AMA: Tegus Global Head of Revenue Strategy & Operations, Kayvan Dastgheib on Sales/Revenue Ops Alignment

Integrating new Sales tools or processes is as much about execution as it is about selection. Even the best tools can fail without proper implementation, which requires collaboration with go-to-market partners to ensure field-level adoption. Take, for example, rolling out a new forecasting methodology. This initiative might introduce new stages, fields, or retire outdated ones. Success hinges not only on directives from Sales leadership but also on buy-in from frontline managers and reps. Understanding human psychology is crucial here. Salespeople are often focused on immediate goals—hitting monthly or quarterly targets. Learning a new process can seem like a distraction. To encourage adoption: * Frontline Manager Accountability: Managers must hold their teams accountable during one-on-ones and pipeline reviews, ensuring reps adhere to the new methodology. * Demonstrate Immediate Value: Show how the new process addresses short-term challenges they face, such as identifying pipeline slippage earlier or improving deal visibility. * Leadership Alignment: Leaders overseeing frontline managers should reinforce the importance of the new process, integrating it into higher-level discussions and performance metrics. Additionally, spend time with frontline leaders to understand their concerns and hesitations. Support them by illustrating how the new tool or process is a force multiplier, not just an added task. For example, explain how it enables more accurate forecasting, leading to better resource allocation and higher success rates. This approach applies to technology implementations as well. Without engagement and understanding from those who will use the tool daily, even the most sophisticated systems can fall flat. By fostering open communication, addressing concerns, and highlighting tangible benefits, you increase the likelihood of successful integration and adoption.

Disagreements between Sales and Revenue Ops on strategy or tactics often stem from differing views on how best to utilize each other's time to meet business objectives. It's crucial to recognize that our stakeholders—our business partners—have their own incentives and priorities. Sales leaders carry the significant responsibility of hitting their targets, a sense of urgency that RevOps teams might not intrinsically feel to the same extent. When disagreements arise, I encourage RevOps teams to ask themselves: Is the initiative we're proposing going to fundamentally improve the Sales team's ability to close deals? If the answer is no, it's understandable that Sales might resist investing time and effort into a new strategy that doesn't directly enhance their revenue-generating capabilities. That said, RevOps supports more than just Sales—we also collaborate with Marketing, Customer Success, Finance, and Product teams. Each may request initiatives that involve Sales, such as improving customer onboarding or gathering product feedback. These projects might not have immediate, apparent benefits for Sales but contribute to the organization's overall health. In these cases, top-down alignment is essential. We need a clearly articulated organizational strategy—a "North Star" that everyone is working toward. For example, if improving gross retention is a priority, and enhancing customer onboarding is the chosen path to achieve that, leadership must align on deliverables that will materially impact renewals. We can connect this back to Sales by emphasizing that healthier customers are more likely to renew and expand their partnerships, providing fertile ground for Account Executives to hit their targets. It's about shifting the conversation from "Here's what we need to do" to "Here's why this benefits you." When we illustrate the downstream impacts on Sales' objectives, alignment becomes much more attainable, allowing us to collaboratively design and execute effective strategies.

Forecasting is foundational in aligning Sales and Revenue Ops objectives. It requires both teams to be closely synchronized in how they measure, monitor, and act upon pipeline data. Beyond just methodologies and data tracking, forecasting embodies Rev Ops' role as a force accelerator for the go-to-market engine. To be effective, Rev Ops must intimately understand: * Pipeline Dynamics: How is the pipeline built? Where are opportunities coming from? How are they progressing? * Deal Movement: What factors influence when deals close, stall, or fall through? What obstacles are preventing closures? * Levers for Improvement: What actions can accelerate the sales cycle or enhance deal value? By having a finger on the pulse of the forecast, Rev Ops can identify trends, anticipate challenges, and prioritize actions that will have the most significant impact. This might involve mitigating risks, uncovering new opportunities, or doubling down on successful strategies. Personally, I start each day by reviewing pipeline reports, analyzing forecasts across segments and regions, and assessing pipeline coverage and pacing. This practice enables me to provide valuable insights to my Sales partners and builds trust because I understand what's critical to their success. Ultimately, forecasting serves as the North Star for both Sales and Rev Ops. It ensures that we're aligned not just in targets but in our understanding of how to achieve them. Without this alignment, it's challenging to support Sales effectively or drive the organization toward its revenue goals.

