How To Create a Sales Playbook from Scratch for 2025
- CEO at DeckLinks, Speaker, Podcast Host
- Published on October 7, 2024
- Updated on October 7, 2024
Table of Contents
Did you know that, according to Harvard Business Review, companies with a defined sales process see 18% more revenue growth compared to companies that don’t? And when that process is documented in a well-laid-out sales playbook, the impact is even greater.
That stat isn’t just a random number to me. It’s a reality I’ve seen play out time and time again across companies of all sizes.
However, despite the clear benefits, 40% of companies do not have sales playbooks. That means 40% of businesses out there are literally leaving money on the table. They’re letting their sales teams navigate the complex B2B sales without a map. How crazy is that? You know what’s even crazier? Some of these companies are the same ones investing in AI-powered sales tools, business intelligence (BI) tech, predictive analytics, etc.
Why the disconnect though? Because creating an effective sales playbook isn’t as simple as jotting down a few best practices and calling it a day.
So, what separates the playbooks that drive that 18% revenue growth from the ones that end up collecting dust in a drawer? That’s exactly what we’re going to unpack in this sales playbook guide.
Fair warning though, this isn’t a magic bullet or a one-size-fits-all template. Creating a great sales playbook takes a lot of work, time, creativity, and a deep understanding of your unique sales process. But with the potential for 18% more revenue growth on the line, can you really afford not to?
In this guide, I’ll walk you through the process of creating a B2B sales playbook that not only drives results but also emphasizes the human side of sales. Because let’s face it, in a world increasingly driven by AI and automation, it’s the personal touch that really sets great sales reps apart.
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What is a Sales Playbook?
Alright, let’s cut to the chase. A sales playbook is not a fancy binder destined to collect dust on your shelf. Or worse, become a monitor stand. Think of it as your sales team’s game plan and secret sauce all rolled into one.
At its core, a sales playbook is a comprehensive, dynamic guide that outlines your company’s sales methodology, best practices, and proven sales strategies. It’s the go-to resource that equips your sales team with the tools, knowledge, and processes they need to effectively engage prospects, overcome sales objections, and close deals.
A good sales playbook typically includes:
- Company Overview: Your mission, values, and unique selling propositions.
- Ideal Customer Profiles: Detailed personas of your target buyers.
- Sales Process: A step-by-step breakdown of your sales cycle.
- Messaging and Scripts: Tailored communication strategies for different stages and personas.
- Sales Objection Handling: Common customer concerns and effective responses.
- Competitive Intelligence: Insights on key competitors and how to position against them.
- Sales Tools and Resources: CRM guidelines, email templates, proposal frameworks, etc.
- Success Stories: Case studies and testimonials to support your pitch.
- Performance Metrics: KPIs and benchmarks to measure success.
Remember, your sales playbook should be as unique as your business. It’s not about copying someone else’s formula. It’s about distilling your team’s collective wisdom into a format that’s easily shared, understood, and applied. Just don’t expect it to solve all your problems overnight. If your sales playbook could make prospects return calls, eliminate procurement delays, and make decisions faster, we’d be selling sales playbooks instead of our actual products 😀
Playbook Section | Key Components | Purpose | Best Practices |
---|---|---|---|
Company Overview | Mission, values, Unique Selling Proposition (USP) | Aligns sales team with company vision | Keep it concise, focus on what makes your company unique |
Ideal Customer Profile | Demographics, pain points, buying behavior | Helps target the right prospects | Use data from successful past deals, update regularly |
Sales Process | Stages, activities, exit criteria | Provides a roadmap for sales activities | Align with buyer's journey, include specific actions for each stage |
Messaging and Scripts | Value propositions, elevator pitches, email templates | Ensures consistent, effective communication | Customize for different personas, include real-world examples |
Objection Handling | Common objections, rebuttals | Prepares sales reps for customer concerns | Use actual customer language, provide multiple approaches |
Competitive Analysis | Competitor strengths/weaknesses, differentiators | Helps position against competitors | Focus on how you solve customer problems better |
Sales Tools | CRM usage, proposal templates, ROI calculators | Improves efficiency and consistency | Provide clear instructions, link to resources |
Case Studies | Customer success stories, testimonials | Builds credibility and trust | Use a variety of industries/use cases, quantify results |
Performance Metrics | KPIs, targets, reporting processes | Measures and drives performance | Align with company goals, provide context for each metric |
Training and Onboarding | Learning modules, certification process | Accelerates sales rep productivity | Use a mix of formats, include hands-on practice |
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Benefits of Sales Playbooks
Sales playbooks is not just another thing to add to your to-do list. Trust me, a well-crafted sales playbook is invaluable. Here’s why:
- Keeps sales pitch consistent. A playbook ensures that every prospect gets the same high-quality experience, regardless of which sales rep they’re dealing with.
