That made me think of my first Trail Marathon Race - a 48km challenge.

It was around 08:45pm. I had been on the trail for nearly 15 hours, covering 34 km. My knees hurt so much that going downhill was impossible - I had to turn around and walk backward just to keep moving. The night was dark, and I was still deep in the middle of a bamboo forest, barely able to move.

According to the organizer’s map, we had two hours to cover 5.7km from Checkpoint 06 to Checkpoint 07. We had to reach it before 10:00 PM to avoid being cut off.

09:15, I asked someone near the road, “How far is it to the next checkpoint?”. “Only 1km”, they said.

09:45, after what felt like at least 3km, climbing up and down through the forest, I asked another runner, “How far is it to the next checkpoint?”. “About 1km”, they replied. That’s when my friend started to run.

But I was exhausted, breathless, freezing, and hungry.

"Where is the checkpoint?"
"Can I even make it?"
"Should I run? What’s the point of running if there’s a 99% chance I won’t make it on time?"

Then, just one question surfaced:

"Why did I suffer all the way here?"

Was it just to prove to my old self that I did it - that I didn’t stop until the last moment? Maybe.

If I still had something left to give, why would I stop now?

That was the moment I started to run. And I made it on time, 9:57, just three minutes before the cut-off.

I still don’t know how I managed to run at that moment but I do know this: I will always be proud that I kept running.

"No matter the reason, as long as it’s strong enough to shed light on you in the darkest times, it will help you reach the finish line."

A new year is here. My wish for everyone is that you find a reason - big or small - to keep running toward your own destination.

The journey is the reward. Take care of yourself.

✨ Happy Year of the Snake ✨

As someone who's been a Sales Ops professional for 3 years before becoming a Revenue Operation Manager and then Director, I've picked the 7 most crucial fundamentals about Sales Ops from the ebook.

1 - What is Sales Ops?

The primary role of sales ops is to reduce friction in the sales process, empowering reps to hit and surpass their targets.

2 - Why is Sales Ops important?

While sales ops employees typically work behind the scenes to support the customer-facing sales team, they play a vital role in identifying performance levels and meeting important benchmarks by maximizing sales productivity and effectiveness.

3 - Key responsibilites?

Sales ops encompasses numerous support functions for the customer-facing sales team, including training and development, creating compensation schedules, lead management, territory structuring, process optimization, and many other activities.

4 - Most effective metrics to use

4.1 - Revenue: The cornerstone Key Performance Indicator (KPI) in sales operations, revenue is meticulously broken down into three critical components: new business acquisition, upsell/cross-sell opportunities, and renewal percentages. This comprehensive breakdown allows for a nuanced understanding of revenue streams and their respective contributions to overall financial performance.

4.2 - Forecasting Accuracy: A pivotal metric that significantly enhances productivity by enabling sales representatives to concentrate their efforts on high-quality leads. Accurate forecasting empowers the sales team to make well-informed decisions, optimize resource allocation, and strategically plan for future growth. It also provides valuable insights for inventory management and financial planning.

4.3 - Average Deal Size: This crucial metric is derived by dividing the total deal value by the number of deals closed within a specific period. It offers invaluable insights into contract trends, customer buying patterns, and the overall health of the sales pipeline. Tracking average deal size over time can reveal shifts in market dynamics, product positioning effectiveness, and sales team performance.

4.4 - Conversion Rate: A fundamental metric that aids in determining the volume of leads required to achieve revenue targets. By analyzing conversion rates at various stages of the sales funnel, teams can identify bottlenecks, optimize their sales process, and implement targeted strategies to improve overall conversion efficiency. This metric is essential for resource planning and setting realistic sales goals.

4.5 - Sales Funnel Leakage: This critical analysis identifies precisely where prospects disengage from the sales funnel by meticulously monitoring conversion rates at each stage of the process. By pinpointing these dropout points, sales operations can implement targeted improvements, refine the sales approach, and enhance the overall customer journey. This data-driven approach enables continuous optimization of the sales process, ultimately leading to higher conversion rates and increased revenue.

5 - Sales Ops tech stack

In the book, Ebsta categorizes the tech stack into 10 categories:

• Account-based Sales and Marketing Tools

• CRM

• Analytics

• Communication

• Email

• Sales Intelligence

• Sales Engagement

• Contract Lifecycle Management

• Lead Gen

• Performance

I'll choose the 4 most popular categories and include their names so you can get an overview of what tech stack a Sales Ops professional should be familiar with.

6 - Competencies of great Sales Ops leader

6.1 - Good listener

Many sales ops leaders make the mistake of not listening to others and dismissing their ideas. To be effective, you must listen to stakeholders and partners, and communicate in a way everyone can understand.

