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The Most Expensive Words in Sales Comp: “It Depends”
Sales comp looks simple on paper. In practice, it's one of the messiest, most politically charged things RevOps has to own. Bluebird deals, mid-year exceptions, deal splits across acquired entities, reps comparing checks — all of it lands on your desk.
In this episode, Matthew Volm sits down with Erin Tomlinson, VP of Revenue Operations at Kinective, to get into the real operational challenges of compensation design: how to reduce exceptions before they happen, why transparency builds trust faster than secrecy, where AI is genuinely useful in comp work (and where it isn't), and the deal-splitting problem she's still trying to crack heading into 2027 planning.
🎙️ Speakers:
- Matthew Volm, CEO & Founder at RevOps Co-op — https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewvolm/
- Erin Tomlinson, VP of Revenue Operations at Kinective — https://www.linkedin.com/in/erintomlinson1/
⏱️ Chapters:
0:00 - Introduction & Erin's background
4:54 - Why do exceptions happen in comp plans?
8:44 - Who should own comp strategy?
9:35 - Misconceptions: what Finance, HR, and sales get wrong
13:54 - The bluebird deal problem
18:43 - Building trust through clear rules and documentation
20:37 - Transparency in comp design
25:33 - Where AI is changing compensation management
31:07 - The deal-splitting problem (still unsolved)
33:17 - Closing
🔗 Resources:
- RevOps Co-op community: https://www.revopscoop.com/membership/membership-options
- Related episode — Episode 111: AI Is Saving Time. But Is It Driving Revenue?: https://revopscoop.com/podcast/ai-efficiency-revenue-impact-revops
- Related episode — Episode 60: Pay Day Problems: Comp Plan Lessons Learned: https://revopscoop.com/podcast/compensation-plan-lessons-revops
- RevOps Co-op Podcast Library: https://www.revopscoop.com/podcast
👉 Join the RevOps Co-op community: https://www.revopscoop.com/membership/membership-options
📺 Subscribe for more RevOps content
🌐 Visit us: https://www.revopscoop.com
💼 Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/revops-co-op
#RevOps #RevenueOperations #SalesOps #CompensationPlanning #SalesComp #IncentiveCompensation #B2B #GTM
23 Oct 2026
When Everyone Can Build, Who Decides What Matters?
What if RevOps stopped reacting to requests and started shipping a product? Dan Jiao, VP of Revenue Operations at Aircall, makes the case — and lays out exactly what that shift looks like in practice.
In this episode, Matthew Volm sits down with Dan to unpack the evolution from service-oriented RevOps to a full product model, the rise of GTM engineering, and the skills that will define the function's best operators over the next three to five years. They cover why AI doesn't make human judgment less important (it makes it more important), what the "AI admin trap" looks like and how to avoid it, and why vibe coding a command center might be the most differentiating thing a RevOps professional can do right now.
🎙️ Speakers:
- Dan Jiao, VP of Revenue Operations at Aircall — https://www.linkedin.com/in/danjiao/
- Matthew Volm, CEO & Co-Founder of RevOps Co-op — https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewvolm/
⏱️ Chapters:
0:00 - Introduction & Dan's background
1:20 - Dan's career path: chemical engineering → sales → RevOps
3:33 - The shift from service-oriented RevOps to a product model
6:08 - Is the RevOps product always technology?
8:22 - What is GTM engineering, and how does it relate to RevOps?
13:07 - The AI admin trap: is GTM engineering the new Salesforce admin?
17:39 - Skills for early-career RevOps professionals
20:59 - Skills for VP-level RevOps leaders
26:00 - What RevOps operators should start building today (vibe coding, command centers)
32:17 - Crazy GTM stories: penguins at a Vegas conference
35:35 - Closing thoughts
🔗 Resources:
- RevOps Co-op Podcast Library: https://www.revopscoop.com/podcast
- Episode 56: GTM Engineering — The R&D Arm of RevOps: https://revopscoop.com/podcast/gtm-engineering-revops
- Episode 102: The RevOps Skills Nobody Teaches: https://revopscoop.com/podcast/revops-soft-skills-career-growth
👉 Join the RevOps Co-op community: https://www.revopscoop.com/membership/membership-options
📺 Subscribe for more RevOps content
🌐 Visit us: https://www.revopscoop.com
💼 Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/revops-co-op
#RevOps #RevenueOperations #GTMEngineering #SalesOps #MarketingOps #GoToMarket #AI #B2BSaaS #RevenueGrowth
16 Oct 2026
If You Only Lead Sales, You're Not a CRO.
If your CRO's responsibility starts at qualified opportunity and ends at closed won — that's a Chief Sales Officer, not a Chief Revenue Officer. There's a difference, and it matters.
In this episode, Matthew Volm sits down with Rebecca Grimes, CRO at SheerID, to break down what it actually means to own the full revenue lifecycle — from first awareness through year-five retention — and why RevOps is the most critical function to get right inside that model.
Rebecca shares how she structures her revenue org, why she prioritizes CS time at least 60/40 over sales, how AEs at SheerID stay accountable through an account's first renewal cycle, and what separates great RevOps leaders from those who are still mostly managing Salesforce. Plus: her take on where AI fits into the revenue function over the next five years — and why "AI-powered" is already table stakes.
🎙️ Speakers:
- Matthew Volm, CEO & Co-Founder at RevOps Co-op — https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewvolm/
- Rebecca Grimes, CRO at SheerID — https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccalgrimes/
⏱️ Timestamps:
0:00 - Introduction
1:17 - Rebecca's background: from crime reporter to CRO
4:33 - What full-cycle revenue ownership actually means
9:19 - What's in scope (and out of scope) for a real CRO
13:46 - Why customer success is the most undervalued function
19:23 - AE accountability through the first renewal cycle
22:36 - What separates great RevOps leaders from good ones
26:09 - The objectivity RevOps provides that nobody else can
28:06 - AI in revenue: what's changing and what isn't
36:04 - Closing thoughts: not every org needs this model
🔗 Resources:
- RevOps Co-op Community: https://www.revopscoop.com/membership/membership-options
- Episode 99: What Executives Actually Want From RevOps: https://revopscoop.com/podcast/revops-career-executive-impact
- Episode 106: Why Good CRMs Fail: https://revopscoop.com/podcast/why-good-crms-fail
- Episode 111: AI Is Saving Time. But Is It Driving Revenue?: https://revopscoop.com/podcast/ai-efficiency-revenue-impact-revops
- Full podcast library: https://www.revopscoop.com/podcast
👉 Join the RevOps Co-op community: https://www.revopscoop.com/membership/membership-options
📺 Subscribe for more RevOps content
🌐 Visit us: https://www.revopscoop.com
💼 Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/revops-co-op
#RevOps #RevenueOperations #CRO #ChiefRevenueOfficer #SalesOps #CustomerSuccess #GTM #B2B #RevenueLeadership
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