- Speeds up training for new hires. New reps? No problem. A good sales playbook can slash ramp-up time dramatically. Instead of shadowing your top sales rep for three months, new hires can get up and running much faster.
- Makes improving sales process easier. By writing down what works (and what doesn’t), you build a strong base for improving things over time.
- Helps company grow smoothly. As your company and your sales team grow, your sales playbook grows with it. It will make it easier to maintain quality as you scale your sales operations.
- Keeps important know-how in the company. Many sales leaders can relate – your star performer leaves, and suddenly it feels like they took half the company’s brain with them. A good sales playbook ensures that critical knowledge stays with the company, not in someone’s head.
- Gets all teams on the same page. Sales doesn’t exist in a vacuum. A good playbook aligns sales with marketing, product, and customer success teams.
- Gives sales reps more confidence. Having a cheat sheet with proven sales strategies and responses, will help your sales reps can approach each interaction with confidence.
- Saves time and work. How much time do your sales reps spend reinventing the wheel for each prospect? A playbook centralizes resources, saving countless hours that can be better spent on actually selling and building relationships with prospects and clients.
So, are you ready to unlock these benefits and take your sales game to the next level? Let’s go!
Step 1: Define Your Sales Playbook Objectives.
Before you go ham on creating a sales playbook, you need to clearly define what you and your sales team want to achieve with your sales playbook. This step is very important because it will help you set the direction.
Identifying your primary goals is where I recommend you always start. Think about the main challenges your sales team is currently facing. Are there processes you want to standardize across the team? How can you improve your sales team structure, efficiency and effectiveness? What key metrics do you want to improve? Conversion rates, deal size, or sales cycle length?
For instance, at DeckLinks, one of our primary goals was to create more engaging content experiences for prospects. This directly influenced how we structured our sales playbook.
Remember, your sales playbook isn’t just a document. Your sales playbook is a tool for your sales team. Think about who will be using it. You might have new hires who need to get up to speed quickly, experienced sales reps looking to refine their skills, and sales managers who need to coach and guide their sales teams. Tailor your sales content and format to meet the needs of all these groups.
Based on your goals and audience, set specific, measurable objectives for your sales playbook. For example, you might aim to reduce new hires ramp-up time by 25%, increase average deal size by 15%, or improve lead-to-opportunity conversion rate by 10%. These specific objectives will help you focus your efforts and measure the effectiveness of your sales playbook once it’s implemented.
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Step 2: Outline Your Sales Processes.
Now that you have your objectives, you need to map out your sales process. This will help you set the foundation of your sales playbook.
Personally, to make it easier, I always just start from the very beginning. Document your current sales process, from lead generation to closing the deal. If you don’t have a formalized sales process, well, now’s the perfect time to create one. If your current sales process involves hoping the CEO’s golf buddy will put in a good word for you, it’s definitely time for an upgrade!
Think about each stage of the buyer’s journey: lead gen and qualification, initial outreach and prospecting, discovery calls and needs assessment, proposal and presentation, negotiation, closing the deal, and post-sale follow-up and customer success.
Within each stage of your sales process, identify the key milestones that move a deal forward. For example, qualifying a sales lead becomes a sales-qualified opportunity, a discovery call results in a scheduled product demo, or a proposal is sent and reviewed by the decision-makers. These milestones will help your sales team track progress and identify where deals might be stalling.
Remember, your sales process should align with your buyer’s journey. Just think about the steps your typical customer takes from realizing they have a problem to choosing your solution. This might include problem awareness, research and education, evaluation of alternatives, decision making, and implementation and onboarding. And don’t forget that magical stage where your product champion goes radio silent for two weeks right before the final sign-off! We all love that part, right? Yep, happens all the time… usually at the end of Q4… Understanding this journey will help your sales team meet prospects where they are and provide value at each stage.
Also, for each stage in your sales process, define clear exit criteria. Basically, these are the conditions that must be met before moving a deal to the next stage. For example, to move from qualification to discovery, the prospect must meet your ideal customer profile (ICP) and have a confirmed budget for the solution. To move from discovery to proposal, you must have identified key decision-makers and understood their specific needs and pain points. This is super important! Clear exit criteria help prevent deals from moving forward too early. They will also help you make sure that your sales pipeline stays accurate.
