How to Sell Cloud

Sourcegraph launched the Cloud Beta in December. Since then hundreds of companies have shown interest and dozens have been onboarded. One of the goals of the cloud beta is to prove the viability of the Cloud product via paying users. The following summarizes the sales process for companies in the Cloud Beta.

  1. There are two paths to selling Cloud.

    • Self-selected companies: These companies signed up online for the Cloud Beta and have already familiarized themselves with Sourcegraph via the onboarding. You should receive an introductory email that includes Ryan Phillips before the company actually onboards.
    • AE discovery: These companies are found to qualify for the Cloud Beta through a discovery call with an AE. To determine if a company can participate in the Cloud Beta, please ask the following questions:
      • Where do you store your code? The answer must be the cloud versions of Github or GitLab
      • How many developers do they have? We do not support teams > 50 users
      • Are they okay without Code Insights or Batch Changes? Make sure to evaluate the need for these capabilities before referring the customer to the Cloud
      • Do you have security requirements that favor a self-hosted solution
      • Do you need SSO

    If all is good, get their username and desired org name! Share this information with Ryan and he will onboard the new account in the Cloud Beta.

  2. After a company onboards and has a moment to test the product (~2 weeks) Ryan will notify you that the beta program is going well for the customer. If you have not already, reach out to the customer with an invitation for a product feedback session. In this session, the following should be covered:

    • Feedback on the customers use of Sourcegraph
    • Technical assistance to ensure you’re getting the most out of Sourcegraph Cloud
    • Guidance on the next steps of the beta

    Point “a” may be lead by Quinn Keast (or another product leader) and point “b” will lead by the CE attending the call. The AEs role is to guide the customer on next steps.

  3. Before getting started with next steps make sure to qualify the customer. Quinn and the CE will do some of the work for qualifying for you. You are encouraged to engage with the customer throughout Quinn and the CE’s roles if it helps you qualify the customer or if you have something to add to the conversation. Once it is clear that the customer is getting value from Sourcegraph and would like to continue using Sourcegraph you should share with them the next steps.

  4. Next Steps:

    • Customers get at least 30 days to trial Cloud but no more than 60 days, the beta program ends at the end of the month following the month of their onboarding
    • Ask if they would like to continue using it past the end of the month
    • Make sure to find out if the customer has budget, signing authority or can involve someone with signing authority
    • Position the price: Make sure you manage the customer’s expectations from the beginning; this is a beta and all sorts of things could go wrong with reliability or usability of the Cloud product and that they may ‘upgrade’ to the self-hosted product as an option if the Cloud product is too troubled

  5. Make sure to follow up with the customer like any other to gather the final details and close the deal.