How Top Performers Handle Objections 80% Earlier—And Win More Deals with Hervé Timsit
April 3, 2025
In this episode of Revenue Insights, host Guy Rubin, CEO of Ebsta, sits down with Hervé Timsit, Chief Revenue Officer at EDB, to explore the evolving landscape of enterprise software sales. Hervé shares insights on leading global sales teams, implementing data-driven strategies, and the critical role of the MEDDIC methodology in modern sales processes. He also discusses how AI and analytics are reshaping sales qualification, customer engagement, and revenue optimization. With over 17 years of experience in enterprise software, Hervé provides actionable takeaways for sales leaders looking to scale their teams and drive growth in an increasingly competitive market.
In this episode of Revenue Insights, host Guy Rubin, CEO of Ebsta, sits down with Hervé Timsit, Chief Revenue Officer at EDB, to explore the evolving landscape of enterprise software sales. With over 17 years of experience, Hervé shares insights on leading global sales teams, implementing data-driven strategies, and the critical role of the MEDDIC methodology in modern sales processes. He discusses how AI and analytics are reshaping sales qualification, customer engagement, and revenue optimization, offering practical strategies for sales leaders navigating today’s complex B2B environment.
From managing customer relationships in the subscription economy to aligning sales, marketing, and customer success teams around shared value drivers, Hervé provides a comprehensive look at what it takes to scale revenue operations effectively. He highlights the importance of early finance stakeholder engagement, the role of first-line sales managers in driving performance, and why systematic sales qualification is more crucial than ever. Tune in for expert insights on transforming sales strategies and achieving sustainable growth.
- Hervé Timsit on LinkedIn
- EDB website
- Guy Rubin on LinkedIn
- Ebsta Revenue Insights Newsletter
Time Stamps:
- [00:00] Intro & Career Journey into Tech Sales
- [03:17] From Entrepreneur to Corporate Leadership
- [08:18] Managing a 250-Person Revenue Team at EDB
- [10:38] The Evolution of Software Sales & Subscription Models
- [15:30] Data-Driven Leadership: Metrics that Matter
- [22:30] Implementing MEDDIC: A Step-by-Step Approach
- [30:44] Essential Tech Stack for Revenue Operations
- [37:02] The Future of RevOps and Digital Transformation
- [40:27] Key Takeaways & Closing Thoughts
Highlights:
The Subscription Renewal Revolution
Hervé Timsit reveals how customer renewal behavior has fundamentally changed in the last 5 years, with purchasing offices now scrutinizing every subscription renewal. This shift requires sellers to effectively "resell" their solution annually rather than relying on automatic renewals. Organizations must engage with customers long before renewal time, as decisions are typically made 6 months in advance. Data analytics help identify early warning signs and prioritize which accounts need immediate attention. The most successful teams maintain C-suite relationships throughout the customer lifecycle, with executive-level QBRs leading to 7x higher cross-sell/upsell rates.
Hervé Timsit reveals how customer renewal behavior has fundamentally changed in the last 5 years, with purchasing offices now scrutinizing every subscription renewal. This shift requires sellers to effectively "resell" their solution annually rather than relying on automatic renewals. Organizations must engage with customers long before renewal time, as decisions are typically made 6 months in advance. Data analytics help identify early warning signs and prioritize which accounts need immediate attention. The most successful teams maintain C-suite relationships throughout the customer lifecycle, with executive-level QBRs leading to 7x higher cross-sell/upsell rates.
Data-Driven Revenue Leadership
Timsit spends 60-90 minutes daily analyzing real-time data across pipeline, engagement, renewals, and activity metrics using custom SQL queries. This data-driven approach allows leaders to have more informed conversations with their teams by connecting "gut feel" with concrete metrics. The focus spans both leading indicators like activity quality and pipeline velocity, as well as performance metrics across demand generation and outbound prospecting. Field time with customers provides crucial context to validate what the data suggests about customer health and team performance.
Timsit spends 60-90 minutes daily analyzing real-time data across pipeline, engagement, renewals, and activity metrics using custom SQL queries. This data-driven approach allows leaders to have more informed conversations with their teams by connecting "gut feel" with concrete metrics. The focus spans both leading indicators like activity quality and pipeline velocity, as well as performance metrics across demand generation and outbound prospecting. Field time with customers provides crucial context to validate what the data suggests about customer health and team performance.
Implementing MEDDIC at Scale
Rather than rolling out MEDDIC all at once, Timsit recommends introducing one component per quarter, starting with pain identification as the foundation. The methodology must become second nature during customer interactions, not just theoretical knowledge reviewed after meetings. Success requires alignment across sales, sales engineering, customer success and renewals teams to ensure consistent qualification language. The approach helps teams identify and focus on winnable deals earlier while eliminating resources spent on opportunities unlikely to close.
Rather than rolling out MEDDIC all at once, Timsit recommends introducing one component per quarter, starting with pain identification as the foundation. The methodology must become second nature during customer interactions, not just theoretical knowledge reviewed after meetings. Success requires alignment across sales, sales engineering, customer success and renewals teams to ensure consistent qualification language. The approach helps teams identify and focus on winnable deals earlier while eliminating resources spent on opportunities unlikely to close.
The Evolution of RevOps
The modern RevOps function has evolved beyond traditional sales operations to become a strategic driver of revenue optimization. A successful RevOps team focuses on seamlessly instrumenting processes to maximize customer face time while providing crucial insights on pricing, upsell strategies and new logo acquisition. The VP of RevOps should operate as a peer to Sales, Marketing and Success leadership with the gravitas to drive organizational change. Data visualization and clear business impact metrics are essential for gaining executive buy-in on RevOps initiatives.
The modern RevOps function has evolved beyond traditional sales operations to become a strategic driver of revenue optimization. A successful RevOps team focuses on seamlessly instrumenting processes to maximize customer face time while providing crucial insights on pricing, upsell strategies and new logo acquisition. The VP of RevOps should operate as a peer to Sales, Marketing and Success leadership with the gravitas to drive organizational change. Data visualization and clear business impact metrics are essential for gaining executive buy-in on RevOps initiatives.
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