B2B Sales Playbook ⚡

The complete system for running a repeatable, scalable B2B sales operation.

Not a CRM wrapper. Not a template collection. This is a full sales methodology — from identifying your ideal customer to closing the deal and expanding the account.

Phase 1: Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) & Territory

ICP Definition Template

icp:
  company:
    industry: [SaaS, Fintech, Healthcare, etc.]
    size_employees: [50-500]
    size_revenue: [$5M-$50M ARR]
    geography: [US, UK, DACH, etc.]
    tech_stack: [signals they use tools you integrate with]
    growth_stage: [Series A-C, post-PMF, scaling]
    
  pain_indicators:  # Observable signals, not assumptions
    - hiring_for: [roles that signal the pain you solve]
    - tech_adoption: [recently adopted X tool = need for Y]
    - org_changes: [new VP of X = budget for initiatives]
    - regulatory: [upcoming compliance deadline]
    - public_statements: [earnings call mentions, press releases]
    
  buyer_personas:
    economic_buyer:  # Signs the check
      title_patterns: [VP Sales, CRO, CEO]
      cares_about: [revenue growth, cost reduction, competitive advantage]
      speaks_in: [ROI, board metrics, market share]
      
    champion:  # Fights for you internally
      title_patterns: [Director, Head of, Senior Manager]
      cares_about: [team productivity, career advancement, solving daily pain]
      speaks_in: [workflow, efficiency, team capacity]
      
    technical_evaluator:  # Validates feasibility
      title_patterns: [Engineering Manager, Architect, IT Director]
      cares_about: [integration, security, maintenance burden]
      speaks_in: [APIs, uptime, migration effort]
      
    end_user:  # Uses it daily
      title_patterns: [Individual contributors]
      cares_about: [ease of use, time saved, fewer context switches]
      
  anti-signals:  # DO NOT pursue
    - company_size_under: 20  # too small, long sales cycle for low ACV
    - no_budget_indicator: [startup pre-revenue, recent layoffs >30%]
    - tech_mismatch: [on-prem only, legacy stack incompatible]
    - cultural: [committee-driven decisions with 6+ stakeholders at low ACV]

Territory Planning

Account Tiering:

Monthly Territory Review:

1. Re-score all Tier 1 accounts — any demote to Tier 2?
2. Scan Tier 2 for new signals — any promote to Tier 1?
3. Remove dead accounts from Tier 3 (no engagement in 90 days)
4. Add new accounts from prospecting
5. Calculate territory coverage: (accounts with activity / total) — target >80% for Tier 1

Phase 2: Prospecting & Outreach

Multi-Channel Sequence Framework

Principle: No single channel works. Layer them.

Standard Tier 1 Sequence (14 days):

Sequence Rules:

• STOP the sequence the moment they reply (positive OR negative)
• Never send more than 1 email per day to the same person
• Personalization must reference something SPECIFIC (their company, role, recent news)
• If they open but don't reply 3x → they're reading, switch to phone
• If zero engagement after full sequence → move to Tier 3, retry in 90 days

Cold Email Templates

Template 1: The Trigger Event

Subject: [Trigger event] → quick thought

[First name],

Saw [specific trigger — new hire, funding, product launch, earnings mention].

When [companies in their situation] hit this stage, [specific problem] usually becomes the bottleneck — [data point or example].

[One sentence on how you solve this, tied to the trigger.]

Worth a 15-min call to see if this applies to [company]?

[Your name]

Template 2: The Peer Reference

Subject: How [similar company] solved [problem]

[First name],

[Similar company in their industry] was dealing with [specific problem] — [quantify: X hours/week, $Y lost, Z% error rate].

They [brief result: cut X by 40%, saved $Y/month, shipped Z days faster].

Happy to share what they did differently — no pitch, just the playbook.

15 min this week?

[Your name]

Template 3: The Breakup

Subject: Closing the loop

[First name],

I've reached out a few times about [problem/topic] — I'll assume the timing isn't right.

If [problem] becomes a priority later, I'm here. 

Deleting your reminder from my CRM now.

[Your name]

Why breakup emails work: 30-40% reply rate. People respond to loss aversion. "Deleting your reminder" creates fear of losing access.

Cold Call Script

Opening (first 10 seconds decide everything):

"Hi [Name], this is [You] from [Company]. 
Did I catch you at an okay time?"

[If yes:]
"I'll be brief. I noticed [trigger/signal] and wanted to ask —
are you currently dealing with [specific problem]?"

[If they confirm the problem:]
"Got it. What's that costing you right now — in time, money, or headaches?"

[Let them talk. Take notes. Ask follow-up questions.]

"That's exactly what we help with. [One sentence proof point.]
Would it make sense to set up 20 minutes this week to dig into this properly?"

