RevOps as Your G2: Winning the Revenue War
I started on Wall Street.
Wall Street was my battleground, deal flow was what we battled for, and maximizing returns was the ultimate objective.
But after a while, I felt this pull towards something different, something more dynamic and less “middleman”.
I wanted to build something.
The tech world, with its relentless innovation and disruptive potential, was calling my name. I traded in suits for hoodies and started building and investing in companies that were reshaping the future.
One thing I quickly learned in the tech world is that while a groundbreaking product is essential, it's only half the battle. You can have the most revolutionary technology in the world, but if you can't get it into the hands of customers and keep them coming back for more, you're doomed to fail. That's where Revenue Operations comes in.
RevOps, in its essence, is about aligning all your revenue-generating functions – sales, marketing, customer success – and optimizing them to drive sustainable growth. It's about breaking down silos, streamlining processes, and leveraging data to make smarter decisions.
In many ways, it reminds me of the role of a G2 officer in the military.
Side note: Dad was a professor at the Naval War College and an officer in the United States Navy for 20-years. That’s where this background knowledge comes from.
For those unfamiliar, the G2 is the intelligence guru, the strategic mastermind behind the scenes. They gather intel, analyze the battlefield, anticipate enemy movements, and provide critical insights to the general, enabling them to make informed decisions and deploy troops effectively.
Now, I know what you're thinking: "What does military strategy have to do with selling software or cloud services?" But hear me out. Just as a skilled G2 officer can give an army a decisive advantage in war, a well-functioning RevOps function can provide a company with the insights and alignment needed to thrive in the cutthroat world of business.
Think of it this way: the marketplace is your battlefield, your customers are the territory you want to capture, and your competitors are the enemy forces vying for the same objective. In this high-stakes environment, RevOps acts as your G2, providing the intelligence, strategy, and operational efficiency you need to win the revenue war.
In this article, I'm going to break down the parallels between RevOps and a military G2, highlighting the key similarities and differences. I'll also share some real-world examples of companies that have successfully implemented RevOps and reaped the rewards. By the end, you'll have a clear understanding of why RevOps is so critical for any business that's serious about growth.
This topic may seem intense to some but the overlaps in role and responsibility (even tools) make this a very powerful area to study as an operator.
Alright, let's dive deeper into this G2 analogy. It’s going to be useful to you.
RevOps & G2: Key Similarities
Remember those war room scenes in movies, where generals pore over maps with pins and markers, plotting their next move?
Well, RevOps is kind of like that, but instead of troop movements, we're tracking customer journeys, pipeline progression, and revenue streams.
And our map? That's where the similarities to a G2 really come into play.
Intelligence Gathering & Analysis
Just like a G2 officer relies on satellite imagery, intercepted communications, and reconnaissance missions to gather intel on the enemy, RevOps relies on data to understand the battlefield of business. We're talking about customer data, market trends, competitor analysis – the whole nine yards.
Think about it: Salesforce, your CRM, is a goldmine of customer intelligence. Every interaction, every deal, every support ticket – it's all there. But it's not just about Salesforce. We're also pulling in data from marketing automation platforms, website analytics, social media, and any other relevant source we can get our hands on.
Now, here's where things get really interesting. Imagine setting up a revenue intelligence center powered by BigQuery. You can pipe all this data into BigQuery, a cloud-based data warehouse, and start crunching the numbers at scale. Want to know which marketing campaigns are driving the most qualified leads? BigQuery can tell you. Want to identify your most profitable customer segments? BigQuery can do that too. Want to track competitor pricing and product releases? You got it.
And it's not just about raw data. We're visualizing this information with dashboards and reports, creating a real-time command center for your revenue engine. Think of it as your own personal war room, where you can monitor key metrics, identify trends, and spot potential threats and opportunities as they emerge.
I enjoy building these war rooms for company executives and investors — they provide visibility into key areas of the revenue engine and the market, and allow you to them display them side-by-side with comparisons to prior values and benchmarks.