Step 3: Create Buyer Personas.
Let’s create detailed buyer personas to help you with your sales approach. And no, ‘Person with a budget who answers my calls’ doesn’t count as a comprehensive persona, no matter how much we wish it did. Let’s dive deeper.
Gather data on your ideal customers. Use a combination of quantitative and qualitative data to build your personas. Analyze your CRM data to identify common characteristics of your best customers. Survey your existing and potential customers to understand their motivations and challenges. Interview your sales and customer success teams for their insights. And don’t forget to research industry trends and challenges.
When developing your personas, include details such as demographics (job title, company size, industry), goals and challenges, pain points and motivations, preferred communication channels, typical objections, and decision-making process. For example, at DeckLinks, one of our key personas is “Marketing manager Joe” – a mid-level marketing professional at a B2B SaaS company who’s looking for ways to create more engaging sales collateral for his sales team.
Once you have your personas, develop tailored messaging for each that addresses their specific pain points and motivations. This might include things like value propositions, common pain points and how your solution addresses them, ROI calculations relevant to their role, and case studies featuring similar customers.
Finally, map your personas to your sales process. This will help you with your sales strategies. Consider how each persona typically moves through your sales process. Are there stages where certain personas tend to get stuck? Do some personas require more nurturing at specific points? And let’s be honest, we all have that one persona who seems to live in the ‘just checking with my team’ phase 😀
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Step 4: Develop Your Sales Methodology.
Now it’s time to choose and develop a sales methodology that aligns with your sales goals, processes and buyer personas.
There are A TON of sales methodologies out there, such as Solution Selling, SPIN Selling, Challenger Sale, MEDDIC, and the Sandler Selling System. Some are good, some are meh. Choose the sales methodology that aligns with your product, market, and company culture. At DeckLinks, we use a hybrid approach that combines elements of Solution Selling and the Challenger Sale. We believe in both understanding our customers’ needs and bringing new insights to the table.
Don’t be afraid to customize the sales methodology to fit your specific needs. For example, if you’re using MEDDIC, you might add additional qualification criteria specific to your industry or product.
Based on the sales methodologies (if you going to stick with one I recommend you test at least a couple first) that you’ve picked, develop sales scripts and talk tracks for key client interactions. Things like cold call and email templates, discovery call questions, objection handling responses, value proposition statements, and sales closing techniques. Remember, these should just be guides. They are NOT rigid scripts. The goal here is to provide a framework. Give sales reps room for personalization and authentic human conversation.
Create a list of questions for each stage of the sales process. These should help your sales reps qualify prospects, uncover pain points and needs, understand the decision-making process, and identify potential obstacles to the sale. ‘What’s keeping you up at night?’ does not count as uncovering pain points! Every time I hear this question, I want to roll my eyes. Encourage your sales reps to adapt these questions to their personal style and the context of each conversation.
Step 5: Compile Your Sales Tools and Resources.
A great sales playbook isn’t just about sales processes and sales methodologies. It’s also about equipping your team and sales leadership with the right sales tools and resources.
I highly recommend you create a sales toolkit. It doesn’t have to be super comprehensive at first. Trust me, as you go it will grow to the point where you will need to trim it. Just don’t turn it into a junk drawer that is full of potentially useful stuff that you can never find when you actually need it.
Compile all the resources your sales team needs in one easily accessible place. This might include product sheets and feature comparisons, case studies and customer success stories, ROI calculators and value proposition tools, competitive sales battle cards, and industry and market research reports. At DeckLinks, we use our own platform to create engaging, interactive versions of these resources, making them more effective and easier to use.
Next, develop a library of email templates for various stages of the sales process. Cold outreach emails, follow-up emails after calls or meetings, proposal follow-ups, objection handling emails, and re-engagement emails for stalled deals. Remember to leave room for personalization in these templates. The goal is to provide a starting point, a good base, not a one-size-fits-all solution.
Design standardized sales presentation templates that align with your brand and messaging. You probably already have many of them, like company overview decks, product demo decks, and custom proposal templates. Just make sure these templates are easily customizable.
Finally, your CRM. Make sure it’s set up to support your sales process. Configure stages that align with your sales processes. Set up automated tasks and reminders for each stage. Creating custom fields to capture key information defined in your sales methodology. Develop reports and dashboards to track key metrics. It will take a bit of time to set up your CRM, but it’s sooo worth it.
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Step 6: Define Your Sales Metrics and KPIs (Key Performance Indicators).
