Operations with Sean Lane #throwback The Art & Science of Snowflake’s Sales Capacity Planning with Rachel Haley
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Mar 25, 2022 Rachel Haley, Co-founder and CEO of Clarus Designs and former Senior Director of Sales Operations at Snowflake, shares her insights on scaling operations in a hypergrowth environment. She recalls the challenges of expanding Snowflake’s sales team from 30 to 450 reps and the importance of planning and re-planning. Rachel emphasizes using accurate capacity models, balancing data with sales insights, and the critical need for proactive hiring. She also discusses learning from hiring mistakes and the philosophy of executing strategies effectively before changing them.
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Rapid Scaling From 30 To 450 Reps
- Rachel Haley describes joining Snowflake at ~330 people with 30 AEs and growing sales ops from 3 to ~40 people.
- She personally managed up to 22 reports while Snowflake grew to ~450 quota-carrying AEs.
Use Trailing Attainment, Not Quota Assumptions
- Rachel argues capacity planning should use trailing 12-month attainment averages rather than simply assuming 100% quota attainment.
- She saw meaningful differences in ramp and attainment by geo and territory that change capacity needs.
Pair Models With Street Knowledge
- Combine quantitative models with sales leaders' "street knowledge" before finalizing headcount and territories.
- Use that dialogue to add buffers, overhire, and prepare contingency revenue plans.
