AI Squads Sales Playbook¶
This document helps you position, qualify, and pitch AI Squads (virtual teams of AI agents) to potential customers. It is written for sales, product, and business development teams.
AI Squads are virtual teams of AI agents (Architect, Dev, QA, DevOps, Product) that deliver outcomes—microservices, features, integrations—as a service. They're powered by the Factory and provide managed team outcomes without the customer needing to operate the Factory themselves.
Tip
Strong Pitch: "AI Squads are virtual teams of AI agents that deliver real outcomes—microservices, features, integrations—as a service. You get a dedicated team without hiring, managing, or operating infrastructure. Focus on product strategy while the Squad executes."
Ideal Customer Profile¶
| Segment | Characteristics | Red Flags |
|---|---|---|
| SaaS Companies Without Engineering Team | Building SaaS, limited engineering resources | Have large engineering team, prefer in-house |
| Startups | Building products, need speed, limited budget | No budget, prefer free/open-source only |
| Consulting Firms | Building solutions for clients, need efficiency | No .NET/Azure expertise, prefer other stacks |
| Enterprises | Need additional capacity, specialized projects | Prefer traditional consulting, no AI appetite |
| Product Teams | Product-focused teams, need technical execution | Have strong engineering team, prefer DIY |
Red Flags to Watch For¶
- Large Engineering Team - Squads are for teams without capacity
- Prefer In-House - Squads are for outsourcing outcomes
- No Budget - Squads require subscription/retainer
- No AI Appetite - Squads require comfort with AI-generated code
- No .NET/Azure - Squads generate .NET/Azure code
Squad Types and Positioning¶
Starter SaaS Squad¶
Positioning: "Perfect for startups and small teams building their first SaaS products."
Value: - 2-3 microservices per month - Basic features and integrations - Standard SaaS capabilities - Affordable pricing
Ideal For: - Startups building MVP - Small teams needing capacity - Proof-of-concept projects
Growth SaaS Squad¶
Positioning: "For growing SaaS companies scaling their platform."
Value: - 5-7 microservices per month - Advanced features and integrations - Platform capabilities - Faster delivery
Ideal For: - Growing SaaS companies - Scaling platforms - Feature-rich products
Platform Squad (Enterprise)¶
Positioning: "For enterprises building internal platforms and complex systems."
Value: - 10+ microservices per month - Complex integrations - Enterprise patterns - Dedicated support
Ideal For: - Enterprise platform teams - Complex systems - Large-scale projects
Integration & AI Bot Squad¶
Positioning: "For companies needing integrations and conversational interfaces."
Value: - 3-5 integrations per month - Bot development - API integrations - External SaaS integrations
Ideal For: - Integration projects - Bot development - External SaaS integrations
See: Product Portfolio - Squads for detailed squad information.
Outcomes vs Hours¶
Outcome-Based Language¶
Focus on Outcomes: - "2-3 microservices per month" - "5-7 features per quarter" - "3-5 integrations per month" - "Complete SaaS platform in 3 months"
Not Hours: - Avoid "X hours per month" - Focus on deliverables, not time - Emphasize value, not effort
Example Outcomes¶
Starter SaaS Squad: - 2-3 microservices per month - Basic features (authentication, CRUD, APIs) - Standard integrations (payment, email) - Documentation and tests included
Growth SaaS Squad: - 5-7 microservices per month - Advanced features (workflows, reporting, analytics) - Complex integrations (CRM, marketing, analytics) - Platform capabilities
Platform Squad: - 10+ microservices per month - Enterprise patterns (CQRS, event sourcing) - Complex integrations (ERP, legacy systems) - Dedicated architect support
Discovery Questions¶
Team and Capacity¶
- How large is your engineering team?
- What's your current development capacity?
- How long does it take to build a new microservice?
- What's your biggest bottleneck in development?
- Do you have dedicated platform/infrastructure team?
Project Needs¶
- How many microservices do you need to build?
- What's your timeline for delivery?
- What features do you need?
- What integrations do you need?
- What's your budget for development?
AI Appetite¶
- Have you used AI coding tools?
- How comfortable are you with AI-generated code?
- What concerns do you have about AI-generated code?
- How do you ensure code quality?
- What's your code review process?
Business Context¶
- What's your biggest pain point in development?
- What's your ideal outcome from a Squad engagement?
- How do you measure success?
- What's your budget for development resources?
- What's your timeline for next project?
Objections and Responses¶
Objection 1: "We prefer to hire our own team"¶
Response: - Hiring takes time (3-6 months) - Squads deliver immediately - No recruitment, onboarding, or management overhead - Focus on product, not team management
Objection 2: "We're not comfortable with AI-generated code"¶
Response: - Squads generate code following proven patterns - All code is reviewed before deployment - Squads act as senior developers, not replacements - You own all generated code
Objection 3: "It's too expensive"¶
Response: - Compare cost to hiring full-time developers - Factor in recruitment, onboarding, and management costs - Consider faster time-to-market value - Evaluate ROI and outcomes
Objection 4: "We need more control"¶
Response: - Squads work with your team, not replace it - You own all generated code - You control priorities and roadmap - Squads execute, you decide
Objection 5: "We have specific requirements"¶
Response: - Squads can handle specific requirements - Factory can generate custom solutions - Squads adapt to your patterns and standards - Customization is possible
Related Documents¶
- Product Portfolio - Squads - Squad details
- Squads Business Model - Business model
- Getting Started with Squads - Squad quickstart
- Factory Overview - Factory capabilities
- Code Ownership Model - Code ownership