In this episode of "Beyond the Pipeline," host Vivin welcomes Tyler Pleiss, Associate Director of Growth Marketing at Mobile Ink and founder of ABM Tactics. Together, they dive into the world of signal-based selling, exploring its evolution and impact on modern marketing strategies. Tyler shares insights on leveraging data points for effective outreach and discusses the role of technology in scaling these efforts. Tune in to discover how to navigate the complexities of account-based marketing and the importance of aligning business objectives with marketing strategies. Don't miss Tyler's take on the future of SDR roles in the age of AI. #MarketingInsights #SignalBasedSelling #ABM

In this episode of Beyond the Pipeline, host Vivin speaks with Arjun Pillai, co-founder and CEO of Docket AI, about the transformative impact of AI on B2B SaaS, particularly in sales development roles. They discuss the rise of AI SDR solutions, the challenges of AI acceptance among users, and the potential for job displacement. The conversation also explores the future of AI interactions, including the concept of agent-to-agent communication, and how Docket AI is innovating sales enablement by acting as a virtual sales engineer. In this conversation, Arjun R Pillai discusses the inception of Docket, emphasizing a vertically integrated approach to problem-solving. He explores the implications of AI in hiring and workflow, the effectiveness of various go-to-market strategies, and his conviction in Docket's potential amidst the AI wave. Arjun also shares insights on productivity hacks, particularly leveraging AI tools like ChatGPT to enhance efficiency and decision-making.

Summary

In this episode of Beyond the Pipeline, host Vivin speaks with Julie Beynon, Head of Data at Census, about the evolution of account scoring and how AI has helped improve it. They explore the nuances of account scoring, the importance of feedback from sales teams, and the challenges of data quality. Julie shares her insights on building trust with sales teams and the need for collaboration across the go-to-market organisation. The conversation also delves into balancing intent and behavioral scoring to improve lead engagement and conversion rates. In this conversation, Julie Beynon discusses the intricacies of lead scoring, engagement metrics, and the use of AI in optimising sales processes. She shares insights on effectively managing lead quality, the importance of behavioral analysis, and the role of tools like Census in enhancing account scoring. Julie emphasizes the need for clear communication with sales teams and reflects on lessons learned from past mistakes in account scoring. 

Summary

In this episode of Beyond the Pipeline, Srikant Sivasubramanian shares his journey from consulting at McKinsey to leading the forecasting function at Freshworks. He discusses the evolution of the forecasting model at Freshworks, highlighting the transition from a sales-driven methodology to a more structured, cohort-based approach. Srikant emphasizes the importance of leveraging historical data and building trust within teams to improve forecasting accuracy and drive business success. In this conversation, Srikanth discusses the intricacies of sales forecasting, emphasizing the importance of pipeline management, data quality, and the implementation of machine learning models. He shares insights on how to achieve accuracy in forecasting while providing practical advice for organizations looking to build effective forecasting models. The discussion highlights the critical role of operational efficiency and the need for a strong data foundation to support forecasting efforts.

Connect with Srikanth on Linkedin. Don't forget to mention this episode while sending out a connection request. 

Summary

In this episode of Beyond the Pipeline, host Vivin and guest Kyle Crouse delve into the intricacies of data modelling in B2B SaaS, discussing the importance of understanding business needs, the common pitfalls in data management, and the balance between leveraging standard objects and creating custom fields. Kyle shares insights on governance, data quality, and the need for flexibility in data solutions, emphasizing the importance of working backwards from desired outcomes to define data requirements effectively. In this conversation, Kyle Crouse discusses the complexities of data modeling within Salesforce, emphasizing the trade-offs between custom and standard objects, the importance of documentation, and the challenges of integration. He highlights the role of duplicate data, the significance of choosing the right object for fields, and strategies for enhancing user adoption. 

In this episode of Beyond the Pipeline, host Vivin speaks with Kamil Rextin, founder of 42 Agency, about how to look at buying and using tech in pre-seed and seed-stage startups. Kamil draws from his experience on how you have to be nimble in terms of pivoting and often, you need to spend money on tech after making sure of your processes.

We also discuss how it is vital to have stakeholder alignment and be clear about your existing tech stack before buying new tech. Kamil emphasises the need to do something manually to get the process and definitions sorted - because if you don't have your process and definitions sorted - your tool discovery will most likely go wrong.  We also talk about siloed tools, where one team does not know which tools are being used by another team. Kamil also brings examples of what he has seen with the clients he worked with and where he sees gaps.

