Here at Sweep, we're excited to be launching a new interview series highlighting people who said "hell no" to the status quo and established themselves as innovators in the Revenue Operations space. Some of these folks started in RevOps before it was a 'thing.' Others built teams with people from entirely different backgrounds or got creative with limited resources or adopted technology before it became popular. And some simply forged their own path forward.
In this post, we’re excited to feature Gabe Naviasky, co-founder of Leadbeam, who reflects on how RevOps hold the key to business alignment and why creative campaigns should always be considered.
Sweep: What initially brought you to the world of Revenue Operations?
Gabe Naviasky: I was a Sales Rep at a company called Vettery. This was the first time I heard of Sales Ops/RevOps. In 2018/2019, I thought everyone in RevOps came from banking or consulting or that I needed an MBA to break into it. I was wrong. At that time, I wanted a larger impact and a more analytical role than being an AE. I was considering either becoming an SDR manager or moving into SalesOps.
Since I wasn’t sure of my direction, I decided to move to a different company for more opportunities. I focused on learning reporting, Salesforce, and sales tech. I eventually landed a RevOps role and quickly became Salesforce Admin certified to build credibility.
Sweep: What is one "out of the box" idea you had while working in RevOps? Was it successful?
Gabe: We all know the power of direct mail, but it’s important that your customer resonates with what you’re sending them. I sent thousands of massage guns from Amazon to prospects and then our sales followed up to schedule a demo (we tested automated marketing outreach before and after sending the guns and it was unsuccessful).
Why was this out of the box? Because of the perceived value of the item. These guns looked like Theraguns, which cost $200+, but in reality, they were only $10-$25. Plus, by using Amazon Prime, I avoided shipping fees and got next-day delivery.
We 4x’d our pipeline generated from this campaign, making it well worth the effort.
Sweep: How would you describe your Revenue Operations philosophy?
Gabe: Your main job is to make the CRO or CEO (whoever you report to) as successful as possible. When you do that, everything else falls into place.
This success comes from the right mix of people, processes, and technology. However, finding that mix often requires rapid testing.
The key to rapid testing is to always say yes (contrary to much advice on social media). I firmly believe that the more you say yes in RevOps, the more you do. The more you do, the more you fail. The more you fail, the faster you learn. The faster you learn, the better you and the company become.
Sweep: What was one tool or piece of technology you introduced to your team? How did you get buy-in? And what were the results?
Gabe: At FitGrid, one tool I introduced to the team was Lavender. Our leadership team was incredibly lean, and we needed help monitoring the quality of emails that were sent.
This was a huge help up-leveling our cadences, sales team and saving the managers time inspecting the data. Over time though, the reps knew what good liked like, so the tool offered less value.
Sweep: What do you think will be the next BIG thing in RevOps?
Gabe: The next big thing in RevOps will be the continued trend of RevOps leaders moving into CRO roles and becoming VPs of Sales, Success, Marketing, or Revenue.
In RevOps, we know that one of the biggest threats to a company is the misalignment between Sales, Success, and Marketing (and even Support). RevOps leaders will transition into leaders of these positions to get closer to the customer and to revenue.
RevOps leaders understand the business deeply and know how each lever affects other parts of the organization, making them incredibly valuable in leading any function
Sweep: Where do you think RevOps will be in 5 years? And where do you think you’ll be in 5 years?
Gabe: RevOps teams will look different in 5 years. I believe they will be leaner because technology will continue to become easier to use. Data analysis will be simpler, with the ability to run reports and SQL queries using natural language. This will free up more time for strategic work, allowing teams to focus on optimizing how the company operates instead of just putting out fires. However, it will require fewer people to do the work.
I will be leading a $100 million+ ARR field sales productivity platform, helping hundreds of thousands of field sales teams close more business.
Follow us on LinkedIn to see more stories from members of our RevOps community.
Learn more
