Your Revenue Operations Model Isn’t Your Sales Operations Model

Your Revenue Operations Model Isn't Your Sales Operations Model

It goes without saying that sales operations is valuable to business growth. A team whose sole goal is to increase the efficiency of your sales process should directly lead to an increase in revenue. But is simply focusing on this one department enough? Are you missing valuable components that affect the bottom line? Here is where the revenue operations model, or RevOps, comes into the picture. Since the explosion of RevOps in the last few years, we want to explain what it is and how it can help your company. 

What is RevOps?

Revenue operations involves more than just your sales team. It’s consistently optimizing your sales, marketing, and customer success teams for growth. Think of it as the hub that aligns these important departments to drive full-funnel accountability and maximize revenue. 

How Does RevOps Apply to my Business? 

The RevOps model is so crucial because the business environment is rapidly changing. Departments must remove cross-functional silos to survive and thrive in this world. Information, ideas, and processes must flow among teams as seamlessly as possible. A good starting point for adopting a RevOps model is identifying disconnected systems and then brainstorming how to resolve them to create seamless and effective workflows.

RevOps Journey

We covered the basics, but the fun begins with optimization and growth. How you proceed with RevOps depends on your team’s pain points. For example, if you know that information doesn’t flow smoothly from one functional unit to another, that probably impedes revenue growth. Then, you can implement a few different strategic tactics to pave the path. Here are a few courses of action we might consider.

Salesforce Implementation 

The Salesforce customer relationship management (CRM) is a robust platform that can transform your business by organizing your data and automating mundane tasks. First, however, you need to set it up properly. Then, a team of RevOps experts who have experience with advanced Salesforce features and utilities can help you get up and running quickly. 

Marketing Automation 

Improving lead quality will allow your sales team to do what it does best – close deals. Automating simple tasks like data collection improves accuracy and saves time. For example, you could integrate a web form to capture essential customer information instead of relying on the sales representative to record those details. And you could take it a step further by nurturing leads and contacts via segmentation and regular email distributions based on that contact data. 

Customer Experience Redesign

Do your customers only reach out when they have a problem? If so, we should change that. A RevOps consultant can help you design and activate an education series that engages your clients to share feedback and keep them in the know. 

Managed Services

These maneuvers are just the tip of the iceberg. Of course, other options are available depending on your requirements and objectives. So, it would help if you considered ongoing RevOps support. Fortunately, Revenue Operations LLC offers managed services arrangements whereby you can turn to us ad hoc for continued support and optimization. We can do everything from Salesforce administration to marketing content design. 

Ready for the RevOps Model?

Hopefully, we’ve shed some light on the benefits and importance of the Revenue Operations model. The sales team is one of the groups directly responsible for maximizing revenue. Therefore, implementing a holistic approach provides efficient results. 

Schedule some time to talk with us if anything has piqued your interest or if you have questions about how to implement these tactics into your business. We’re here to help!

Signs You Need a RevOps Team

Signs You Need a RevOps Team

You know it when your company could use a boost. You don’t need a blog to tell you that. But deciding what to do next can be the tricky part. Here are a few examples of when a Revenue Operations (RevOps) consultant could be just what you need.

Missing Goals

The process of goal setting and achieving them could use some work.

Is your team struggling to hit critical benchmarks? Are the goals themselves too vague or not based on reality? 

These are two essential questions that a RevOps team can help answer. First, assuming the company goals are achievable, it’s helpful to start mapping out all the departments and individuals who play a part in the process. Then, when that’s complete, a team of trained specialists can make procedural adjustments and technology recommendations that lead to desirable results. For example, the team might suggest a full-scale implementation of a sales enablement tool to boost lead conversion rates by 50%. Sounds good, right? 

Finally, the second question about goal setting is more important than the process above. Smart, healthy, and challenging goals align a team and encourage extra effort. In addition, these benchmarks demand an accurate view of the current business environment and the technical know-how based on the company’s available data. Combined with an unbiased perspective, that can unlock a business’s ability to scale. 

Salesforce Experience Gaps

Your custom relationship management (CRM) system is confusing, slow, and requires more work than it’s worth.

You spent a lot on Salesforce and have had big dreams since the beginning. The software was supposed to revolutionize how your sales team operated while ending the issue of losing essential data. Unfortunately, now it feels like you are stuck with a complicated system that isn’t meeting your expectations. If this resembles your current situation, utilizing an outside team of operation experts may be just what the doctor ordered. 

Salesforce is a complex tool that can do some pretty impressive things, but it has to be adequately utilized. For example, you may need a series of flows that allow customers to be automatically onboarded. Or your Salesforce instance could use an integration with your marketing platform to maximize efficiency. All these examples and more are real possibilities that can change how you see your CRM. 

Messy Data

Duplicates and other inaccurate data points are ruining everything!

