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Let It Burn: Why Not Every Revenue Problem Deserves a Fix

By Adam Chickman May, 26 2025

When wildfires break out in the mountains, firefighters don’t try to save everything.

In fact, one of the first decisions a fire crew makes is what not to fight.

Sometimes, they’ll intentionally let a small blaze burn. Why? Because it’s isolated, it’s not threatening structures, and dousing it would stretch resources too thin. If they chase every flame, they risk losing control of the fires that actually matter.

It’s not negligence.

It’s survival.

It’s triage.

And the same applies to revenue operations.

The Revenue Leader’s Dilemma

You open your dashboards Monday morning and see this:

  • Pipeline from outbound SDRs is down 12%.

  • Demo-to-proposal conversion fell 6 points last week.

  • ASP dropped in Mid-Market deals.

  • Inbound lead volume is pacing 9% below target.

  • One rep has missed quota two months in a row.

  • And… overall attainment is off by 7%.

Which problem do you solve first?

If your answer is, “All of them,” you’re already in trouble.

Not All Revenue Problems Are Equal

Here’s the uncomfortable truth:

Just because something’s broken doesn’t mean it’s worth fixing right now.

Some issues look urgent but have little impact.

Some look minor but are leaking six figures in revenue.

And unless you know which is which, you’ll waste precious time and energy chasing the wrong fires — while the important ones rage on.

What Prioritization Actually Looks Like

Let’s say you see these two issues in your data:

  1. Outbound SDR opp creation is down 15%

  2. Paid social lead volume is down 15%

At first glance, they’re equal drops.

But then you dig one layer deeper:

  • SDR opps have a 30% win rate and $18K ASP

  • Paid social leads convert at 2% and average $4K ASP

Same surface metric. Radically different revenue impact.

Let the paid social fire burn.

Send the water to outbound.

Most Teams Try to Fix Everything

We get it. When you’re a high-performer, seeing anything red on a dashboard creates a sense of panic.

But chasing every red KPI is like trying to carry water to every edge of a wildfire. You spread yourself too thin, and nothing actually improves.

Instead, ask:

  • How much revenue is at risk if this doesn’t get fixed?

  • Is this a trend or a one-week wobble?

  • Who owns it — and do we have a fix ready?

This Is Where Revenue Navigation Comes In

RevdUp doesn’t just show you what’s underperforming.

It shows you:

  • Which underperformance is costing you the most

  • What the root cause is

  • Who owns it

  • And what you should do next

We quantify impact — so you can see which 2 of the 8 red KPIs actually deserve your focus.

It’s not about ignoring problems.

It’s about focusing your effort where it drives the most return.

Bottom Line: Let It Burn

Sometimes the fire that looks big isn’t the one threatening your number.

Sometimes it’s the quiet one — the one eating away at your win rate or deal size — that needs your focus.

And sometimes?

You’ve got to let a smaller problem burn to keep the business alive.

Because in RevOps, leadership isn’t about putting out every fire.

It’s about knowing which one to fight first.

Let RevdUp show you where to point the hose.

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