Ryan Meeker

RevOps under the CFO? PROBLEM: RevOps should be solving for seamless alignment across Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success to optimize rev generation, drive efficiency, and deliver predictable, scalable growth. BACKGROUND: I've seen RevOps under both Sales and Marketing. Neither seemed optimal (as both have a functional bias), so at Base64 we placed RevOps under the CFO / Head of Finance. WHY THE CFO: 1) COMPANY HEALTH & ALIGNMENT: Modern AI / SaaS CFO’s have evolved from accounting leaders to strategic architects of company health. I work very closely with my CFO to optimize the entire revenue lifecycle...balancing growth with efficiency...unlike Sales, where I primarily focus on quarterly new license bookings and renewal targets, or Marketing where I primarily focus on top-of-funnel demand gen, positioning and brand equity. 2) DATA-DRIVEN OPTIMIZATION: RevOps thrives on cross-departmental data, and I work with my CFO to integrate insights to minimize inefficiencies and maximize ROI for the company and within each function. 3) LONG-TERM VALUE CREATION FOCUS: While Sales and Marketing prioritize short-term wins (absolutely critical), the CFO aligns RevOps with the company’s broader financial strategy for scalable, sustainable growth (i.e. preparing the business for funding rounds, identifying levers to hit annual growth targets). By placing RevOps under the CFO, I believe companies unlock a metrics-driven approach where every dollar fuels Profitable Efficient Growth (PEG). In AI-SaaS where commercial models are being disrupted (i.e. usage vs. consumption)...having a modern CFO that owns RevOps is proving to be a game-changer at Base64. The primary risk leaders need to look out for is 1) if you have a risk-averse or fixed mindset CFO that prioritizes expense mgmt over PEG 2) they do not value CX (1st class product experience is table-stakes, but the overall experience with your company needs to be 1st class...from buying to servicing to renewing). Thoughts? #CFO #RevOps #StrategicLeadership #RevenueOptimization #SaaSLeadership

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Tired of losing hard-earned deals? Solve for Revenue Leak. In Clari’s 2024 Revenue Leak Report, RevOps leaders said leak happens at every stage of the funnel. - Creating: Poor and slow upsell pipeline tracking - Converting: Unsure where pipeline is dropping off - Closing: Slipped deals Don’t let Revenue Leak drag down another quarter – or another year. Download the Revenue Leak Report for more: https://lnkd.in/g9gnGrdz  

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We just dropped a new episode of SaaS Expert Voices, featuring Dan Balcauski, Founder and Chief Pricing Officer at Product Tranquility and a true pricing guru. If you’re in the B2B SaaS space and looking to optimize your pricing strategy, this episode is a must-listen! Why you should tune in: 📊 𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐎𝐛𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬: We discussed the importance of aligning your pricing strategy with clear business objectives. Whether you're aiming to maximize revenue or profit, understanding the metric you're optimizing for is key. Dan shared how companies can avoid the trap of trying to do everything at once, which often leads to suboptimal outcomes. 🔍 𝐃𝐞𝐛𝐮𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝟐𝐁 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐬: Dan kicked off by busting a major myth: pricing isn’t just about the amount you charge. It's about who you charge and how you structure those charges. This mindset shift is crucial for any SaaS leader looking to optimize their revenue. 🤝 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: Afraid to discuss pricing with your customers? These pricing conversations are much like those tough talks you have with your kids about certain life topics–inevitable and crucial. Dan emphasizes the importance of discussing pricing with customers early and strategically, instead of waiting until the final stages of their decision-making process. 💡 𝐀𝐈 𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: Dan shares how companies like Intercom are revolutionizing their pricing models with AI capabilities. They differentiate between tools that enhance human performance and fully autonomous solutions, each with distinct pricing strategies. If you're looking to refine your pricing strategy and drive growth in 2024, this episode is packed with actionable insights. Share your thoughts and let’s keep the conversation going. 🎧 Listen to the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/gVw94gVB