Common cold call responses + rebuttals:

Phase 3: Discovery — The Most Important Meeting

MEDDPICC Qualification Framework

Score each element 1-3 (1=unknown, 2=partially known, 3=fully confirmed):

deal_qualification:
  metrics:  # Quantifiable impact they care about
    score: [1-3]
    detail: "[What numbers matter? Revenue increase, cost reduction, time saved?]"
    source: "[Who told you? Validated how?]"
    
  economic_buyer:  # Person with budget authority
    score: [1-3]
    name: "[Name and title]"
    access: "[Have you spoken to them directly?]"
    priority: "[Is this in their top 3 priorities?]"
    
  decision_criteria:  # How they'll evaluate options
    score: [1-3]
    technical: "[Integration, security, performance requirements]"
    business: "[ROI threshold, payback period, risk tolerance]"
    political: "[Internal politics, competing priorities]"
    
  decision_process:  # How they'll make the decision
    score: [1-3]
    steps: "[What happens between now and signed contract?]"
    timeline: "[When do they need to decide? Hard deadline?]"
    stakeholders: "[Who's involved? Who has veto power?]"
    
  paper_process:  # Legal/procurement steps
    score: [1-3]
    procurement: "[Standard terms or custom negotiation?]"
    legal_review: "[How long does legal take? Past precedent?]"
    security_review: "[Required? How long?]"
    
  identified_pain:  # The problem driving this
    score: [1-3]
    pain: "[What hurts? What breaks?]"
    impact: "[Cost of inaction — quantified]"
    urgency: "[Why now? What happens if they wait?]"
    
  champion:  # Your internal advocate
    score: [1-3]
    name: "[Who is it?]"
    motivation: "[Why do THEY personally care?]"
    power: "[Can they influence the economic buyer?]"
    coached: "[Have you prepped them for internal selling?]"
    
  competition:  # What you're up against
    score: [1-3]
    competitors: "[Named competitors in the evaluation]"
    status_quo: "[Doing nothing is always a competitor]"
    differentiation: "[Why you win against each]"
    
  total_score: "[X/24]"
  # 20-24 = Strong deal, forecast confidently
  # 15-19 = Gaps to fill, work the unknowns
  # 10-14 = At risk, needs significant work
  # <10 = Unqualified, don't invest time

Discovery Questions by Category

Situation (understand current state):

1. Walk me through how [process] works today, start to finish.
2. What tools/systems are involved?
3. How many people touch this process?
4. How long has it been this way?

Problem (surface the pain): 5. Where does it break down? 6. What's the impact when it fails? (Get a NUMBER) 7. How often does that happen? 8. What have you tried to fix it? 9. Why didn't that work?

Implication (expand the pain): 10. If this doesn't get fixed in the next 6 months, what happens? 11. How does this affect [their boss / their team / the company]? 12. What's the cost of doing nothing? (Force them to quantify) 13. What other initiatives depend on solving this?

Need-Payoff (let THEM sell the solution): 14. If you could wave a magic wand, what would this look like? 15. What would it mean for your team if [pain] went away? 16. If you could get [specific metric improvement], what would that unlock? 17. How would [their boss] react to those results?

Process (map the buying journey): 18. Besides you, who else needs to weigh in on this? 19. What's happened before when you've bought software like this? 20. Is there a budget allocated, or would this need approval? 21. What's the ideal timeline for having this running? 22. What would kill this deal?

Discovery Call Structure (30 min)

Golden Rule: Talk <30% of the time. If you're talking more, you're pitching, not discovering.

Phase 4: Demo & Presentation

The Problem-Solution-Proof Framework

Never demo features. Demo outcomes.

Structure:

1. Mirror their pain (2 min) — "You told me [specific pain from discovery]. Here's what that costs you: [quantified impact]."
2. Show the solution (15 min) — Walk through their USE CASE, not a generic tour. Use THEIR data, THEIR terminology, THEIR workflow.
3. Prove it works (5 min) — Case study of similar company. Before/after numbers. "Company X had the same problem. Here's what happened."
4. Address risks (3 min) — Proactively surface the top concern they haven't raised yet. "Most companies at your stage worry about [X]. Here's how we handle that."
5. Next step (2 min) — Never end without a committed next action.

Demo Anti-Patterns

Mutual Action Plan (MAP)

After demo, create a shared doc with the prospect:

mutual_action_plan:
  deal: "[Company Name] + [Your Company]"
  target_go_live: "[Date]"
  
  steps:
    - step: "Technical deep-dive with engineering team"
      owner: "[Prospect technical contact]"
      date: "[Date]"
      status: pending
      
    - step: "Security review / questionnaire"
      owner: "[You — send completed questionnaire]"
      date: "[Date]"
      status: pending
      
    - step: "Business case presentation to [Economic Buyer]"
      owner: "[Champion + You]"
      date: "[Date]"
      status: pending
      
    - step: "Proposal / pricing review"
      owner: "[You]"
      date: "[Date]"
      status: pending
      
    - step: "Legal / contract review"
      owner: "[Prospect legal]"
      date: "[Date]"
      status: pending
      
    - step: "Signature"
      owner: "[Economic Buyer]"
      date: "[Date]"
      status: pending
      
    - step: "Kickoff call"
      owner: "[Your CS team]"
      date: "[Date]"
      status: pending

Why MAPs work: Shared accountability. Visible timeline. Champion can use it to drive internal momentum. You can reference specific dates when things stall.

