BigQuery and Google Cloud cost optimisation
Trial-led enterprise motion: combined discovery and live demo, proof in a POC, then a billing-ready results pack and procurement. Internal enablement for Rabbit revenue teams. Prepared by Growth Experts, April 2026.
Jump to cheat sheets
On the first call
Buyers push to see BigQuery internals in the first hour. Deals still expire on sign-off chains and quiet objections. Sketch the buying power map before you open screen share.
Foundation
Rabbit runs a trial-led BigQuery motion: Meeting 1 pairs discovery with a tailored technical demo (typical in EMEA). Evidence lives in the POC. Commercials follow once numbers are on the table (POC telemetry, then procurement). Line HubSpot stages up with these beats so reporting tracks what actually happened.
Let the POC carry the burden of proof before you ask for signatures. Aim for unmistakable savings and behavioural evidence.
Vendors, questionnaires, holidays, internal politics — parallel-path compliance alongside the POC so timelines don't silently double.
Data leaders own feasibility; FinOps validates economics; unnamed sign-offs kill deals late. Surface who actually stamps paper before decks go wide.
Strip waste from the funnel but don't force a textbook two-call sequence when calendar and buyer urgency favour one strong working session.
Thousands of unanswered dials don't build pipeline — awareness, referrals, conferences, partner intros, and Reddit adjacency outperform brute cold in EMEA context.
Champions introducing Rabbit should be enabled (template intro, CC rule) and recognised — events, roadmap access, tiers — subject to enterprise gift policy.
This is your running system doc: prep calls with cheat sheets; update HubSpot stages to match headings here; nominate an owner per roadmap tag. Return to the Roadmap section at the end for the phased priority list.
Evidence library
Pull numbers straight from followrabbit.ai and the linked case studies so champions can quote them without ad-libbed ROI. If this playbook sits on a public URL, clear customer names with leadership before you name them aloud (same hygiene as emailing a deck off-domain).
As published on the Rabbit site (summarised here for sales prep only):
Full write-up: Nordstrom case study · Browse all customer stories.
Site-level claims
Rabbit's marketing cites roughly 32% average BigQuery reduction and aggregate savings milestones on the calculator band (verify live copy before quoting verbatim in contracts).
Differentiators to echo in conversation: automated reservations and slot optimisation, cost-focused code reviews, optimisation pull requests — outcomes anchored in telemetry, not generic “copilot” fluff.
The Buyer's World
Passive inbound in this niche stays thin; many prospects still assume dashboards are the ceiling before they hear about an automation layer. Outbound wakes the topic, and intrigued analysts push for a live tour of the stack fast.
Wins cluster post-demo. Qualified meetings are still the gating factor. Protect outbound hours for warmer channels and referrer loops; tightening deck six while call one stays empty hides the real gap.
Operating Model
Strict two-call playbooks rarely match EMEA calendars. Buyers expect the stack trace on call one. POC proof plus a dossier-grade commercial recap do the heavy lifting after that.
Connor intro → technical lead walks BigQuery-tailored diagnostics + live demo posture. Outcome: align on POC path.
Architecture docs, permissions, vendor portals, security questionnaires. Bottleneck to SLAs internally.
~30–60 days, weekly checkpoints, cumulative savings storyline. Aim: make continuing irrational.
Results deck with three pricing options tied to POC numbers; rehearsal on objections (data access, accuracy, effort).
Parallel approvals, contracting, onboarding handoff. Request explicit decision timelines post-results briefing.
A second meeting buys time to amplify pain before the full walkthrough when calendars cooperate. Often they do not. When you compress to one sitting, nail pain quant plus stakeholder mapping in the opening minutes, then step into screen share. Treat the two-hop version as an experiment logging team debrief notes, not a fixed rule.
Current State
Self-assessed April 2026 workshop (EMEA lens). Colours = health; numbers are conversation starters, not finance forecasts.
No steady pipeline; cold-call yield brutal; reinvest in warmer channels + events.
