RevOps Live! | Leveraging LinkedIn for RevOps success with Alex Boyd

In this episode of RevOps Live!, I sat down with Alex Boyd, cofounder of Aware and LinkedIn marketing guru, to discuss all things data transparency, LinkedIn for ABM, and tips on how RevOps professionals can evolve into a strategic leadership role.

You’ll learn:

• How to assess the ROI of data transparency projects
• Best practices for LinkedIn ABM outreach
• Strategies to transition RevOps into a strategic role

The data paradox: perfection doesn’t exist

In the world of RevOps, data transparency is often treated like some mythical holy grail. If we could achieve this elusive goal, then everyone’s problems would magically be solved.

The idea of a single source of truth, where every interaction and data point is meticulously tracked and analyzed, is like a siren call to GTM teams. It lures unsuspecting RevOps teams on a wild goose chase pursuing an attractive — but unattainable — goal.

This relentless pursuit of “perfect” data can be a costly and ultimately fruitless endeavor.

The question then becomes: how much transparency should you actually pursue?

This is ultimately a management challenge, and one way to navigate it is by focusing on the time and effort required to achieve that transparency. When the time and resources poured into data capture start to feel “ludicrous” as Alex eloquently puts it, it’s a sign that the diminishing returns cycle has kicked in.

Think of it this way: achieving 80% data accuracy might require a reasonable investment of time and resources. But to reach 90% accuracy, you might have to double that investment. And to get to 99%, you might have to double it again.

At some point, the cost of each additional percentage point of accuracy far outweighs the value it provides.

This doesn’t mean we should abandon the pursuit of transparency altogether.

Directional accuracy is still crucial. We need to be directionally right and do our best with the rest. But it’s essential to recognize when we’ve reached a point of good enough.

“How do you know when you’ve gotten enough transparency? It’s when the diminishing return cycle starts to kick in. So that’s how I look at it. But every org is different. Every motion is different. These are just some general principles I look for.”

– Alex Boyd, co-founder of Aware

The CRM debate: What really needs to be in there?

Alex also shared his philosophy around tools, data management, and what the heck should live in HubSpot vs. Salesforce.

A common CRM scenario for startups is to use Salesforce as the primary CRM for sales and HubSpot for marketing automation. This often creates a dual source of truth scenario. While some might view this as a problem, it can work as long as everyone understands the system.

The key is recognizing that not everything needs to live in the CRM immediately. Some data, especially early-stage engagement data, can reside in a data lake like HubSpot until it becomes relevant for sales activities.

Alex shared LinkedIn integrations as an example.

These tools can generate a massive amount of engagement data – likes, comments, shares, etc. – often hundreds or thousands of interactions per day. Pumping all of this data directly into Salesforce can create a mess and make it impossible for anyone to find valuable insights.

A more effective approach might be to store this initial engagement data in HubSpot. Then, when a new lead comes in, a workflow can check HubSpot for matching data and pull relevant information into Salesforce at that time.

Psst. Has your CRM become a data dump? Check out our tips on how to clean it up here.

“Whenever someone asks you to create a new field, ask them ‘What are you going to do with that?’ and wait for a good explanation before you do it.”

– Alex Boyd, founder of Aware

LinkedIn for ABM: how to not be creepy in your outreach

Not all personalization is meaningful. The line between effective personalization and creepy overreach is thinner than you might think.

Training sales and SDR teams on how to use LinkedIn for outreach is a crucial part of any ABM playbook. But doing it well is easier said than done.

We’ve all seen and heard horror stories about personalization gone wrong. Who hasn’t opened a DM on LinkedIn that said, “Hey I saw you liked this meme. Would you be interested in a demo…..” Kinda weird tbh.

It’s cringe. It’s odd. But it’s also wildly ineffective.

So, what constitutes meaningful personalization? It’s about finding relevant connections that demonstrate you’ve done your homework and understand the prospect’s needs and context. It’s not about digging up irrelevant personal details, but connecting with people on a professional level.

