Women in Tech Interview with MK Marsden, Chief Revenue Officer at Revscale

Recently, Chief Revenue Officer MK Marsden was interviewed by a publication where she spoke about her past successes, learnings, and about Revscale where she leads up revenue as the company enters a new phase of growth. Here is an excerpt from the original interview, containing the questions and her answers:

Interviewer (Q): MK, I’d like to start by focusing on your passion for the tech world and industry. What is it that excites you about what you’re building now over at Revscale?

MK Marsden (A): I am a serial entrepreneur, a CEO, CRO, CMO in public and private companies; consulted with hundreds of brands and board members. I started my tech career after going to University in Biology and Computer Science in the early ‘80s. I have led organizations in 6 countries and worked with thousands of clients. I have seen many teams with good ideas; fantastic products and services never gain traction in the marketplace, I have seen so many companies of all sizes fail, and I have lived the problems myself over and over to the point where it seems insane. I started my career cold calling government agencies from a phone book to sell them our database technology.

I met Unnat Bak (UB), the founder of Revscale, in the beginning of 2023 and, unbeknownst to me, the relationship was initiated because UB used one of the many AI tools he was building to identify business leaders and executives that might be interested to network with him. In his search for experienced operators and advisors, “he” reached out (via Revscale RECRUIT), we shared availability, and then we met in person. In our first meeting, UB shared with me that I had been talking to an AI engine until our meeting, and I was impressed. I knew this was an opportunity that can be described as the culmination of my business and technology career, and that I needed to be a part of Revscale immediately so that I could help in scaling the business as I have done with several others.

My generation of entrepreneurs have been building the technologies that eliminate mundane operations of the business, we have created computer networks, data analytics, e-commerce, etc. Now with AI we can free up the employees (humans) to do creative work, communicate with their customers, have work-life balance, and work anywhere in the world where they have an internet connection. We can finally deliver on the promise of technology. I just had to be part of this…

Q: Wow, that’s an awesome story! What has been your biggest challenge when growing Revscale?

A: The biggest challenge is never running out of money regardless of the market or regulatory conditions. Predicting and delivering revenue is so hard and is the most critical function of the business. Most startups fail because they can’t identify, sell, and close investors or effectively service customers. Traditional companies fail because market conditions change and they can’t identify, sell, and effectively service customers. It’s a never ending cycle.

Q: What are your future plans at Revscale?

A: Revscale was built to help companies of all sizes use next generation technologies to accelerate their growth by removing the known barriers. Our intention is to help companies identify and engage with their best customers, employees, and investors throughout the full lifecycle of their business through Revscale LAUNCH, Raise, Sales, Recruit, and new tools that we will build. As an experienced Chief Revenue Officer (CRO), my focus sits with Revscale Sales™ where we help our clients generate profitable revenue and better use their sales and marketing resources and teams. Our intent is to dominate the category enabling in-market customers to buy a product or service through contact with the Revscale Sales client that can deliver the product or service. We enable “buying” by creating human connections between buyers and sellers and by knowing when customers are in-market. We are not a lead generation platform, but rather a platform that utilizes our suite of AI and Machine Learning - powered tools to build human connections and networks.

Q: Awesome! Let’s dive into some questions about Revscale and the AI. Rumor has it that your core AI technology outperforms other tools that are utilizing commercialized AI models. Can you provide an overview of how Revscale works?

A: Revscale was founded by UB to help companies of all sizes use next-generation technologies to accelerate their growth by removing the known barriers. Revscale Sales is one of our SaaS offerings which combines: human psychology, AI, predictive analytics, data, intent data and more to create the next generation of customer relationship management, helping sellers connect to buyers that are actively or about to be in the market for their type of product.

Revscale Sales creates connections in the target market with prospects, buyers, and influencers. Instead of selling, it enables buying. Like the Internet changed everything in business, Revscale Sales powered by AI will change B2B human engagement. Revscale Sales finds active buyers in the customers’ market and generates a personalized relationship with the seller and their brand.

Revscale sales eliminates the insanity of quantity prospecting - No more ‘1000 leads to 1 close.’ Revscale Sales listens and reacts to buying signals. Revscale creates connections at the moment when prospects are ready to engage. Revscale Sales delivers on the promise of engaging with the right client at the right time with the right message through the right channel.

Revscale Sales integration of human psychology is a key differentiator. We know that every lead is a human being with unique motivations and decision-making processes. By incorporating psychological principles into the AI engine, Revscale Sales can craft relevant messages, engage prospects emotionally, and establish a genuine connection. This personalized approach replicates the human behavior of building trust enhancing brand perception, and so by the time our client talks to the prospect, the primary human connection is in place and now business can begin.

