sales-script

name	sales-script
description	When a founder needs demo scripts, discovery call frameworks, objection handling, RFP/RFI responses, competitive feature matrices, POC planning, or closing playbooks. Activate for sales calls, demo prep, talk tracks, bid responses, competitor comparisons, or pre-sales engineering.
related	["cold-outreach","proposal-generation"]
reads	["startup-context"]
origin	startup

Sales Script

When to Use

• Preparing for a discovery call, product demo, or closing meeting
• Responding to an RFP/RFI and need coverage gap analysis
• Building a competitive feature comparison matrix against rivals
• Planning or scoring a proof-of-concept (POC) engagement
• Preparing a technical demo script with stakeholder-specific talking points
• Handling objections or conducting win/loss analysis

Context Required

From startup-context or the user:

• Product/service — What you sell, who it is for, key capabilities
• Target persona — Role, seniority, typical pain points
• Deal context — Stage, deal size, stakeholders involved, known objections
• Competitive landscape — Who else they are evaluating, your differentiators
• Proof points — Metrics, case studies, customer quotes
• RFP/RFI details — If responding to a formal request, the requirement categories and priorities

Workflow

Phase 1: Discovery & Research

1. Gather context — Read startup-context. Identify the script type needed: discovery call, demo, RFP response, competitive analysis, or POC plan.
2. Map customer requirements — Document the prospect's current architecture, pain points, integration requirements, security/compliance needs, and business drivers.
3. Assess competitive landscape — Identify competitors in the deal. Map your product capabilities against theirs to find differentiators and vulnerabilities.
4. Score requirement coverage — For RFP/RFI responses, categorize each requirement as Full (100%), Partial (50%), Planned (25%), or Gap (0%). Weight by priority: Must-Have 3x, Should-Have 2x, Nice-to-Have 1x.

Phase 2: Solution Design & Positioning

5. Map pain to value — Connect each prospect pain point to a specific product capability with proof (metrics, case studies).
6. Build competitive differentiation — Identify at least one strong differentiator per customer priority. If none exist, flag for product team escalation.
7. Design the talk track — Structure the conversation or document around their priorities, not your feature list.

Phase 3: Script & Demo Preparation

8. Draft the script — Write the full script with timing, talk tracks, questions, transition cues, and stakeholder-specific talking points.
9. Prepare objection handling — Anticipate likely objections and write response frameworks using the LAER model.
10. Build demo environment — Create a pre-demo checklist: environment tested, sample data loaded, backup environment prepared, customer-specific branding applied.

Phase 4: POC & Closing (if applicable)

11. Define POC scope — Set success criteria, timeline (typically 5 weeks), phased testing plan. Evaluate across functionality, performance, integration, usability, support. Require >60% for a go recommendation.
12. Close the deal — Package POC results, demo feedback, and competitive positioning. Apply closing techniques appropriate to the deal stage.

Output Format

Deliver the format matching the request: Discovery call script (SPIN-phase questions, qualifying criteria, next-step framing), Demo script (scene-by-scene with timing, per-role talk tracks, pre-demo checklist, objection table), RFP response analysis (coverage score, gap count, bid/no-bid recommendation), Competitive matrix (feature comparison with weighted scores, differentiators, vulnerabilities), POC plan (phased timeline, success criteria, scorecard), Objection handling doc (table: objection, concern, response, proof, follow-up), or Closing playbook (decision criteria, techniques, timeline).

Frameworks & Best Practices

Discovery Call Framework (30 min)

Phase	Duration	What to Do
Rapport & agenda	3 min	Set the agenda, confirm time, build quick rapport
Situation questions	7 min	Understand their current state and workflow
Problem questions	8 min	Dig into pain points, frequency, and impact
Implication questions	5 min	Explore the cost of not solving the problem
Need-payoff questions	4 min	Let them articulate the value of a solution
Next steps	3 min	Summarize, confirm fit, schedule the demo

Demo Script Structure

Pre-demo checklist: Environment tested, sample data loaded, backup environment ready, screen sharing tested, browser tabs pre-loaded, network/VPN verified, customer branding applied.

