Member Spotlight: Cloud GTM Leader Course - Alex Popp

Alex Popp, Regional Alliance Manager at Wiz, stands out among our Cloud GTM Leader course members, sharing his insights on 📊 internal alignment and partner enablement to accelerate cloud marketplace traction.

Alex has over a decade of experience in building and scaling partner GTM programs across developer tools, cloud markets, and cybersecurity ecosystems. Prior to Wiz, Alex led alliances in Google Cloud and Algolia.

In his own words:

🏁 Partnership Journey & Experience in Cloud Marketplaces

I’ve been involved with cloud marketplaces since 2019 when I joined Google Cloud.

Most recently, in 2023, I had the pleasure of working with one of Google Cloud’s top security partners, and supported the publication of three of their solutions in GCP Marketplace, which greatly accelerated joint adoption of Google’s security suite and our partner’s IP.

📈 Getting Traction: Which tactics have helped you to get traction in cloud marketplaces or amplified your success?

Getting traction is a consequence of thoughtful partner enablement, which is built on a foundation of technical, sales, and marketing tactics.

Energy and time need to be allocated to educating the CSP’s pre-sales and customer success teams as they are trusted advisors to their end customers.

Moreover, building relationships with CSP seller managers is key as they can motivate their direct reports to promote your offerings.

Marketing to the CSP community is key - you have to break through the noise of many other CSP marketplace partners, so treat CSPs like an ecosystem in of itself that needs to be continually reminded of joint success and case studies.

🎯 Overcoming Challenges: What has been a notable challenge in the cloud marketplace journey and how did you overcome it?

Transforming the cloud marketplace GTM as the ‘partner team’s’ strategy to ‘the entire company’s’ strategy.

As a cloud alliance lead, you have to sell internally as much as you do externally, which means aligning to the KPIs of each C-level executive.

Before tactics are put in place, you need to sell to power in your own organization, and get commitment (verbal and written), that each C-level executive will ensure their team’s OKRs include behavior and tactics that directly impact the success of your cloud marketplace GTM.

💡 Top Advice: What is the insight you typically share with peers navigating the cloud marketplace landscape?

Be a patient ambassador.

Your job is to have a deep understanding of what motivates your organization, and what your CSP partner(s) care about.

Be creative in the way you influence and align resources across both organizations, and be comfortable being on the sideline or in the back rooms catalyzing the joint alignment of investments and resources.

Remember that those who end up going fast, go alone; and those that go far, go with others - so be patient throughout your cloud business development journey!

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📈 Accelerate your Growth in Cloud Marketplaces

Transform your marketplace strategy with first-hand insights from Cloud GTM leaders in our 5-week cohort course. Learn in a community of great alliance leaders. Join 100+ alums from companies like GitLab, Darktrace, IDC and others.

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