Forget all the clichés (popular BSs) like, “I was born for this.” The best CROs are those who stay open to change and constantly think outside the box to build consistent, predictable revenue and achieve substantial growth year after year. What worked yesterday won’t cut it anymore. To keep succeeding in revenue generation, you need to stay bold and push boundaries, comfort is the enemy of progress. If you’re playing in the big leagues, aiming to be number one in your niche, you have to adopt a mindset where there’s always room to improve. Operating at a high-level means knowing that “good enough” never is.
Beyond Innovation: Gil Passos and HIGRA’s Leadership Team Redefine Revenue and Responsibility
As Chief Revenue Officer and Partner at HIGRA Group, Gil Passos understands that true technological innovation thrives not in isolation, but through a team’s collective drive toward shared ambitions. Under Gil’s leadership, HIGRA’s RevOps team approaches each challenge as an opportunity to push the boundaries of sustainable water management. Guided by a vision that balances environmental responsibility with economic growth, the team views these as inseparable goals.
Together, they have developed over 30 patents—not just as a testament to their innovation but as part of a deeper commitment to addressing urgent environmental and social challenges. For Gil and his team, sustainable technology goes beyond minimizing harm; it involves designing systems that build a foundation for long-term prosperity.
In Revenue Operations, Gil champions a shift in perspective: when departments are aligned, and sales and customer engagement are driven by shared values, sustainability and profitability no longer stand in opposition. Instead, they become mutually reinforcing, creating a resilient and forward-thinking organization.
At HIGRA, the partners understand that their true legacy lies not only in the products they create but also in their approach to progress itself. For them, leadership is not about individual accomplishments but about fostering a collective spirit that prioritizes responsibility. For Gil Passos and his fellow partners, technological advancements are ultimately a gift intended to enrich future generations.
“I intend to create a lasting impact by integrating social responsibility with technological advancement, ensuring that future generations benefit from today’s innovations.”
From Ambition to Impact: How Gil Passos Began His Path in Revenue Leadership
Gil has always believed that the world is much bigger than what’s right in front of him. At 18, he adopted the mindset that if dreaming big or dreaming small takes the same effort, why not aim high? This outlook led him to pursue a rare opportunity: a technical exchange program between Brazil and Germany, a chance to broaden his horizons and gain new skills. But there was a challenge: he needed fluency in German, which seemed like a significant obstacle. Still, Gil saw it as his first real test of determination and resourcefulness. With only 30 days to prepare, he dedicated himself to learning, transforming his basic skills into advanced fluency. In the end, he earned one of the two spots, standing out among more than ten other candidates.
Back from Germany, Gil was ready for a relaxing summer at the beach, catching waves and unwinding. But life had other plans. A call from a friend changed everything, offering an early reminder of the power of strong relationships. Recognizing potential in Gil that he hadn’t yet seen in himself, his friend suggested he explore a role in sales and revenue generation, recommending him for a position with the largest wholesale distributor in southern Brazil. Trusting his friend’s encouragement, Gil decided to give it a shot.
That role was more than just a job; it opened a whole new world for Gil. In sales, he discovered that every challenge was an invitation to grow. He learned early on that success wasn’t about luck, it was about creating and delivering reliable results. Rather than leaving things to chance, each opportunity became a steppingstone, each challenge a Sustainability was central to HIGRA’s operations. The company prioritized high-efficiency equipment for pumping systems and clean energy generation while implementing practices that minimized environmental impact. This included selecting like-minded suppliers and adopting reverse logistics strategies.
HIGRA’s influence encompasses the entire water cycle—ranging from extracting water from rivers for treatment to distributing treated water and preventing floods with drainage pumps. Its innovative amphibious turbogenerator harnesses the hydraulic potential to generate clean energy.
Over 24 years, HIGRA has made significant contributions across various sectors, including agriculture, sanitation, mining, and renewable energy.
With over 8,000 pieces of equipment in operation worldwide, HIGRA has established itself as a leader in amphibious pump technology.
How to Ensure Alignment Among Revenue Generation Teams:
Aligning product design, marketing, sales, and customer success teams is a challenge that Gil frequently encounters in revenue generation. These departments often operate in silos, each focused on their own objectives. For instance, the product design team may develop solutions based on assumptions about customers that they barely understand.
While marketing prioritizes lead volume, believing that increased numbers will justify investments in branding, sales teams often focus solely on closing deals, neglecting opportunities to build deeper relationships with potential customers.
To combat this chaos, a joint effort is essential. The first step involves identifying strong leaders for each team and fostering a culture of collaboration through open communication and the exchange of ideas. Engaging team members with the company’s culture and values ensures that everyone understands their role in achieving common goals. Creating replicable and scalable systems is key to breaking down departmental barriers.
