Building LangChain's WestOne new logo at a time
Commercial sales leader and player-coach with 15+ years scaling revenue teams across cloud platforms, identity, security, and AI-enabled selling. I hire hunters, build high-accountability and high-trust cultures, and run the pipeline and forecast discipline it takes to win technical buyers.
Today I lead the 300–2,000 employee commercial segment at Okta, exactly the segment LangChain's West team serves. I'd start with the 4 current AEs and grow the team fast with a bench of proven sellers from Okta, Cisco Meraki, and beyond.
Area Sales Director
Leading the 300–2,000 employee commercial segment today. 139% YoY growth and 153% to quota in H1 FY27, Area Sales Director of the Half, and the “Team Work Makes the Dream Work” award for the most team members at quota.
Senior Sales Manager
Southern U.S. & Canada. Led the #1 Select team globally from FY18 through FY20, hunting new logos for a challenger platform across an approximately $75M annual book.
Hiring & Developing Talent
14 AEs promoted into expanded roles over 5 years at Okta, and 2 underperformers coached out fairly in the last 12 months. A deep bench ready to follow me.
Agenda
How I'd build and lead LangChain's commercial sales team across the West
- 01About me
- 02Why me for LangChain Commercial Sales, West
- 03How I lead and develop people
- 04Hiring and scaling the West commercial team
- 05Selling to technical buyers with Deployed Engineers and cloud partners
- 06Revenue management and operating rhythm
- 07New-logo pipeline and forecast discipline (90%+ accuracy)
- 0830/60/90 day plan
About Me
A commercial sales leader and player-coach, based in the Bay Area
Professional Snapshot
Sales leader and player-coach with 15+ years in sales (since 2009) and 8+ years managing high-performing teams (since 2017). At Cisco Meraki I learned to hunt new logos for a challenger cloud platform, leading the #1 Select team globally across an approximately $75M annual book in the Southern U.S. and Canada.
Today I'm an Area Sales Director at Okta, leading a team that sells into companies of 300–2,000 employees in a territory representing roughly $50M in cARR. It's the same commercial segment LangChain's West team is built to win.
Personal Snapshot
Oakland resident with my wife and two sons (5.5 and 3 years old), a short ride from LangChain's San Francisco office. I bring the discipline and teamwork of athletics to how I build sales teams.
- Endurance runner — completed the SF Marathon
- Basketball enthusiast — plays in SF's ZogSports rec league
- Father & husband — family-driven, values-led leadership
The grit that gets me through a marathon is the same grit I use to build #1 revenue teams.
Year-over-Year Attainment
Why Me for LangChain Director of Commercial Sales, West
A front-line leader who runs this segment today, hunts new logos, sells to technical buyers, and brings the talent to scale.
I Lead This Exact Segment Today
At Okta I lead the commercial segment of companies with 300–2,000 employees, the same segment LangChain's West team serves. I know how these companies buy: lean teams, fast-moving engineering leaders, a handful of real decision makers, and budgets that open up when a technical champion proves value.
A Hunter, Not a Partner-Led Seller
This role is new-logo acquisition. At Cisco Meraki, I led the #1 Select team globally by hunting accounts that had never heard of us and displacing incumbents they already trusted. At Okta, my team delivered 139% YoY growth and 153% to quota in H1 FY27 on self-sourced pipeline. I coach reps to create their own luck.
Built to Sell to Technical Buyers
LangChain sells to engineers, AI/ML and platform teams, CTOs, and VPs of Engineering. I've spent my career selling technical platforms to technical people. Every Thursday I run Command of the Message Win Labs that connect technical wins like faster evals, fewer regressions, and agents in production to Positive Business Outcomes and Metrics a CTO will sign off on.
A Bench Ready to Follow Me
Hiring is the top priority. I'd start with the 4 current AEs and scale quickly with a deep bench of proven sellers from Okta, Cisco Meraki, and beyond who have told me they would follow me. Over 5 years at Okta I promoted 14 AEs into bigger roles, which is why strong sellers want to work for me.
