RevOps Lab

Spencer Hardy, VP of Operations at HG Insights, joins Janis and Philipp to talk about the hidden cost of bad data and how misaligned definitions quietly break go-to-market execution. Together, they unpack why data quality is less a tooling problem and more an alignment problem — and how ICP, segmentation, and shared definitions impact everything from planning to execution to company valuation.We cover: Why bad data is fundamentally a definition and alignment problem The “executive tax” created by misaligned reporting and endless boardroom debates How inconsistent ICP and segmentation break GTM alignment Early warning signs that indicate data misalignment across teams The operational drag caused by poor territory design and handoff friction Why RevOps plays a critical role in unifying Sales, Marketing, CS, and Product How bad data impacts forecasting, productivity, and resource allocation Why data quality and segmentation matter in M&A and valuation discussions Where companies should start before buying new toolsSpencer Hardy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencer-hardey-mba-23354115/ Weflow: https://getweflow.com RevOps Chat Community: https://getweflow.com/community RevOps Resources: https://getweflow.com/revops Janis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janiszech Philipp on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philippstelzerChapters: (00:00:00) Intro & Meet Spencer (00:01:58) Spencer’s Background & RevOps Journey (00:03:45) The Real Cost of Bad Data (00:05:22) The Executive Tax Explained (00:07:49) Early Signals of Data Misalignment (00:11:06) Operational Drag: Territories, Handoffs & ICP (00:13:59) Where to Start Fixing Data Problems (00:17:09) ICP, Segmentation & Executive Alignment (00:22:19) Bad Data, Valuation & M&A Risk (00:27:06) Multiple ICPs, Products & GTM Complexity (00:31:04) From Market Analysis to Account-Level Execution (00:36:30) Book Recommendation: The Sales Acceleration Formula (00:38:25) Closing

Laura Fu joins Janis and Philipp to talk about her new book Designing for Excellence, and how Sales Enablement is transforming inside an AI-native world. Laura breaks down the core principles of effective enablement, the flywheel every GTM team needs, and what changes when AI becomes part of the daily workflow.We cover: Why she wrote the book Designing for Excellence The core principles of modern sales enablement Lagging vs. leading metrics — and why pipeline creation is the #1 indicator of rep productivity How to identify, measure, and coach the behaviors that matter The Sales Enablement Flywheel: content, programs, tools, analytics What “AI-native enablement” looks like in real GTM workflows How real-time feedback loops transform programs and content What organizations need to change to adopt AI successfully Where to start when introducing AI into Sales Enablement Laura’s recommended books & mindset shifts for operatorsLaura Fu on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurazfu/ Weflow: https://getweflow.com RevOps Chat Community: https://getweflow.com/community RevOps Resources: https://getweflow.com/revops Janis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janiszech Philipp on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philippstelzerChapters:(00:00:00) Intro & Meet Laura(00:01:07) Why Laura Wrote Designing for Excellence(00:04:02) What It Means to Be an AI-Native Company(00:05:24) Structuring the Book: 5 Sections Explained(00:07:14) The Core Principles of Sales Enablement(00:11:26) The #1 Leading Indicator: Pipeline Creation(00:15:16) Discovery, New-Business Meetings & Rep Behaviors(00:18:44) The Enablement Flywheel: Content, Programs, Tools(00:20:34) How AI Creates a Closed-Loop Feedback System(00:23:47) Real-Time Coaching & Adaptive Content(00:27:04) What It Takes to Become AI-Native(00:28:59) Organizational Change & Leadership Mindset(00:31:48) Where Enablement Teams Should Start(00:36:27) Book Recommendation: The Courage to Be Disliked(00:38:32) Closing

