Sharebird
Sign Up / Sign In
Ken Liu

AMA: Redis Director - Global Sales Strategy & Operations, Ken Liu on Finance / Revenue Ops Alignment

September 3, 2025 @ 10:00AM PT

View AMA Answers

  1. How do you get finance to allocate budget to programs that we haven’t proven out yet, but are experimental?

    We recently brought on a CFO and they are asking us to add timelines for ROI to many of the programs that have not yet begun (like influence marketing).

    Ken Liu
    Ken Liu

    Redis Director - Global Sales Strategy & Operations | Formerly Databricks, Google • 9mo

    Help increase the chances of greenlighting your experimental programs by: Aligning and proposing the programs in line with Finance's planning cadence (e.g. qtrly) as early and as far out as possible Demonstrate the low cost of the experiment vs the potential upside of the findings, especially if the experiment is successful and subsequently scaled out Finance is regularly in the business of allocating budget, be it quarterly, semi-annually, or annually. Make it easier for them to review your req ...Read More

    510 Views
    2 requests

  2. Where is the best place to start improving the accuracy of pipeline and forecasting reports (currently off by at least 20% each quarter)?

    We use Salesforce and currently base reports on opp stages.

    Ken Liu
    Ken Liu

    Redis Director - Global Sales Strategy & Operations | Formerly Databricks, Google • 9mo

    For simplicity sake, I'll assume that your forecasts at the beginning of the qtr are +/-20% from end-of-qtr (EOQ) actuals (since forecasts near the EoQ converge with actuals). What are table-stakes for both consistent and more accurate qtrly revenue forecasting is the org-wide adoption of A common forecast tool/dashboard/report and Common instructions/operations for using the data from step 1 to forecast If you don't have both, start with ensuring there is a common set of tooling/reporting for s ...Read More

    602 Views
    2 requests

  3. How can I persuade a “cost-focused” finance team to approve my requested SaaS solutions and changes to the tech stack that I believe will improve revenue and forecasting?

    Ken Liu
    Ken Liu

    Redis Director - Global Sales Strategy & Operations | Formerly Databricks, Google • 9mo

    To help Finance greenlight financing your SaaS solution requests, present the request in the language of Finance; create a business case that demonstrates the ROI of the investment. Finance regularly receives requests for budget. Help make the decision easier for them AND tip the decision in favor of your request by presenting the qualitative and quantitative benefits of your request. Be sure to also note the qualitative and quantitative trade-offs to provide a balanced view. There are numerous ...Read More

    505 Views
    2 requests

  4. How do you create a strong partnership between RevOps and Finance?

    Ken Liu
    Ken Liu

    Redis Director - Global Sales Strategy & Operations | Formerly Databricks, Google • 9mo

    Forging a strong relationship with Finance has been instrumental in increasing the impact of my RevOps teams through unlocking budget for projects and feedback on analysis. What has helped me nurture my relationship with Finance is: Project Support - partner with Finance on projects that enable them to scale Consulting Finance - involve Finance on strategic analysis, and involve them earlier Business Case Creation - organize funding requests of Finance via clear, data-driven business cases Proje ...Read More

    645 Views
    2 requests