How things have changed: The competitive marketplace has been disrupted with key trends over the last several years. The disruptions and new trends require companies to create repeatable and predictable revenue that scales:

• Digital products and services now offer unprecedented insight into buyers’ behavior.
• New sales processes and KPIs are needed with responsibilities that transcend traditional sales roles.
• Omni-channel sales and increasing role of mobile and self-service in both B2C and B2B business environments challenge the traditional sales processes.
• New models are needed to maximize revenue by making a serious commitment to engage customers and deliver a multi-touchpoint experience that is personalized and value-focused.

Who has their finger on the pulse of revenue growth (for both marketing and sales) across the entire revenue process – from prospects to leads to pipeline to revenue?

The person who can lead the way with a new kind of analysis and execution crucial to the business in today's business world is the Chief Revenue Officer, or CRO.

Chief Revenue Officers (CRO) and Chief Marketing Officers (CMO) share a common goal: to improve a company’s brand architecture and positioning, thereby driving leads, sales, and profits. For companies that already have a solid marketing platform - and even for those that do not - understanding how to provide strategic leadership to accomplish this goal can be difficult. The following considers how to leverage customer research in order to improve your position as a leader and enhance brand architecture:

Typically, a person taking on the chief revenue officer role has a minimum of at least five years of direct sales experience. This personal experience is important as it lays a foundation to lead a sales force with success. With growing revenue top of mind, the CRO considers how to tackle each one of their responsibilities. Unfortunately, there are often knowledge gaps as technology, culture and the marketplace quickly advances.

I have drilled deeper into the responsibilities of a Chief Revenue Officer to offer you resources to overcome barriers and leap forward to grow revenue:

The chief revenue officer is a pivotal role directly influencing the future of a company, and covers new business sales, installed client base sales, marketing, and partner strategy. Adding a new CRO to an organization sends the message: “our company wants a growth hacker” with a passion for growing business.

As a company evolves, it may become apparent that a chief revenue officer is needed, and that person will lead the charge as they take on the responsibility for all aspects of driving revenue to the company. As with most CXO positions, each company will require a CRO to play different roles. There is no “one-size fits all” job description.