Looking for a Senior Hire in your business but unsure which role you actually need?

In a B2B SaaS company, the roles of Chief Revenue Officer (CRO), Chief Sales Officer (CSO), and Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) have overlapping responsibilities, but they each focus on different aspects of revenue generation and business growth.

In this blog we explore how these roles differ and how to understand which role you actually need for your business.

Let’s Dive In!

The Chief Revenue Officer Role (CRO)

Focus: Owns the entire revenue-generation process across all customer touchpoints.

Key Responsibilities:

• Aligns marketing, sales, customer success, and partnerships to drive revenue.
• Oversees customer lifecycle from acquisition to retention and expansion.
• Focuses on data-driven revenue growth, including pricing strategy and revenue operations.
• Works closely with marketing to optimize lead generation and conversion

Who They Report To: CEO (or COO in some cases).

When to Hire: When a SaaS company needs cross-functional alignment to optimize revenue across the entire funnel.

The Chief Sales Officer Role (CSO)

Focus: Primarily responsible for the sales function.

Key Responsibilities:

• Manages the sales team, setting quotas, strategy, and execution.
• Focuses on pipeline development, closing deals, and revenue from new customers.
• Works on sales process optimization, forecasting, and territory planning.
• Often works closely with the CRO but does not own marketing, customer success, or partnerships.

Who They Report To: CRO or CEO.

When to Hire: When a company has a scaling sales team and needs strong leadership in enterprise or SMB sales strategy.

The Chief Commercial Officer Role (CCO)

Focus: Owns the overall commercial strategy, including sales, marketing, and customer relationships.

Key Responsibilities:

• Develops go-to-market strategy, including pricing, partnerships, and expansion.
• Ensures commercial teams (sales, marketing, customer success) are aligned.
• Often oversees strategic partnerships and business development.
• More common in European companies or industries where commercial strategy is broader than just sales and marketing.

Who They Report To: CEO.

When to Hire: When the company wants a single leader overseeing the entire commercial operation, including sales, marketing, and sometimes customer success.

Comparison Table:

Which Role Do You Need?

If you need someone to align all revenue-generating functions (Sales, Marketing, and CS), hire a CRO.

If you need someone to scale and optimize sales performance, hire a CSO.

If you need a broader commercial leader covering sales, marketing, and partnerships, hire a CCO.