Because of the advancements in AI, Revscale Sales delivers beyond fixed customer personas, fixed triggers, and fixed sequences. Revscale Sales listens to your target customers and reacts with personalized actions and messages to create relationships between active buyers and the seller.

Q: In today's competitive landscape, how does Revscale differentiate itself from other B2B lead generation software providers? What unique features or approaches does Revscale offer?

A: Revscale is not just a lead generation company - in fact, lead generation is a byproduct of all of the crazy powerful technologies surrounding human intelligence and networks. But when we are able to check off your task of “get a steady flow of leads” by doing what we do best, then the main differentiator from ‘others’ is that we are taking a whole new approach to B2B lead generation, sales, and customer experiences. When the team designed Revscale Sales, they recognized and analyzed the flaws in today’s sales approach…kjust because a company might need our clients’ solution does not mean they are in-market now or can afford it now. Everyone talks about TAM, SAM, SOM but at Revscale, we are about listening and engaging with the people in our clients’ target market that need the solutions now or in the near future. It is about understanding the prospects’ buying cycle and their business needs, while analyzing their behavioral patterns & data to approach them when mutually beneficial.

This ‘outside-in’ approach is the core of our system design and something that has not been possible with prior technology. It takes the integration of AI, human psychology, intent signals, and predictive analytics to: hear, personalize, and engage with the right prospects with the right message at the right time.

Many of our current competitors and the prior generation of Sales Force Automation and lead generation focused on “pushing” messages to the TAM whether they were in the market or not. And because email is so cheap and phone solicitation is outsourced, we have created a world of noise both in B2B and B2C, and generally people are pissed off. They focus on automating the company's message from the inside out and based on their business objectives. Revscale Sales recognizes the importance of human connection, emotional intelligence in the sales process, and timing; and each company has a unique way of buying and time when they are in-market and time when they are not. Only AI can take in this amount of information, distinguish the signals–and in real-time–message the person and adjust the “relationship” to the prospects' needs. This combination enables us to create human connections between prospects and our clients.

Revscale Sales is the start of a fully personalized and relevant customer journey. It takes all the attributes of the best business development rep and marketing genius and executes them across thousands of prospects, millions of touch points, 24 x 7 on behalf of our clients. Revscale Sales is the future of selling because it facilitates buying.

In addition to delivering market qualified leads to our clients' sales teams, Revscale Sales integrates with our clients' existing sales ‘stacks’ so their pipelines are up to date without them having to log in to yet another platform. The system offers a series of reports and insights across the entire prospect lifecycle. Revscale Sales empower businesses to use their human capital more effectively, delight their customers, and focus on customer relationships rather than non-productive activities of: cold calling, email customization, list refinement, etc.

Q: Could you walk us through the process of how Revscale identifies and targets potential clients on behalf of its users? How does the platform utilize AI and predictive analytics in this process?

A: The Revscale Sales process starts with our clients inputting their current sales and marketing information, defining their best target market, including their pipeline data. Then the Revscale AI agent takes over, gathering data from various sources including social media, industry databases, website analytics, our clients' pipeline data, marketing response data, and more. The Revscale AI agent analyzes and segments the data and generates a campaign execution document for client approval. It identifies potential prospects with high precision. The AI agent considers factors such as demographics, firmographics, online behavior, purchase intent signals, and engagement patterns to create accurate and real-time prospect profiles.

Once the Revscale Sales engine has the initial profiles, it starts to leverage predictive analytics and intent data to forecast the thousands of prospects in the market and which ones show a likelihood of converting. By examining historical data and patterns, the Revscale AI agent can determine the prospects with the highest probability of becoming customers for our clients. This allows our clients to keep running their businesses and deploy their sales resources and on the most promising leads. Basically, it starts engaging on our clients' behalf with the prospects that have signaled interest in the offering and who are in the market now or will be soon. This improves efficiency, makes better use of Human capital, creates reliability in the sales pipeline, and maximizes revenue growth.

Revscale Sales starts selling to prospects with intent and it keeps adjusting based on the prospects' signals. It is not stuck in fixed personae design and static messaging; it is learning from each interaction and response. Our mission is to have our customers Spend Time Closing, not Prospecting.

Revscale Sales delivers personalized messaging in real-time based on the signal from our clients’ prospects…Using AI-powered content generation and optimization, the engine creates tailored messages that align with the interests and preferences of each prospect. Revscale Sales enhances engagement and fosters meaningful connections with potential clients by delivering the right message at the right time. Revscale Sales does everything the best business development reps and marketing geniuses do on a scale impossible for humans…It touches hundreds of prospects every day, adjusts messaging based on their signals in real-time, it has no bias, no fear of rejection, and its only purpose is to facilitate and grow human connections in B2B.

