The Importance of a Sales Handbook

August 2, 2011 by

Every sales team is different. No matter how qualified/experienced the candidates are that you bring on board, they were likely doing things a bit differently at their last organization, and let’s face it, what works at one company will not necessarily work at the next.

To keep your sales team consistent and cohesive it’s essential that you provide clarity from Day 1 as to what your expectations are and what tools/content are necessary to sell successfully  – and I’m not talking about pulling  floating materials from your CMS the day before the new hire’s start date and sending files via email. Think old school (and sorry to all you tree huggers out there) — a big ol’ binder that can be handed to the new hire. And let me clarify — by “big ol’” I don’t mean a binder full of junk. Keep it clean, concise and SALES focused.

sales handbookHere are my sales handbook content suggestions, and I’m going to stick to an inside sales handbook, because, hey — that’s my focus:

  • Overview and Purpose
  • Inside Sales Mission Statement
  • Inside Sales Roles and Responsibilities
  • Sales Methodology
  • Activity & Performance Metrics
  • The Model Day for Success
  • Activity Metrics and Measurement
  • Performance Reviews
  • Industry Specific Definitions
  • Target Verticals
  • Target Personas and their Pains (CRITICAL!)
  • Territory breakdown
  • Competitive Landscape and Advantage
  • Phone Scripts
  • Email Scripts
  • CRM guide
  • Qualifying Questions
  • Common Objections
  • Inside Sales Lifecycle

What other essentials should be part of the inside sales handbook? Remember it’s the most IMPORTANT information for the newbie related to SELLING.

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Discussion

  • Mat Atkinson

    Just onboarding 3 sales people in the next week, so very useful summary.

    Would be great to have a short paragraph explaining some of the bullet points in more detail. Some are obvious, but others could be defined in many ways.

  • Devon

    Hey Mat- thanks for the note. What bullets would you like me to expand on in particular – I’d be happy to! 

  • Tracy

    Relevant social media and trade publications for your given industry along with a social media policy.  Policies might include definition of “behaving professionally” and what can and cannot be shared in Social Media.

  • http://twitter.com/Mimiran Mimiran

    If your sales team needs to send proposals, you definitely need some proposal templates, examples of successful proposals, and proposal guidelines. This will save your reps lots of time, and increase your win rates.

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Meet Devon

Devon McDonald

Devon McDonald is responsible for working directly with key stakeholders within OpenView’s portfolio to provide strategic guidance in the areas of sales, marketing, and influencer channel development, as well as operational efficiencies.

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