SaaSy Talk S01.48: The Role and Importance of the Chief Revenue Officer

About The Guest(s): Warren Zenna is a 25-year veteran of the Sales and Marketing industry and the Founder and CEO of The CRO Collective, a strategic B2B consultancy that uniquely focuses on the success of Chief Revenue Officers and the CEOs who appoint them. Warren’s vision for The CRO Collective was to create a platform and community that solves the pervasive B2B revenue misalignment by supporting the success and appointment of CROs. Prior to the existence of The CRO Collective, CROs had no dedicated resource for training, development, tools or community to support their unique and critical role in the B2B technology sector.  The CRO Collective’s mission is to finally solve the pervasive issue of revenue misalignment through the deepening of the relationship between the employer and employee. The CRO Collective’s mission is to help CROs succeed and help CEOs build CRO-Ready Organizations. An innovator with a mission, purpose and real results, Warren is a well-known public speaker and content contributor whose work has been featured in Forbes, MediaPost, Adxchanger, eMarketer and Digiday Episode Summary: In this episode, Warren discusses the role of the Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) and the importance of aligning sales, marketing, and customer success functions within a business. He shares his journey into the CRO role and how his experience shaped his approach. Warren emphasizes the need for a CRO who can strategically understand the customer journey and unify the three customer-facing functions to achieve the best customer outcomes. He also highlights the challenges of finding the right CRO and the importance of CRO readiness within a company. Key Takeaways: The CRO is the most important person in a B2B company as they are responsible for aligning sales, marketing, and customer success functions to drive revenue growth. A good CRO should have a deep understanding of the customer journey and be able to strategically unify sales, marketing, and customer success to achieve the best customer outcomes. Companies often face revenue misalignment due to the lack of a high-level perspective and integration between sales, marketing, and customer success functions. The role of the CRO is evolving, and there is a shift towards CROs with expertise in revenue operations and customer success. CRO readiness is crucial before hiring a CRO, as it involves understanding the organizational health, identifying areas for improvement, and ensuring the company is prepared for a CRO. Notable Quotes: "You need someone who can look at a business at a high level strategically and understand the moving parts and how they unify together to make the best customer outcome." - Warren "The problem is there's no one minding the store from a high-level perspective. It can't be the CEO. It should be the chief revenue officer." - Warren Chapters 00:34 Warren's Journey into the CRO Role 01:55 The Importance of Understanding the Customer 04:20 The Problem with Current Business Models 05:30 The Disconnect Between Marketing, Sales, and Customer Success 07:53 The Birth of the CRO Collective 15:43 The Relationship Between CRO and COO 27:27 The Consequences of Accepting Investment: A Shift in Company Culture 33:29 The Importance of Understanding the Organizational Health Before Hiring a CRO 37:46 The Importance of Focusing on Customer Growth 38:18 Quick Fire Round Subscribe on Spotify:  https://open.spotify.com/show/3ZVkJ12FIqD39oqgj7Kcjq  Subscribe on Apple:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/saasy-talk-unfiltered/id1709426070 Subscribe on YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@SaaSyTalkUnfiltered Subscribe on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/saasy-talk-unfiltered Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://substack.com/@saasytalkunfiltered Visit our Website:  https://saasytalkunfiltered.transistor.fm/  Follow Ricky Sevta on Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickysevta/ Follow Sean Diljore on Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/seandiljore/