The best definition of a sales playbook I have come across is from Salesforce.com, "A high-performance, step-by-step guide to closing the right business at the right price with the right customer."

As you can see, this definition has three parts. Let's take a closer look.

What is a Sales Playbook? 

First, it is "a high-performance step-by-step guide." High performance means that reps are successful at their jobs. They win lots of deals and make a quota every month. Leading sales forces know success starts with having all reps on the same page when it comes to selling techniques and strategies they use when closing new business. A well-written playbook has all the information required for reps to be successful when selling your product or service.

Second, a sales playbook is "a step-by-step guide." Each play in the playbook provides concrete steps for reps to follow by taking them through each step of the buying cycle. The key here is to make sure every play in the playbook has just enough detail that reps do not get stuck but instead smoothly move into the next play.

Third, it is "the right business at the right price with the right customer." It does no good if you have a great play that leads customers towards purchases but they are not big spenders and one of your competitors was able to get more money out of them. Or maybe it works beautifully because they are big spenders, but they are not the right decision-maker. This is why it's important to have steps that lead customers towards making smart business decisions and buying at a price point you are comfortable with.

Sales forces that lack a high-performance playbook can become unfocused or frustrated because of an overwhelming number of options for how to sell their product or service. A playbook helps reps know exactly what to do throughout the sales cycle so they have more time for selling and less time figuring out what to say next.

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The Benefits of Having a High-Performance Playbook

A well-written playbook gives your sales team everything they need to close deals faster. It also saves them valuable time by removing ambiguity about which techniques work best without investing too much time in training. The best salespeople work on revenue generation full-time, so any time saved is added back to the top line.

Finally, a playbook surfaces the most effective selling techniques. When reps are empowered to make their own decisions about how to sell based on what works well instead of following rigid guidelines, they naturally gravitate towards proven approaches that yield results. This approach also helps you avoid unnecessary mistakes by making sure nothing falls through the cracks.

The Benefits of Having an Extensive Playbook

A robust playbook of sales ensures there are no gaps in coverage or play execution because each play was written with all stages of the buying cycle in mind and many different types of customers have been considered. To do this right requires significant thought and effort to have everything your team needs to be successful in one place.

Who Should Use a Sales Playbook?

Sales forces that use a playbook benefit from having everything they need in one place and free up time for other tasks like account planning, forecasting, and working with sales leadership. It is particularly useful for companies with complex sales processes because it ensures reps always know the right thing to do next while avoiding common mistakes consumers make when buying business solutions.

Some sales organizations also find value in including contextual information like how many seats their solution requires or pricing details so people who may not be familiar with the company's products can get up to speed quickly. The key here is keeping this information short and sweet so everyone can digest what they need quickly during an initial discussion.

The first step to having a high-performance playbook is creating it. If you don't have something written down, you can't build on it or improve it.

There are many different formats for writing the playbook but some of the best include starting with play design guidelines first, then adding sections that cover topics like how to use the playbook and contextual information about your business model or solution. You also want to be sure all content is succinct, actionable, and easy to understand.

Formats for Your Sales Playbook!

Sales organizations today are using digital playbooks to ensure sales reps have access to necessary information regardless of their location. They are also easier to update, share, and distribute. However, you can keep it simple by writing your playbook on a wall or whiteboard for everyone to see at the office.

Here are some of the most popular formats for playbooks: 

1. Sales methodologies with slides linked together in a presentation
2. Digital format 
3. Combination of digital/paper

No matter which approaches you have to choose, be sure to include play design guidelines first, then add topics like how to use the playbook and additional context about your company's business model or solution. Keep content succinct and easy to understand with relevant examples throughout. 

The next step is conducting customer research so you can identify which plays work well and what needs to be added or changed.

To conduct effective research, talk with as many reps as you can across your sales organization and determine if they are using the playbook effectively before digging into how well each play has performed historically. Make sure everyone is ready to share rich data like which leads were targeted, whether those leads converted, top messages used during those conversations, and results—including revenue or forecasted demand for each play that was executed.

