Podcast
April 25, 2025
Episode 38: Perfecting Team Handoffs
Learn how to fix broken handoffs between sales, marketing, and CS with actionable RevOps strategies that drive alignment, efficiency, and retention.
In this episode of the RevOpsAF podcast, co-host Camela Thompson is joined by Chris Skalicky, VP of Revenue Operations at Growth Therapy. A former AE turned operator, Chris shares his journey from frontline seller to process-obsessed operator - and why team handoffs have become his favorite place to make fast, measurable improvements.
Together, Camela and Chris unpack one of the most critical (and most overlooked) aspects of the revenue engine: how go-to-market teams pass the baton. Whether it's marketing to sales, sales to onboarding, or onboarding to CS, the handoff moment is where friction multiplies, expectations collapse, and customer experience often takes a nosedive.
If you're in RevOps and looking for high-impact projects that prove your value fast, this one’s for you.
Ask any RevOps leader where to find their first quick win, and they’ll probably say: team handoffs. Why? Because this is where so many companies drop the ball - often without realizing it. Chris makes a strong case for starting here if you're new to an organization or trying to gain internal trust.
"Handoffs are the easiest place for us to make a high impact in a low amount of time." – Chris Skalicky
Poor handoffs don’t just frustrate internal teams - they confuse and disappoint customers. Whether it's unclear lead qualification criteria or a broken sales-to-CS transition, these small gaps create downstream problems. Chris shares how even light process mapping and alignment can dramatically reduce friction across functions.
Looking to go deeper? Read: Managing the Sales to Customer Success Handoff
Too often, go-to-market teams are swimming in different directions, chasing misaligned KPIs. Marketing is optimizing for MQLs, sales is laser-focused on closed-won, and CS is scrambling to retain accounts they never should’ve received in the first place. Chris and Camela unpack how this KPI misalignment fuels broken handoffs - and how RevOps can be the bridge.
"What behaviors are we curating through our incentives? If you incentivize lead volume, that’s what you’ll get - even if they’re bad fits." – Chris Skalicky
They explore the concept of shared KPIs - like meetings completed or net revenue retention - as a powerful unifier across marketing, sales, and CS. By tying each team’s performance to a common customer outcome, you reduce conflict and increase collaboration.
Want more alignment strategies? Check out: Aligning Marketing & Sales: Is It Even Possible?
This is where most companies struggle. The deal is signed, but the onboarding team is left scrambling with limited context, vague expectations, and zero documentation of what was promised. Chris calls this the most painful handoff in the revenue funnel - and one of the biggest levers for improving customer experience and retention.
“Implementation work is never fun, but if you remind customers why they bought in the first place, they’ll push through it.” – Chris Skalicky
Key fixes include: ensuring discovery notes and context travel with the account, aligning sales and onboarding on acceptable customer profiles, and making sure the implementation team has access to the “why” behind each deal. This creates a consistent experience and keeps the customer focused on the outcome—not just the tasks.
Explore more ideas in: Managing the Sales to Customer Success Handoff
Most companies define their ideal customer profile once, early on, and never revisit it. But as Chris points out, your product evolves, your go-to-market motion matures, and your team learns a lot along the way. If you haven’t reevaluated your ICP recently, chances are you’re targeting the wrong accounts - or the right ones with the wrong message.
“Everything in business is a hypothesis. So you’ve got to test and revisit your ICP regularly.” – Chris Skalicky
Chris urges RevOps leaders to proactively revisit ICP assumptions and incorporate win-loss analysis, customer success feedback, and retention data. That way, teams are focused on attracting and closing the right kinds of customers—not just those who show interest.
Need help refreshing your ICP? Read: 5 Ways to Help Marketers Do More With Less
This episode also offers a masterclass in RevOps leadership philosophy. Chris emphasizes that RevOps isn’t just about cleaning up CRM fields or building dashboards - it’s about diagnosing real business friction, facilitating cross-team alignment, and building systems that scale.
“We should be hyper-focused on finding solutions. Anyone can complain. It’s our job to take ownership and drive change.” – Chris Skalicky
By serving as the connective tissue between functions, RevOps can identify the root cause of recurring issues, bring people to the table, and implement process changes that actually stick. If you're looking to move from being seen as a tactical executor to a strategic advisor, this segment is gold.
Explore this theme further in our webinar: How to Move from a Supporting to Strategic Role as a RevOps Pro
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