609 - RevOps Reimagined: AI, Agility, and the End of Cold Outreach with Jacki Leahy
Why you should listen
- Understand why rigid RevOps systems are failing SaaS teams today—and what to build instead.
- Get actionable tips on using AI (like Clay and ChatGPT) to scale without losing your personal touch.
- Hear how Jacki uses LinkedIn like a "social butterfly" to create inbound interest through strategic commenting.
Still clinging to outdated RevOps playbooks? You might be quietly killing your growth. In this episode of the Paul Higgins Podcast, I sit down with Jacki Leahy, the high-energy founder of Activate the Magic, to unpack why cold outbound is dead and how to build a future-proof revenue engine that actually works. Jacki shares her wild journey from kindergarten teacher to scaling a SaaS company from $350K to $9M ARR, and now helping early-stage SaaS founders create flexible, client-focused RevOps systems.
Jacki doesn’t pull punches. She breaks down how "best practices" are often security blankets, how to ditch broken systems in favor of experimentation, and how to use tools like LinkedIn, Clay, and AI agents to drive connection-first sales. If you want to future-proof your revenue and get bigger deals with less waste, this is your blueprint.
Key Highlights
The RevOps Reality Check: Best practices are often outdated. Jacki reveals how to reset your mindset to spot real bottlenecks and solve for scale.
Cold Outbound Is Dying: Why old-school outreach tactics no longer work—and how trust and timing now rule the game.
New Tech Isn’t Enough: Clay and agent ecosystems might be the future—but only if paired with strategic thinking.
Start With Beginner’s Mind: Jacki emphasizes curiosity, experimentation, and beginner’s mindset as essential traits for thriving in this next RevOps era.
About Jacki Leahy
With a unique journey from kindergarten teacher to BDR, Jacki found her true calling as an "Accidental Admin" at LinkSquares. As the 10th hire, she spearheaded the growth of the business development team, architecting the people, processes, and tech stack that catapulted ARR from $350K to $9M in 2 years.
Since 2020, Jacki has been on the consulting side of startups as VP Operations at Eustace Consulting and Head of Revenue Operations at Winning by Design.
She started ATM in August 2022, and lives in Boston MA with her mini dachshund Freddy.
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