For my first eighteen months at the company, the Revenue Operations team treated product marketing like we didn't exist.
I'd email the RevOps lead asking for pipeline data. No response.
I'd request access to Salesforce reports. Weeks of silence, then a rejection: "That data is sensitive."
I'd suggest adding a field to opportunity records to track competitive intel. Ignored.
Meanwhile, RevOps had weekly syncs with demand gen, monthly business reviews with sales leadership, and quarterly planning sessions with the exec team. PMM wasn't invited to any of it.
I knew we should be working together. PMM insights could inform their forecasting. Their pipeline data could validate our positioning. Our launch performance could feed their revenue models.
But RevOps had decided we weren't relevant to their work.
Then something shifted. One conversation changed everything. Within six months, I had standing time in every RevOps planning meeting, access to any data I needed, and a partnership that made both teams more effective.
Here's how I turned RevOps from gatekeepers who ignored me into collaborators who considered PMM essential.
Why RevOps Didn't Care About PMM
I spent months frustrated that RevOps wouldn't engage with product marketing. Then I finally asked the RevOps lead directly: "Why don't you work with PMM?"
His answer was blunt: "Because you've never given me anything I can use."
I was offended. "We create competitive battle cards, launch materials, positioning—"
"Yeah, and none of that helps me forecast revenue or optimize pipeline conversion. You make marketing content. That's not RevOps."
He wasn't wrong.
RevOps cares about:
- Revenue predictability (can we accurately forecast what will close?)
- Pipeline efficiency (are we converting opportunities at healthy rates?)
- Sales productivity (are reps hitting quota?)
- Deal velocity (are deals moving through stages as expected?)
- Win rate optimization (are we winning the deals we should win?)
I'd been approaching them with PMM outputs—battle cards, messaging frameworks, launch plans—not the outcomes RevOps measured their performance on.
They didn't care how many battle cards I created. They cared whether win rates improved.
They didn't care about my positioning strategy. They cared whether it shortened sales cycles.
They didn't care about launch plans. They cared whether launches generated predictable pipeline.
I'd been speaking a language RevOps didn't care about. No wonder they ignored me.
The Conversation That Changed Everything
The breakthrough happened in a quarterly business review. The CRO was concerned that our win rate against Competitor A had dropped from 42% to 31% over six months.
RevOps presented the data. Sales blamed the product. Product blamed pricing. Marketing blamed lead quality. Everyone had theories, but no one had answers.
I'd been sitting quietly in the back of the room—PMM wasn't usually in these meetings, but I'd asked to observe. I raised my hand.
"I think I know why the win rate dropped."
The room went quiet. The CRO said, "Go ahead."
"I interviewed fifteen customers who chose Competitor A over us in the past quarter. The pattern is clear: they're positioning themselves as the enterprise-ready solution and positioning us as best for startups. Sales is trying to counter by saying we can handle enterprise scale, but prospects don't believe it because we don't have the proof points they need—enterprise customer logos, compliance certifications, SLAs they're asking for."
The CRO leaned forward. "You have data on this?"
"I have transcripts from fifteen competitive loss interviews. The objections cluster into three categories: perceived lack of enterprise customers, questions about security/compliance, and concerns about support SLAs. Competitor A is explicitly positioning on all three."
"Why didn't we know this before?"
"I've been running win/loss interviews for six months, but the insights lived in PMM documents. I didn't realize RevOps needed this data for forecasting competitive win rates."
The RevOps lead turned around in his chair. "You have six months of competitive loss data?"
"Yeah."
"Can I see it?"
I shared the summary doc. He studied it for three minutes while the room waited.
Then he said, "This is exactly what we need to forecast competitive deals. We've been guessing at competitive win rates. If you can tell us what objections prospects raise and what messaging works, we can build that into our pipeline models."
The CRO said, "Why haven't you two been working together?"
I looked at the RevOps lead. He looked at me.
Neither of us had a good answer.
The CRO said, "Figure it out. I want RevOps and PMM syncing weekly."
Building the Partnership: What Actually Worked
After that QBR, the RevOps lead and I grabbed coffee. The conversation was awkward at first—we'd been ignoring each other for eighteen months.
