In sports, playbooks are used to guide every member of the team and tell them what their specific role for that exact moment is. Where they need to be lined up, what their action is, what to look for from an opponent, etc.
Playbooks for your sales team should really serve the same purpose. They help you to give your team the winning strategy to know what questions they need to ask, how to respond to objections, what documents to send, what team members to loop in, etc.
Sales playbooks should be viewed as documents or forms to guide your sales process at each stage of the sales cycle. By utilizing playbooks, you will be able to ensure that your team is gathering all the necessary information by customizing talk tracks, better train sales team members, and update contact notes within your CRM at the click of a button.
Collecting Information
Controlling the sales process to the best of your ability is one of the most important aspects for any sales person. If you continually play phone tag, or have to send emails back and forth, you are no longer in control. By adopting and utilizing playbooks, you're able to create the talk tracks to ensure you're asking the right questions to gather the necessary information at every step of the process. What's important during a discovery call differs vastly from what's important during a demo or closing call. Therefore, if you can limit the amount of calls and emails and make certain that your sales team knows when to ask specific questions you have more control over the entire sales process and don't miss vital details.Better Training
Playbooks offer new or underperforming sales teams the templates, documents, and talk tracks they need in order to be successful. Through playbooks, you're able to organize information so that they know what they need to ask at each stage of the sales cycle. You're able to note times that it would be beneficial to introduce support staff or send collateral that could help move a deal forward. Playbooks will help your team grow together by getting them all on the same page.Improved Note Taking
There seems to be a common theme with sales people - updating the CRM and contact forms is never at the top of the priority list. While it may not seem like the biggest issue, it can create chaos throughout the sales process or even long after a sale has closed. By utilizing playbooks, you're able to work through your custom talk tracks, take relevant notes, and then update the contact property with the click of a button. These notes are then able to be used to review by the sales person, sales manager, support or account management team, at any step of the sales cycle. You no longer have to flip back 30 pages in your handwritten notebook to see what their pain points were. You don't have to unearth that sticky note buried in your drawer to figure out who needs to be on the next calendar invite. Playbooks help organize and efficiently update those often ignored contact properties.
Here are some of the best sales playbook resources we've found:
HUGO
- A free playbook resource that integrates with most CRMs
HubSpot
- HubSpot Sales Pro needed. Additional functionality like sales collateral files and competitive battle cards for those weighing options between multiple competitors
Costello
- Integrates well with most CRMs. Has flexible talk tracks to change the way you respond based on a prospects answers to improve the quality of your sales calls.
Much like a sports team, if your sales team isn't using the same strategy, how can you really ensure they will be successful? Playbooks are a great tool to provide the training and guidance to make your sales team as successful as possible.
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