Revenue Operations: Best Practices From the Experts

Revenue operations are an essential function of any company. It is responsible for forecasting and achieving revenue targets, as well as maximizing the efficiency and effectiveness of sales and marketing operations.

This article will discuss how RevOps can help your business achieve its bottom-line goals. We will highlight the three major components that comprise RevOps processes so you can get a better view of how it works.

Let’s start with the definitions.

Key Takeaways

• Revenue Operations aligns sales, marketing, and customer success functions within an organization to streamline processes and drive growth, leveraging data-driven insights for decision-making.
• Indicators that a business might benefit from RevOps include unsatisfactory sales and marketing results, low customer retention rates, and underutilized data, suggesting a need for better alignment and efficiency across departments.
• The implementation of RevOps involves focusing on process optimization, building a skilled team across key departments like market research and sales, and utilizing essential technology tools such as cloud-based accounting software and CRM systems to enhance sales processes.

What is Revenue Operations (RevOps)?

Revenue operations refers to the alignment of sales, marketing, and customer success functions within an organization to optimize revenue generation. Its goal is to streamline processes and increase efficiencies to drive growth.

To achieve this, RevOps teams must work closely with data analysts, utilizing data-driven insights to inform decision-making.

How to Determine If You Need RevOps?

The benefits of revenue operations are numerous. For one, it helps increase visibility into the sales pipeline, which can help businesses close more deals and increase customer lifetime value. It can also upgrade communication and collaboration between departments, leading to more effective campaigns and a more streamlined customer experience. Finally, it can help businesses make better use of their data by giving them a single source of truth that everyone can access and use to make decisions. 

So, how do you know if revenue operations are necessary for your business?

There are key indicators that you should look for. 

Unsatisfactory Results from Sales and Marketing Efforts

If you feel like your sales and marketing teams are working in silos and not achieving the desired results, revenue operations could be a good solution. Implementing revenue operations will help align your teams so they’re working towards the same goal, which should increase conversions and closed deals. 

Low Customer Retention Rates 

Another indicator that revenue operations could be right for your business is if you’re not happy with your customer retention rates. If customers are slipping through the cracks or falling off after the sale, it’s a sign that there’s an avenue for improvement in terms of communication and collaboration between your sales, marketing, and customer success teams. Revenue operations can help with that by increasing visibility into the customer journey and ensuring everyone is on the same page about providing an excellent customer experience. 

Unused Data

If you feel like you’re sitting on a goldmine of data but don’t know how to use it, revenue operations could be the answer. By aligning your sales, marketing, and customer success teams under one roof, you’ll better understand your customers and what they need from your product or service.

It will allow you to use that data to make better decisions about your go-to-market strategy and gain predictable business growth. 

If these indicators are present in your business, it’s a green light to turn your eyes to revenue operations and see if it’s the right solution for you.

However, in implementing RevOps, it’s important to understand what it entails so you can prepare the resources necessary to make it successful.

So, what do revenue operations entail? Revenue operations strategy has three main components: process, people, and technology.

Process: 7 Steps to Increase Revenue Performance in Your Organization

Increasing revenue is a top priority for any organization, yet it’s no easy task. Many factors contribute to it, so you need a strategy that deals with them. 

These seven steps can help you create a plan to increase revenue and reach your targets. 

Define Your Goals

Before you can achieve something, you need to have a goal. Having a goal gives you something to strive for and provides a measure by which you can gauge your success.

There are a few reasons why having a goal is important to increase revenue.

• Goals give you focus.
• Goals keep you motivated.
• Goals help you measure your progress.

Here’s a useful guide to help you set and achieve the right business goals.

Analyze Your Current Performance

You can’t improve your business by 10% or 20% without first knowing where you currently stand. That’s why it’s important to analyze your performance regularly.

• Here are some tips on how to do that.

• Know your numbers

The first step in improving your business is understanding where you currently stand. It means you need to know your numbers inside and out. Know your sales numbers, profit margins, customer acquisition costs, churn rate, and more. Once you grasp these numbers well, you will see where you need to improve.

• Create KPIs

Key performance indicators (KPIs) are metrics that help you track progress and determine whether you’re achieving your goals. Without KPIs, it’s difficult to know if you’re moving in the right direction. Create KPIs for different areas of your business and track them religiously. Doing so will help you identify potential issues and correct them before it’s too late.

• Conduct regular audits

An audit is a great way to take a step back and assess how well your business is doing. Regular audits will help you identify areas of opportunity and potential areas of improvement. Audits should be conducted at least once per quarter but more frequently if possible.

