Welcome to the Sales Development Organization at GitLab! We are a team designed to drive results for customers through both inbound and outbound strategies. Our structure is designed to maximise efficiency, responsiveness, and creativity in our outreach efforts.
Please find a quick Roadshow presentation of our organisation in the slides here
1. Sales Development Representatives (SDRs) — Inbound Focused
Key attributes: fast response time · global coverage · alignment with Marketing for SLAs and campaign feedback · defined and prescriptive inbound processes · round-robin assignment rules · talent incubator for BDR teams.
2. Business Development Representatives (BDRs) — Outbound Focused
Key attributes: alignment with SAEs/AEs and Sales Leadership · collaboration with Field Marketing and ABM · strategic account planning and research · targeted and creative messaging · talent incubator for Sales teams.
Use cmd+F to search this page. Try multiple permutations of what you’re looking for — e.g. for lead scoring, search score, scoring, lead, MQL.
If you can’t find what you’re looking for, please reach out to a member of the Sales Dev Ops team and we’ll help you find it — or update the handbook to include it!
| Page | What you’ll find |
|---|---|
| How-Tos Page | Finding leads and accounts, actioning inbound/outbound pipeline, creating SAOs, and all main day-to-day processes. |
| RoE, FAQ and KPIs Page | Career progression, rules of engagement, general role expectations, opportunity credit, ramping periods, lead routing, and compensation. |
| Tanuki Tech Page | Ongoing enablement as part of the Sales Dev team. |
| The Sales Dev Knowledge Vault | Managerial-level processes, manager or team member onboarding, and tool walkthroughs. |
| What is your role and ask? | How will the Sales Dev Org help |
|---|---|
| I am a Field Marketer, and want to have people invited to my event | We typically work with the FM process outlined on the issue template called FM-BDR-Collaboration-Template that can be found here, but are always eager to collaborate in making your events more successful. If your ask isn’t covered in the template, please write to us on #sales_dev_global and we’ll jump in to assist. |
| I am an Account Executive, and want to nominate accounts for outbounding efforts | Our end-to-end outbound process is here. The easiest way to automate your workflow is to find the BDR Prospecting Status field on the SFDC Account record, and select Queued. The BDR team will then pick it up and research it for their outbound pipeline. |
| I am an Account Executive, and want to check the state of accounts or quality of prospects in my territory | Our BDR team uses a set of 1:1 dashboards that consolidate all relevant resources in one place. We typically use these on 1:1s with the Sales team to facilitate better account and territory planning. |
| I am a Sales Manager, and want to gauge the quality and progress of the SAOs provided to my team | We have a robust set of pipeline progression dashboards that break down results in granular detail. We also have a structured path for handing off opportunities from the SDR/BDR teams to the AE team. |
| Channel | Slack Handle |
|---|---|
| Main Channel — (Global VP — Dorina Pulluqi) | #sales_dev_global |
| Announcements — (Tanuki Tech and Enablement — Chris Wang) | #sales_dev_fyi |
| SDR AMER and EMEA (Manager — Jonathan Rivat) | #sdr_amer_emea_inbound |
| BDR AMER (Regional Director — Brian Tabbert) | #amer_bdr |
| BDR HYBRID AMER (Manager — Chris Stauder) | #bdr_amer_hybrid |
| BDR FO AMER (Manager — Christie Park) | #bdr_amer_fo |
| BDR FINS & LATAM AMER (Manager — Ashley Dunn) | #bdr_amer_fo |
| BDR ENTG EMEA DACH EGC — (Manager — Christopher Allenfort) | #bdr_entg_emea_dach_egc |
| BDR ENTG EMEA NORTH — (Manager — Eamon Keane) | #bdr_emea_north |
| BDR ENTG EMEA SEUR — (Manager — Tati Fernandez) | #bdr_emea_high_growth_markets |
| BDR EMEA FO — (Manager — Maroussia Stolarczuk) | #bdr_emea_fo |
| BDR APJ — (Regional Director — Robin Falkowski / Manager — Aletha Alfarania) | #apj_sales_dev |
| Channel | Use this For |
|---|---|
| Marketing Operations Team | Bugs and issues around MOPs-owned tools: Cognism, ZoomInfo, UserGems, Outreach, 6Sense |
| CorpSec Team | Help around GitLab, Okta, your Laptop, and offboarding/onboarding. HelpLab tickets here |
| Sales Dev Operations Team | Anything day-to-day — ideas for iterations and improvements. Please tag @Mona or @Panos |
| UserGems Feedback | Improvements on UserGems |
| 6Sense Help | Questions around 6Sense |
| Salesforce (SFDC) | For any requests related to Opportunities, Leads, or Contacts, please use the Request Support button directly within the relevant SFDC record. |
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Sales Development Issues | Full issue list for our project. |
| Sales Dev Ops Issue Board | Main Kanban board for operational projects. |
| FM Collaboration Board | Communication board with the Field Marketing team. |
| PTO Requests Board | Submit and manage PTO requests. |
| Sales Systems Issues | Sales Systems issue list. |
| Marketing Operations Issues | Marketing Operations team space. |
| Name/Link | Description |
|---|---|
| 1:1 Dashboards — Accounts: AMER COMM | Accounts in the AMER COMM segment. |
| 1:1 Dashboards — Accounts: AMER ENTG/FO | Accounts in AMER Enterprise and First Order segments. |
| 1:1 Dashboards — Accounts: APJ ENTG/COMM | Accounts in APJ Commercial and Enterprise segments. |
| 1:1 Dashboards — Accounts: EMEA ENTG/FO | Accounts in EMEA Enterprise and First Order segments. |
| 1:1 Dashboards — Accounts: PUBSEC AMER | Accounts in PUBSEC AMER segment. |
| Tableau Self-Managed Instances Database | Self-Managed Free Instances breakdown. |
| Tableau Inbound Lead Database | Inbound and existing leads breakdown. |
| Tableau Prospecting 360 — Master | Combined multi-datapoint view for research. |
| Prospecting 360 — Pursuit or FO Accounts | Accounts with engaged leads in the last 30 days and no open opps. |
| Prospecting 360 — Surging & On Fire Accounts | Accounts with new or engaged leads that are Surging and On Fire in Qualified. |
| Prospecting 360 — Qualifying by 6Sense | Accounts prioritised by 6Sense intent overlaid on Qualified pipeline. |
| Prospecting 360 — AWA’d last 30 days | Accounts marked Actively Working in the last 30 days. |
| Inbound Interest Feed (Company Level) | Company-level interest and engagement metrics. |
| Inbound Interest Feed (Lead Level) | Lead-level interest and engagement metrics. |
| Name/Link | Description |
|---|---|
| Pipeline Dashboard: EMEA | Bird’s-eye view of pipeline from new leads to existing opps — EMEA. |
| Pipeline Dashboard: APJ | Bird’s-eye view of pipeline — APJ. |
| Pipeline Dashboard: AMER | Bird’s-eye view of pipeline — AMER. |
| Pipeline Dashboard: Global SDR | Bird’s-eye view of pipeline — Global SDR teams. |
| Global/Regional Sales Dev Results Dashboard | Attainment by region/team, current and previous quarters. |
| Global/Regional Sales Dev Activities Dashboard | Activity breakdown by team member, region, and quarter. |
| Sales Dev KPI Dashboard | Weekly KPI progress by region. |
| 6Sense 6QA Automation Dashboard | Accounts auto-imported to SFDC via 6Sense automation. |
| Global SDR Ops Dashboard | Activities and opportunities for global SDR teams. |
| Name/Link | Description |
|---|---|
| BDR Team Dashboard Template | All main functions of managing a BDR team. |
| Base BDR Team Dashboard Template | All main functions of managing the Base BDR team. |
| SDR Team Dashboard Template | All main functions of managing the inbound SDR team. |
| FO Team Dashboard Template | All main functions of managing the FO team. |
| Resource | Description |
|---|---|
| GitLab LevelUp Training channel | Additional learning resources. |
| Sales handbook page | Main handbook page for Sales. |
| Go to Market page | GTM strategy resources. |
| Sales Development Org job family/levels | Job families and levels within the Sales Dev Org. |
| Enterprise BDR Outbound Process Framework | Enterprise BDR outbound process framework. |
| Sales Development Enablement Videos | Enablement videos and how-tos. |
| Lead Lifecycle Handbook Page | Lead statuses and lifecycle management. |
| Marketing Resource Links | Whitepapers, ebooks, webcasts, analyst reports. |
| GitLab Buyer Personas | Buyer personas reference. |
| Command of the Message | CoM training and GitLab value framework. |
| Flash Field newsletter | Weekly sales newsletter. |
| GitLab Values | The guiding principles we try to live up to each day. |
Before walking you through our inbound and outbound processes, it’s important to acknowledge our SLAs and KPIs.
| Metric | Threshold |
|---|---|
| Response time — net new MQLs | 2 work hours from the MQL Date |
| Response time — inbound replies | 8 work hours |
| High Touch Sequence usage | Over 70% of inbound leads must be enrolled in High Touch sequences |
| Tasks past due per day | No more than 10% pending; 90% must be properly completed (not skipped) |
| Two-way conversations | Minimum 50 per week |
| Metric | Threshold |
|---|---|
| AWA’d accounts per quarter — Enterprise | 75 accounts per BDR (measured by Actively Working Start Date) |
| AWA’d accounts per quarter — Hybrid Ent & Mid-Market, First Order | 125 accounts per BDR (measured by Actively Working Start Date) |
| 6QA’d accounts per quarter | 25 per BDR |
| Research quality | Over 80% of accounts in BDR Prospecting Status = Actively Working must show intent data or high propensity to purchase |
| Prospects per account | 5–10 per AWA account, matching our ICP personas |
| 6QA account review SLA | All auto-6QA’d accounts must be 6QA Acceptance Status = Accepted or Disputed within 48 hours |
Inbound leads are automatically imported into Salesforce by the Sales and Marketing Operations teams. Outbound leads are manually imported directly by the BDR team.
Lead views are pre-filtered by use case to help you prioritise and manage your pipeline efficiently. To access them, click the Leads tab in the top navigation bar.
