What Sales Leaders Should Actually Ask Their RevOps Team For
The Data Request Problem
Most sales leaders ask RevOps for data requests. They ask "can you pull a report?" or "can you get me this data?" — but they don't ask for system design requests. They ask for outputs, not leverage.
The problem is:
- Data requests — Requests for data, reports, answers
- System design requests — Requests for systems, processes, leverage
- Output focus — Focus on outputs, not leverage
- Reactive requests — Reactive requests, not proactive requests
Here's what sales leaders should actually ask their RevOps team for — the difference between data requests and system design requests, why "can you pull a report?" is the wrong reflex, and how good leaders ask for leverage, not outputs.
The Difference Between Data Requests and System Design Requests
Data Requests
What they are: Requests for data, reports, answers. "Can you pull a report?" "Can you get me this data?" "Can you tell me what's happening?"
Why they're wrong: Data requests are reactive. They ask for answers after problems occur. They don't solve problems, they just provide information.
What they create:
- Reactive behavior — RevOps reacts to requests, doesn't proactively solve problems
- One-off work — RevOps does one-off work, doesn't build systems
- Output focus — Focus on outputs, not leverage
- Wasted capacity — RevOps capacity is wasted on data requests
Example: "Can you pull a report showing which reps are missing quota?"
Why it's wrong: This is a data request. It asks for information, not a system. It's reactive, not proactive. It doesn't solve the problem, it just provides information.
System Design Requests
What they are: Requests for systems, processes, leverage. "Can you build a system that surfaces this automatically?" "Can you design a process that prevents this?" "Can you create leverage that solves this?"
Why they're right: System design requests are proactive. They ask for systems that solve problems before they occur. They create leverage, not just provide information.
What they create:
- Proactive behavior — RevOps proactively solves problems, doesn't react to requests
- System building — RevOps builds systems, doesn't do one-off work
- Leverage focus — Focus on leverage, not outputs
- Scaled capacity — RevOps capacity is scaled through systems
Example: "Can you build a system that automatically surfaces reps at risk of missing quota so we can intervene proactively?"
Why it's right: This is a system design request. It asks for a system, not just data. It's proactive, not reactive. It solves the problem, not just provides information.
Why "Can You Pull a Report?" Is the Wrong Reflex
The problem: "Can you pull a report?" is reactive. It asks for information after problems occur. It doesn't solve problems, it just provides information.
What it creates:
- Reactive behavior — RevOps reacts to requests, doesn't proactively solve problems
- One-off work — RevOps does one-off work, doesn't build systems
- Output focus — Focus on outputs, not leverage
- Wasted capacity — RevOps capacity is wasted on data requests
The solution: Ask for systems, not reports. Ask for leverage, not outputs. Ask for proactive solutions, not reactive information.
How Good Leaders Ask for Leverage, Not Outputs
1. Ask for Systems, Not Reports
What it means: Ask for systems that surface information automatically, not reports that require manual pulling.
Bad request: "Can you pull a report showing which deals are at risk?"
Good request: "Can you build a system that automatically surfaces deals at risk so we can intervene proactively?"
Why it's better: Systems create leverage. Reports create one-off work. Systems scale. Reports don't.
2. Ask for Proactive Solutions, Not Reactive Information
What it means: Ask for solutions that prevent problems, not information that describes problems.
Bad request: "Can you tell me which reps are missing quota?"
Good request: "Can you build a system that surfaces reps at risk of missing quota so we can intervene proactively?"
Why it's better: Proactive solutions prevent problems. Reactive information describes problems. Proactive solutions scale. Reactive information doesn't.
3. Ask for Leverage, Not Outputs
What it means: Ask for leverage that multiplies impact, not outputs that provide information.
Bad request: "Can you get me this data?"
Good request: "Can you build a system that makes this data visible automatically so we don't have to ask for it?"
Why it's better: Leverage multiplies impact. Outputs provide information. Leverage scales. Outputs don't.
4. Ask for System Design, Not Data Pulling
What it means: Ask for system design that solves problems, not data pulling that provides information.
Bad request: "Can you pull a report?"
Good request: "Can you design a system that surfaces this information automatically?"
Why it's better: System design solves problems. Data pulling provides information. System design scales. Data pulling doesn't.
5. Ask for Continuous Solutions, Not One-Off Work
What it means: Ask for solutions that work continuously, not one-off work that provides information once.
Bad request: "Can you pull this report for me?"
Good request: "Can you build a system that surfaces this information continuously?"
Why it's better: Continuous solutions work over time. One-off work provides information once. Continuous solutions scale. One-off work doesn't.
Core Idea: RevOps Is Most Valuable When It Designs Systems, Not When It Fetches Answers
The core idea: RevOps is most valuable when it designs systems that solve problems proactively, not when it fetches answers reactively.
Why it matters: System design creates leverage. Data fetching creates one-off work. System design scales. Data fetching doesn't.
How to apply it: Ask RevOps for system design requests, not data requests. Ask for systems that solve problems, not reports that describe problems. Ask for leverage, not outputs.
Examples of Good Requests
Account planning visibility: "Can you build a system that makes account planning visible across teams so we can see who's planning and who's not?"
Forecast risk: "Can you build a system that automatically surfaces forecast risk so we can intervene proactively?"
Execution gaps: "Can you build a system that surfaces execution gaps automatically so we can close them before they become problems?"
Account health: "Can you build a system that maintains account health continuously so we can see account risk before it becomes a problem?"
Deal inspection: "Can you build a system that surfaces deals that need inspection automatically so we can inspect them proactively?"
Examples of Bad Requests
Account planning visibility: "Can you pull a report showing which accounts have plans?"
Forecast risk: "Can you tell me which deals are at risk?"
Execution gaps: "Can you get me data on execution gaps?"
Account health: "Can you pull a report on account health?"
Deal inspection: "Can you tell me which deals need inspection?"
How ChatAE Enables System Design, Not Data Fetching
ChatAE enables system design, not data fetching, by:
Maintaining account context continuously: ChatAE maintains account context continuously, making account planning visible automatically. No need to pull reports — account context is always visible.
Surfacing execution signals automatically: ChatAE surfaces execution signals automatically — account health, deal progression, execution gaps. No need to ask for data — execution signals are always visible.
Enabling proactive planning: ChatAE enables proactive account planning — planning that happens before execution, not after. No need to react — planning is proactive.
Providing leverage, not outputs: ChatAE provides leverage — systems that work continuously, not outputs that provide information once. No need to pull reports — systems work automatically.
The Bottom Line
Sales leaders should ask RevOps for:
- System design requests — Not data requests
- Proactive solutions — Not reactive information
- Leverage — Not outputs
- Systems — Not reports
- Continuous solutions — Not one-off work
The challenge: Most sales leaders ask for data requests, not system design requests. They ask for outputs, not leverage. They ask for reactive information, not proactive solutions.
The solution: Ask RevOps for system design requests. Ask for systems that solve problems proactively. Ask for leverage, not outputs. Ask for continuous solutions, not one-off work.
Core idea: RevOps is most valuable when it designs systems, not when it fetches answers. System design creates leverage. Data fetching creates one-off work. System design scales. Data fetching doesn't.
That's what sales leaders should actually ask their RevOps team for — system design requests that create leverage, not data requests that provide outputs.