Data is all the rage right now. It’s what the cool people are talking about for a good reason. It can shine a light on valuable insights and provide a clear direction for your business. But not all data is created equal. Duplicates and incorrect information can muddy the water causing real problems for reporting and analysis. 

Messy data leads you to a dark place where you can’t trust your company’s metrics and aren’t sure what is actually going on! Working with experts to create a plan for how data enters your CRM and a monitoring system to ensure the info stays clean is beneficial. You’ll be glad you took our advice! 

Misaligned Teams

There is a disconnect between departments.

What do your sales, marketing, and customer success processes look like, and how are they intertwined? These two questions are not just something you glaze over once, but key stakeholders should establish clear lines of communication and evaluate their efficacy regularly. When a company is missing synergy between these departments and/or struggling with outdated procedures, the customers usually know, and internal frustration tends to be high. This lack of alignment can result in delays in customer onboarding, disconnections between marketing and sales efforts, an increase in churn, etc. The consequences are innumerable, so Revenue Ops LLC is here to help. Working with outside experts will allow your business to continue the day-to-day work while knowing improvement is happening. Plus, it provides a third-party voice of reason for situations when departments, i.e., customer success and sales, disagree. 

RevOps boils down to optimizing your business for growth. It also presents an opportunity to recharge your team. The warning signs outlined above suggest there is room for improvement. If this applies to you or you have questions about how the Revenue Ops LLC team can help, schedule some time to talk with our experts.

Salesforce Best Practices

Salesforce Best Practices from Revenue Operations Professionals

Having worked with Salesforce for several years, our team of revenue operations specialists has compiled a list of Salesforce best practices. We hope these simple but essential nuggets of wisdom will spare you unnecessary aggravation and set you up for automation and sales success.

Test and Retest

You may think that the simple “flow” you created is only going to affect an associated record, but are you sure? Salesforce instances are complex systems that weave together elements and applications. A well-thought-out change to the way something fires cannot only cause an unintended consequence but could cause delays in business activities or even trigger errant emails to customers. To avoid confusion, be sure to test your updates in a sandbox and within the current production environment upon launch. 

Keep It Simple

Ideally, automation will take work off your plate, but if not implemented correctly, it can complicate workflows. Unfortunately, it’s more common than you’d think for teams desperately looking for efficiency to automate every step of a process and end up with a tangled web of error messages and internal questions. Instead of streamlining operations, you can end up in a messier place. Therefore, knowing the reason for the implementation and understanding how it will play out with other processes is helpful to consider before moving forward with a specific automation. By taking the time to map it out, you will be able to avoid business delays and likely have tangible insight into potential updates in the future.

Don’t Forget Data Quality

What are you doing about duplicates? How is data coming in and out of your platform? These fundamental questions need to be visited throughout the Salesforce ride. Having clean data means the reports you rely on are accurate and reliable. It lets your team pick up on trends and make accurate forecasts. So instead of blindly making decisions or depending on a feeling about your company’s health, you can be confident. That all starts with your data, so make sure everything adds up. 

Designate a Salesforce Guru

Your Salesforce instance is not expected to be a set-it-and-forget-it application. Your system will undoubtedly require updates, user activation, and minor tweaks here and there. In addition, ongoing training and support for your internal team will go a long way in ensuring user adoption and acceptance. Therefore, we strongly recommend that an individual is selected to be responsible for all things Salesforce. This person should be able to maneuver throughout your implementation comfortably. They should also be aware of the bottlenecks in your operations. Ideally, your guru is familiar with flows, a valuable tool for automating elaborate workflows. If you plan to have more than fifty users and/or expect to integrate with other applications, consider working with a certified Salesforce administrator. The manager can be an internal or external resource, like Revenue Ops LLC

Know Your Emergency Contact

Who are you going to call if your Salesforce implementation experiences functional issues? What happens when everything stops working? Not to be overly dramatic, but it’s valuable to know who to call when everything hits the fan. This contact is usually beyond the Salesforce admin. They likely have an extensive technical background and are intimately familiar with your specific instance. It may be the team that first implemented everything or a Salesforce developer you trust. Having someone available in a time of need is beneficial for your business. 

Adopting these Salesforce best practices may seem overboard, but it can mean the difference between success and failure. Salesforce is an excellent growth tool, but we must use it correctly. 

Revenue Ops LLC offers a variety of services, from full-scale Salesforce implementations to on-call support in times of trouble. Let’s schedule some time to talk if you have questions or want to learn more about what we do. 

Revenue Operations Goals

Revenue Operations Goals for a Great New Year

It’s been a crazy year! For some, that may be an understatement. Tons of change, tight deadlines, and an unpredictable business environment make company growth and optimization even more challenging. With you in mind, we created some helpful revenue operations goals to make the new year special!

Improve your lead conversion process

Closing deals is exciting. It’s what everyone on Slack is talking about, and it keeps the lights on in the building. But what about the leads? An unsung hero that usually goes under the radar or, even worse, forgotten. This lack of attention to the top funnel results in poor lead quality, which translates to lots of extra work for sales and missed opportunities!