Attendee mapping: For each attendee, document their title, role in evaluation (decision maker / champion / technical evaluator / end user), and key interest area.

Segment	Duration	Content
Opening	5 min	Thank attendees, recap discovery findings, set agenda
Use Case 1	7 min	Primary pain point demo with business context and differentiator highlights
Check-in	2 min	"How does this compare to how you handle it today?"
Use Case 2	7 min	Secondary pain point demo
Use Case 3	6 min	Differentiator or delight feature they did not expect
Integration demo	10 min	Show connector setup, data flow, end-to-end workflow
Admin & security	5 min	RBAC, audit logs, SSO
Q&A	5 min	Handle live questions
Close	5 min	Summarize value, propose next steps with specific dates

Demo principles: Demo after discovery, never before. Use their terminology and data. Leave time for questions. Share why you built the feature — origin stories resonate more than feature walkthroughs.

RFP Bid/No-Bid Framework

• Bid: Coverage >70% AND must-have gaps <=3
• Conditional Bid: Coverage 50-70% OR must-have gaps 2-3
• No-Bid: Coverage <50% OR must-have gaps >3

Objection Handling (LAER Model)

1. Listen — Let them finish. Do not interrupt or get defensive.
2. Acknowledge — "That makes sense" or "I hear that a lot."
3. Explore — Ask a follow-up to understand the real concern.
4. Respond — Address the real concern with proof, then confirm.

Category	Example Objection	Response Strategy
Price	"Too expensive"	Reframe as ROI. "What is the cost of not solving this?"
Timing	"Not the right time"	Uncover the real blocker. "What would need to change?"
Competition	"We use X already"	Differentiate on their specific pain point
Authority	"Need to check with my boss"	Enable the champion with materials they need
Status quo	"What we have works"	Quantify hidden cost. Share a peer story.
Trust	"You are too small"	Lead with proof: customers, metrics, investors, team

Demo Recovery

If demo breaks: switch to backup, explain what they would have seen, offer recorded follow-up. If question derails: acknowledge, note for follow-up, return to script. If audience disengages: pause and ask "Is this addressing what you need?", skip to most relevant section.

Closing Techniques for Founders

• Summary close: "We agreed [pain] costs [amount], our solution addresses [needs]. What would it take to move forward?"
• Timeline close: "You want this solved by Q3. Working backward, we need to start by [date]."
• Pilot close: "Start with a focused pilot on [use case], prove the value, expand from there."
• Founder close: "I will personally ensure your onboarding goes smoothly. You work directly with me for 30 days."

Post-Demo Actions

Send thank-you email with recording within 24 hours. Share demo environment access. Send follow-up addressing unanswered questions. Schedule next meeting. Update CRM with demo notes and next steps. Log objections for battlecard updates.

Related Skills

• cold-outreach — Use to generate the meetings that lead to these sales conversations
• proposal-generation — Use after a successful demo to create the formal proposal, SOW, or contract

Examples

Prompt: "I have a demo tomorrow with the Head of Engineering at a fintech. They care about reducing deployment failures."

Good demo opening output:

"Thanks for making time, [Name]. Last week you mentioned your team spends about 8 hours per sprint dealing with failed deployments and rollbacks. You said the biggest pain is that it slows release velocity and frustrates the team. Is that still the top priority, or has anything changed?

Great. I want to show you three specific workflows that address deployment reliability. About 25 minutes, with time for your questions. Sound good?

Let me start with how [Similar Fintech Customer] handled this before switching to us..."

Prompt: "We got an RFP from a large enterprise. Should we bid?"

Good output snippet:

RFP Coverage Analysis:
- Overall coverage score: 68% (Conditional Bid range)
- Must-have gaps: 2 (within threshold)
- Recommendation: CONDITIONAL BID

Action items before proceeding:
1. Confirm planned roadmap items cover the 2 must-have gaps
2. Build differentiator narrative around your 3 strongest categories
3. Flag gaps to product team for timeline confirmation