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Is Your SaaS Business Leaving Money on the Table by Ignoring Rate Limits? When scaling your service, rate limits aren’t just an afterthought—they’re a must. Too many businesses miss this step early on, and it costs them. Why should you care? Without rate limits, you’re paying for extra calls, whether they’re to internal systems or external APIs. Each unchecked call eats into your bottom line. Plus, storing frequently fetched data in a table can cut redundant calls and save time, budget, and server load. stories of fractional CTO. #SaaS #TechStrategy #RateLimits #CostEfficiency

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👋 question for the operators out there: In your experience, at what price point does an individual license for a SaaS productivity tool no longer stay under the radar and require formal approval? In other words, at what price can it no longer just be placed on the corporate Amex or easily reimbursed?

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Our revops “team” at Chili Piper does A LOT OF automations. If you’d see our list, you’d think we have a full train of rev ops folks working here at Chili Piper (spoiler alert, we have 1 and a half). Here’s an example of an “unconventional” automation We assign churned accounts to SDRs. Yep, we automate outreach to churned accounts Here’s why and how First, let me tell you, it breaks my heart to see any customer churn. I feel like my heart is asking but always aim to learn from it and make everything better for them if they were to come back. Hence, we want to learn what made them leave, fix the problem, and win them back And the good news is that we win many of them back . Here are the nitty gritty on how we do this : We setup these rules for assigning churned accounts to our SDRs: – Account Status = updated to Churned – Transaction End Date = 91 days – Round Robin across SDRs and update SDR Owner – SLA: after 12 working hours, check if there was activity yesterday AND ROE phase ≠ unfit to work, send Slack notification – SLA: after 12 working hours, check if there was activity yesterday AND ROE phase ≠ unfit to work, reassign – Provide a Slack notification to the AM (80 days post-contract end date) – Provide a Slack notification to the SDR once the Account has been assigned (91 days post-contract end date) – Provide SDRs with information on why the account is churning in SFDC to give them the context to sell into the account effectively. If you are curious about more details on this, let me know!  

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✨ 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗕𝟮𝗕 𝗦𝗮𝗮𝗦 𝗖𝗠𝗢𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗙𝗢𝘀 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗕𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 ✨ While chatting with fractional CFO Matt Wilhelmi last week, we discussed the importance of the CFO/CMO relationship in B2B SaaS. While this relationship has the potential to be tense (think CMO: I need more budget vs. CFO: You need to make cuts), strong alliances between the two can drive unprecedented growth. Here’s why this partnership is vital: 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻: Aligning on strategy ensures marketing initiatives directly support financial goals. 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮-𝗗𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: Combining financial insights with marketing data leads to smarter, more effective campaigns. 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝗢𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Together, we can allocate budgets more efficiently, maximizing ROI and reducing waste. When CMOs and CFOs move in lockstep, companies not only see improved financial health but also enhanced brand value. Let’s bridge the gap and turn collaboration into our competitive advantage. #Leadership #CMOCFOpartnership #B2BSaaS #StrategicAlignment #Growth

