25 min
Startup Sales Playbook
By following this comprehensive sales playbook, startups can ensure that their sales process is structured, repeatable, and customer-focused, ultimately driving more successful engagements and closed deals.
π― Sales Process Overview
The startup sales process is centered on understanding customer pain points, building relationships, and offering tailored solutions. It involves structured stages, personalized demos, and continuous follow-ups to ensure alignment with customer needs and successfully closing deals.
π₯· Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)
Key Components of the Ideal Customer:
- Business Type: Identify prospects that can derive significant value from your product.
- Challenges: Determine the typical challenges they face (e.g., infrastructure complexity, workflow inefficiencies).
- Decision Makers: Engage with key decision-makers and influencers who can move the deal forward.
π Key Questions for Sales Teams & Leads
- What challenges are you facing today?
- What criteria will you use to make your decision?
- Who is involved in the decision-making process?
- What is your timeline for implementing a solution?
- How do you currently handle [the task/product feature]?
π‘ Sales Playbook Stages
1. Discovery Call
Definition: Initial meetings held to assess customer pain points and qualify leads.
Goal:
- Disqualify poor fits.
- Identify the challenges and assess the depth of their needs.
- Generate excitement by demonstrating how your product solves their challenges.
- Book additional discovery calls with more influencers or stakeholders.
Discovery Call Checklist:
- Send a pre-call email 24 hours before the meeting.
- Research attendees, their roles, and company background.
- Use a discovery script to ask pain-quantifying questions.
- Conduct an βexcite to actβ demo if necessary.
Post-call Checklist:
- Send a follow-up email within 24 hours.
- Document notes in your CRM (HubSpot) and update the meeting outcome.
- Create a deal if the lead is qualified, focusing on decision-makers, existing challenges, and willingness to engage further.
Pre-call Resources:
- Pre-call Snippet
- Discovery Script / Questions
2. Demo Session
Definition: Tailored demonstration to align product capabilities with the customer's pain points.
Goal:
- Relate demo features to the business issues uncovered during the discovery call.
- Create a personalized experience to show how the product solves their specific problems.
Demo Session Checklist:
- Prepare a tailored demo based on the prospectβs pain points.
- Keep the demo interactive and ask engaging questions throughout.
- Confirm if the demo meets their needs and outline the next steps.
Demo Key Resources:
- Demo Deck Template
- Customer Stories
3. Hands-on Session & Support
Definition: Involve the customer in using the product during a real-world scenario.
Goal:
- Validate that your solution fits their workflow through hands-on interaction.
- Confirm their ability to use the product independently and solve their pain points.
Checklist:
- Create a use case from scratch based on their needs.
- Schedule the next steps, such as further demos, onboarding, or closing.
4. Stakeholder Demo
Definition: A more comprehensive demonstration for multiple stakeholders, showing how the product can address the business's core challenges.
Goal:
- Showcase the business impact of your solution.
- Move the discussion toward licensing and pricing.
Stakeholder Demo Checklist:
- Understand the stakeholders' pain points and roles.
- Tailor the demo to their specific use cases and focus on the value provided.
- Engage them in conversations about ROI and how your solution fits into their workflow.
π Managing Sales Operations
Required Meeting Processes
- Always title first meetings with "Discovery" but avoid it for subsequent meetings.
- Record meetings using available tools (e.g., tl;dv) and update your CRM after each meeting with relevant snippets and outcomes.
Pre- and Post-Meeting Actions
- Pre-call: Research attendees and relevant company information. Use snippets to prepare.
- Post-call: Add comments, update HubSpot, and ensure all meeting outcomes are documented.
Sales Dashboards:
- All Sales Dashboard
- Sales Danger Dashboard
- All Meetings Dashboard
π Next Steps for Each Stage
- Discovery Call β Demo
- If qualified, schedule the demo and invite relevant stakeholders.
- Document key pain points and motivations uncovered during discovery.
- Demo β Hands-On Session
- Offer hands-on sessions to validate their needs and show how the product integrates with their workflows.
- Hands-On β Pilot (if applicable)
- If necessary, run a short pilot to further validate the solution before moving to procurement.
- Pilot β Negotiation & Closing
- Validate results and move forward with contract discussions.
- Finalize pricing, confirm budget availability, and ensure there are no blockers for closing.
πΌ Negotiation & Procurement
Once the demo, hands-on session, or pilot is completed, it's time to move toward closing the deal. Use the following steps to guide the negotiation process:
- Pre-Negotiation Call:
- Prepare your pricing strategy, including potential concessions.
- Understand what the prospect needs in order to approve the budget.
- Negotiation Call:
- Present the ROI and emphasize the cost of not taking action.
- Ensure that any discount is tied to concessions, such as longer commitment or volume purchase.
- Contract & Signature:
- Send the contract or invoice and ensure all necessary documentation is in place.
- Move the deal to "Closed Won" in HubSpot and hand off to customer success for onboarding.
Negotiation Resources:
- Formal Quote Template
- Business Case Deck Template
π§ Observations & Learnings
Common Challenges Observed:
- Quantifying ROI: Prospects often struggle to understand the full value of your product. Help guide them with quantifiable success metrics.
- Demo Customization: Avoid generic demos. Tailor them based on the customer's specific use case to enhance relatability and impact.
- Champion Buy-in: Often, prospects need guidance on how to advocate for the product internally. Equip them with the right resources (e.g., email templates, case studies).
Continuous Improvement: Regularly document new learnings and incorporate them into your sales process to refine and improve.