Develop a Pricing Strategy

How do you find the perfect price point?

The best pricing strategy for your business will depend on your unique circumstances. However, all effective pricing strategies have one thing in common: they are based on a thorough understanding of your costs, competitors’ prices, and customers’ willingness to pay.

Let’s look at three common pricing strategies:

Cost-Plus Pricing

Cost-plus pricing is probably the simplest pricing strategy to implement. Essentially, with cost-plus pricing, you simply add a markup to the cost of your product or service to arrive at your final price. For example, it costs you $100 to produce a widget. If you want to earn a 20% profit margin, you would simply add a 20% markup to the cost of the widget, resulting in a selling price of $120.

While cost-plus pricing is easy to calculate, it does have some drawbacks. First and foremost, it doesn’t consider what consumers are willing to pay for your product or service—only what it costs you to produce it. As such, this pricing strategy could result in lost sales if your prices are out of line with what consumers expect to pay. 

Value-Based Pricing 

With value-based pricing, instead of basing your prices on production costs plus a markup, you base them on the perceived value of your product or service to the customer. In other words, with value-based pricing, you charge what customers are willing to pay—not what it costs you plus a markup.

For example, let’s say you own a small software company that develops business productivity apps. You might use value-based pricing for your products by charging more for apps that offer more features than those that offer fewer features—regardless of what it costs you to develop them. The key with value-based pricing is that customers must believe that they are getting more value for their money before they will be willing to pay more for your product or service. 

Competition-Based Pricing 

With competition-based pricing, businesses set their prices based on what their competitors are charging for similar products or services—rather than on their own production costs or perceived value. This type of pricing can be effective when there is little difference between what competitors are offering and when customers are largely price sensitive (meaning they’re mostly concerned with getting the lowest price).

Competition-based pricing can be tricky because it requires businesses to stay up-to-date on their competitors’ prices and adjust accordingly. Additionally, there is always the risk of getting into a “race to the bottom” where each competitor tries undercuts the others’ prices until margins are so thin that no one is making any money. Therefore, you should only use competition-based pricing in certain situations and under careful oversight. 

Increase Sales Productivity

Let’s talk about the two common factors contributing to sales productivity: your sales team and your sales process.

• The quality of your sales team

An excellent sales team builds relationships with customers, understands their needs, and closes deals in the best interest of both the customer and the company. To be successful, a sales team must be able to work together effectively and support one another. There should be a clear division of labor so that each team member knows their role and can focus on their strengths.

Effective sales teams are always learning and growing, constantly studying new products and services, and looking for ways to improve their skills. By investing in an excellent sales team, businesses can set themselves up for success.

• The effectiveness of your sales process

Your sales process is the series of steps to convert a lead into a paying customer. To increase sales productivity, you must ensure that your process is as efficient and streamlined as possible. It means identifying any bottlenecks or pain points causing delays or roadblocks in the sales operations. Make each step in the process clearly defined, so everyone on the team knows what needs to be done and when. Streamlining your sales process can shorten the sales cycle and close more deals with less effort. 

Create New Products or Services

To increase revenue, you may need to create new products or services. You can do this by improving existing ones or by coming up with entirely new offerings. In either case, it is important to carefully research the market to ensure demand for the product or service. Once a new product or service has been developed, you must promote it effectively to generate interest and sales. You can use advertising, public relations, and word-of-mouth marketing.

It is also necessary to carefully consider the costs and benefits of such initiatives before moving forward. Creating new products or services can be costly and time-consuming, so it is important to secure that the potential rewards justify the risks. 

Expand Into New Markets

As the need to grow revenue continues to rise, you may find that you need to expand into new markets. You can do this by opening new locations, developing new distribution channels, or entering new industries.

Let’s take a closer look at each of these options.

Opening New Locations

One way to expand your business into new markets is by opening new locations. It can be an effective strategy if there is already a demand for your products or services in the area where you want to open a new location. If you’re considering opening a new location, do your research to choose a location that makes sense for your business. 

Developing New Distribution Channels 

Another option for expanding your business into new markets is developing new distribution channels. It could involve partnering with other businesses in your industry or selling your products or services through a different type of retailer. If you’re considering developing new distribution channels, choose reputable partners with whom you feel confident doing business. 

Entering New Industries 

A third option for expanding your business into new markets is entering new industries. It could involve introducing a new product or service that appeals to a different customer base than what you currently have. If you’re considering entering a new industry, make sure to do your research so that you have sufficient knowledge of the market and the potential competition. 

Promote Your Brand Effectively.