Trusted by the largest builder community in AI
- Monthly open-source downloads
- 100M+
- Monthly open-source downloads
- LangSmith customers
- 6,000+
- LangSmith customers
- Fortune 10 companies are customers
- 5 of 10
- Fortune 10 companies are customers
Hiring first
The fastest way to grow the West is talent density. I'd keep interviews running weekly from day one and bring in sellers I've already seen win.
Open source as pipeline
Millions of developers already build with LangChain, LangGraph, and Deep Agents. A repeatable playbook turns that usage into paying LangSmith customers.
Bay Area local
I live in Oakland, near LangChain's San Francisco office and the West tech companies building agents right now.
How I Lead
I build teams where people know what great looks like, get direct and practical coaching, and feel trusted to own meaningful outcomes. My style is high standards with high support: clear expectations, consistent inspection, candid feedback, and active investment in each person's career.
Talent, territory, pipeline, forecast, coaching, and career development, managed through consistent operating rhythms.
Create clarity and accountability
I establish clear expectations around territory strategy, new-logo pipeline, forecasting, and deal execution. Reps should always know what matters, why it matters, and what “good” looks like.
Coach to capability, not just the number
I use deal reviews, call coaching, account planning, and structured feedback to help sellers build durable skills, not just chase the current quarter. My approach draws from Challenger, Radical Candor, and practical field coaching.
Develop and promote talent
Over my 5 years at Okta, I have promoted 14 AEs into expanded roles. In the last 12 months, I coached out 2 underperforming AEs with fairness and clarity. A leader's job is to create opportunity for strong performers while addressing performance issues early and directly.
Build trust through the good and the hard moments
I earn trust by being consistent, transparent, and present. I celebrate wins publicly, handle difficult feedback directly, and stand with the team when conditions are hard. The goal is a culture where high performers want to stay, grow, and recommend others to join.
Leadership Impact
My results come from combining talent density, rigorous operating discipline, and a leadership environment where people can perform, develop, and take on more responsibility.
- YoY team growth in the first half of FY27 at Okta
- 139%
- YoY team growth in the first half of FY27 at Okta
- Team attainment to quota in H1 FY27
- 153%
- Team attainment to quota in H1 FY27
- Named Area Sales Director of the Half for H1 FY27
- ASD of the Half
- Named Area Sales Director of the Half for H1 FY27
- “Team Work Makes the Dream Work” award for having the most team members hit quota
- Most at quota
- “Team Work Makes the Dream Work” award for having the most team members hit quota
- AEs promoted into expanded roles over my 5 years at Okta
- 14
- AEs promoted into expanded roles over my 5 years at Okta
- Underperforming AEs coached out in the last 12 months with fairness and clarity
- 2
- Underperforming AEs coached out in the last 12 months with fairness and clarity
Hiring & People Management
Building out, coaching, and holding accountable the West commercial team
Scaling the West Commercial Team
Great sales teams are built on purpose. I hire for curiosity, resilience, business acumen, coachability, and the ability to earn the trust of technical buyers, not just past quota attainment. Once people join, I give them a repeatable operating system for onboarding, account planning, pipeline inspection, forecasting, skill development, and career growth.
Start With the 4, Then Scale
I'd invest first in the 4 current AEs: their territories, strengths, and goals. In parallel, I'd open requisitions and bring in proven sellers from my Okta and Cisco Meraki bench who already know how I operate.
Hire Hunters With Technical Curiosity
I look for reps who generate their own pipeline and are genuinely excited to talk with engineers about tracing, evals, and agent deployment. Developer tools, infrastructure, data, or AI SaaS experience is a plus.
Always Be Recruiting
I run 8–10 interviews a week today. At LangChain I'd keep a live pipeline of candidates so every open seat closes fast and the bar stays high.
Key hiring criteria
I measure leadership by more than revenue. Are people improving, earning bigger opportunities, stepping into leadership, working well across teams, and choosing to build their careers here?
Building Credibility Quickly
Earn Trust Through Field Credibility
I've led sellers across Canada, the Southern U.S., and the Western U.S. I build trust by being on customer calls, in deal reviews, and in the room with technical buyers, not by relying on pre-existing relationships.
