RevOps Lab

In this episode, Janis and Philipp sit down with 5x CRO John McMahon, the Author of “The Qualified Sales Leader”, board member at Snowflake and MongoDB, and co-host of the Revenue Builders Podcast. John shares how revenue operations can play a critical role in preparing CROs and CEOs for board meetings, what metrics truly matter, and why scaling go-to-market teams is often harder than building products.From avoiding common pitfalls in hiring and territory planning to designing repeatable frameworks for growth, this conversation is packed with insights from someone who has guided companies through hypergrowth at the highest levels.What You’ll Learn:How RevOps leaders can equip CROs for successful board meetingsWhy headcount, productivity, and churn are the only real levers in scaling salesThe cost of hiring too late and under-investing in frontline managementWhy territory fairness is critical to rep success and retentionKey frameworks for reporting to the board (5-quarter model, productivity per rep, new logos vs. existing growth)The importance of evolving your ICP, sales process, and common language as you scaleJohn McMahon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnmcmahon1/Pipeline Visibility Cheat Sheet: ⁠https://www.getweflow.com/content/pipeline-visibility-cheat-sheet⁠⁠ Janis on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/janiszech ⁠ ⁠⁠  ⁠ Phillip on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/philippstelzer⁠ Chapters:(00:00:00) Meet John McMayhem(00:03:45) Board Meeting Dynamics(00:08:20) Preparation Strategies(00:12:30) Sales Team Scaling Pitfalls(00:16:50) Proactive Hiring Importance(00:21:15) Territory Management(00:25:45) Reducing Ramp Time Through Training(00:30:00) Key Performance Metrics(00:34:40) RevOps as Strategic Eyes and Ears(00:38:10) Closing Thoughts & Book Recommendation

Kristina Kardell, Director of RevOps & Strategy at Leapsome, joins Janis to explore how revenue cadences can move RevOps from execution to strategy. Kristina shares how she structures cadences that align leaders, drive accountability, and unlock real business impact.We cover: • What revenue cadences actually are—and why they matter • How to set up cadences that align GTM leadership • Turning recurring meetings into drivers of accountability • Balancing operational detail with strategic oversight • Lessons learned from scaling RevOps at Leapsome • How cadences unlock cross-functional alignmentLinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristinakardell/Pipeline Visibility Cheat Sheet: ⁠https://www.getweflow.com/content/pipeline-visibility-cheat-sheet⁠⁠Janis on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/janiszech⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠ Phillip on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/philippstelzer⁠Chapters: (00:00:00) Intro & Meet Kristina(00:02:05) Why Cadences Are a Strategic Lever(00:06:20) Designing Cadences That Stick(00:10:45) Leadership Alignment Through Revenue Cadences(00:15:00) From Operations to Strategy(00:18:25) Lessons Learned at Leapsome(00:21:40) Final Thoughts & Key Takeaways

Dana Therrien, VP of Sales Performance Management and Revenue Operations Advisory at Anaplan, joins Janis and Philipp to unpack what it really takes to build a RevOps team that drives measurable impact. With deep expertise in GTM strategy, comp design, and performance management, Dana shares how to align revenue teams, structure for scale, and turn RevOps into a strategic growth driver—not just an operational support function.We cover: • How to design a RevOps org that accelerates GTM execution • The link between sales performance management and RevOps success • Common comp plan pitfalls and how to avoid them • Partnering effectively with CROs, CFOs, and sales leadership • Which skills turn good operators into strategic leaders • Why RevOps needs a seat at the executive tableDana Therrien on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/danatherrien/Pipeline Visibility Cheat Sheet: ⁠https://www.getweflow.com/content/pipeline-visibility-cheat-sheet⁠⁠Janis on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/janiszech⁠ ⁠Phillip on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/philippstelzer⁠Chapters: (00:00:00) Intro & Meet Dana (00:02:20) From Sales Performance to RevOps Leadership (00:06:05) What Great RevOps Teams Do Differently (00:10:45) Comp Plan Design – Common Pitfalls & Fixes (00:15:30) Partnering with CROs and CFOs (00:20:40) Leadership Skills That Scale (00:26:10) Structuring RevOps for Speed & Alignment (00:31:25) Final Takeaways & Book Recommendation