Improving lead quality is not magic. It starts with a well-thought-out plan and the commitment of your entire team. Then, with a strategic mission in place, you will be ready to implement a funnel that nurtures leads and captures vital information. There are multiple paths you could go down with this process, and they should all involve customized automation and efficient use of technology. If this sounds ideal, but you need help figuring out where to start, Revenue Ops LLC is here to help. 

Build a client education plan

How are you currently connecting with your customer base? Do you only hear from them when something goes wrong? You’re not alone if you can’t answer either question or are just too busy to think about them. Too many companies put so much effort and resources into getting their clients and so little into keeping them. Not only do existing customers cost less to maintain than finding new ones, but happy ones will tell others about how great you are. They can be your best sales reps!

A significant step to building this dynamic customer relationship is an engagement plan. That may sound complex and overwhelming, but it can be as simple as a monthly email focused on company updates. Regular communication is a perfect way to keep your customer base informed and excited about why they chose to buy or work with you. If this is already something you do, ask yourself how you can improve your engagement. Maybe it’s a blog or customer focus group. Then, commit to improving your customer relationships in the new year. 

Integrate Salesforce with important applications

Is something missing from your Salesforce implementation? Could you save time by connecting it to another system? Salesforce has created an ecosystem where external applications can integrate into an existing Salesforce instance. For example, you can gather feedback from your clients with your favorite survey application without worrying about transferring the data. Or, you can arrange for calls made through the Teams telephone software to be logged to the corresponding account automatically. Maybe you could streamline the billing process by creating a workflow to send a physical invoice to a client with the click of a button.

Integrations can transform the way your business operates and make your life way easier. But, of course, the setup will take time, and we strongly recommend having an expert lead the implementation. So don’t be shy if you have questions about what this could look like for your team.

Optimize and automate the customer onboarding journey

The start of any relationship is always exciting. You’re setting expectations and likely figuring out whether it will be long-term. The customer onboarding process is not much different. It’s a crucial time when both parties are laying the foundation for how the journey will play out. Unfortunately, one wrong step or missed email can lead it down the wrong path. So use the new year to improve customer onboarding and eliminate the possibility of human error.

A great way to do this is through intelligent automation. For example, by using a closed-won email journey that automatically fires when an opportunity hits a specific status, you will know that your customers are receiving the necessary information. Plus, by taking advantage of an email platform like Salesforce Marketing Cloud, the 2023 customer engagement plan we discussed above will be a piece of cake. Sounds good? Our team has plenty more custom ideas to share!

How is this year going to be different?

The end of the year can be a time for reflection and looking forward to what’s to come. Unfortunately, that can bring lofty goals which quickly become unattainable such as reducing the sales cycle, drinking less caffeine, doing a cartwheel, etc. In addition, high expectations contribute to added stress for the individuals tasked with achieving them. Often these goals are abandoned because of more pressing matters.

That’s where Revenue Ops LLC comes in. Our experienced specialists will collaborate with you to create a scope of work and then lead the strategic implementation. By working with a team like ours, you can have peace of mind that you will achieve your revenue operations goals for the new year. If you have questions about how to maximize your revenue or want to hear more about what we do, feel free to schedule some time to talk!

Improve Your Bottom Line

Five Ways Revenue Ops LLC Improves Your Bottom Line

Sly and the Family Stone said it best, “different strokes for different folks.” Just like people, every company has unique needs. Maybe your sales cycle is very long, there is a disconnect between marketing and operations, or your customer relationship management (CRM) system isn’t satisfying your expectations. Businesses have areas of improvement that, when addressed, can unleash a wave of success.

Revenue Ops LLC embraces this reality when helping clients optimize growth. Our team of experienced consultants takes an individual approach with each project, crafting a plan of action to improve your bottom line. From mapping your revenue roadmap to helping you identify new opportunities, Revenue Ops LLC is committed to boosting your business performance. 

Improve Your Technology Stack

The technology your business relies on should be your best friend. It should work the way you expected from the beginning. But often, that’s not the case – these expensive tools are either not meeting your expectations or are not ready for the growth your team envisions. Deciding on what to do next can be challenging and requires in-depth technical experience. The cost, time, effort, and expertise required can make it impossible to handle internally. The Revenue Ops LLC team has specialists with first-hand knowledge of the tech landscape and how to help you move toward growth. They will do the heavy lifting while your team focuses on what they do best.

Maybe you know exactly what technology your business needs, but you don’t know how to make it happen. For example, your team just decided that Salesforce is the CRM that fits your growth needs, but you want to get up and running as soon as possible. Here is where Revenue Ops LLC comes into the picture. Our specialists will meet with your team and create an action plan that aligns with your goals and requirements. Consultants will work with your company during the implementation to educate and prepare your staff for success. It’s worth noting that Revenue Ops LLC not only works on Salesforce installations – we specialize in SalesLoft, Google Analytics, and Zapier, to name a few. Check out our technology page to get a complete rundown!