SLAs: The KPIs and response time requirements for managing inbound leads are defined on our SLAs page.
| View | Description |
|---|---|
| Z1 — SDR Action Needed: First Focus | Leads in MQL status where Last Interesting Moment contains: Contact, Qualified, DAP, Executive, or Handraise — and not yet sequenced. 2-hour SLA applies. These are your highest-value new MQLs. Add to a High Touch sequence and action the first step immediately. Goal: speed to lead with quality, strategic outreach. Always use High Touch sequences for this view. |
| Z2 — SDR Action Needed: Second Focus | Leads in Accepted or Qualifying status where Last Interesting Moment contains: Contact, Qualified, DAP, Executive, or Handraise — and already in a sequence. Next step is either due today, or the lead is in Qualifying status without a next step task scheduled. Goal: flawless execution on your most important in-flight leads until they move to Recycle, Disqualified, Unqualified, or SAO. |
| Z3 — SDR Action Needed: Third Focus | Remaining MQL leads not covered by Z1. 24-hour SLA applies. Add to the appropriate sequence and action the first step. Goal: action lower-priority MQLs within the SLA window and decide whether a High Touch or Low Touch sequence is warranted. |
| Z4 — SDR High Priority (Non-MQL Leads) | Non-MQL leads flagged as High Priority by Marketing. 2-day SLA applies. Goal: action leads that Marketing has requested attention on. These should only be worked after Z1, Z2, and Z3 have been cleared. |
| View | Description |
|---|---|
| FY26 B1 — My Leads, Action Needed | Leads in MQL lead status or marked as High Priority. Check the High Priority Reason field for more context. |
| FY26 B2 — AWA leads w/ LIM | Leads in your name matching your Accounts in Actively Working BDR Prospecting Status. Sort by Last Interesting Moment Date and cross-reference with Lead Classification Score. Excludes leads added to sequences in the last 14 days. |
| FY26 B3 — Change Owner AWA’s (Clone) | Leads not yet moved to your name because they were in Accepted, MQL, or Qualifying status when you moved the account to Actively Working BDR Prospecting Status. |
| FY26 B4 — My HT Leads W/ Phone | Leads in High Touch sequences with a phone datapoint. Use for call blitzes or when Outreach call tasks fall below your daily KPI. |
| FY26 B5 — My Qualifying Leads | Leads in Qualifying status in active two-way conversation. Each must have an active sequence, an active task, or a future meeting scheduled (visible via a future Last Activity Date). |
| FY26 B6 — 6QA Imported Leads | Leads auto-imported via ZoomInfo after their associated account was automatically moved to Showing Intent status by 6Sense, and the BDR confirmed them by using the 6QA Acceptance Status datapoint. |
| FY26 B7 — AWS Prospecting Last 7 Days | AWS-sourced leads from the last 7 days. |
| FY26 B8 — AWA Leads w/ no LIM | Leads in Recycle Queue status with a Last Interesting Moment Date older than 12 months — previously engaged but now inactive. |
| View | Description |
|---|---|
| FY26 B1 — My Contacts, Action Needed | Contacts in MQL status or marked as High Priority. 2-hour SLA applies. Check the High Priority Reason field for more context. If you plan to work the full account, consider moving it to Actively Working BDR Prospecting Status. |
| FY26 B2 — AWA Contacts | Contacts in your name matching your accounts in Actively Working BDR Prospecting Status. Sort by Last Interesting Moment Date and cross-reference with Lead Classification Score to decide which to sequence first. |
| FY26 B3 — My HT Contacts W/ Phone | Contacts in High Touch sequences with a phone datapoint. Use for call blitzes or when Outreach call tasks fall below your daily KPI. |
| FY26 B4 — My Qualifying Contacts | Contacts in Qualifying status in active two-way conversation. Each must have an active sequence, an active task, or a future meeting scheduled (visible via a future Last Activity Date). |
| View | Description |
|---|---|
| FY26 B1 — My BDR Assigned Accounts (Clone) | Accounts where you are listed in the BDR Assigned field. Use to mass-update BDR Account Strategy and BDR Prospecting Status across your territory. |
| FY26 B2 / B3 — My Actively Working Accounts (Clone) | Accounts in your name with BDR Prospecting Status = Actively Working. Use to review and manage your current outbound pipeline. |
| FY26 B4 — BDR Recycle Date Past Due (Clone) | AWA accounts where the BDR Recycle Date is in the past. Review these immediately — accounts here are overdue for recycling or a deliberate extension of their BDR Recycle Date. |
| FY26 B5 — Moved to “Worked in FY” This Week (Clone) | Accounts recently transitioned to Worked in FY status. Use to verify that Worked in FY Reason is populated and that any relevant next steps have been handed off or documented. |
As part of your SDR responsibilities, you are expected to perform due diligence on each lead you receive. This includes checking the database for duplicate records, as well as referencing against our RoE.
Key fields for this process:
Lead Status · Matched Account Info · BDR Prospecting Status · Account Type · BDR Assigned · Initial Source · Admin Company Override · Matched Opportunities Info
Step 1 — Find Duplicates
Open the Lead record and press Find Duplicates at the top of the page. You will need to be in SFDC Classic to do this. This queries across Leads, Contacts, and Accounts.
Step 2 — Evaluate the Results
You will be taken to a screen that displays all relevant matches. If you don’t see any, or feel that data is incomplete, prioritise matching on Email Domain only by selecting it from the checkbox and clicking Search anew. Repeat for other datapoints at your disposal.
Then work through the following routing logic:
Lead Status and Created Date?Type (Customer or Prospect?) and BDR Prospecting Status (Actively Working or Worked in FY)?Step 3 — Action based on RoE
Once you have the above picture, apply the correct action below:
Account Type = Customer AND the lead is SMB segment → Press Convert. Attach the lead to the existing account. Do not create a new account. Note: accounts can be marked as Customer even if only storage has been purchased — first confirm Total_CARR__c > 0 before treating it as a true Customer record.
Account Type is not Customer AND there is an open Opportunity on the matched account → Set Lead Status to Recycle and Recycle Reason to Evaluating. Leave in the recycle queue per Lead Lifecycle rules.
Lead is at a University or Education account AND not US Public Sector AND the contact is technical → Treat as a regular lead. Proceed with standard qualification and sequencing.
Account BDR Prospecting Status = Actively Working → First check for any activity on the account record or related lead records in the last 30 days. If activity exists, reroute the lead to the user in the BDR Assigned field. This is mandatory — SDRs must not retain these leads. If no activity exists, the lead can remain with the SDR.
Account is flagged as Public Sector (check the website for .gov partnerships or government contracts) → Route to the PubSec manager. Do not work the lead yourself.
Account is a Major territory account with BDR Prospecting Status = Restricted → Convert the lead to a Contact and chatter the AE. Do not work the lead.
Account is NOT Actively Working → Check for duplicate leads or contacts on that account (from your Step 1 results). If duplicates exist, merge them and preserve the oldest Initial Source value on the surviving record.
Company Address on the lead doesn’t match your external research → Populate the Admin Company Override fields in the Lead/Contact Review Admin section. This is a required prerequisite before lead conversion.
If you discover wrong HQ information, the Company Address waterfall fields are read-only formula fields used for account routing and opportunity assignment. They must be validated before converting a lead to a new account. The waterfall resolves in priority order — each level is used only if the one above it is blank:
When to use Admin Override Fields: when the ZoomInfo address is incorrect, or when there is no ZoomInfo match and the waterfall fields are blank.
To update: navigate to Lead/Contact Review Admin, populate Street, City, Country, and Postal Code, and set the Admin Company Address Source field — this field is mandatory on save. Accepted sources in order of preference: ZoomInfo → Cognism → Company Website / SEC Filing (add URL) → Customer confirmation → LinkedIn (last resort — must include a reason).
Note: After lead conversion, account ownership assignment runs on roughly 4-hour intervals — if the account owner isn’t immediately updated, that’s expected.
For a full walkthrough, see this video.
Merging is required when duplicate records exist for the same person. Use Find Duplicates on the lead record to surface matches.
Merging two Leads — video walkthrough
When merging two leads, one record becomes the master (surviving) record. Use the following rules to determine which values to keep:
| Field | Rule |
|---|---|
| Master Record | Lead with the most recent Last Interesting Moment Date. Tie-break: Last Activity Date. |
| Initial Source | Keep value from the oldest lead (earliest Created Date). |
| First Engagement Date | Keep the earliest value. |
| Last Login Date | Keep the most recent value. |
| Company / Address fields | Keep the most accurate and complete set based on your research. |
| If both leads have different email addresses, save the secondary email before merging and add it as Supplemental Email on the merged record. | |
| Owner | Do not reassign unless intentional — check you’re not accidentally taking a lead from an active rep. |
Merging a Lead and a Contact — video walkthrough
This applies when a web direct purchase creates a new Contact and Opportunity for a person who already exists as a Lead in SFDC. The system does not auto-merge — it must be done manually.
| Problem | Who to Chatter |
|---|---|
| SMB/MM Contact Request and the account is a customer | Account Owner — provide context of the message. |
| BDR receives an MQL not from an Actively Working account | @mktops |
| Lead appears misrouted | @mktops — first update the correct address info using the Admin Company Override fields, then click “Re-route Traction” on the lead record. If routing to a specific team: PubSec leads → PubSec manager; Startup inquiries → Alex Karsten; other segments → route based on territory reports. |
| Duplicate Account | Sales Support — ask them to merge. To escalate formally, create a case in SFDC and assign to Sales Support with the duplicate account links included. |
| Opp moved to Stage 1 with incorrect data | Your manager → they’ll reach out to Sales Dev Operations (Ramona, Panos, or Ed). No one else in Sales Dev can edit Stage 1+ opportunities. |
| Unclear territory assignment | AE from each of the potential territories. |
| Requesting SAO credit on an opp | Sales Dev Ops or the Director of Commercial Sales Development. |
| Account in Restricted Status (non-Major territory) | The SAE — ask permission to reach out. AE responds within 48 hours. |
| Account in Restricted Status (Major territory) | The AE — convert lead to Contact immediately and inform them. Do not work the lead. |
Occasionally a lead has no value to GitLab and should be permanently removed from the database. This process is irreversible — please exercise caution before initiating.