Breaking Down Silos
In a notable example of breaking down silos within an organization, Gil facilitated collaboration between the Product Design, Marketing, Sales, and Customer Success teams during trade show preparations. Previously, these departments operated independently, each focused solely on their own objectives. Recognizing the potential for a more impactful customer experience, he initiated a unified approach.
Before the trade show, the Product Design team created customer-centric solutions tailored to the event’s audience. For example, at an agribusiness fair, they developed a floating pump platform designed specifically to irrigate farmers, meeting their unique needs.
Once the solution was established, the Marketing team created cohesive print and digital materials. They also designed targeted campaigns for the Sales and Customer Success teams to ensure consistent messaging throughout the event.
At the trade show, sales qualification specialists interacted with visitors, collecting contact information for follow-up. The internal sales team then reached out to thank attendees and address any questions. Once sales were completed, the Customer Success team took over for integration, upselling, and cross-selling.
This integrated approach not only improved the customer experience but also optimized internal processes, leading to increased sales and satisfaction. The experience highlighted the value of promoting collaboration between departments to achieve exceptional results.
Promoting Collaboration Among Cross-Functional Teams:
To promote collaboration among cross-functional teams, Gil organizes monthly external events or informal lunches.
By creating a relaxed environment in which individuals from various departments can interact, opportunities arise for the sharing of ideas, fostering a sense of unity within the revenue operations ecosystem.
This simple practice has produced significant results improving internal processes and stimulating innovation and creativity throughout the organization. Finally, fostering a culture of collaboration leads to better results and stronger teamwork across all teams.
Measuring the Impact of Collaboration on Revenue Growth:
Gil emphasizes the importance of measuring the effectiveness of collaboration in driving revenue growth through quantitative and qualitative metrics. He starts by analyzing financial performance indicators such as sales growth, recurring revenue growth, average ticket size, and profit margins, comparing these figures before and after implementing collaboration strategies.
He also examines conversion rates and the sales cycle to determine whether collaboration between marketing and sales has improved lead conversion and reduced time to close deals. In addition, it monitors product launch schedules, as synchronized efforts between product development and marketing teams can lead to faster market entries.
Customer satisfaction metrics, such as the Net Promoter Score (NPS) and churn rates, are crucial for evaluating the customer experience resulting from collaboration between departments. Internal surveys measure employee engagement, reflecting how active the team is.
Gil values direct feedback from team members through conversations and retrospective meetings to identify successful strategies. For example, implementing weekly meetings between the sales and product teams led to a 20% increase in sales of a specific product in one quarter. By combining data with qualitative insights, Gil effectively measures the contribution of collaboration to revenue growth.
Overcoming Resistance to Achieve Team Alignment:
Eight years ago, when Gil became sales director at HIGRA, he encountered significant resistance from the inside sales team, which was entrenched in a limiting mindset. They believed that sales would naturally decline in the last quarter, leading to a self-fulfilling prophecy that prevented growth. Recognizing that mere strategy adjustments were insufficient, Gil initiated individual interviews to uncover the roots of this belief.
Identifying key team members resistant to change, he made the difficult decision to dismiss them, paving the way for a new culture. With new leadership, the team redefined its goals and began to see the last quarter as an opportunity rather than a setback. This change encouraged innovative thinking and strategic differentiation in the market.
The results were transformative; sales in the last quarter matched those of other months. By fostering an environment that valued original thinking and challenged outdated assumptions, he demonstrated that progress is possible when teams refuse to accept self-imposed limitations. This experience reinforced his belief in the power of challenging the status quo to generate exceptional results.
Cliente, o alinhamento torna-se possível, acelerando a criação e o lançamento de novas soluções para os desafios do movimento de fluidos.
The Role of Communication in Breaking Down Barriers:
Gil sees communication as a crucial element in eliminating departmental barriers. When he observes teams working in isolation, he recognizes that assertive communication is essential to foster connections. By cultivating an environment that encourages open and transparent dialog, team members can freely share ideas, challenges and successes, which leads to innovative solutions and a shared sense of purpose.
Effective communication is particularly vital within the HIGRA Group, an ecosystem dedicated to developing revolutionary technologies. By fostering understanding among the Product Design, Marketing, Sales, and Customer Success teams, alignment becomes achievable, accelerating the creation and launch of new solutions to fluid movement challenges.
Gil draws inspiration from successful companies like Apple and Salesforce, which exemplify how agile communication methodologies can enhance collaboration. He believes that by facilitating exchanges between different professionals, not only is work efficiency improved, but a stronger company culture is also fostered. In this collaborative environment, innovation thrives, ultimately leading the organization to success.
In addition, he considers the implementation timeline, often prioritizing smaller projects that can generate quick results. Clear communication is key; he believes that keeping everyone informed of progress and challenges helps to align expectations and promote a unified direction.
