Sales Playbook
📌 Section 1.1
Company & Product
Before reps pick up the phone, they need to know exactly what we stand for, what we sell, and why we win. This is the bedrock of every conversation.
🏔 Company Vision
To become the operating system for modern revenue teams — making every sales rep as effective as the best rep on the team.
💡 Core Value Proposition
We help B2B sales teams close deals faster by replacing disconnected tools with a single, AI-powered platform that surfaces the right action at exactly the right moment.
🎯 Who We Serve
Mid-market and enterprise companies (100–5,000 employees) with a dedicated outbound sales team of 5+ reps who are struggling with pipeline visibility and rep ramp time.
⚔️ Competitive Comparison — When They Say X, We Say Y
| 🔴 Competitor Claim | 🟢 Our Counter |
|---|---|
| "We already use Salesforce for everything." | Salesforce is your system of record — we're your system of action. We sit on top of it and tell your reps what to do next, which Salesforce never will. |
| "[Competitor] is cheaper." | They charge per seat, per module. Our customers routinely consolidate 3–4 tools onto our platform and save 30% in total spend. |
| "We built something in-house." | Great — how long did that take? And who maintains it? Our platform ships 2–3 major updates a month. Internal builds are frozen in time. |
| "We're evaluating a few options." | Perfect. Ask the others how long their average onboarding takes. Ours is 14 days to first value. That's usually the conversation-ender. |
📌 Section 1.2
The Buyer
Not all companies are our customers, and not all job titles are our champions. Here's exactly who we target — and how to speak their language.
Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)
Companies that look like this are our sweet spot. When you see these signals, prioritize immediately.
100–2,000 employees
$10M–$250M ARR
B2B SaaS or Services
5+ person sales team
HubSpot or Salesforce CRM
Recent funding or headcount growth
US, UK, or DACH markets
Buyer Personas
Hover or click a card to reveal their world
VP of Sales
↩ flip to reveal
Goals
Hit quarterly revenue number without adding headcount
Build a repeatable, forecastable pipeline
Pain Points
Reps not following the process they trained on
Pipeline reviews are a guessing game
Revenue Operations Lead
↩ flip to reveal
Goals
Clean, trustworthy CRM data that execs believe
Reduce tool sprawl and integration headaches
Pain Points
Reps don't log activities consistently
Can't attribute revenue to specific activities
Sales Manager
↩ flip to reveal
Goals
Ramp new reps in under 60 days
Coach more effectively without listening to every call
Pain Points
Top reps are "magic" — can't replicate what they do
No visibility into early deal risk signals
🗺 Section 2.1
Sales Process Stages
A deal only advances when everyone agrees the criteria are met. Click any stage to see what it takes to enter and exit it.
🔍
Prospecting
Ongoing
›
💬
Discovery
Avg 1–2 weeks
›
🖥
Demo
Avg 1 week
›
📄
Proposal
Avg 1–2 weeks
›
🏁
Closing
Avg 2 weeks
📣 Section 3.1
Cold Outreach Plays
First impressions can't be undone. Use these tested templates to open doors — personalize the highlighted fields every time.
Quick question about [Company]'s sales ramp time
Hi [First Name],
I noticed [Company] recently [trigger: hired 3 AEs / raised Series B / expanded to EMEA] — congrats on that milestone.
When teams scale that fast, one of the first things that breaks is new rep ramp time. The playbook that worked for 5 reps rarely scales to 15.
We help sales leaders at companies like Personio, Pleo, and Contentful cut their average ramp from 4 months to 6 weeks — without hiring more managers.
Worth a 20-minute call to see if there's a fit?
[Your Name]
I noticed [Company] recently [trigger: hired 3 AEs / raised Series B / expanded to EMEA] — congrats on that milestone.
When teams scale that fast, one of the first things that breaks is new rep ramp time. The playbook that worked for 5 reps rarely scales to 15.
We help sales leaders at companies like Personio, Pleo, and Contentful cut their average ramp from 4 months to 6 weeks — without hiring more managers.
Worth a 20-minute call to see if there's a fit?
[Your Name]
Cold Call Script — First 60 Seconds
REP
"Hi [First Name], this is [Your Name] from [Company] — did I catch you at a bad time?" (Always ask. It shows respect.)
PROSPECT
"Kind of, what's this about?"
REP
"Totally fair. I'll be quick. I work with VP Sales at B2B companies around your size who are dealing with reps not following the sales process consistently. Sound familiar at all?"
PROSPECT
"Yeah, actually, it's a bit of an issue."
REP
"That's exactly what we fix. Do you have 20 minutes this week for me to show you how we do it? If it's not relevant, I'll tell you myself."
7-Touch Outreach Sequence (Day-by-Day)
1
Day 1 — Send personalised intro email
2
Day 3 — Connect on LinkedIn with short note
3
Day 5 — First cold call attempt (leave voicemail if no answer)
4
Day 7 — Follow-up email with relevant case study or stat
5
Day 10 — Second cold call (no voicemail)
6
Day 14 — LinkedIn video message (60 sec, personalised)
7
Day 18 — Break-up email ("Closing your file…") then archive
🔎 Section 3.2
Discovery Playbook
A rushed discovery is a lost deal. Use the MEDDIC framework. Every checkbox below must be answered before you can move the deal to Demo stage.