Criteria for removal:
Removal process:
#mktgops — use sparingly.⚠️ Leads removed through this process cannot be recovered. Do not add a lead to this campaign unless you are 100% certain.
Domain blocking: if multiple leads share the same low-quality domain, create an issue with Marketing Ops to add the domain to the block list.
Default to High Touch. Only use Low Touch when a phone number genuinely cannot be sourced after exhausting all three lookup sources below.
Step 1 — Check for a phone number:
phone data on the lead-level.email on our enrichment tools (ZoomInfo, Cognism, SalesNav).Step 2 — Select sequence type based on what you found:
→ Phone number found at any stage → use a High Touch sequence: multi-channel (email + phone + LinkedIn), approximately 2 weeks, 10 or more steps. This is the standard for most inbound and outbound leads.
→ No phone number after all three checks → use a Low Touch sequence (last resort): up to 4 automated email steps, shorter duration. Appropriate for event invites or leads with genuinely incomplete contact data.
Select the corresponding collection in Outreach based on the sequence type above.
Before placing any call, check the Do Not Call field on the Lead or Contact record in SFDC.
If a prospect asks not to be called: set Do Not Call to true. Do not delete the phone number — the record of which number requested no further calls must be retained.
To uncheck Do Not Call, both of the following conditions must be true:
Ensure the opt-in email is logged in SFDC as proof before unchecking the field.
⚠️ You cannot email a non-opted-in contact to ask whether they want to be called.
Every outbound email sent by a BDR — including replies — must contain an unsubscribe link. For the correct legal wording, contact the Privacy Team via #privacy-team-help.
Shortly after a lead is created, Marketo may automatically set Do Not Call and/or Do Not Email to true based on country, lead source, domain type, and compliance criteria (e.g. certain Cognism/ZoomInfo leads, personal domains in Canada, competitor or spam domains).
Full criteria: internal.gitlab.com/handbook/marketing/marketing-ops-and-analytics/marketing-operations/do-not-contact
For high-touch events such as Executive Roundtables, the Last Event Notes field on the lead record may include specific instructions — such as naming GitLab team members who interacted with the prospect. These situations require a white glove sequence, which you can find in Outreach by filtering for the Outreach Collection White Glove.
The objective is to follow up quickly and bring the relevant SAE/AE into the conversation from the first touchpoint.
A lead is marked High Priority when it is a member of a campaign with High Priority = true in SFDC, and its associated account has a BDR Prospecting Status = Actively Working. This classification is applied regardless of the lead’s current Lead Status.
High Priority leads surface automatically in the B1 priority view in SFDC.
To understand why a specific lead was flagged, check the following fields on the lead record:
To move a lead out of High Priority without contacting them, use this sequence. It creates one task that moves the lead to Accepted status and removes the High Priority flag.
New sequences must follow the 4-stage governance flow below. Use the BDR Sequence Creation Request issue template to initiate.
| Stage | Owner | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Request | XDR Manager | Open an issue when there is a messaging gap an A/B test cannot address. Transfer sequence ownership from BDR to Manager before submitting. |
| 2. Manager Review | XDR Manager | Validate naming, tags, settings (Schedule Days interval, open/click tracking, throttle limits), and variables. Apply label Sales Dev Sequence:: Manager Checked and Approved and assign to Director. |
| 3. Director Approval | Regional Director | Spot-check, activate the sequence, apply label Sales Dev Sequence:: Director Launched and Monitoring, set due date 60 days out. |
| 4. Performance Review | Director + Manager | At 60 days: promote to Good Collection, keep in team collection, or deprecate. Close the issue to complete the cycle. |
Translating sequences — only translate sequences that have completed the governance process above. Open an issue in the Localization Issue Tracker with the English sequence link, target language, go-live date (at least 2 weeks out), and persona/motion context. Clone the English sequence in Outreach and replace steps with localised content, preserving step order, links, tracking, and tokens.
| Language | Sales Dev DRI | Localization Support | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| AMER Spanish | Kenia Rodriguez | ✅ | — |
| AMER Portuguese | Leo Viera | ✅ | — |
| EMEA Spanish | Camilo Hernandez Murillo | ✅ | — |
| EMEA Portuguese | Tati Fernandez | ❌ | — |
| Dutch | TBD | ❌ | — |
| French | TBD | ✅ | No emojis; use “Hello [Last Name]” |
| German | Riko Pfennig | ✅ | Very formal; no emojis |
| Indonesian | Aletha Alfarania | ❌ | — |
| Italian | Francesca Gianfiglio | ✅ | — |
| Japanese | Eri Nitani | ✅ | — |
| Korean | Kayla Ko | ❌ | — |
| Mandarin (TW) | Aletha Alfarania | ❌ | — |
Signatures are automatically provisioned based on your Okta profile. See the OpenSense handbook page for how to verify your signature.
FO outbound targets accounts with no prior commercial relationship at the parent level. The core objective is to generate FO SAOs (First Order Sales Accepted Opportunities), which are the primary BDR performance and compensation metric. BDRs work with their SAE/AE to select and build strategy for Actively Working (AWA) accounts.
These account-level fields in SFDC are the operational source of truth for FO account status, strategy, and timing.
| Field | Valid Values / Usage |
|---|---|
| BDR Prospecting Status | Actively Working · Queued · Restricted · SDR Hold · Worked in FY |
| Actively Working Start Date | Auto-populated when the account enters Actively Working. Drives Days in Actively Working Status and BDR Recycle Date calculations. |
| BDR Account Research | Free-text. Document signals, timing, and value drivers. Use the BDR Account Research template. |
| BDR Next Steps | Free-text working notes for the current prospecting state of the account. |
| BDR Account Strategy | Motion label: 6QA Showing Intent · UserGems · Event Follow-up · Free-to-Paid · ABM · FO General · Growth - Upgrade · Risk Of Churn |
| BDR Recycle Date | Auto-set 2 months from the Actively Working Start Date. Can be manually extended. |
| Worked in FY Reason | Auto-populated on transition to Worked in FY. Must be manually set if moving early (e.g. No FO potential, Territory change). |
| 6QA Acceptance Status | Accepted or Disputed — must be set within 48 hours for accounts auto-moved to AWA via 6QA. |
| 6QA Dispute Reason | Required when 6QA Acceptance Status = Disputed. Use Account in open opportunity if an SDR has an active opp. Use Low LAM Dev Count if the account has low value potential. |
| Days in Actively Working Status | Auto-calculated duration in Actively Working before moving to Worked in FY. Used for cycle time and hygiene reporting. |
6QA note: If a 6QA account is non-FO and not a Compensation Target Account, BDR Prospecting Status may first be set to
SDR Holdfor 14 days. If no opportunity is created, it auto-transitions toActively Working / Showing Intentwith BDR ownership.
As a highly strategic motion, the first goal of a successful BDR strategy is to set weekly and monthly goals anchored to our KPIs: activities placed, meetings set, SAOs created, and Stage 1 Net ARR.
Know your conversion ratios (AWA accounts → prospects sequenced → conversations → FO SAOs) and calibrate using the pipeline dashboards.
Validating a true FO account — all three conditions must be true:
Condition 1 — No existing commercial licences
On the Account object, check all accounts where the Ultimate Parent Account matches your target. None of those accounts should have a Customer Status of Customer or Former Customer, or a Total CARR greater than zero.
Condition 2 — No lost renewal in the last 180 days
On the Opportunity object, check all opps linked to the same Ultimate Parent Account. None should have all of the following at the same time: Order Type = Renewal, the opp is closed, it was not won, and the Close Date falls within the last 180 days.
Condition 3 — No open opportunities
On the Opportunity object, confirm there are no open records linked to the same Ultimate Parent Account, regardless of stage or order type.
→ All 3 conditions pass → The account qualifies as FO.
→ Any condition fails → The account is not FO. Do not pursue as First Order.
Once vetted, group accounts into cohorts (e.g. FO: high 6Sense intent, FO: strategic logos, FO: Free users) and decide how many accounts to move to AWA per week, how many prospects to sequence per account (recommended: 5–10), and whether to focus by persona, value driver, or a combination.
Before sequencing, each FO account needs documented research captured in the BDR Account Research field.
Internal SFDC signals to investigate:
| Signal | Where to Find It | Prospecting Value |
|---|---|---|
| Past prospecting | BDR Account Research, BDR Next Steps, BDR Prospecting Status history |
Reveals prior messaging and why the account was recycled — avoids duplication. |
| Past opportunities | Opportunity object — check Stage, Close Reason, Qualification Notes, AE notes |
Closed-lost opps surface objections. An opp lost 6–12 months ago may be worth re-engaging with updated messaging. |
| Past leads and contacts | Lead and Contact objects — check Last Interesting Moment, Last Activity Date, Marketo activity |
Identifies warm contacts and previously cold leads for targeted re-engagement. |
| Account intent signals | 6Sense Timeline and keyword activity (visible on the Account record via the 6Sense integration tab) |
Shows topics the account is actively researching — use to time outreach. |
| Account health and product usage | Account health fields, product usage data (where available) |
High usage with no commercial licence = strong Free-to-Paid trigger. |
| Competitor technologies in use | ZoomInfo Technographics tab on the Account record, Cognism Insights |
Enables competitive displacement messaging and trap-setting questions. |
External signals to investigate:
| Signal | Where to Find It | Prospecting Value |
|---|---|---|
| Strategic hires and job openings | LinkedIn, ZoomInfo Scoops, UserGems, company website | New DevOps/security/platform leaders signal tooling mandates. |
| Company news and strategic initiatives | Tech news sites, company website, ZoomInfo Scoops | Acquisitions, launches, security breaches, cloud migrations — all GitLab entry points. |
| Financial disclosures and 10-K reports | Company website (Investor Relations) | Strategic priorities directly from leadership — strong anchor for exec outreach. |
| LinkedIn connections and persona activity | LinkedIn, 6Sense Persona Heatmap | Warm intro paths and research-active personas — prioritise for first sequence. |
Use the BDR Account Research template to document findings. Research can be partially automated using the Claude Sales Dev User Guide.
