Welcome to the fourth edition of the RevOps Visionaries series, where we feature standout leaders driving the evolution of Revenue Operations. In this edition, we sat down with John Queally, Senior Director of Revenue Operations at Clari, to unpack what’s ahead for CRMs, AI, and operational strategy in 2025.
With a pragmatic lens on AI, a bold take on CRM’s future, and a call for RevOps to embrace its strategic role, John shares unfiltered insights from the frontlines of scaling operations at a fast-moving revenue platform.
John: “It’s not about the CRM anymore, it’s the ability to make the CRM part of the ecosystem. For me the biggest trend will be ops teams diving deeper into the database layer. How do we bring data from across the ecosystem together to drive deeper insights and hopefully simplify the lives for revenue field teams.”
John: “Let me first say, I am an AI sceptic… I know that sounds crazy, but all the promises of AI generating insights scare me. RevOps pros know better than anyone there is so much bad data out there, especially in CRMs. Legacy fields, just wrong data that takes a lot of time to clean up for teams which are already strapped for resources. So the thought of AI scanning data, ingesting bad data, and delivering “insights” based on it scares me.
That being said, generative AI is changing the game. My mind was blown when I took a phone call from an AI BDR and actually had a pretty accurate conversation. How we reach out and the level of customization is going to skyrocket. AI will unlock scale at a fraction of the price. To me AI right now is about amending current processes to make them easier — the insights will follow but there is work to be done.”
John: “The biggest will most likely be budget constraints. Growth at all cost is gone and profitable growth is in. Profitable growth is hard and requires consistent fine tuning. We all are in positions of doing more with less while rooting out legacy processes and automating where possible. That’s hard.
Other biggest challenge to me is RevOps is growing up. If your RevOps team is not your strategic partner… you’re missing the mark.”
John: “We’re magicians. What RevOps team put forward in terms of analysis and insights can be highly impactful…. It doesn’t make it easy. We get requests every day for everything under the sun. Managing the inflow and putting out meaningful analysis is hard work. We’re not magicians, but we’re in your corner.”
John: “Scale as much as possible. Put things into the wild and see what happens. If you are the bottleneck to update things, or the only place to find answers, you will get overwhelmed and fail. You have to give the power to the people. And the power is knowledge and the knowledge comes from data.”
John: “I struggle with this every day… because I honestly don’t know how to KPI RevOps teams. My biggest KPI is are my partners happy with myself and my team, do they come to us to discuss things strategically (vs being viewed as a report factory), and are we moving the needle. It’s the most abstract thing to measure. The biggest risk for me is letting a KPI deter you from going with the flow, which to me is essential to RevOps. I look at it as 50% of RevOps time should be spent on needle moving projects and the other 50% on responding to the needs of the org.”
John: “How to manage data more effectively at the database layer and AI. They tie together and are what will separate successful companies from lucky companies 3 years from now.”
John: “The tops down and bottoms up. Bottoms up - Make it easy and give them something from it (some insight to help them be more impactful). Tops down - get leadership to pay attention and all falls into place.”
John: “Always - deal values based on CPQ quotes. The slicing and dicing of deals is the glue that holds everything together. It’s hard, but when manual adjustments start ruling… you’re not going to be in a happy place.
Never - the rep call and support for where an opp stands. The rep needs to put an opportunity judgment and show ownership of their pipe. Now AI can assist and draft..but the rep needs to own their pipe.”
John: “Don’t focus on a CRM strategy - focus on a GTM tech stack strategy. If you’re just thinking about the CRM in a silo, you’re going to be behind. You’ve got to think more holistically.”
John: “Their ability to manage an ecosystem of data. I don’t think the CRM will be this place, I think this place needs to be in the database layer.”
1. RevOps Must Move Beyond CRM Silos
2025 isn’t about picking the best CRM—it’s about building a connected GTM ecosystem. The real differentiator? Your ability to integrate, access, and act on data at the database level.
2. AI Is Powerful—But Only as Good as Your Data
AI can streamline outreach and scale processes. But if your CRM data is flawed, insights will be too. Before chasing AI-driven predictions, focus on cleaning and structuring your data foundation.
3. Profitable Growth Requires Operational Maturity
With budgets tightening, RevOps leaders must automate legacy workflows, prioritize high-impact projects, and operate with ruthless focus. There's no room for bloated systems or guesswork.
4. Strategic Partnership Beats Tactical Support
The best RevOps teams are no longer report factories. They're strategic partners that influence direction, enable growth, and are trusted by leadership to drive decisions—not just reflect them.
5. Success Isn’t a KPI—It’s Influence
Forget rigid dashboards. Ask: Are other teams coming to us for strategic input? Influence, trust, and impact are harder to quantify—but more valuable than surface-level metrics.
6. Scale Comes from Empowerment, Not Control
To avoid burnout and bottlenecks, decentralize answers. Build scalable systems that equip teams with knowledge and autonomy. Let data flow freely.
7. Automate with Purpose
Automate anything rule-based—like deal values from CPQ. But judgment calls, like pipeline confidence, should remain with the rep. AI can assist, not replace, accountability.
John Queally reminds us that the future of RevOps isn't about perfecting CRM strategy in isolation—it's about rethinking the entire revenue stack. As ecosystems grow more complex and efficiency becomes a mandate, RevOps will be measured by how well it connects dots, empowers teams, and drives strategic impact.
The leaders who succeed won’t just manage operations—they’ll shape the way their companies grow.
Stay tuned for the next edition of RevOps Visionaries.
Meanwhile, follow us on LinkedIn and X for more insights from the frontlines of RevOps.
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