sales-prospecting

Cold Outreach Mastery

When to Use

• Building outbound sequences for new personas or segments
• Personalizing cold email / LinkedIn outreach at scale
• Diagnosing low open or reply rates in existing sequences
• Designing follow-up cadences for SDR/XDR or founder-led sales

Framework

1. Core Principles – pattern interruption, value before ask, authentic personalization, mobile-first formatting, single CTA.
2. SPARK Flow – Subject hook → Personalized opening → Agitate problem → Relevant value → Kick-off CTA.
3. Channel Mix – email templates + LinkedIn touches + call follow-ups working together.
4. Cadence Design – 3-touch follow-up over 14 days with new insights each step.
5. Experimentation – test subject/openers/value props/CTAs/send times; watch ≥30% opens, ≥10% replies.

Templates

• Subject line bank (“Quick question about [initiative]”, “Noticed you’re hiring [role]”, etc.)
• Email templates (Observation & Insight, Problem/Solution, Referral) plus LinkedIn connection + post-accept scripts.
• Personalization trigger sheet (company + individual signals) and follow-up schedule checklist.
• Power phrase/reference list and industry-specific angle cheatsheets (SaaS, e-comm, financial services, healthcare).

Tips

• Anchor every opener on a real trigger (funding, hiring, post) and keep lines <60 chars for mobile readability.
• Offer a resource or benchmark before requesting time; it increases reply rate.
• Log A/B test results weekly to evolve te

Discovery Calls Skill

When to Use

• New prospects booked from outbound/marketing sequences.
• SDRs/BDRs need a structured first-call script.
• AEs want to validate multi-threaded opportunities quickly.

Framework

1. PREP – Purpose, Research, Evidence, Plan before every call.
2. Call Flow – Rapport & agenda → context → pain/impact → vision → next steps.
3. Question Set – workflow, trigger, stakeholders, success criteria, urgency, budget.
4. Note Capture – log company, initiatives, tools, pain, decision team, timeline, next actions.
5. Qualification Overlay – map answers to MEDDICC/BANT to guide handoff.

Templates

• Question Bank: See references/question_bank.md for persona-specific questions.
• Scorecard: See assets/scorecard.md for MEDDICC/BANT qualification.
• Notes Template:

Company / Persona:
Initiatives:
Current Tools / Process:
Pain / Impact:
Decision Team:
Timeline & Budget:
Next Actions:

• Post-call recap email: (summary → insights → next meeting confirmation).

Tips

• Time-box sections (2/3/8/4/3) to keep 30-min calls crisp.
• Mirror the prospect’s vocabulary from research notes to build rapport fast.
• Always confirm next steps live and send recap within 1 hour.
• Tag recordings with chapters so AEs can jump to pain/impact moments.

Lead Qualification Skill

When to Use

• New inbound/outbound leads need scoring before SDR outreach.
• Marketing > Sales handoff requires consistent acceptance criteria.
• You must prioritize high-intent signals for limited SDR capacity.
• RevOps wants transparent scoring logic tied to pipeline stages.

Framework

1. FITS Model – Firmographics, Intent, Timing, Solution Match as core dimensions.
2. Scoring Steps – normalize data, apply weights, set thresholds (80+, 60–79, 40–59, <40), and capture explainability notes.
3. Question Toolkit – pain, authority, budget, timeline prompts to validate scoring inputs.
4. Routing Logic – map scores to AE handoff, SDR follow-up, nurture, or recycle.
5. Handoff Checklist – verify CRM data, attach notes/enrichment, include recommended CTA, start AE SLA timer.

Templates

• Fit scoring sheet (CSV) with weight columns and notes.
• Intent signal decoder (G2 topics → pains) for faster scoring.
• Playbooks for inbound vs outbound vs PQL models.
• Handoff checklist doc for SDRs.

Tips

• Review weights quarterly with RevOps to match evolving ICP.
• Keep explainability notes so AEs trust automated scores.
• Pair scoring with QA sampling to catch bad data feeds early.
• Share top intent triggers weekly so marketing can reinforce them.

Objection Handling Skill

When to Use

• Prospects push back on timing, budget, priority, or vendor choice.
• SDRs/AEs need concise, value-first rebuttals for email, phone, or social.
• Enablement teams are building battlecards and talk tracks.

Framework

1. LACE – Listen, Acknowledge, Clarify, Educate for every objection.
2. Diagnosis – identify category (budget, timing, competition, info) and root cause.
3. Response Construction – combine empathy statement + proof + CTA for next step.
4. Channel Adaptation – adapt scripts for email, call, social with same backbone.
5. Feedback Loop – log outcomes in objection tracker to refine messaging.

Templates

• Common objection table with diagnosis + recommended responses.
• Email snippet:

Hi {name}, totally hear you on {objection}. Many {persona}s said the same until they saw {proof point}.

How about we {next step} so you can evaluate without interrupting your week?

• Call script snippets (“If {metric} improved by 15%, would it merit a closer look?”).
• Battlecard snippets and micro case studies linked per objection.

Tips

• Mirror the exact language the prospect used before responding.
• Ask one clarifying question before presenting proof—often the real objection surfaces.
• Tailor proof to persona (finance → ROI, ops → efficiency, IT → security).
• Track objection frequency weekly to inform marketing content and enablement.

Social Selling Skill

When to Use

• Prospect is active on LinkedIn, X, or niche communities.
• Outreach needs warmer entry points than cold email.
• SDRs must nurture accounts over weeks via digital touchpoints.
• Need to convert marketing engagement (webinars, posts) into conversations.

Framework

1. Core Principles – insight first, timely engagement, sequence public + private touches, lean on social proof, and lead with call-to-value offers.
2. Engagement Ladder – monitor > micro-engage > value drops > DM > follow-through into email/call.
3. Signal Tracking – monitor posts, job changes, events, and mutual connections for context.
4. Cadence Planning – mix comments, shares, and DMs each week per target account.
5. Measurement – watch connection acceptance, DM reply, meetings per 50 connections, and interactions per account.

Templates

• DM Scripts: See references/engagement_playbook.md for scripts and signal tracking.
• Checklist: See assets/social_checklist.md for daily/weekly routines.
• Social listening checklist: (signals: hiring, promotions, launches, exec moves).
• Weekly activity planner: (3 comments, 2 value shares, 1 DM per target account).

Tips

• Engage within 30 minutes of prospect activity when possible for better visibility.
• Alternate public cues (comments, reposts) with private DMs to avoid feeling pushy.
• Tie every outreach to proof (mutual connections, customer stories) to earn trust.
• Move hot thread