The Revenue Operations Manifesto
A framework for understanding revenue as a continuous system, not a fragmented pipeline.
Core Beliefs
01Revenue has no handoffs
The traditional funnel creates artificial boundaries between marketing, sales, delivery, and success. These boundaries break context, slow momentum, and create silos. Revenue operations must treat the entire customer journey as one continuous surface where information flows freely and no moment is "handed off."
02Metrics must connect, not compete
When marketing measures MQLs, sales measures closed deals, and success measures renewals in isolation, these metrics become competing goals instead of connected outcomes. Every metric should connect to the ones before and after it, creating a chain of cause and effect across the entire revenue surface.
03Data is the connective tissue
Without clean, flowing data, your revenue operations become disconnected islands. RevOps exists to ensure data completeness, consistency, and accessibility across every arc of the Möbius. When data flows freely, teams can make decisions based on truth instead of assumptions.
04Automation enables flow
Manual processes create friction. Every time a human has to copy data, update a field, or trigger a workflow manually, the surface breaks. Automation doesn't replace people—it frees them to focus on high-value work by handling the connective tissue between arcs.
05Enablement scales excellence
Even the best systems fail if teams don't know how to use them. RevOps must invest in enablement— training, playbooks, and coaching that turn process into practice. Great enablement makes excellence repeatable instead of exceptional.
The Möbius Model
The Möbius strip is a mathematical surface with a unique property: it has only one side. If you start at any point and trace along the surface, you'll eventually return to where you started, having traveled both the "inside" and "outside" without ever crossing an edge.
This is the perfect metaphor for revenue operations. The customer-facing journey (attract, engage, deliver, retain) flows continuously on what appears to be the "outer" surface. The operational work— data management, process automation, team enablement—happens on what feels like the "inner" surface. But there's no separation. They're the same continuous surface.
The "twist" in the middle is where RevOps lives—the transformation point where operational excellence becomes customer experience and customer feedback becomes operational improvement.
The Four Arcs
Attract
Generate awareness and create demand. Every prospect enters the Möbius through campaigns, content, and conversations that create possibility.
Engage
Convert possibility into commitment. Through discovery, demonstration, and negotiation, prospects become customers and opportunities become revenue.
Deliver
Execute on promises and create value. Successful delivery turns contracts into relationships and revenue into trust.
Retain
Grow relationships and create advocates. Retention isn't the end—it's the beginning of the next cycle as satisfied customers generate new awareness.
Five Layers of Measurement
Every arc of the Möbius can be measured at five distinct levels. Together, these layers create a complete picture of how revenue flows through your organization.
1Activity Metrics
The raw volume and velocity of work. Campaigns launched, calls made, meetings held, tickets resolved. Activity metrics tell you if you're doing enough work.
2Process Metrics
The efficiency and speed of your operations. Response time, cycle length, time-to-value. Process metrics tell you if you're doing work fast enough.
3Performance Metrics
The quality and conversion of your efforts. Win rate, renewal rate, forecast accuracy. Performance metrics tell you if you're doing work well enough.
4Financial Metrics
The money and margin created by your operations. Revenue, profit, CAC, LTV, NRR. Financial metrics tell you if your work generates value.
5Executive Metrics
The strategic health and trajectory of your business. Growth rate, market share, pipeline coverage, competitive position. Executive metrics tell you if you're winning.
Business Model Variations
While the Möbius surface remains constant, the shape and emphasis of each arc varies by business model. Understanding your model's structure helps you focus RevOps investments where they matter most.
SaaS Model
Recurring revenue through subscription software. The Möbius emphasizes retention and expansion as primary growth levers. Short sales cycles but long delivery arcs focused on adoption and value realization.
Primary Arc: Retain (expansion revenue)
Critical Metrics: NRR, Churn Rate, Activation Rate, Feature Adoption
Key Handoff: Sales → Customer Success (onboarding orchestration)
Services Model
Revenue from expertise and labor. The Möbius emphasizes delivery excellence and project profitability. Longer sales cycles with detailed scoping, but retention comes from relationship strength and outcomes.
Primary Arc: Deliver (project execution)
Critical Metrics: Utilization Rate, Project Margin, Client Satisfaction, Referral Rate
Key Handoff: Sales → Delivery (scope management)
Project Model
Revenue from fixed-scope engagements. The Möbius emphasizes proposal accuracy and delivery efficiency. Each project is discrete, making attract and engage critical for pipeline velocity.