People use their own network of personal contacts within a company's customer base to get feedback about what works best, so it is important to understand where this information is coming from and the degree of precision around how it was gathered. One way to ensure accuracy is having someone who is not involved in the process conduct customer interviews.

Another approach is running a survey which you can do by compiling questions with two categories: play design guidelines and performance metrics. 

Play Design Guidelines Questions

1. What are the 2-3 most important things for this playbook to communicate? 

2. How can we differentiate it versus what reps currently use today? 

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Performance Metrics Questions

1. Which plays have been executed? 

2. Which leads are targeted for each play? 

3. Have those targeted leads converted over time (for example, based on timeframe)? 

4. For converting leads, how many closed deals resulted from each play being used? 

5. Based on your experience, which messages were used in response to the key objections or reasons customers weren't buying? 

6. Which plays were most and least effective for you personally? 

7. What would help reps more easily use this playbook or improve it over what is currently in place today? 

Once the survey results are in, be sure to share them with your sales organization so everyone has a stake in maintaining and improving the way they work. This approach not only encourages internal buy-in but also creates consistency around how customers should be approached when using any of your playbooks moving forward.

After reviewing feedback from customer interviews, focus groups, surveys, or other research methods, start crafting better-performing playbooks by implementing changes based on that data. Some common ways to do this include combining similar plays together, splitting them up, or even removing underperforming plays.

Once you make changes to your playbook, make sure everyone is using it in the same way by writing all of the play design guidelines on the wall and then having reps practice with each other. Finally, after about six months of running new playbooks consistently, be sure to review all metrics—including which playbooks are most effective when compared across the entire organization—so you can determine if they still work for your company's strategy today.

Sales Play to include in your Playbook

• Hello Play

A simple, but effective play that starts off every sales pitch by making sure the customer is still there and ready to start a conversation with your company. 

*Can be used for opportunities or leads*

• Account Review Play

Helps you understand how well an account fits within your organization's goals, objectives, and plans. It also allows you to see if an account needs more attention or follow-up.

Account Review Play can include asking questions like:

1. What are the biggest challenges facing your business today? 

2. How do you currently solve this problem? 

3. How long have you been trying to solve this challenge? 

4. What have you tried so far? 

5. Are these challenges getting any easier or better? 

6. Are you considering making any changes within your organization to address these challenges? 

7. Are there specific areas of improvement that you feel are the most important to focus on?

8. What is preventing you from making progress so far?

• Competitive Activity Play

Helps you understand how well your business fits within another company. 

*Can be used for opportunities or leads*

• Reply to Objection Play

Allows reps to pre-emptively address common customer concerns. These include questions like "Why should I trust what you're telling me?" and "Why now?" Asking a Reply to Objection play before hearing an objection can give customers more confidence in their next step.

Examples of Reply to Objection plays include: 

1. I know you've been disappointed by past vendors, so why should we be any different? 

2. Why do you think a competitor is a better option right now?

3. Are there other companies who have provided similar solutions for your business before us? If yes, what was your experience with those companies?

4. What signs would tell you that things are going well and the relationship is working out as planned?

5. Why do you believe this approach will work well for your specific company needs as opposed to their solution or another possible one on the market today?"

• Upsell Play:  

Allows reps to increase the size of a deal by suggesting complementary products or services. Essentially a nudge saying "for more value" or "for an even better experience"

• Competitive Differentiation Play

Helps reps differentiate their product or service from the competition in a positive fashion. They also help make sure customers understand what makes your business unique when compared to others out there.

Examples of Competitive Differentiation plays, including:  

1. How does our approach compare with the rest of the market today?

2. Share your thoughts on how our product/service is different from X company? 

3. Do you think if we were both selling the same thing that you'd be buying from us over them? Why or why not? 

4. What do you expect will be different about this product/service than what you experienced before?" 

5. "How often have you used similar products in the past?"

