How Winning Teams Run Revenue [Playbook]

Over the last 24 months, the revenue landscape has transformed.

Gone are the days of “growth at all costs.” Instead, a perfect storm of rising interest rates, economic instability, and rapid AI advancement reshaped how businesses approach revenue. From hiring and resource allocation to forecasting and deal management, every aspect of revenue strategy is evolving.

As a result, the playbook that worked two years ago is now outdated. And teams that continue running it will find themselves dropping deals and losing market share.

To win in this new environment, revenue leaders need an updated playbook — one that aligns the entire GTM engine to drive sustainable, predictable growth.

At Clari, we call our proven enterprise revenue management framework the Run Revenue Program and we've packaged it up into a playbook. Here are 3 key takeaways from it to help you navigate the market shift and build the foundation for a legendary career in revenue.

1. Set clear targets with Revenue Objectives

Growth starts with specific, measurable targets.?

At Clari, we call these Revenue Objectives. Revenue Objectives provide a roadmap for execution and a benchmark to measure progress, aligning the entire organization around defined business outcomes.

Now setting targets is nothing new, but Revenue Objectives go further in 4 key areas.?

First, objectives tie directly to major business goals, such as product or market expansion. This ensures every revenue-driving action is focused on achieving measurable, long-term outcomes, rather than short-term wins.

Second, objectives align with the company’s strategic initiatives (e.g., M&A, new product launches, or sustainability goals). Alignment unifies departments and creates a shared sense of purpose.?

Third, revenue leaders tie daily activities directly to objectives. Clear line of sight empowers frontline team members to understand how their actions contribute to underlying revenue growth.

Finally, objectives focus on growth levers, such as customer acquisition, retention, and expansion. By prioritizing these areas, revenue teams create scalable strategies that drive consistent, sustainable growth.

To learn more about how to set clear, measurable Revenue Objectives that drive growth –?see our framework used by leading CROs.?

Success story: Udacity focused its Revenue Objectives on QBRs and upsell opportunities, reducing churn by 10% and deal cycle time by 15%.

2. Drive disciplined execution with Revenue Cadences

At the end of the day, every CRO has to answer one question. Are we going to meet, beat, or miss our revenue projection?

The answer to this question lies in your Revenue Cadences. Cadences are the daily actions your revenue-facing team members take. And the cumulative effect of revenue cadences determines your number at the end of the quarter.?

At Clari, we’ve broken Revenue Cadences down into a 13-week model that aligns with the continuous flow of deal progression, pipeline management, and customer engagement. This structured approach allows teams to stay proactive, identify risks early, and course-correct before it’s too late.?

Critical components of Clari’s Revenue Cadence model include: deal inspection, real-time data alignment, pipeline hygiene, proactive renewal management and churn prevention, opportunities for upsell and cross-sell, and contract review.?

Success story: With well-defined Revenue Cadences, Kantata was able to predict 16 out of 17 quarters and predict quarter finishes within $100,000 after just two weeks.

3. Promote ongoing vigilance with Revenue Leak Analysis

Revenue Leak is the #1 barrier between revenue teams and a successful quarter.?

These costly breakdowns in your revenue process — from lost deals, inefficient handoffs, or poor data hygiene — impacts the entire sales funnel from create, to convert, to close. That’s why proactive Revenue Leak Analysis is so important.?

Ongoing vigilance requires a defined process for identifying and shutting down revenue leak at critical points in the pipeline. At Clari, we’ve built an extensive Revenue Leak Assessment to help teams spot high-impact revenue risk.?

From there, teams can take action to shut down the leak. They start by integrating fixes into their ongoing Revenue Cadences, creating an airtight revenue process. Then, they continuously measure the effectiveness of the solutions to ensure lasting impact and prevent future leaks.

Success story: Globalization Partners swapped spreadsheets — that they were updating six times a day — for a single source of truth, reducing slipped deals by 39%.

Ready to run revenue with precision?

Start by downloading Clari’s Run Revenue Playbook today.?

In it, you’ll find valuable Insights like:?

1. A plug-and-play blueprint for predictable revenue growth
2. Detailed success stories from enterprise revenue teams
3. Exclusive insights from Fortune 500s and IPO contenders?
4. Pro tips from top CROs on how to align your entire GTM engine
5. Actionable ways to write objective, structure cadences, and stop revenue leak

With these insights in hand, you can take action to improve your revenue processes, blow past your targets, and launch a legendary revenue career.?

Wishing you success,?

Andy Byrne

CEO, Clari

More playbook for running revenue:

Webinar: Planning for 2025? Join Forrester and Clari on October 23rd chat about what’s next for enterprise sales forecasting and how to navigate the complexities of today’s revenue landscape to help you plan for tomorrow.?

Blog: Unlock the key to enterprise growth by mastering consumption forecasting and flexible pricing models—discover how top companies are navigating complexity to prevent revenue leaks and stay ahead in a dynamic market.