Revenue Operations

Revenue Operations: What It Takes

Rosalyn Santa Elena headshot

Rosalyn Santa Elena
Head of Revenue Operations

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Photograph of Rosalyn Santa Elena, Head of Revenue Operations at Clari
Photograph of Rosalyn Santa Elena, Head of Revenue Operations at Clari

I am often asked what it takes to work in revenue operations. 

Until recently, I didn’t have a concise answer, because revenue operations can be both broad and very specific at the same time. Different organizations have different needs, and therefore demand unique and specific skill sets. 

But regardless of the industry, we can all agree that Revenue Operations is characterized by aligning sales, marketing, and customer success, so the entire revenue team moves together towards their goals. And what we’ve found is,  it requires a very specific list of leadership qualities to be successful at this. 

Over two days at Clari’s 2021 Generation Revenue (GenR) virtual conference, I saw so many examples of exactly how different companies are enhancing their revenue growth and driving revenue predictability.

Here are three of my main takeaways following the event:

1.  There’s Growing Momentum for Revenue Operations

As someone who is passionate about revenue operations, it is encouraging to see how organizations and professionals have seen the importance of having a connected, aligned business process to drive operationalized revenue and strategic growth. 

Although many are still learning, there’s more general awareness and interest in how revenue operations can transform our businesses. And while I’m not surprised by this energy, it’s still so gratifying to see it continue to grow. 

The past few years, capped off by the challenges of last year, really separated world-class businesses from the rest. Even in the midst of the pandemic, companies like Unity Technologies, Sumo Logic, and BigCommerce went public. 

2. Revenue Leaders are Hungry for Thought Leadership

More than 700 people attended Generation Revenue 2021. The overall attendance and excitement at GenR prove to me what a huge appetite there is for operations best practices and thought leadership. 

We see that hunger from the front lines to the board room. It’s not every day the CEOs of household names like Zoom, Workday, and Okta take time out of their packed schedules to talk about what drives their businesses and what drives them, as leaders in the modern, connected, and virtual workspace. The fact that they did so for GenR shows how much their insights are valued. 

I heard, throughout the event and afterwards, from people who were the sole RevOps hire in their organization, and from heads of revenue operations, like myself, who are thankful they have a community to connect with. 

3. Clari Plays A Critical Role in Generation Revenue

During the conference, we heard from so many of our customers about how Clari has helped from a business growth perspective, as well as from a professional growth perspective.

I’m especially inspired by how CEOs are leveraging Clari to drive their business. For instance, the role Clari played in helping Okta nail 40% year over year growth or how our platform helped Sumo Logic prepare for IPO.

I left the event feeling more convinced than ever that Clari is playing a critical role in standardizing RevOps as a necessary component of any business’s growth plan.

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