But we found common ground fast once we focused on outcomes instead of activities.
Shared Metric #1: Competitive Win Rate by Competitor
RevOps needed to forecast revenue from competitive deals. PMM had insights into why we won or lost against specific competitors.
We built a shared dashboard:
- RevOps provided: pipeline by competitor, historical win rates, deal stage conversion
- PMM provided: competitive intelligence, battle card usage rates, top objections by competitor
The result: RevOps could forecast competitive deals more accurately, and PMM could see which competitors were actually threatening revenue (not just mentioned in sales calls).
What changed: When I created a new battle card for Competitor B, I could immediately see in the dashboard whether it improved win rates. RevOps could see whether that win rate improvement made their forecast more or less risky.
We were using the same data to make different decisions, but both decisions got better.
Shared Metric #2: Launch-Generated Pipeline vs. Forecast
RevOps needed to forecast how much pipeline product launches would generate. PMM was responsible for launch performance.
We started collaborating on launch forecasting:
- PMM provided: launch positioning, campaign plan, historical launch performance
- RevOps provided: pipeline coverage requirements, segment capacity, territory allocation
Before launch, we'd agree on the pipeline target. After launch, we'd jointly track performance against forecast.
What changed: Launches stopped being "PMM's thing." They became revenue events that both teams owned.
When a launch underperformed, RevOps didn't just adjust their forecast—they helped diagnose why pipeline was lower than expected. Were the wrong segments being targeted? Were certain territories underperforming? Was sales capacity the bottleneck?
When a launch overperformed, we jointly analyzed what worked so we could replicate it.
Shared Metric #3: Sales Ramp Time and Productivity
RevOps measured sales productivity by how quickly new reps ramped to quota. PMM owned sales enablement.
We built a shared framework:
- RevOps tracked: time to first deal, time to quota attainment, ramp curve by cohort
- PMM provided: enablement materials, training certification, ongoing enablement updates
Then we jointly analyzed: Which enablement tactics actually shortened ramp time?
What changed: We discovered that live training didn't significantly shorten ramp time, but on-demand battle cards and recorded customer demos did. Reps who got certified on battle cards ramped 23% faster.
That insight changed how PMM allocated time. We stopped spending weeks preparing for live training sessions that didn't move the needle and invested in self-serve enablement assets that did.
RevOps got faster ramp times. PMM got clearer ROI on enablement work.
The Weekly Ritual That Made It Stick
The CRO had mandated we sync weekly. We built a 30-minute standing meeting every Monday at 9am.
Here's the agenda that made it valuable:
First 10 minutes: Pipeline health review
RevOps walked through pipeline coverage by segment, stage conversion anomalies, and forecast risk.
PMM listened for patterns: Were certain competitors showing up more? Were specific verticals stalling at particular stages? Were deal sizes shrinking in any segment?
Often I'd hear something like, "Enterprise pipeline is converting slower than usual," and I could offer context: "That makes sense—Competitor A launched an enterprise feature two weeks ago and we're seeing it in competitive calls. Want me to fast-track an updated battle card?"
Next 10 minutes: Competitive intelligence update
PMM shared insights from recent win/loss interviews, competitive movement, and sales feedback.
RevOps listened for forecast implications: Should we adjust competitive win rate assumptions? Did a competitor's pricing change affect deal sizes? Was a new competitor creating risk?
Often RevOps would say, "If that competitor pattern holds, we need to de-risk $4M in Q4 forecast," and adjust pipeline coverage targets.
Last 10 minutes: Upcoming launches and initiatives
PMM previewed upcoming launches, messaging changes, or enablement rollouts.
RevOps flagged capacity constraints, territory readiness, or timing conflicts with other revenue priorities.
Often this prevented disaster. I'd mention planning a launch for mid-quarter, and RevOps would say, "That's right when we're doing territory realignment—sales will be distracted. Can you shift two weeks earlier or later?"
This 30-minute meeting prevented problems before they happened and aligned our work to the same revenue goals.
The Data Access That Changed PMM's Work
Once RevOps trusted that I understood their metrics and wouldn't misuse data, they gave me access to Salesforce reports I'd been requesting for two years.