• Free Trial Opt-In Plays

Allows reps to give a free trial of their product or service. It's an effective way to showcase the value of your product and it gives customers a chance to test out what you're offering before committing to anything. 

Examples of Free Trial Opt-in plays, including: 

1. Do you prefer paid plans that allow for unlimited usage? If not, how many reports/users/point sources would make sense for you to purchase and why?

2. “Would you like a seven-day free trial so we can show you how our platform works before making any commitments? 

3. "What would be the ideal time frame needed in order for us to explore this further together?"

4. "Would you be open to a free 7-day trial so we can showcase what our platform offers and how it can work for you?"

• Customer Value Proposition Play

This play helps reps emphasize the value of their product or service. This is an effective way for reps to clearly communicate what a customer should expect if they decide to move forward with a purchase. It also provides opportunities for reps to "prove" why their company is worth investing in. 

Examples of Customer Value Proposition plays include: 

1. What do you feel are the most valuable aspects of our product/service? 

2. “What would convince your leadership that this investment will help solve your pain points moving forward?”

3. “How would that impact your business operations on a daily basis?”

• Customer Pain Point Plays

Marketers should include the Customer Pain Point play in their playbook, as it allows reps to uncover areas of stress or anxiety for potential customers. It's a valuable way for them to identify gaps and secure new opportunities. 

Examples of Customer Pain Point plays, including: 

1. What keeps you up at night?

2. “How does that impact your current processes?”

3. “What worries do you have about this process going forward?”

4. “If there were no limitations around any part of this process/project, what would be different?” 

5. “What challenges have past projects created for you? How did those go on a scale from 1-10 (lowest being least stressful to highest being most stressful)?”

• Go-To-Market Play

This play is designed to help sales reps explain how their product or service can contribute to the success of a customer's overall strategy. It also helps reps provide potential opportunities for cross-sells and upsells. 

Examples of Go-to-market plays, including:

1. “What are your top priorities over the next year? Which ones will directly tie into our offering/joint solution today?”

2. “How do you see our products/services impacting those goals?” 

3. “How does this project fit into your company's bigger picture?”

4. “What are you trying to accomplish with this project?”

5. “Would you like us to put together an ROI for this project?”

• Account-Based Play

This play is designed to help reps qualify accounts, and it's an effective way to establish business value. It helps sales reps identify which companies will benefit most from their product or service. 

Examples of Account-based plays, including; 

1. "What differentiates the top 5 in your industry?"

2. Who is in those top 5 and how do they reach the top spot in their market?" 

3. "How does our software compare to X company?"

4. "Who is your closest competitor? What sets you apart from them?"

5. "When we think about customers like you who are aligned with your core values, what other companies come to mind? Do you know them?"

6. "Who has been your biggest pain point over the past year?" 

7. "Which companies face similar challenges? How are you different from them?"

8. "How are they currently solving this challenge today?"

9. "What other resources do you feel would be beneficial to have access to as part of our team moving forward?"

• Sales Check-in Play

The Sales check-in play is designed to help reps confirm whether or not a customer will become an opportunity. It's particularly useful after meetings, pitches, and demos. 

Examples of Sales Check-in plays, including: 

1. Would you like us to send you information/materials that will help solidify what we discussed?

2. "Can I follow up with you in the next few days? There are just a couple of things I'd like to get your input on before we move forward." 

3. "Is there anything about our conversation that concerns you?"

4. "Would you like me to prepare an offer/proposal for this project?"

• Opportunity Seeding Play

A good opportunity seeding play should motivate reps to secure new opportunities. It can help them brainstorm new ways to approach their pipeline and ensure they don't fall into the trap of sending informational updates. 

Examples of Opportunity Seeding plays, including: 

1. What other initiatives would you like us to be involved in moving forward? 

2. "What other challenges do you have around X industry issue?") "Who else should we be talking to? What would be the best way for us to contact them?"

3. "Is there someone else I should meet within your organization?"

