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EP 147: How Chris Degnan Built Snowflake's Sales Org From Scratch

 
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Manage episode 488506599 series 3308502
Content provided by Redpoint Ventures and By Redpoint Ventures. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Redpoint Ventures and By Redpoint Ventures or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://ppacc.player.fm/legal.

Chris Degnan is one of the most legendary CROs of this generation. He joined Snowflake as employee #13 and the 1st sales hire. He scaled the sales org from 0 to over $3B in ARR, spanned four CEOs, and retired as CRO after 11 years.

In his first podcast post-retirement, Chris opened his CRO playbook, from early enablement to hiring rigor and fending off threats from competitors. He also reflects on lessons from working with leaders like Frank Slootman, John McMahon, and Sridhar Ramaswamy. If you’re a founder or running sales at a startup, this one is for you.

(00:00) Introduction to Chris's Journey at Snowflake
(01:47) Navigating Leadership Changes
(04:39) The Importance of Sales Methodology and Enablement
(10:22) Near-Death Experiences and Company Resilience
(13:39) Building a Strong Sales Organization
(27:25) Hiring and Scaling the Sales Team
(34:52) Board Dynamics and Mentorship
(44:29) The Influence of John McMahon
(46:22) Leadership Styles and Intuition
(46:56) Launching Snowflake Japan
(49:39) Learning from Leaders
(55:10) The Importance of Competitive Moats
(59:12) Snowflake vs. Databricks
(01:07:45) Public vs. Private Markets
(01:14:03) Sales and Marketing Synergy
(01:26:17) Final Thoughts and Future Plans

Executive Producer: Rashad Assir

Producer: Leah Clapper

Mixing and editing: Justin Hrabovsky

Check out Unsupervised Learning, Redpoint's AI Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@UCUl-s_Vp-Kkk_XVyDylNwLA

🎙 Listen to the show

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-logan-bartlett-show/id1606770839

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5WqBqDb4br3LlyVrdqOYYb?si=3076e6c1b5c94d63&nd=1

🎥 Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCugS0jD5IAdoqzjaNYzns7w?sub_confirmation=1

Follow on Socials

📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theloganbartlettshow

🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/loganbartshow

🎬 Clips on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@theloganbartlettshow

About the Show

Logan Bartlett is a Software Investor at Redpoint Ventures - a Silicon Valley-based VC with $6B AUM and investments in Snowflake, DraftKings, Twilio, and Netflix. In each episode, Logan goes behind the scenes with world-class entrepreneurs and investors. If you're interested in the real inside baseball of tech, entrepreneurship, and start-up investing, tune in every Friday for new episodes.

  continue reading

161 episodes

Artwork
iconShare
 
Manage episode 488506599 series 3308502
Content provided by Redpoint Ventures and By Redpoint Ventures. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Redpoint Ventures and By Redpoint Ventures or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://ppacc.player.fm/legal.

Chris Degnan is one of the most legendary CROs of this generation. He joined Snowflake as employee #13 and the 1st sales hire. He scaled the sales org from 0 to over $3B in ARR, spanned four CEOs, and retired as CRO after 11 years.

In his first podcast post-retirement, Chris opened his CRO playbook, from early enablement to hiring rigor and fending off threats from competitors. He also reflects on lessons from working with leaders like Frank Slootman, John McMahon, and Sridhar Ramaswamy. If you’re a founder or running sales at a startup, this one is for you.

(00:00) Introduction to Chris's Journey at Snowflake
(01:47) Navigating Leadership Changes
(04:39) The Importance of Sales Methodology and Enablement
(10:22) Near-Death Experiences and Company Resilience
(13:39) Building a Strong Sales Organization
(27:25) Hiring and Scaling the Sales Team
(34:52) Board Dynamics and Mentorship
(44:29) The Influence of John McMahon
(46:22) Leadership Styles and Intuition
(46:56) Launching Snowflake Japan
(49:39) Learning from Leaders
(55:10) The Importance of Competitive Moats
(59:12) Snowflake vs. Databricks
(01:07:45) Public vs. Private Markets
(01:14:03) Sales and Marketing Synergy
(01:26:17) Final Thoughts and Future Plans

Executive Producer: Rashad Assir

Producer: Leah Clapper

Mixing and editing: Justin Hrabovsky

Check out Unsupervised Learning, Redpoint's AI Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@UCUl-s_Vp-Kkk_XVyDylNwLA

🎙 Listen to the show

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-logan-bartlett-show/id1606770839

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5WqBqDb4br3LlyVrdqOYYb?si=3076e6c1b5c94d63&nd=1

🎥 Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCugS0jD5IAdoqzjaNYzns7w?sub_confirmation=1

Follow on Socials

📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theloganbartlettshow

🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/loganbartshow

🎬 Clips on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@theloganbartlettshow

About the Show

Logan Bartlett is a Software Investor at Redpoint Ventures - a Silicon Valley-based VC with $6B AUM and investments in Snowflake, DraftKings, Twilio, and Netflix. In each episode, Logan goes behind the scenes with world-class entrepreneurs and investors. If you're interested in the real inside baseball of tech, entrepreneurship, and start-up investing, tune in every Friday for new episodes.

  continue reading

161 episodes

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