A day in the life of a CRO
A Chief Revenue Officer must navigate a complex set of responsibilities, including driving revenue growth while ensuring customer retention, building a strong, productive team, and managing a diverse set of stakeholders, all within a strict budget.
We spoke with Jason Andrew, CRO of cyber security firm Trellix, to discover what this means in practice.
Jason Andrew’s path to CRO
Jason's journey to becoming a CRO is not the conventional sales executive trajectory. Starting as a software engineer in his native New Zealand, his early career saw him move through various roles in marketing, enablement, and research and development (R&D) before turning towards sales after crossing paths with the industry titan John McMahon.
After several moves, Jason joined BMC, where he served as the first CRO for 17 years. He led the unification of several divisions into one cohesive sales force, and his leadership was instrumental in transforming BMC’s approach to revenue generation.
Today, Jason is the CRO at Trellix, a cybersecurity company, where he oversees a global team of 810 people. His role focuses on driving growth by aligning the sales, pre-sales, and revenue operations teams. At Trellix, Jason is dedicated primarily to preventing customer churn and increasing cross-selling opportunities, whilst also building net new logos. His journey highlights the combination of technical and sales skills needed to succeed in the modern CRO role.
Challenges of a modern CRO
The role of a CRO, especially in a technology company, is filled with unique challenges.
- Balancing short-term results with long-term growth
CROs are constantly under pressure to deliver results while building sustainable, long-term growth.
Investors and boards often prioritise quarterly numbers, pushing CROs to hit revenue targets in the short term. This is particularly pronounced in a private equity (PE) -backed company, such as Trellix. Yet companies must also focus on innovation and building lasting customer relationships.
Navigating this balance is one of the key challenges CROs like Jason face.
- Navigating rapid technological change
The tech industry is characterised by its rapid pace of change, with new technologies like AI, machine learning, and cybersecurity advancements constantly shifting the competitive landscape.
CROs must stay ahead of these trends to keep their offerings relevant and leverage new sales tools to improve their teams' productivity. Productivity is key.
-
Managing customer expectations in a digital-first world
In a digital-first world, traditional sales processes are disrupted, making it crucial for CROs to ensure their teams can effectively engage customers across digital platforms.
CROs must prioritise tools and strategies that not only help sales teams acquire new customers but also ensure existing ones remain satisfied and loyal—especially in subscription-based business models where churn can undermine long-term success.
- Data-driven decision-making
CROs have more data at their disposal than ever before. While this can be an advantage, this data must be actionable and aligned with company goals.
For example, CROs like Jason must ensure their teams use the right tools for pipeline management, forecasting, and customer segmentation.
Clean, reliable data helps CROs make informed decisions that directly impact revenue, but without proper alignment and interpretation, data can lead to missed opportunities.
- Building and retaining talent
In a competitive environment, attracting and retaining top sales talent is a big challenge for CROs.
Jason, for instance, spends considerable time mentoring young salespeople and first-line managers, ensuring they are equipped with the skills they need to succeed. CROs must create a culture of learning and development to ensure their teams remain agile and adaptable in the fast-paced tech landscape.
How vendors can get into a CRO’s diary
Getting into the diary of a CRO like Jason Andrew is no small feat, given the volume of pitches and requests CROs receive daily. However, there are several strategies that vendors can use to stand out:
1. Personalise the message
CROs are inundated with cold emails which are generic and poorly targeted.
Jason pays attention to messages that show a deep understanding of his business. A personalised message that addresses specific challenges or opportunities relevant to his company will get his attention. A mass-marketed, generic pitch will not.
As Jason says, “If I start reading the text and it’s not thought through, I have to fight the urge to respond with, ‘What were you thinking when you wrote this?’”
2. Offer value upfront
CROs appreciate vendors providing value from the first interaction.
Whether sharing specific data, case studies, or insights that align with the CRO’s priorities, this approach can immediately set a vendor apart.
Jason recalls a time when a vendor shared relevant data so specific to Trellix’s business that he incorporated the graphs into his own internal presentations.
3. Speak the CRO’s language
For CROs, language matters.
Vendors must know key metrics like ARR (Annual Recurring Revenue), ACV (Annual Contract Value), and churn rates. If a vendor can explain their solution in terms of growth, retention, or productivity—metrics CROs deal with daily—they are far more likely to secure a meeting.
4. Build trust with the right gatekeepers
CROs often rely on their revenue operations (RevOps) teams to vet vendors before engaging with them.
Jason refers to his RevOps lead as his “deal Champion,” who will recommend whether or not something is worth his time. Vendors should aim to build trust with these gatekeepers by proving the value of their solution and aligning it with the company’s needs.
5. Don’t waste time
Once a meeting is secured, make the most of it.
Jason, like all CROs, has little patience for time-wasting or generic corporate pitches. Have a clear agenda, demonstrate an understanding of the business, and offer tangible solutions to specific challenges if you want to succeed in a meeting with a CRO.
How a CRO’s buying decisions differ from a CIO’s
You might be wondering about the differences between the CRO and the CIO when it comes to buying decisions. While CROs and CIOs are key decision-makers, their focus and decision criteria differ significantly. CROs prioritise tools and technologies that directly impact revenue growth, customer engagement, and sales productivity.
In contrast, CIOs are responsible for the company’s overall IT infrastructure and data security. Their buying decisions focus on scalability, integration, and security.
Both roles, however, must collaborate to ensure the technology stack supports the company’s overall strategy.
Conclusion
Jason Andrew’s journey from software engineer to CRO is a testament to the diverse skills required in modern sales leadership. Today’s tech CROs, like Jason, face a multitude of challenges and for vendors hoping to engage with a CRO, the key is personalisation, value-driven insights, and a deep understanding of the CRO’s priorities.
This blog is part of a series exploring the roles and challenges faced by the C-Suite executives so vendors can discover how to secure that all-important meeting. Each blog is accompanied by a webinar and a cheat-sheet, available to inspir'em sales and leader members. Log in to listen to these webinars today
Are you already an inspir’em member? You can log in here to take advantage of this and your digital learning resources, and to pose questions to our coaches in the growing online community.
Not an inspir’em member? You can look at what inspir’em membership can do to accelerate your sales process.
