Imagine running your business with a map, only to find out the terrain has shifted beneath your feet.
This is the reality of today’s Go-To-Market (GTM) landscape, aptly described by David Dulany as the "Era of Unpredictable Revenue."
Traditional benchmarks have faltered, leaving companies to craft new playbooks in real time.
Within this chaos lies opportunity—for those bold enough to experiment, innovate, and align their teams.
The Death of Predictable Revenue (and What Replaces It)
For years, "predictable revenue" was the North Star of GTM strategy.
Companies followed a tried-and-true playbook:
- Cold calls
- SDR alignment, and
- Pipeline metrics
But as Dulany explained:
"The promise was if I set it up correctly, I can achieve predictable revenue. But when interest rates went up, and investments into GTM strategies decreased, companies realized, ‘We’re not getting the same results from the program, and we don’t really know what to do next.’”
This shift is part of a broader trend: 75% of SaaS leaders in a recent survey indicated that GTM strategies are undergoing significant transformations due to unpredictable revenue growth patterns.
Enter the H.E.R.E. method—Hypothesize, Experiment, Report, Execute. As Dulany notes:
"It’s essentially the scientific method but applied to GTM. Consistent experimentation and 90-day cycles of reporting and iteration are the keys to crafting your repeatable GTM strategy."
From Silos to Systems
Operational excellence is critical in an unpredictable market.
Revenue operations (RevOps) has emerged as the linchpin in aligning teams. Dulany points out the pitfalls of traditional silos:
"GTM teams are still set up with an industrial-age structure. Marketing, SDRs, sales, and customer success run in parallel, rarely talking to each other. It’s a recipe for dropped balls and gaps in pipeline production."
According to Forrester, companies with unified RevOps achieve 15% higher profitability and 19% better win rates compared to siloed organizations.
Building on this, Dulany advises:
"Before you hire SDRs or even a salesperson, get a good revenue operations person. Map out and organize your system first; then add people and AI into that system. It’s about building the plane before flying it."
AI: The Great Equalizer
Artificial Intelligence promises to revolutionize GTM strategies, but let’s separate the hype from the reality.
As Dulany humorously puts it, the dream is simple: “Take all my data, and just make it work!”
While we're not there yet, AI is already empowering non-technical executives to integrate systems, surface actionable insights, and automate redundant tasks.
For forward-thinking leaders, AI is the tool to operationalize agility and scale.
Why Events Are the New GTM Frontier
After years of digital-first tactics, live events are staging a comeback—not just for networking but for real pipeline building.
Dulany underscores their value: a human touch in an increasingly virtual world.
But he cautions that events must be managed like any other GTM initiative, with clear ROI goals and meticulous follow-through.
The takeaway?
If events aren’t part of your 2025 strategy, you might be leaving revenue on the table.
Witty Takeaway: Build the Plane, Then Fly It
Dulany warns against rushing headlong into GTM strategies without foundational systems in place:
"Most companies hire salespeople first. Then they hire SDRs to fill their calendars. The result? A choc-a-block system that doesn’t scale. You need to map the revenue creation process first, then layer in people and AI."
Conclusion
The Era of Unpredictable Revenue is as daunting as it is thrilling.
Success belongs to the bold—those who embrace uncertainty, double down on experimentation, and build cohesive GTM systems.
As we step into 2025, the question isn’t whether you’ll adapt, but how quickly and effectively you’ll rewrite your playbook.
Fortune favors not just the brave but the methodical.
So, how will you rewrite your playbook in 2025?
Scoop Team
At Scoop, we make it simple for ops teams to turn data into insights. With tools to connect, blend, and present data effortlessly, we cut out the noise so you can focus on decisions—not the tech behind them.