6.2 - Knowledgeable

A sales ops leader who lacks understanding of the sales process struggles to hire, train, and evaluate staff effectively. While prior sales experience isn't essential, experts agree that a top-notch sales ops leader must thoroughly comprehend the sales process.

6.3 - Cross-functional collaborator

Cross-collaboration is crucial for sales ops leaders. They must work seamlessly with various departments—from product to engineering, legal, and finance. This collaboration ensures the customer remains at the heart of your business model, with all departments providing support.

6.4 - Command instinct

As a sales ops leader, your position grants you power that requires judicious use. Key sales metrics—such as quota attainment, average deal size, conversion rate, and forecasting accuracy—can measure team performance and foster accountability. This "command instinct" isn't about autocracy; it's about driving continuous improvement. Start by praising high achievers and coaching underperformers to eliminate complacency.

6.5 - Goal-oriented mindset

An effective sales ops leader must be goal-oriented and "understand the heartbeat and rhythm of their company." You should grasp both your company's current objectives and its future aspirations.

7 - Breaking into a Sales Ops career

The good news is that roles in sales ops embrace a wide variety of skills, education levels, work experiences, and personalities. There are several possible routes to a career in sales ops. We've cataloged how some of the most successful executives, managers, and associates began their journeys:

• From Sales

• From Administration

• From Finance

• From Business Analysis

Final thought

Sales ops is a field that offers many exciting career opportunities to aspiring entrepreneurs, managers, and executives. Breaking into a career in sales ops requires hard work and perseverance, but the reward is well worth it.

This question made me reflect on my process when tackling a problem. Nowadays, we need to deliver things every day, every hour, every minute: your boss asks for a monthly report, your clients request a pitch deck, or even your partner asks for a travel plan. How can you produce the best outcome with limited time and resources?

Interestingly, I realized that my approach to delivering outcomes is quite similar to the concept of route searching for delivery using Google Maps. Here are the steps I follow:

1 - Start with the end

2 - Draw the map & Choose the “best” route (of course, but how?)

3 - Put yourself in others' shoes

4 - Last but not least, make sure your outcome is well delivered

This article, as part of the answer to my friend’s question, will mainly focus on the how. It might be a bit detailed, but I hope it gives you some ideas to speed up your process.

Ok, let's dive into how I approach each of these criteria:

1 - First things first, start with the end

“Begin With the End in Mind” is the 2nd habit in the famous book “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Franklin Covey: “Begin With the End in Mind means to begin each day, task, or project with a clear vision of your desired direction and destination, and then continue by flexing your proactive muscles to make things happen.” (FranklinCovey.com)

For me, this step is the most critical. A clear desired destination means that I can envision the final outcome and, even better, describe the expected outcome to other team members so they are on the same page.

Just like route searching, the first thing you need to do is find the destination.

2 - Draw the map & Choose the “best” route

Like Google Maps, you should draw a simple map to know which way to go to deliver things. For me, a map usually includes: Places, Routes, Transportation, and Traffic on that route.

Applying the concept of Google Maps to choose the best way:

• First, define the places: the Starting point, Destination, and key places on the route (checkpoints).

• Then, draw the line connecting these key destinations.

• Third, choose the transportation method, whether it's a bike, motorbike, bus, or even walking. In real terms, this could be the tools or methods you use (Excel, PowerPoint, Word, or even a video clip).

• Finally, to choose the best route, consider:

  • Traffic on that route: Is it an empty road or crowded with vehicles? This means estimating if the resources needed are available. For example, if you need to design something, do you have the capacity, or do you need someone’s help? Is that person available?

  • Familiarity: Have you traveled this way before, making it easier and safer, or is it a completely new path?

  • Estimated Time of Arrival: The total time you'll need to reach the destination. In real terms, this is the deadline you can commit to your teammates and customers.

Just reflecting on the example, as we have to choose directions every day. :D

3 - Put yourself in others' shoes

“Put yourself in others' shoes” means viewing the expected outcome and the delivery process from your teammates' or customers' perspectives. Imagine finding the route on Google Maps, but not only you are traveling, your teammates are coming with you, and your customers are waiting at the destination. So, you should:

• Double-check the destination and the routes with your teammates before starting to ensure everyone knows where you're heading and how to get there.

• Regularly (or ideally, in real-time) update your customers on what you are doing and the estimated delivery time. (Think of a delivery app updating the real-time location of your driver.)

4 - Last but not least, make sure your outcome is well delivered

Once you reach the destination, the last but crucial step is to deliver your outcome effectively. This means:

1. Ensuring your customers receive it (like a delivery driver contacting you to hand over a package, not just leaving it at the door without notice).

