Kathleen Booth, SVP of Marketing & Growth at Pavilion, brings firsthand insights from thousands of GTM leaders inside Pavilion's private community.
And she’s hearing what we’re all feeling:
“We know things are changing... and yet we are largely failing to keep up with it. Only 13% of a CRO’s week is spent on long-range planning. The rest is firefighting. It’s a recipe for real disaster.”
The solution? Agility is no longer optional.
In this episode of Move The Needle, Kathleen breaks down what agility actually looks like for GTM teams, drawing on both research and real-world examples.
Stop Overcommitting to the Annual Plan
Kathleen points to data from Gartner that reveals two-thirds of sales orgs revise their strategy more than twice per year, but the majority struggle to execute those pivots effectively.
The annual plan often becomes a crutch, creating false certainty. Instead, she advocates for dynamic planning. This can look like:
- Embracing shorter planning cycles
- Planning for volatility, not stability
- Allocating more time to strategic thinking
- Reducing approval layers that slow teams down
- Using data to trigger responsive action
Re-Architect Your Org for Speed
An interesting trend that Kathleen highlights is the resurgence of full-cycle selling. Rather than splitting roles into SDR, AE, and CS silos, many high-growth companies are empowering a single rep to own the full revenue cycle.
The results are telling: Kathleen says organizations practicing this kind of radical role simplification... are actually 4.5x likelier to hit their growth targets.
Why it works:
- Fewer handoffs = fewer delays
- More ownership = more accountability
- Less complexity = more flexibility
Use Data Signals to Drive Change
Kathleen stresses that reactive teams get stuck firefighting because they rely too much on lagging indicators like revenue. High-performing GTM teams are looking upstream.
She recommends monitoring dynamic metrics in real time:
- Pipeline velocity and leak rate
- Conversion rates (by ICP and stage)
- Sales cycle length
- Frequency of pricing objections (via call recordings)
- Intent and engagement signals from buyers
“If you have a good data collection and analysis system, it can provide some early signals that change is coming... and help justify pivots we're feeling.”
The ability to translate metrics into business impact matters, too – and is what Kathleen says wins over boards and CFOs.
“It's not enough to just have the data and understand the metrics. The piece that really separates great leaders... is your ability to tell a story with the data.”
Build a Culture That Welcomes Change
Even the best strategy can’t succeed in an environment that throttles change. Kathleen encourages leaders to:
- Audit who on their team is change-resistant vs adaptable
- Eliminate excess approval layers that slow execution
- Normalize agility through OKRs, retros, and transparent planning
“The more you can get your data dialed in and make it transparent, share it with the team, the more you're going to be able to develop buy-in.”
Culture is what makes all the tactical shifts above actually stick.
Kathleen’s final takeaway?
“Every time there’s massive change, there’s massive opportunity. The companies that double down on growth in times like these will emerge the strongest.”
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