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B2B Sales Playbook Template [Copy for Your Team]
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Quoted on this wiki
Every place a page here uses this source, in the order the words come in it.
What is a Sales Playbook, and why is it important to have? “A sales playbook is a collection of strategies, processes, resources, and messaging given to your sales team.” Here is a list of common things a sales playbook can have.
If you run a sales team or are about to, you may know that things can sometimes get out of whack. “You may have good training, a great team, and a solid process but that can all go awry without the right implementation” Maybe there is...
User personas & challenges. “the sales playbook keeps the basics readily available for the sales team as well as any stakeholders working in conjunction.” The playbook will serve as the central communication blueprint of your sales operations throughout your entire team. From new hires to seasoned pros, your sales playbook will keep everyone on the same page.
The above information is designed to help sales reps both acclimate quickly to their roles as well as have a clear set of guidelines to follows when they need it. While managers may have open-door policies to help reps succeed, the sales playbook keeps the basics readily available for the sales team as well as any stakeholders working in conjunction. “The playbook will serve as the central communication blueprint of your sales operations throughout your entire team.” Playbook Variations
General Overview “This section provides a broad overview of the entire company, its business operations, the business environment it exists in, and the goals of the company.” This is a great opportunity to excite your team about how you're impacting the industry and fill them in on the company's history.
At the bare minimum, it should address the following questions: “What does your company do?” What is the industry and where does your company fit?
What does your company do? “What is the industry and where does your company fit?” Mission & values of the company.
Mission & values of the company. “What is the long-term strategy/vision of your company?” Organization
This part is to show the current organizational structure and reporting within the company. The importance here is showing how the sales team fits within the overall structure of the company. This should not be a detailed org chart like you would find in your HR system. “This should be a simple, high-level overview that provides a functional organizational chart with one name who represents each function.” The section of the organizational chart you should have the most detail on is the one of the sales team. This should explain job functions, roles, and relationships. This is also the place to outline the general responsibilities for each role, to better understand who’s doing what and who reports to whom.
This should be a simple, high-level overview that provides a functional organizational chart with one name who represents each function. This allows the reader to know who to look for if they need assistance. “The section of the organizational chart you should have the most detail on is the one of the sales team.” Communication with managers
This should be a simple, high-level overview that provides a functional organizational chart with one name who represents each function. This allows the reader to know who to look for if they need assistance. “This should explain job functions, roles, and relationships.” Communication with managers
This should be a simple, high-level overview that provides a functional organizational chart with one name who represents each function. This allows the reader to know who to look for if they need assistance. “This is also the place to outline the general responsibilities for each role, to better understand who’s doing what and who reports to whom.” Communication with managers
Section 2: Industry “Selling in one industry can be different than another.” This section should include the following information:
Section 2: Industry “This section is intended to educate your team on the market, customers, and challenges they experience.” This section should include the following information:
This section should include the following information: “Industry Overview, trends/movement within the industry” Good to know industry terminologies
Industry Overview, trends/movement within the industry “Good to know industry terminologies” General challenges within the industry
Good to know industry terminologies “General challenges within the industry” Customer Profiles (that you focus on/target)
General challenges within the industry “Customer Profiles (that you focus on/target)” Pain points shared by those customers (for each persona)
Customer Profiles (that you focus on/target) “Pain points shared by those customers (for each persona)” Section 3: Product & Pricing
Section 3: Product & Pricing “So this section is to educate your team on the product/service offering, bundling, and pricing options.” This section is heavily dependent on the company, as every business/offerings are unique. However, at the minimum, it should contain the following information:
E-Book/PDF Playbook - This is a non-print version of the physical handbook. They are similar to that of a physical playbook with the advantage of being easier to distribute. “Digital playbook - An online-based playbook that you can easily edit, collaborate, and interact with in real-time.” Software playbooks - There are some softwares that allow you to build out a playbook within them, typically in the form of a wiki. Be carful though, sometimes the term “playbook” is used by SaaS companies to describe a feature of their tool. This feature might not be what you are looking for in a playbook, just a name to illustrate the features ability to help with sales consistency.