We’re constantly bombarded with attempts at personalization, and frankly, a lot of it falls flat. Much of the intent data available is either irrelevant or inaccurate. Seeing that someone liked a post about cats doesn’t tell you anything about their need for enterprise resource planning software.

LinkedIn, however, offers a gold mine of meaningful intent data. It’s not about tracking meme likes; it’s about observing how prospects interact with relevant content.

For example, if a prospect’s head of marketing comments on your CEO’s post about a specific industry challenge, that’s a strong indicator that the prospect’s organization is thinking about that topic. This provides a valuable opening for a personalized conversation.

By tracking these interactions, you can then create new lead scoring models based on a prospect’s engagement with your content. For example, if multiple individuals from the same company engage with several of your posts on a specific topic, that can trigger a sales outreach. This outreach can then be personalized based on the specific content they interacted with, creating a highly relevant and targeted message.

This approach transforms content from a purely brand awareness exercise into a powerful lead generation and engagement tool. It also provides Ops with concrete data points to track and analyze, making content marketing efforts more data-driven.

Here are a few examples of how to bring content interactions into your go-to-market motion:

• Bring interactions with content into CRM: Track which prospects are engaging with your content and log this information in your CRM.
• Log DMs with prospects in CRM: Capture direct messages exchanged with prospects on LinkedIn and store them in your CRM.
• Automate adding leads/contacts to ad campaigns: Automatically add leads or contacts who have interacted with your content to relevant ad campaigns.

“Meaningful personalization starts with identifying relevant signals and acting on them intelligently.”

From order taker to strategic leader: elevating the role of RevOps

A crucial question every Ops professional should ask is, “Am I a leader?”

Leadership isn’t a title or a designation; it’s a way of being. In the context of RevOps, it’s about leading cross-functional teams, often without direct authority. These teams are fluid, forming for specific purposes and then disbanding as needed. This requires the ability to influence and guide individuals who don’t report to you – a core skill of effective leadership.

How to win over your C-suite

Navigating dynamics with different leadership personalities is a huge part of career growth— regardless of where you sit in the organization.

Spoiler alert: soft skills are your new best friend. Here’s our best advice on how to talk to your executive team.

CEOs are often focused on the big picture, and they may dismiss your questions with a simple, “I’m too busy; do it your way” (sound familiar?). This ultimately gives you more autonomy.

CROs, on the other hand, may be more protective of their kingdom and require more careful handling.

The most effective approach when dealing with a kingdom protector is to avoid framing suggestions around your own personal preferences. Instead, focus on what yields the best long-term value for the organization (LTV).

Ground your recommendations in data and demonstrate how they align with overall business objectives. For example, when evaluating tools, don’t say “I like this tool” or “you like that tool.”

Instead, present data showing how one tool better captures key moments in the customer journey and contributes to higher LTV. This removes the personal element and focuses the conversation around objective criteria.

Alex’s leadership recommendations for RevOps:

• Set expectations from day one. During the interview process, convey your desire to be a strategist and leader, not just a service desk.
• Don’t hide when faced with challenging questions or disagreements.
• Shift from a mindset of “I gotta protect my paycheck” to “Let’s find what’s best for the org.” This broader perspective is what differentiates those who stagnate in their roles from those who rise to leadership positions.

Move like a Tai Chi master, not a boxer

RevOps, at its core, is “80% Tai Chi and 20% boxing.” It’s about using organizational momentum (from the CEO, CFO, etc.) to your advantage rather than constantly pushing your own agenda. If the CEO has identified a key metric for the quarter, present data that shows how different initiatives contribute to that metric and let others draw their own conclusions.

The goal is to minimize friction, create a smooth and positive experience for sales, marketing, and customer success, and ultimately, drive organizational joy. By focusing on relationships and influence management rather than just tooling, you can dramatically increase your impact and move from being a help desk to a true strategic partner.

Your strength as a RevOps leader lies in your ability to bring metrics and insights into shared processes. It’s about focusing on data, process, systems, and then people. By focusing on these elements, you can elevate your influence and drive meaningful change within your organization.

Take the next step in mastering RevOp success: Watch the full episode or download our ebook, How to cleanse, build, and refine your marketing and sales databases.

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