This blog is a summary of Jeremey Donovan's on the Revenue Mavericks Podcast. Visit the Mavericks Podcast Homepage to see the latest episodes.

Today’s uncertain economic environment and competitive landscape make selling more challenging than ever. A survey by Salesforce.com revealed that, in 2024, only 16% of sales professionals met their quota. We connected with Jeremey Donovan, EVP of RevOps at Insight Partners, to understand how to overachieve despite challenging headwinds. Based on his tips, we’ve developed a three-part formula for building a high-performing sales team: hire smart, conscientious people, take an iterative approach to building sales playbooks, and invest in a solid tech stack. 

Hiring Smart

Overachieving in a tough economic landscape starts with hiring and developing the right people.  Research points to the fact that three of the most essential indicators for future sales performance are IQ, conscientiousness, and the skill to drive the sales process. 

  • Cognitive ability accounts for close to 25% of variance in job performance. While college degrees can act as a stand-in for estimating intellectual aptitude, formal education is not the final determinant of whether someone has the ability to succeed in a sales role. Smart salespeople ask high-quality questions, come up with out-of-the-box solutions, and synthesize ideas quickly.  Look for examples of these qualities during the interview. 
  • Never underestimate the importance of conscientiousness – being principled and diligent – as one of the most essential personality attributes to predict high performance. Conscientiousness can be difficult to gauge when you only have a short amount of time to interview a candidate. So make the most of your time together by asking for experiences that demonstrate tenacity and value-driven decision-making. Don’t be afraid to ask for experiences that predate professional work history, as diligence is an attribute that is cultivated over a lifetime.
  • Effective sellers typically possess a critical skill–driving deals forward rather than simply reacting to prospects’ requests. To determine if a candidate fits into this category, ask them to cite examples of how they navigated their last few deals. Listen for signals that indicate they were actively managing the process rather than playing the part of the passenger.

One provocative point that Donovan shared is that participation in competitive team sports doesn’t necessarily correlate with success in sales. By contrast, candidates who took part in individual sports such as gymnastics, swimming, golf, and tennis, may have a higher propensity to excel.  Perhaps that’s because individual sports register high on personal accountability.

Winning Through Iteration

While Donovan acknowledges that every company needs a structured approach to selling, he also shares some important advice. “You want to hire people who come in with a playbook written in pencil, not pen.” He highlights a great example: the best CROs come in with a unique point of view about how to win, but spend ample time studying their teams to determine which parts of the playbook need to be rewritten and which ought to be preserved. 

A good playbook is built on a solid sales methodology. Today, companies can choose from countless methodologies such MEDDIC and BANT – but which is best? “No methodology shines above the others,” says Donovan, and what matters most is applying one and taking an iterative approach to refining it. 

Measurement is also important because it allows leaders to assess the efficacy of playbooks. Ultimately, companies need to gauge sales productivity as defined by quota attainment, close rates, and sales cycle lengths. But they should also track leading indicators such as rep activity levels and pipeline quality. “You have to let the data tell what the process should be rather than dictating [the process].” 

Where the Rubber Hits the Road: Your Tech Stack

Once you’ve built a solid sales team and rolled out an effective playbook, the best way to scale an organization is to put technology in place that allows you to consistently monitor performance and results. 

Your tech stack can act as an x-ray into your sales team, giving you unique insights and amplifying your performance in the following ways: 

  • Applying sales methodologies: Playbooks only matter if your sales team adopts them. Leading sales tech embeds your sales methodology in the workflow your reps use to progress and close deals.  Additionally, the best technology takes action on behalf of reps by auto-populating sales systems, summarizing deal status, and drafting follow-up emails. 
  • Coaching: your tech stack should also give managers insight into key points that need to be addressed during coaching sessions, providing email analysis and call recordings that allow managers to zero in on where their reps need support. “I think very, very few managers actually ever listen to call recordings and provide coaching. And I think that's one of the big unfulfilled promises of conversation intelligence.” 

  • Forecasting: When the right methodologies are in place and consistently adopted, sales technologies can generate incredibly accurate forecasts. Leading companies rely on these projections to determine what’s off track early in the quarter so that there’s still time to address problems.


What's Next for RevOps

To succeed in a rapidly changing environment, start by identifying the right people. Characteristics such as intelligence and conscientiousness are essential, but you’ll need to move beyond degrees and job titles to spot them. Once your team is hired, take an iterative approach to building playbooks in order to keep your reps focused and productive. And anticipate making mistakes, says Donovan: “Humans are imperfect and do not have infinite energy and don’t always do the rational thing. But if you can stick to the operational rhythm and cadence and process [of your playbook], you’re much more likely to be successful.” Finally, a good tech stack will amplify your team’s skills and give you visibility into overall performance and underlying drivers.