Please find some guidance here along with a video walkthrough.
Share wins and prompts in #sales_dev_claude_insights on Slack.
Limitations: Claude cannot access GitLab systems or CRM data directly. It does not retain memory between conversations. Sharing up to Orange-level data has been approved.
After researching and identifying the accounts you want to prospect, define the who, what, and how of your engagement plan. This drives what you populate in BDR Account Strategy and BDR Next Steps.
Example: Target C-level exclusively. Lead with delivery pain and bottom-line impact. Use a personalised campaign asset as a hook. BDR Account Strategy =
FO Generalwith ABM overlay.
| Priority | % of AWA | ICP Fit | Triggers | Strategy | Next Step Cadence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Priority 1 | 15% | Strong | Yes — specific, time-bound | Tailored per account | Future-dated, specific notes |
| Priority 2 | 35% | Good | No | Targeted by persona or industry | Updated weekly or bi-weekly |
| Priority 3 | 50% | Good | No recent triggers | Nurture-based | Updated monthly |
Additional scoring qualifiers:
In addition to pure FO prospecting, BDRs are expected to identify and pursue growth opportunities within and adjacent to existing accounts.
Growth within an existing customer account: Partner strategically with the SAE/ISR to identify additional business units. Exploit renewal dates as compelling events to expand the conversation.
Expansion into parent/children/subsidiaries:
If a child or subsidiary account is identified via ZoomInfo but not yet in SFDC, step 1 is to create a Lead for that account in SFDC, and step 2 is to convert to Contact to create the Account when you qualify your first lead.
Free to paid upgrades: Existing Core/CE users can be targeted to upgrade to a paid version of GitLab. High usage with no commercial licence is one of the strongest FO triggers available — prioritise these accounts. Use the Self-Managed Instances Dashboard to identify them.
Ranking and prioritisation:
| Rank | Profile | Strategy |
|---|---|---|
| Rank 1 — EwP | High 6Sense intent score | High touch by BDR in close strategic partnership with SAE. |
| Rank 2 | ICP Ultimate Parent Account with Core/CE users in hierarchy, Total CARR/LAM available, medium or low 6Sense intent, small renewals in current FQ | Standard BDR outbound cadence. |
| Rank 3 | As Rank 2 but not ICP | Nurture-based motion. |
Professional Services Opportunities: A PS Opportunity covers any integration, consulting, or training sold separately and invoiced separately. PS opportunities are not credited to Sales Development — pass directly to the account AE.
These Rules of Engagement describe who should own and work leads and opportunities for SDRs, BDRs, and ISRs once Traction routing has assigned them. FY27 lead/contact routing logic (BDR vs SDR vs ISR vs AE vs queues) is defined in the Lead & Contact Routing (Traction) handbook page - this RoE should be read together with that routing logic.
Before working any inbound lead, check whether it meets the ISR criteria above. If it does, do not action it — hold in the ISR queue.
SMB (0–250 employees)
→ Customers → Do not work. If routed to you, pass to the SMB team. If there is a renewal need, convert to a Contact and create a renewal case.
→ Prospects → SDR can work.
Mid-Market (250–4,000 employees)
→ Customers → Do not work. Route to the BDR Assigned (if Actively Working), the AE Account Owner (if not AWA), the Base BDR (if Base territory), or the Account Owner (if a partner account).
→ Prospects → You can work if the account is not Actively Working, has no open Opportunities, and is not part of a Base territory.
Large / Enterprise (4,000+ employees)
→ Customers → Do not work if the account is Actively Working, part of a Base territory, or has an open Opportunity. Pass to the BDR Assigned if AWA. If you do work a customer, align with the AE first.
→ Prospects → You can work if the account is not Actively Working and not part of a Base territory.
The Inside Sales Representative (ISR) team sits at the intersection of product-led growth and traditional sales. ISRs are the first point of contact for qualified trial leads, focused on converting trial users into customers by directly closing transactional deals and partnering with Field Sales on more complex opportunities.
ISR routing takes priority over all other RoE steps. Before applying SDR or BDR routing logic, check whether a lead meets all of the following criteria. If it does, it belongs to the ISR team.
A lead is routed to the ISR team when all of the following are true:
Last Interesting Moment Desc contains “Auto-MQL from a valuable MM+ account signing up for a trial”Last Interesting Moment Date is on or after the ISR team’s go-live dateIs First Order Person = TrueAccount Demographics: Sales Segment is not SMBMatched Account BDR Prospecting Status is not Actively Working or QueuedPerson Address: Country = CA or USMatched Account Owner Role starts with AE_FO_AMER, OR Matched Account Owner Role is blank (no account owner assigned)→ All conditions met → Route to the ISR team. If no ISR is yet assigned, hold in the ISR queue. Do not route to SDR or BDR. Stop here.
→ Any condition not met → Continue to the SDR Inbound RoE or Standard BDR RoE as applicable.
Note: This RoE is in active development. As the ISR team matures, additional guidance around credit attribution, handoff to Field Sales, and edge cases will be added here. If you encounter a scenario not covered above, reach out to the Sales Dev Ops team.
Work through the steps below in order for every inbound lead:
Step 1 — Is the lead from Financial Services (AMER) or Telecommunications (EMEA)?
→ Yes → Bypass all standard RoE. Route to the Telco/FinServ BDR. Stop here.
→ No → Continue to Step 2.
Step 2 — Is the lead from an existing account?
→ No → Check whether the lead meets ISR criteria. If yes → hold in ISR queue. Stop here. If no → the SDR team works this lead. Stop here.
→ Yes → Continue to Step 3.
Step 3 — Is the account a Customer?
→ No → Continue to Step 4.
→ Yes → Continue to Step 4 (check for a renewal opp).
Step 4 — Is there an existing renewal Opportunity?
→ Yes → Align with the Sales RoE for renewals. SDRs/BDRs do not receive credit on renewal opps. Contact Sales Ops if you believe an exception is warranted. Stop here.
→ No → Continue to Step 5.
Step 5 — Is the account Actively Working?
→ No → Check whether the lead meets ISR criteria. If yes → hold in ISR queue. Stop here. If no → the SDR team works this lead. Stop here.
→ Yes → Continue to Step 6.
Step 6 — Has the BDR placed activity on the account in the last 30 days?
Check at the account level in SFDC, or use this report — filter by company name and email domain, looking for activity in the last 30 days.
→ Yes → The BDR Assigned works this lead. Stop here.
→ No → The SDR team works this lead. SDR chatters the BDR Assigned and their manager to inform them. BDR manager updates BDR Prospecting Status accordingly. Stop here.
Step 7 — What is the account’s BDR Prospecting Status?
→ Queued or Worked in FY → The SDR team works this lead. Stop here.
→ Restricted → Route to the BDR Assigned. BDR chatters the SAE: does the SAE want the BDR to reach out, or will the SAE manage it themselves? SAE must respond within 48 hours. If BDR is approved → proceed with the lead record. If AE prefers to own → convert the lead to a Contact. Stop here.
Step 8 — Is the new MQL related to an existing MQL at the same company?
Match on Company name or Email Domain.
→ No → The SDR who received it via round robin works this lead. Stop here.
→ Yes → Continue to Step 9.
Step 9 — Is the existing MQL in Accepted or Qualifying status with activity in the last 30 days, or a future task scheduled?
→ Yes → Assign to the owner of the existing MQL. Stop here.
→ No → The SDR who received it via round robin works this lead. Double-check with the related SDR if unsure. Stop here.
Step 10 — Is the lead auto-generated by UserGems?
Check the Initial Source field — does it contain UserGems?
→ Yes + SMB lead → Inbound SDR team. Stop here.
→ Yes + MM or Enterprise lead → Route to the BDR assigned to the territory, regardless of all other RoE steps. Stop here.
When a territory moves from one BDR to another and the outgoing BDR stays on the same team, the outgoing BDR may temporarily retain ownership of certain accounts — subject to manager approval. An issue is created at the time of the holdover and reviewed after 30 days.
Two-way engagement accounts: The outgoing BDR can hold back any account where they can demonstrate two-way engagement that could lead to an IQM and new opp. If no IQM is set AND no Stage 0 opp exists after 30 days → the account moves to the new BDR. If a new opp is created → the account stays with the outgoing BDR until the opp is qualified or unqualified.
Existing Stage 0 opportunity accounts: The outgoing BDR can retain these for 30 days. If the opp is not qualified after 30 days → the account moves to the new BDR.
Unprompted returning prospects: If an account is reassigned and the prospect returns with no prior activity from the new BDR → the manager’s team receives SAO credit.
Disputes → Escalate to the BDR’s leader and senior leader.
If you discover mid-qualification that an account belongs to a different segment (due to employee count, HQ location, or parent account relationship), SAO credit is determined case by case:
→ Due diligence was performed AND the information could not have been uncovered earlier AND the account is not AWA AND there is no related SDR activity in the last 30 days → the SDR/BDR and their team receive SAO credit.
→ The account is AWA OR has SDR activity in the last 30 days → credit goes to the BDR on the AWA or the SDR working the lead.
→ The information should have been found earlier → credit goes to the manager of the correct territory.
→ Territory information is conflicting → chatter the AEs from each potential territory and let them resolve ownership before proceeding.
Key fields for this process:
Initial Engagement Channel · Qualification Questions · Next Steps · Next Steps Date · Stage Name · BDR/SDR field · Sales Qualified Source
Qualification criteria defines the minimum threshold a lead must meet before being passed to sales as a Sales Accepted Opportunity (SAO). Full criteria: Inbound and Outbound.
The full walkthrough for creating an SFDC opportunity is here. All Sales Dev members must also populate the Initial Engagement Channel field — found in the Lead/Contact Review Admin section on the Lead — before an opportunity can be created.
Key fields for this process:
Company Address · Company Address Checked · Related To · Next Steps Date
When do Opportunities become SAO
The AE/SAL moves the opportunity to Stage 1 Discovery after the IQM, within 48 hours of the meeting date reflected in the Next Steps Date field. The opportunity Close Date defaults to the last day of the quarter — best practice is to set it at least 90 days out from the creation date.
