Revenue management is a notoriously challenging business, even when the market is more bullish than Spain in July. The stakes are even higher when you operate globally, juggling multiple teams across continents and time zones.
Today, international social and economic headwinds add even greater complexity, from inflation to Brexit to the war in Ukraine and beyond. But according to Kathleen Hartigan, VP of International Sales at Clari, there's no need to bury your head in the sand.
No stranger to running international teams, Hartigan is responsible for all sales and revenue outside of the United States, with the goal of supporting the sales process and deal cycles in both EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) and APAC (Asia-Pacific).
Here, Hartigan draws from personal experience to break down:
- The key challenges of managing international revenue
- Tactical tips for managing your team and sales operations Taking your first step to better governance and collaboration
The translation challenge of managing international revenue
When you venture beyond U.S.-based sales into new geographies, you have to think differently and adopt a cross-functional lens to understand the nuances between markets.
"It's a bit cheesy, but it's really about thinking global and acting local," Hartigan says. "It's important to have big global regional goals, but to understand how they need to be executed locally."
In other words, you always want the same successful outcome for every market you enter—but the way that you execute and identify paths forward in each market will be very different.
Each region uses nuanced terms and phrases to discuss how they run revenue. That's why Hartigan is now focusing on more universal messaging concepts like revenue leak, which typically resonate regardless of a company's location and size.
Tactical tips for managing your team and sales operations
Thinking differently doesn't only apply to your customer base; it's also relevant to how you run your team logistically and prepare them to succeed in the market.
When you work both internationally and remotely, communication and collaboration become more important than ever.
For example, Hartigan holds all major meetings first thing in the morning, European time, so that all employees feel they are on equal footing and have a similar path to success.
"When you compare the U.S. to international, it's just even more important to develop and invest in connective tissue. Otherwise, you are at risk of isolating different groups. A big part of my strategy is to make sure that there's that holistic, inclusive approach," Hartigan says.
Hartigan also has several tactical tips for global sales leaders who want to empower their employees to succeed in a down market, when buyers are hard to convince and deals are slow to close:
- Ensure sales reps know your product inside and out
- Encourage obsessive curiosity when it comes to a prospect's pain so you can move deals forward
- Focus on top-line customer benefits
- Position your tool as the tool of preference
"It's the sales reps that are obsessively curious about the prospect's pain who move deals forward. Reps need to spend a lot more time in the discovery process versus the pitch process to really convey how we are adding value," Hartigan says.
When you prioritize team-member success from both an administrative and business standpoint, you'll have a team who can thrive in any market conditions.
Taking your first step to better collaboration and governance
Trying to decide what first steps to take to better manage a global sales operation? Look no further. Hartigan offers four tips specifically related to improving collaboration and governance, which are key components of the Revenue Collaboration & Governance framework.
1. Optimize RevOps with account assignments
From a RevOps perspective, the biggest nuance is how you put together account assignments. Decide if you will optimize accounts by geography, vertical, or company size, then strategize how you will assign them to particular reps. Next, focus on getting accurate market data. Thanks to Clari, Hartigan's relationship with RevOps is now strategic versus tactical and day-to-day.
2. Consolidate your tech stack
Having one source of truth is critical for success when you're working across multiple geographies. Before Clari, Hartigan was spread thin across multiple tools. Now she's confident that all team members are working from the same source material and speaking the same language.
3. Leverage AI and analytics tools
Today, it's easier than ever to put analytics tools to work that help you surface risk and signaling in real time. Together, AI and analytics can view a comprehensive picture of their pipeline, understand what’s driving changes, analyze by segment, and share those insights with the field. Hartigan says that, without question, this has had the biggest impact on her team's success metrics.
4. Hold debriefs and deal reviews
Build a culture of learning and improving by conducting regular deal reviews. Discuss how you could have surfaced risk and secured approval earlier, and ensure that frontline sellers have a chance to be heard so that not all strategies come from the top down.
Remember that opportunity is everywhere
Hartigan's advice boils down to prioritizing product, people, and process in equal measure. When you take a thoughtful approach to international revenue management, you equip your team to treat any sales environment as an opportunity for optimization and learning.
As Hartigan says, "If you can come out successful now, you will absolutely nail it in a growth environment."
Clari is the leader in Revenue Collaboration & Governance (RevCG), providing the first enterprise Revenue Platform to run the most important business process: revenue. To learn more, see Clari in action today.