RM Onboarding

Welcome to GitLab! We are happy to have you join as a Renewals Manager (RM). This handbook page will provide you with an overview of what to expect during your onboarding journey, including learning objectives, live session details, milestones, and how your manager and onboarding buddy will support you during this time.

Overview of Role-Based RM Onboarding

As a RM, your onboarding experience is a blended learning journey that includes a self-paced role-based learning path on LevelUp, live virtual skills sessions, and the GitLab Academy program including an in-person regional graduation event.

Learning Objectives for RM Onboarding

The following learning objectives are covered through your role-based eLearning path on GitLab University.

Module 1 — Renewals Manager Basics

  • Demonstrate understanding of GitLab basics
  • Understand the mission and vision of the Global Renewals Organization
  • Express understanding of the Global Renewals Organization
  • Schedule calls to shadow fellow RM team members

Module 2 — Renewals Manager at GitLab

  • Demonstrate understanding of the roles and responsibilities of RMs at GitLab

Module 3 — Rules of Engagement

  • Demonstrate understanding of renewals policies including rules of engagement and late renewals management
  • Demonstrate ability to create and manage opportunities

Module 4 — Deep Dive

  • Demonstrate understanding of how to utilize the tool stack for your role
  • Identify which tools to use at different stages of the renewal lifecycle
  • Understand how a RM collaborates with other account team members
  • Understand the renewals lifecycle end to end

Module 5 — RM Onboarding Conclusion

  • Complete Revenue Academy prework
  • Discuss customer readiness with your manager
  • Complete role-based onboarding learning path

Live Skills Sessions

As part of Revenue Academy Component 3, RMs attend four role-based live virtual sessions. These sessions are 90 minutes each and run on a rolling monthly rotation. Session 0 is shared across all Customer Experience new hires.

Session 0 — One CX: Roles, Customer Journey and Overview

Audience: All CX new hires (CSM, CSA, CSE, RM, PS Engagement Manager, PS Technical Architect, PS Project Manager)

Format: Watch and AMA — approximately 60 minutes of async pre-watch followed by a 30-minute live AMA session

What this covers:

  • The One CX model and how all roles connect across the customer journey
  • Success Tiers overview — Self-Guided through Signature, and what each tier means
  • Professional Services and Education Services overview — what is available and when each applies
  • Win stories illustrating what strong CX collaboration looks like in practice
  • How to work with PS, CS, and Renewals as a team

Pre-work: Watch the CX Roadshow recording (linked in your cohort Slack channel) before the live AMA session.

Session 1 — Renewal Lifecycle, Pipeline Management and Forecasting

Format: Live demo and hands-on walkthrough

What this covers:

  • Renewal lifecycle overview — the 120-90-60-30 day process, key milestones, and what happens at each stage
  • Salesforce for RMs — renewal opportunity management, pipeline hygiene, and creating and managing reports
  • Forecasting — the 5-minute forecast process, how to categorize opportunities, and what good looks like
  • Outreach sequences — lifecycle selling activities and how to set up and manage renewal outreach
  • Hands-on practice navigating a sample Salesforce renewal opportunity, updating the forecast category, and setting up an activity

Session 2 — Negotiation and Objection Handling

Format: Workshop — discussion and practice conversation starters

What this covers:

  • The three most common RM objection scenarios: price increase, competitive threat, and procurement pushback
  • How to think through each scenario — framing, what the customer actually cares about, and what not to say
  • Success Tier and Services attach — how to position these as retention levers rather than upsells, and when and how to bring them in
  • Practice conversation starters — pairs work through opening lines and pivots for each scenario
  • Group debrief on what resonated, what felt unnatural, and key phrases to remember

Note: Formal role-play assessment with rubrics is reserved for the in-person graduation capstone and post-graduation manager 1:1s. This session is focused on building muscle memory and confidence.