Phase 5: Objection Handling

The LAER Framework

Every objection follows this pattern:

1. Listen — Let them finish. Don't interrupt. Nod.
2. Acknowledge — "That's a fair concern" / "I hear you" (NOT "I understand but...")
3. Explore — "Help me understand — is it [X] specifically, or more about [Y]?" (Diagnose the REAL objection)
4. Respond — Address the real concern, not the surface one.

Objection Playbook

Price Objections:

Timing Objections:

Authority Objections:

Status Quo Objections:

The "Negative Reverse" Technique

When objections keep coming, flip the script:

"It sounds like this might not be the right fit. Should we just call it?"

This does two things:

1. Takes pressure off — they stop defending
2. Forces them to either agree (you saved time) or sell THEMSELVES on why it IS a fit

Phase 6: Closing & Negotiation

Closing Signals (When to Ask)

Verbal:

• "What would implementation look like?"
• "How does pricing work?"
• "Can we do a pilot?"
• "What's the contract length?"
• "When could we start?"

Behavioral:

• They introduce you to additional stakeholders
• They ask for references
• They share internal documents/requirements
• Response time gets faster
• They start using "we" and "when" instead of "if"

Closing Techniques

1. The Summary Close

"So to recap — [problem] is costing you [X/month], you need a solution 
by [date] for [reason], and [your product] addresses [their top 3 criteria]. 
Shall I send the agreement?"

2. The Next Step Close

"Based on everything we've discussed, the next step would be 
[specific action — contract review, pilot setup, intro to CS]. 
Should I kick that off?"

3. The Assumptive Close

"Great — I'll have the proposal over by end of day. 
Would you prefer monthly or annual billing?"

4. The Puppy Dog Close (for hesitant buyers)

"Tell you what — let's do a 14-day pilot with [specific use case]. 
You'll see [expected result] in the first week. 
If it doesn't deliver, no hard feelings. Fair?"

Negotiation Rules

1. Never negotiate against yourself. If they ask for a discount, ask what they'd give in return (longer term, case study, referral, faster signature).
2. Trade, don't cave. Every concession must get something back.
3. Anchor high. Start with your full price. The first number sets the range.
4. Silence is power. After stating your price, STOP TALKING. Let them respond.
5. Know your walk-away. Before any negotiation, set your floor. Below that = no deal.
6. Bundle value, don't discount price. Add a month free, add training, add premium support — don't cut the sticker price.
7. Create deadline. "This pricing is valid through [date]" or "I have 2 onboarding slots left this quarter."

Discount Decision Tree

Prospect asks for discount
├── Do they have budget? 
│   ├── YES → Don't discount. Anchor to value.
│   └── NO → Is the deal strategic (logo, case study, expansion potential)?
│       ├── YES → Offer trade: discount for [annual commit / case study / referral]
│       └── NO → Walk away or defer to next quarter
├── Is this a competitive situation?
│   ├── YES → Don't discount on price. Win on value + risk reduction.
│   └── NO → They're testing. Hold firm. "Our pricing reflects..."
└── Final rule: NEVER discount more than 20% on any deal. 
    Below that, you're training them to negotiate hard every renewal.

Phase 7: Pipeline Management

Pipeline Stages & Exit Criteria

Stage Hygiene Rules:

• No deal stays in a stage for more than 2x the average time for that stage
• Every deal must have a next step with a date
• If a deal has no activity for 14 days → flag for review
• Update stages based on BUYER actions, not your actions (you sending a proposal ≠ Proposal stage; them REVIEWING it does)

Weekly Pipeline Review Template

pipeline_review:
  date: "[YYYY-MM-DD]"
  
  summary:
    total_pipeline: "$[X]"
    weighted_pipeline: "$[X]"
    new_this_week: [X deals, $Y]
    advanced_this_week: [X deals moved forward]
    closed_won: [X deals, $Y]
    closed_lost: [X deals, $Y — reasons]
    slipped: [X deals pushed from this month]
    
  deals_to_review:  # Top 10 by size
    - company: "[Name]"
      value: "$[X]"
      stage: "[Stage]"
      age_in_stage: "[X days]"
      next_step: "[Action]"
      risk: "[red/yellow/green]"
      risk_reason: "[Why]"
      
  actions:
    - "[Deal]: [Specific action to take this week]"
    
  pipeline_health:
    coverage_ratio: "[X]x"  # Pipeline / Quota — target 3-4x
    avg_deal_size: "$[X]"
    avg_sales_cycle: "[X days]"
    win_rate: "[X%]"
    stage_conversion:
      discovery_to_eval: "[X%]"
      eval_to_proposal: "[X%]"
      proposal_to_closed: "[X%]"

Forecast Categories

Forecast Accuracy Rule: Your commit number should be within 10% of actual. If it's consistently off, your qualification is broken.