Richard Harris, sales advisor, trainer, and founder of the Harris Consulting Group, joins Philipp and Janis to talk about what truly separates elite sellers from the rest. Richard shares his frameworks for coaching, running better pipeline conversations, improving forecast accuracy, and creating an environment where sales and RevOps actually partner.We cover: • What top-performing reps do differently • How to coach around pipeline, qualification, and stalled deals • Why “gut feeling” selling breaks forecasting • The questions leaders should ask in every deal review • How RevOps and sales can build trust instead of tension • Why better data ≠ better selling (and what actually moves the needle) • How to improve pipeline hygiene without overwhelming reps • The mindset shift leaders need to build accountable teams • Practical exercises for managers to level up their coachingRichard Harris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rharris415Weflow: https://getweflow.comRevOps Chat Community: https://getweflow.com/communityRevOps Resources: https://getweflow.com/revopsJanis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janiszechPhilipp on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philippstelzerChapters:(00:00:00) Intro & Meet Richard(00:02:18) What Elite Sellers Do Differently(00:06:41) Coaching Reps Beyond “Gut Feeling”(00:10:24) Red Flags in Pipeline & Qualification(00:13:23) Practical Questions for Deal Reviews(00:17:54) Building Trust Between Sales & RevOps(00:21:35) Improving Pipeline Hygiene at Scale(00:26:40) Why Better Data Doesn’t Fix Everything(00:31:15) Leadership, Accountability & Team Culture(00:36:02) Book Recs & Final Thoughts

This week, something different: Janis joins Laura Fu, Co-Host of State of the AI Union, to talk about the intersection of AI, GTM, and RevOps. Together, they explore how AI is transforming revenue execution—from pipeline generation to forecasting and customer experience—and what leaders should focus on today to stay ahead.We cover: • How AI is reshaping GTM and RevOps fundamentals • The shift from reactive reporting to predictive revenue intelligence • Why RevOps sits at the center of AI adoption • Where AI can automate repetitive GTM workflows today • How human judgment and machine insights should work together • Real examples of AI-augmented pipeline and forecast processes • What leaders can do now to prepare their teams for AI-first operationsListen to “State of the AI Union” with Laura Fu:https://open.spotify.com/show/17tYS2pWZY6LEwI70hw5CFLaura Fu on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurazfu/Weflow: getweflow.comRevOps Chat Community: getweflow.com/communityRevOps Resources: getweflow.com/revopsJanis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janiszechPhilipp on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philippstelzerChapters:(00:00:00) Meet Janis & Laura(00:01:40) Navigating the GTM & AI Intersection(00:07:04) Leveraging AI Across the Revenue Cycle(00:12:13) Automating Forecasting & Deal Hygiene(00:19:40) How AI Will Change RevOps in the Next 3 Years(00:25:00) Leadership, Mindset & Adoption Challenges(00:29:10) The Future of AI-Driven GTM

Janis and Philipp break down the good, the bad, and the ugly of annual planning. From late starts and siloed workflows to unrealistic capacity models and poor communication loops, they share what goes wrong in most companies – and how to fix it.We cover:• The most common annual planning pitfalls – and how to avoid them • Late starts, top-down targets, and siloed processes • Why RevOps should take the lead in annual planning • How to align FP&A, HR, and GTM leadership • The impact of capacity planning, ramp time, and attrition • Building realistic hiring and pipeline generation models • The importance of cross-functional workshops and continuous planning • How to move from static annual planning to adaptive executionWeflow: getweflow.comRevOps Chat Community: getweflow.com/communityRevOps Resources: getweflow.com/revopsJanis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janiszechPhilipp on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philippstelzerChapters:(00:00:00) Intro & Why Annual Planning Is Broken(00:02:19) Common Pitfalls: Late Starts & Siloed Processes(00:04:42) Why RevOps Should Lead Annual Planning(00:06:51) The Role of FP&A, HR & Leadership Alignment(00:08:54) Timelines, Ownership & the Cost of Starting Late(00:11:10) Capacity Planning, Ramp Time & Hiring Models(00:15:02) Pipeline Generation & Continuous Adjustments(00:19:24) Running Cross-Functional Planning Workshops(00:22:25) Setting Realistic Scenarios (Best, Base, Worst Case)(00:25:10) Board Sign-Off & Execution Cadences(00:27:00) Final Thoughts & Cheat Sheet Recommendation

