In the last five years, the landscape of professional education for revenue leaders has transformed significantly. With the increased focus on the evolving demands of the Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) role, specialized training programs have emerged to equip aspiring CROs with the necessary skills and knowledge.
Today, for those seeking executive development in pursuit of a CRO position, the choices have become more diverse and varied in their impact. Five years in, there is now a spate of programs in the marketplace offering CRO-focused education and CRO certifications. There are free online courses found on websites like Alison, and then there are options like LinkedIn courses and online membership communities like Pavillion, Coursera, Udemy, and HubSpot. Traditional educational institutions, including Ivy League universities, are the latest to jump on the trend.
Among the pioneers in this space is The CRO Collective, founded by Warren Zenna in 2019. The company developed and offered the first professional education course exclusively focused on preparing revenue executives for a Chief Revenue Officer role.
“We are not surprised that highly credentialed academic institutions have joined the fray,” says Warren Zenna. “From a business perspective, a CRO-focused executive program makes a lot of sense for the Ivy League schools. And the offer is compelling because these institutions have unlimited resources and decades invested in building their reputations.”
Pursuing a CRO role is worth the investment in a specialized education. The dollar signs are there for high net-worth prospects seeking a role that traditionally pays in the high six figures and almost always comes with an equity package. This represents a prime target for schools like Wharton, Columbia, and the University of Chicago, which have recently launched what they call “Executive Education” CRO Programs.
These executive educational programs became a sought-after alternative to traditional MBA programs as their audience is typically well-established professionals in their mid-30s to 40s who have been in revenue leadership roles for some time and already earned their “real-life MBA” badge and are just looking to advance their skills and expand their networks.
With more choices come more complex considerations. For example, in the online membership communities, members pay a monthly membership fee, which grants them access to an array of specialized education programs.
According to online reviews, one of these community-based membership platforms, Pavillion, can gather over 100 participants online in a single cohort. An online reviewer stated you will get a “mosaic of faces” on your screen. Participants have reported that this approach can be impersonal and unfocused. Because websites like Pavilion open their courses to their entire membership community, the cohorts contain various seniority levels from independent contributors — SDRs and salespeople — to SVPs.
Zoom-based courses come with inherent challenges, and having such a large cohort can feel distant. It’s easy to hide out in large course cohorts, and some claim that less than half are still engaged near the end of the course. CRO aspirants looking into CRO education options should strongly consider the size of the course cohort, the quality and experience of the course facilitators and speakers, and the make-up of the other participants.
As opposed to large cohorts, smaller, more intimate cohorts with a strenuous application process are best for ensuring that focus and engagement levels are optimal. With smaller, more intimate executive education programs, you can sometimes learn as much from the other participants’ contributions as the course teaching staff.
The New MBA Alternative
Traditional colleges, including Ivy Leagues, have long viewed executive education as a lucrative business. They keenly monitor emerging trends to adapt their offerings, ensuring they remain relevant and attractive. This is not a surprise that prestigious academic institutions such as Wharton, Cambridge, and The University of Chicago have also entered the fray. For many professionals, the allure of having a Harvard or Columbia credential on their LinkedIn profile is worth the investment, as hiring managers are enamored with these credentials regardless of their practical value.
While valuable, MBA programs and executive education courses are expensive and lengthy — some can last a whole year — and can still fall short in addressing the specific needs of a CRO. The CRO role demands a deep understanding of revenue operations, business modeling, forecasting, revenue function alignment strategy, and cross-functional leadership, requiring practical, hands-on experience — not just theoretical knowledge.
The real question is whether these programs deliver a tangible return on investment. According to Zenna, the answer is not always clear-cut. “Many people take courses from these institutions for the benefits of having a prestigious logo on their profiles but do not necessarily walk away with the practical knowledge that can be applied from day one,” he notes. The emphasis on academic excellence and theoretical frameworks often overlooks the nitty-gritty of day-to-day revenue operations.
Ivy League Executive programs like these act as an ordainment of sorts for other independent programs. “The thinking is, ‘well if the University of Chicago deemed it worth creating and deploying a CRO Education program, then CRO Education must be something of value to executives,” says Joseph Negron, Managing Director & CSO at Spindle, LLC, a Revenue Consultancy in the Greater Chicago market, “so, while these high-gloss programs may seem like the ultimate competitor, they in fact act as the ultimate validation of the existence of smaller players in the market.”
The Importance of Real-World Experience
No amount of education at even the best business school can fully prepare you for real-world experience. Practical challenges, dynamic market conditions, and unforeseen obstacles require hands-on learning and adaptability that only come from navigating the complexities of the business environment firsthand. The CRO Collective approach emphasizes the importance of practical knowledge, drawing from his extensive background in revenue leadership.
“Our program is designed to bridge the gap between theory and practice. We focus on equipping our participants with the tools and insights they need to excel from day one,” Zenna says. “We also exclusively get deep into the weeds of the environment that the CRO will enter once hired. CRO-Readiness is our calling card, and it focuses on navigating the relationship between founders and CEOs, who are vital to CRO success. It’s not enough to be the best CRO, you must also have the knowledge and strategy to motivate an often uncooperative hiring organization to implement change.”
Conclusion
As the demand for skilled Chief Revenue Officers continues to grow, the professional education landscape for this role will undoubtedly evolve.
For revenue leaders looking to advance their careers, the choice of education program should be guided by the ultimate goal: gaining actionable knowledge that can be immediately applied to drive revenue growth and organizational success.
