The RevOps Review w/ Hassan Irshad

Director of Revenue Operations, FEV Tutor

Listen here: Spotify | Apple. Brought to you by Cognism.

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This week I interviewed Hassan Arshad, Director of Revenue Operations at FEV Tutor and founder of RevInfinity. Hassan shares his challenges and strategies he’s encountered while setting up and scaling a revenue operations (RevOps) department. We also dove into topics like structuring RevOps for success, prioritizing high-impact projects, driving alignment across teams, and creating scalable processes for fast-growing organizations. Give this one a listen 🙏

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Key Takeaways

1. Setting Up RevOps for Success:

   • Focus on building foundational processes, controls, and metrics to establish structure and reduce chaos.

   • RevOps serves as a "compass" to align teams with company-wide goals and priorities.

2. Prioritization is Key:

   • Not all incoming requests are equal; RevOps leaders must learn to say "no" to low-impact tasks.

   • Prioritize initiatives that align with strategic goals and deliver measurable outcomes.

3. Designing for Scale:

   • Treat processes as products: iterate and improve based on user feedback.

   • Emphasize seamless user experiences for tools like Salesforce to reduce friction for sales teams.

   • Build scalable compensation models and playbooks that drive the right behaviors and align teams.

4. Ideal Reporting Structures:

   • RevOps should report to a neutral leader (e.g., Chief Customer Officer or CFO) to avoid conflicts of interest.

   • Avoid reporting to sales to ensure alignment across marketing, sales, and customer success.

5. Compensation and Incentives:

   • RevOps is uniquely positioned to design fair and strategic compensation models that align with company goals.

   • Role design should reflect the degree of influence on revenue outcomes (e.g., SDRs vs. AEs).

   • Use compensation to drive the right behaviors while maintaining simplicity and transparency.

6. Navigating Chaos and Burnout:

   • Early-stage RevOps roles often involve managing chaos, but strategic prioritization can reduce burnout.

   • Build processes and teams with a long-term vision to transition from reactive to proactive modes of operation.

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Notable Quotes

1. “Revenue operations is about bringing structure to the chaos. It’s a compass that aligns teams with the company’s goals.” — Hassan Arshad

2. “Treat your processes like products. Gather feedback, iterate, and always aim for improvement.” — Hassan Arshad

3. “The power of ‘no’ is crucial in RevOps. Not every request needs to be acted upon if it doesn’t align with strategic goals.” — Hassan Arshad

4. “Simple, fair, and transparent compensation models drive the right behaviors and align teams toward shared goals.” — Hassan Arshad

5. “RevOps today has a seat at the table. Use this opportunity to plan strategically and execute effectively.” — Hassan Arshad

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Action Steps for RevOps Professionals

1. Establish Foundational Processes: Start with the basics—controls, metrics, and systems—to build a stable foundation for growth.

2. Prioritize Strategically: Focus on high-impact initiatives and learn to decline non-strategic requests.

3. Create Scalable Systems: Build systems and processes that can evolve as the organization grows.

4. Drive Cross-Team Alignment: Act as a bridge between marketing, sales, and customer success to ensure cohesive execution.

5. Leverage Compensation Strategically: Design incentive plans that align with company goals and encourage desired behaviors.

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For more insights or to connect with Hassan Arshad, find him on LinkedIn or engage with him in RevOps communities like RevOps Co-op and Revenue Operations Alliance.

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