Map Your Revenue Operations Roadmap

Clear and attainable goals have proven to increase both individual and team performance. They provide a measuring stick on a weekly/monthly basis and create invaluable intrinsic motivation. So why doesn’t everyone utilize them? The simple answer is that it’s pretty challenging. Effective goal setting demands a thorough understanding of your team’s data and an accurate view of the journey ahead. Before you set anything in stone, you should have a firm grasp on the critical factors – sales cycles, lead conversion rates, cyclical tailwinds, etc. – that will heavily influence the goal. After that, getting the input of those whose job is to hit the goal is vital. If this process sounds overwhelming, we might know a team that can help.

Just as crucial as practical goal setting is a clear map of how to reach them. There are few things worse for a sales team than setting lofty goals and having no tangible roadmap to reach the destination. What is the team going to do each week/month? How specifically is that any different from what is currently happening? Where do you want your business to be next year, and how do you get there? Having the answers to these questions will change the way your year plays out. Getting where you can be confident in your roadmap takes time and expertise. It should involve a deep dive into your data and a complete understanding of the current business environment. Working with an experienced consultant will remove any guesswork and provide you with the skill the project demands.

improve your bottom line

Full Funnel Optimization

The customer journey is the most critical path for any business. After all, why does a company exist if not for the consumer? But too often, certain stages of the journey become the sole focus while others are severely neglected. This common phenomenon leads to high churn, employee turnover, and a dissatisfied customer base. All of which points to poor business performance and a dangerous path forward. Sorry, that was dramatic but very realistic. 

So, what would Revenue Ops LLC do in this situation? Good question. First and foremost, a top to bottom business breakdown is where they start. Next, you need to clearly and concisely understand your strengths and weaknesses. This involves specialists with years of industry experience working closely with your team to develop a comprehensive picture of your company’s current situation. We need to know what the data is saying! With this crucial information, the next step is implementing the necessary changes aimed at funnel optimization. Our goal is to bring lasting change that allows for sustainable growth and consistent customer satisfaction. We apply a holistic approach that centers around your team. 

Improve Processes Through Wise Automation

Are you unhappy with your lead conversion numbers? Do manual processes take up chunks of your team’s workday? Suppose you answered yes to any of these questions, or it’s been a while since you examined your business’ overall operations. In that case, you likely could benefit from working with a revenue operations consultant. The goal of improving processes starts with harnessing data. We will identify the stages of a specific process that need improvement based on the numbers.

While automating everything is the simple, trendy answer, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the right one. All too often, over-excited teams with good intentions will go overboard with Salesforce automations, creating a complicated system that is harder to use than before. At Revenue Ops LLC, we pride ourselves on creating streamlined processes that use automation to enhance the user experience. It should be something that reduces time and is easy for users to adopt. Determining when and how to make the appropriate automation demands the experience of years in the “trenches” combined with technical know-how. The bottom line is that you need a team that has done it before.

Improve Your Bottom Line

Bringing in an outside consultant is never an easy decision. Where do you start and who do you go with are just the first questions you need to answer, not to mention the cost of everything. Revenue Ops LLC knows where you’re coming from and has designed a no-strings-attached discovery session to make your life easier. It’s a great opportunity to get your questions answered and see if our plan fits your business. 

RevOps is a journey based on optimizing your team for growth, and you must have cohesion plus impeccable communication with anyone you bring in to help. If any of the areas mentioned above hit home, or you just want to talk, schedule a time right now

Demystifying RevOps

Revenue Operations Doesn't Have To Be Scary

Revenue Operations (RevOps) is often associated with mysterious, vague, and even ominous connotations, but that doesn’t need to be the case. The term simply focuses on aligning your sales, marketing, and finance functions. No tricks; only treats here! Let’s demystify RevOps.

So what is the role of RevOps consultants? Revenue operation specialists act as neutral parties who review your business operations from a systems-thinking perspective to make decisions that will drive growth. They work closely with your internal team to create an individualized plan and lead the rollout of the necessary changes. Let’s take a look at some examples of RevOps in action.

Salesforce Implementations That Make You Shake Your Boo-ty

Salesforce is a must-have for companies looking to grow and maintain sanity. This customer relationship management (CRM) system can do virtually everything. In addition, its marketing and customer service capabilities are pretty remarkable. 

But, before you can utilize it, you must implement it. Salesforce implementation entails a ton of experience and technical know-how, which is where we come in. The role of consultants is to create a plan of action that aligns with the customer’s goals and then lead a seamless implementation. The team at Revenue Ops LLC is known for smooth Salesforce rollouts thanks to effective communication and impeccable attention to detail. We pride ourselves on answering all your team’s questions and instilling confidence in the system.

Spooky Good Strategic Consulting Support

Is your company missing its sales targets? Or are you struggling even to set realistic goals?