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The first version of the SaaS GTM playbook was written twenty years ago. Salesforce championed it. Mark Roberge published The Sales Acceleration Formula about Hubspot’s journey. Over the next two decades, we analyzed, quantified, instrumented, & optimized many aspects of the SaaS GTM. Account executive to SDR ratios, sales cycle lengths, conversion rates, customer acquisition costs, customer lifetime values, net dollar retention. The new software GTM playbook has yet to be written. But the companies who figure it out will become the next wave of massive businesses. On Tuesday, Theory held an event with [Dave Morse] formerly at Hebbia & Scale AI, Flo Crivello from Lindy, Paul Yacoubian from Copy.AI, & Chris Changfrom Gradient to discuss how AI changes these practices. These were my take aways : - Selling AI is being discovered because the technology is new. Buyers don’t know how to use it or how to buy it. - Because the sales motions are new, we can’t apply the previous playbook to the new sales process. The CEO/founder should hire a sales leader that they fully trust who focuses on ultimate success. The sales process is a part of the product : using both the customer’s language & the ultimate use of the product through success efforts - Between PLG vs sales led, more companies were sales-led. If starting with PLG, the template sells the product. Fight the empty box problem with great concrete templates that demonstrate how to use AI. If selling top-down, most of the conversations today are at the C-suite rather than the mid-market predominantly because the buying process is new. - Figuring out how to consistently produce wow moments with non-deterministic software is essential. - The room was split on pricing model : seats, usage, or some hybrid. Ultimately, pricing captures 15-30% of the value the software/AI creates. Developing a strong case for this with buyers will be key because the ROI question from buyers is real especially as the broader software market feels pressure. - Only VCs care about the word agents / agentic : for most enterprises, agents mean a customer support agent. Many teams don’t care about the underlying technology, they seek a solution to their problem. Tomorrow, we’ll be publish the results of the 2024 GTM Survey which we’ll reveal at Saastr in which we dig into the use of AI on sales processes & the impact to efficiency. Thanks to the panelists & attendees for a great discussion.

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Did you know the differences between Bookings, Billings, and Revenue in SaaS?! I tried to break it down in this little cheat sheet:

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F*** is my favorite four-letter F-word. F*** = Free...obviously. 😏 Speaking of free, here's something I'm really excited about. Over at RevOps Co-op, we've got not one, but TWO complimentary RevOpsAF conference passes to give away courtesy of our friends at Enlyft. 🎁 Maybe you're a revenue operator in between gigs who wants to expand your network? 🤝 Or an employed RevOps pro who wants to attend #RevOpsAF 2024 in San Diego but your company isn't able to sponsor you? If this sounds like you then throw the 🙋 emoji in the comments and DM me to toss your name in the literal raffle hat. Sound like someone you know? Tag 'em on this post and have them do the same! Big shout out to Michael Schultz and Phil Gray from Enlyft for making this happen. ❤️ PS - learn more about RevOpsAF 2024 at revopsaf(dot)com #revops #revenueoperations #salesops #salesoperations #marketingops #marketingoperations #mops

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Revenue Leak is a $2 Trillion silent killer. Every year, revenue teams lose hard-earned dollars to hidden leaks. The source? - Inefficient processes - Errant forecasts - Misaligned teams To equip revenue leaders to shut down leaks, Clari launched the 2024 Revenue Leak Report. This report features input from 420 revenue professionals across IT/Technology, retail, financial services, and more. Find out: - Why 61% of companies missed their 2023 revenue target - Where revenue teams are investing their tech dollars - How 26% annual Revenue Leak impacts your bottom line - And much more Grab your copy of the Revenue Leak Report and start shutting down leaks today: https://lnkd.in/g9gnGrdz

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Have you adjusted your revenue targets? 👀 Takeaways: ➡ You should be discussing adjusting Enterprise SaaS revenue targets ➡ Salesforce (CRM) missed on revenue guidance for the first time since 2006 ➡ Customer “Budget scrutiny and longer deal cycles” are causing Salesforce to reduce the subscription revenue target ~50 bps ( ~$200M). 📖 Context: Salesforce is one of the best companies at forecasting their revenue, but they missed on their first quarter FY25 revenue target due to a 9% decrease in professional services revenue. Salesforce reduced subscription earnings guidance due to budget scrutiny and deal cycles could mean companies are: 1️⃣ Buying fewer features 2️⃣ Buying fewer seats 3️⃣ Negotiating harder 4️⃣ Delaying the deal process as they watch the macro environment 💡 Why this is important: Salesforce earnings are often seen as an enterprise software litmus test and they are acknowledging a more scrutinizing market. Most companies use Salesforce's CRM to forecast their revenue and rarely adjust their weighted pipeline forecast from Salesforce's CRM default pipeline weightings. If your department & company already use a base, best, and worst-case scenario planning approach the worst-case scenario probability is probably increasing. If your department & company does not use a base, best, and worst-case scenario planning then enterprise sales forecasts need to be reviewed for deal size, time to close, and likelihood to close. Please share thoughts and comments below. Follow me for more on #PrivateEquity #Software #Tech #SaaS #Strategy #Valuations #HealthTech #acquisitions #RevOps #GTM #RuleofX

