Clari’s cutting-edge technology is packed with features.
- Forecasting with pinpoint precision
- Customizable dashboards to run revenue
- Generative AI to simplify everyday tasks
But, like many SaaS tools, the platform’s capabilities often outrun how even advanced teams are using it. There’s lots of room for evolution.
When I joined Clari in November, it became clear our internal teams weren’t fully utilizing Clari. And we’re not alone — when I told clients and peers that we aren’t always best-in-class Clari users, their response was reassuring. “That’s not unusual.”
So, we built a plan.
To test the full power of Clari, I partnered with our RevOps team to develop a system designed to maximize our internal capabilities. We called it “Clari Gold.”
We started by consulting with our product team. The question was simple: “How did you envision customers using the product?”
With their insights, we took the following steps.
1. Build a Solid Foundation
Our first step was establishing revenue objectives. We analyzed business gaps, areas of revenue leak, and growth opportunities. Then, we focused on building a robust revenue cadence for a consistent and predictable way to run our business.
We designed a 13-week revenue cadence with four key revenue inspection blocks rotating every month:
- Retrospective review of the previous quarter/month and an overview of the current quarter.
- Deep dive into the current quarter, including key accounts and opportunities.
- Pipeline inspection, covering the current quarter's top-of-funnel and full fiscal year review.
- Retention forecasting for the next two quarters, involving collaboration between customer success teams and sales leaders.
This model ensures operational rigor and consistency at all levels, from individual contributors to the CRO. We also utilize five specific dashboards — Rep Dash, Leader Dash, and dashboards for each month of the quarter — to drive focus during revenue calls.
2. Unlock Hidden Potential
Laying a strong foundation made an immediate impact. But we wanted to go deeper. We wanted to leverage the new generation of AI capabilities.
Internally, we created an AI council to get input from our field teams. We also started exploring advanced technology like virtual sales development engagement, telemetry data for predicting retention and expansion, and automated RFI/RFP responses.
Interestingly, while exploring this "next frontier," we realized that we hadn't fully exploited the current frontier. We built our objectives, solidified our cadences, and then started doing something no one was doing — we began recording all of our revenue cadence calls. This idea, conceived by Will Patterson who leads AI for Clari, initially aimed to train the AI engine in Clari Copilot more effectively.But it turned out to be much more impactful.
As we refined our approach for the recordings and building the messaging to the field, we aimed to tackle two key challenges: the productivity drain caused by these calls (despite their importance for leaders) and the need to instill a culture of pre-reads and preparation.
3. The Impact of Internal Conversation Intelligence
On May 1, we started recording all forecast calls, including those with our CRO. After each call, the direct manager would review the smart summary, action items, and transcript before hosting their own call. We replicated that process throughout the leadership chain.
This approach ensured that when we get on calls, we were equipped with essential information, including updates, changes, risks, and outlooks. This allowed us to focus on solutioning, building, expanding, and supporting.
The result? In many cases, call lengths have significantly decreased.Segment leader calls, for example, have been reduced from 60 minutes to 30 minutes.
Across the board, call lengths have decreased by a third. We’ve also realized improvements in action tracking and follow-through (the transcript ensures accountability), preparation, focus, and attention to detail. Additionally, we're able to provide better coaching to our leaders.
The Evolution Continues
The results have been impressive. And we’re just getting started. We’re exploring additional ways to leverage this approach for internal impact. Energized by the impact, we will continue to investigate new technologies and tools.
SaaS tools, like Clari, are packed with potential. And often, the key to making the most of the platform — and improving your revenue process — lies within what we already have. This "bright idea" was right in front of us all along.
Want to learn more about our revenue cadence or forecast recordings? Chat with my team here.