2. Making sure your customers know how to use it: provide clear guidelines, state goals, and explain how to use the items to achieve those goals.

And finally, always ask for feedback after delivering the outcome. This helps gather data to optimize for next time.

Final thought:

I think this mindset of route searching is a tool focused on the "how" of delivering outcomes. Of course, we need to define the "what" and the "why" first. But because the word “fast” is in the question, execution becomes a key pillar in achieving the goal. Having a clear framework to think and follow can be the first step to executing everything faster.

In the articles, Paul points out that reading is hard to replace because of its importance for writing. And writing is a great way to discover new things.

Talking about your ideas with other people is a good way to develop them. But even after doing this, you'll find you still discover new things when you sit down, structure and express all your thoughts when writing.

Despite all the benefits, why are people usually lazy to write? Because, as Paul said, putting your ideas into words is hard. [2]

Personally, I relate to this struggle. I have a collection of drafts on this blog, many of which consist of only a few paragraphs. However, these incomplete pieces serve as reminders that I am trying to know more about the subject. Even I haven’t finish writing yet, these moments motivate me to unlearn and relearn.

So, instead of writing full articles, I try to take small steps. During brainstorming sessions, I write more using my iPad. As I jot down the ideas, they become clearer, led me to better understanding. Taking it a step further, I write my thoughts into complete sentences using Notion. Even if the first step of writing is ok, the second one often helps me refine my thoughts and generate new ideas.

Just publishing this post to let you know that I am still on the way of writing and want to share with you some insightful articles. If you, like me, sometimes struggle to convey or generate new ideas, learning to write may be a helpful solution.

We seek ideas, and thus, we read and write.

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[1] The Need to Read, Paul Graham: http://www.paulgraham.com/read.html

[2] Putting Ideas into Words, Paul Graham: http://www.paulgraham.com/words.html

All the 5 principles are so resonated with me; however, the third one, "Be a strong-will believers," hit me the hardest.

This reminded me of a post I wrote about "3 beliefs" after graduating from university years ago, which I have shared with my former colleagues:

Surprisingly, all the dots are connected:

Since the first days, "3 beliefs" principles has been a vital part of me, shaping who I am today.

I joined True because of the big why, and I found here all the values I respected.

And later, when our CEO first talked about Honor Platform, a product for employee empowerment, I knew that this path was somehow the right way for me: to encourage and cherish more and more strong-will believers in the trusted and love-filled organizations. That's why we chose this tagline for our coming products:

“We've built Honor Platform with the passionate belief in the potential of any human beings: an ordinary person with a strong will could build extraordinary things.”

As I reach the final lines of my past post, a sense of relief washes over me. My aspirations perfectly mirror the actions I take every single day to shape our work environment:

In July, I received a request from my team for quick research about one of the most popular collaboration platform in the world: Zoho.

During my research, I came across some interesting stories about Zoho’s founder, so I made this slide and share with you some quick information and personal thoughts about Zoho.

Zoho is a platform that offers a suite of business, collaboration, and productivity applications. Unlike other Tech startups & IPO companies, Zoho is famous for reaching $1B Revenue without a dime of external investment (according to Techcrunch).

Let’s go through some Zoho’s highlight numbers:

• Founded year: 1996 (27 years till now)

• Rev 2021: ~$1B with Profit: $255.7M

• 90M+ users of 55+ products

• ~12.000 employees with 26 offices

From 2005 to 2022, Zoho has developed more than 55+ applications used by 90M+ users worldwide. The platform contains: Sales & Marketing, Finance, IT & Helpdesk, Human Resources, Email & Collaboration, Office Suite and Custom Solutions.

Sridhar Vembu, 53, is the founder and CEO of Zoho Corp. In his late 20s, he founded AdventNet in 1996 to make software products. In 2009 he renamed the company Zoho Corp to reflect the transition from a software company serving network equipment vendors to an online applications provider.

Vembu was born in a village in Tamil Nadu’s Thanjavur district into a family of farmers and later went on to study at Princeton University and lived around the San Francisco Bay Area. Until October 2019—months before the Covid-19 pandemic erupted— he made the big move to the small town Tenkasi (650 km from the Tamil Nadu capital) with the vision: To take Silicon Valley to the village.

As of 2022, Zoho has two rural offices, one in Tenkasi and the other in Renigunta in Andhra Pradesh, with 500 of its 9,300 employees globally working out of these offices. The plan is to have many more of its 8,800 India-based employees working out of non-urban India.