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I just lost 8 years 🫨 NPS data for The SaaS CFO blog. Great lesson learned. The SaaS app I used for survey responses appears to have ceased operations. I have no way to log in to retrieve my data history. I have tried a lot of different ways to contact the company. Crickets. So, I'm starting from 0️⃣ again with my NPS data. And with my own SaaS app. This is actually great timing to introduce a SaaS survey app that I've been incubating for GA release. I'm a big believer in feedback. CSAT, NPS, Icons, or any other feedback method. The pic below is from Sentimetric, my new survey app. I pasted the link below to the app. It's free 💰 to use, and I'd love your feedback. I didn't plan to post this just yet, but losing the data was a big loss. I had a lot of survey feedback that created great user testimonials and social proof. Take it for a spin! And I'll definitely be creating an "export data" function in Sentimetric. #SaaS #NPS #Feedback

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How much retention would go up? If... - The Customer Success org starts with Solutions - There's a Chief Solutions Officer on the board - AEs consult with SEs on all ongoing deals - Customers talk 80% in conversations - Focus is on adoption, not renewals I'm guessing by A LOT. That's the GTM SaaS world I envision. P.S: True customer adoption nearly guarantees renewals. #presalesevolution #customersuccess #saas

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CS teams NEED to start "managing up" with execs and the board by talking about REVENUE. Yes, you can keep talking about sentiment and feelings, but start with the $. Don't lead with churn- Bottom-line-focused execs don't like that headline, so you need to tell the story better. An informal poll had CS teams owning over 50% of the revenue of many SaaS companies. Lead with this and have it be your first talking point. From there you will be able to get more things done with other departments, as your requests will be revenue-focused Need to get a Customer Success Platform as you scale? Point to revenue and the potential to lose revenue without efficiencies Need to hire more to prevent burnout? Point to Revenue potential with renewals and upsells Talk in the language your execs and board want to hear.

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Zoominfo's Earnings Bad News and Potential Room for SaaS Optimism. Zoominfo reported disappointing 2Q24 results yesterday, further hurt by a $15M revenue write-off related to a lack of collections on revenue already recognized from “risky SMBs.” The quarterly revenue of $292M was down 6% YoY versus up 3% YoY last quarter. They also lowered full-year guidance. All of this left the stock down 12% (stock is up 5% today at this time of posting). The lower guidance was due to “conservatism” and the expectation of more write-offs over the rest of the year. Because I am an unapologetic optimist looking for clues that could point to an improved “macro environment", here are some quotes I found most interesting. Regarding a question on sales cycles, Henry Schuck, CEO responds, “Sales cycles have stayed largely the same.” He then goes on to talk about operational improvements and makes a case for segmentation. “I think the thing that we've learned across the largest deal that we closed in our history and continued improvement in mid-market and enterprise is that segmenting the new business sales reps and then allocating resources to the upmarket is turning into results for us. We have the highest mid-market and enterprise new business quarter on record, and that came from an increased focus in segmentation of the sales rep base against those different segments.” Flashback to Q1 earnings calls, HubSpot, Salesforce, Gong, etc. described “headwinds” that included longer sales cycles and greater price scrutiny. I am glad to hear that sales cycles have stayed the same for Zoominfo. Henry Schuck also calls out 1) the biggest deal on record and 2) the continued improvement by focusing upmarket on Enterprise and MidMarket. The non-optimists also have something here, lower 2024 guidance due to “escalated write-off rates” over the course of the full year. The largest factor for Zoominfo’s “write-offs” is companies shutting down due to the challenging capital access environment. As Cameron Hyzer, Chief Financial Officer, shared, “We continue to see more pressure on SMBs. With respect to the write-offs, those did accelerate in June, and so the impact of those was really an end-of-quarter issue more than it was throughout the quarter.” I realize that a few hopeful points in Zoominfo’s bad news earnings call do not make a case that we are out of the woods, but let’s see what HubSpot has to say in their investor call later today. I am rooting for and will continue to point out instances of reduced headwinds and an improved (SaaS) macro environment. Thank you! From your perspective have the Q1 headwinds increased, decreased, or stayed the same? #SaaS, #GTM, #2Q24results