Suddenly I could see:
- Win rates by competitor, segment, deal size, and sales rep
- Pipeline conversion rates at every stage
- Average sales cycle by vertical and product
- Deal expansion patterns by customer segment
- Discount frequency and impact on close rates
This data transformed how PMM operated.
Example 1: Repositioning based on win rate data
I discovered our win rate in mid-market was 54%, but in enterprise it was only 28%. I assumed we just needed better enterprise messaging.
But when I segmented further, I found we had 61% win rates with enterprise healthcare companies and only 18% win rates with enterprise financial services.
That wasn't a messaging problem—that was an ICP problem. We were great at enterprise healthcare and terrible at enterprise financial services.
I took that analysis to the exec team. We stopped trying to win enterprise financial services and doubled down on healthcare. Win rates improved overall because we were competing in segments where we had real advantages.
I never would have made that recommendation without RevOps data access.
Example 2: Enablement prioritization based on productivity data
RevOps showed me that reps who'd been with the company 6-12 months had the highest quota attainment—better than either newer or more tenured reps.
I interviewed reps in that cohort. The pattern: they'd learned the product and gained confidence, but hadn't yet developed bad habits or gotten cynical.
PMM shifted enablement strategy. Instead of focusing on new hire onboarding (what we'd been doing), we created ongoing enablement specifically for that 6-12 month cohort—advanced competitive plays, vertical-specific positioning, expansion sales tactics.
Quota attainment for that cohort increased another 8 percentage points. RevOps data told us where to focus.
What This Partnership Enabled
Within six months of starting the weekly RevOps sync, PMM's impact on revenue became undeniable.
We accurately forecasted launch pipeline. RevOps stopped guessing at launch impact. PMM provided forecasts based on historical performance, and we hit within 15% accuracy on five consecutive launches.
We improved competitive win rates. By combining PMM's competitive intelligence with RevOps's win rate tracking, we increased win rates against our top three competitors by an average of 12 percentage points in one year.
We shortened sales cycles. RevOps identified stages where deals stalled. PMM created content specifically to address those bottlenecks. Average sales cycle decreased from 87 days to 71 days.
We made better ICP decisions. RevOps data + PMM customer research revealed which segments had the best unit economics. We reallocated sales capacity accordingly.
The CRO summarized it in our annual review: "RevOps and PMM working together is one of the highest-ROI partnerships in the company."
What I'd Tell PMMs Trying to Build This Partnership
If RevOps is ignoring you, here's what worked for me:
Stop asking for access to data. Offer insights that improve their forecasts.
Don't say, "Can I get access to pipeline reports?" Say, "I have competitive loss data that could improve your forecast accuracy for competitive deals. Want to see it?"
Speak their language: revenue, not marketing.
Don't talk about messaging frameworks and positioning documents. Talk about win rates, sales productivity, pipeline conversion, and forecast accuracy.
Find one shared metric to start with.
Don't try to align on everything at once. Pick one metric RevOps cares about where PMM has insights—competitive win rate, launch pipeline, sales ramp time—and prove value there first.
Make them look good.
When your insights help RevOps hit their forecast, give them credit. When your battle card improves win rates, frame it as "RevOps identified the competitive threat, PMM addressed it."
Politics matter. Make RevOps your ally by making them successful.
Be patient.
I spent eighteen months being ignored before the breakthrough conversation happened. The partnership didn't form because I found the perfect pitch—it formed because I kept showing up with insights until someone finally paid attention.
The Uncomfortable Reality
Building this partnership required admitting that a lot of traditional PMM work doesn't matter to revenue operations.
RevOps doesn't care about:
- Your messaging framework (unless it measurably improves win rates)
- Your positioning strategy (unless it changes pipeline conversion)
- Your content calendar (unless it generates forecast-able pipeline)
- Your brand perception (unless it shortens sales cycles)
They care about revenue outcomes.
If you can connect PMM's work to those outcomes, RevOps will partner with you. If you can't, they'll keep ignoring you—and honestly, they'll be right to.
The partnership between RevOps and PMM isn't built on mutual appreciation of each other's work. It's built on shared accountability for revenue.
Once I accepted that, everything became easier.