After 88 episodes, Janis and Philipp look back and highlight the most shared, cited, and saved conversations from across the show. From methodology rollouts and forecasting to CS, enablement, and strategic RevOps planning—this is a curated guide to the episodes that shaped the community.We cover: • The most actionable insights across 80+ episodes • What listeners actually implement from RevOps Lab • Which guests challenged how we think about GTM • Our favorite frameworks, rituals, and cheat sheets • What’s coming next—and how we’ll keep evolvingReview our top 10 episodes: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/janiszech_takeaways-from-9-revops-leaders-activity-7305237770560507905-M-Bx?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAADkq4oBjquoXFjbQrLH0htfS54y5Fv-tAIJustin Norris: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/janiszech_revops-revops-outbound-activity-7260648519277985792-PXw5?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAADkq4oBjquoXFjbQrLH0htfS54y5Fv-tAISamarth: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/janiszech_revops-salesops-cro-activity-7255182493337677824-YI7t?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAADkq4oBjquoXFjbQrLH0htfS54y5Fv-tAIMatthew Volm: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/janiszech_revops-tools-revops-activity-7252283401032863744-Y1fY?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAADkq4oBjquoXFjbQrLH0htfS54y5Fv-tAICrissy: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/janiszech_revops-revops-gtmops-activity-7250501664216875008-6o90?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAADkq4oBjquoXFjbQrLH0htfS54y5Fv-tAIJeremy: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/janiszech_revops-gtm-saas-activity-7242861308096712705-P1eA?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAADkq4oBjquoXFjbQrLH0htfS54y5Fv-tAILaura Adint & Sean Lane: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/janiszech_revops-revopslab-revops-activity-7241426861497462784-1kyb?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAADkq4oBjquoXFjbQrLH0htfS54y5Fv-tAIDaphne: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/janiszech_hubspot-revops-cs-activity-7238871265791410176-Q9To?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAADkq4oBjquoXFjbQrLH0htfS54y5Fv-tAITom: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/janiszech_cros-revops-revopslab-activity-7237105621039267843-pLtb?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAADkq4oBjquoXFjbQrLH0htfS54y5Fv-tAIBen Murray: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/janiszech_saas-revops-gtm-activity-7272607315730604033-ph1c?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAADkq4oBjquoXFjbQrLH0htfS54y5Fv-tAIEric https://www.linkedin.com/posts/janiszech_revops-saas-gtm-activity-7270780286269849600-2nDU?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAADkq4oBjquoXFjbQrLH0htfS54y5Fv-tAIToni: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/janiszech_what-are-ways-to-be-more-strategic-in-revops-activity-7269330721238880258-Iitt?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAADkq4oBjquoXFjbQrLH0htfS54y5Fv-tAIChapters: • (00:00:00) Intro & Why This Recap Matters • (00:02:00) Books That Shaped the Show • (00:05:00) Forecasting, Pipeline Reviews & SPICED • (00:09:00) Planning, Board Prep & Territory Design • (00:13:00) Comp Plans, Metrics & SaaS Finance • (00:16:00) RevOps & FP&A: Strategic Convergence • (00:18:00) Community Shoutouts & What’s Next

