Ken Liu

Revenue operations provides utility to the C-suite in various capacities, ranging from revenue forecasting, to process optimization to data and analytics. These are all core functions of rev ops that drive value to CXOs. Regardless of core rev ops function, I've found these best practices to always hold true for my career: Identify the problem statement - never jump head first into the next big project until you align with stakeholders and management on what exactly is the problem or challenge y ...Read More

To enter the tech industry as revenue operations manager, you're potentially trying to make 2 moves at once: Entering the tech industry from another industry Taking on a revenue operations manager role from another non rev ops role If you are trying to make both moves at once, you may want to consider making one change at a time. The benefits of doing so are: Easier to market yourself to the hiring manager by only making one transition (e.g. you already have rev ops experience in non-tech indust ...Read More

Having access to the C-suite can be helpful for your career from a learning, career growth and networking experience. Some ways to gain access to the C-suite include: Working on projects that have visibility to the C-suite Assisting with events that have C-suite attendance or sponsorship Attending all-hands, fireside chats or skip level meetings w/the C-suite Projects w/C-Suite Visibility - you can have exposure to the C-suite through a myriad of ways, either directly in meetings or via offline ...Read More

In my experience, the most successful way to convince leadership for more HC is by adopting one or more of the following best practices when submitting the ask: Show how the request will directly/indirectly improve the bottom line Quantify the impact of the incremental HC Demonstrate how the HC will positively impact your department or company's OKRs or priorities Improve the bottom line - you can frame most requests in terms of how it can either grow the top line or reduce savings. If your depa ...Read More

Since what constitutes a good OKR is contextual by org, I'll share guiding principles I use to develop strong rev ops OKRs: Align OKRS directly/indirectly to the company's top priorities Vet OKRs with key stakeholders in the org Define OKRs with key results that are easily understood and measurable Company Alignment - you define OKRs to ultimately help your org/team achieve your company's top priorities. If you can't easily articulate how your OKR helps achieve a top company goals, consider revi ...Read More

When you're facing this unenviable position, I recommend adopting these best practices: Ensure both execs' strategy is trying to solve the same problem statement Help the execs review how well their strategy aligns against a company and customer first principle Ensure there is a holistic evaluation of the pros and cons of each strategy Flesh out what needs to be true from a time, money and people requirement for each strategy, as well as what are the risks Align on problem statement - this might ...Read More

I was fortunate enough to have access to client C-suite early in my career at Google when I was part of their ad sales teams. Within the sales team, I specialized in marketing analytics, where my job was to help calculate and present to clients the digital media ROI they would receive from investing with Google ad products. While in this role, I used some best practices that helped grant me access to the client C-suite, including: Understand what keeps the CXO up at night, and have an innovative ...Read More

When developing successful OKRs that maximize impact and have greatest impact, I recommend two rules: Develop OKRs that directly or indirectly align with your company's topmost business priorities Keep the same OKRs throughout the year and have quarterly targets rather Align OKRs to Company Prios - you set and track OKRs ultimately to help your company achieve its key priorities (e.g. grow revenue, increase margin, increase market share, etc.). If you aren't able to articulate how your OKRs dire ...Read More

I consider a few factors when exploring new opportunities at another company: Company Product + Mission Company Health Company's People Role Growth Opportunity Company Product - I want to make sure that I believe in the company's products or its mission. Choose a company whose products or mission align well with your own interests. Doing so will give you more excitement in the interview (the recruiter will pick up on it), give you more fulfillment in the role, and translate to more energy on the ...Read More

The hard skills necessary for success in rev ops varies upon role, but usually include: Strong understanding of the GTM motion for the team you support (e.g. sales, pre-sales, customer success) Comfort analyzing data to surface insights and make recommendations Thinking from first principles when addressing a problem Familiarity with key GTM tools that the sales team you support uses (e.g. Salesforce) Worth noting are the equally important soft skills that a rev ops leader should continue to ref ...Read More