Kunal Pathak, Director of Deal Strategy & Operations at ServiceNow, joins Philipp to unpack what it really takes to run a world-class Deal Desk. With experience building deal operations at Salesforce, DocuSign, and now ServiceNow, Kunal shares how the function evolved from a transactional back office into a strategic control tower for revenue execution.We cover:- What a Deal Desk is and how it’s evolved into a strategic function- When it’s time to introduce Deal Desk (hint: when your CEO reviews every deal)- Balancing governance and deal velocity: the CFO vs. CRO charter- Why a bad policy is one that creates constant exceptions- The 70/30 rule: when to automate vs. when to go high-touch- The ideal team setup and where Deal Desk should sit (Finance vs. Sales)- How to collaborate with Legal, Finance, and Pricing Strategy- Building commercial constructs that make it easy to buy- Using AI and automation to move from reactive to proactive deal strategy- How to start a Deal Desk from scratch—and what to prioritize firstKunal Pathak on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/kunal-pathak-66b27317/ Weflow: ⁠getweflow.com⁠RevOps Chat Community: ⁠getweflow.com/community⁠ RevOps resources: ⁠getweflow.com/revops⁠ Janis on LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/janiszech⁠ Philipp on LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/philippstelzer Chapters:(00:00:00) Intro & Meet Kunal(00:02:29) What Is a Deal Desk and Why It Matters(00:06:58) When to Introduce Deal Desk(00:09:15) Top Challenges When Setting Up the Function(00:11:21) Balancing Governance and Deal Velocity(00:14:27) Policies, Exceptions & the 70/30 Rule(00:16:06) Where Deal Desk Should Sit (RevOps vs. Finance)(00:18:38) Building the Right Team & Hiring Profiles(00:21:20) Legal Collaboration & Ownership Boundaries(00:24:48) Partnering with Pricing Strategy(00:27:59) Value Engineering and Deal Economics(00:30:12) The Future of Deal Desk – AI & Automation(00:35:30) How to Start a Deal Desk From Scratch(00:37:01) The First Hire & Key Priorities(00:40:01) Resources, Books & Final Thoughts