Primary Arc: Engage (proposal win rate)
Critical Metrics: Win Rate, Proposal Accuracy, Delivery on Budget, Repeat Customer Rate
Key Handoff: Sales → Project Management (expectations setting)
Field Model
Revenue from on-site delivery and territory management. The Möbius emphasizes geographic efficiency and relationship density. Retention comes from repeated service calls and geographic presence.
Primary Arc: Deliver (service efficiency)
Critical Metrics: Service Capacity, Territory Coverage, First-Time Fix Rate, Account Density
Key Handoff: Sales → Field Operations (territory assignment)
Business Function Journey Across the Möbius
Revenue operations doesn't execute the customer journey—it designs and orchestrates the business functions that do. Five platonic functions work together in a continuous loop across the Möbius surface, and RevOps ensures their seamless coordination.
Product/Service
What you build and deliver
Product Positioning
Marketing
Create awareness and demand
Marketing
Create awareness and demand
Lead Qualification
Sales
Convert prospects to customers
Sales
Convert prospects to customers
Onboarding Kickoff
Customer Success
Ensure adoption and value
Customer Success
Ensure adoption and value
Revenue Recognition
Finance
Measure, recognize, optimize
Finance
Measure, recognize, optimize
Land & Expand
Product/Service
Identify expansion opportunities
The Continuous Loop
After Finance measures results and recognizes revenue, the cycle flows back to Product/Service to identify which current customers could benefit from additional products or services. This is the "land and expand" motion—the Möbius twist that makes retention flow seamlessly back into attraction and engagement for existing accounts.
The Five Functions
Product/Service
What you build and deliver
Marketing
How you create awareness and demand
Sales
How you convert prospects into customers
Customer Success
How you ensure adoption and value
Finance
How you measure, recognize, and optimize revenue
The Handoff Journey
Product → Marketing
Arc: AttractProduct defines what exists and what value it creates. Marketing translates technical capabilities into market positioning, messaging, and campaigns. This handoff requires clear product roadmaps, feature documentation, and competitive differentiation.
What RevOps Orchestrates:
- • Product release calendars synced to marketing campaigns
- • Feature enablement materials and competitive battle cards
- • Pricing and packaging definitions for positioning
- • Product-market fit signals and ICP refinement
Common Failure Modes:
- • Marketing campaigns launch before products are ready
- • Messaging doesn't reflect actual product capabilities
- • Competitive intelligence doesn't flow back to product
- • Pricing changes surprise the marketing team
Marketing → Sales
Arc: Attract → EngageMarketing generates leads and qualifies interest. Sales converts that interest into committed customers. This is the most scrutinized handoff in revenue operations—poor lead quality or misaligned definitions create endless friction between teams.
What RevOps Orchestrates:
- • Lead scoring models and qualification criteria (MQL definition)
- • Routing rules and territory assignment logic
- • SLA enforcement (lead response time, follow-up cadence)
- • Closed-loop feedback (sales marking leads as good/bad quality)
Common Failure Modes:
- • Sales complains about lead quality; marketing blames follow-up
- • Leads sit unworked or get cherry-picked
- • No visibility into what happens after handoff
- • Misaligned definitions (MQL vs SQL vs qualified opportunity)
Sales → Customer Success
Arc: Engage → DeliverSales closes deals and sets expectations. Customer Success delivers on those promises and ensures adoption. This handoff determines whether customers become advocates or churners—context about why they bought, what they expect, and what was promised must transfer seamlessly.
What RevOps Orchestrates:
- • Deal close notifications and onboarding kickoff triggers
- • Account history and discovery notes transfer
- • Success plan templates based on segment and use case
- • Joint accountability metrics (time-to-value, adoption milestones)
Common Failure Modes:
- • Customer Success discovers overpromised features or timelines
- • Critical context from sales process gets lost
- • Onboarding delays create buyer's remorse
- • Sales disappears after close; customer feels abandoned
Customer Success → Sales (Expansion)
Arc: Retain → EngageCustomer Success identifies expansion opportunities and maintains health. Sales (or CSMs with quota) converts those opportunities into upsells, cross-sells, and renewals. This is the Möbius loop—retention flowing back into engagement for growth.
What RevOps Orchestrates:
- • Health score thresholds that trigger expansion plays
- • Usage signals and feature adoption tracking
- • Renewal forecasting and risk identification
- • Expansion playbooks (when to introduce new products)
Common Failure Modes:
- • CS identifies opportunity but sales is slow to act
- • Expansion motion conflicts with support relationship
- • Renewal risk surfaces too late to save
- • Pricing and packaging don't support expansion motion
Finance → All Functions
All ArcsFinance doesn't sit in the handoff sequence—it runs parallel to all functions, measuring results, allocating resources, and ensuring compliance. RevOps bridges finance and operations, translating activity into financial outcomes and financial constraints into operational decisions.
