What if success in Revenue Operations isn’t just about hitting your numbers but changing the entire way your company thinks about them?
When spreadsheets and pipelines surround us, it’s easy to forget the bigger picture: impact, strategy, and real operational transformation. But for Adam Cornwell, VP of Revenue Operations at Health Catalyst, data is the engine that powers more purpose-driven sales organizations.
In this episode of the Go-To-Market with Dr. Amy Cook podcast, Adam shares the behind-the-scenes story of how his team tackled a massive CRM overhaul not just by making changes but by measuring them. The result? A 40% improvement in sales rep satisfaction and a compelling case for data-driven decision-making inside the RevOps function itself.
From revamping tech tools to navigating complex acquisitions, Adam opens up about the unique challenges and opportunities RevOps leaders face in healthcare today. It’s a compelling conversation about purpose, strategy, and why revenue operations deserve a seat at the executive table.
Here are some interview highlights:
Amy: How do you feel about focusing on the operations side when you have been in sales for years?
Adam: The reason I moved to this role was to gain a more holistic view of the entire revenue engine.
Sales is not just a job for the sales team. Sales is a company’s mission, and it takes sales, marketing, customer success, and operations working together to drive sales and growth within an organization.
Having spent so long on the sales side of things, I understood that there was a need for an operational aspect or experience if one were to become a more well-rounded leader and a valuable asset to an organization. You need to ask, what benefit can I bring to my company? What experiences can I bring that will be beneficial to the executive leadership team, and from a sales and marketing standpoint and customer success?
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I’m looking at this from a sales-first perspective. I’ve been in their shoes. I’ve gone through deals. I want to figure out how we can transform sales operations and become more of a revenue driver for the company, not just a support aspect, but to say, what value can we bring to the sales team, and what tools can we present to them that allow them to be more successful in the field?
When I think about transforming sales operations, it’s about driving revenue and offering support. What tools, processes, or strategies can we bring to the table that make the sales team more effective out in the field? Because let’s be honest, I’ve been guilty of this too—when a new tool or process is rolled out, the first question in every rep’s mind is: How does this help me hit my number? Too often, the answer is, “Well, we need this for reporting,” or “We’re just checking a box,” instead of actually solving a problem or saving time for the team in the field.
Amy: What has been your approach to optimizing CRM to support your sales team?
Adam: Like many systems, it started with the best intentions. However, over the years, it became cluttered, confusing, and difficult to use. So we stepped back and spent six months auditing everything: fields, workflows, screens. We cleaned it up, reorganized it, and made the most critical info front and center for sales reps.
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We didn’t stop there. Before the changes, we surveyed our reps and asked about their overall satisfaction with the CRM. The average score? A four out of ten. After the updates went live, we gave them a few weeks and then sent out the same survey. We saw a 40% improvement in satisfaction.
Is it perfect? No. But now we have a tangible result—a data point—to say: Here’s what we changed. Here’s how it impacted the team.
That’s the mindset I bring to RevOps. If we want to build a data-driven company, we as an ops team have to lead by example. Everything we do should be measurable. I don’t want just to feel like we’re making a difference—I want the data to prove it.
Listen to the complete interview here.
