The Questions Sales Leaders Ask That Waste RevOps Time

Why Some Questions Waste RevOps Time

Most sales leaders ask questions that waste RevOps time. They ask for ad hoc requests, fire drills, last-minute forecasts — but they don't ask for systems that solve problems proactively.

The problem is:

• Ad hoc requests — One-off requests that don't scale
• Fire drills — Urgent requests that create churn
• Last-minute forecasts — Forecast requests that waste time
• Reactive questions — Questions that describe problems, don't solve them

Here are the questions sales leaders ask that waste RevOps time — why they waste time, what they create, and what to ask instead.

1. "Can You Pull a Report?"

Why it wastes time: "Can you pull a report?" is a one-off request. It requires manual pulling, manual analysis, manual delivery. It doesn't scale.

What it creates:

• One-off work — Each report is one-off work
• Manual effort — Reports require manual effort
• No leverage — Reports don't create leverage
• Wasted capacity — RevOps capacity is wasted on one-off work

What to ask instead: "Can you build a system that automatically surfaces this information so we don't have to ask for reports?"

Why it's better: Systems create leverage. Reports create one-off work. Systems scale. Reports don't.

2. "Can You Get Me This Data?"

Why it wastes time: "Can you get me this data?" is a reactive request. It asks for data after problems occur, not before. It describes problems, doesn't solve them.

What it creates:

• Reactive behavior — RevOps reacts to requests
• Problem description — Data describes problems, doesn't solve them
• No prevention — Data doesn't prevent problems
• Wasted capacity — RevOps capacity is wasted on reactive work

What to ask instead: "Can you build a system that surfaces this data automatically so we can see it before problems occur?"

Why it's better: Proactive systems prevent problems. Reactive data describes problems. Proactive systems scale. Reactive data doesn't.

3. "Can You Tell Me What's Happening?"

Why it wastes time: "Can you tell me what's happening?" is a vague request. It requires RevOps to interpret data, analyze trends, and provide insights — work that leaders should do themselves.

What it creates:

• Vague requests — Requests that are unclear
• Interpretation work — RevOps interprets data for leaders
• No ownership — Leaders don't own data interpretation
• Wasted capacity — RevOps capacity is wasted on interpretation work

What to ask instead: "Can you build a system that makes this information visible so I can see what's happening myself?"

Why it's better: Systems make information visible. Interpretation is leader work. Systems scale. Interpretation doesn't.

4. "Can You Fix This Forecast?"

Why it wastes time: "Can you fix this forecast?" is a fire drill. It's urgent, reactive, and doesn't solve the structural problem. It fixes symptoms, not causes.

What it creates:

• Fire drills — Urgent requests that create churn
• Symptom fixing — Fixes symptoms, not causes
• No prevention — Doesn't prevent forecast problems
• Wasted capacity — RevOps capacity is wasted on fire drills

What to ask instead: "Can you build a system that prevents forecast problems so we don't have to fix forecasts?"

Why it's better: Systems prevent problems. Fire drills fix symptoms. Systems scale. Fire drills don't.

5. "Can You Clean Up This Data?"

Why it wastes time: "Can you clean up this data?" is manual work. It requires manual data cleanup, manual data correction, manual data maintenance. It doesn't scale.

What it creates:

• Manual work — Data cleanup is manual work
• No automation — Data cleanup isn't automated
• No prevention — Doesn't prevent data quality problems
• Wasted capacity — RevOps capacity is wasted on manual work

What to ask instead: "Can you build a system that prevents data quality problems so we don't have to clean up data?"

Why it's better: Systems prevent problems. Manual cleanup fixes symptoms. Systems scale. Manual cleanup doesn't.

6. "Can You Build This One-Off Report?"

Why it wastes time: "Can you build this one-off report?" is one-off work. It requires building a report that will be used once, not building a system that will be used continuously.

What it creates:

• One-off work — Reports that are used once
• No leverage — Reports don't create leverage
• No scaling — Reports don't scale
• Wasted capacity — RevOps capacity is wasted on one-off work

What to ask instead: "Can you build a system that surfaces this information continuously so we don't need one-off reports?"

Why it's better: Systems work continuously. One-off reports work once. Systems scale. One-off reports don't.