MEDDIC Framework
Metrics — Quantify the economic impact
Economic Buyer — Who signs the cheque?
Decision Criteria — How do they evaluate?
Decision Process — What are the approval steps?
Identify Pain — What problem is critical to fix?
Champion — Who will sell internally for us?
Discovery Checklist
Check off questions as you answer them in your call
✓
What does success look like in 12 months? — Get them to paint the vision before presenting your solution.
✓
What is the cost of not solving this problem? — Quantify the pain in their currency (revenue, time, headcount).
✓
Who else is involved in this decision? — Map the org chart. Never be surprised by a new stakeholder late in the deal.
✓
Have you tried to solve this before? What happened? — Understand prior attempts to avoid repeating history.
✓
What is your timeline for making a decision? — Establish urgency. A deal without a timeline isn't a deal.
✓
What does your procurement/legal process look like? — Surface late-stage blockers now, not at close.
✓
What would make you choose us over doing nothing? — The most important question. "Doing nothing" is always your biggest competitor.
✓
On a scale of 1–10, how critical is this initiative to the business this quarter? — Anything below 7 is not a real opportunity.
🖥 Section 3.3
Presentation & Demo Plays
A feature tour is not a demo. Structure every presentation around the prospect's specific pain points discovered in the discovery call.
📐 Pain-Led Demo Structure
1
Open with Their Words
Recap the 2–3 pain points from discovery verbatim. "You told me your reps aren't following the process…"
2
Show the "Before" State
Describe what life looks like without a solution — make it visceral and recognizable.
3
Demo Only What's Relevant
Show one feature per pain point. Do not tour the product. Stop and ask "Does this solve the issue you described?"
4
Anchor to Their Metrics
Connect every demo moment to a number they gave you. "This is where you'd save those 4 hours per rep per week."
5
Close for Next Step
Never end a demo without a scheduled next step. "Based on what you saw, does it make sense to bring in [Economic Buyer]?"
📚 Customer Success Stories
P
Personio
Cut average rep ramp from 14 weeks to 6 weeks
D
Doctolib
Increased outbound pipeline by 3× in one quarter
M
Messagebird
Reduced CRM data gaps from 40% to under 5%
→ Full case studies, slide decks, and one-pagers available in the shared Google Drive: Sales > Customer Evidence
🛡 Section 3.4
Objection Handling Matrix
An objection is not a rejection — it's a question in disguise. Click any objection to reveal the tested talk track and a coaching tip.
💰 Price
"Your price is too high. We can't justify it right now."
▼
"I hear you — budget is always a real constraint. Can I ask: too high compared to what? If it's compared to doing nothing, let's revisit the cost of the problem we found in discovery — [X hours lost per week / $Y in missed revenue]. The question isn't whether we're expensive. It's whether the cost of staying where you are is more."
💡 Pro Tip: Never discount before fully establishing value. Get them to articulate the cost of inaction first.
⏰ Timing
"This isn't the right time. Let's revisit next quarter."
▼
"That's completely fair — and I want to respect your calendar. Help me understand: is next quarter more about budget cycle, or are there competing priorities right now? Because if the problem is as painful as you described, next quarter means another 90 days of [rep ramp issues / pipeline leaking / etc.]. What would need to be true to move this forward now?"
💡 Pro Tip: "Next quarter" is usually a smokescreen for something else. Dig for the real reason.
⚔️ Competitor
"We're already talking to [Competitor]. They do the same thing."
▼
"Good — it means you've validated you need a solution, which is the most important step. The question is which one is right for you. What are you using to evaluate them? [Listen, then position your differentiator specifically]. Most customers who've evaluated both tell us the deciding factor was [onboarding speed / AI-driven nudges / CRM flexibility]. Can I show you exactly that comparison?"
💡 Pro Tip: Never badmouth the competitor. Position yourself as the more confident, more prepared option.
💎 Value
"I'm not sure we'd actually use it. Adoption is always a problem."
▼
"That's the most honest objection I hear, and it's a fair one — most sales tools die in adoption. Here's what we do differently: we embed directly into the reps' existing workflow. They don't log into a new tool; the nudges show up where they already work — in Salesforce or Slack. Our average adoption rate at 90 days is 84%, and I can put you in touch with a Sales Manager who was equally skeptical."
💡 Pro Tip: Offer a reference call from a peer. Peer proof beats any deck.
"I need to run this by my boss / the CFO / the board."
▼
"Absolutely — that's exactly the right step. To make it easier for you to present this internally, let me help you build the business case. Can we set up a 30-minute call where I walk you and [boss's name] through the ROI model together? It'll be much more efficient than you translating it yourself, and it means they can ask me the hard questions directly."
💡 Pro Tip: Never let a champion present alone. Always get in the room (virtual or physical) with the Economic Buyer.
