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Building a Winning Sales Playbook: Key Ingredients and Best Practices
Delve into this episode's shownotes for
expert insights, actionable strategies,
and game-changing inspiration.
10 Episode Takeaways
- A typical playbook can be 50-60 pages long and should include relevant information for the sales team.
- The right people to put the playbook together are the director of sales, sales manager, sales enablement manager, and marketing.
- There are two versions of a playbook: one for outbound sales messaging and one for sales operations.
- The playbook should not include in-depth marketing information or customer success details.
- The effectiveness of a playbook can be measured by improved messaging, increased meeting bookings, stronger understanding of the target audience, and better relationships with account executives.
- A good playbook should unify the team, improve time management, and reduce onboarding time.
- The playbook should be built with input from various departments and should be customized to the company's needs.
- It is recommended to outsource sections of the playbook to other departments to ensure accuracy and relevance.
- The guest, Tom Slocum, offers to help build custom playbooks and can be contacted through LinkedIn or thesdlab.com.
- The playbook is a valuable tool for sales leaders to address common sales challenges and improve team performance.
Episode Recap
In this podcast episode, Collin interviews Tom Slocum, a sales playbook expert, about the importance of having a comprehensive sales playbook and how to build an effective one. They discuss the different types of playbooks, including outbound sales and sales operation playbooks, and the key elements that should be included. Tom emphasizes the importance of involving key stakeholders such as the director of sales, sales manager, sales enablement manager, and marketing in the playbook-building process. He also highlights the need to focus on what is beneficial to the sales team and to exclude sections that do not directly impact the prospect and the go-to-market strategy.
Jump to Talking Points
- [00:00] Typical playbook length and questions about its content and creation process.
- [00:26] Two versions of a playbook: outbound sales playbook and sales operation playbook.
- [01:05] Involving the director of sales, sales manager, sales enablement manager, marketing, and the team in building the playbook.
- [02:10] Timeframe for building a playbook (60 to 120 days) and the option to have it custom-built by an expert.
- [03:00] Prioritizing sections based on input from the team and gradually adding more sections.
- [04:03] Sections that may not be necessary in the playbook, such as in-depth marketing stuff and company overview.
- [06:00] Measuring the effectiveness of a playbook through improved messaging, increased performance, unification of processes, and reduced onboarding time.
- [09:01] Importance of getting buy-in from the team and ensuring they use the playbook.
- [11:09] Tip to involve other departments in building sections of the playbook and prioritize what the team needs.
- [11:47] Contact information for Tom Slocum, who can help with building a sales playbook.
- [12:21] Closing remarks and call to subscribe and share the podcast.
Guest Bio (Who is Tom Slocum?)
Tom Slocum is a 15-year sales veteran in the tech industry. He has worked in companies like DiscoverCard and Trainyo, where he currently holds the position of VP of sales. In addition to his successful career, Tom is also the founder of Community, a platform that connects sales professionals and fosters collaboration and growth. With his extensive experience and achievements in sales, Tom has established himself as a respected leader in the industry. He is known for his expertise in building and managing high-performing sales teams and his ability to drive revenue growth. Tom's ethos revolves around the importance of building strong relationships with customers and creating a culture of continuous learning and improvement within sales organizations. He believes in the power of collaboration and community to drive success in sales.
Find Tom At His Website Or Connect With Him On LinkedIn!
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