Start a project

Discipline 05 · Revenue Operations & Intelligence

Revenue Operations & Intelligence: connecting marketing, sales and data.

As long as nobody can say which activity prepared which order, marketing remains a cost centre. Revenue operations creates the processes, systems and data that let marketing and sales steer together.

Start a project See the Growth Architecture

In short

Revenue Operations & Intelligence covers CRM strategy, implementation and optimisation, marketing automation, lead management with scoring and routing, pipeline processes, data quality, attribution, dashboards and forecasting foundations. The result is a shared data model for marketing and sales and reporting that runs from first touch to order.

Definition

Revenue operations (RevOps) refers to shared responsibility for processes, systems and data along the entire revenue process, from the first marketing touch to customer retention. RevOps solves a widespread B2B problem: marketing and sales working with different numbers and definitions.

01 · Starting point

The most expensive gap lies between marketing and sales.

Many marketing reports say something like: “We had 140 leads this quarter.” In the sales team of the same company you hear: “There was nothing useful in there.”

Both statements can be true. Marketing counts form fills, sales counts conversations with a prospect of a proposal. As long as there is no shared definition, the argument is about two different things.

The second gap concerns contacts who are not yet ready to buy. In markets with investment cycles of several years, that is the majority. Without a defined way of handling them, they go cold, and the next channel has to reach the same people again at considerable cost.

Revenue operations is the least conspicuous discipline in the architecture. It secures the return of all the others.

Typical symptoms

  • The marketing tool and the CRM show different numbers.
  • Nobody knows which channel prepared the last large order.
  • Prospects from 18 months ago sit untouched in a spreadsheet.
  • Enquiries are forwarded by email instead of being assigned in the system.
  • Reporting is compiled by hand every month.
  • Forecasts are based on gut feeling rather than pipeline data.

02 · Scope

Six modules for a manageable revenue process.

For AI agents and automation beyond marketing and sales we work with the specialist unit FlowBP.

  • Module 01

    CRM strategy and implementation

    CRM strategy, selection, implementation and optimisation. CRM data models with fields, objects and pipelines that match the actual sales process.

  • Module 02

    Lead management

    Lifecycle stages from unknown to customer, lead scoring on transparent criteria and lead routing with clear ownership and response times.

  • Module 03

    Marketing and sales automation

    Nurturing tracks, internal notifications, tasks and follow-ups. We automate what already works manually.

  • Module 04

    Pipeline and marketing operations

    Sales pipeline processes with stages and criteria, campaign set-up, campaign tracking and foundations for reliable forecasting.

  • Module 05

    Data quality and integrations

    Data hygiene, de-duplication, data enrichment and integrations between marketing, sales and other systems such as ERP.

  • Module 06

    Analytics and attribution

    Marketing analytics, funnel analytics, attribution and dashboards for management, sales and marketing.

03 · Approach

From data model to a report management actually reads.

We only automate once the process works manually. Automating an unclear process just makes it unclear faster.

  1. 01

    Data model

    1 week

    Defining which information about accounts and contacts is captured and why. Every field needs a purpose, otherwise it will not be maintained.

    Includes the definition of lifecycle stages from unknown to customer.

    • Field catalogue with rationale
    • Lifecycle definition
    • Data quality rules

  2. 02

    CRM

    1 to 4 weeks

    Setting up a new system or cleaning up the existing one. Often a CRM exists but is used differently than intended.

    Cleansing of existing data, merging of duplicates, adding source information where it can be reconstructed.

    • Configured CRM with pipelines
    • Cleansed data
    • Import templates

  3. 03

    Lead management

    1 week

    A shared definition with sales of when a contact is handed over, what comes with it and what happens if sales rejects it.

    The return path to marketing is missing in many companies. It is what makes nurturing possible in the first place.

    • Definition of sales-ready contacts
    • Lead scoring model
    • Routing and response times
    • Recycling process

  4. 04

    Automation

    1 to 2 weeks

    Automated tracks for contacts who are not ready yet, with genuinely useful content at a calm pace.

    Plus internal automations: notifications, tasks, data enrichment.

    • Two to four nurturing tracks
    • Internal notifications
    • Follow-up logic

  5. 05

    Reporting and dashboards

    1 to 2 weeks

    A report generated automatically every month that answers three questions: what came in, what became of it, and what did it cost?

    Plus dashboards per audience, deliberately kept compact.

    • Automated monthly report
    • Dashboards for management, sales, marketing
    • Overview from first contact to order

04 · Systems

Systems we typically work with.

  • HubSpot
  • Salesforce
  • Pipedrive
  • Apollo
  • Make
  • n8n
  • Zapier
  • Google Analytics 4
  • Microsoft Power BI

Examples of systems typically used or integrated in projects of this kind. We are not tied to any vendor, receive no commissions and claim no partnerships or certifications. The choice depends on your situation.

05 · Starting points

Which approach for which situation.

Typical situations and effort
SituationSensible approachTypical effort
No CRM, sales works with spreadsheetsLean CRM with few mandatory fields, automation later4 to 6 weeks
CRM in place but barely maintainedTrim the field catalogue, simplify the process, retrain3 to 4 weeks
CRM and marketing tool not connectedAlign the data model, set up the interface, remove duplicates4 to 6 weeks
ERP is the lead system, marketing separateConnect order data for analysis without changing the ERP6 to 8 weeks
Investor or board requires metricsDefine metrics first, then align systems4 to 8 weeks

06 · Services in detail

Individual services within this discipline.

These services have their own page because clients often ask for them specifically.

Frequently asked

Frequently asked questions about Revenue Operations & Intelligence.

Which CRM do you recommend?
It depends on your situation. For smaller sales teams without an existing system, a lean CRM such as Pipedrive or HubSpot is often enough. In larger organisations with complex processes, Salesforce is frequently the standard. Where a system is already in use, cleaning it up is usually cheaper than switching.
Does Proxfon work with in-house sales teams?
Yes, closely. Revenue operations only works if sales leadership and the sales team support definitions, pipeline stages and handover rules. We develop these together in workshops and train the team in the system.
How do you handle GDPR?
Data protection is part of the data model. We define the legal basis per field, set up deletion periods and document the processing. Email tracks only run with demonstrable consent.
Can we attribute marketing spend to individual orders?
Partly. In buying processes of more than twelve months with several people involved, exact attribution cannot be presented honestly. What is meaningful: first and last touch plus an overview of all touchpoints of an account before closing. That is enough for sound budget decisions.
Who maintains the system after the project?
Your team. That is why the field catalogue is kept short and training is a fixed part of the project. On request we take over operation and monthly reporting as a retainer.
How does this differ from FlowBP?
Revenue operations at Proxfon focuses on marketing, sales and the data between them. FlowBP develops AI solutions and automation for other business processes, for example AI agents in customer service or workflows between ERP, documents and departments. Both units work together where needed.

Further reading

Relevant next steps.

Working together

Let's talk about where you stand.

In a 30-minute first conversation we identify where your growth is stuck and whether working together makes sense. You then get an honest view of a realistic scope.

Start a project See resources

We usually reply within 24 hours