Julien Cerutti, VP Revenue Strategy at Meltwater, shares how he led the global rollout of the SPICED sales methodology across 700+ sellers. From frontline adoption to operationalizing SPICED in Salesforce and building AI-powered deal inspections, Julien walks through a practical framework for making methodology stick—at scale.We cover: • Why Meltwater chose SPICED over MEDDIC or BANT • How to structure deal inspection cadences that actually work • Building methodology into your CRM, scoring, and dashboards • Why enablement isn’t enough—and how to align managers • Using AI agents for deal scoring, inspection, and coaching • What “10x sellers” might look like with operational AI supportJulien Cerutti on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliencerutti/ Pipeline Visibility Cheat Sheet: https://www.getweflow.com/content/pipeline-visibility-cheat-sheet⁠Janis on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/janiszech ⁠⁠  ⁠ Phillip on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/philippstelzerChapters:(00:00:00) Meet Julien & His Role at Meltwater(00:03:00) Choosing SPICED & Aligning Global Teams(00:07:20) Operationalizing SPICED in Salesforce(00:11:45) Why Deal Inspections Need Their Own Cadence(00:15:40) Enabling Managers to Drive Adoption(00:20:00) AI Use Cases: Scoring, Coaching, Feedback(00:24:15) Vision for 10x Sellers with AI Agents(00:28:40) Book Recommendations & Closing Thoughts

Mollie Bodensteiner, SVP of Operations at Engine, joins Janis and Philipp to unpack the RevOps org structure behind a 1,000-person company scaling at speed. Mollie shares how her team of 40+ built a pod-based model that balances enablement, systems, and sales ops—while staying fast, aligned, and strategic.From hiring 25 people in 6 months to syncing Asana, Slack, and sprint cycles, this is a playbook for anyone designing or rethinking their RevOps org.We cover: • How Engine designed a pod-based RevOps structure • The soft skills required for operating partners • Aligning enablement, systems, and ops around one roadmap • Scaling without drowning in meetings or Slack chaos • Tips for hiring across ops, enablement, and technical roles • How to run RevOps like a product org—with developers, BAs & roadmaps • Mollie’s framework for project prioritization (and saying no) • Why a “get the right people on the bus” mindset beats rigid job specsMollie Bodensteiner on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/molliebodensteiner/Pipeline Visibility Cheat Sheet: https://www.getweflow.com/content/pipeline-visibility-cheat-sheet⁠Janis on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/janiszech ⁠⁠ ⁠ Phillip on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/philippstelzerChapters: • (00:00:00) Meet Mollie & Her Role at Engine • (00:02:30) Why Pods? Org Design Lessons from Scaling • (00:06:00) How to Align Enablement, Ops & Systems • (00:09:45) Slack, Asana & Avoiding Communication Chaos • (00:13:00) Prioritization Frameworks & Saying No • (00:16:20) What Makes a Great RevOps Hire • (00:20:30) Running RevOps Like a Product Team • (00:25:00) When to Augment with Agencies vs. Own Internally • (00:29:30) Hiring Mindset: Skills > CVs • (00:34:00) Book Recs: Surrounded by Idiots, Thinking in Bets, Trillion Dollar Coach

Lauren Silvers, GTM Programs Lead at Ironclad, shares her visionary insights into buyer-centric revenue operations. She discusses the evolving buyer behavior and the frustrations of traditional sales processes. Lauren advocates for signal-based selling and the role of AI in managing CRM hygiene. She highlights the need to reduce tool overload for reps and how operationalizing customer-verifiable outcomes can lead to remarkable pipeline increases. A masterclass on reshaping GTM strategies awaits!

Seth London, VP of Revenue Operations at Meltwater, joins the podcast to unpack one of the most strategic (and misunderstood) relationships in GTM: the connection between RevOps and FP&A. With firsthand experience leading both functions, Seth shares how to bridge financial planning and go-to-market execution—without getting caught between the boardroom and the field.This episode is a practical deep dive into annual planning, metrics ownership, communication cadences, and building mutual trust between RevOps and Finance.We cover:Why most planning processes break down between FP&A and GTMHow to align top-down board targets with bottom-up GTM modelingWhich metrics RevOps should own—and which belong to FinanceWhat “joint planning” really looks like in practiceHow ARR and retention metrics drive enterprise valueWhy cadence, clarity, and relationship-building are non-negotiableSeth London on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/seth-london/Pipeline Visibility Cheat Sheet: ⁠https://www.getweflow.com/content/pipeline-visibility-cheat-sheet⁠Janis on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/janiszech ⁠⁠ ⁠ Phillip on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/philippstelzer ⁠Chapters:00:00:00 Intro & Why FP&A and RevOps Often Misalign00:02:30 What Seth Learned From Working in Both Worlds00:07:00 How Meltwater Rebuilt the Planning Process00:11:45 Translating GTM Plans into Financial Models00:16:30 Weekly Cadence, Forecasting Rituals & Narrative Sync00:21:40 What Makes FP&A a Champion vs. a Blocker00:26:00 Metrics Ownership: Pipeline vs. Profitability00:31:00 The ARR Debate, Gross Retention & CFO Buy-in00:34:30 Final Thoughts & Reflections on Alignment