What RevOps Orchestrates:
- • Booking vs. revenue recognition alignment
- • Quota setting and capacity planning models
- • Budget allocation tied to pipeline and forecast
- • Compensation plan administration and payment accuracy
- • Board reporting metrics and variance explanations
Common Failure Modes:
- • Sales and finance have different revenue numbers
- • Commission disputes due to complex deal structures
- • Forecast doesn't align with financial guidance
- • Budget cuts surprise operational teams mid-quarter
RevOps as Orchestrator
Revenue operations doesn't own these functions—it designs the systems, processes, and data flows that enable them to work as one continuous surface. Every handoff requires three things:
Clear Definitions
What does "qualified" mean? When does a lead become an opportunity? What triggers onboarding? Ambiguity creates conflict.
Data Continuity
Context must flow forward. Sales needs marketing attribution. Success needs sales notes. Finance needs accurate booking data. No manual copying.
Accountability Metrics
Each handoff needs SLAs and success criteria. Response time, quality scores, completion rates— metrics that ensure both sides honor their commitments.
Three Cross-Sectional Frameworks
While the four arcs describe the customer journey and the five layers describe measurement depth, three cross-sectional frameworks define how RevOps architects the underlying infrastructure of the Möbius. These frameworks intersect every arc and layer, providing the structural foundation for operations.
The Performance Framework
The formulas and calculations that define how metrics relate to each other. This is the quantitative backbone of revenue—how conversion rates compound, how capacity constraints affect throughput, how retention math drives valuation.
Key Elements:
- • Conversion rate waterfalls across each arc
- • Capacity and velocity calculations (throughput modeling)
- • Unit economics (CAC, LTV, payback period)
- • Cohort retention curves and expansion patterns
- • Pipeline coverage and forecast probability
Example: If your engage-to-deliver conversion rate is 35% and average deal size is $50K, you need $428K in qualified pipeline to hit $150K in new bookings this quarter.
The Infrastructure Framework
The systems, objects, and relationships that structure information flow across the Möbius. This defines what data exists, where it lives, and how it connects—creating the technical backbone for operations.
Key Elements:
- • Core objects (Account, Contact, Opportunity, Contract, etc.)
- • Relationship mapping (hierarchies, influences, dependencies)
- • Custom fields and taxonomies (industries, segments, health scores)
- • Integration schemas (how external systems map to core objects)
- • Data governance rules (validation, required fields, data quality)
Example: An Account has many Contacts and Opportunities. When an Opportunity closes, it creates a Contract linked to the Account, which triggers onboarding workflows for all Contacts with decision-maker roles.
The Commercial Framework
The rules and logic that define how money flows through the business. This includes pricing structures, recognition policies, territory assignments, and compensation—all the mechanisms that turn activity into revenue.
Key Elements:
- • Pricing architecture (packaging, tiers, discounting rules)
- • Revenue recognition (booking vs. revenue, deferred revenue treatment)
- • Territory and segmentation design (account assignment logic)
- • Compensation structures (quotas, accelerators, SPIFs)
- • Renewal and expansion mechanics (triggers, pricing, timing)
Example: Annual contracts are recognized ratably over 12 months. Sales reps get 10% commission on new business paid at booking, and 5% on renewals paid quarterly. Expansion deals follow new business comp rules if ARR increases by 25% or more.
How the Frameworks Intersect
These three frameworks are inseparable. Your performance framework depends on accurate data from the infrastructure framework. Your commercial framework determines which calculations matter in the performance framework. Your infrastructure framework must capture the attributes required by both the commercial and performance frameworks. RevOps excellence requires mastery of all three dimensions simultaneously.
Framework Dimension Matrices
The RevOps Möbius framework is multi-dimensional. Every arc intersects with every layer, every business model shapes those arcs differently, and the three cross-sectional models apply to all combinations. These matrices visualize the complete framework.