Session 3 — Rules of Engagement and Deal Desk Coordination

Format: Workshop — case-based discussion

What this covers:

  • Rules of engagement overview — what RMs own vs. what goes to AE, CS, Deal Desk, and partners
  • Late renewals process — what triggers it, who owns it, and how to manage it without damaging relationships
  • Quoting, booking orders, and Deal Desk coordination — when to engage Deal Desk, required documents, and common pitfalls
  • Clean contracts — avoiding pitfalls and liabilities, and partner attribution rules
  • Case discussion — working through a sample multi-stakeholder renewal scenario with a partner involved and a late payment to practice escalation paths and cross-functional coordination

Milestones and Onboarding Roadmap

Expectations for Manager Support During Onboarding

Month 1

  • Schedule recurring 1:1 calls
  • Provide guidance on who the new hire should schedule coffee chats with during their onboarding journey
  • Review and discuss company policies: PTO policy, Family and Friends First culture, and GitLab’s CREDIT values
  • Discuss any team-specific expectations and review organizational structure
  • Ensure the new hire has access to all role-specific tools and appropriate Slack channels
  • Align on a general plan to get customer-ready and schedule role-play activities
  • Ensure the new hire is meeting appropriate milestones and expectations from week to week
  • Identify skills to be mastered and resources available to accomplish each learning objective

Month 2

  • Discuss any general concerns or challenges, including any difficulties with GitLab’s async culture
  • Share constructive feedback on role-plays completed as part of the onboarding experience
  • Ensure onboarding milestones are met and that the new hire is completing all requirements
  • Align on whether the new hire is on track to be customer-ready and provide additional support as needed
  • Discuss best practices for RMs

Month 3

  • Decide on a regular cadence for ongoing 1:1 calls
  • Shadow customer calls where possible and provide structured feedback
  • Confirm that all mandatory onboarding activities have been completed, including Revenue Academy and the role-based learning path
  • Discuss how performance will be formally evaluated

Beyond 3 Months

  • Provide regular feedback on performance
  • Encourage the team member to develop an individual growth plan for their long-term goals

Expectations for Buddy Support During Onboarding

Month 1

  • Nurture a welcoming environment for the new hire
  • Establish a recurring 1:1 to check in on progress with onboarding activities
  • Provide assistance with any barriers or difficulty understanding concepts covered in the learning path or Revenue Academy
  • Connect the new hire with the broader team to build their network
  • Share helpful tips and resources that are valuable during onboarding and beyond

Month 2

  • Provide opportunities for the new hire to shadow your calls and debrief on them together
  • Align with the new hire’s manager on other ways you can provide support

Month 3

  • Provide support and feedback as it relates to different customer situations and discuss mitigation strategies for renewals
  • Inform the new hire on how you can continue to support them beyond the formal onboarding period

Graduation from RM Onboarding

To be considered graduated from your RM onboarding journey, you must have:

  • Completed all items in your GitLab onboarding issue checklist (recommended within 5 working days of your start date)
  • Completed the GitLab Academy eLearning prework and passed all knowledge checks
  • Attended all GitLab Academy sessions, including the Command of the Message class (attendance is mandatory)
  • Attended all four role-based live skills sessions
  • Attended the in-person regional graduation Bootcamp and passed the stand-and-deliver capstone assessment
  • Completed role-play activities and discussed feedback with your manager and onboarding buddy
  • Shadowed at least 5-10 calls as determined by your hiring manager
  • Demonstrated proficiency in all Salesforce operations relevant to the RM role, including preparing accurate renewal quotes for customers and resellers
  • Demonstrated proficiency in sales order processes
  • Demonstrated a clear understanding of how to use the GitLab handbook as a resource
  • Demonstrated an understanding of forecasting

It is expected that by your 20th working day, you will be assigned to your territory.

Continuous Enablement

In addition to onboarding, continuous enablement is available through micro-learning, job aids, just-in-time resources, and live webinars.

Feedback

Your feedback on the onboarding process is important to us and we welcome your thoughts and ideas about how we can improve in the future. Please share your feedback in the RM Onboarding Feedback issue or reach out in #field-enablement-team on Slack.

Last modified April 16, 2026: update RM e-learning links - remove Revenue < GitLab - Summit < Boocamp (92d46b99)
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