To improve your sales process, you need to measure it. Let’s define the key metrics and KPIs you’ll track. Number of coffees consumed per closed deal isn’t a KPI 😀 No matter how strongly you feel about it.
Start with the basic KPIs that every sales team should track. Number of qualified leads, conversion rates between stages, average deal size, sales cycle length, and win rate. You know the drill. These core sales metrics give you a broad overview of your sales team’s success and performance.
Then, develop activity metrics to track the activities that drive results. Could be the number of calls or emails per day, the number of meetings set, and the number of proposals sent. These activity metrics will help ensure your sales team is putting in the necessary effort to achieve results.
We’ve learned it the hard hard way. Without these activity metrics, you’re literally left relying on the classic ‘I’ve got this whale I’m about to close’ story which we all know is the sales rep’s equivalent of ‘the dog ate my homework.’ Stick to the data!
Create sales performance metrics to help you evaluate individual sales reps and sales team performance. These could include quota attainment, revenue per sales rep, and customer acquisition cost (CAC). These sales performance will allow you to identify top sales reps and see how to help the ones falling behind.
Implement leading indicators that can predict future sales performance. In my experience, these work best: sales pipeline coverage, engagement score of prospects, and the number of decision-makers involved in deals. These are also useful at giving you a heads-up on potential issues before they impact your revenue.
Finally, set up reporting and dashboards in your CRM or BI (Business Intelligence) tool to make these sales metrics and KPIs easily accessible to your sales team. I highly recommend you create different views for sales reps, managers, and account execs to ensure everyone has the information they need without drowning them in irrelevant data.
Showcase your brand.
Create company profiles with custom banners and info-packages tailored to different industries.
Show your contact info easily accessible by your prospects and clients.
Add custom CTAs to drive prospects or clients to your calendar, sign up form, etc.
Collect feedback from prospects and clients. Feedback and reactions are not publicly visible.
Share any existing PDF presentations and documents.
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Step 7: Develop Your Sales Training and Onboarding Program.
A sales playbook is only effective if your sales team knows how to use it. So you need to create a training program to bring your sales playbook to life.
The best place to start is by designing an onboarding program for new hires. The faster you train your new sales reps the less money they will be hemorrhaging. And trust me, ‘hemorrhaging money’ isn’t just a figurative speech. It is literally the sound your CFO makes every time a new hire spends six months figuring out how to do cold outreach properly.
Training should cover company and product knowledge, your sales process and methodology, use of sales tools and resources, and role-playing and practice scenarios. At DeckLinks, we use our own platform to create interactive onboarding content, making the process more engaging and effective for new hires.
Create training modules that cover advanced selling techniques, industry and market updates, new product features and use cases, and objection handling workshops.
Implement a coaching program to provide support. This could include regular one-on-one sessions between sales reps and managers, call review and feedback sessions, and shadowing opportunities.
One thing I’ve works really well is certification programs. Define levels of certification (ex: beginner, intermediate, advanced), create assessments for each level, and offer incentives for achieving certifications. A certification program can help you motivate your sales team to fully engage with the sales playbook.
Step 8: Implement and Iterate.
Make sure everyone understands the importance of the sales playbook and how it will help them succeed.
I highly highly recommend you regularly check in on how the sales playbook is being used. Survey your sales team for feedback, monitor CRM data to see if the sales processes are being followed. Create a dedicated Slack channel. You can also hold focus groups to discuss what’s working and what isn’t. This feedback will help you improve the sales playbook over time.
Track the sales metrics and KPIs you defined earlier to measure the impact of your sales playbook. Compare sales performance before and after implementation. Look for improvements like win rates and sales cycle length. This info will help you quantify the value of your sales playbook and justify any additional investments in sales enablement. Just be prepared: if your numbers skyrocket, suddenly everyone to the office dog will claim credit for the ‘game-changing idea’ they supposedly gave you months ago 😀
It goes without saying: regularly refine your sales playbook, updating content to reflect new products, market conditions, best practices, things like that.
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The Most Common Sales Playbook Mistakes
Even with the best intentions, creating and implementing a sales playbook can go sideways. Here are some of the most common mistakes I’ve seen throughout my career. I’ve made a few of these myself!
Mistake #1. Creating a complex sales playbook.
One of the biggest mistakes is creating a sales playbook that’s on par with Tolstoy’s masterpiece in length. Remember, your sales team needs a sales playbook, not a novel! As the wise sales coach once said, ‘Ain’t nobody got time for that!’
