Snowflake: Hyperscaler Partner Operating Approach
Purpose: Define how Brainforge runs the Snowflake partnership using a hyperscaler-style operating model—consumption attribution, certifications, AE/PM cadence, and proof artifacts. This encodes the concrete plays discussed with an experienced channel/partner leader (Chris Verner, Apr 2026) and complements the generic Partner Playbook (relationship-first, rep enablement).
Audience: Partnerships owner, GTM leadership, anyone updating PARTNER_CONTROL_CENTER.md.
Last updated: 2026-04-06
1. How this differs from the generic playbook
| Generic partner playbook | Snowflake / hyperscaler overlay |
|---|---|
| Three Whys, account briefs, rep ladder | Same—still the human layer |
| 90-day activation tests | Same—still time-box proof |
| “Make it easy for reps to bring you in” | Plus explicit cloud consumption story, cert inventory, and partner-manager + AE propagation |
Snowflake (and peers) optimize for account executive and partner manager motions that reward attributed consumption, skills proof, and repeatable 1–2 page stories they can forward. This doc is the overlay for that motion.
2. The five “dials” (what Snowflake and peers actually optimize for)
- Attributed consumption — Storage/compute (e.g. TB/PB in Snowflake) and broader cloud consumption tied to customers you work with, including expanded footprint on existing Snowflake accounts (not only greenfield).
- Certifications & accreditations — Named proof that the delivery bench can execute (Snowflake + cloud where relevant).
- Customer proof — Logos, ROI, and written artifacts (one-pagers, case studies) that include consumption and outcome numbers where possible.
- Partner manager relationship — Quarterly (or better) working sessions: traction, co-sell, account mapping, template for what AEs receive.
- AE network propagation — Deepen AEs who already use you; ask them to introduce you to other AEs (not only sell into one book and hope it rolls up).
Parallel track: AWS (and cloud marketplaces generally) is often easier to activate than Snowflake’s centralized partner org; success there reinforces credibility with Snowflake when you can show joint AWS + Snowflake customer work.
3. Concrete plays (execution checklist)
3.1 Partner manager + AE enablement
| Play | Cadence | Output |
|---|---|---|
| Request Snowflake’s AE-facing template | Once, then refresh quarterly | Partner manager provides (or approves) the 1–2 page PDF format their org circulates to AEs |
| Brainforge AE brief | Living doc; update when certs/customers/consumption change | Single PDF: consumption attributed, cert counts, Snowflake ecosystem customers, three focused capabilities (see §4), optional ROI bullets |
| Brown bags / enablement | As PM agrees | Short sessions so AEs know what Brainforge does and when to pull us in |
| Partner manager QBR-style touch | At least quarterly | Lunch/dinner/call: “How do we get more traction? Co-sell? Account mapping? What should we fix in the brief?” |
| Champion AE → other AEs | Ongoing | For AEs who already leverage us: explicit asks for intros to peers (same region/pod where possible) |
3.2 Consumption and proof
| Play | Owner | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Per-customer consumption story | Delivery + partnerships | For each Snowflake customer: document what consumption is tied to our work (including stickiness/expansion on existing estates). Use partner tooling / Snowflake interfaces when available for attribution views. |
| Post-engagement write-up | Partnerships + marketing | After major milestones: customer, problem, ROI, timeline, project value, consumption on Snowflake → white paper or case study → distribute via partner manager and champion AEs for internal momentum. |
| Marketplace / listings (future) | Ops + partnerships | No Snowflake marketplace listing today; treat AWS marketplace offering + Snowflake proof as a roadmap item when ready (see Control Center). |
3.3 Certifications as a lever
| Play | Notes |
|---|---|
| Team-wide cert goals | Set explicit targets (roles, counts, timeline); consider incentives for priority certs (modeled on common services partner practice). |
| Surface in every external brief | Cert counts and role coverage belong on the AE brief and in PM conversations. |
3.4 Messaging: “three things only” for Snowflake-facing GTM
Partners do not want a laundry list. Externally, Snowflake-facing materials should emphasize three crisp offerings Brainforge is best at for their customer base (vertical or use-case sharpness is a plus). Other services can exist; the Snowflake story stays narrow. Align with partner positioning and refresh in brand/GTM cycles.
4. AE brief — required fields (draft until PM template received)
Use Snowflake’s official template when provided. Until then, every Snowflake-facing one-pager should answer:
- How much Snowflake (and cloud) consumption do we drive or support among customers we work with? (Define methodology in a footnote if needed.)
- Certifications: Snowflake + relevant cloud/platform counts; roles.
- Reference customers: Names in Snowflake ecosystem (with approval).
- Three capabilities — only three — we want AEs to remember.
- How to engage: contact path, typical discovery → proposal shape, ICP in one line.
5. Cadence map (minimum viable)
| Rhythm | Activities |
|---|---|
| Weekly | Rep/champion touches per Rep Engagement Playbook; update Control Center |
| Monthly | Refresh consumption numbers on active accounts; one proof artifact progress (case study or one-pager revision) |
| Quarterly | Partner manager session; cert gap review; AE propagation plan (who introduces us to whom) |
6. Links inside this repo
| Resource | Path |
|---|---|
| Snowflake control center | PARTNER_CONTROL_CENTER.md |
| AE brief (v1) | ae-brief-snowflake-v1.md |
| Customer consumption snapshot | snowflake-customer-consumption-snapshot.md |
| Steve meeting (Microsoft/channel context) | 01-steve-meeting-insights.md |
| Partner mapping SOP | SOP.md |
| Global partnership ops design | partnership-ops-system.md |
| Partnership manager playbook (Slack reminders) | partnership-manager-playbook-slack.md |
| Weekly digest (repo as source of truth) | weekly-partnerships-digest-PRD.md |
7. Open decisions (track in Control Center)
- Confirm Partner Manager name/role (may have churned—validate in Snowflake).
- Obtain official AE one-pager template from Snowflake partner team.
- Set first quarterly PM working session date and agenda using §3.1.
- Choose three Snowflake-forward capabilities for the next 90 days (edit brief only when these change).