Q: Many businesses struggle with lead generation and converting leads into customers. How does Revscale address these challenges and help businesses improve their sales performance?

A: The challenge every company faces in sales is finding the prospects that need the solution now. Just because your company has sales targets (that are made up with limited data) does not mean that prospects are ready to BUY now. Finding people in-market is the obstacle and Revscale Sales addresses this for our clients. Our clients’ salespeople are talking to prospects interested in the solution who will need to buy now or soon. Lead generation and conversion have been eternal pain points for businesses of all sizes worldwide and Revscale Sales is specifically designed to address that problem.

As I mentioned above, Revscale Sales uses all the tools and strategies of business development, marketing, and messaging to help businesses improve their sales performance. It does everything the best sales team does at a speed and scale that humans cannot. We are the Henry Ford of Sales, forever changing the relationship between buyers and sellers.

Q: The combination of AI and human psychology is intriguing. Can you explain how Revscale incorporates human psychology into its sales and marketing automation? How does this aspect contribute to better client targeting and engagement?

A: At Revscale, we believe that successful sales and marketing efforts require a deep understanding of human psychology. Our AI agent (does what humans do, just on a larger scale) listens and integrates human psychology principles into our processes to create meaningful connections with prospects and enhance client targeting and engagement.

Today’s sales approach is crazy; prior generation automation has only made it crazier.

Imagine that you are in the aisle at your local grocery store, and a European mechanic walks up to you and says you need a new transmission in your car; he is wearing a BMW uniform and starts talking to you about transmission problems… you would think he is insane. Just because you have a car and drove to the grocery store does not mean your car needs transmission repair now. Sure you are the right demographic, in the right geo-target, but you are not in the market now, and you sold the BMW months ago. YOU don’t have the problem, and his approaching you in the grocery store is likely to have you call security… that is how sales prospecting is done for most companies today.

Revscale Sales is designed to connect with prospects on their terms, in their language, around their business problem. Through AI-driven data analysis, it gains insights into each prospect's preferences, pain points, and motivations. This information allows it to craft tailored messages that speak directly to their needs, aspirations, and challenges. Delivering personalized and relevant content ALL the time engages prospects in a meaningful way. Revsale Sales identifies their interest and receptiveness to our clients' offerings.

Additionally, Revscale Sales learns and understands cognitive biases, decision-making processes, and emotional drivers; the AI agent then executes campaigns that respond to these considerations. By appealing to prospects' needs, addressing their fears and desires, and aligning with their values, Revscale Sales establishes a connection and takes the time to build trust, ultimately driving better engagement and conversions. Unlike humans, the Revscale AI agent can work all the time in multiple languages using terabytes of data. It can tailor each prospect's message based on their responses and deliver it when they are ready to hear it. \

Business is about people listening and learning from the target market. Revsale Sales connects with our clients' prospects on their terms and then bridges the communication between the buyer and the seller.

Q: How does Revscale support users in managing and tracking their sales and marketing efforts? Can you discuss the analytics and reporting capabilities of the platform?

A: Revscale Sales offers robust tools showing each prospect interaction. In the client portal, each client gets account-specific comprehensive analytics and reporting capabilities to help our clients gain valuable insights into their prospects' buying process, business problems, the timing for buying, and more.

Each Revscale Sales subscriber has analytics dashboards that show each interaction between the prospect and the engine up until the handoff to the salesperson. Users can access traditional metrics such as lead conversion rates, campaign performance, prospect engagement, buying cycle, and revenue attribution.

Scalability is crucial for businesses aiming for growth. How does Revscale Sales accommodate the needs of small, medium, and large enterprises? Does the platform offer customization options to fit different business models and industries?

Revscale is designed to accommodate the needs of businesses of all sizes, from startups to global enterprises. Revscale Sales is offered on a SaaS model, enabling it to work in any vertical market for any product offering and priced for all sizes of business; and it is the cheapest solution for generating net new revenue.

Revscale Sales is easy to use. After clients sign up in the portal, they are provided with the Pre-onboarding document that lets them work internally (sales, marketing, customer experience, leadership) to prepare for the onboarding. Once they are ready, our clients interact directly with the Revscale Sales AI agent by answering a series of questions; they then give the engine their current target market definitions, all the collateral, thought leadership, demo information and their “do not call list or accounts they want to be excluded”. Revscale Sales takes all this information and “learns from that client's current state.” For small businesses that might not have a lot of information or collateral, it’s no problem. Revscale Sales will go learn the market with or without client information.

