Behind the scenes of SalesOps at LinkedIn

Hi there,

In a perfect world, every go-to-market function would move in the same direction naturally—

But to unite everyone, RevOps faces a tougher operational reality.

Sales is chasing revenue, marketing's optimizing for pipeline, and customer success is fighting for retention—all flying in slightly different trajectories. The result is some level of expected strategic drift, tension, and unintended misalignment.

And without a deliberate approach, this misalignment can become your default.

I liked how Matthew Volm (founder of RevOps Co-op) described his way of thinking about getting ahead of it as a leader. As he shared:

the best teams don’t fight tension—they design systems to channel or harness it.

In our latest episode of The Sales Compensation Show podcast, one such incredible leader, Akira Mamizuka, VP of Global Sales Operations for SaaS at LinkedIn, has the same take on alignment. He gave us a behind-the-scenes look at how one of the biggest SaaS companies in the world turns cross-functional complexity into meaningful results.

With a multi-product, multi-segment sales motion at a company so many of us interact with daily, we were especially excited about this episode.

So how does the LinkedIn SalesOps team and its leaders keep the vectors all moving in the same direction?

Inside the SalesOps Playbook at LinkedIn

>> Watch the episode

Well, whether you operate at LinkedIn’s scale or are working toward it—one of Akira's top takeaways concerns data as the connective tissue that can keep teams aligned and drive decisions.

As organizations grow, fragmented systems, an ever-expanding web of inputs, or endless dependencies really complicate your data, but all the same—the trust in this data is essential.

When asked how he maintains org-wide trust in data without overburdening teams, we liked Akira's take that it's simply not possible to achieve 100% accuracy. And so, he takes a different approach: defining the business outcome first, then optimizing for usability over perfection.

His advice for other's navigating alignment at scale.

• Work backward from the business goal—if forecasting accuracy is the priority, define the minimum data standards required.
• Adjust your cadence—fewer updates (bi-weekly vs. weekly) often lead to better accuracy by reducing rep fatigue.
• Prioritize only the essentials—zero in on a handful of must-have fields that require precision, rather than overloading teams with unnecessary inputs.
• Don't miss all he had to share with us—including how LinkedIn applies "the Core Four" to combat competing priorities.

Watch the full episode

What we're reading...

It's all fun and games when you're gaming the system

Is your sales team turning loophole-hunting into a full-time hustle? Discover how to spot and/or control this sales compensation challenge here, all without hurting motivation or sales momentum.

"Ditch predictive analytics"... wait—did we hear that right?

Turns out probabilistic analytics could offer a smarter way forward, according to Gartner. This article argues that communicating best, worst, and likely case scenarios (and key influencing factors) could set clearer expectations to drive sharper sales strategies.

Here's the kicker

How RevOps at Sprout Social, Bottomline, and more prove strategic impact??

Today’s RevOps leaders aren’t just keeping the engine running as a support function or operator—the role's expanded such that they've become the backbone of GTM strategy. But, how do you make that impact clear?

We assembled top RevOps leaders who shared everything from how reporting structures are evolving, to achieving quick wins early in a new RevOps role, and what it takes to be seen as a GTM architect.

See the highlights (and the replay!)

Discover how Workiva and other leading orgs analyze their compensation data

Despite more data inputs available than ever before, organizations still struggle to turn their compensation data into a strategic advantage. So we're gathering some of the best in the industry to share how they optimize performance, control costs, and improve sales behaviors. From the metrics they track—to how to communicate insights to execs—this one's a worthwhile deep dive.

Save your seat

See the future of SPM in action ??

The future of sales performance? It won't be about incremental improvements. We foresee (and are building for) a future accounting for a fundamental shift in how companies operate altogether.

?If you want to see the agility your GTM team can gain with a compensation engine built for what's next—join Nabeil Alazzam and Kyle Webster Thursday, March 27th for a walkthrough.?

?They’ll unpack:

?? Exactly how we see SPM shifting—and what you can do to prepare

?? Our vision for a truly integrated, AI-powered future

?? How our platform helps you move beyond fragmented, reactive processes

RSVP to the digital event

In case you missed it: this meme's been a hit ??

Follow us on LinkedIn for a regular dose of sales humor ??.

Looking for your next role?

Perhaps you'll spring forward ? in your career with one of the roles in this curated list of open opportunities below:

• Head of Sales and Revenue Operations - Paystand
• Executive Director, Sales Compensation & Quota Management - NCR Voyix
• SVP, Client Development Sales Revenue and Operations - Mercer Advisors
• Sr. Director, Total Rewards, Global Sales Incentives- 奥的斯
• Director of Sales Compensation - Semrush
• Group Manager, Sales Finance - Blend
• Director, Sales Compensation - Snowflake
• Sr. Director, Global Field Incentive Compensation Lead - BeiGene
• Senior Director, Sales Compensation Strategy, and Operations - Zendesk
• Director of Revenue Operations - You.com
• Revenue Operations Lead - Eudia
• Director, Revenue Operations, Expense - Navan
• VP, Revenue Operations - Coursera
• Director of Revenue Operations - Enable

If you know another revenue or sales ops leader who would enjoy these resources, be sure to forward this issue their way!

If this newsletter was forwarded to you, you can get your own copy bi-weekly by subscribing here.

Until next time,

Mike Roberts

VP of Marketing at Forma.ai