playbook-builder

Playbook Builder

Create structured, actionable sales playbooks that turn your best reps' knowledge into a repeatable system the whole team can follow. A playbook isn't a PDF that sits on a shelf — it's a living reference that reps actually use in their day-to-day work.

What Makes a Good Playbook

• Actionable — Every section answers "what do I do?" not just "what should I know?"
• Scannable — Reps look things up mid-conversation, not during study hall
• Opinionated — It takes a position on what works. "It depends" is useless guidance.
• Evidence-based — Grounded in what actually wins deals, not theory
• Maintained — Updated as the product, market, and competition evolve

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How It Works

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    PLAYBOOK BUILDER                                │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  PLAYBOOK TYPES                                                   │
│  1. Product Playbook — How to sell a specific product            │
│  2. Segment Playbook — How to sell into a specific vertical      │
│  3. Motion Playbook — Inbound, outbound, expansion, etc.        │
│  4. Competitive Playbook — How to win against specific rivals    │
│  5. New Hire Playbook — Everything a new rep needs to ramp       │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  DELIVERY                                                         │
│  • Structured markdown (copy-paste, wiki-ready)                  │
│  • Word document for formal distribution                         │
│  • Interactive HTML with collapsible sections                    │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  SUPERCHARGED (when you connect your tools)                      │
│  + ~~CRM: Win/loss patterns, deal metrics, stage analysis        │
│  + ~~CRM: Rep performance data for best-practice extraction      │
│  + ~~CRM: ICP validation from won deal profiles                  │
│  + ~~conversation intelligence (Gong): Top rep call patterns     │
│  + ~~conversation intelligence (Gong): Discovery question bank   │
│  + ~~conversation intelligence (Gong): Objection frequency data  │
│  + ~~data enrichment (ZoomInfo): ICP company validation          │
│  + ~~data enrichment (ZoomInfo): Competitive tech stack intel    │
│  + ~~data enrichment (LinkedIn): Buyer persona validation        │
│  + ~~chat: Internal tribal knowledge and rep feedback            │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

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Getting Started

• "Build a sales playbook for [product]"
• "Create a vertical playbook for selling into healthcare"
• "Document our outbound sales motion"
• "Build an onboarding playbook for new AEs"
• "Help me systematize how our top reps sell"

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Execution Flow

Step 0: Automatic Data Pull (Before Asking the User Anything)

CRITICAL: Before asking for tribal knowledge, pull every data point from connected tools. The best playbooks are grounded in actual win patterns, not theory.

CRM Data Pull

Check if you have access to CRM tools (look for tools containing search_crm_objects, get_crm_objects, or similar).

If CRM tools ARE available:

1. Pull all closed deals (Won + Lost) for the last 6-12 months.
   • Properties: dealname, amount, dealstage, closedate, createdate, pipeline, hubspot_owner_id, dealtype, description, closed_lost_reason, closed_won_reason
2. Compute win metrics for the playbook:
   • Win rate, avg deal size, avg cycle length
   • Win rate by deal type, pipeline, and company size
   • Most common loss reasons → feeds "Common Mistakes" sections
   • Stage conversion rates → feeds "Sales Process" exit criteria
3. Identify ICP from won deals. Pull companies associated with won deals:
   • Properties: name, industry, numberofemployees, annualrevenue
   • Cluster: What company size/industry/profile wins most? → feeds "Ideal Customer Profile"
4. Identify buying committee from won deals. Pull contacts from won deals:
   • Properties: firstname, lastname, jobtitle, email
   • Pattern: What titles are most common in won deals? → feeds "Buying Committee"
5. Segment by rep. Use search_owners to identify top performers.
   • What do top reps do differently? (deal size, cycle length, stage velocity)

Gong Data Pull

Check if you have access to Gong tools (look for tools prefixed with gong_).