4. Of all of these companies, who do you feel is the most aligned with our vision and values?"

5. "What other types of organizations might we be able to help moving forward?

• Customer Success Play

This play helps reps quickly update customers on their account health. It gives information about how often accounts are using a product or service, and whether they've seen any ROI from it. It also establishes an easy way for reps to guide customers towards success when they make changes to their system. 

Examples of Customer Success plays, including: 

1. "How has [our product/service] impacted your business? 

2. "Has there been any change in how you're currently allocating resources since we began working together?" 

3. "Which of our services have provided you with the most ROI? 

4. "What are some changes that you've noticed since using [our product/service]?" 

5. "What are some new opportunities that have surfaced as a result of this project?"

• Trust Seeding Play

A trust seeding play is designed to build rapport between the customer and rep. It's used to develop credibility, support, and empathy for future conversations. 

Examples of Trust-Seeding plays, including: 

1. "Who else at your company was involved in deciding to work with us?"

2. "Whose feedback did you take into consideration when making this decision?" 

3. "What other stakeholders should we be speaking to moving forward? 
4. "You have a lot of competitors, what differentiates [our company/product] from them?"

5. "What's been your biggest challenge over the past few years?" 

6.  "How has [our product/service] helped you solve that challenge?" 

7. "What do you wish would happen in this situation?"

• RFP/Demo Play

A Demo play ensures reps start at least one meeting with a demo and not an introduction or pitch. It also makes sure they provide the most valuable information possible and don't beat around the bush.

Examples of Demo plays, including: 

1. "Thank you for inviting us to meet. Let's go ahead and start with a quick demo. This way, we'll be able to ensure that our time is used as effectively as possible." 

2. "What I'd like to do is walk you through exactly how [our product/service] works so that you'll leave this meeting confident in your decision." 

3. "I know where my bread is buttered; let's get straight into the demo" 

4. "If you're not already familiar with our product, why don't we start with a brief demo?"

Questions To Ask At The End Of A Demo!

A good list of questions reps can ask at the end of any demo helps cement value and show their expertise. They also generate more opportunities to follow up on and ensure better qualify!

Examples of questions reps have asked after a demo, including: 

1. “What is your timeline for making a decision around this project?” 

2. “Do you anticipate any roadblocks over the next few months that we should know about?”

3. “What's your biggest concern right now with using our product/service?”

4. (If they say no concerns): Let's set up a time to check in with each other three or four weeks from now.

5. “How else can I help you today (or moving forward)?”

One-Minute Pitch

This play makes sure reps don't drone on and on during their presentation. It helps them keep it short and sweet and ensures their presentation hits the mark. 

Examples of a One-Minute Pitch, including:

1. “Thank you for inviting us to speak with you today. I'm going to spend about one minute giving you some context around our business, then we'll dive into how exactly we'll be able to help your organization.”

2. “We're working with companies like yours that are looking to make an immediate impact on sales and productivity. During my time here today, I will explain what we've done with other clients in similar situations, as well as answer any questions and address any concerns you might have."

3. "So let's jump right in: What is your biggest challenge related to ____?" 

4. "If you could change one thing about ____, what would it be?"

Rep Length

This play makes sure reps aren't talking to prospects for too long. It also ensures they're doing enough of the talking and that they get on with their close at some point during the conversation.

Examples of Rep-Length plays, including: 

1. "Thank you for your time today. Let me just give you an overview here of what we've covered so far and where we'll go from here." 

2. "I know our team has a lot of expertise in this area and I bet they can answer any questions you might have. Would it be alright if I sent them along to speak with you directly?

3. (Pending their response) "Great! Maybe we could set up a time for them to reach out next week?"

4. "Thank you so much for your time today. Is there anything else I can answer or address before we get going?"

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In Conclusion

Sales playbook plays to make it easier for reps to sell. They help them walk through the steps necessary to close a deal and ensure they always follow up with prospects. So, what is better than having a format of how to approach your prospects than a Sales Playbook!