Understanding RevOps can help! Practical goal setting starts with harnessing the power of data and combining it with an in-depth review of the current business environment. Before any benchmarks are finalized, these two areas must be thoroughly considered. 

Goal setting is just the first step since it’s the driving force of the results. Talented operation consultants can help you see potentially overlooked opportunities and chart the path forward. 

Demystifying RevOps Managed Services

Managed Services That Will Scare Your Problems Away

Wouldn’t it be nice to have someone on-call who can quickly troubleshoot things when they break? By partnering with a RevOps team, you can have peace of mind knowing that you’re not alone in times of trouble. A group of experienced specialists who have a detailed understanding of your infrastructure can quickly jump into the fire and work to resolve the issue at hand. As a result, you can finally put those fears around a technical problem causing your business to shut down to rest.

But it doesn’t end there! You can also leverage managed services to tackle complex projects or business needs you’d like specialists to handle. Rely on experts to make your life easier and push your company forward!

Squash Your Goals With Revenue Ops LLC

Partnering with a RevOps team can revitalize your business and unlock untapped growth opportunities. We will demystify RevOps and help you strategize and implement a plan to maximize your revenue.

The journey with Revenue Ops LLC starts with a no-strings-attached discovery call. During that session, we’ll discuss your objectives and current operations and address any questions or concerns you might have. Then, suppose you decide to move forward. In that case, a team of dedicated specialists will work with you throughout the process – from creating the scope of work to implementing the procedures and technology. 

With Revenue Ops LLC, you’ll get a team focused on communication and creating lasting improvements. Are you interested in hearing more? Contact us.

Implementing Salesforce Successfully

Things to Think about before Implementing Salesforce

Effective Salesforce rollouts require a well-crafted plan and careful execution. Implementations are intricate and demand a thorough knowledge of how the system works. As with everything, experience is vital to a smooth integration. This post is not meant to scare you but to equip your team for the journey ahead. Read on to learn more about what you should consider before implementing Salesforce. 

Salesforce is a powerful system that provides users with unparalleled capability. The tool is a must-have for any company looking to grow and stay connected. It’s so much more than your parents’ CRM – it’s a customer service tool, a help center, a marketing platform, etc. But as the saying goes, “with great power comes a great implementation.”

What Does Integration Look Like?

Like the kid in school who is friends with everyone, Salesforce plays well with external applications. From Dialpad to Adobe, you can easily access hundreds of apps through the Salesforce system.

Before you start the implementation, we recommend mapping out a complete list of integration needs. Make sure you know what you want and how the systems will communicate with each other. 

Pro Tip: Actual integrations take time and require technical expertise. While the DIY spirit is admirable, it usually doesn’t end well here.

How To Train the Team

Salesforce is not an autonomous vehicle; it requires someone to drive it. The driver here is your team, and as it takes time to learn how to be a good driver, Salesforce also has a bit of a learning curve. Therefore, helping users with best practices and terminology is crucial. The two questions you want to answer are:

  1. How are we going to train everyone? 
  2. Where can users go if they have questions?

It’s just as important to have an internal team trained and motivated to use Salesforce as it is to have the tool. Depending on your capacity, training can consist of anything from a series of teamwide meetings focusing on how the platform works to mandatory completion of Trailhead units. This Trailhead curriculum is a free resource created by Salesforce to educate users. It’s a great tool to introduce newcomers to the Salesforce ecosystem. In addition, training allows your team to get up and running on the platform quickly.

Your team should create a working vocabulary and an outline of best practices. It doesn’t have to be pretty, but an internal resource will help answer questions and reinforce standard operating procedures. It may sound like tedious work, but you’ll thank us later.

professional businesspeople

Internal Salesforce Resource

Who is going to be your Salesforce “person?” Who will be responsible when questions, problems, or recommendations arise? While Salesforce is an independent and self-sufficient application, you still need someone internally to oversee the day-to-day operations.

There are a few determining factors when assigning this responsibility. For example, an admin may be a good idea if you’re looking at running a large-scale operation with 50+ users. Admins usually come with a series of certificates and a wealth of knowledge about how the system should run. At the bare minimum, though, you will need someone internally who is comfortable setting up new users, editing fields, and ideally working with Flows. In addition, you’ll find an internal resource who can quickly troubleshoot and answer questions to be very efficient and productive.  

Choosing the Best Salesforce Implementation Partner 

Similar to the dating landscape, there are many options for finding a consultant to lead your implementation. On Google alone, you’ll find the names of 100+ businesses that say they are the best. This process can be confusing and frustrating unless you know what to look for in a partner. Arguably, experience and communication are the top qualities of a capable partner.

