Selling is asking the right questions. Selling is listening. And selling is telling the right stories.
You don’t tell every story every time. But if you tell the right stories at the right time in the right way — you win more. And if your entire sales team is telling the right stories, you win a lot more.
To scale a sales team, it is important to document your “tribal knowledge” and create sales playbooks for both your sales managers and sales reps. This selling knowledge is best captured in questions, tools and selling stories. In our ‘anatomy of a sales playbook’ framework below you can see examples of the tools and stories that have helped make our clients successful.
Not all sales teams will need every one of these tools, but there are a surprisingly large amount of things a sales team needs to consistently sell well.
We have delivered dozens of sales playbooks and know how to help you prioritize your needs and deliver a winning playbook.
Anatomy of a Sales PlayBook (View PDF)
PREPARING TO SELL | SELLING |
||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| How Do We Manage Sales? | How Do We Sell? | Why Buy Anything? | Why Buy Ours? | Why Buy Now? | Why Buy More? | ||||||
| Sales Analysis | Sales Planning | Sales Mgmt | Sales Process | Sales / Mktg Infra- structure | Right Rep - Fast Ramp | Precall Research | Initial Contact | Qualifying | Solution Presentation | Propose, Negotiate & Close | Sales & Service Teamwork |
| Win-Loss-Stall Analysis | Target Market Plan | Pipeline Management | Field Sales Process | Build Prospect Universe | Right Rep Profile | Domain 101 | Inbound Lead Playbook | Initial Presentation / Follow-up | Solution Presentations | Proposals | Customer Welcome Letter |
| Lead-Close Waterfall Metrics | Sales Plan | Lead Waterfall Management | Inside Sales Process | Ongoing Sales Training | Interview Approach / Questions | Linked-In | Outbound Led Gen Pitch Kit | Master Demo Script | Pricers / Quoters | Reference Calls | Service Configuration Questionnairre |
| Sales Model - Productivity Targets | Comp Plan | Forecast Accuracy | Cross-selling Process | Role-Play System Loaded | New Rep Checklist | Yahoo Finance | Company / Solution Story | Positioning vs Competition | Analyst Frameworks | Statement of Work | Handoff Meeting Agenda |
| Lead Gen Plan | Rep Productivity Report | Lead-to-Opportunity Process | CRM Configuration | Training Bootcamp Agenda | Industry Reports | Customer Stories | Value Calculator | Industry Best Practice Metrics | Master Agreement | Go-Live Timeline | |
| Customer Expansion Plan | Sales Kickoff Agendas | Evaluation Process | CRM Integrated w/ Playbook | First 90 Day Expectations | Industry Benchmarks | Vertical Market Guides | 3rd party Metrics | Pilot vs. Full Deployment | Negotiation Strategies | Implementation Success Stories | |
| First 90 Day Plan | Sales Meeting Agendas | Forecast Process | CRM Adoption | Interactive Training | Hoovers . OneSource, Inside View | Winability Scorecard | Solution Presentation Surveys | Customer Success Metrics | Win-Loss Reports | Usage Reports | |
| Territory Plan | E-Staff Formats | Reference Process | Tool Tutorials | Story Deck | Analyst Call Transcripts | SPIN / Sales Ready Questioning | Evaluation Plan | Competitive Silver Bullets | Customer Success Monitoring | ||
| Account Plan | Board Meeting Formats | Integrated Appt. Setting Process | Marketing Automation System | Role-Play Selling Stories | Industry / Competitor Sites | Objection Handling | Coaching Your Coach Emails | Detailed ROIs | Client Survey | ||
| Opportunity Plan | Cutomer List by Industry | Title Specific Call / Email Guides | Case Studies | Prospect Facing RoadMap | Rep Re-Engagement Triggers | ||||||
| Call Plan | Company Contact List | Close Plan | |||||||||