If an opportunity has incorrect data after moving to Stage 1 → chatter your manager → they chatter someone from Sales Dev Operations (Ramona, Panos, or Ed). No one else in Sales Dev can edit opportunities at Stage 1 or beyond.
If the opportunity is for a new group of users within a Large account that has an existing central opportunity → your opportunity should be merged into it. See Stage 8 guidance.
Scenario A — IQM scheduled with AE/SAE:
→ Create the Opportunity at Stage 0 (Pending Acceptance).
→ Complete ALL Qualification Questions fields.
→ Set Next Steps Date and Next Steps details.
→ Once calendar confirmation is received from all parties → transfer Ownership to the AE/SAE and add yourself to the BDR/SDR field. The opportunity stays at Stage 0.
Scenario B — Prospect committed to continue the conversation but not fully qualified:
→ Create the Opportunity under your own name for pipeline tracking and team collaboration.
→ Some Qualification Questions fields can be left incomplete.
→ Next Steps Date and Next Steps details are mandatory.
→ Note: you cannot list yourself as both the Opportunity Owner and the BDR/SDR Representative — a validation rule will block this.
Scenario C — Lead from a new account:
→ Confirm the company’s employee count and HQ location with the prospect — via email or logged call notes.
→ Cross-reference with ZoomInfo, Cognism, or Sales Navigator.
→ Be extra diligent if the employee count is near 250, as the SMB/MM cut-off is 250 employees.
| Scenario | Format | Example |
|---|---|---|
| New business | [Company Name] — [Quantity] [Edition] |
Acme Inc — 50 Premium |
| Add-on (seats) | [Company Name] — Add [Quantity] [Product] |
Acme Inc — Add 25 Duo |
| Upgrade | [Company Name] — Upgrade to Ultimate |
Acme Inc — Upgrade to Ultimate |
To submit a trial extension: internal request form → “GitLab L&R internal request for global customers” → “Extend a GitLab.com trial”. SaaS only — does not work for self-managed.
To downgrade a trial from Ultimate to Premium: same form → “Change existing GitLab.com Trial plan”.
The BDR-AE handoff process has three goals: give prospects the best possible experience, give BDRs a structured way to collaborate with the AE team, and set AEs up for success with the right information from day one.
Minimum requirements for all handoffs:
A BDR Qualified Meeting is a lead fully qualified by the BDR on a Discovery call. CoM principles have been applied; Before/After Scenarios, PBOs, Requirements, and Metrics have been identified and agreed. There is a clear need and a clear path to the decision-maker.
BDR steps after the discovery call:
A Joint IQM is a meeting booked from a pre-agreed Actively Working account, attended and led jointly by the BDR and AE.
BDR steps before the call:
Log and relate communications → In SFDC, select each relevant activity record → press Related To → link to the Opportunity.
Verify Sales Organisation RoE → Confirm parent/child segmentation and HQ on ZoomInfo or another approved source. If discrepancies exist, communicate with the relevant team before proceeding.
Override incorrect account assignments if needed → Navigate to Lead/Contact Review Admin in SFDC → update the Company Address fields → tick the Company Address Checked checkbox. If this is not completed, SFDC will block the lead conversion.
Schedule the IQM → Give the AE 24 hours’ notice minimum. Ask the prospect to accept the invite while you have them on the call.
AE review → AEs are expected to review the opportunity before the call. Brief them on specifics and send reminders as needed.
Attend on time → Both AE and BDR/SDR should be present 5 minutes early, cameras on, in a quiet indoor location.
Debrief within 24 hours → Goal: AE and BDR/SDR debrief on whether the opp was flipped or disqualified. Feedback in writing via Slack or email and added to SFDC by the AE.
Log IQM notes → Add to the Initiative section on the opportunity: Attendees, Raw Notes, Questions, Summary, and Next Steps.
Rebook no-shows → BDR/SDR owns rebooking via a structured Outreach sequence. Outreach for up to 2 weeks. If the IQM cannot be rescheduled, the AE unqualifies the opportunity.
The end-user account determines BDR/SDR alignment. If you are the SDR assigned to the third-party lead, gather the information in Step 1 and pass to the correctly assigned BDR (aligned to the end-user account), who completes Steps 2–5.
| Step | Action |
|---|---|
| 1. Gather billing and end-user details | Billing company name/address, billing contact/email, end-user company name/address, end-user contact/email. |
| 2. Create a new lead record with end-user details | Copy all notes from the original lead. This is the record that will be converted. |
| 3. Convert the new lead | Name the opp: [End-user account] via [Reseller account]. Convert the original reseller lead to a Contact on the reseller account (create the account if it doesn’t exist). Assign to the same account owner. Do not create a new opp with this lead. |
| 4. Attach activity to the opportunity | Activity History → Edit each relevant activity → select Opportunity from the Related To dropdown → find the new opp → save. |
| 5. Update the opportunity | Business type = New Business, stage = Pending Acceptance. Under Contacts: add reseller contact as Reseller (primary). Under Partners: add reseller account as VAR/Reseller. |
Claude is an AI assistant from Anthropic. It can help with research, analysis, content writing, and data organisation. Please note that Claude is not always right — it will sound confident even when it is wrong, so always verify output before using it.
See the Claude Sales Dev BDR/SDR User Guide section above for key resources, projects, and prompt library links.
Limitations: Claude cannot access GitLab systems or CRM data directly. It does not retain memory between conversations. Sharing up to Orange-level data has been approved.
ZoomInfo provides access to prospect and company data including contact info, tech stack, revenue, and firmographics. Records can be exported individually or in bulk to SFDC via the Export to CRM button. See the ZoomInfo handbook page for full details.
Training resources: 40-min intro video · GitLab Edcast intro · Advanced training
Sales Navigator is used for prospecting and extended LinkedIn network reach. Access via the Lumos app in Okta — select Sales Navigator Advanced Plus for prospecting roles.
Lead/contact updates through Sales Navigator are not permitted — it is not a source of truth for our data.
Training resources: 70-min tutorial · Peer tips video
6Sense is our intent data and ABM platform. It surfaces in-market accounts based on buying signals and ICP fit. To request new segments or alerts, use the MktgOps request form.
When an account reaches 6QA status in 6Sense, the following happens automatically:
→ BDR Prospecting Status is set to Actively Working
→ BDR Account Strategy is set to Showing Intent
→ The account is flagged on the BDR’s 1:1 dashboard for review.
The BDR must then act within 48 hours:
→ Set 6QA Acceptance Status to Accepted or Disputed.
→ If Disputed → populate 6QA Dispute Reason (e.g. Account in open opportunity or Low LAM Dev Count).
→ If Accepted → a ZoomInfo workflow triggers automatically to populate the B6 lead view with relevant decision-makers.
If the 6QA account is non-FO AND not a Compensation Target Account, BDR Prospecting Status is first set to SDR Hold for 14 days. If no opportunity is created within 14 days, it auto-transitions to Actively Working / Showing Intent with BDR ownership.
Full automation breakdown: internal handbook.
UserGems tracks job changes and new hires at accounts we care about, surfacing warm leads automatically.
Use case 1 — Contact tracking (job changes)
When a tracked person changes jobs, a new Lead is created in SFDC with their updated details. The Initial Source field will show UserGems Contact Tracking.
Routing: is the account MM and FO, OR a Focus Account, OR Actively Working, OR PubSec/FINS/Telco/Base/APJ? If yes → route to the BDR assigned to the territory. If no → SDR round robin.
Use case 2 — New hires and promotions
When a tracked company gets a relevant new hire or promotion, a new Lead is created with Initial Source = UserGems - New Hires and Promotions and auto-enrolled in a dedicated AI-driven Outreach sequence. These are also flagged on dashboards as intent signals.
→ If you see irrelevant titles being created → flag them in #usergems-feedback.
→ Or mark Lead Status as Disqualified and Disqualified Reason as No Authority.
Use case 3 — Contacts on open opportunities
When someone joins or leaves an account with an open opportunity, notifications go to Stage 3+ opp → Sales team only, and Stage 0–2 opp → Sales AND Sales Dev teams.
Use this report to review these leads. No specific sequence exists — search Outreach for templated messages based on your scenario.
Qualifying UserGems leads are automatically enrolled in a UserGems Outreach sequence with AI-generated personalisation. Track progress via the SMB report and MM/ENTG report.
Gem-E Meeting Assistant: Automatically creates leads and contacts for meeting attendees not yet in SFDC, using Initial Source = UserGems - Meeting Assistant. Assign them to the existing account or opportunity to continue multi-threading.
| Tool | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Qualified | Website chat — primarily SDRs for inbound. BDRs can initiate chats with known leads from AWA accounts. |
| Gong | Call recording and conversation intelligence. Sales Dev members have collaborator licences. Use the Gong Meeting option when creating invites and add an AE with recorder access — Gong will record via the AE’s licence. |
| Crayon | Competitive intelligence and battle cards maintained by the Product Marketing team. |
Cold calling follows four core elements: pattern interrupt, elevator pitch, and where needed, objection/trap-setting questions and Up-Front Contracts (UFCs). These must be customised based on geographic business culture, DISC personality type, the individual’s role, and the company’s objectives.
Decision Maker Discovery questions:
Email writing follows the Command of the Message framework. See the full cheat sheet for the full structure, and the personalisation matrix in that same document for datapoints to use by source (LinkedIn, company website, Google, etc.).
Every month, a full audit is conducted on all opportunities credited to Sales Dev members. Participation is mandatory. SDRs audit SDRs, BDRs audit BDRs. Team members on their ramping quarter are exempt from being auditors.
Mandatory SLA: Audit and XDR response completed by the first day of the following month. Rulings completed by end of day two.