Ensuring that RevOps provides the right level of support to Sales is a multifaceted challenge that depends on several factors. First, we need to define the type of support required—is it strategy and insights, book-of-business planning, deal desk operations, systems and technology, or enablement? We also have to consider the organization's size, growth plans, and budget constraints. Resources are finite, and Rev Ops must allocate them efficiently to maximize value. I follow a few guidelines: 1. Analyst Support: For insights and territory planning, I recommend having at least one analyst for every 20 go-to-market representatives. This scales appropriately as the organization grows and ensures that Sales has the data-driven support needed for decision-making. 2. Dedicated CRM Administration: Bringing in a dedicated Salesforce administrator early is crucial. Delaying this role can lead to significant technical debt, hindering scalability. Relying on analysts or Rev Ops managers to handle CRM administration often results in subpar performance in both roles. Beyond these roles, collaborate with Sales leadership to identify the "jobs to be done" that enable Sales to hit their targets and drive incremental organizational improvements. Once these tasks are outlined, assess whether there is internal capacity to fulfill them. If not, it may be necessary to propose adding specialized roles. For example, if there's a bottleneck in generating contracts and RFPs, this might indicate the need for a Commercial Operations function or a Deal Desk. If onboarding new sales talent is a challenge, establishing an Enablement function could be the solution. There's no one-size-fits-all answer. The key is to: * Identify critical support areas: Insights, strategy, planning, data hygiene, contract operations, systems architecture, etc. * Assess internal capabilities: Determine if existing team members can meet these needs effectively. * Address gaps proactively: Propose solutions, whether through new roles or process improvements, to ensure the go-to-market engine runs smoothly. Evaluate needs and capabilities then RevOps can provide tailored support that aligns with Sales' objectives and the organization's growth trajectory.

One of the most effective ways I've found to enhance communication between Sales and Revenue Operations teams—and this applies to all go-to-market stakeholders—is to establish a clear and regularly updated roadmap. Early on, I prioritize building both long-term and short-term roadmaps, projected on a monthly and quarterly basis. These roadmaps categorize the work being tackled by the Rev Ops team into thematic pillars, helping stakeholders understand our objectives and how we're allocating our most valuable resource: time. The thematic pillars I typically use are Strategy and Insights, Scalable Infrastructure and Technology, Operations and Processes, and Enablement. Most projects, whether short-term or long-term, fall into one of these categories. By organizing work this way, stakeholders can easily grasp what we're focusing on and why. Creating these roadmaps fosters strong bidirectional communication. My team starts by proposing a roadmap based not only on our ideas but also on feedback from our stakeholders. We assess each initiative based on urgency, time to value, and the risks of not addressing it. Once we have a draft, we share it with our go-to-market stakeholders to gather their input. This collaborative approach allows them to weigh in on priorities, suggest adjustments, and ensure alignment with their targets. After finalizing the roadmap, we provide consistent weekly updates—whether on Monday or Tuesday isn't as important as maintaining regular communication. These updates summarize what's been accomplished, what's going well, what's not, and the actions we're taking. This transparency prevents the friction that often arises when Rev Ops operates in a "black box," merely processing tasks without clear strategic intent. I find that many communication breakdowns occur when Rev Ops becomes a catchall, accepting tasks as order-takers rather than strategically leveraging our time based on business needs. By proactively communicating our plans and progress, we shift from a reactive stance to a strategic partnership with Sales.