Real demo requests move to call fast; product signups still leak without automated nurture.
Strong BigQuery fluency; tighten who truly signs & latent blockers pre-POC.
Vendoring/documentation throughput is pacing item — assign SLA + backup owner.
High conviction once trial runs — numbers land; objections well understood.
Procurement + hidden approvers lengthen tail — adopt explicit timelines post-results deck.
Stage 1
Goal: replace raw cold volume with repeatable warmer asymmetry (trust transfer + timing).
Champions post-POC value + narrative clarity (meetup hosts, loud customer voices).
Advocate intros + roadmap office hours vs Hero perks (summit dinners, advisory channel) — customise labels & legal review gifts.
HubSpot tags: intros/month vs cold meetings; attributable pipeline £/$.
One-slide “how to intro Rabbit” + paste-ready email skeleton.
Stage 2
HubSpot notifies fire for demo submissions; self-serve signup ≠ intent — treat cohorts separately.
Hi [First Name],
Thanks for raising your hand — I'll keep this concise.
I'll come with our technical lead. We'll sanity-check reservations vs on-demand, autoscaler posture, commitments, then show how Rabbit tackles your flavour of waste.
If these times fail, ping three slots that survive internal calendar chaos:
[Scheduling link]
Stage 3
EMEA default: walk the live product after pain sits in plain language. Keep screen share off until at least a draft power map exists so you avoid performing for sponsors who never joined the Zoom.
Buying power map (capture before demo ramps)
Buying committee dynamics (champion, economic buyer, evaluators, blockers) govern late-stage stall. Map who gets judged on what so your champion can brief upward without career risk.
| Role | Name / title (fill live) | What they need to say yes | Risk if ignored |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economic buyer Budget line owner | Typically ROI vs other priorities, FY timing, contract shape | Champion-only deals that die at signature | |
| Champion | POC proof they can repeat to leadership; air cover | They look wrong if numbers challenged | |
| Evaluators Data / platform / security | Architecture fit, access model, audit trail | Phantom “tool review” weeks after trial | |
| Blockers | Often FinOps pride, NIH build, procurement delay-as-safe-default | Silent veto after POC success | |
| Shadow influencers | EAs, incumbent consultants, ops leads off calendar | Narrative pivots you never hear |
| Concern | Likely psychology | Rabbit response angle | Artefact / owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data exposure breadth | Regret aversion; fear of being blamed for leak | Scope phases: read-only telemetry, narrow tables, revocation path | Data flow one-pager · security lead |
| “Dashboard vs invoice” scepticism | Evaluator protecting credibility | Reconcile on exported billing; weekly same definitions in POC | Appendix: reconciliation method · AE + SE |
| “Engineering has no bandwidth” | Status-quo bias; past vendor fatigue | Automation PRs + code reviews reduce toil; POC RACI shows hours returned | RACI · reference site narrative on hours reclaimed |
| Build vs buy / NIH | Turf protection; internal hero narrative | Time-to-proof: POC days vs internal build quarters; cite published customer outcomes when permitted | Timeline contrast slide · avoid invented % |
| Procurement / marketplace drag | Committee risk spread | Parallel path from week 1–2; recycle security pack | Project plan with customer task owners |
Stage 4
Collateral package: architecture, permissions blueprint, recap case studies — but the real velocity choke is vendor registration and security questionnaires. Run both tracks simultaneously from day one.
| Artefact | Send when | Owner | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Architecture one-pager | Within 24h of POC verbal commit | SE | Shows data flow, access model, revocation path — pre-empts security questions |
| Recycled security FAQ | With vendor portal submission | AE | Bundles prior enterprise answers so questionnaire moves in days not weeks |
| Day-1 prerequisites checklist | At POC kick-off meeting | AE + SE | Named permissions, BigQuery projects in scope, billing export access — signed off in writing |
| POC RACI | At POC kick-off | AE | Hours per week per role, escalation path if telemetry ingestion stalls |
| Case study pack | After call one, before POC kick-off | AE | Champion-repeatable evidence; use only published metrics unless customer has cleared more |
If the customer’s FinOps lead goes quiet between call one and POC kick-off, flag it before ingestion starts. A mid-POC joint readout (champion + FinOps + Rabbit SE) is far easier to arrange than a post-POC political recovery.