Revscale Sales has no limits, the platform allows for managing more significant volumes of data, extensive campaign structures, and integrations to our clients' sales and marketing infrastructure. Some clients have a “set it and forget it” approach, where Revscale Sales is like a self-parking car; they just let the engine do its work. Other clients with complex products use the engine in a hybrid method providing customized messages on an as needed basis on the prospect's response or inquiry. Revscale Sales offers granular control over permissions and user roles and supports multi-team collaboration across different departments or regions.

Revscale Sales is priced by seat, ensuring businesses of all sizes can effectively leverage the platform to drive growth and achieve their unique objectives.

Q: Collaboration is vital in a team-oriented environment. How does Revscale facilitate collaboration among team members, especially in terms of document review and making edits? Are there any built-in communication features?

A: Revscale Sales was designed from the outside-in, and the engine supports collaboration in a team-oriented environment. From onboarding and set up to prospect interaction, the platform offers features and tools that facilitate seamless collaboration among client team members. The Revscale account managers work with our clients to help them “let the engine do its magic.” It's important that we don’t bring operational bias to the campaigns. This is about reacting to the needs of the prospects, not the goals of our clients’ sales operations.

When it comes to document review and making edits while the engine is working and communicating with prospects, Revscale Sales chatbots let our clients share their ideas and changes. At any time, our clients can upload additional collateral, invite team members to review and provide feedback, and track the progress of prospect engagements. Sales is a 24 x 7 activity, Revscale Sales users can ask the engine questions, leave comments, and provide real-time feedback directly within the platform any time of day or night.

Aside from the obvious integrations (namely Zapier), Revscale Sales also integrates with popular communication and collaboration tools, such as Slack and Microsoft Teams, allowing client team members to leverage their preferred channels for communication while seamlessly integrating with Revscale's document review and editing capabilities.

Q: Finally, how does Revscale ensure data privacy and security for its users? What measures are in place to protect sensitive customer information?

A: At Revscale we know that data privacy and security are of utmost importance. We understand the sensitivity of customer information and prospect data and have implemented robust measures and safeguards that meet the regulatory requirements of our clients.

Revscale follows industry best practices and complies with relevant data protection regulations, such as GDPR and CCPA. Our systems have strict access controls to ensure that only authorized client personnel can access customer data. Our infrastructure is designed with advanced security features, including encryption protocols, firewalls, and intrusion detection systems, to prevent unauthorized access and data breaches. Each client has their own instance of Revscale Sales so there is no potential of multi-client data storage.

For all Revscale solutions, we have secure data transmission protocols to safeguard information during transit. Any data shared between our platform and external systems is encrypted to protect it from interception and unauthorized access.

Internally, our leadership team has implemented strict data access controls, and our teams adhere to the principle of least privilege. All Revscale employees undergo regular training on data security practices and are bound by confidentiality agreements to maintain the privacy and integrity of customer data.

Q: MK, thank you so much for the insightful answers. I just have 2 last questions for you: If you had to share any “words of wisdom” with a Founder who’s about to start their own startup, what would they be?

A: Go find a very big problem that is shared by many people or companies and solve it in the most elegant way possible. Make sure you think about their entire customer experience and lifecycle. It is no longer about the product, it is about the experience, in both B2B and B2C. You must be your own user/customer/client as well. And when you’re ready to raise or setting up those initial revenue channels, give the Revscale Startup program a shot!

Q: Amazing. And lastly, how can our readers follow or connect with you on social media?

A: If this was in the least bit interesting, I speak for UB as well when I say please reach out to us via LinkedIn. I am active on LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/mkmarsden), and you can find him and Revscale’s page from there, so feel free to reach out with your ideas or questions or even just to say hi 👋🏼

Prior to joining Revscale - Marsden was a computer scientist and successful entrepreneur, and used technology and data to drive unprecedented business performance in her own companies and for her clients. Marsden has founded/led eight technology companies in five different countries. She is a seasoned operator and Board Member, adept at collaborating and leading people across industries, cultures, and job functions to the company culture necessary for digital transformation. She is bilingual in French and English and global in attitude. Marsden has worked with leading brands like: Sephora, Royal Caribbean, Sam’s Club, Container Store, CVS Extra Care, Annea Taylor, Hope Sings, Red Cross, CRKT, and many more.

MK has set up several University Scholarships for Female Athletes aspiring to study STEM and play sports, is an investor in early-stage companies, and is active in the Blockchain and cryptocurrency market. She is a philanthropist focused on accelerating women’s success in business and politics in India, the US, and Canada. She was one of the women to create the women’s hockey team at University of Ottawa and pioneer the entire league. A competitive cyclist Marsden brings her whole being to her team and client engagements.