lastly,RevenueOpsteamsneedtofocusondataandanalytics-sortingthroughvastamountsofdigitizedinteractionsanddrawinginsightsthatcanfeedbackintorevenuestrategy.

If youre struggling to figure out what metric(s) to prioritize, think about which is the actual goal and which are just indicators of the goal. Focusing on the actual goal will show ops practitioners how to prioritize technology and process implementation, maintenance, and optimization.

DaveRigotti,VPofMarketing,Bizible

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Thefirstactionopsshouldtaketoensureproperdatagovernanceistoassemblekeystakeholdersacrossthemarketingandsalesteamsduringkeyplanningphasesofbuildingthemarketingandsalestechnologystackandorganizationalprocess.Havethestakeholdersagreeupfrontaboutwhatisthesinglesourceoftruth,andhaveallstakeholders involved in decisions about making changes to the data structure going forward.

Next,properdatamanagement--accessible,actionable,andaccuratedata--canbeensuredbycreatingasinglesourceoftruthforboththemarketingandsalesteams.Notonlydoesthatdatahavetobetruthful,ithastoaddresstherightproblem.Attributionplaysakeyrole,asitconnectsmarketingandsalesdata,andlivesintheCRM.Eventhen,theimpactofhowattributionhelpsensureproperdatagovernancedependsonhowmarketingopsconfigurestheattributiontechnology.Forexample,first-touchattributiondatamaybeaccessible,actionable,andtechnicallyaccurate,butitdoesntaddresstherightproblem.Theproblemismeasuringandunderstandingthefullcustomerjourney,andthatrequiresmulti-touchattributiondata.

Thenextstepisforopstocreateorfacilitatethecreationofdashboardsformoreseniorstakeholders.Formorejuniorpractitioners,opsshouldfocusmoreonprovidingaccesstothedata,enablingthemtocreatetheirownreports.

C-level,presidents,andvicepresidentsdontrequirethesamedepthofdatathatpractitionersneed,buttheydoneedtobeabletounderstandthebigpicture--trends,hittingforecasts,etc.Wherethedashboarddatacomesfromshouldbeclear,allowingthesekeystakeholderstodigindeeper,butonlyasnecessary.Forpractitionerswhomayneedtolookatthedataonaday-to-daybasis,opsshouldfacilitatethecreationofreports and ensure that the data continues to be accurate and answers the questions thateachfunctionrequires.

Creatingacultureofaccountabilityandtransparencyisinvaluabletoensuringdataintegrityandaccuracy.Nomatterhowmuchopswouldliketoautomateallofthedatainputs,someofitwillalwaysbeself-reportedandanalyzed.Explaintheimportanceandgeteveryonetobuyinontheimportanceofdataintegrityandaccuracy,andhavingitbuiltintotheprocess,willhelp.

Dataandanalytics,throughthelensofRevenueOps,isaboutgettingtherightinformationtotherightpeople,whetherthatsmarketersorsalespeople.Formorematureorganizations,opsneedstomovebeyondgettingmerelyaccuratedataandbecomefocusedongettingactionableinsightsthatanswermeaningfulproblems.

Pillar 4 - Data&Analyticsbestpracticesfrom

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Inmanyinstances,technologyandprocessaretwosidesofthesamecoin.Takedatacleansing,forexample.De-dupingandcleaningoutbaddata(incorrectcontactinformation)isntaone-offactivity;itneedstobebuiltintotheprocess.

Lastly,full-funnelanalyticsandreportingisthekeytoimprovingB2Bmarketingandsalesefforts,includingcreatingalignmentbetweenthetwofunctions.Thismeansenablingmarketerstospeakthesamelanguageastheirsalescounterparts--revenue.WhilemeasuringmarketingperformancewithopportunitiesandpipelineisagreatimprovementonleadsandMQLs,measuringwithrevenueencouragesmarketersto help with things like sales enablement and other ways to improve win rates at the bottomofthefunnel.Marketerswhoarefocusedonthefullfunnelare119%morelikely toreportsalesandmarketingalignment.

Key Takeaways:1)Focusongettingdatathatanswerstherightquestions--spendmoretimefiguringoutwhattherightquestionisandwhatdataisrequiredtoanswerit.

2)Makedataaccessibleandbuildacultureofaccountabilityandtransparency,however,tailorittothespecificneedsofthestakeholder(typically by level)

3)Alignyourattributionmodeltoyourgoals.Ifyoureatthestagewherethemarketinggoalisopportunities,useamulti-touchmodelthatendsatopportunitycreation(e.g.W-shaped);ifyoureatthestagewherethemarketinggoalisrevenue,useamulti-touchmodelthatendsatcustomercreation(e.g.Fullpath)

4)Measuremarketingperformancewithrevenuetoachievetruealignmentbetween marketing and sales

Pillar 4 - Data&Analyticsbestpracticesfrom

http://www.pipelinemarketing.com/

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Revenue Ops Technology Landscape

Technology plays a huge role in how business is conducted today and operations are the gatekeepersforgo-to-markettechnologies.But,giventhebroadnatureofbothmarketingandsalesfunctions,itscrucialforopsteamstohaveanintimateunderstandingofwhattechnologiesandserviceprovidersareavailableinthemarket,howtheycanhelpsupportrevenueinitiatives,andwhatthesesolutionsarecapableof.

Tohelpoperationsteamsmakesenseofthegrowingnumberoftoolsavailabletothem,wecreated this Revenue Ops Landscape.Giventhecomprehensivenessofotherlandscapes(see ScottBrinkerssupergraphic),onlyasamplingofthekeyplayersareincludedinthislandscapeandsortedbasedonthepillarsoftheRevenueOpsframework.

Note: Many companies listed in this landscape offer a wide range of solutions and services. However, to help communicate how each technology can help ops teams, we categorized them based on how they best serve the Revenue Ops model.

http://chiefmartec.com/2016/03/marketing-technology-landscape-supergraphic-2016/http://chiefmartec.com/2016/03/marketing-technology-landscape-supergraphic-2016/

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February2017|Sources:Google,ChiefmartecSupergraphic2016,LUMAscapes,SiriusDecisionsMarketplace

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Conclusion

Revenueisthetruenorthstarforallcompanies,andmarketing&salesaredrivingtheenginethatgetsthemtothisgoal.But,theconstantmarchtosupportgo-to-marketteamsandtheirimpactonthecustomerlifecyclehaspoisedtheoperationsteamforabigtransformation,whereintheytakeonanewsetofresponsibilitiesthatarethelinchpintoscalablegrowth.

Forward-thinkingcompaniesthatalignwithamoreintegratedopsstrategyandstarttolookaheadtoRevenueOpsstandtobenefitfromunlockingtruegrowthpotentialandacceleratingtheirpathtorevenue.

ThanksforreadingthiseBook,wehopeyoufoundthecontentuseful!

sales@radius.com 1--- www.radius.com

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