A typical day of Vembu’s rural life usually begins at 4 am when he makes calls to the US offices. By 6 am, he’s off for a long walk and, on occasion, a swim in the village well. Snake-spotting, and a few times even catching them, is one activity during the stroll. He returns for breakfast, after which he takes stock of engineering projects, reviews codes and takes customer calls. Then it’s time to indulge in a bit of what his ancestors did for sustenance.

There is a quote of Vembu that made our team very impressed:

Another interesting things I found out when research is the page of Human of Zoho in the event of 25 years.

Here you can find out the employees have worked for 10+, 15+, 25+ years in Zoho: the stories from the first day till now, their perspectives about work and even their personal lives.

For example, you can see in the profile of Yoshihito Yamashita (Vice President, Data Center Operations, Zoho USA with 25+ years in Zoho) all the photos & stories from the first day of Zoho Japan and Zoho China.

Or you can find Mary George Mayiladumpara (General Counsel, 16+ years with Zoho, joined as the only lawyer in 2006, within a year of completing degree in law) still loves learning about the science of agriculture and farming.

Some personal thoughts:

In the chapter 03 book “Built to last” (by Jim Collin & Jerry I Porras), the research shows that a fundamental element of a visionary company is a core ideology - core values and sense of purpose beyond just making money - that guides and inspires people throughout the organization and remains relatively fixed for long periods of time.

A core ideology = A higher purpose + A set of core values.

Researching about Zoho gives me the feeling of a company like that. Hailing from India, they built a platform with 90M+ users and employ 12,000 people.

It come back and made me think, “So what is the purpose of my work and my company?”.

Then I remembered a post from my big boss, Mr Eric:

That’s the reason I am here today.

—

Reference:

(1) https://techcrunch.com/2022/09/10/how-zoho-became-1b-company-without-a-dime-of-external-investment/

(2) https://www.similarweb.com/website/zoho.com/#overview

(3) https://www.forbesindia.com/article/big-bet/cover-story-sridhar-vembus-vision-from-the-village/59833/1

(4) https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/zoho

(5) https://www.grahammann.net/book-notes/built-to-last-jim-collins

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I still remember the feeling of sitting next to the window at sunset, just finishing the first book of the Harry Potter series: Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix (yes, you heard that right, I started with the 5th book in the series because it was the first book I borrowed). I regretted only one thing: I was 12, older than 11, so I missed the chance to receive a letter of invitation to Hogwarts.

In high school, there was a girl in the summer of 2011 who covered herself with a blanket, turned off all the lights, and started her adventures with all the e-books on the screen of her Nokia 2700. I don't remember how many books I read, but I do know my phone was broken after that summer.

But after finishing university and entering the working adult world, my reading routine was gradually lost. Although I still read, I didn't find as much enjoyment as before and sometimes only scan the books because I knew it was necessary for jobs and personal development. Maybe that's why I didn't read much in those years, only 3-5 new books per year, and almost all the other time was spent re-reading old ones.

But things changed last year when the reading habit challenge was presented to me on 19/09.

Starting from the ideas of a Leadership Incubator that we should do some good things together and we all know reading is important, but the harder part is: How can we build up reading habits for everyone in the team?

Then we remembered the 21-day rule (it takes 21 days to create a habit). Our first goal was very simple: Keep reading every day, even if just for 10 minutes, no matter what, for 21 days. And that's how the reading mini habit challenge was born.

Challenge’s Rules

• We created a Telegram Channel where everyone sends a timelapse video of 10-minute reading to be recorded for the challenge.

• To raise commitment, we also designed a competition where 2 people will make a couple and fight against another couple in a week.

• If one of the two people misses a streak that week, the couple will be lost and have to pay money for the winners. A part of the price will be sent to the general fund for buying books.

Some aha moments after 300 days of reading

I remembered on the first day of the challenge, I chose to read the book Shoe Dog (a 399-page memoir by Nike co-founder Phil Knight). Just after 5 days, I finished the book in surprise. There was a long period since the last time I read a book in deep focus, enjoyed every page, and read from cover to cover, although I only spent 30-45 minutes per day reading.

I realized maybe in the past, although I enjoyed reading, there were always more urgent, more need-to-be-done things that were prioritized more than reading. But because of the challenge, I had to spend specific time a day for reading and once I read, I couldn't put it down.

Another moment was on a rainy midnight in Hanoi, I felt empty and didn't want to do anything. But after the notification from the Telegram channel, I recognized I hadn't done the task of reading that day. I took a deep breath, got up, turned on the light, and picked a children's book with the thought: Just do it for 10 minutes and go to bed. But after finishing a few pages, I recognized that this was a page-turner book, and suddenly, I was lost in a colorful world that was no longer empty. The name of that book is Totto-Chan: The Little Girl at the Window.

