AMA: Databricks Senior Director Sales Execution, Justin Trana on Revenue Strategy Execution
August 29 @ 10:00AM PST
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Databricks Senior Director Sales Execution, Justin Trana on Revenue Strategy Execution
Top Questions
How do I decide which tactical piece to implement first in our strategy for revenue engine?
I have developed our first company strategy for our revenue engine and I have buy-in at the exec level.
Justin Trana
Databricks Senior Director Sales Operations • August 29
Whatever makes the sales team more effective! The more you can focus on the tooling and infrastructure that keeps the sales team effective and focused on selling, not admin, the better. Your customer in building a revenue engine is the sales org and if they are losing patience while you build str......Read More
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What is the best format to create a data dictionary for the company to align everyone on terms so we speak the same language?
I was thinking of creating this as a word doc and sharing.
Justin Trana
Databricks Senior Director Sales Operations • August 29
The best data dictionaries live in a system of record connected to the data source itself. Tools like Unity Catalog on Databricks or Alation surface the dictionary and governance on the same platform as the end query. This makes is more efficient for users as well as more transparent to keep upda......Read More
506 Views
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Justin Trana
Databricks Senior Director Sales Operations • August 29
Start with listening. The number 1 advocate and driver of a revenue strategy is the sales leadership team. Take the time to listen to this new sales leader and understand their underlying objectives while trying to keep the conversation agnostic of technology. Understand how they want to orient t......Read More
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How do I get my marketing leader on board if automation is key to my strategy?
My marketing leader was on board with my strategy and helped me craft it but now that I have started creating process flows in the MAP they are saying they want to own any process changes and decide when they will be implemented.
Justin Trana
Databricks Senior Director Sales Operations • August 29
Simple as it seems, I think what really matter is that you present what's in it for them first and foremost. The marketing team will have a very specific POV for what really matters to them, generally some form of attribution of up funnel activities to sales outcomes that helps them to measure RO......Read More
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The first phase of my revenue plan involves overhauling the handling of all inbound leads. This will take at least 2 months to implement. What’s the best place to start with this to minimize the pain that the sales and marketing teams will feel?
I was thinking about starting with the lead source fields and routing automation.
Justin Trana
Databricks Senior Director Sales Operations • August 29
The hardest thing to do in this type of transition is to force the sales and marketing teams to pivot twice. What I would recommend focusing your energy on is how you can make the current process as stable as possible until you are ready to "flip the switch" on the overhauled version. Even if the......Read More
630 Views
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How do I ensure that the revenue dashboard is accurate and updated in a timely manner?
I am working on our first revenue dashboard and I want it to be as accurate as possible. I am building it in Salesforce and using the opportunity stages as percentage indicators towards closed won. This is a new process and I am finding that the sales team is not updating the stages in a timely manner which is impacting the dashboard.
Justin Trana
Databricks Senior Director Sales Operations • August 29
The data on this type of dashboard is truly only as good as the input from the sales reps. The most effective way to get this data moving, with accuracy is to hold accountability via the sales leadership team. Opportunity stage progression measurement (aka "deal cycle time") should be a part of a......Read More
537 Views
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What are some ways I can leverage partnerships and community sponsorships without a huge budget?
I made a short list of communities and micro influencers that I planned to explore but I just got word that the budget has been drastically cut.
Justin Trana
Databricks Senior Director Sales Operations • August 29
While it generally takes more time, look for ways to find joint go to market opportunities or ways you can partner through a third party to build a relationship. For example, co-sponsorship of an event or partnering as keynote speakers to build mutual brand awareness. If there is something in it ......Read More
849 Views
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What are the long-term metrics that you prioritize reviewing in running your organization?
I believe organizations that I have been a part of spend too much time prioritizing short-term metrics (pipeline, forecast, YoY growth, etc.), and I notice this is especially true when creating deep partnerships with Sales leadership. What do you look at to determine the future health of your organization (ex: new logo wins, # of partner wins and contribution, growth in pull-through services)? How do you balance focus on short and long-term health?
Justin Trana
Databricks Senior Director Sales Operations • August 29
New logo lands and partner activity are great measures of long term success. I would also but renewal rates, average deal size, and length of contract terms (e.g. 1 vs 2 vs 5 year deals) as very strong indicators of the long term health of an organization that can easily be measured in the short ......Read More
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