E-Book/PDF Playbook - This is a non-print version of the physical handbook. They are similar to that of a physical playbook with the advantage of being easier to distribute. “This format is easy to distribute, easy to update, and quick to access.” Software playbooks - There are some softwares that allow you to build out a playbook within them, typically in the form of a wiki. Be carful though, sometimes the term “playbook” is used by SaaS companies to describe a feature of their tool. This feature might not be what you are looking for in a playbook, just a name to illustrate the features ability to help with sales consistency.
E-Book/PDF Playbook - This is a non-print version of the physical handbook. They are similar to that of a physical playbook with the advantage of being easier to distribute. “Another advantage is you can include links within the playbooks that direct users to other resources such as process diagrams, metrics dashboards, blog content, etc.” Software playbooks - There are some softwares that allow you to build out a playbook within them, typically in the form of a wiki. Be carful though, sometimes the term “playbook” is used by SaaS companies to describe a feature of their tool. This feature might not be what you are looking for in a playbook, just a name to illustrate the features ability to help with sales consistency.
How to create a Sales Playbook “Every company is unique (product, customer, industry, operations) and so are its process and metrics.” With the playbook being the foundation of your sales team operations, it is important to ensure the information outlined in the playbook is up to date and accurate. If needed, involve stakeholders from other departments to ensure the validity of the content.
How to create a Sales Playbook “Because of this, your playbook will also be unique and mirror your business operations.” With the playbook being the foundation of your sales team operations, it is important to ensure the information outlined in the playbook is up to date and accurate. If needed, involve stakeholders from other departments to ensure the validity of the content.
Inconsistency in the sales operation within your team. “Confusion on what to track or how to track sales metrics.” A group of new hires that aren’t ramping up fast enough.
Every company is unique (product, customer, industry, operations) and so are its process and metrics. Because of this, your playbook will also be unique and mirror your business operations. In the next few sections, we will address the important sections that should be included in every playbook. “With the playbook being the foundation of your sales team operations, it is important to ensure the information outlined in the playbook is up to date and accurate.” When planning the playbook, keep in mind that our audiences may change over time, so we should be inclusive of all contents that are beneficial to everyone, from the current sales team, new hires, marketing teams, and even for other departments to reference. Transparency in information is what makes your team’s overall operations more productive.
Every company is unique (product, customer, industry, operations) and so are its process and metrics. Because of this, your playbook will also be unique and mirror your business operations. In the next few sections, we will address the important sections that should be included in every playbook. “If needed, involve stakeholders from other departments to ensure the validity of the content.” When planning the playbook, keep in mind that our audiences may change over time, so we should be inclusive of all contents that are beneficial to everyone, from the current sales team, new hires, marketing teams, and even for other departments to reference. Transparency in information is what makes your team’s overall operations more productive.
With the playbook being the foundation of your sales team operations, it is important to ensure the information outlined in the playbook is up to date and accurate. If needed, involve stakeholders from other departments to ensure the validity of the content. “When planning the playbook, keep in mind that our audiences may change over time, so we should be inclusive of all contents that are beneficial to everyone, from the current sales team, new hires, marketing teams, and even for other departments to reference.” Here is an overview of the sales playbook template (access here).
Organization “This should not be a detailed org chart like you would find in your HR system.” This should be a simple, high-level overview that provides a functional organizational chart with one name who represents each function. This allows the reader to know who to look for if they need assistance.
Digital playbook - An online-based playbook that you can easily edit, collaborate, and interact with in real-time. This format is easy to distribute, easy to update, and quick to access. Another advantage is you can include links within the playbooks that direct users to other resources such as process diagrams, metrics dashboards, blog content, etc. “This feature might not be what you are looking for in a playbook, just a name to illustrate the features ability to help with sales consistency.” How to create a Sales Playbook