Proof Engine
Weekly touchpoints projecting cumulative savings momentum. Target: irresistible arithmetic + champion air-cover inside customer politics.
| Role | Name | Job to be done |
|---|---|---|
| POC owner | Day-to-day optimisation decisions | |
| Data leadership sponsor | Air-cover vs internal sceptics | |
| FinOps observer | Validates commercials without blocking architecture reality | |
| Procurement | Started parallel path week 2 |
Mid-POC: optional FinOps joint session so internal teams shine while Rabbit arithmetic stays undeniable.
Commercial Arc
Deliver a billing-ready results pack — trial window, methodology, and fees tied to their telemetry. Three commercial options aligning to ~1% ongoing tracked spend (manual / recommendations) and ~20% of proven automation savings (BigQuery automation emphasis) — confirm live commercial policy before quoting.
Before scheduling: verify budget signatory or delegate has surfaced (hidden SVP veto pattern). Separate working-level heroes from ceremonial approvers.
Stage 6
Momentum dies in vendor portals — maintain parallel project plan with named customer tasks.
| Objection | Likely psychology | Talk track | Artefact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Too much data access | Loss aversion; fear of reprisal | “We phase scope — start narrow, expand as trust lands. Revocation is explicit.” | Data map + DPIA snippets |
| Numbers will not match our bill | Evaluator protecting reputation | “We reconcile to your export — same lineage weekly in POC.” | Methodology appendix |
| Engineering bandwidth | Overload narrative | “POC RACI slots <X hrs/week; automation removes tuning fire drills.” | RACI + hours-back story |
| We should build internally | NIH; hero project | “Fair — compare clock to first defensible saving; POC is time-boxed.” | Timeline contrast (no fake ROI) |
| Procurement / security queue | Safe delay | “We started parallel path week 2 — here is recycled pack from prior enterprise.” | Security FAQ + vendor checklist |
| Another SaaS / FinOps shelfware | Scepticism from past tools | “POC success metric is £/€ on invoice + PR throughput — not dashboard eyeballs.” | POC scorecard template |
Next step at end of results call: name the decision date, procurement owner, and fallback exec if the workflow stalls (see drill 4).
Systems
Stages should map 1:1 with sections above — no orphaned deal cards that conceal reality.
Tags to add: Lead source (cold / partner intro / ABM spike / signup), bottleneck flag (waiting security / stalled FinOps politics), POC week counter.
Quick Reference
Print or screen-share during calls. PDF via browser print.
Tools
Paste transcripts into the prompts below when you want a one-page screen-share recap or cleaner internal handoffs.
How to use: Copy from the cards or download the .txt files. Paste into ChatGPT / Claude / Cursor. Swap bracketed placeholders for transcripts and notes.
Extended pitch-builder prompt (.txt) · Handover summary prompt (.txt)
Training
With thin inbound, every qualified meeting counts. Run these drills regularly so the mechanics feel automatic when it matters. Each drill includes setup, roles, moves to practise, debrief questions, and what a passing run looks like.
Opening line (buyer reads this to kick off):
Opening line (referrer reads this to kick off):
Opening challenge (FinOps lead reads mid-readout):
Opening line (champion reads at the close moment):
Objection sequence (facilitator reads each in turn):
What's Next
Workshop April 2026 — immediate focus is pipeline creation + documentation.
Connor + EMEA sales lead own adoption; leadership backs resourcing on compliance throughput.
Marketing activity
These are not CRM pipeline stages — they are ongoing programmes that make outbound warmer and inbound sharper. Sales and marketing need to stay aligned on timing so paid touches and outbound calls land together.