Jackie Rousseau-Anderson on this episode
Jackie Rousseau-Anderson is the Chief Revenue Officer at InformData, a verifiable people data platform for background screening. She brings 15+ years of experience transforming data and analytics companies into customer-centric revenue engines, with prior CRO roles at BlueConic and Arkatechture, plus leadership stints at Simmons Research, Forrester Research, and J.D. Power. Her unique career path from Chief Customer Officer to CRO gives her rare perspective on how customer success insights drive sustainable revenue growth.
Not all revenue is good revenue, and the most profitable move a CRO can make is to intentionally shed the bad kind. When Rousseau-Anderson arrived at a company approaching $100M in annual recurring revenue, she discovered a critical gap between top-line celebration and bottom-line profitability. Enterprise clients that the sales team had spent years keeping happy had compressed margins so severely that the revenue was barely profitable. The data revealed which segments actually had gross margins, lifetime value, and room to grow, and which ones were customer acquisition costs masquerading as wins.
The insight that shifted everything was behavioral segmentation: mapping customer archetypes not by industry or size, but by how they actually bought and consumed the product. Restructuring compensation plans to reward good revenue instead of volume, combined with sales process gates that reps actually appreciated, changed behavior overnight. The result: intentional churn of unprofitable customers lifted net retention above 110%, sales cycles dropped 10-20%, and good revenue built the foundation for scaling with PE firms like Vista and STG.
The episode covers gross margin analysis by segment, how to train reps that saying no to a deal is the right call, the behavioral segmentation model that changed customer servicing, tying marketing spend to profitable segments, and what CROs should know about scaling through PE ownership transitions.
What we cover in this episode
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1:27
Not all revenue is good revenue Why celebrating top-line growth can mask unprofitable customer relationships and compressed margins that drain profitability.
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7:30
Gross margin analysis by segment Using data to reveal which customer segments are actually profitable and which ones cost more to serve than they generate in margin.
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10:20
Behavioral segmentation archetypes Mapping customer buying and consumption patterns rather than traditional firmographics to understand true customer profiles.
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13:06
Training reps to say no Reframing deal-walking and customer rejection as wins for the company, not losses for individual rep compensation.
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17:35
Restructuring comp plans for good revenue Shifting rep incentives from volume-based to margin-based or customer-quality metrics to align behavior with profitability goals.
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20:47
Sales process gates reps appreciate Building guardrails into the sales process that prevent bad deals from closing while making rep workflows more efficient and predictable.
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27:56
Measurable GTM outcomes from intentional churn How shedding unprofitable customers improved NRR above 110%, reduced sales cycles by 10-20%, and cut good churn by 15%.
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34:59
Scaling with PE: Vista, STG, and international partners Navigating CRO role during private equity ownership, leveraging PE support for scaling, and managing growth through fund transitions.
The lines worth sharing
Not all revenue is good revenue. Some enterprise clients had been compressing margins for years because the sales team did whatever it took to keep them happy.
Jackie Rousseau-Anderson · 1:27
Behavioral segmentation changed how our team sold and serviced every single account by focusing on how customers actually buy, not just who they are.
Jackie Rousseau-Anderson · 10:20
When you restructure comp plans around good revenue instead of volume, rep behavior shifts overnight. Suddenly they want to say no to bad deals.
Jackie Rousseau-Anderson · 17:35
Shedding millions in bad revenue on purpose drove our net retention above 110% because the customers we kept were actually profitable and loyal.
Jackie Rousseau-Anderson · 29:25
Common questions from this episode
How do you identify good revenue vs. bad revenue in a SaaS company?
Run a gross margin analysis by customer segment to reveal profitability underneath top-line growth. Map behavioral archetypes to understand consumption patterns. Bad revenue typically has compressed margins, poor unit economics, and requires disproportionate support costs relative to contract value.
What is behavioral segmentation and how does it improve GTM?
Behavioral segmentation categorizes customers by how they buy and use the product, not just company size or industry. This reveals which customer archetypes have higher lifetime value, lower churn, and better margins. It allows you to align sales, marketing, and customer success around the most profitable buying patterns.
How do you get sales reps to walk away from deals?
Restructure compensation plans to reward good revenue, margin, or customer quality instead of volume alone. Train teams that deal-walking is a win. Build sales process gates that prevent bad deals from closing. Tie rep incentives to net retention and profitability metrics, not just bookings.
Can intentional churn improve net retention rates?
Yes. Shedding unprofitable or high-churn customers improves net retention when the remaining customer base is more profitable and loyal. If you lose $500K in bad revenue but retain $5M in high-margin revenue with strong retention, your NRR will improve despite the absolute churn number.
What should CROs know about scaling with private equity?
PE firms support scaled growth and financial discipline. They expect clear segment economics, margin accountability, and repeatable go-to-market. Be transparent about revenue quality, not just volume. Use PE operational resources to build scalable systems and processes during ownership.