7. "Can You Do This Last-Minute Request?"

Why it wastes time: "Can you do this last-minute request?" is a fire drill. It's urgent, reactive, and disrupts RevOps work. It creates churn.

What it creates:

• Fire drills — Urgent requests that create churn
• Work disruption — Disrupts RevOps work
• No planning — No planning, just reactive work
• Wasted capacity — RevOps capacity is wasted on fire drills

What to ask instead: "Can you build a system that makes this information available proactively so we don't need last-minute requests?"

Why it's better: Systems work proactively. Last-minute requests are reactive. Systems scale. Last-minute requests don't.

How Better Questions Lead to Better Systems

1. Ask for Systems, Not Reports

What it means: Ask for systems that surface information automatically, not reports that require manual pulling.

Bad question: "Can you pull a report?"

Good question: "Can you build a system that automatically surfaces this information?"

Why it's better: Systems create leverage. Reports create one-off work. Systems scale. Reports don't.

2. Ask for Proactive Solutions, Not Reactive Information

What it means: Ask for solutions that prevent problems, not information that describes problems.

Bad question: "Can you tell me what's happening?"

Good question: "Can you build a system that surfaces this information proactively so we can prevent problems?"

Why it's better: Proactive solutions prevent problems. Reactive information describes problems. Proactive solutions scale. Reactive information doesn't.

3. Ask for Leverage, Not Outputs

What it means: Ask for leverage that multiplies impact, not outputs that provide information.

Bad question: "Can you get me this data?"

Good question: "Can you build a system that makes this data visible automatically so we don't have to ask for it?"

Why it's better: Leverage multiplies impact. Outputs provide information. Leverage scales. Outputs don't.

4. Ask for Continuous Solutions, Not One-Off Work

What it means: Ask for solutions that work continuously, not one-off work that provides information once.

Bad question: "Can you build this one-off report?"

Good question: "Can you build a system that surfaces this information continuously?"

Why it's better: Continuous solutions work over time. One-off work provides information once. Continuous solutions scale. One-off work doesn't.

5. Own Data Interpretation

What it means: Leaders should own data interpretation. They should interpret data, make decisions, and take action.

Bad question: "Can you tell me what this means?"

Good question: "Can you build a system that makes this information visible so I can interpret it myself?"

Why it's better: Leaders own decision-making. RevOps owns system design. Leaders interpret data. RevOps designs systems.

How ChatAE Prevents Wasted RevOps Time

ChatAE prevents wasted RevOps time by:

Maintaining account context continuously: ChatAE maintains account context continuously, making account information visible automatically. No need to ask for reports — account context is always visible.

Surfacing execution signals automatically: ChatAE surfaces execution signals automatically — account health, deal progression, execution gaps. No need to ask for data — execution signals are always visible.

Enabling proactive planning: ChatAE enables proactive account planning — planning that happens before execution, not after. No need to react — planning is proactive.

Providing leverage, not outputs: ChatAE provides leverage — systems that work continuously, not reports that provide information once. No need to ask for reports — systems work automatically.

The Bottom Line

Questions that waste RevOps time:

• "Can you pull a report?" — One-off work, no leverage
• "Can you get me this data?" — Reactive work, no prevention
• "Can you tell me what's happening?" — Vague requests, no ownership
• "Can you fix this forecast?" — Fire drills, no prevention
• "Can you clean up this data?" — Manual work, no automation
• "Can you build this one-off report?" — One-off work, no scaling
• "Can you do this last-minute request?" — Fire drills, no planning

What to ask instead:

• Ask for systems, not reports — Systems create leverage
• Ask for proactive solutions, not reactive information — Proactive solutions prevent problems
• Ask for leverage, not outputs — Leverage multiplies impact
• Ask for continuous solutions, not one-off work — Continuous solutions scale
• Own data interpretation — Leaders own decision-making

The challenge: Most sales leaders ask questions that waste RevOps time. They ask for reports, data, and one-off work — but they don't ask for systems that solve problems proactively.

The solution: Ask better questions. Ask for systems, not reports. Ask for proactive solutions, not reactive information. Ask for leverage, not outputs. Own data interpretation.

That's the questions sales leaders ask that waste RevOps time — and what to ask instead to lead to better systems.