Learn the Product Like a Builder
I'll build an agent with LangGraph and trace it in LangSmith in my first weeks. Sellers and engineers respect a leader who understands Observability, Evaluation, and Deployment hands-on.
Win Labs Leadership
Thursday Win Labs on this quarter's and next quarter's top deals sharpen Before and After Scenarios, PBOs, and Metrics with engineering and AI/ML buyers.
Inspiring and Leading the Team
Command of the Message Champion
The team ties Positive Business Outcomes to Metrics like time to production, eval coverage, incident reduction, and engineering hours saved. That makes the value case repeatable on every deal.
Clarity Out of Ambiguity
A fast-growing team needs structure. I bring it: clear expectations, a scorecard, and accountability across Numbers, Behavior, and Activities from week one.
Continuous Improvement Culture
I coach with Challenger and Radical Candor. Wins, losses, and field learnings get shared across the team and with Deployed Engineering, Product, and Marketing.
Lead by Example
I model the work ethic I expect. I stay a constant student of LangSmith and the open-source frameworks, and I'm in deals every day.
Performance Management Framework
Expectations fall into three areas: Numbers, Behavior, and Activities. I'm not a micromanager, but I believe in trust but verify. Everyone needs accountability.
Numbers
- Quota attainment
- Self-sourced new-logo pipeline
- Open-source-to-paid conversions
Behavior
- Punctuality
- Attitude & respect
- Collaboration with Deployed Engineers
- Professionalism
Activities
- Calls, emails & meetings
- Technical discovery & POCs
- Multi-threading to CTOs & VPs
- SFDC hygiene
Coaching Process
If two of the three areas are on track, I coach the third. If two of three are off track, documented coaching begins:
- 1. One full quarter of direct feedback and coaching with active monitoring
- 2. One to two months of documented coaching if results don't improve
- 3. A one-month PIP as the final step
In the last 12 months, I coached out two underperformers with clarity, fairness, and respect. High standards protect the team and the culture.
Selling to Technical Buyers, With Deployed Engineers
The West motion is direct, new-logo acquisition. AEs own the account, Deployed Engineers shape the solution, and cloud partners add leverage where they help us win.
What the Team Sells
LangSmith
Agent engineering platform
The paid platform teams standardize on to debug, test, ship, and monitor agents in production.
Open-Source Frameworks
Where builders start
The largest builder community in AI. Every active open-source team is a potential LangSmith customer.
LangSmith Engine
The agent for agent engineering
A strong expansion story: production agents that get smarter after every launch.
The Technical Buying Committee
Engineers & AI/ML Teams
Debugging agent runs, eval coverage, shipping faster without regressions.
Platform Teams
One deployment pattern org-wide, governance, cost control, and secure execution.
CTOs & VPs of Engineering
Getting agents from prototype to production, team velocity, and a platform they can own.
Engineers become the champions and CTOs become the economic buyers. My AEs multi-thread both, and connect technical wins to business outcomes leadership can measure.
Deployment and Customer Success Built Into the Deal
- Step 1
Discover
AEs lead technical discovery with the champion: what they're building, where it breaks, and what production means for them.
- Step 2
Scope
Bring Deployed Engineers in early to shape the solution, since much of the sale is custom-built around the customer's agents.
- Step 3
Prove
Run a focused build or POC with clear success criteria tied to the PBOs and Metrics the CTO signs off on.
- Step 4
Deploy & Expand
Customer success is built into the deal. A clean deployment becomes the reference for the next team and the next use case.
Cloud & Systems-Integrator Partners
Like at Okta, partners extend a direct motion rather than replace it. I'd work with AWS, Google Cloud, and GSIs on joint account mapping, co-selling into shared accounts, and marketplace procurement so customers can use committed cloud spend. GSIs add leverage on larger custom builds where they already own the delivery relationship.
Cross-Functional Cadence
Deployed Engineers
WeeklyTop deals, solution scoping, POC plans, and deployment readiness for every strategic opportunity.
SDR / BDR Team
Bi-weeklyOutbound targets, open-source signal prioritization, and feedback on what messaging lands.
Marketing & DevRel
Bi-weeklyWest meetups, workshops, and campaigns that turn community energy into pipeline.