What to look for:
| Check | What to Verify | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Opportunity creator | Should be the XDR. If created by AE with Sales Qualified Source = Sales Dev Generated, prior meaningful engagement must be evidenced. | Our standard is that the XDR creates the opportunity. |
| Web Direct — timestamp and engagement | Engagement must predate the purchase. | Credit requires demonstrated influence on the buying decision. |
| Qualification fields populated | All Stage 0 Qualification Questions fields must be completed. | Incomplete fields remove accountability from the pipeline progression process. |
| Opportunity creation date | Should coincide with active engagement. Child/related opps created post-IQM should have the IQM activity as a related task. | Creates a clear audit trail of how the opportunity was sourced. |
| Contact with meaningful engagement | A contact must be attached and show prior engagement before the opportunity was created. | Required for SAO credit. |
| Activity matches Outreach | Cross-reference SFDC activity with Outreach records. Outreach is the irrefutable source of truth — SFDC activities can be edited freely. | Outreach is always used as the last back-up. |
| RoE adherence for AWA accounts | Activity must fall within the team member’s assigned territory. | Ensures pipeline is counted against the correct region. |
Typical red flags:
SDR Generated without a documented sourcing caseBest practices to protect your SAO credit:
Our FM/BDR collaboration process is a method that we follow in the spirit of maximising cross-functional collaboration. We have created an issue template for Field Marketers to populate, which in turn gets managed from the Kanban Board here. The issue template clearly articulates all next steps while leaving space for as much ad hoc collaboration as each specific event requires.
As a BDR Director you will be tagged first as the primary DRI. As a BDR Manager you will be involved on a case-by-case basis by your regional Director. All next steps are clearly mentioned in the template — please follow each step in turn. The Sales Dev Operations team is also tagged and will be there to monitor progress and offer help if requested.
Templates are in folder #5 of the 6Sense segments list. Clone and edit for your team.
Currently Actively Working Accounts Template
Cross-references your team’s AWAs against 6Sense intent data. Highlights the best ICP accounts currently in your pipeline. Edit: add your name to the BDR Assigned filter.
CE/SFDC Accounts not in Actively Working Status
Highlights the best ICP accounts in your existing database not currently being actively pursued. Edit: add your name to the BDR Assigned filter.
Greenfield Accounts not in Actively Working
Highlights the best ICP accounts not currently in our SFDC database. Note: roughly 15% of our TAM is in SFDC — this surfaces accounts from the other 85%. Edit: add your region, city, or country to filter #8 (Address). Reach out to Sales Dev Ops for help with territory-specific filters.
These reports identify accounts more likely to have shorter sales cycles and convert to SAO quicker.
6Sense Short Sales Cycle Accounts
SFDC Short Sales Cycle Accounts
These reports identify accounts with churn risk or expansion propensity at their next renewal.
When using these templates, clone the template and change the Account Demographics: Territory field to your territory. Use account health metrics and Propensity to Churn data to sort results. See guidance on these data points here. Set BDR Account Strategy to Growth - Upgrade or Risk Of Churn to denote which accounts you’re targeting.
Sales Dev by Salesforce Profile and Role
Key permissions by role: Sales Dev Ops profile is the only profile that can add members to opps beyond Stage 0. Team Lead roles can transfer leads. Director roles can update account address and employee size. Territory visibility is determined by the region in the role name (AMER, APAC, EMEA).
Sales Dev Territories by Team Role/Member
Use this to find what members and roles are associated with each territory. When requesting a BDR assignment change, share the territory name with Sales Dev Ops — not the account name.
To find the right AE for a new account, step 1 is to use this report to find the territory name — use cmd+F to search by zip/state/country. Step 2 is to use this report — plug in the territory name from Step 1 to find the correct AE. Make sure all location information on the lead is correct before converting to create a new account.
| Products Considered | Who | Order Type | Segment | Credit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GitLab Ultimate/Premium, add-ons | SDR | FO, New Connected, Growth | All segments | 1 opp |
| GitLab Ultimate/Premium, add-ons | BDR | FO | Commercial, Enterprise | 1 opp |
| GitLab Ultimate/Premium, add-ons | BDR | New Connected, Growth | Commercial, Enterprise | 1 opp |
| Additional seats in current customer department | Everyone | Growth | All segments | 1 opp |
| Tier upgrade | Everyone | Growth | All segments | 1 opp |
| GitLab Duo | Everyone | Growth | All segments | 1 opp |
| Agile planning | Everyone | Growth | All segments | 1 opp |
| Storage, Compute | Everyone | Growth | All segments | 0 |
| Professional Services | Everyone | All motions | All segments | 0 |
Note: If an account has only bought CI minutes, SDR/BDR still get credit for a First Order Opportunity if the account subsequently purchases Premium or Ultimate licences.
| Component | Details |
|---|---|
| XDR OTE split | 70% base / 30% variable |
| SDR/FO BDR variable | 100% New Business SAO Quota · No floor or ceiling · Accelerator ×1.5 after 100% of target |
| Hybrid BDR variable | 50% FO SAO Quota · No floor or ceiling · Accelerator ×1.5 after 100% · 25% Stage 1 Net ARR Quota · No floor or ceiling · Accelerator ×1.5 after 100% · 25% Stage 3 Net ARR Quota · 200% ceiling · Accelerator x1.25 after 100% |
| Growth PubSec BDR variable | 50% Stage 1 Net ARR Quota · No floor or ceiling · Accelerator ×1.5 after 100% · 50% Stage 3 Net ARR Quota · 200% ceiling · Accelerator x1.25 after 100% |
| SDR Manager/FO BDR Manager/SDR Director variable | 100% New Business SAO Quota · No floor or ceiling · Accelerator ×1.75 after 100% of target |
| Hybrid BDR Manager/Director variable | 50% FO SAO Quota · No floor or ceiling · Accelerator ×1.75 after 100% · 25% Stage 1 Net ARR Quota · No floor or ceiling · Accelerator ×1.75 after 100% · 25% Stage 3 Net ARR Quota · 200% ceiling · Accelerator x1.25 after 100% |
2-way communication must be documented on the Contact in the Opportunity to receive credit. Opportunities missing this documentation will not be considered for compensation.
For full quota components depending on segment, see the ARR in Practice handbook page.
**For promotion considerations, Hybrid/Growth PubSec BDRs’ Stage 1 Net ARR attainment will be capped at 200% so as to ensure the team member is also meeting expectations in their other quota components.
| Transition | Minimum Tenure | Quota Threshold | Additional Criteria |
|---|---|---|---|
| SDR → SDR Team Lead | 8 months (incl. ramp) | 100% cumulative quota over last 5 fully-ramped months | Willingness to coach; endorsement from SDR management; GitLab Values; SDR Q1–Q3 Tanuki Techs. 6-month minimum commitment to Team Lead role. |
| SDR → BDR | 12 months (incl. ramp) | 100% cumulative last 2 fully-ramped quarters (neither below 80%) | Endorsement from SDR manager; GitLab Values; SDR Q1–Q4 Tanuki Techs. Formal application + interview required. |
| BDR → Senior BDR | 9 months (incl. ramp) | 100% cumulative over last 6 fully-ramped months | Endorsement from BDR management; GitLab Values; BDR Q1–Q3 Tanuki Techs. |
| BDR → BDR Team Lead | 8 months (incl. ramp) | 100% cumulative over last 5 fully-ramped months | Willingness to coach; endorsement; GitLab Values; BDR Q1–Q3 Tanuki Techs. 6-month minimum commitment. |
| BDR/TL → Next Step | 12 months (incl. ramp) | 100% cumulative last 2 fully-ramped quarters (neither below 80%) | Endorsement; GitLab Values; BDR Q1–Q4 Tanuki Techs. Formal application + interview required. |
Qualification and standing for President’s Club will be determined using performance toward each individual team member’s compensation plan and quota component weighting. **For President’s Club considerations, Hybrid/Growth Pubsec BDRs’ (and their leaders’) Stage 1 Net ARR attainment will be capped at 200% so as to ensure the team member is also meeting expectations in their other quota components.
Informal performance management will be initiated if a ramped team member has two consecutive months below 80% attainment. **For performance management considerations, Hybrid/Growth PubSec BDRs’ Stage 1 Net ARR attainment will be capped at 200% so as to ensure the team member is also meeting expectations in their other quota components.
**We are currently in consultation with the NL WC about the changes made to this page for FY27. While in this process, this guidance will not apply to our team members based in the Netherlands.
Once the team member is informed, the expectations are:
→ Month 1: 80% attainment + adherence to Our Three Pillars
→ Month 2: 90% attainment + adherence to Our Three Pillars
→ Month 3 and beyond: 100% attainment + adherence to Our Three Pillars
Continued shortfall → formal warning → potential disciplinary action up to and including termination.
| Pillar | Key Expectations |
|---|---|
| 1. Uphold Daily Activity Metrics | Adhere to the 2-hour MQL SLA · Minimum 50 omni-channel activities/day (200 calls/week during Golden Call hours; personalised LinkedIn/email) · Minimum 2 discovery meetings/week · Sequence steps actioned same day as due · Maintain SFDC data integrity throughout the outbound workflow · Attend each IQM with your AE/SAE · Document accurate up-to-date notes in SFDC |
| 2. Display Business and Sales Acumen | Personalise inbound/outbound leads using CoM email writing principles · Prepare for cold calls using CoM cold-calling principles · Add outbound accounts in a weekly cadence per regional team expectations |
| 3. Maintain Cross-functional Relationships | Collaborate with the Sales team on account planning · Collaborate with Field Marketing on event outreach |
| Level | Timeframe | Lead Routing (Traction) | Qualified Chat | Quota |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Onboarding | Month 0 | Off | Off | None |
| Ramping 1 | Month 1 | 50% | Off | 25% |
| Ramping 2 | Month 2 | 100% | Off | 50% |
| Ramping 3 | Month 3 | 100% | Off | 75% |
| Expert | Months 4+ | 100% | On | 100% |
BDRs at Expert level may create their own Outreach sequences pending approval.
Managers can update MQL round robin pools in Traction. Videos: managing teams and MQL round robin · updating rep availability.
Joining on the first Monday of the month: Month 1 = 25% · Month 2 = 50% · Month 3 = 75% · Month 4 = 100%
Joining on the 15th or after: Month 0 = 0% · Month 1 = 25% · Month 2 = 50% · Month 3 = 75% · Month 4 = 100%
For a fully ramped BDR/SDR transferring to a new team: Month 1 = 50%, Month 2 = 100%.
In accordance with our Time Off Policy, please give your manager early notice of intended time off. To log a PTO Territory Planning request, go to the SDR GitLab project and choose PTO_Coverage_Template.
