Amazon Web Services (AWS) recently launched an internal campaign that signals AI won’t be replacing salespeople anytime soon. Instead, the tech giant is leaning on their sales team to position the company as an AI leader and grow revenue.
The "Find One, Launch One, Ramp One" Initiative
Business Insider reported on the new internal campaign AWS rolled out this summer called "Find One, Launch One, Ramp One." This initiative provides a blueprint for salespeople aiming to push product sales for their AI products including Q, their AI assistant and Bedrock, their AI platform. The approach was straightforward: identify at least one sales opportunity each month for AI products, successfully implement one customer workload, and generate real revenue.
To boost motivation and engagement, AWS created a leaderboard to showcase top performers, adding an element of “friendly” competition among reps with a deadline of December 1. The company also offered rewards that included bonuses of up to $20,000 per sale and dinner (pizza and wine) with an executive at their home. (Even high-ticket sellers at one of the world’s most valuable companies get a pizza party…)
The pressure is on
Even non-sales employees are being encouraged to join the sales push.
AWS software consultants, whose primary focus has been on implementing cloud services, are now being encouraged to identify sales prospects. This shift is blurring the distinction between consultants and traditional salespeople.
The "Find One, Launch One, Ramp One" initiative includes AWS solution architects, who typically work alongside sales teams to design tailored cloud services for customers. Now, they are incentivized to take a more active role in the sales process and are being evaluated on the outcomes of these efforts.
"Customers are eager to explore how generative AI can help them innovate, scale, and transform their businesses, and we're responding by equipping our teams to discuss how to succeed with our full suite of generative AI solutions," an AWS spokesperson told Insider.
The spokesperson emphasized that setting sales goals is not new or unusual, clarifying that AWS solution architects are not considered salespeople but rather help customers design solutions to meet their business needs.
"There are no blurred lines," the spokesperson added, affirming that roles and expectations remain clear.
More pressure, but more incentives too
According to an internal memo viewed by Insider, AWS recently announced that salespeople will receive a $1,000 performance bonus for every 25 Amazon Q licenses sold and retained with a customer for three consecutive months. The maximum bonus per customer is $20,000.
For Bedrock, Amazon offers salespeople a $5,000 bonus for small customers and $10,000 for larger customers when they secure "three consecutive months of specified Bedrock incremental usage in 2024," according to the memo.
Additionally, some AWS teams are discussing increased compensation for AI specialists. For instance, sales architects working in AI-related areas like security and networking may earn higher salaries compared to generalists, one insider noted.
An AWS spokesperson told BI that these types of sales incentives are common across major tech companies, adding that Amazon continually reviews its compensation to stay competitive with the market.