Has the company implemented Salesforce before? This is probably a good question when evaluating any business but so crucial here. A lot goes into implementation, and you really need to trust that the company knows what they’re doing. Before making a decision: 

  • Reach out to their references
  • Check their Salesforce Certifications
  • Read their case studies, if available

Communication is often overlooked, but it’s the key to any healthy business relationship. Because of the technical requirements and the level of customization of each Salesforce system, you must be comfortable with how the consultants communicate with you. For example, making sure the system works the way you planned and getting all your questions answered promptly are communication considerations. 

The Salesforce platform can transform your organization. But, before that can happen, the tool must be implemented appropriately. Getting to that place can be an uphill battle if you’re unprepared. Therefore, a comprehensive plan that outlines what happens before, during, and after the implementation is critical. In addition, working with the right consultant will make the transition as smooth and easy as possible. 

Our Revenue Ops, LLC team is committed to providing the best experience possible. We have a tried and true system for Salesforce implementations that starts with a complimentary discovery meeting to discuss your needs. Then we map out a plan with specific tasks and timelines to strategically incorporate Salesforce into your operations and tech stack. We take the time to review project progress and address any questions throughout the process.

If you want to discuss how we can help you to implement Salesforce successfully, don’t hesitate to contact us!

Salesloft Solutions Partner Program

What the Salesloft Partner Program Means to Us

Salesloft recently announced a Solution Partner Program for companies that recommend and implement Salesloft tools to maximize revenue for their clients. We are thrilled that Revenue Ops LLC has achieved Select tier status within this partner program.  

We are excited about formally partnering with Salesloft. We’re very comfortable with the platform. It is our sales engagement software of choice when we’re working on improving our clients’ workflows.

This partnership uniquely positions us to have access to Salesloft resources. We are particularly excited about experiencing cutting-edge product feature releases. Salesloft is committed to providing enhancements that reflect current sales process trends. And, we’ve found them to be really good about responding to customer feature requests since they’re based on real-world use cases. 

We’re looking forward to being privy to future integration and implementation opportunities. We appreciate that improving an operational process does not necessarily mean installing completely new programs. Sometimes existing programs just need a little boost to make them more useful. Integrations enhance our strategic approach when developing the technology and workflows for our clients because it saves time when we implement existing applications to complement new software. It also streamlines the training and onboarding process. 

Ultimately the most significant benefit of this partnership is transferring all of these perks to our clients. So when you work with us, you can be confident that you’re receiving the highest level of service. 

Best Features of Salesloft

We think the biggest and best benefit of Salesloft is that it allows small but mighty teams like us to operate like a large, Fortune 500 company. There might be strength in numbers, but sometimes less is more. 

Thanks to the robust and intuitive nature of Salesloft, we can communicate at scale with our prospects and customers. These days, resources are scarce just about everywhere, and there isn’t enough time in the workday to accomplish everything we need to do. But, if we invest a little time in building relationships with our contacts by defining audience segments, configuring some preset messages, and establishing a reasonable distribution frequency, we can maintain top-of-mind exposure effectively and efficiently.

Salesloft provides the tools we need to automate our communications along with a high degree of personalization and customization. As a result, we can interact with our contacts strategically and regularly. In addition, Salesloft offers one-to-one SMS messaging capabilities and custom videos so that we can engage in direct but less invasive ways.

Salesloft also makes it easy to connect and scale our operations through integrations. Therefore, we don’t have to reinvent the wheel when implementing new technology. Salesloft integrates seamlessly with a number of sales and marketing applications, including Salesforce.

As a Salesforce partner, we combine data from our CRM and sales engagement activities to paint a clear picture of our interactions. And we use the data to evaluate our tactics and optimize them accordingly. 

Salesloft Select Partnership

Salesloft Improves Our Operations

Salesloft is designed to help sales representatives be productive and focus on their regular sales tasks. They don’t have to be bogged down by mundane administrative tasks because Salesloft automates and synchronizes tasks like recording conversations, scheduling meetings, and designing and distributing reports. 

Sales representatives feel more organized and aware of their responsibilities. Salesloft makes it easy for them to understand where their contacts are within the sales process. And they can easily plan the next steps and follow-ups so that nothing falls through the cracks. 

From a customer experience perspective, Salesloft enables customer service representatives to stay on top of renewals to maximize revenue. Avoiding missed opportunities goes a long way to ensuring recurring earnings and maintaining customer satisfaction. In addition, positive experiences with customer service help to extend the customer lifecycle.

Why Salesloft

When considering a sales engagement platform, it’s impossible to ignore Salesloft. It’s a market leader, and for a good reason. Salesloft focuses solely on optimizing business development opportunities and streamlining the sales cycle.

We at Revenue Ops LLC are intentional about aligning with market leaders. Salesloft is recognized by G2, Forrester, and TrustRadius. We help our clients maximize their revenue and scale their business by working with best-in-class products.

We are an experienced team of sales, marketing, and customer success professionals committed to helping clients improve their performance. We apply our deep knowledge of CRM systems like Salesforce and sales enablement tools like Salesloft to optimize sales potential by stimulating and tracking customer interactions. Learn how we can help you implement a strategy to improve revenue operations and maximize your growth.

