For too long, revenue leadership has been a theatre of anecdotes. We romanticise closers, celebrate instinct, and rehash war stories about the “deal that changed the quarter.” But behind closed doors, most GTM leaders are flying blind and in fact, chasing outcomes without understanding the mechanics behind them. I’ve had the opportunity to lead and scale sales teams at some of the fastest-moving tech companies on the planet, Uber, Deliveroo, Tripadvisor, and launched fintech plays inside a B2B marketplace at Foodbomb. Across each chapter, one truth has crystallised: Uber Deliveroo Tripadvisor Foodbomb Revenue is not a story. It’s a system. Revenue is not a story. It’s a system. Revenue is not a story. It’s a system. And the fact of the matter is, most leaders don’t know how it works. From Intuition to Instrumentation From Intuition to Instrumentation The typical GTM leader operates like a pilot with no dashboard. They know altitude (revenue), but not throttle (effort), drag (skill gaps), or airspeed (deal velocity). So when things go off course, their answer is always the same: “Do more.” Do more More calls. More meetings. More pipeline. But “more” isn’t a lever. It’s a plea. What modern revenue leadership needs is a shift in mindset: from intuition to instrumentation. From activity for its own sake to systems that compound. That’s why I built a model I call GEAR. GEAR The GEAR Framework: Turning Revenue into a Precision Machine The GEAR Framework: Turning Revenue into a Precision Machine GEAR is not another coaching acronym. It’s a diagnostic system. A way to understand, debug, and accelerate your commercial engine. This framework forces clarity. It shows you where the system is breaking and more importantly, where to intervene first. Most Reps Don’t Have a Quota Problem. They Have a GEAR Jam. Most Reps Don’t Have a Quota Problem. They Have a GEAR Jam. At Foodbomb, we rolled out a credit financing product, BombPay, that reshaped how restaurants managed cash flow. But we didn’t launch it with blind enthusiasm. We applied GEAR from day one: Foodbomb BombPay Goal

Effort

Ability

Rhythm



Move $500K in invoice financing within 90 days

Targeted outreach to 150 high credit venues

Scripted objection handling around risk and credit scoring

Weekly pulse checks on proposal velocity and deal conversion Goal

Effort

Ability

Rhythm



Move $500K in invoice financing within 90 days

Targeted outreach to 150 high credit venues

Scripted objection handling around risk and credit scoring

Weekly pulse checks on proposal velocity and deal conversion Goal

Effort

Ability

Rhythm Goal Goal Goal Effort Effort Effort Ability Ability Ability Rhythm Rhythm Rhythm Move $500K in invoice financing within 90 days

Targeted outreach to 150 high credit venues

Scripted objection handling around risk and credit scoring

Weekly pulse checks on proposal velocity and deal conversion Move $500K in invoice financing within 90 days Move $500K in invoice financing within 90 days Targeted outreach to 150 high credit venues Targeted outreach to 150 high credit venues Scripted objection handling around risk and credit scoring Scripted objection handling around risk and credit scoring Weekly pulse checks on proposal velocity and deal conversion Weekly pulse checks on proposal velocity and deal conversion The result? Over 4x uplift in average venue spend, and a monetisation engine that generated more margin than our core product in some segments. This wasn’t “great sales.” It was great sytems. Why GEAR Outperforms Traditional Frameworks Why GEAR Outperforms Traditional Frameworks Popular frameworks like MEDDPICC, SPICED, and REKS are useful but they assume your machine is functional. GEAR assumes it isn’t. It’s built for founders, CROs, and revenue leaders diagnosing problems in real time. It doesn’t describe your deals. It tells you where to act. When a rep is underperforming, don’t ask, “What’s your pipeline?” Ask: Are they clear on their Goal?
Are they putting in the right Effort?
Do they have the Ability to close?
Is their Rhythm off? Are they clear on their Goal? Goal Are they putting in the right Effort? Effort Do they have the Ability to close? Ability Is their Rhythm off? Rhythm Answer those questions, and quota becomes the byproduct, not the obsession. The Future CRO is a Systems Designer The Future CRO is a Systems Designer We’re entering a new era. One shaped by AI co-pilots, async buying journeys, and product-led growth. Instinct won’t cut it. Storytelling won’t scale. The commercial leader of the future isn’t a motivator or even a strategist—they’re a systems designer. And like any great system, revenue should be: GEAR is a step in that direction. It doesn’t just explain what happened. It shows you where to go next. Closing Thought: Leadership is No Longer a Vibe Closing Thought: Leadership is No Longer a Vibe If you’re leading a revenue team in 2025 and still managing on vibes, dashboards, and Slack “nudges,” you’re not a leader. You’re a spectator. To win today, you need to shift from storyteller to system builder.From manager to mechanic.From gut feel to GEAR. Because when revenue is jammed, you don’t need more fuel.You need to fix the engine.

The is an opinion piece based on the author’s POV and does not necessarily reflect the views of HackerNoon.

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GEAR: The Mental Model That Separates Scalers from Strugglers

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