Utilising data to drive a systematic execution of your go-to-market strategy

Data can accelerate sales growth, with robust go-to-market strategies ensuring teams are aligned and well informed. Commercial leaders across Inflexion’s portfolio recently came together to learn about this.

Top-line growth plays a pivotal role in the success of mid-market businesses, and Revenue Operations (RevOps) has enjoyed a surge in popularity as firms increasingly realise its potential to enable commercial transformation.

Specialist adviser Jon Keating explains why RevOps is a practical way to drive results: one process, one data model and one set of numbers across marketing, sales and customer success. “It can (and should) extend beyond reporting to process, data, tooling and analytics, so teams can identify where to optimise and why.”

His nearly 40 years in industry have helped him devise a practical Go-To-Market (GTM) framework – and he is adamant businesses across all sectors, geographies and sizes can benefit from adopting it as it can help identify the biggest opportunities for value creation. The diagnostic tool is as relevant for SaaS businesses as it is for traditional retailers – he’s used it in settings as varied as a specialist tyre manufacturer. His diagnostic comprises five pillars:

1.    Strategy:  Is there a clear vision, with differentiators and proposition aligned to an ideal customer profile and target segments? Has the team done the competitive analysis, geographic thinking, pricing and positioning work required to win?

2.    Demand generation: Which channels reliably create opportunities – inbound and outbound marketing, partners, or direct sales—and can they do so predictably? Jon notes most companies cannot accurately predict channel mix, investment and return, or state their cost per lead (CPL) and cost per acquisition (CPA) with confidence.

3.    Sales execution: Once a lead arrives, does the organisation move consistently from lead to opportunity to close? The model looks for win/loss analysis, funnel visibility and consistent definitions at each stage. Without consistency, forecasting becomes unreliable and the knock-on effects spread.

4.    Customer management and growth: Onboarding should lead to value realisation; that is what keeps customers and creates expansion. The questions are basic: how success is measured, and what structure ensures customers stay and buy more.

5.    Organisation (people and tools): The enablement layer – how teams are structured and which tools they use—so the model can actually run.

Sound data is required across all pillars. It is crucial to be clear where growth is coming from in terms of segments and customers in order to create a clarity on an ideal customer profile. “If you have lousy data, you can’t inspect,” Jon stresses. He suggests a channel waterfall that traces lead → opportunity → closed won/lost by channel (inbound, outbound, partners, direct), with conversion and CPL/CPA attached. In his (vast) experience, most firms would struggle to confidently say, “LinkedIn and advertising deliver our most cost-effective demand that converts to close.”

On forecasting, he advises a view that pairs total and weighted pipeline with an understanding of how much typically converts and, depending on the business, when it becomes necessary to look at underlying data. The strongest dashboards allow leaders to see where the funnel is constrained (early, mid or late) and then act on it.

Leaders need to inspect regularly to drive results. “You get the behaviour you inspect,” according to Jon, adding that this is particularly relevant to forecasting. He suggests regularly checking in, with different people reporting at different times. He cites a company that records its weekly Monday morning team call and then plays it back on the Friday team call to compare plans to achievements. This sets a loop into motion of setting expectations, reviewing progress, learning, repeating. “Leaders need to drive the behaviour proactively.”

Performance concentration is common, but can be addressed. It isn’t unusual for a small percentage of reps drive a high percentage of revenue – but the solution is not to move all attractive leads to new hires and hope for the best. “That ‘managing by spreadsheet’ usually depresses productivity,” Jon warns. Instead, he suggests leaders ensure targets reflect opportunity, not just history; distinguish hunters and farmers where there is enough scale; reassign accounts where appropriate so all receive sufficient time and investment; treat top performers fairly without allowing account monopolies; and install playbooks so the middle can improve without being left to work it out alone.

“People stay if they feel they have a fair chance, but you risk losing them if they feel their over-performance is ‘rewarded’ with target creep or even restricted opportunity,” Jon points out.

And this is another reason for having numbers to back up leadership decisions. “Data is your friend, and, used well, it keeps teams grounded.” He also advises firms to adopt RevOps sooner rather than later: “Install RevOps early – particularly when moving from founder-led sales to a professional model. Don’t wait for an arbitrary revenue threshold.”

Inflexion is helping its portfolio to boost commercial functions, with AI playing an increasing role. Ada Pham, Assistant Director in Inflexion’s value acceleration team, says, “Sales and go-to-market functions can benefit greatly from using AI. We have supported our portfolio to train LLM’s to improve bid and proposal writing, customer research, and automating admin time (e.g., populating CRM fields). The key is to have someone owning AI applications within your GTM function.” 

All Inflexion portfolio companies, regardless of size or ownership stake, have full access to our dedicated value acceleration resources covering digital enhancement (including data, AI, technology, cybersecurity and digital marketing), international expansion, M&A, sustainability, commercial strategy and talent management.