Customer Success
Bi-weeklyHealth, adoption, and expansion paths so every new logo grows into a long-term customer.
Cloud & SI Partners
MonthlyJoint account mapping with AWS, Google Cloud, and GSIs on shared target accounts.
Product
MonthlyTurn field feedback from technical buyers into roadmap input and sharper positioning.
Presence Where Builders Are
In the Community
AEs show up at West meetups, hackathons, and workshops where engineers are already building with LangChain and LangGraph.
Engineering Leader Roundtables
Quarterly dinners for CTOs and VPs of Engineering across SF, Seattle, and LA on taking agents from prototype to production.
Executive Alignment
Bring LangChain leadership into strategic deals so customers see the commitment behind the platform.
Revenue Management
Operating rhythm, KPIs, and plays to generate new-logo ARR and turn open-source adoption into paying customers
Operating Rhythm & KPIs
New Logo ARR
- Bookings vs. quota
- Average deal size
- Win rate
- Sales cycle length
Open Source to Paid
- OSS accounts engaged
- Self-serve to sales-assisted
- Conversion rate
- Time to first contract
Pipeline Health
- 3–4x coverage
- Stage velocity
- Forecast accuracy above 90%
- Aging deals
Activity
- First meetings booked
- Technical discoveries
- POCs with Deployed Engineers
- SFDC hygiene
Weekly Operating Cadence
Where the Pipeline Comes From
The Open-Source Install Base
With 100M+ monthly downloads, thousands of West companies already build with LangChain, LangGraph, or Deep Agents. Usage signals tell us who to call first.
Self-Serve LangSmith Teams
Teams tracing and evaluating on self-serve plans are ready for a conversation about scale, security, governance, and deployment.
Prototype-to-Production Pain
The moment an agent heads to production, teams need observability, evals, and reliable deployment. That's the trigger my AEs hunt for.
Net-New Outbound
Targeted outbound into ICP accounts with AI initiatives but no LangChain footprint yet. Hunters create pipeline, they don't wait for it.
ICP focus: West companies with 300–2,000 employees that are building agents or AI features, with engineering, AI/ML, and platform teams as champions and CTOs and VPs of Engineering as economic buyers.
Direct Involvement in Strategic Deals
Deal Strategy
Weekly reviews of top deals: technical champion strength, competitive position, multi-threading, and executive sponsorship.
In the Room
I join key meetings with CTOs, VPs of Engineering, finance, and procurement to help AEs navigate the full buying committee.
Mutual Build Plans
Clear milestones from discovery to POC to signature to deployment, shared with Deployed Engineers and the customer.
Quick Wins to Build Momentum
OSS-to-Paid Sweeps
Rank West accounts by open-source and self-serve usage, then run targeted outreach to the engineers already building.
Signal-basedProduction-Readiness Outbound
Reach engineering leaders whose teams are shipping agents, and lead with tracing, evals, and deployment for long-running agents.
OutboundCloud Marketplace Co-Sell
Work with AWS and Google Cloud account teams to find shared accounts that can buy LangSmith with committed cloud spend.
Partner-assistedProtecting the Customer Lifecycle
Much of the sale is custom-built, so the deal doesn't end at signature. AEs stay engaged with Deployed Engineers and Customer Success through deployment, and each successful launch becomes the reference that opens the next team, the next use case, and the next logo.