Phase 8: Deal Acceleration Tactics

When Deals Stall — Diagnostic Checklist

Deal is stalled. Ask yourself:

1. [ ] Do I have a champion? (If no → find one or walk away)
2. [ ] Have I talked to the economic buyer? (If no → get access)
3. [ ] Is there a compelling event / deadline? (If no → create urgency)
4. [ ] Do they understand the cost of doing nothing? (If no → quantify it)
5. [ ] Are there unresolved objections? (If yes → LAER them)
6. [ ] Is there a competitor blocking? (If yes → differentiate or reframe)
7. [ ] Is my champion still engaged? (If no → re-engage with new value)
8. [ ] Have I multi-threaded? (If no → engage other stakeholders)

Multi-Threading Strategy

Rule: Never have just one contact in a deal. If your champion leaves, gets sick, or goes on vacation — your deal dies.

Minimum contacts by deal size:

• <$25K ACV → 2 contacts (champion + economic buyer)
• $25K-$100K → 3-4 contacts (champion, economic buyer, technical evaluator, end user)
• $100K+ → 5+ contacts (add: procurement, legal, executive sponsor)

Urgency Creation (Ethical)

Phase 9: Post-Sale & Expansion

Handoff to Customer Success

deal_handoff:
  company: "[Name]"
  closed_date: "[Date]"
  contract_value: "$[X] / [term]"
  
  key_contacts:
    - name: "[Champion]"
      role: "[Title]"
      communication_preference: "[email/slack/phone]"
      personality: "[detail-oriented/big picture/hands-on]"
      
    - name: "[Executive Sponsor]"
      role: "[Title]"
      engagement_level: "[high/medium/low]"
      success_metrics: "[What they told you success looks like]"
      
  context:
    pain_points_solved: "[List from discovery]"
    promised_outcomes: "[Specific commitments made during sales]"
    known_risks: "[Anything that could cause churn]"
    expansion_opportunity: "[What else they could buy]"
    competitor_considered: "[Who else they evaluated and why they chose you]"
    
  implementation:
    priority_use_cases: "[What to set up first]"
    technical_requirements: "[Integrations, SSO, data migration]"
    timeline_expectations: "[What you committed to]"
    
  DO_NOT:
    - "[Any sensitive topics to avoid]"
    - "[Things that were contentious during sales]"

Expansion Revenue Playbook

When to upsell (signals):

• Usage hits >80% of their current tier/limit
• They ask about features in higher tiers
• New team/department asks to join
• They hit a milestone (growing headcount, new market)
• Renewal is 90 days away (bundle expansion with renewal)

Expansion conversation:

"I noticed [specific usage signal]. That usually means [outcome they care about] 
is going well. 

Other companies at your stage typically [expand to X / add Y] to [benefit].
Would it make sense to explore that?"

Never upsell:

• When they have unresolved support issues
• During the first 60 days
• When they're at risk of churning
• Without data showing they'll get value from the expansion

Phase 10: Metrics & Self-Improvement

Activity Metrics (Leading Indicators)

Outcome Metrics (Lagging Indicators)

Win/Loss Analysis Template

deal_analysis:
  company: "[Name]"
  outcome: "[Won/Lost]"
  value: "$[X]"
  cycle_length: "[X days]"
  
  won_because:  # or lost_because
    - "[Primary reason]"
    - "[Secondary reason]"
    
  competitor: "[Who they went with / considered]"
  
  what_worked:
    - "[Specific thing that moved the deal forward]"
    
  what_didnt:
    - "[Specific mistake or gap]"
    
  lesson:
    - "[What to do differently next time]"
    
  process_score:  # Self-assessment
    prospecting: [1-5]
    discovery: [1-5]
    demo: [1-5]
    objection_handling: [1-5]
    closing: [1-5]
    relationship: [1-5]

Monthly Self-Review Questions

1. What's my win rate trend? (Improving, flat, declining)
2. Where do deals die most? (Which stage has the biggest drop-off)
3. Am I talking to the right people? (Economic buyer access rate)
4. Are my deals getting bigger or smaller?
5. What objection am I weakest at handling?
6. Which outreach channel converts best for me?
7. Am I spending time on the right deals? (80/20 — are 80% of results from 20% of deals?)
8. What did I learn from my last 3 losses?

Natural Language Commands