Arc × Layer Matrix
This is the foundational matrix of the Möbius—16 intersection points where customer journey meets measurement depth. Each cell represents a unique view into your revenue operations.
| Layer / Arc | Attract | Engage | Deliver | Retain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Activity | Campaigns launched Leads generated Content published | Calls made Demos given Proposals sent | Projects started Tickets resolved Training sessions | QBRs held Renewals processed Expansion meetings |
| Process | Lead response time MQL qualification rate Routing speed | Sales cycle length Deal velocity Approval time | Time-to-value Implementation duration Support response time | Renewal cycle time Expansion speed Churn identification lag |
| Performance | Lead-to-MQL rate Campaign ROI Content engagement | Win rate Forecast accuracy Close rate | Activation rate Feature adoption NPS/CSAT scores | Renewal rate Logo retention Expansion rate |
| Financial | CAC Marketing spend Pipeline value | New ARR/MRR ACV Sales efficiency | Gross margin Services revenue Implementation costs | NRR Expansion ARR Churn ARR |
| Executive | Pipeline coverage Market share Brand awareness | Growth rate Capacity utilization Pipeline health | Customer LTV Payback period Unit economics | Net retention Customer lifetime Advocacy rate |
Business Model × Arc Emphasis
Different business models weight the four arcs differently. This matrix shows where each model concentrates its RevOps investment for maximum impact.
| Model / Arc | Attract | Engage | Deliver | Retain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SaaS | ● | ●● | ●●● | ●●●● |
| Services | ●● | ●●● | ●●●● | ●●● |
| Project | ●●● | ●●●● | ●●● | ● |
| Field | ● | ●● | ●●●● | ●●● |
● = Low emphasis | ●●●● = Primary focus for RevOps investment
Cross-Sectional Frameworks × Arc Application
The Performance, Infrastructure, and Commercial frameworks apply across all arcs but manifest differently in each. This matrix shows the key questions each framework answers at each arc.
Performance Framework
Attract
What conversion rate from lead to MQL do we need to hit pipeline targets?
Engage
How many deals must we close at what ASP to hit revenue goals?
Deliver
What capacity and utilization rates support our delivery commitments?
Retain
What retention and expansion rates drive our growth model?
Infrastructure Framework
Attract
What fields capture lead source, score, and qualification status?
Engage
How do opportunities relate to contacts, accounts, and products?
Deliver
What objects track project milestones, usage, and health scores?
Retain
How do we structure renewal and expansion opportunity tracking?
Commercial Framework
Attract
How do we allocate marketing budget across channels and campaigns?
Engage
What pricing, discounting, and commission rules drive deal closure?
Deliver
How do we recognize revenue and allocate delivery costs?
Retain
What renewal pricing and expansion incentives maximize lifetime value?
The Complete Framework
The RevOps Möbius framework is intentionally multi-dimensional because revenue operations is inherently complex. You can't optimize one arc without understanding its layers. You can't implement the infrastructure framework without knowing the performance relationships. You can't design handoffs without considering business functions.
These matrices are not academic—they're the literal structure of RevOps work. When you're building a new process or diagnosing a revenue leak, you're navigating these dimensions simultaneously. The assessment tool uses these matrices to map your current state and identify gaps.
Mastery comes from understanding how all dimensions intersect, not from perfecting any single one.
RevOps Maturity Model
Most organizations evolve through predictable stages of RevOps maturity. Understanding where you are helps you see where to invest next.
Stage 1: Nascent
0-25%Data scattered across systems. Manual handoffs everywhere. No unified reporting. Each team operates independently.
Stage 2: Developing
25-50%Basic CRM hygiene in place. Some automation exists. Teams recognize need for alignment but haven't achieved it.
Stage 3: Defined
50-75%Single source of truth established. Consistent processes documented. Core metrics tracked across teams.
Stage 4: Optimized
75-90%Comprehensive automation in place. Real-time visibility across the revenue surface. Teams operate as one system.
Stage 5: Predictive
90-100%AI-driven insights and forecasting. Proactive optimization. Continuous improvement loops embedded in operations.
Practical Implementation Guide
Understanding the framework is one thing—implementing it is another. This guide provides concrete starting points for organizations at different maturity stages.
If You're Just Starting (Nascent → Developing)
1. Establish Your Data Foundation
Before anything else, get your data model right. You can't measure what you can't track.
Immediate Actions:
- • Audit your current CRM: What objects exist? What fields are actually used?
- • Define your core objects: Account, Contact, Lead, Opportunity, Contract minimum
- • Establish required field standards and validation rules
- • Document your data governance policy (who can edit what, when)
Success Metric:
95%+ of records have complete required fields within 30 days
2. Define One Critical Handoff
Don't try to fix all handoffs at once. Pick the one causing the most pain and nail it.
Recommended: Marketing → Sales Handoff
- • Define what "Marketing Qualified Lead" actually means (scoring criteria)
- • Create routing rules based on geography, segment, or product interest
- • Set SLA: Sales must touch lead within 24 hours of MQL status
- • Build closed-loop feedback: Sales marks lead quality in CRM
Success Metric:
Lead response time under 24 hours for 90%+ of MQLs
3. Build Your First Dashboard
Create visibility into one complete arc of the Möbius—end to end metrics in one view.
