The RevOps Rocket: Challenges & Opportunities in Operations

Welcome back to the 2nd edition of The RevOps Rocket from Territories.ai. From the July 15th inaugural kickoff to today, we’ve gone from 7 subscribers to over 300 and counting. Our first article was about the WHY behind Territories.ai and what we’re building to help Sales, CS, and Revenue Ops leaders improve team performance and outcomes. Today we’re excited to dive into the nuts and bolts of the RevOps function and hear from leaders dealing with challenges and opportunities just like you. This edition focuses on:

• The biggest challenges in account scoring for Sales & Customer Success
• Navigating complexity in building and designing territories
• Primary obstacles with capacity planning
• How will RevOps evolve
• Emerging trends shaping the future of RevOps

To answer these questions we’re bringing in two incredible leaders: Jeff Austin , the SVP of Revenue Operations at Innovid, and Clark Davis , Founder and CEO at Stornoway Partners.?

What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve encountered in implementing and maintaining an effective account scoring system, and how have you addressed these issues to ensure the system remains accurate and valuable for sales teams?

Jeff

Let’s break this one into three parts:

1. Integration of Diverse Data Sources

One of the biggest challenges is integrating various data sources such as marketing intent signals, customer success indicators, and sales insights into a coherent scoring system. A potential solution could involve adopting a data warehousing solution that aggregates data from different platforms.

2. Creating Accurate Scoring Models

Developing a scoring methodology that accurately predicts account readiness is complex. To minimize false positives, we could incorporate machine learning algorithms that continuously learn from sales outcomes and adjust scores based on new data. Establishing regular feedback loops with the sales team would help refine and validate the scoring criteria. The truth is, most companies don’t have the ability to do this in-house. We’re over 150M in revenue and don’t have the resources to do it.

3. User Adoption

Ensuring that sales teams trust and use the scoring system is a significant hurdle. When a sales rep gets a false positive, they immediately don’t trust the data and then start to ignore it. I see this commonly with Marketing Intent signals.

Clark

One of the biggest challenges for a customer success leader is that traditional lead scoring often needs to pay more attention to insights from existing customer data. To qualify leads that will mature post-sale, it's essential to integrate usage and behavior data from current customers into the pre-sale algorithms. This approach improves lead qualification and enhances the ability to identify prospects with higher lifetime value, setting a new gold standard.

Can you share specific examples of difficulties you’ve faced with territory management? How did you navigate these complexities to optimize sales coverage and avoid overlaps or gaps in territory assignments?

Jeff

Ensuring territories are equitable and manageable is a primary difficulty. The larger the business, the more likely you’ll run into equitability issues. Whereas smaller and mid-sized sales teams tend to have very large books of business and need help prioritizing where the most potential or lowest hanging fruit exist.??

Clark

One of the significant challenges I've faced as a post-sales leader is managing the impact of territory changes on existing customer relationships. When a customer loses their original sales rep due to territory reassignment, the likelihood of losing that customer increases, as it disrupts the trust and rapport built during the sales process. This challenge requires careful management to ensure that customer satisfaction and retention are not at risk.?

What are the primary obstacles you’ve experienced in capacity planning, especially in balancing the workload among sales teams and ensuring resources are allocated efficiently? What strategies have proven successful in overcoming these hurdles?

Jeff

Efficient allocation of resources to high-potential accounts is another obstacle without the proper insights. Without predictive analytics to identify accounts with the highest growth potential and aligning our top-performing reps to these accounts, you’re left providing raw insights and asking sales team members to sift through the noise is what you’re left with.

Clark

Unproven customer ratios. When the correct ratios between CSMs and AEs are established, it creates a powerful dynamic for balanced growth. AEs can focus on their "new quota" goals by expanding territory and acquiring new customers, while CSMs drive "existing quota" goals through upsells and cross-sells within current accounts. Clear delineation of roles and responsibilities is essential, ensuring AEs have the space to pursue new opportunities, while CSMs maintain and grow the value of existing relationships.?

How do you foresee technological advancements impacting the future of revenue operations, particularly in the areas of data analytics, automation, and AI? What steps are you taking to prepare your organization for these changes?

Jeff

Technological advancements in AI and machine learning will create a new and improved way to score and plan. While we are not actively using a tool that will provide this type of automation in a scoring process, it will eventually be built and make it more manageable for a company of our size to improve the process.

Clark

Advancements in data analytics, automation, and AI will significantly enhance revenue operations by providing deeper insights and streamlined processes. To prepare, we're leveraging outsourced solutions like consulting firms that specialize in analytics and tailored strategies. These external, non-biased perspectives help us identify clear paths to success, ensuring we're equipped to navigate and capitalize on these technological shifts.

What emerging trends or innovations do you believe will shape the future of revenue operations over the next five to ten years? How can rev ops leaders stay ahead of these trends to drive sustainable growth and maintain a competitive edge?

Jeff

We’ll break this answer up into multiple parts as well:

1. AI and Machine Learning

AI and machine learning will continue to evolve, offering more sophisticated analytics and predictive capabilities. Rev ops leaders should invest in AI-driven tools and develop expertise in data science to leverage these advancements.

2. Real-Time Data Integration

Real-time data integration and analytics will become more prevalent, enabling faster decision-making and responsiveness. Adopting real-time data platforms and developing agile processes will be critical.

3. Focus on Customer Experience

Enhancing customer experience through personalized interactions and seamless omnichannel strategies will be a key differentiator. Leveraging technology to understand and anticipate customer needs will drive sustainable growth.

4. Staying Ahead

To stay ahead, rev ops leaders should focus on continuous innovation, invest in emerging technologies, foster a data-driven culture, and prioritize customer-centric strategies. Networking with industry peers, attending conferences, and participating in pilot programs for new technologies can also provide valuable insights and competitive advantages.

Clark

Emerging trends like AI-driven analytics, advanced automation, and real-time customer data will redefine revenue operations. Full-circle selling, where GTM strategies involve not just sales but also Customer Success, will become crucial. To stay ahead, RevOps leaders should embrace these technologies, prioritize continuous learning, and foster cross-functional collaboration, ensuring sustainable growth and a competitive edge.

About our Contributors

Jeff Austin brings a unique operational background, having been a successful sales rep and sales leader. His exceptional analytical problem-solving skills naturally led him to transition into Sales Operations and eventually Revenue Operations, where he excels in optimizing processes and driving strategic initiatives. Jeff’s blend of sales experience and operational expertise ensures that operations, systems, insights, and enablement are refreshing for sales reps while achieving desired business outcomes.?

Clark Davis, as the founder and CEO of Stornoway Partners, has a distinguished track record in rolling out global customer experience programs for Fortune 100 brands, and has managed CS orgs with more than $100M in ARR. As an expert in building post-sales teams from the ground up, he has consulted CEOs & startups on strategies to enhance revenue while reducing operational costs. Clark believes in the philosophy that success is abundant and that businesses achieve greater wins by focusing on delivering value to their customers. Through his leadership, companies have consistently transformed their operations to drive growth and efficiency.