The RevOps/SalesOps Demand Wave

The RevOps/SalesOps Demand Wave: Peaks of Chaos, Valleys of Waste

Revenue Operations and Sales Operations were supposed to streamline growth. But in many SMBs, they’ve become a case study in underutilized talent and wasted payroll.

The Demand Wave Problem

Here’s the reality most leaders won’t say out loud:

• When a product launches, Ops teams scramble to build reports, restructure territories, update Salesforce, and brief Sales.

• When comp plans change, they’re buried in spreadsheets and dashboards.

• When processes shift, they’re knee-deep in workflows and automations.

But between those peaks?

• Reporting runs itself.

• Dashboards refresh automatically.

• Analysts wait for the next big disruption.

SMBs end up paying six figures for talent that only operates at full throttle a few times a year. The rest of the time, they’re stuck justifying their existence with marginal “projects.”

The Bloat in SMBs

This leads to:

• Idle capacity – Ops staff with no real work outside launch cycles.

• Artificial complexity – busywork created to fill the gaps.

• Budget drain – money tied up in overhead instead of customer-facing growth.

In an enterprise with $100M+ ARR, maybe that’s tolerable. For a 25-rep SMB, it’s unsustainable.

The Fractional Fix

This is exactly where fractional RevOps and Sales Ops shine.

• Elastic support – Ops resources flex up during launches, restructures, and comp changes.

• Idle time eliminated – You only pay for what you need, when you need it.

• Senior expertise on-demand – Without carrying the weight of full-time salaries.

Fractional Ops is the antidote to the demand wave. Instead of letting expensive staff idle between projects, SMBs can scale Ops resources to match actual need.

The Way Forward

SMBs don’t need Ops people staring at dashboards half the year. They need Ops muscle when it counts — and lean costs when it doesn’t.

Fractional RevOps and Sales Ops is the right-sized solution:

• Keeps headcount lean

• Aligns spend to actual demand

• Brings top-tier expertise during the peaks without waste in the valleys

Ops should sharpen the spear in the moment of battle — not drain the war chest while waiting for the next fight.