RevOps to VP? Here's why you're not getting promoted
May 6, 2025
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Why are so many RevOps leaders stuck in their careers? The discussion reveals that excessive focus on tools often overshadows what truly matters to executives. Understanding the CRO's priorities is crucial for career advancement. Sales experience and building strong relationships are highlighted as key assets for RevOps professionals. Additionally, the importance of evolving communication styles is emphasized, along with practical advice for navigating organizational dynamics and fostering trust. Finally, embracing AI and transformational change could open new avenues for success.
RevOps professionals often struggle to get promoted due to an excessive focus on tools rather than driving revenue and aligning with executive priorities.
Building trust-based relationships with sales teams is essential for RevOps leaders to enhance collaboration, demonstrating their value and readiness for advancement.
Deep dives
The Leadership Gap in RevOps
There is a noticeable absence of leaders in revenue operations (RevOps), particularly at the VP level, which raises concerns about the future of this role. During a recent event, the overwhelming presence of RevOps staff but lack of senior leadership indicated a troubling trend, suggesting that these professionals may not be adequately prepared to ascend to higher positions such as VP or CRO. The hosts emphasize the necessity for RevOps personnel to focus on delivering tangible value to their organizations; otherwise, they risk becoming irrelevant. This lack of leadership highlights the challenge of achieving upward mobility within the field, necessitating a shift in mindset and approach among current RevOps professionals aiming for advancement.
Focusing on Value over Tooling
RevOps professionals often get caught up in discussing tools and technical aspects, which can detract from their overall impact and credibility. It's crucial for them to shift their discussions toward increasing revenue and optimizing costs, as these are the priorities for executives. Effective communication of how tools and processes contribute to the broader organizational goals can set a RevOps leader apart from their peers. By demonstrating a deep understanding of both operational efficiency and revenue growth, these individuals can earn the trust and respect of C-level executives, fostering stronger working relationships.
Building Strategic Relationships
RevOps professionals need to cultivate trust-based relationships with sales and other allied teams to enhance collaboration and efficiency. A deep understanding of the sales process—not merely from an analytical standpoint but through personal experience—enables RevOps to identify challenges and address them effectively. Valuable contributions include providing contextual insights from marketing and customer success that can help improve the sales process. Strengthening these relationships can create a team-oriented environment where RevOps supports sales goals, leading to mutual success.
Proactive Leadership and Ownership
RevOps leaders are encouraged to step up by taking ownership of broader teams and processes, positioning themselves for potential promotions. Taking on additional responsibilities—such as leading orphan teams—can demonstrate capability and readiness for advancement to a VP title. It is critical for these leaders to be proactive and not to wait for opportunities to come to them; instead, they should actively seek them out and advocate for their own growth. By doing so, they can showcase their leadership skills and readiness to contribute at a higher level, reinforcing their value within the organization.
Why aren’t more RevOps leaders getting promoted to VP or CRO roles? In this episode, we break down the biggest career blockers holding Revenue Operations professionals back, from focusing too much on tooling to missing what execs actually care about.