The Fix: Keep your sales playbook concise and to the point. Focus on the most critical information and sales processes. If you find yourself writing chapter 10 of your sales playbook… it’s probably time to step back.
Mistake #2. Not updating the sales playbook regularly.
Some companies literally spend months creating the perfect sales playbook. In my experience, your cutting-edge sales playbook has the shelf life of a banana (not quite but you get the point). What’s hot today is tomorrow’s “OK, Boomer” meme.
The Fix: Think of your playbook less like a stone tablet and more like a Wikipedia page. Make updating the sales playbook a team sport. Encourage your sales reps to flag outdated info.
Mistake #3. Using a single sales playbook for all sales roles.
Your junior SDR and your senior account exec don’t have the same needs, so why would you give them the same sales playbook? A common mistake is creating a single sales playbook for your entire sales organization.
The Fix: Consider creating modular playbooks or sections tailored to different roles or experience levels. Your SDRs might need more focus on prospecting techniques, while your account execs might benefit from more in-depth negotiation strategies.
Mistake #4. Focusing on theory without practical examples.
Some sales playbooks read like a textbook. Just theory. No practical application. No doubt, understanding the ‘why’ is important, BUT your sales reps also need to know the ‘how’.
The Fix: Include actual real-world examples, scripts, and scenarios. Also, add a section for ‘sales stories’ where your sales reps can share their successes (and failures) to help others learn. Super valuable.
Mistake #5. Excluding sales reps from creating the sales playbook.
Way way often, sales playbooks are created in a vacuum by management or Deloitte & Co consultants without input from the people who’ll actually use it – the sales reps.
The Fix: Involve your sales team in the creation process. Get their input. Understand their pain points. Address their real-world challenges that THEY face. This not only makes the sales playbook more useful but also increases buy-in and adoption.
Mistake #6. Focusing too much on sales tools at the expense of sales strategies.
While I do love sales tech (we run a sales tech company ourselves :D), it is so easy to get carried away with modern sales tools. The unfortunate trend that I’ve seen over the past years is that sales playbooks become more about how to use the sales tools (especially a CRM) than how to sell effectively.
The Fix: Sales tools are important don’t get me wrong, BUT remember that it’s a means to an end, not the end itself. When you create a sales playbook, I highly highly recommend you focus on sales strategies and sales techniques first, then show how sales tools can support these efforts.
Mistake #7. Making the sales playbook too strict.
I’ve seen many companies make the mistake of treating their sales playbook like an inflexible set of rules. Typically, this suppresses creativity and prevents sales reps from adapting to unique situations. Of course, in some industries, like health tech or legal, a stricter approach makes sense.
The Fix: Position your sales playbook as a guide. Drive the point home that these are NOT strict rules. Not only that, but encourage sales reps to use their judgment and adapt sales strategies as needed. You can also include sections on how to tailor approaches for different situations.
Mistake #8. Poorly addressing common sales objections.
Some playbooks focus solely on the positive, ignoring the reality that sales objections are a natural part of the sales process.
The Fix: Include a comprehensive section on handling common sales objections. Don’t just provide scripts, but the actual reasoning behind the responses so sales reps can adapt to different situations.
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The Most Common Sales Playbook Myths
Many think that sales playbooks are a silver bullet for all your sales struggles. They are not, trust me. But like any tool, they come with their fair share of misconceptions. Let’s debunk some of the most common myths I’ve seen over the years in B2B sales.
Myth 1: A good sales playbook will turn anyone into a top performer.
While a well-crafted playbook can certainly improve performance, it’s not a magic wand. Sales success still relies heavily on sales reps skills, motivation, and the ability to build relationships. A playbook is just a guide.
What to do instead: Use your sales playbook as a foundation for sales training and development, but also invest in sales coaching and mentoring to help your sales team apply the playbook more effectively.
Myth 2: Once you have a sales playbook, you don't need to train your team.
A playbook is not a substitute for thorough sales training. To be quite frank, without proper training on how to actually use the sales playbook, it’s kinda useless.
What to do instead: Develop a comprehensive training program that teaches your team not just what’s in the sales playbook, but how to apply it in real-world situations. In my experience, role-playing exercises can be super effective here.
Myth 3: Your sales playbook should cover every possible scenario.
Trying to account for every possible situation will result in a massive content library that no one will use (see playbook mistake #1). Sales is dynamic, and your sales reps need to be able to think on their own.
What to do instead: Focus on core principles and sales strategies that can be adapted to different situations. You need to encourage creative problem-solving. Don’t try to script every interaction. This will get you nowhere.