With a prospect-facing role in Sales Development, keep in mind when calling and emailing prospects: the best times to call are early and late in the business day; Outreach allows you to schedule emails for early morning and early evening delivery; lunchtimes are good for outreach; and you should keep your schedule aligned with your prospects’ normal business hours for your region.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Accepted Lead | A lead that an SDR or BDR agrees to work until qualified in or out. |
| Account | An organisation tracked in SFDC. Can be a prospect, customer, former customer, integrator, reseller, or prospective reseller. |
| Actively Working | BDR Prospecting Status = Actively Working. Accounts chosen for strategic outreach. Recycles after 10 weeks if not worked. Requires BDR Account Strategy to be populated, Research and Next Steps notes within 10 days, and a minimum of 5 people in sequences. |
| AE | Account Executive, can be Major or Strategic in AMER/EMEA Enterprise. |
| APJ | Asia-Pacific and Japan. |
| BDR | Business Development Representative — focused on outbound. |
| CoM | Command of the Message — GitLab’s value-driven sales conversation framework. |
| EwP | Expand with Purpose — Rank 1 strategic accounts with high 6Sense intent, worked closely with SAE. |
| FO | First Order — accounts with no prior commercial relationship at the Ultimate Parent Account level. |
| Groundswell | Outbound strategy focused on generating engagement, opt-ins, MQLs, and intent signals at the top of the funnel. |
| High Priority Lead | Lead flagged as High Priority due to campaign membership and Actively Working account match. |
| IQM | Initial Qualifying Meeting — first meeting between prospect and AE/SAE. |
| LAM | Licencable Addressable Market — estimated maximum potential users of GitLab at a company. |
| MQL | Marketing Qualified Lead — inquiry qualified through lead scoring (demographic/firmographic/behavioural). |
| Queued | BDR Prospecting Status = Queued. Accounts waiting to be moved into Actively Working. SDRs work MQLs from accounts in this status. |
| Restricted | BDR Prospecting Status = Restricted. SAE-indicated restriction on the account. BDRs handle the status change, note the reason, and reroute to the assigned BDR. |
| SAO | Sales Accepted Opportunity — an opportunity Sales agrees to pursue following an IQM. |
| SDR | Sales Development Representative — focused on inbound. |
| TEDD | Technology, Engineering, Development, and Design — used to estimate maximum potential GitLab users at a company. |
| UPA | Ultimate Parent Account — the top-level account in a corporate hierarchy in SFDC. |
| Worked in FY | BDR Prospecting Status = Worked in FY. Indicates the account went through Actively Working this FY. Can be moved back to Actively Working later. |
| 6QA | 6Sense Qualified Account — account that has reached 6Sense’s qualification threshold based on intent signals and is auto-imported to SFDC. |
Q: I can’t see certain Outreach collections. A: You were likely added to the incorrect Sales Dev Team in Outreach. Please reach out to Sales Dev Operations.
Q: My version of Salesforce seems very basic. A: Make sure you are using the Sales version. Top right corner → blue dropdown button → select “Sales”.
Q: I have not received access to all of my tools and it has been a week. A: Notify your manager and have them comment on your Onboarding Role Entitlements Issue.
Q: I have uploaded more leads from ZoomInfo than what are showing up in my SFDC ZoomInfo Lead View. A: These leads are most likely already in SFDC as Contacts. They will appear in your ZoomInfo Contacts view, not the Leads view.
Q: I do not know what this person did to score as an MQL. A: Check Last Interesting Moment on the SFDC record, then check the Scoring tab in the Marketo Sales Insight widget on the lead page. If only demographic points were allocated with no behavioural score, Slack Marketing Ops so they’re aware no new action was taken.
Q: I received a personal data subject request from a prospect. A: Redirect to the Personal Data Subject Request form.
Q: Why are BDRs no longer the Account Owner in SFDC? A: To improve Sales Dev and Sales visibility across all prospects and accounts (excluding PubSec). Use the BDR Assigned field to filter to your accounts.
Q: A prospect said they were going to buy through our website. How can I tell if they did? A: SDRs get credit for opportunities where they had meaningful two-way communication with a prospect within 60 days before the web direct purchase. Use this report — set the date range and find the opportunity tied to your prospect’s account. Then follow the web direct SAO credit request process below.
Q: How do I request credit for a web direct opportunity? A: Chatter on the opportunity record: (1) Tag Ramona Elliott, Ed Bao, or Brian Tabbert — do NOT tag Sales Support directly. (2) Link to the SFDC record showing two-way activity in the past 60 days. Call notes must have been entered in the Qualification Notes field at the time of the call, not after. (3) Explain how you influenced their decision to purchase.
Q: Should BDRs flag duplicate accounts?
A: Yes. BDRs cannot merge accounts themselves — chatter @Sales Support and ask them to merge.
Q: How do we resolve a dispute over SAO credit? A: SDR and BDR first try to talk it through. If no agreement: managers decide. If managers disagree: escalate to Senior Leadership. Double credit and double compensation will not be given.
Q: What if a prospect comes back directly to the BDR after the account is no longer Actively Working? A: If they email, reply via LinkedIn, or call the BDR directly, the BDR must check that the lead is in queue ownership and then move the account back to Actively Working so the lead can be transferred to their ownership.
Q: Why are my leads being reassigned to Inquiry Queue? A: Marketing Ops runs a daily clean at 10:30 PM EST that updates Lead Status = Inquiry to Inquiry Queue. To prevent this, update leads to Accepted status or add them to an Outreach Sequence.
Q: What should BDRs do when a prospect objects to being contacted?
A: Immediately reach out to the Privacy Team via #privacy-team-help and forward any email from the contact to dpo@gitlab.com.
Q: How do I know if a lead is being worked by a Partner? A: Check the Impartner Partner Account field on the lead record. If it’s populated, the lead is assigned to the Partner Queue — do not proceed with outreach.
Q: When can a partner lead be recalled? A: Partner leads are recalled after a set period if not accepted by Partners for joint marketing campaigns. They re-enter SFDC with Recycle status and are assigned to BDRs or SDRs once they become MQL. See the Impartner Handbook Page.
| Decision Grid | Not Time Sensitive or Important | Important and/or Time Sensitive |
|---|---|---|
| Impacts Multiple Teams | Email Newsletter, Weekly Team Meeting | Sales Dev FYI Slack, All Hands, Weekly Team Meeting, Email Newsletter |
| Only Impacts a Select Team | Weekly Team Meeting | Sales Dev FYI Slack, Team Channel Slack, Weekly Team Meeting |
Format: Audience | Type | Urgency
Posts in #sales_dev_fyi must use this format. When a post pertains to you, please leave a 👀 emoji to confirm you’ve read it.
Example post titles:
[All of Sales Development] | [Enablement - Mandatory] | [🚨 Action Required][All BDRs] | [Operations - Sequence Process Cleanup] | [🧠 Need to Know][EMEA Enterprise Land] | [Operations - New Outreach Event Sequences] | [🚨 Action Required]Please tag the DRI below in #sales_dev_global to maintain our shared reality. Feel free to reach out to anyone based on their availability — if you’re in EMEA after hours and need someone quickly, Ed in AMER can assist.
| Region / Timezone | Ops DRI | Complementary DRI |
|---|---|---|
| AMER | TBH | — |
| EMEA / APJ | Panos Rodopoulos | N/A |
The Sales Dev Ops team aims to visit each team’s meeting once per month. Please find the planning and feedback issue here.
Weekly recurring working sessions — up to four participants per session, aligned to the month’s operational theme. Designed to collaborate on key operational topics and initiatives.
Our Sales Dev Ops team can help you research our suite of databases (Sales Nav, ZoomInfo, Cognism, 6Sense) to help manage your AWA account list. We typically focus on accounts not currently in our database. Please log an issue on our board using the template BDR_Research_Request.
Monthly Monthly Housekeeping issue on our team board — consolidates monthly to-dos and a feedback section so we can plan next steps. Please log any feedback directly in the current month’s issue.
End-to-end process and tool walkthrough covering all inbound and outbound tech stack knowledge expected of managers. Full video playlist on our Unfiltered playlist here. Abbreviated notes here. Expected manager knowledge questions and passing criteria here.
All Sales Development Managers should follow the general leadership principles set out in the handbook.
A Becoming a GitLab Manager issue is created for each manager when they join or are promoted.
The BDR process is a proven, repeatable set of steps — it’s important for a new manager to align to it quickly. The full process is explained here.
Use the Manager Attention Needed boards as your main tool for understanding where your team aligns to the BDR process and where they need help. This document is your main go-to resource for your first month. When onboarding new team members you can refer to the new hire onboarding document here and the new hire’s version of the onboarding checklist to structure your next steps.
| Action | Benefit |
|---|---|
| Clone the Action Needed Dashboard and edit each report to your team’s names | Gives you a single source of truth you and your team can easily reference |
| Review the dashboard with your team and discuss how the data connects to BDR KPIs | Lets you understand your team’s maturity and each person’s alignment to existing processes |
| Note discrepancies and feedback — transcribe to 1:1s or the SDR Issue board | Helps you distinguish individual diligence gaps from org-wide operational shortcomings |
| Set realistic KPI expectations and a recurring review cadence | Builds a repeatable accountability structure for the team |
The table below can help with structuring how you perceive and action the 1:1 Dashboards on SFDC and Tableau. These connect to the Outbound SLAs and the videos here and here. This 5-minute video explains the purpose of these dashboards, while this 3-minute video walks through a practical use case.