How do you tie marketing spend to profitable customer segments?
Start with behavioral segmentation and gross margin analysis to identify your most profitable archetypes. Allocate marketing budget to ICP and buying-pattern targets aligned with those segments. Measure marketing's contribution through CAC and LTV by segment, not aggregate metrics.
Jackie Rousseau-Anderson, CRO of InformData, on shedding bad revenue, rebuilding GTM around profitability, and driving NRR above 110% through intentional churn.
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Read the full transcript · 6 KB · Jackie Rousseau-Anderson
UNION SQUARE CONSULTING
Podcast Interview Prep Sheet
Precall Scheduled Date: Mar 26, 2026
Podcast Scheduled Date: Apr 7, 2026
Guest Information
* Full Name: Jacqueline (Jackie) Rousseau-Anderson
* Title: Chief Revenue Officer (CRO)
* Company Name: InformData
* Website: https://www.informdata.com
* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackiera/
Bio and Background
* Brief Professional Background:
* Current role: CRO at InformData (April 2025-present), leading GTM strategy for verifiable people data/background screening platform serving Consumer Reporting Agencies (CRAs). Previously CRO at Arkatechture (Oct 2024-April 2025), a data analytics platform for credit unions/financial institutions.
* The BlueConic revenue transformation story: CRO at BlueConic (Jan 2023-Sep 2024) after serving as Chief Customer Officer (2022-2023) and SVP Customer Success (2020-2022). Transitioned from customer success into full revenue ownership across 4+ years at customer data platform company.
* The data-to-revenue career story: Spent 15+ years at intersection of data and customer success - CRO at Simmons Research (2016-2018) leading transition from Experian sub-brand to PE-backed standalone company, 6+ years at Forrester Research (2005-2011) including Consumer Insights Analyst and launching Forrester's market research community, Director of Product Development at J.D. Power (2011-2013) releasing Social Media Benchmark study.
* Her superpower: Transforms data companies from product-oriented to customer-first revenue engines by leveraging deep data expertise with commercial GTM execution.
* Brief Company Background:
* InformData - Verifiable people data platform for background screening industry
* Founded: 2013 (Portland, Maine), CEO Andrew Feigenson (appointed April 2025), founder Scott Vanek now Executive Chairman
* Scale: $317M revenue, 1,000-5,000 employees, serves Consumer Reporting Agencies (CRAs) with 48M+ Direct-Source Data queries/year, 5,000+ data sources
* Funding/Growth: Strategic partnerships with Growth Verticals (insurance), Cytora (commercial insurers); launched monitoring product suite 2024
* Unique angle: Only wholesale provider of Direct-Source Data™ for background screening (criminal records, resume verification, medical compliance, international checks) - eliminates middlemen, treats data as supply chain
* Social Media Handles (if applicable):
* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackiera/
* Twitter: [Not found]
* Newsletter/Blog: Writes for InformData resources, cited in NYT, WSJ, Mashable, ReadWriteWeb
* Speaking: Frequent speaker, lecturer at Boston University (Adjunct Professor 2018-2021), keynoted industry events
Board/Advisory:
* Board Member, National Association of Women Sales Professionals (2020-2022)
* Board Member, Irwin Broh Research (2020-2021)
* Member, Chief (2022-2023)
* Affiliate Faculty, Metropolitan State University of Denver, Marketing (2013-2016)
KEY THEMES TO HIT
1. Customer Success → CRO Career Path ⭐
* Climbed from SVP Customer Success → CCO → CRO at BlueConic over 4 years
* Rare path: most CROs come from sales, not customer success
* Proves customer-first mindset drives revenue at data/analytics companies
* Now third CRO role in 2 years (BlueConic, Arkatechture, InformData)
2. Data Company GTM Specialist
* 15+ years exclusively at data/analytics companies (Forrester, J.D. Power, Simmons, BlueConic, Arkatechture, InformData)
* Led Simmons transition from Experian sub-brand to standalone PE-backed company
* Expertise: transforming product-oriented data companies into customer-centric revenue engines
* Deep understanding of how buyers evaluate and purchase data solutions
3. Navigating CRO Role Changes
* Third CRO role in 18 months (BlueConic Sept 2024, Arkatechture Oct 2024-April 2025, InformData April 2025)
* Each company at different stage: BlueConic (established CDP), Arkatechture (credit union analytics), InformData (background screening data)
* Brings rapid onboarding playbook for new CRO roles in data/SaaS
4. Teaching + Practitioner Combination
* Adjunct Professor at Boston University (2018-2021)
* Affiliate Faculty at Metropolitan State University (2013-2016)
* Combines academic rigor with hands-on revenue execution
* Cited in major publications (NYT, WSJ) as consumer tech expert
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