Connect with Kamil on LinkedIn

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In this episode of Beyond the Pipeline, host Vivin interviews Taft Love, founder of Iceberg RevOps, who shares his unique career journey from detective to sales leader. The conversation explores the importance of operations in early-stage startups, when to invest in operations and the challenges of maintaining sales processes. Taft emphasises the need for strategic thinking in hiring operations talent and discusses the balance between SDR and ops roles. In this conversation, Taft Love discusses the complexities of scaling operations within organisations, emphasising the importance of thoughtful decision-making and the balance between firefighting and strategic growth. He highlights the critical need for alignment between sales and operations teams, addressing common misalignments and the role of communication in fostering collaboration. Taft also shares insights on understanding leading indicators for SDR performance, advocating for a deeper analysis of sales strategies rather than just focusing on activity metrics.

You can connect with Taft on LinkedIn here.

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Summary

In this episode of Beyond the Pipeline, Vivin and Anthony Enrico discuss the intricacies of creating an operating plan and growth model for VC-funded companies. They explore the importance of setting ambitious yet achievable goals, the role of RevOps in the planning process, and the necessity of using historical data and assumptions to inform decisions. Anthony shares insights from his journey in operations and the evolution of LeanScale, emphasizing the need for ongoing adjustments to plans based on real-time data and market conditions. In this conversation, Anthony Enrico discusses the importance of understanding sales cycles, the challenges of data management in companies, and the necessity of establishing a solid data capture foundation. He emphasizes the essential data points needed for sales stages, navigates the complexities of data stacks, and shares insights on adjusting business plans and hiring strategies as companies grow.

Connect with Anthony on LinkedIn
Watch a detailed video on growth modelling here
Use this template to create your own growth model - Created by Anthony and team at LeanScale

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Summary

In this episode of the Beyond the Pipeline podcast, host Vivin engages with Jen Bergren, a documentation expert, to explore the critical role of documentation in operations and business success. They discuss the challenges organisations face in prioritizing documentation, the cultural differences between large companies and startups, and practical strategies for effective documentation practices. Jen emphasizes the importance of starting small, maintaining clarity, and ensuring accessibility in documentation. The conversation also touches on the significance of metrics to measure the impact of documentation and the tools that can facilitate the documentation process. Jen shares her insights on fostering a documentation culture within organizations and the necessity of ongoing maintenance and versioning of documents.

Takeaways

- Documentation is essential for business success and scalability.
- Many organizations struggle to prioritize documentation due to cultural norms.
- Starting documentation efforts small can lead to better adoption.
- Balancing detail and clarity is crucial in the documentation.
- Collaboration in documentation can lead to inconsistencies if not managed well.
- Versioning and maintenance of documents are vital for their relevance.
- Structuring documents for easy access enhances usability.
- Using familiar tools for documentation can improve engagement.
- Metrics are necessary to demonstrate the value of documentation efforts.
- Regular reviews of documentation help keep it up to date.

Connect with Jen Bergren

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A great post on documentation structure by Jen

This episode features Laura Adint and Sean Lane, authors of "The Revenue Operations Manual." The discussion focuses on the importance of communication in RevOps and how it can elevate ops professionals in their roles.

Key points from the episode include:

1. The importance of communication in RevOps: The guests emphasize that being good at execution and data analysis isn't enough; ops professionals need to effectively communicate the value of their work.
2. Ops professionals' unique perspective: Due to their exposure to various parts of the business, ops professionals have a unique vantage point that allows them to connect different functions and provide valuable insights.
3. The concept of "seat at the table": The guests discuss what it means to have a "seat at the table" in ops, emphasizing that it's about being a trusted partner in decision-making processes.
4. Effective listening: The importance of being a keen listener is highlighted, as it helps ops professionals understand the root causes of issues and provide better solutions.
5. Prioritization and saying "no": The episode covers strategies for prioritizing work and how to effectively say "no" to requests that don't align with key goals.
6. Building feedback loops: The guests discuss the importance of creating feedback loops to ensure that insights and recommendations are actually implemented and their impact is measured.
7. Increasing visibility: Strategies for improving the visibility of ops work within the organization are discussed, emphasizing the need to communicate in terms that stakeholders care about.
8. Long-term thinking: The importance of following up on projects months after implementation to assess their impact is highlighted as a key practice for successful ops teams.

Throughout the episode, the guests draw from their experiences and the insights gathered from other professionals while writing their book, providing practical advice for RevOps professionals looking to enhance their impact through better communication.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction and Book Launch
09:22 The Importance of Communication in Operations
14:49 Building Relationships and Listening
21:36 Learning to Say No
26:25 Earning a Seat at the Table
37:01 Increasing Visibility and Reputation
43:55 Establishing Feedback Loops
50:01 Rapid Fire Questions

Anyone interested in ordering The Revenue Operations Manual can go here and use the code REVOPS20 for 20% off (or buy from any of your preferred booksellers here)! 

Connect with Sean Lane and Laura Adint on LinkedIn. When you send connection requests, please add a note about this episode.

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