Your 10-Second Sterling Cooper Opportunity Review
- Account: Secbase
- Opportunity Name: Secbase – Strategic – 2026
- Type: Net New
- Economic Buyer: Alfred Bachman, CISO
- Stage: 02 – Consensus Building
- Age: 46 days
- Amount: $185,000 ARR
- Forecast Probability: 30%
Secbase is evaluating Yellowsail as part of a broader effort to reduce software supply chain risk introduced through open-source dependencies and internal artifact repositories. The CISO has acknowledged growing exposure and internal friction between security and engineering, but urgency remains situational rather than institutional.
The primary obstacle is status quo tolerance: while Secbase recognizes the risk, there is no active incident or regulatory forcing function driving immediate action. Consensus is forming within security, but engineering leadership has not yet internalized the cost of inaction. Procurement and budget timing are still loosely defined, pushing this deal into “potentially real, but not yet inevitable” territory.
Core Problems They Are Trying to Solve
- Lack of control over what enters internal repositories
- Secbase currently relies on scanning after packages are introduced, not at ingestion.
- This creates blind spots around compromised or malicious open-source components.
Buyer verbatim:
“Once something lands in Artifactory, we’re basically trusting that it’s clean unless it trips something later. That’s not a great place to be.”
- Security slowing engineering without actually reducing risk
- Security policies are seen as reactive and disruptive
- Developers often bypass controls to keep velocity high.
Buyer verbatim (CISO):
“We keep telling ourselves we’re reducing risk, but all we’re really doing is adding more checks after the fact — and engineering hates us for it.”
- Inability to confidently address zero-day exposure
- Secbase lacks a proactive control to stop malicious packages before they spread internally.
- Current tooling is dependent on known CVEs and delayed intelligence.
Buyer verbatim:
“Zero-days are the ones that keep me up at night because by the time we see them, they’re already everywhere.”
- Increased breach likelihood through transitive dependencies introduced silently into production.
- Organizational friction between security and engineering leadership, reducing trust and slowing future initiatives.
Buyer verbatim:
“If something happens and we have to explain why we let it in at the front door, that’s on me.”
Customer expects the vendor to reconsider the price increase or provide a phased implementation plan to ease the financial impact
Unless there is a reconsideration of this price increase or at least a phased implementation plan to mitigate its impact, we will be forced to evaluate alternative solutions that better align with our budgetary constraints and business needs.Teammates have mentioned a pricing adjustment for enhanced features as justification for the increase
To continue delivering these high-quality improvements and to ensure we can sustain the level of innovation and support you expect from Yellowsail, we will be implementing a pricing adjustment.
Customer expects roadmap features previously discussed to have materialized before renewal discussion
Now that we are being asked to consider our renewal, your team is still talking about this functionality being on the roadmap.
Pricing Sensitivity / Budget Misalignment
The customer explicitly stated that current pricing doesn’t align with budgeted expectations
The price increase you previously shared isn’t aligned with what we’ve budgeted.
Churn Risk / Renewal Objection
They are evaluating alternatives due to pricing and perceived lack of value
Unless there is a reconsideration of this price increase or at least a phased implementation plan to mitigate its impact, we will be forced to evaluate alternative solutions that better align with our budgetary constraints and business needs.
Perceived Overpromise
Product functionality discussed months ago remains “on the roadmap,” frustrating the renewal conversation
Now that we are being asked to consider our renewal, your team is still talking about this functionality being on the roadmap.
Relationship Deterioration
Tone of communication from Sarah Newburg and Holly Langerfield includes strong negative sentiment and language expressing frustration and disappointment
Mark I am writing to express my deep frustration and disappointment regarding the recent announcement of a pricing increase.
Value Re-Enforcement and Retention
By reframing pricing within a value narrative (i.e., feature enhancements, improved support), Yellowsail could mitigate churn and rebuild trust
Feature Alignment
Quickly showcasing upcoming product updates relevant to the “roadmap” complaints can create renewal leverage
Phased Pricing Option
Offering a gradual price adjustment or loyalty-tier pricing could save the renewal
Executive Relationship Strengthening
Engagement from Mark Ford at a senior level, with empathy and strategic solutions, may stabilize the account ahead of renewal
Inbound (Customer → Yellowsail)
~3 notable inbound comms in the past week
Predominantly reactive — customers originating feedback and concern
Outbound (Yellowsail → Customer)
Limited follow-ups, primarily around the pricing update
Outbound tone largely transactional; opportunity exists for proactive relationship management
- Immediate: Executive Outreach
- Mark Ford to schedule a call with Sarah Newburg this week.
- Objective: Defuse tension, reaffirm partnership value, and introduce a tailored pricing approach.
- Short-Term: Value Reinforcement
- Share a one-page renewal proposal highlighting ROI, recent feature upgrades, and 2026 roadmap relevance to Secbase’s business goals.
- Medium-Term: Product Delivery Accountability
- Confirm internal delivery dates for the roadmap items raised by Brittany Witherspoon.
If you'd like, I can also create:
- A renewal risk dashboard
- An Account Manager-ready slide deck
- A stakeholder mapping with influence scores