5 Ways RevOps Teams Can Win Over the VP of Sales

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RevOps is still a relatively new concept for many organizations, and because of that, VPs or sales directors might need a little push in the right direction when it comes to setting up and supporting the processes needed to achieve success. RevOps removes the silos that exist among sales, marketing, and customer success, creating a cohesive team that drives—you guessed it—revenue. Despite the inherent benefits that come with leadership support, about 40% of organizations are still feeling a disconnect between those respective teams. So, where do you go from here? There are a few things you can do to win over executive teams—here are five actionable ways to earn leadership support and prove that RevOps is, in fact, pretty awesome.

1. Set clear and honest expectations.

Most of the time, a VP of Sales does not know what project you are working on for the VP of Marketing. You have the responsibility to set expectations and let them know what your workload is actually like. By implementing a communication loop with a strategic process in place to manage expectations , you can easily set RevOps up for success. A quick-and-easy way to do this is with a project management platform —something like Trello, Asana, or even Salesforce, in some cases. If you can display the amount of work you have on your plate, people will understand and accept the timelines you give them because they know what else you are working on and prioritizing.

2. Be transparent.

There will be days when leaders will come to you asking for a solution that technically is not possible to build. They come with great intentions, but they might ask you to build a Ferrari out of Honda parts (no shade, Honda). The solution? Collect data from the RevOps team and share realistic timelines based on the process set in place. If you're transparent when something isn't possible, or at least clear about telling them you can research something but can't guarantee the results, they'll appreciate your realistic take on a situation.

3. Don't over-commit.

It's really easy to be a "yes man/woman," but the last thing you want to do is say yes to something that you can't deliver on. You never want to get into a situation where you promise something and then, a few days later, either not deliver it or say you can't do it. Being that RevOps is so interconnected, a definitive process for all tasks is essential. Executives will respect you more if you say something along the lines of "that sounds like a great idea. I need time to process that and tell you if it's possible." You can only do so much, and by iterating that "I can't get to that project until next quarter because of X,Y, and Z," your coworkers will really appreciate the way you prioritize your projects. Those simple statements will go a long way when you're committing to tasks.

4. Drive adoption from the top down.

If you have executive buy-in, you can get anything accomplished. If you don't, however, you'll spend a lot of time building a solution that will not get executive approval. The truth is that, when teams are aligned (and yes, that includes leadership), they generate 38% more revenue in 27% less time . You should also feel comfortable with challenging a request, especially if it's not coming from leadership. An easy way to do this is when an AE or CSM asks you to create, say a field or build a solution, you can respond with: "Have you talked about this with your manager and your team yet?" You want all of your projects to have executive buy-in so they actually stick and ultimately help the company.

5. Protect your time.

This might sound counterintuitive, but if you tell your boss "I can't carve out two hours for that meeting, is it okay to meet for 30 minutes after to get the action items?" you'll win folks over. Why? People appreciate how much you protect your time, so make a pointed effort to tell folks "no" or a soft “instead of two hours, can we do it in 30 minutes." You can also use your process to your advantage to time-block meetings with team members to make sure they feel heard and you collect what you need, and use documentation to support your team without stealing your time. Additionally, you can proactively block off times on your calendar for projects or tasks. This allows you to stay heads down and not get as distracted with emails, Slack messages, and the like. If you need more ways to garner leadership support, Arovy can help. Our platform makes it easy to identify and support process, communication, and documentation so that operations run smoothly, efficiently, and effectively. Sign up for a free demo to learn more.

1. Set clear and honest expectations.

2. Be transparent.

3. Don't over-commit.

4. Drive adoption from the top down.

5. Protect your time.

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