| Dashboard | Component | Expectation/Action | Coaching Opportunity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1:1 Accounts Dashboard | 0. Queued Accounts | Clear weekly — move to Actively Working or leave a data-evidenced chatter note explaining why not. | Timely vetting of Sales-queued accounts builds cross-functional accountability and better territory planning. |
| 1:1 Accounts Dashboard | 1. Review Existing Pipeline | AWA volume should not exceed 125 (MM) or 75 (Enterprise). Review weekly. | Use the report to screen accounts at a glance — activity and research fields combined with intent data quickly surface what needs manual review. |
| 1:1 Accounts Dashboard | 2. Research Accounts to be Recycled | Nearing automated BDR Recycle Date. Acts as a fallback to Report 1. | Decision: extend the account, or replace it with a higher-intent account given current quota position. |
| 1:1 Accounts Dashboard | 3. Re-evaluate newly flagged accounts | Recently AWA’d but flagged as weak by at least one intent tool. | In a hyper-targeted motion, all tools should agree an account is worth pursuing. Review and remove if signals don’t align. |
| 1:1 Account Dashboard | 4. Check past opportunities | Closed-lost opportunities surfaced for re-engagement. | Closed-lost re-engagement is one of the best-converting pipeline sources. Check this after reviewing the pressing AWA reports above. |
| 1:1 Account Dashboard | 5, 6, 7. Assess high priority individuals | Individuals on AWA accounts showing high intent data, campaign engagement, or recent interesting moments. | Their behaviour can signal the current situation within an account, even if no direct action on them is required today. |
| 1:1 Account Dashboard | 8–12. Review High Intent Accounts | Non-AWA accounts split into intent-based buckets. Review weekly — most new AWA accounts should be sourced from one of these. | These reports reference intent tools, RoE, and pursuit accounts — they should guide all new account decisions. |
| 1:1 Account Dashboard | 13. Consider AE-ranked accounts | Accounts manually ranked by the Sales team. Review after intent-based reports. | The Sales team doesn’t have the same data access we do — their manual research is a useful fallback to cross-reference. |
| 1:1 Account Dashboard | 14, 15. Individuals from non-AWA accounts | Individuals from non-AWA accounts showing campaign engagement or strong intent signals. | Treat as an indicator that the wider account deserves investigation for outbounding. |
| 1:1 Account Dashboard | 16. Individuals in flight | Prospects currently in an Outreach Sequence. Review for further actions. | Consider whether adding more individuals to a sequence for a given account makes sense. |
| 1:1 Account Dashboard | 17. Past Actively Worked Accounts | Previously outbounded accounts in your territory. Do any warrant re-engagement? | Outbound often takes time to convert — new intent data is a strong signal for re-engagement timing. |
| 1:1 Account Dashboard | 18. CE User Accounts | Non-customer accounts with a Community Edition GitLab instance. Review usage patterns and growth indicators. | CE users have already chosen GitLab — high usage with no commercial licence is one of the strongest FO triggers. |
| 1:1 Account Dashboard | 20. Accounts with customers in hierarchy | Non-customer accounts that are part of a bigger parent company that has other business units using GitLab | You can use the information that we have on the other existing customers to build a compelling event for the non-customer accounts since they are likely to be facing similar challenges as their counterparts. |
| Tableau Dashboard | Inbound Interest Dashboard | Complementary to the account-level dashboards. Use filters to explore the database with more flexibility than the pre-built reports. | Useful when the BDR wants to explore the database outside of pre-built report logic. |
| Tableau Self-Dashboard | Self-Managed Instances | Tracks self-deployed instances by prospects or clients. | Identifies upgrade potential and Free-to-Paid opportunities. |
| Prospect 360 | Prospect 360 Dashboard | Dashboard consolidating SFDC, 6Sense, Qualified, and Marketo data into one view. Enablement video here. | Holistic view of account activities, engagement history, and lead interactions — great starting point for account-level prospecting. |
| Dashboard | Component | Expectation/Action | Coaching Opportunity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pipeline Dashboard | 1. Total Activities This Week | Minimum 50 omni-channel activities/day (250/week). Calls, personalised emails, LinkedIn messages, InMails — logged in SFDC and tracked through Outreach. | Low activity often correlates directly with low conversion rates and missed quota. Use this to diagnose time management and tool usage gaps. |
| Pipeline Dashboard | 2. Leads Sequenced This Week | Continuous sequencing to maintain pipeline flow. Over 70% of inbound leads in High Touch sequences. | Low sequencing suggests over-reliance on manual one-off outreach — an early indicator of future pipeline problems. |
| Pipeline Dashboard | 3. Calls Per Outcome This Week | Minimum 200 calls/week during Golden Call hours. Outcomes logged in SFDC. | High connected rate with low conversion = messaging or qualification issue. Low connected rate = timing or contact data quality issue. |
| Pipeline Dashboard | 4. Unworked New Lead MQLs | Should be empty or near-empty. Net new MQLs must be actioned within 2 work hours. | SLA breach here indicates a breakdown in the inbound process — investigate root cause before demanding faster response. |
| Pipeline Dashboard | 5. Unworked New Contact MQLs | Same as lead MQLs — actioned within 2 work hours. Clear multiple times daily. | Contact MQLs often represent expansion opportunities from existing accounts. Delayed response is particularly costly. |
| Pipeline Dashboard | 6. Leads In-Flight With Past Due Tasks | No more than 10% of tasks pending. 90% properly completed, not skipped. | Piled-up tasks indicate poor pipeline hygiene. Often caused by over-committing to manual tasks rather than using sequences, or poor daily planning. |
| Pipeline Dashboard | 7. Overdue UserGems Tracked Leads | Review and action within 48 hours of creation. Standard RoE applies. | UserGems leads have a limited effective window — the longer they sit, the more likely a competitor reaches them first. |
| Pipeline Dashboard | 8. Qualifying Leads Without Next Steps | Every lead in Qualifying must have an active sequence, active task, or future meeting. | Stalled qualifying leads suggest ambiguous qualification conversations. Coach on setting clear next steps before ending calls. |
| Pipeline Dashboard | 9. Qualifying Contacts Without Next Steps | Same requirements as qualifying leads. Review and clear weekly. | Contacts without next steps often indicate UFCs were not used effectively. |
| Pipeline Dashboard | 10. Lead SLAs | 90%+ compliance with the 2-hour MQL SLA and 8-hour inbound response SLA. | Low compliance may indicate workload, routing, notification, or time management gaps — investigate root cause. |
| Pipeline Dashboard | 11. Contact SLAs | Same SLA requirements as leads. Track individually and address patterns immediately. | Contact SLA violations are particularly costly — contacts from existing accounts have higher close rates. |
| Pipeline Dashboard | 12. Opportunities In Stage 0 More Than 7 Days | Should not remain in Stage 0 more than 7 days. AEs must move to Stage 1 within 48 hours of IQM. Chatter AE and manager if stuck. | Stage 0 ageing indicates poor qualification, scheduling delays, or AE pipeline management issues. |
| Pipeline Dashboard | 13. Stage 1 Opportunities Without Activity In Last 7 Days | Track health of sourced opps. Use to inform conversations with AEs. | Stale Stage 1 opps may indicate insufficient qualification — offer to support by finding additional contacts or providing competitive intel. |
| Pipeline Dashboard | 14. Stage 2 Opportunities Without Activity In Last 7 Days | Similar to Stage 1 — understand health of sourced opps. | Opportunities to support by finding additional stakeholders, providing competitive intelligence, or helping multi-thread. |
| Pipeline Dashboard | 15. [SDR] Opps Per Volume Of Contacts | Multi-threading effectiveness. Aim for 2–3 relevant contacts per opportunity. | Single-threaded opps have lower close rates. Coach on identifying multiple stakeholders during qualification. |
| Resource | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Leadership Handbook | Tools and resources for people managers at GitLab |
| Compensation Review Cycle | How to carry out Compa Review |
| Sales Dev Manager Onboarding Checklist | Make a copy and complete to confirm tool and process knowledge |
| 360 Feedback | Schedule and guidance for cross-functional feedback cycles |
| Workday | All team member HR information |
| Transitioning to a Manager Role at GitLab | New manager resources |
| Resource | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Territory Change Request Issue Board | Request a territory change for your rep using the BDR_Territory_Change template. |
| Sales Dev Internal Onboarding and Transition template | Use when a team member joins the Sales Dev Org for the first time or transitions between SDR and BDR roles. |
| BDR Territory Change Request template | Request territory changes for your BDRs. |
| Sales Dev Exit Handover Template | For team members departing a team to hand off pending tasks to peers. |
| Resource | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Adding yourself or someone else to the team page | Video for new hires updating their team page placeholder. |
| Update manager or SDR role in Salesforce | Submit a single person or bulk access request. |
| Create or update Slack user group members | Submit a single person or bulk access request. Under ‘Account Creation’ put Slack User Group: @[GroupName]. |
| Add someone to the Sales Development Gmail alias | Submit a single person or bulk access request. |
| Make an edit to the handbook | Guide for handbook editing. All new hires must complete this as part of onboarding. |
| Add a new page to the handbook | Video walkthrough for creating a new handbook page. |
| Resolve failed pipeline when creating an MR | How to identify and fix a failing MR pipeline. |
| Sales Development Onboarding Job Specific Task Section | Auto-added to new SDR onboarding issue based on role. |
As BDRs and SDRs, your onboarding blends marketing and sales training. It involves a general company-wide onboarding issue, a Sales Development specific issue, and a Google Classroom course to prepare for Sales Quick Start (SQS) — a 3-day in-person workshop for all new hires in a sales development or sales role.
#handbook or #mr-buddies on Slack.#new_team_members on Slack.Prior to Day 1:
After new hire has started:
On your new hire’s first day, they will receive a welcome email at approximately 06:00am (local time) detailing how to access GitLab and begin their onboarding.
An organisational change issue is opened on the day of the transition by the People Operations team per the criteria here. Reach out to People Operations via HelpLab for any questions.
People Operations open an organisational change issue if any of the following are true: there is a change in department (e.g. SDR/BDR moves to SMB Sales Team); someone changes from Individual Contributor to Manager; someone changes from Manager to Individual Contributor; or someone changes teams.
If an SDR will be out for a prolonged period of time, please follow the proper processes:
Full offboarding processes (voluntary and involuntary) can be found on the offboarding handbook page.
Manager offboarding checklist: Complete all ‘Manager’ tasks on the People team’s offboarding issue. Questions? Use the #managers Slack channel or reach out to the People Operations team via HelpLab.
Sales Dev Handover Issue: When a team member is leaving GitLab, leaving the Sales Dev Org, or transferring to another BDR team, the departing team’s manager must create a Sales Dev Handover Issue.
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