Branding can create differentiating value for your company, products, or services. A strong brand also commands a higher price, creates customer loyalty, and generates word-of-mouth marketing. All of these factors lead to increased revenue for your business. 

There are many moving parts to consider when creating an effective brand strategy. You need to factor in your target audience, what makes your business unique, what values you want to communicate, and how you want your business to be perceived. You also need instructions for everyone involved in delivering on the brand promise so that they understand their role in representing the brand appropriately. Creating an actionable plan with measurable goals is critical to ensure that your pragmatic brand strategy delivers the desired results. 

Here’s a helpful read about building brand recognition for your business.

Now, we move on to the next component, the people.

People: The Revenue Operations Team Structure

The typical structure of revenue operations includes the following Departments: 

• Market Research 
• Lead Generation 
• Sales 
• Customer Service 

Let’s take a closer look at each of these departments and see how they contribute to the overall goal of generating revenue. 

Market Research

The first step in generating revenue is understanding what potential customers want and need.

What are the qualities of excellent market researchers?

• highly analytical and detail-oriented individuals who can think critically and identify patterns in data
• strong communicators, able to effectively demonstrate their findings to clients and other stakeholders
• possess a deep understanding of the principles of marketing and consumer behavior, which allows them to provide valuable insights that can help organizations to make better-informed decisions
• always looking for ways to improve their skills and knowledge to continue providing high-quality research services.

Lead Generation

Once a company knows its target market, it needs to find ways to reach them. It is where lead generation comes in.

The team perfect for a Revenue Operations department are individuals with strong analytical skills who can effectively manage marketing information and understand how it impacts business decisions. They should also be good communicators who relay complex information clearly and concisely.

Sales

The next step in generating revenue is actually selling the product or service. The sales department is responsible for closing deals with customers. They use various techniques, such as cold-calling, networking, and persuasive writing. 

We have already described before what an excellent sales team looks like.

Customer Service

Customer service is responsible for providing customer support before, during, and after they’ve made a purchase.

Exceptional customer service representatives are patient, empathetic, and have strong problem-solving skills. They’re also excellent communicators, building customer relationships and providing them with the information they need.

Revenue operations is the umbrella term for all the various departments and processes involved in generating revenue for a company. That’s why having the right people in each department is critical to the success of the overall operation.

Finally, we reached the final component: technology.

Technology: What is the Right Technology to Help with Your Sales Processes?

The answer to this question depends on the specific needs of your business. However, there are essential tools that every sales operation should have in place. 

Cloud-based accounting software

Cloud-based accounting software is software that allows businesses to manage their finances online. It allows employees to access financial data from any device with an internet connection, making it convenient and easy to use. It also helps businesses save money on hardware and software costs, as there is no need to purchase and install the software on individual computers.

Some of the benefits of using cloud-based accounting software include:

• Ease of use: Cloud-based accounting software is easy to set up and use.
• Convenience: Employees can access financial data from any device with an internet connection.
• Cost savings: No need to purchase and install the software on individual computers.
• Improved security: Cloud-based accounting software is more secure than traditional accounting software, using data encryption and other security measures to protect sensitive information.

A CRM system

A CRM (customer relationship management) system is a must-have for any sales team that wants to close more deals. It provides a central place to store customer information, including contact information, account history, and communication logs. This way, you can easily follow up with customers and ensure that you provide them with the best possible service. Plus, some CRM systems have handy features like lead tracking and opportunity management to help you stay organized and close more deals.

An eCommerce platform

A good eCommerce platform will furnish you with everything you need to create a professional-looking website, including templates, payment processing, shipping integration, and customer support tools. Many eCommerce platforms come with built-in marketing features to help drive traffic to your site and sell more products. 

A project management tool

While not strictly sales software, project management tools can be valuable for sales teams working on complex deals with multiple stakeholders. Project management tools give you a place to store all your project files and communications in one central location, making it easy for everyone on the team to stay up-to-date on the latest developments.

Technology has changed the sales process over the past few years—and there’s no turning back. You must invest in the right sales software if you want your team to stay competitive. Give time to research your options and find the right technology for your team.

Conclusion

Now that you have read through the different ways to achieve revenue growth, the challenge is to put them into action.

The most important part of any revenue operation is understanding your company’s strengths, weaknesses, and areas of opportunity. From there, you can create a strategic plan to make the most of your resources and talents. It’s also critical to always learn and investigate new revenue opportunities to stay ahead of the curve.

FAQs

Here are other questions about revenue operations strategy that we have not discussed in the article.