During my journey in taking on challenges, a quote often comes to mind: "You can't get much done in life if you only work on the days when you feel good" (Jerry West). Even though the initial goal of the habit is to repeat it for 21 days, I have set a personal goal for myself to maintain a streak for at least 365 days.

Throughout the past year, there have been days where I was exhausted after work, days where I celebrated special occasions, days where I relaxed with family on trips, and days where I felt both happiness and sadness, energy and exhaustion, sunshine and rain. However, one thing has remained consistent: I have spent at least 10 minutes reading each day.

So, that’s it!

Writing about this topic is harder than I thought. As I sit here trying to find the right words to express my feelings, I realize that maybe I'm just at the beginning of my journey.

This habit of reading has been a bright spot in an otherwise challenging year. Reading has provided me with an escape from reality, a way to learn and grow, and a way to connect with others.

I choose this topic just think that it could help someone find the trigger to start reading more. It may seem daunting at first, but trust me, it's worth it. Books have the power to transport you to another world, to teach you new things, and to inspire you in ways you never thought possible.

Make a commitment to read more and discover the amazing world that books have to offer.

As an “operation-of-everything”, my daily routine when I come to the office is opening the last 6 tabs, checking about 40 notis just from the end of yesterday, replying to 18 unread messages while having breakfast and talking with colleagues. That’s the way I usually start a day at Base (my last company which provide SaaS Solution in Vietnam market for 8k+ customers) in the past 4 years.

You can see that these are all simple tasks that can be completed in autopilot mode within 5 to 10 minutes. Although I also have other problems to solve that require deep thinking throughout the day, I think that 30% to 50% of my time is usually spent on “autopilot-work”.

This type of work is necessary and appropriate for a Deputy Director of Operation in a fast-growth SaaS company because there are many urgent but not-so-important tasks to be done, and things need to be organized.

However, when I moved to True (my current company with SaaS products targeting English speaking markets founded by Base’s founders), I came to office and realized there were no notis, no messages, no tabs that need to be opened. A question popped up in my mind, “What will I do today?”.

To be honest, it’s challenging to make a move when you don’t have customers yet, your product is still being built, your customer ideal profile is still undefined. So in the end, what will a Revenue Operations do when there is not any Revenue yet?

But on the other hand, to me, every coin has 2 sides. This time is a priceless opportunity to come back to the starting line, to unlearn everything you have learned and come back with double strength.

So I started “Unlearn & Relearn” process with 2 pillars I usually tell my members:

#1: Sharpen your strength

One of the most recognizable trait of me in my company is the “logic” Tracy, with the routine of asking questions “Why?”, “For what?” & “Wait a second, what if…?”. I have been practicing this since I was in school, but as it became a routine, I found it challenging to train other people, especially my team members.

So I decided to relearn the skill of Problem Solving, especially after reading the book “Bulletproof Problem Solving: The One Skill That Changes Everything”.

Here's how I unlearn and relearn:

• Clear my mind and receive all the knowledge as a fresher

• Immediately practice new way approach with one old & one new problem (real business problems)

• Adjust & customize the knowledge to make it become “Tracy’s way”

• Last but not least, turn it into a training session so you have to package all the knowledge and transfer to others

  (You can find the slide I made to this Problem Solving Lesson here or you can find an example of this frame when apply to build the Training Session)

Just a simple approach with a foolish question, I have a deeper understanding of everything I have done well and everything that can be improved.

#2: Strengthen your weakness

In the 19th century, the German scientist Justus von Liebig formulated the “Law of the Minimum,” which states that if one of the essential plant nutrients is deficient, plant growth will be poor even when all other essential nutrients are abundant.

I like this law when applied to the business field because it reminds us that we will be limited by our weakest competencies. So I asked myself, “What is one thing that I am not good or that I know is important but always fear to do?”

The answer came across my mind: Writing.

To me, writing isn't just about the moment you write or type something. t’s a process of thinking, structuring, self-debating, analyzing, synthesizing and a little bravery to speak out, even if you fear raising your voice when you know you have some influence in your close community.

So what did I do to strengthen my weakness? Simple by: “Just do it".

I bought the domain “tracy101.com”, created a Substack Account and just started writing about any topic that came to mind. I know that my first blog might not be good enough or quite long for just getting some small ideas, but one thing that I do want you to know when you have read till this line: We can start facing everything by 3 words: Just do it.

Today I came to office, there were some first notis, first messages, first emails and still a ton of things to do to make True a global company with world-class products.

But a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Just believe in progress and make it better every day.

Good luck to all of us, lifelong learners!

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