Episode 46: AI and Agents: A New Era for Revenue Operations

This week, co-host Matthew Volm chats with Stephen Messer, serial entrepreneur and Co-Founder of Collective[i], about one of the most disruptive forces reshaping RevOps today: artificial intelligence.

With a career that spans building the world’s largest affiliate network (LinkShare), launching a satellite company (Spire), and now pioneering economic neural networks with Collective[i], Stephen brings decades of experience with frontier tech. In this conversation, he challenges nearly every foundational assumption in RevOps - starting with the CRM - and makes a compelling case for why AI-first thinking isn’t optional. It’s survival.

Goodbye to the Stack: Why Your Tech Tower Is Crumbling

“There is no stack when it comes to AI. That goes away. AI eviscerates all stack.” — Stephen Messer

For years, RevOps leaders have built their tech stacks around the CRM. Add a data warehouse here, a sales engagement tool there, some integrations in between - and voilà! You’ve got a revenue engine. But Stephen argues that model is now outdated and actively working against you.

Today’s so-called “intelligent” tools operate on fragmented, limited datasets. Each tool claims to use machine learning or AI, but only within its narrow silo of information. The result? A house of cards built on worm-level intelligence.

Messer likens this to a self-driving car with independent sensors that don’t communicate: “You would not want to be in that car.” Instead, he says, “AI requires all the data flowing into a single brain - a collective intelligence that learns holistically and optimizes globally.”

If you’re currently evaluating a new CRM, then check out our blog post Looking for a new CRM? Start Here, which urges reconsidering how you choose tools - not just what they are.

The End of Workflow as You Know It

“Workflows were built to make your worst person average. AI is built to make your average person exceptional.” — Stephen Messer

Traditional RevOps relies on rigid workflows to ensure process compliance and reduce variance. But according to Stephen, these systems don’t just constrain creativity - they also sabotage data accuracy.

Why? Because workflows artificially flatten the real world. They force reps to follow step-by-step processes that simplify behavior in order to make it easier to manage. But AI thrives on nuance and variety - those "messy" moments are where real insights live.

Instead of guiding reps through click-heavy sequences, AI enables real-time conversations and dynamic guidance. That’s a fundamental shift from process compliance to outcome optimization.

“In the AI world, it’s about optimization to your customer’s needs - not rigid internal workflows.” – Stephen Messer

For more on minimizing rigid processes and maximizing data insights, see our post A Case for Automation: GTM Document Management, which explores automation that frees sellers from admin burdens.

Forecasting Without People? Yup, It’s Here.

“Imagine a forecasting process with no people.” — Stephen Messer

We know, it sounds blasphemous. But Collective[i] customers are doing it today.

Stephen explains how their customers use AI to generate real-time forecasts without relying on rep input, manager rollups, or that dreaded Friday forecast call. Instead, the system ingests signals across communication platforms - email, calendar, call notes, and even relationship graphs - and continuously recalibrates expected deal outcomes.

“Polling people doesn’t work. It hasn’t worked since Dewey beat Truman.” — Stephen Messer

Rather than asking reps for subjective updates, you let the system analyze verifiable activity data and make unbiased projections. And the best part? You get it daily. No more once-a-week black-box forecasts.

That aligns directly with insights from our post 5 Steps to Better Forecasting in Salesforce, which emphasizes aligning rep-level activity with business outcomes.

Don’t Layer AI - Build From It

“AI isn’t something you sprinkle on top. It’s the foundation.” — Stephen Messer

Most RevOps teams treat AI like a plugin - just another box to check. But Stephen says that approach misses the point. True AI-first platforms like Collective[i] aren’t just another dashboard—they replace entire categories of software.

He gives the example of contact data: “If we already track your interactions across thousands of sellers, why would you need to buy a data provider?” Their system updates contacts, job titles, and relationships in real time based on verified interactions - not outdated scraped profiles.

Stephen also talks about relationship graphs based on communication signals (not follower counts), AI-surfaced deal odds, and cross-functional visibility that lets everyone - from legal to sales engineering - see where and when to engage.

The outcome? A dynamic, responsive system that reduces your stack complexity while increasing adaptability.

We cover a similar mindset shift in Moving to a New Company With a Different CRM, where we discuss building systems that are flexible, integrated, and future‑ready.

Becoming the Driver of the AI Stack

“AI is the biggest opportunity RevOps has ever had to lead.” — Stephen Messer

According to Stephen, RevOps is uniquely positioned to become the most strategic team in the company - if they take the reins.

“In the CRM era, RevOps was the Soviet General with a chest full of medals - each one from a painful implementation. But now, hard work doesn’t equal good. Smarts do.”

He encourages RevOps pros to reframe their role from system stewards to intelligence architects. This means:

• Removing tools that limit flexibility
• Switching from forecasting meetings to daily automated intelligence
• Freeing reps to spend more time with customers
• And critically owning the architecture of the go-to-market brain.

As AI continues to infiltrate every other department (engineering already uses Cursor, marketing uses AI content generation), sales and RevOps can’t afford to be late to the party.

For those mapping a more strategic RevOps path, check out Be More Strategic: The Key to Growth in RevOps, which guides operators on connecting daily output to business impact.

Where to Start: Tactical First Steps for RevOps Leaders

“Every company using deep learning starts by contributing their data to the model. If your vendor isn’t asking for that, it’s not AI. It’s marketing.” — Stephen Messer

So what can you do today?

Here are Stephen’s recommended starting points:

• Automate activity capture: Humans should never have to log CRM activity again.
• Eliminate manual forecasting: Let models analyze what’s really happening.
• Explore free tools like Intelligence.com to start building comfort with AI-native workflows.
• Talk to your engineering team: They’re probably 2 years ahead of your GTM org. Ask how they’re using tools like Cursor and Hagen for AI-native work.
• Join forward-thinking communities like ciforecast.com to hear from AI pioneers like Yann LeCun and Mark Pincus.

Final Thoughts: Community as a Catalyst

In true RevOpsAF fashion, Matt closes the episode with a classic question: What would Stephen’s walk-up song be if he were delivering the opening keynote at RevOpsAF?

Stephen’s pick? “We Are Family” by Sister Sledge.

Why?

“Because we succeed together. The more people who join the network, the better it gets. That’s the power of community - and that’s what Collective[i] is built on.”

And we couldn’t agree more.

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