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Top H1 takeaway from QBR's about our Rev Org: "We're an ecosystem, not a hierarchy." (h/t Alexandra B.) We collaborate, everyone's voice matters, and we strive to put people in roles they love so they can be madly successful. Hearing this statement was validation that what we are building in the Revenue Org at LibraryPass is unique, and scalable, and contagious. And we have roles coming soon! So if you're interested in being part of an ecosystem, let's chat. Here's to an even better H2!

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In enterprise SaaS, marketing owns revenue. So does sales. And so does CS. Product does, too. How can multiple teams own one thing? That means no one really owns anything, right? Nope. The paths to revenue are a continuum. Money shows up from paying customers because of processes and programs, some of which marketing runs, some by sales, some by CS -- all underpinned by product. The unifying and organizing principle is profitable top line. If teams need to define sub-principles like MQLs, SQLs, share of wallet, etc., that's fine. Don't lose sight of the real job: revenue.

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🚀 Why You’ll Set Up Your RevOps Vertical Wrong—and Why You’ll Need to Overhaul It 🚀 As the founder of a Revenue Operations SaaS company, I've interacted with over 100+ RevOps teams, and let me tell you, there's a pattern to why so many get it wrong. Even the most well-intentioned teams fall into the same traps, and I’m here to help you avoid them. 😬 Here’s the reality: Without the right foundation, even the best tech won’t save you. That’s why understanding the 5-step RevOps model is crucial for every high-growth team: Start with Strategy: 🎯 Know your customers, define your sales methodology, and set a clear game plan. Don’t start with systems—start with the blueprint. And here’s the kicker—document it. This isn’t some ever-changing notion; it’s the bible your RevOps team will swear by. Solidify Your Process: 🛠️ Processes are the recipes for success. Without them, your team is just throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping something sticks. Create playbooks, simplify every step, and map out an ideal process. Know where to standardize and where to leave room for a little creative flair. Enablement is Key: 🔑 Train your team on the ‘how’ and the ‘why.’ Even the best systems will gather dust if your team doesn’t understand their purpose. Every validation rule, every flow, every field—make sure your AEs know how it all ties into the bigger picture. Without this, you’re stuck with either too many rules or incomplete data. Leverage Insights: 🔍 Data is just noise until you turn it into insights. Slice, dice, and make sure you’re extracting real value to adjust your strategy on the fly. And yes, this is where a tool like Clientell (shameless plug) can turn data into actionable insights in real-time, using natural language. Because even the best data is useless if you can’t get insights from it. Relentless Prioritization: 🚦 When resources are limited, you can’t do it all. Focus on what moves the needle and refine as you go. Use Jira, keep stakeholders in the loop, and make it clear what can and can’t be implemented within your timeline. This model isn’t just theory—it’s a proven roadmap to building a RevOps vertical that scales with your business. And the best part? It’s easier than you think once you know where to focus. 💡 👉 Ready to take your RevOps strategy to the next level? Let’s chat. Drop a comment or DM me—I’m always up for a conversation about driving growth! 💬 #RevOps #SaaS #RevenueOperations #GrowthHacking #Enablement #DataDriven #B2B #Strategy

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