Collaboration Among Departments Drives Revenue Growth:
Recently, HIGRA seized the opportunity to showcase amphibious pump technology for a large steel mill project. Initially, the sales development representative faced challenges in reaching the engineering team responsible for selecting the pumping technology. Recognizing the urgency, Gil convened the Sales and Marketing teams for a brainstorming session, which resulted in a joint initiative.
The Marketing team executed Account-Based Marketing (ABM) campaigns to share technical articles about the Amphibious Pump on platforms like LinkedIn and Instagram, specifically targeting project engineers.
This strategy proved effective; one engineer invited Gil’s team to present their technology to the entire engineering group. During the presentation, four of the eight engineers acknowledged having seen the articles, which piqued their interest.
Ultimately, this collaboration resulted in winning the bid and generating approximately US$4 million in sales for the steel vertical. This project exemplified how effective collaboration between departments can overcome challenges and significantly affect revenue.
How to Deal with Team Conflicts to Achieve Common Goals:
Gil recognizes that conflicts between teams are inevitable when pursuing common goals. To address these issues, he first brings the parties involved together for open discussions, fostering an environment where everyone feels comfortable sharing their thoughts and concerns. He believes that many conflicts arise from misunderstandings or poor communication.
He then seeks to identify the root causes of the conflict, whether they involve different priorities or competition for resources. He encourages teams to collaborate on solutions, fostering commitment and respect among members. By reminding everyone of their shared goals, he helps them focus on collective success rather than individual differences.
Finally, he monitors situations after they have been resolved to prevent conflicts from re-emerging. He maintains open lines of communication, ensuring that team members feel supported. Finally, he believes that empathy and transparent communication are key to overcoming conflicts and promoting a culture of cooperation within the organization.
Prioritizing Initiatives among Departments:
Gil acknowledges that prioritizing initiatives requiring input from multiple departments can be challenging. He begins by assessing the potential impact of each initiative, asking whether it aligns with the company’s primary objectives. If an initiative promises significant benefits, it moves higher on its list of priorities.
He then evaluates the team’s availability and workload to ensure that the initiatives are feasible without overburdening staff. He also emphasizes the importance of collaboration, promoting open meetings and discussions to ensure that all teams understand the value of the initiative and their roles in its success.
Improving Team Collaboration with Effective Tools:
Gil utilizes various tools to enhance team collaboration. He finds real-time communication platforms, such as Microsoft Teams, invaluable for quick and informal exchanges, effectively reducing lengthy email conversations. Project management tools like Asana help keep everyone aligned by enabling teams to visualize task progress and set deadlines.
Document collaboration tools, such as Microsoft Office, enable simultaneous work on documents, promoting input from various areas. Additionally, a centralized knowledge- sharing system like Notion serves as a company wiki, documenting processes and best practices for easy access.
Gil emphasizes that while tools are essential, fostering a culture of collaboration through regular interdepartmental meetings and open communication is equally important. This combination of technology and organizational practices significantly improves teamwork and helps achieve shared goals.
Aligning Teams for Innovative Revenue Solutions:
In early 2024, Gil noticed a decline in amphibious pump sales at HIGRA due to rapidly changing market dynamics. Recognizing the need for a new approach, he reorganized the internal sales team from product-focused teams to problem-solving teams, introducing roles such as Application Specialists and Closers.
To further enhance collaboration, he initiated weekly meetings with business unit managers, and marketing and product teams. This led to valuable insights: potential customers were seeking customized solutions; marketing messages were outdated and the product team had ideas for unused features.
With this information, the Product team developed while Marketing reworked the messages to highlight these differentiators. Account executives were trained to communicate these updates effectively.
As a result, qualified lead generation increased by 30%, conversion rates improved by 25%, and monthly recurring revenue rose by R$1.5 billion. Overall revenue grew by 40% in just six months. This experience demonstrated that alignment and collaboration between teams can drive innovation and revenue growth.
Keeping Stakeholders Informed and Engaged:
Gil believes that keeping stakeholders informed and engaged is essential for the success of collaborative projects. He prioritizes transparent and regular communication, sharing updates on project progress, challenges, and next steps through meetings and internal platforms.
Active participation is encouraged, with stakeholders involved in key decisions through workshops and brainstorming sessions, fostering a sense of ownership. Gil tailors his messages to suit the audience’s technical knowledge, ensuring clarity and relevance.
He also celebrates achievements throughout the project to maintain morale and recognize the team’s efforts. Finally, he promotes open channels for feedback, allowing stakeholders to voice their concerns and suggestions, reinforcing their integral role in the project’s success. This approach builds trust and enhances collaboration toward common goals.
