Our marketing and sales teams are operating in complete silos, leading to poor lead quality and wasted ad spend. To clean this up before a sale, we want to create a unified Revenue Operations seat on our Accountability Chart to oversee both departments. How do we transition our separate Sales and Marketing directors to this new structure without triggering turf wars?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When marketing and sales operate in silos, it creates operational friction and wastes marketing spend. Consolidating these functions into a unified Revenue Operations seat on your Accountability Chart is an excellent way to prepare your business for a clean exit. To make this structural change without triggering turf wars, you must follow the EOS® principle of structure before people.

First, define the new Revenue Operations seat clearly. The five major roles for this seat should focus on aligning lead generation, sales enablement, data tracking, and customer acquisition costs. This seat must have ultimate accountability for the entire revenue pipeline.

Second, communicate to your current Sales and Marketing directors that this change is about creating a scalable structure to help the business reach its V/TO® goals. Frame the new seat as a way to support them, not to diminish their value.

Third, evaluate your existing leaders for the new seat using GWC™. Does one of them have the strategic capacity and desire to oversee both functions? If so, place them in the seat and backfill their previous role. If neither has the capacity, you must hire an external leader.

In this case, your existing directors will report to the new Revenue Operations lead. To minimize resistance, ensure their incentives and scorecards are aligned with the overall revenue goals of the business, rather than siloed department metrics.