Janis and Philipp dive into one of the most requested topics in RevOps: pipeline visibility. What does it actually mean? Why is it so hard to get right? And what does good look like?Using the Pipeline Visibility Cheat Sheet as their guide, they break down the exact fields, signals, and metrics you need to track deal health and build trust in your forecast—without overwhelming reps or drowning in dashboard noise.We cover: • The four core layers of pipeline visibility: activity, conversation, methodology, and process • The 10 most important deal signals and how to operationalize them • How to spot bloated pipeline and early warning signs of risk • Stage conversion, sales velocity, and push count as leading indicators • How to start visibility tracking lean—and scale it over timePipeline Visibility Cheat Sheet: https://www.getweflow.com/content/pipeline-visibility-cheat-sheetJanis on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/janiszech⁠⁠   Phillip on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/philippstelzer⁠⁠  Chapters: • (00:00:00) Introduction & Why CRM Visibility Still Fails • (00:03:05) The 4 Layers of Visibility • (00:07:42) What Makes a Deal “Real”? • (00:13:20) Deal Signals: Champions, Pain, Urgency • (00:18:09) Sales Cycle, Pushes & Stage Conversion • (00:25:32) Visibility Metrics That Actually Matter • (00:31:00) How to Roll Out Pipeline Hygiene Without Overkill • (00:36:55) Final Thoughts & Cheat Sheet Recap

Janis and Philipp are back for another guest-free deep dive—this time breaking down the most downloaded cheat sheet they’ve ever released: The Strategic RevOps Cheat Sheet. In this candid Friday-afternoon recording (yes, with beer), they talk through the key pitfalls they see across hundreds of RevOps conversations and outline a practical cadence for having real strategic impact—no matter your title or team size.We cover:The most common RevOps pitfalls and how to avoid themWhy being “too reactive” kills your credibility and leverageHow to operationalize annual planning, even if you don’t own itWhat strategic cadence actually looks like (QBRs, forecast meetings, board prep)How to align planning with segmentation, territory models, and pipeline goalsThe mindset shift from tech firefighting to business partnershipTactical ways to become more strategic—even at the IC levelFree RevOps Resources:https://www.getweflow.com/revopsJanis on LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/janiszech⁠   Phillip on LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/philippstelzer⁠  Chapters:(00:00:00) Intro & Iced Tea vs. Friday Beer(00:02:30) Pitfall 1: The Slack-Ping Hell of Internal Requests(00:04:50) Pitfall 2: Go-to-Market Misalignment(00:06:50) Pitfall 3: Data Trust and Strategy Disconnect(00:09:00) The Mindset Shift: From Reactive to Proactive(00:11:30) Strategic Operating Cadence: Annual to Monthly(00:15:00) Bottom-Up GTM Planning and Headcount Models(00:20:30) Aligning FP&A, Sales, and Marketing on Metrics(00:23:45) From Planning to Execution: Staying Strategic(00:26:00) Owning the Revenue Cadence (QBRs, Board Decks, Forecast Meetings)(00:30:00) Strategic Impact via CSMs, Expansion, and Retention(00:33:00) Translating KPIs to Executive Language(00:36:00) Final Thoughts & Cheat Sheet Summary