If Gong tools ARE available:

1. Pull call patterns for top performers. Use gong_search_calls_by_participant + gong_get_call_stats for reps with highest win rates.
   • Talk-to-listen ratios → feeds "Discovery" best practices
   • Avg questions per call → feeds "Discovery Question Bank"
   • Topics covered → feeds "Key Value Drivers"
2. Extract discovery questions. Use gong_get_transcript on 3-5 top-performer discovery calls.
   • What questions do they consistently ask? → feeds "Discovery Question Bank"
3. Extract objection patterns. Use gong_search_calls with objection keywords.
   • Most frequent objections → feeds "Objection Handling Quick Reference"
   • How top reps handle them → feeds response scripts
4. Extract competitive mentions. Use gong_get_call_details to find competitor mentions.
   • What competitors come up? → feeds "Competitive Positioning"
   • How do top reps respond? → feeds competitive talk tracks

Sales Intelligence Data Pull

ZoomInfo (if available):

1. Validate ICP. Use zoominfo_search_company on won deal companies to verify company profiles.
   • Industry, size, tech stack patterns across wins
2. Map competitor tech stacks. Use zoominfo_get_tech_stack on won and lost deal companies.
   • What tools do your best customers use? → integration positioning

LinkedIn (if available):

1. Validate buyer personas. Use linkedin_search_leads for champion titles from won deals.
   • Career paths, backgrounds, common traits of your best buyers

Chat Data Pull

If chat tools are available:

1. Search for playbook-related discussions, win stories, and best practices shared by reps
2. Surface tribal knowledge that hasn't been formally documented

Present What You Found

"I analyzed [N] deals from the last [period] — [N] won at [X]% win rate with $[X] avg deal size and [X]-day avg cycle. Top loss reasons: [reason 1], [reason 2]. Per CRM, your best customers are [size] [industry] companies, and your typical buying committee includes [titles]. [If Gong:] Top performers have a [X:Y] talk ratio and ask [N] questions per call. Building your data-driven playbook now..."

Step 1: Gather Remaining Context

After the auto-pull, ask ONLY for what the tools couldn't provide:

• Playbook type — Product, segment, motion, competitive, or new hire?
• Product details — Pricing, packaging, key differentiators (if not in memory/product.md)
• Team insights — What do your best reps do that isn't captured in data?
• Known gaps — What does the team struggle with most?

Step 2: Generate the Playbook

Build using ALL evidence. Mark data-sourced sections: "Per CRM ([N] deals):", "Per Gong (top 5 reps):", "Per ZoomInfo:", "Per Slack:" The playbook should be grounded in what actually works, not generic frameworks.

Step 3: Store Insights

• Update memory/product.md with product positioning documented in the playbook
• Update memory/deal-patterns.md with patterns discovered during analysis
• Update memory/competitors.md with competitive intelligence surfaced
• Register the playbook in memory/content-registry.md
• Log in memory/changelog.md

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What I Need From You (When Tools Aren't Connected)

The more context you provide, the more specific and useful the playbook:

1. What you sell — Product, pricing, key differentiators
2. Who you sell to — ICP, personas, typical buying committee
3. How you sell — Current process, sales stages, typical cycle length
4. What works — Your top reps' best practices, winning patterns
5. What doesn't work — Common mistakes, lost deal patterns
6. Competitive landscape — Who you compete against and how you differentiate

I'll supplement with research and proven frameworks, but your team's actual experience is the most valuable input.

---

Output Format: Product Playbook

# Sales Playbook: [Product Name]

**Version:** [X.0]
**Last Updated:** [Date]
**Owner:** [Name/Team]

---

## Quick Reference

| | Detail |
|---|---|
| **Product** | [Name and one-line description] |
| **ICP** | [Company size, industry, characteristics] |
| **Primary Persona** | [Title and description] |
| **Average Deal Size** | $[X] |
| **Average Sales Cycle** | [X] weeks/months |
| **Win Rate** | [X]% |
| **Top Competitors** | [List] |

---

## Ideal Customer Profile

### Company Characteristics
- **Size:** [Employee count and/or revenue range]
- **Industry:** [Verticals where you win most]
- **Signals:** [Events/triggers that indicate a good fit]
- **Disqualifiers:** [Red flags that mean bad fit]

### Buying Committee

| Role | Priority | What They Care About | How to Engage |
|------|----------|---------------------|---------------|
| [Title] | Champion | [Their priorities] | [Approach] |
| [Title] | Decision Maker | [Their priorities] | [Approach] |
| [Title] | Influencer | [Their priorities] | [Approach] |
| [Title] | Blocker | [Their concerns] | [How to neutralize] |