How CRM Helps with Customer Retention

Customer Retention

You know that customer acquisition is crucial for the growth and development of your business. But, what might be more important is customer retention.

Recent statistics report that it can cost your business five times more to get a new customer than it would cost to keep an existing customer. These stats also show that increasing your customer retention by just 5% can increase your profits anywhere from 25-95%.

Are you ready to maximize revenue through customer retention? Then, it may be time to consider implementing client relationship management or CRM software into your business.

Read on to learn about customer retention and how CRM benefits your client and business.

Importance of Customer Retention

Customer retention focuses on keeping current customers engaged with your company and products. Happy customers will keep buying from you, referring you to others, and staying connected in communication with you.

As mentioned in the statistic above, it is of high value for your business to keep your current clients. Doing so increases profits and expands your business.

Relationship of a CRM with Customer Retention

As you integrate your CRM strategy into your business, it’s essential to know how this strategy fits in with customer retention. Here are the benefits of CRM for your customer retention strategy.

No Customer Forgotten

A large part of retention is ensuring that no customer falls through the cracks. A CRM offers an organized database to keep all customer information and actions. This organization allows you to follow up with each customer accordingly.

Utilizing a CRM allows you to keep all data under one roof and best serve your customers. Keep all information from email campaigns, social connections, and phone calls within the contact card for each customer. Never again miss an opportunity to connect with a potential customer or follow up with a prospect.

Customer Personalization

A benefit of interacting with your customers through a CRM is the ability to tap into customer personalization.

As your customers engage with your content on your website or through email, you will be able to send them more of the content they want from you. 

Use customer segmentation to specify the emails or portions of emails preset contacts will receive. Tap into a “give the people what they want” mentality, and provide the right content to the right person at the right time through segmentation.

Seamless Customer Experience

Creating a seamless customer experience is pivotal for customers coming back to your business year after year.

A CRM gives you an up-leveled customer service system through managed customer support and follow-up. Track customer support tickets or requests to ensure proper follow-up and next steps with each customer.

Keep your ticket system on point by assigning customer requests or feedback to the right team member for a smooth resolution for each ticket.

During a customer’s life cycle, they can weave in and out of engagement with you. Utilize your CRM to keep customers engaged. Use well-timed email campaigns or personal connections to draw them back to your business.

Create re-engagement emails for customers who haven’t connected in a while. You can also offer specific resources for those who have submitted support tickets to help them in the future. The goal is to keep a smooth experience with each customer interaction with your business.

customer retention

Accurate Reporting

A valuable benefit of CRM software is reporting and analytic tracking. When you send email campaigns, you won’t have to guess which content is best received by customers. Accurate reporting allows you to see where your customers engaged the most.

With a CRM, you will have regular reporting data to show the state of your relationships. Examples of this are the number of contacts, customer engagement with campaigns, any unsubscribes, growth or loss in customer pipelines, and more. All valuable data can improve and grow your business under one umbrella and save you time and energy.

One Team, One Mind

If you have a team within your business, part of keeping things seamless for customers is making sure your team is on the same page. 

CRM gives each team member or department access to customer data. Ensure each customer receives the same level of service across all team members or departments.

From one stage with a customer to the next in a different department, a customer can expect a clean transition from one team member to the next.

Customers are more likely to stay engaged with you long-term if they feel valued by your whole team. This value begins with a team that remains one step ahead of the customer.

Automate Systems

Your time as a business owner is valuable, and so is each customer relationship. Bring the two together using automation within your CRM system.

As your customer enters different levels within your marketing funnel, use automation to nurture customers into a deeper relationship with your company.

Use automation to re-engage with customers who may have disengaged or have become unresponsive. You can do so with automated campaigns and special offers. You can also use automation to keep your company or products top of mind with well-timed emails that manage themselves. 

Automation takes the work out of routine connections points and gives you more time to focus on enhancing and scaling your business.

Build Retention with CRM

Customer retention should be top of mind for each business owner. It costs more money and time to gain new customers than it does to keep current clients.

To keep your current customers, you have to be intentional with your business processes. Retention ensures each customer has a positive experience with each interaction with you. Consider investing in a CRM system for your business to best nurture and care for your customers to keep them long-term. 

We can help you improve your customer relationships using tools like Salesforce. We work with businesses like yours to increase revenue by optimizing technology, streamlining processes, and customizing reports and dashboards so that you can make data-driven decisions to drive your business forward.

If you want to build and maximize your revenue and aren’t sure where to start, contact us today to schedule a consultation.

Sales Enablement vs. Sales Operations

The Difference Between Sales Enablement and Sales Operations

Sales enablement, sales operations…sounds pretty similar, right? It’s actually pretty easy to confuse the two. Here are the most significant differences between sales enablement and sales operations. 

