Strategic RevOps: Harnessing Data for Maximum Impact
A conversation with Kelley Jarrett, SVP, Revenue Strategy, Operations & Enablement at ThoughtSpot.





If you’ve worked in Revenue Operations over the past few years, you’ve likely felt the shift. The role that once focused on reports, dashboards, and process audits is rapidly evolving into something far more strategic. At the forefront of this evolution is Kelley Jarrett, SVP of Revenue Strategy, Operations & Enablement at ThoughtSpot—a company that lives and breathes data.
Kelley isn’t just reacting to the changes in RevOps. She’s shaping them.
In this episode of The Revenue Lounge, she offers a refreshingly practical perspective on what it means to drive revenue excellence in today’s go-to-market (GTM) world. Her story isn’t about abstract strategy or shiny dashboards—it’s about building a RevOps function that actually enables growth. One that doesn’t just collect data, but activates it.
Let’s unpack how she’s doing that, and what it means for the future of RevOps.
The Generalist’s Edge: A Career Built on Connecting the Dots
Kelley never set out to be a RevOps leader. Like many of her peers, she entered through sales. Then post-sales. Then marketing. Her journey reads like a tour of the GTM ecosystem—intentionally so.
Early on, a mentor advised her to choose between a specialist or generalist track. Kelley picked the latter. And that decision now powers the way she leads.
“It’s a no-brainer for me. I’ve always been more interested in how all the pieces fit together.”
— Kelley Jarrett, SVP of Revenue Excellence, ThoughtSpot
This generalist mindset has made her exceptionally effective in aligning teams around revenue strategy. She doesn’t just understand how sales works—she knows how sales fits into a broader system that includes marketing, customer success, finance, and product.
At ThoughtSpot, that mindset is critical. Because RevOps isn’t a back-office function anymore. It’s in the boardroom.
Strategic RevOps Isn’t a Trend. It’s the New Default
Kelley’s role today isn’t confined to building capacity models or distributing dashboards. She’s embedded in C-level conversations, helping shape the very goals that will drive boardroom outcomes.
“We’re not just translating top-line goals into quotas anymore. We’re helping shape those goals—before they’re finalized.”
— Kelley Jarrett
That evolution isn’t just happening at ThoughtSpot. It’s an industry-wide shift. Titles now include “Strategy & Revenue Operations.” The bar for RevOps leadership is higher. And the best operators are becoming co-pilots to the CRO—not just order-takers.
It’s also why Kelley believes RevOps should report into GTM, not finance. While financial alignment is crucial, having RevOps embedded in sales and marketing ensures that the function can reflect both the numbers and the nuance—the things that data alone can’t explain.
Why Dashboards Aren’t Enough Anymore
Despite the explosion of data tools in B2B, most companies still suffer from one pervasive problem: data lag.
Kelley calls it “the data backlog.” And she’s lived it. In prior roles, RevOps teams built dashboard after dashboard, only to be asked for new filters, updated logic, or “one more cut” the moment a business user opened the file.
“It slowed everyone down. RevOps became a ticketing system instead of a strategic partner.”
— Kelley Jarrett
To fix this, ThoughtSpot embraced what they’re best known for: self-serve analytics. Instead of centralizing all insights within RevOps, Kelley’s team created liveboards—interactive dashboards that empower GTM leaders to drill into pipeline, campaign performance, and conversion trends in real time.
Not only did this remove bottlenecks—it restored RevOps to its rightful place as a strategic advisor, not just a data concierge.
The Anatomy of a Strategic RevOps Function
A modern RevOps team must evolve beyond reporting. Here’s what Kelley’s team looks like at ThoughtSpot:
🔎 Data Accessibility → Self-serve liveboards instead of static dashboards
📈 GTM Partnership → Active role in shaping quota, territory, and fiscal planning
🧪 Experimentation Culture → Campaign pilots to test what actually works
🔗 Functional Alignment → Embedded in sales, marketing, SDR, and partner teams
🧼 Data Strategy Ownership → A full-time team responsible for governance and hygiene
From Static Planning to Dynamic Pipeline Execution
The best part of Kelley’s approach? It’s not theoretical. She put it into action.
When pipeline generation started to plateau across certain channels, Kelley didn’t call another meeting. She launched a cross-functional initiative called the Integrated Pipeline Plan (IPP)—a pilot designed to test whether tighter alignment between sales, marketing, SDR, and partner teams could move the needle.
The team used ThoughtSpot’s liveboards to pinpoint gaps. Then they launched the pilot using a high-visibility moment: ThoughtSpot’s inclusion in the Gartner Magic Quadrant.
The results?
“Gartner told us it was the best-performing demand campaign for the Magic Quadrant they’d seen to date.”
— Kelley Jarrett
Even more impressively, sales became the fourth-highest source of qualified leads for the campaign—a clear sign that the integrated approach worked.
Kelley’s 5-Step Integrated Pipeline Plan (IPP)
Diagnose Gaps
Use liveboards to identify weak pipeline sources.Secure Alignment
Get sales, marketing, SDR, and partner heads to agree on the problem.Assign Accountability
Appoint a cross-functional program owner (not RevOps) to run the play.Enable Execution
Arm teams with inspection reports, playbooks, and campaign materials.Measure, Learn, Scale
Compare baseline vs. campaign metrics. Repeat with pillar moments.
Clean Data ≠ Perfect Data
One of the most candid takeaways from Kelley? Every company—even data companies—struggles with data cleanliness.
But rather than chase perfection, Kelley advocates for clarity and accountability. She believes every organization should have:
A clearly documented data strategy
A team (or individual) accountable for data health
A feedback loop from real business execution back to the data team
When data issues arise—say, sending invites to the wrong city due to HQ-based geo tagging—those learnings should be captured and fixed at the system level.
“It’s not just about clean data. It’s about having a system to improve it over time.”
— Kelley Jarrett
The Buying Group Shift: Using History to Predict the Future
Kelley has been a believer in buying group strategies long before it became a Forrester-fueled buzzword. But her approach is refreshingly grounded.
She doesn’t rely solely on intent tools. Instead, her team builds buyer group models based on historical win/loss data—identifying which personas were involved in past deals, how many stakeholders showed up, and what titles or roles correlated with wins.
Only then do they layer on intent signals to refine targeting and prioritization.
“Intent tools are great, but if you don’t understand your own history, you’ll waste time chasing accounts that will never convert.”
— Kelley Jarrett
The Dual Lens of Buying Group Intelligence
Lens | Purpose | Tools Used |
---|---|---|
Historical | Analyze past deals, personas, win/loss | Salesforce, BI tools |
Predictive | Identify in-market signals | 6sense, Bombora |
Together, these two lenses allow ThoughtSpot to focus on accounts with both fit and intent—a sweet spot that drives higher conversion and stronger engagement.
Final Word: Strategic RevOps Is a Mindset Shift
Kelley’s story isn’t just about better dashboards or tighter alignment. It’s about reimagining what RevOps can be.
At ThoughtSpot, that means moving beyond the MQL, embracing buyer group thinking, empowering teams with real-time data, and enabling leaders to run their business with confidence.
And perhaps most importantly, it means understanding that RevOps isn’t the hero of the story. It’s the engine behind the scenes—quietly orchestrating everything so sales, marketing, and customer success can shine.
“We don’t run the business. But we make sure everyone else has what they need to run it effectively.”
— Kelley Jarrett
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