30/60/90 Day Plan
Built around three priorities: hiring the West team, building a new-logo pipeline, and a playbook for converting open-source users into paying customers
First 30 Days
Learn the 4, open the bench, close early- 1:1s with all 4 AEs to learn strengths, goals, and territories
- Set a clear scorecard across Numbers, Behavior, and Activities
- Define the West AE profile and interview loop with Recruiting
- Open requisitions and activate my Okta and Cisco Meraki bench
- Inspect every open deal and build a forecast I can stand behind
- Help the team close early deals in the first weeks
- Build the West target list of 300–2,000 employee AI builders
- Start weekly Win Labs (Command of the Message)
- Build an agent with LangGraph and trace it in LangSmith myself
- Map open-source and self-serve usage signals with Growth and Data
- Shadow Deployed Engineers on live deals and deployments
- Interview recent OSS-to-paid wins to learn what triggered the buy
Days 31–60
Hire, hunt, and pilot the playbook- Run 8–10 interviews a week and extend the first new-AE offers
- Launch a build-an-agent onboarding bootcamp for new hires
- Set individual coaching priorities for each AE
- Pair new hires with top performers for deal shadowing
- Launch outbound sequences with the SDR team into the target list
- Put mutual build plans with Deployed Engineers on every strategic deal
- Start co-sell account mapping with AWS and Google Cloud
- Host the first West engineering leader roundtable
- Publish v1: signal tiers, personas, talk tracks, and objections
- Pilot the playbook with 2 AEs on the highest-signal accounts
- Define the self-serve to sales-assisted handoff with Growth
- Track conversion rate and time to first contract weekly
Days 61–90
Scale what works- Ramp new hires against clear 30/60/90 milestones of their own
- Refine territory design across SF, Seattle, LA, and the Mountain West
- Identify top performers and ramp risks early
- Build the hiring plan for the next half
- Reach 3–4x pipeline coverage for next quarter
- Hold forecast accuracy above 90%
- Formalize QBRs and pipeline deep dives for every AE
- Analyze win rates and cycle times by source and persona
- Roll the proven playbook out to the full team
- Turn early conversions into case studies for the next wave
- Share field feedback with Product, Marketing, and DevRel
- Set next-half OSS-to-paid conversion targets
Success Metrics
Trust earned with the 4 AEs, requisitions open with a live candidate pipeline, first deals closed or committed
First new AEs hired, outbound running, OSS-to-paid playbook piloting with measurable conversions
Growing team ramping, 3–4x coverage, forecast above 90% accuracy, repeatable playbook live across the West
Proof & Recognition
Results by company and role, from individual contributor to front-line manager to sales leader
Okta
Same segment todayArea Sales Director — Bay Area & Pacific Northwest
July 2024–Present
Key achievements
- 139% YoY team growth and 153% to quota in H1 FY27
- Named Area Sales Director of the Half, H1 FY27
- “Team Work Makes the Dream Work” award for the most team members hitting quota
- President's Club recipient; achieved 107% annual attainment
- Q4 FY25 MVP Manager of the Quarter
- Promoted 14 AEs into expanded roles over 5 years at Okta
- Coached out 2 underperforming AEs fairly in the last 12 months
- Leads the commercial segment of companies with 300–2,000 employees
- Launched internal GTM initiatives that secured $400K+ in incremental budget
Operating Toolkit
Cisco Meraki
Hunter motionSenior Mid-Market / Enterprise Sales Manager — Southern U.S. & Canada
August 2017–July 2021
Key achievements
- Led the #1 Select team globally from FY18 through FY20
- Oversaw an ~$75M annual book of business across the Southern U.S. and Canada
- Built and scaled a team of AEs and Sales Engineers to meet global demand
- Owned hiring and performance-management decisions
- Partnered with marketing, enablement, and sales ops on territory strategy and GTM playbooks
- Team members carried ~$10M in annual quota per AE
Market Experience
Career Progression
My career has progressed from building inside-sales programs and winning complex deals to leading high-performing revenue teams at Cisco Meraki and Okta. The common thread is selling technical platforms to technical buyers while building teams that consistently outperform.
Citrix Online
Helped launch and scale inside-sales programs; created company-adopted scripts and training.
FuzeBox & NetFortris
Built enterprise selling capability, navigated complex buying committees, and earned top performance recognition.
Cisco Meraki
Grew from high-performing seller and team lead into a senior sales manager running a global-leading Select team.
Okta
Advanced from Senior Sales Manager to Area Sales Director, leading commercial growth, talent development, and GTM initiatives.
Ready for LangChain Commercial West:I lead the same 300–2,000 employee segment today, I bring a hunter's mindset from Cisco Meraki, and I have a bench of proven sellers ready to help build the team.
Ready to build LangChain's West commercial team
I welcome a conversation about hiring the team, hunting new logos, and turning open-source adoption into LangSmith revenue.