Recommended: Engage Arc Dashboard
- • Activity: Calls made, demos delivered, proposals sent
- • Process: Average sales cycle length, time in each stage
- • Performance: Win rate, close rate, forecast accuracy
- • Financial: Pipeline value, closed revenue, average deal size
Success Metric:
Weekly leadership review uses this dashboard exclusively
If You're Growing (Developing → Defined)
1. Connect Your Three Models
Map how your mathematical, data, and revenue models intersect across one arc.
Example: Engage Arc Integration
- • Mathematical: Document conversion rates between each opp stage
- • Data: Ensure stage progression timestamps are captured accurately
- • Revenue: Link close probability to stage and to forecast categories
- • Outcome: Sales capacity model that predicts bookings based on pipeline
Success Metric:
Forecast accuracy within ±10% for 3 consecutive quarters
2. Automate One Complete Workflow
Pick a high-volume, low-complexity process and remove humans from the loop entirely.
Recommended: Deal Close → Onboarding Kickoff
- • When opportunity closes won: create onboarding project automatically
- • Trigger introduction email from AE to CS owner with deal context
- • Create tasks for CS: schedule kickoff, provision accounts, send welcome
- • Update forecast to recognize revenue per billing schedule
Success Metric:
Zero manual handoff steps; onboarding starts within 24 hours of close
3. Implement Cross-Functional Metrics
Create metrics that span multiple arcs, forcing teams to collaborate instead of optimize in silos.
Example: Lead-to-Cash Velocity
- • Measure: Days from first marketing touch to cash collected
- • Spans: Attract (lead gen) → Engage (sales) → Deliver (onboard) → Finance (collect)
- • Forces: Marketing to generate higher-quality leads that close faster
- • Forces: Sales to qualify better and set realistic delivery expectations
- • Forces: CS to accelerate onboarding and Finance to improve collections
Success Metric:
Lead-to-cash velocity decreases by 20% quarter-over-quarter
If You're Scaling (Defined → Optimized)
1. Build Predictive Models
Move from measuring what happened to predicting what will happen, then testing interventions.
Example: Churn Risk Scoring
- • Inputs: Product usage, support ticket volume, NPS, contract value, stakeholder changes
- • Output: Churn risk score (0-100) updated weekly per account
- • Action: Automate outreach when score crosses thresholds (high-touch at 70+)
- • Learn: Track which interventions reduce churn risk most effectively
Success Metric:
Model predicts 80%+ of churns 60+ days before renewal
2. Operationalize Your Business Model
Adapt your RevOps systems to support multiple go-to-market motions simultaneously.
Example: Segment-Based Routing & Comp
- • SMB: Product-led growth with sales assist; short cycle, low touch
- • Mid-Market: Traditional sales; standard demo/POC/close process
- • Enterprise: Strategic sales with services attach; long cycles, high touch
- • Different routing, different comp plans, different success metrics per segment
Success Metric:
Each segment hits target unit economics independently
3. Create Continuous Improvement Loops
Build systems that automatically identify and test improvements across the Möbius.
Example: A/B Test Framework
- • Attract: Test email subject lines, ad copy, landing page variants
- • Engage: Test demo formats, proposal templates, pricing presentation
- • Deliver: Test onboarding sequences, training formats, support channels
- • Retain: Test renewal outreach timing, expansion offer formats, QBR structures
- • Track winners, institutionalize them, move to next test
Success Metric:
Run 10+ tests per quarter with statistically significant results
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Trying to Measure Everything
Start with one arc and five metrics (one per layer). Perfect that before expanding. Too many metrics means no metrics.
Automating Broken Processes
Automation makes bad processes fail faster. Document the ideal process first, then automate it. Never automate to "save time" without fixing what's broken.
Building RevOps in a Silo
RevOps orchestrates, it doesn't own. Every change requires buy-in from the teams affected. Build cross-functional alignment first, systems second.
Ignoring Change Management
The best system fails if people don't use it. Invest as much in training, communication, and reinforcement as you do in building the systems.
Perfecting One Arc While Ignoring Others
The Möbius is continuous. Optimizing engage while attract is broken means you run out of pipeline. Balance matters more than perfection.
Getting Started Today
Don't wait for perfect conditions. Pick one action from the guide above that matches your maturity stage and start this week. RevOps is built incrementally, not in one grand transformation.
The assessment tool will map your current state across all dimensions and recommend specific next steps based on your gaps. Start there if you're unsure where to begin.