The key difference between sales operations and sales enablement is that sales operations focuses on the operational efficiency of the everyday business processes involved in selling (i.e., order management, forecasting). In contrast, sales enablement experts work directly with other teams to increase adoption within the organization by providing content, training, and support for their customers. 

Note: operational or technical account managers are a part of sales operations, whereas account executives or senior account managers can be considered as part of sales enablement even though they may not have direct reports under them. This distinction becomes more evident when they have a dedicated individual responsible for overseeing the training, onboarding, and support of their accounts.

Sales Enablement Roles and Responsibilities

  • Create, manage and distribute content
  • Train internal stakeholders on their products or services
  • Partner with marketing for campaign support
  • Develop supporting collateral to help internal teams sell better

Sales Operations Roles and Responsibilities

  • Order management
  • Forecasting
  • Technical account management
  • Classifying and adding new accounts
  • Workflows and approvals (pipeline development)

How are these roles similar? Both are responsible for creating, training, managing, and distributing the company’s product awareness. Plus, a good sales operations team should have a solid understanding of how sales enablement efforts directly relate to actual sales. And vice versa: sales enablement directly impacts operational efficiency when done correctly. For example, sales engineers can identify issues in your software and escalate them before customers contact the sales team.

Focus on What’s Best for Your Business

This distinction between sales enablement and sales operations matters because it helps each team focus on what’s best for their business.

Sales enablement focuses on delivering an engaging customer journey. Therefore the team works closely with marketing to provide content through email drip campaigns, interactive guides, and personalized user experiences.

On the other hand, sales operations will work closely with other teams like finance to identify opportunities for process improvement, including automating order management or improving forecasting accuracy.

Drive New Business Growth

Both roles are vital for driving new business growth – yet both still require additional tools to help them become even more efficient at their jobs (or turn you into a unicorn).

Sales Enablement: If you’re working on sales enablement, then the first thing you need is CRM. CRM gives your team one place to manage all of their customer interactions and information, including marketing campaigns, email drip programs, account plans, product launch schedules, and more.

Sales Operations: If you work in sales operations, then the next thing you’ll want after CRM is analytics. Salesforce Analytics Cloud lets you track company-wide trends so you can benchmark how much business your reps are driving overall vs. other companies in the industry. In addition, it comes with pre-built reports that help you visualize data to improve quotas or forecast accuracy.

Operations + Enablement = Sales Growth

These two roles work together to drive new business growth. But the right tools can take them from good to great.

The best part about having both solutions? You can use them together to measure shared metrics across the company. Here’s a quick example: Sales operations wants to track the number of demo requests made by reps, and sales enablement wants to track the number of demos completed. But instead of each team creating their own copy of these KPIs, they can simply create a custom report in Analytics Cloud that uses both sets of data – which means less time spent tracking down information and more time for analysis and action.

So if you’re trying to figure out how best to spend your budget this year, remember that there are two distinct yet equally important roles when it comes to driving business growth. Sales enablement focuses on customer engagement while sales operations helps teams become more efficient at their jobs – so make sure your tools reflect those priorities!

Best Tools to Consider

1. Salesforce Sales Cloud: The sales management platform that helps salespeople and sales operations teams become more efficient at selling.

2. Salesforce Analytics Cloud: The analytics platform that lets you measure and benchmark your company against other businesses in your industry and identify opportunities for improvement.

3. SalesLoft: Fully-automated outbound prospecting software that uses AI to generate personalized email campaigns, manage prospects from cold outreach all the way through to close.

4. InsideView: Helps sales and marketing teams quickly discover new prospects, prioritize them based on fit, and generate targeted lists for outreach.

5. HubSpot Sales: A platform that lets you manage all your contacts with automated workflows that easily move prospects through the funnel. It also makes it simple to create custom reports that help teams understand their data in context with overall company performance.

6. HubSpot Marketing: The marketing automation platform allows marketers to personalize each customer’s journey by integrating email, social media, paid advertising, and more.

7. Zapier: A web tool that makes it easy to build your own automated workflows between all of our apps without having to write any code.

8. FullContact: Helps sales reps quickly connect with new leads by automatically updating their contact profiles based on social media activity.

9. RingLead: Lets companies link contact data from third-party databases into Salesforce so they can get a complete view of not just who their existing customers are but also who they’ve had conversations with in the past (and might be interested in reaching out to again).

10. Rapportive: Allows you to see LinkedIn profiles within your inbox so you can make connections based on shared contacts.

The best software solutions for your business will depend on the size of your team and how you work together within each role (sales enablement vs. sales operations). However, most companies can benefit by having access to both types of tools because they focus on different aspects of growing revenue. With this distinction in mind, you can be sure to develop a complete and well-rounded sales stack that will help you increase your ROI and become a unicorn.

We at Revenue Ops LLC are happy to help you navigate sales operations and sales enablement software options and choose the right tool for your business. Let’s discuss your goals, obstacles, and vision to get started.