---

## Value Proposition

### Elevator Pitch (30 seconds)
> "[Scripted pitch that any rep can use]"

### By Persona

**For [Persona 1]:**
> "[Tailored message focused on their priorities]"

**For [Persona 2]:**
> "[Tailored message]"

### Key Value Drivers
1. **[Driver 1]** — [Supporting evidence, customer quote, data point]
2. **[Driver 2]** — [Evidence]
3. **[Driver 3]** — [Evidence]

---

## Sales Process

### Stage 1: [Prospecting/Outreach]
**Goal:** [What you're trying to achieve]
**Activities:**
- [Activity 1]
- [Activity 2]
**Exit Criteria:** [What must be true to advance]
**Tools/Resources:** [What to use]

### Stage 2: [Discovery]
**Goal:** [Goal]
**Key Questions:** [Top 5 questions]
**Exit Criteria:** [Qualification gates]
**Common Mistakes:** [What to avoid]

### Stage 3: [Demo/Presentation]
**Goal:** [Goal]
**Demo Flow:** [Recommended structure]
**Personalization Points:** [How to tailor]
**Exit Criteria:** [Next step commitment]

### Stage 4: [Proposal/Business Case]
**Goal:** [Goal]
**Proposal Template:** [Link or reference]
**Pricing Guidance:** [How to present pricing]
**Exit Criteria:** [Verbal commitment]

### Stage 5: [Negotiation/Close]
**Goal:** [Goal]
**Negotiation Guardrails:** [What you can/can't flex on]
**Common Objections:** [Top 3 with responses]
**Close Techniques:** [What works for this product]

---

## Objection Handling Quick Reference

| Objection | Category | Response |
|-----------|----------|----------|
| "[Objection 1]" | Price | [Brief response] |
| "[Objection 2]" | Timing | [Brief response] |
| "[Objection 3]" | Competition | [Brief response] |
| "[Objection 4]" | Need | [Brief response] |

---

## Competitive Positioning

### vs [Competitor A]
**We win when:** [Scenario]
**We lose when:** [Scenario]
**Key differentiator:** [What to lead with]
**Landmine question:** "[Question that exposes their weakness]"

### vs [Competitor B]
[Same structure]

### vs Status Quo (No Decision)
**We win when:** [What creates urgency]
**We lose when:** [Why they stick with current state]
**Key argument:** [Cost of inaction]

---

## Discovery Question Bank

### Situation
1. [Question]
2. [Question]

### Problem
1. [Question]
2. [Question]

### Implication
1. [Question]
2. [Question]

### Need-Payoff
1. [Question]
2. [Question]

---

## Email Templates

### Initial Outreach
**Subject:** [Template]
**Body:** [Template with personalization markers]

### Post-Discovery Follow-Up
**Subject:** [Template]
**Body:** [Template]

### Proposal Send
**Subject:** [Template]
**Body:** [Template]

---

## Success Stories

### [Customer Name]
**Situation:** [Brief context]
**Challenge:** [What was broken]
**Solution:** [What you provided]
**Result:** [Quantified outcome]
**Quote:** "[Customer quote]"

---

## Resources

| Resource | Purpose | Location |
|----------|---------|----------|
| [Battle card] | Competitive ammo | [Link] |
| [ROI calculator] | Value justification | [Link] |
| [Demo environment] | Live demos | [Link] |
| [Case studies] | Social proof | [Link] |

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Tips for Building Great Playbooks

1. Interview your top reps — Their instincts contain gold that needs to be documented
2. Include what NOT to do — Failure patterns are as valuable as success patterns
3. Keep it modular — Reps should be able to jump to any section without reading the whole thing
4. Version it — Date everything and update quarterly at minimum
5. Test it with new hires — If a new rep can follow it and succeed, it's a good playbook

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Related Skills

• battle-cards — Generate the competitive sections
• discovery-guide — Build the discovery question bank
• objection-handling — Create the objection response library
• buyer-persona — Define the ICP and persona sections
• win-loss-analysis — Ground the playbook in real deal outcomes