Tessa Whittaker, VP of Revenue Operations at ZoomInfo, joins Janis Zech to discuss the critical challenge of shifting to an AI-First mindset within the RevOps function. Many leaders feel pressure due to the AI hype, but how do you ensure your teams implement the technology effectively? Tessa shares her proprietary RevOps Maturity Scale, a framework that identifies the operational foundation (systematization and process discipline) required before AI can be successfully deployed to boost upstream RevOps team efficiency.    She reveals how her team at ZoomInfo—a multi-billion-dollar valuation company with over a billion in ARR—transformed their roadmap prioritization and requirements gathering process using AI agents. This strategy helps them eliminate "human behavior" and resource fights, leading to maximum execution speed.   We discuss:Why manual processes and poor data are the biggest roadblocks to successful AI implementation (Garbage In, Garbage Out).    Tessa's RevOps Maturity Scale (0 to 5), and why AI-Augmented Workflows only begin at Step 3.    How to build Operational Excellence as the foundation for AI (Ad Hoc → Manual but Defined → Systematized Rigor → Agentic Assistance).    The RevOps team structure at ZoomInfo: How Sales Operations, Business Process (Product Managers), and Revenue Technology collaborate.    The transformation of the RevOps Roadmap process: Moving from firefighting to data-driven stack ranking of strategic initiatives.    The use of an AI Agent for Requirements Gathering and generating Prioritization Scores to end subjective resource battles with stakeholders.    How to coach Internal Stakeholders to bring problems instead of prescribed solutions, and how AI facilitates this shift.    Tessa’s Hackathon strategy to mandate an AI-First mindset across the RevOps team and build internal efficiency agents.    Mallory Lee on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/tessa-whittaker-44903940/ Weflow: ⁠getweflow.com⁠RevOps Chat Community: ⁠getweflow.com/community⁠RevOps resources: ⁠getweflow.com/revops⁠Janis on LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/janiszech⁠Philipp on LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/philippstelzerChapters:(00:00:00) Introduction and Welcoming Tessa(00:01:52) Tessa's Career Path: From Executive Assistant to VP of RevOps (00:03:16) The RevOps Team Structure at ZoomInfo (Sales Ops, Business Process, RevTech) (00:06:19) Introducing the RevOps AI Maturity Scale (00:08:43) Steps 0 through 5: From Ad Hoc to Autonomous Operations (00:10:45) The necessity of Operational Excellence as an AI prerequisite (00:16:03) The RevOps reality before systematization (Chaos and Firefighting) (00:21:44) Building Systematized Rigor: Central intake, JIRA, and capacity measurement (00:26:40) Dealing with noise and Fire Drills: How centralized stack ranking eliminates resource fights (00:35:17) The AI-First Leap: Transforming the RevOps Roadmap process with AI (00:37:50) The AI Agent for Requirements Gathering: Eliminating time-consuming meetings (00:40:24) How the AI agent calculates Prioritization Scores for dynamic sprint planning (00:43:39) Additional AI Use Cases: Process documentation, slide generation, and monitoring (00:44:40) The Hackathon Strategy to instill an AI-First mindset in the team (00:46:10) Community Recommendations: The value of a tight-knit expert network

Mallory Lee, VP of Revenue Operations at PhoneBurner, shares her expertise on automating CRM data entry. She dives into the chaos of poor CRM hygiene and its impact on trust and forecasting. Mallory discusses how automation can streamline activity capture, improve pipeline accuracy, and enhance forecasting using AI insights. She also explains the importance of distinguishing between process and judgment in sales. Lastly, learn how automation fosters more effective pipeline discussions and mitigates data verification time!

In this episode:Laura Cross, VP and Principal Analyst at Forrester, joins Janis and Philipp to unpack the shift from annual to continuous planning. Laura shares why static, one-and-done plans don’t work in today’s fast-changing environment and how RevOps can take the lead in building adaptive, customer-centric planning processes.We cover: Why annual planning often creates misalignment and mistrust The rise of continuous, “always-on” planning cycles How to balance board-level compliance with GTM agility Common pitfalls: siloed planning, unrealistic timelines, political dynamics Why putting the customer at the center fixes more than process RevOps as the facilitator of sync & sequence across functions Practical steps to operationalize strategy through revenue cadencesLinks: Laura Cross on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauracross Weflow: getweflow.com RevOps Chat Community: getweflow.com/community RevOps resources: getweflow.com/revops Janis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janiszech Philipp on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philippstelzerChapters: (00:00:00) Intro & Meet Laura (00:02:10) Annual vs. Continuous Planning – The Shift (00:05:30) Why Annual Planning Fails in Practice (00:09:20) Misalignment, Finger-Pointing & Trust Issues (00:14:15) The Role of RevOps in Sync & Sequence (00:19:00) Overhead, Culture & Mindset Shifts (00:24:30) From Strategy to Execution: Revenue Cadences (00:29:40) Final Thoughts & Forrester Resources

In this quick special episode (under 3 minutes!), Janis and Philipp announce something big:👉 Together with 50 RevOps leaders from around the world, we’re launching a free Slack community exclusively for Revenue Operations professionals.Here’s what you need to know: • 💬 No pitches, just real conversations • ✅ Strictly RevOps-only (every application is reviewed) • 🤝 Share challenges, get support, and learn faster • 🌍 Local chapters for real-life meetups (yes, IRL!)🚀 Request early access now: getweflow.com/community