Myth 4: A sales playbook will immediately boost your KPIs and revenue growth.
Implementing a new sales playbook takes time, and you might even see a temporary dip in sales performance as your sales team adjusts to new processes.
What to do instead: Set realistic expectations for adoption and results. Monitor KPIs, just don’t panic if you don’t see immediate improvements. Give your sales team time to get familiar with and apply the new sales strategies.
Myth 5: You can create a great sales playbook without input from your sales teams.
Top-down sales playbooks, in my experience, ALWAYS miss crucial real-life insights. Not only that, but they also often face resistance from the sales team.
What to do instead: Involve your sales teams in the playbook creation process. Their insights is invaluable in creating a playbook that addresses real-world challenges and scenarios.
Myth 6: Your sales playbook should be a closely guarded secret.
Some companies treat their sales playbook like it contains the recipe for Coca-Cola. While I get that certain bits and pieces should be kept under wraps, in my opinion, the power of a successful sales playbook isn’t in its secrecy, but in its execution.
In the end, the most effective sales playbook is one that evolves with your sales team, your customers, and your market. So, keep it up-to-date, keep it relevant, and most importantly, keep it in use!
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Conclusion
Creating a sales playbook from scratch is HARD, but it’s an investment that can pay huge dividends when it comes to sales performance, sales team alignment, and overall business growth.
From what I’ve seen over the years in B2B sales, the most effective sales strategies are those that emphasize the human side of the selling process. Simple as that. Your sales playbook should empower your sales team to build genuine connections and show empathy.
Of course, don’t forget to leverage sales tools to make your sales playbook more engaging and effective. At DeckLinks, we use our own platform to enhance our sales content with video narrations and interactive elements, making our sales content more engaging and easier to consume. Plus, we can track how prospects interact with the content.
Remember, your goal is NOT to create ABC rules, but to provide a framework that ENHANCES your sales team’s talents and helps them connect with buyers on a human level. Because at the end of the day, it’s those personal connections and the willingness to really understand others that will set your sales team apart and drive your company’s growth.
FAQs
How long does it take to create a B2B sales playbook?
Creating a B2B sales playbook typically takes 2-3 months, depending on the complexity of your sales process and the resources available. This includes time for research, gathering input from top performers, documenting processes, creating supporting materials, and review cycles.
How often should a sales playbook be updated?
A sales playbook should be reviewed and updated quarterly, with major revisions done annually. However, certain sections may require more frequent updates based on market changes, new product launches, or shifts in company strategy. Encourage ongoing feedback from your sales team to identify areas that need immediate attention or improvement.
Can a small B2B company benefit from a sales playbook?
Yes, small B2B companies can greatly benefit from a sales playbook. It helps establish consistent processes early on, making it easier to scale as the company grows. A playbook also ensures that the founder’s or top performer’s knowledge is captured and shared, reducing reliance on any one individual and improving overall team performance.
Should different roles have separate playbooks?
While having a core playbook is essential, it’s beneficial to create role-specific sections or modules. For example, SDRs might need more focus on prospecting and qualification, while account executives could require in-depth information on negotiation and closing. This ensures each sales role has targeted, relevant guidance without overwhelming them with unnecessary information.
How do you ensure sales reps actually use the playbook?
To ensure adoption, involve sales reps in the sales playbook creation process, make it easily accessible, and integrate it into your CRM. Regularly reference the playbook in team meetings and training sessions. Consider gamification or incentives for playbook usage. Most importantly, demonstrate how the sales playbook directly contributes to their success.
Can a sales playbook replace personal sales coaching and training?
A sales playbook complements, but doesn’t replace, personal coaching and training. It provides a consistent foundation and reference point, but individual guidance is still crucial for addressing specific challenges, refining skills, and adapting strategies to unique situations. Use the playbook as a tool to enhance and streamline your coaching and training efforts.
About the Author
Lidia Vijga is a seasoned professional with 10 years of first-hand experience in B2B sales and B2B marketing. She has a proven track record of driving growth for companies across various industries. Throughout her career, Lidia has led numerous successful sales campaigns and implemented innovative marketing strategies that have significantly increased revenue and reduced customer acquisition cost for her clients. Lidia regularly shares her insights and experiences on LinkedIn, webinars, and public speaking engagements. Lidia believes in the power of personal qualities such as kindness, empathy, and the willingness to understand others. She is committed to empowering client-facing teams with tools that enhance their talent instead of automating it, and she firmly believes that teams that show their human side grow companies much faster.
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