🏁 Section 3.5
Closing & Negotiation
Great closers don't pressure — they align. Use a Mutual Action Plan to make the buyer a co-owner of the close date.
📋 Mutual Action Plan (MAP)
📞
Discovery Complete
Pain confirmed, MEDDIC checklist fully answered, champion identified.
🖥
Technical Validation
Demo with Economic Buyer. Integration with CRM confirmed by IT/RevOps.
📄
Proposal Sent & Reviewed
Pricing sent. Business case shared with all stakeholders. Questions addressed.
⚖️
Legal & Procurement Review
MSA / DPA sent. Security review completed if required.
🏆
Contract Signed — Go Live Date Set
Onboarding kick-off scheduled. Customer Success handed off with full context.
💰 Discount Authority Levels
Rep
Up to 5%
No approval needed
Manager
Up to 15%
Verbal approval
VP Sales
Up to 25%
Email required
CEO / CFO
25%+
Formal business case
⚠️ Negotiation Rules
Never discount without getting something in return. A discount without a faster close date, a bigger commitment, or a referral is just margin erosion.
🗂 Section 4.1
CRM Guidelines
The CRM is our single source of truth. Bad data leads to bad forecasts. These are non-negotiable hygiene standards — not suggestions.
✅ Do This
Log every call, email, and meeting within 24 hours
Update the deal stage the same day it changes
Add a "Next Step" with a date on every open opportunity
Record close date based on when the contract will be signed — not sent
Link all contacts to the account (not just the main contact)
Use activity types correctly: Call, Email, Meeting, Demo
❌ Don't Do This
Don't leave an opportunity with no "Next Step" date
Don't advance a stage without meeting the exit criteria
Don't use the Notes field as a substitute for proper logging
Don't set close dates to end-of-month by default — be realistic
Don't create duplicate contacts or accounts
Don't change deal amounts without RevOps sign-off
Log Activity Workflow
Complete Activity (Call, Demo, Email)
→
Log in Salesforce within 24hrs + set next step
→
Update pipeline stage if criteria met
🛠 Section 4.2
Tech Stack
These are the tools in your arsenal. Know them well — proficiency here directly translates to more pipeline and less admin time.
Salesforce CRM
System of Record
Our single source of truth. Every lead, contact, account, and deal lives here. Hygiene is mandatory — see Section 4.1.
Outreach.io
Sales Engagement
All sequences, email sends, and auto-tasks run through Outreach. Do not email prospects directly from Gmail — sequences must be trackable.
Apollo.io
Data Enrichment
Use to build prospect lists, verify emails, and enrich company data before importing to Salesforce. Check ICP filters before exporting.
Gong.io
Meeting Recording & Coaching
All calls are recorded for coaching. Review your own call scores weekly. Managers review Gong data in 1:1s — your talk ratio and question rate matter.
📅 Section 5.1
Meeting Structure
Time is our most limited resource. Every recurring meeting has a clear agenda — we start and end on time, every time.
👤 1:1 — Rep & Manager
Weekly · 45 minutes · Private
0–5m
Personal Check-inEnergy level, any blockers outside of pipeline.
5–20m
Pipeline ReviewWalk deals in current quarter. Focus on next step quality and stage accuracy. Spot deals at risk early.
20–35m
Coaching MomentOne deal, one call recording, one skill — go deep on a single scenario together.
35–42m
Activity ReviewCalls made, emails sent, demos booked. Are we on track to hit the weekly targets?
42–45m
CommitmentsRep commits to 1 action this week. Manager commits to 1 action to unblock rep.
👥 Team Meeting — Full Sales Team
Weekly · 60 minutes · Full Team
0–5m
Win of the WeekOne rep shares a recent win — what they did, what worked, what others can steal.
5–20m
Forecast ReviewQuarter-to-date vs target. Deal-by-deal review of anything >$50K in commit or best case.
20–35m
Friction ReportWhat is slowing deals down? What objections came up this week? Group problem-solving on one real deal.
35–50m
Skill or Playbook UpdateNew content, updated talk track, product news, competitive intel, or a role-play exercise.
50–60m
Team CommitmentsEach rep states their #1 priority for the week. Manager records. Reviewed at next meeting.
📈 Section 5.2
Key Performance Indicators
We track what we can control. These 5 metrics tell us whether reps will hit their number — before it's too late to change course.
Calls / Week
47
Target: 50
↑ +6% vs last week
Demos Booked
8
Target: 10 / month
↑ On pace
Pipeline Created
€182K
Target: €200K / month
↑ +12% vs last month
Win Rate
28%
Target: 30%
↓ -2pts vs Q1
Avg Deal Size
€24K
Target: €22K
↑ Exceeding target
📌 The Philosophy Behind These Numbers
Activity metrics (calls, demos) are leading indicators — they predict future revenue. Output metrics (pipeline, win rate, deal size) are lagging indicators — they tell you what already happened. Focus your daily energy on leading indicators. The lagging indicators will follow. If you're hitting your activity targets and your output is still off, that's a coaching conversation — not a harder-work conversation.