CTech’s Book Review: Treating sales as a science

Rose Penhasi is the Founder and CEO of Revenue Operations Company ScaleOps. She has joined CTech to share a review of “The Sales Acceleration Formula: Using Data, Technology, and Inbound Selling to go from $0 to $100 Million” by Mark Roberge.

Title: “The Sales Acceleration Formula: Using Data, Technology, and Inbound Selling to go from $0 to $100 Million”
Author: Mark Roberge
Format: Tablet
Where: Home

The Sales Acceleration Formula by Mark Roberge is THE book for sales leaders at companies of all sizes. As a CEO of a growing RevOps company, I used it as a reference to build our sustainable sales function. Roberge writes from experience, as the SVP of Sales at HubSpot, having grown their revenue from $0 to $90 million and the sales team from one to 450.

This book is for people who don’t want the classic sales advice. It’s for people who want to build a scalable sales team that doesn’t rely on a few high-performing stars. How does he do it? By providing a structure that any team can follow. It starts with data, technology and inbound selling. Here’s a glimpse at Roberge’s formula: hire for the right traits, use data to drive every decision, and create a transparent system where every part of the sales process is visible to the whole team.

It’s as much about sales operations as it is about sales itself—bringing structure, transparency, and repeatability to how you approach growth.

Important themes:

Data is key across the whole sales organization. In his book, Roberge advocates for a system where each part of the sales process—hiring, training, engagement—is connected and measurable. This transparency isn’t just a nice to have; it’s what allows sales teams to continuously improve. With a CRM, this data-driven structure helps sales reps and managers see exactly what’s working and where gaps exist. From there, they can turn insights into action.

Roberge’s also focuses on Inbound Selling: offering value to your prospects before making your pitch. It’s a mindset shift from ‘sales’ to ‘relationship’ for increased conversion. Nobody enjoys a cold email. We want value, understanding, and relevance. With proper sales processes in place and a CRM to track them, sales reps can keep track of each buyer’s journey and tailor the experience to the prospects’ needs.

Another core theme is scalability. Roberge’s process isn’t just about making one-off sales; it’s about creating a structure that can grow with the organization. By standardizing hiring practices, training, and performance metrics, he shows how to build a team that can scale without losing quality or consistency. Once you have a winning system, why not replicate that success across teams?

What I’ve learned:

Transparency and structure are at the heart of a successful sales organization. As someone with over a decade of experience in Revenue and Sales Operations, this was no surprise to me. Still, I appreciated how Roberge emphasizes CRM and data in every stage of the sales process. This wasn’t just about tracking quotas; it’s about understanding what’s happening at every step and where we can improve. CRM plays a central role in this, making sure that everyone—from sales reps to managers—has the same visibility and can make informed decisions. This transparency allows the team to work together, continuously improving the process based on real-time insights.

Roberge’s approach to hiring really changed my perspective. Having grown my company from 1 (just me) to 15 employees in 3 years, I am constantly involved in the hiring process. In the beginning, it was difficult to understand what makes an exceptional hire. Roberge suggests not just looking for experience but for traits like curiosity, adaptability, and problem-solving. By focusing on these qualities, you can build a team that doesn’t just succeed individually but fits into a greater system, focused on growth and scale.

Lastly, I always like new sales perspectives, and Roberge does not disappoint. He has great insights into Inbound Selling, and specifically customer relationships. By focusing on the buyer’s journey and using CRM to document interactions, the salesperson is not just selling; they’re creating value at every touchpoint. This alignment between CRM, transparency, and customer needs means you’re building trust, which ultimately leads to stronger, longer-lasting client relationships.

Critiques:

The Sales Acceleration Formula had a heavy focus on large B2B companies. The formula may be less relevant if you’re running a B2C business or a small company. It also focuses heavily on the inbound selling motion – which is highly valuable, but discounts other productive selling methodologies that may work for your company.

Who should read this book:

I recommend this book to sales managers, founders, and operations leaders in B2B companies, whether in tech, SaaS, or other industries with longer sales cycles. In these companies, data and CRM tools play a big role in sales. As a CEO, building revenue operations funnels for clients, I refer to Roberge while building our sales function, as well as employ his strategies with our clients.