Complete B2B sales system — from ICP to closed-won. Discovery frameworks, objection handling, pipeline management, forecasting, and deal acceleration. Works for any B2B company.
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name
afrexai-sales-playbook
version
1.0.0
description
Complete B2B sales system — from ICP to closed-won. Discovery frameworks, objection handling, pipeline management, forecasting, and deal acceleration. Works for any B2B company.
The complete system for running a repeatable, scalable B2B sales operation.
Not a CRM wrapper. Not a template collection. This is a full sales methodology — from identifying your ideal customer to closing the deal and expanding the account.
Re-score all Tier 1 accounts — any demote to Tier 2?
Scan Tier 2 for new signals — any promote to Tier 1?
Remove dead accounts from Tier 3 (no engagement in 90 days)
Add new accounts from prospecting
Calculate territory coverage: (accounts with activity / total) — target >80% for Tier 1
Phase 2: Prospecting & Outreach
Multi-Channel Sequence Framework
Principle: No single channel works. Layer them.
Standard Tier 1 Sequence (14 days):
Day
Channel
Action
Goal
1
Email
Personalized cold email (see template below)
Open + reply
1
LinkedIn
View profile + connect (NO pitch in connect msg)
Warm the name
3
Email
Follow-up with value add (article, insight, data)
Demonstrate expertise
5
LinkedIn
Comment on their recent post (genuine, not salesy)
Build familiarity
7
Phone
Cold call (see script below)
Live conversation
7
Email
Voicemail follow-up email
Multi-touch reinforcement
10
LinkedIn
Send message referencing your email/call attempts
Channel switch
12
Email
Breakup email (creates urgency)
Force response
14
Phone
Final attempt
Last touch
Sequence Rules:
STOP the sequence the moment they reply (positive OR negative)
Never send more than 1 email per day to the same person
Personalization must reference something SPECIFIC (their company, role, recent news)
If they open but don't reply 3x → they're reading, switch to phone
If zero engagement after full sequence → move to Tier 3, retry in 90 days
Cold Email Templates
Template 1: The Trigger Event
Subject: [Trigger event] → quick thought
[First name],
Saw [specific trigger — new hire, funding, product launch, earnings mention].
When [companies in their situation] hit this stage, [specific problem] usually becomes the bottleneck — [data point or example].
[One sentence on how you solve this, tied to the trigger.]
Worth a 15-min call to see if this applies to [company]?
[Your name]
Template 2: The Peer Reference
Subject: How [similar company] solved [problem]
[First name],
[Similar company in their industry] was dealing with [specific problem] — [quantify: X hours/week, $Y lost, Z% error rate].
They [brief result: cut X by 40%, saved $Y/month, shipped Z days faster].
Happy to share what they did differently — no pitch, just the playbook.
15 min this week?
[Your name]
Template 3: The Breakup
Subject: Closing the loop
[First name],
I've reached out a few times about [problem/topic] — I'll assume the timing isn't right.
If [problem] becomes a priority later, I'm here.
Deleting your reminder from my CRM now.
[Your name]
Why breakup emails work: 30-40% reply rate. People respond to loss aversion. "Deleting your reminder" creates fear of losing access.
Cold Call Script
Opening (first 10 seconds decide everything):
"Hi [Name], this is [You] from [Company].
Did I catch you at an okay time?"
[If yes:]
"I'll be brief. I noticed [trigger/signal] and wanted to ask —
are you currently dealing with [specific problem]?"
[If they confirm the problem:]
"Got it. What's that costing you right now — in time, money, or headaches?"
[Let them talk. Take notes. Ask follow-up questions.]
"That's exactly what we help with. [One sentence proof point.]
Would it make sense to set up 20 minutes this week to dig into this properly?"
Common cold call responses + rebuttals:
They Say
You Say
"Not interested"
"Totally fair — can I ask, is it because [problem] isn't a priority, or you've already solved it?"
"Send me an email"
"Happy to — what specifically would be most useful to include? That way I don't waste your time."
"We already have a solution"
"Good — how's it working? Most companies I talk to have something in place but still have gaps in [specific area]."
"Bad timing"
"When would be better? I can put a reminder in for [suggested date]."
"How did you get my number?"
"LinkedIn / your website. I know cold calls aren't fun — I'll keep it under 2 minutes."
Phase 3: Discovery — The Most Important Meeting
MEDDPICC Qualification Framework
Score each element 1-3 (1=unknown, 2=partially known, 3=fully confirmed):
deal_qualification:metrics:# Quantifiable impact they care aboutscore: [1-3]
detail:"[What numbers matter? Revenue increase, cost reduction, time saved?]"source:"[Who told you? Validated how?]"economic_buyer:# Person with budget authorityscore: [1-3]
name:"[Name and title]"access:"[Have you spoken to them directly?]"priority:"[Is this in their top 3 priorities?]"decision_criteria:# How they'll evaluate optionsscore: [1-3]
technical:"[Integration, security, performance requirements]"business:"[ROI threshold, payback period, risk tolerance]"political:"[Internal politics, competing priorities]"decision_process:# How they'll make the decisionscore: [1-3]
steps:"[What happens between now and signed contract?]"timeline:"[When do they need to decide? Hard deadline?]"stakeholders:"[Who's involved? Who has veto power?]"paper_process:# Legal/procurement stepsscore: [1-3]
procurement:"[Standard terms or custom negotiation?]"legal_review:"[How long does legal take? Past precedent?]"security_review:"[Required? How long?]"identified_pain:# The problem driving thisscore: [1-3]
pain:"[What hurts? What breaks?]"impact:"[Cost of inaction — quantified]"urgency:"[Why now? What happens if they wait?]"champion:# Your internal advocatescore: [1-3]
name:"[Who is it?]"motivation:"[Why do THEY personally care?]"power:"[Can they influence the economic buyer?]"coached:"[Have you prepped them for internal selling?]"competition:# What you're up againstscore: [1-3]
competitors:"[Named competitors in the evaluation]"status_quo:"[Doing nothing is always a competitor]"differentiation:"[Why you win against each]"total_score:"[X/24]"# 20-24 = Strong deal, forecast confidently# 15-19 = Gaps to fill, work the unknowns# 10-14 = At risk, needs significant work# <10 = Unqualified, don't invest time
Discovery Questions by Category
Situation (understand current state):
Walk me through how [process] works today, start to finish.
What tools/systems are involved?
How many people touch this process?
How long has it been this way?
Problem (surface the pain):
5. Where does it break down?
6. What's the impact when it fails? (Get a NUMBER)
7. How often does that happen?
8. What have you tried to fix it?
9. Why didn't that work?
Implication (expand the pain):
10. If this doesn't get fixed in the next 6 months, what happens?
11. How does this affect [their boss / their team / the company]?
12. What's the cost of doing nothing? (Force them to quantify)
13. What other initiatives depend on solving this?
Need-Payoff (let THEM sell the solution):
14. If you could wave a magic wand, what would this look like?
15. What would it mean for your team if [pain] went away?
16. If you could get [specific metric improvement], what would that unlock?
17. How would [their boss] react to those results?
Process (map the buying journey):
18. Besides you, who else needs to weigh in on this?
19. What's happened before when you've bought software like this?
20. Is there a budget allocated, or would this need approval?
21. What's the ideal timeline for having this running?
22. What would kill this deal?
Discovery Call Structure (30 min)
Segment
Time
What You Do
Opening
2 min
Confirm agenda, set expectations, get permission to ask questions
Context
5 min
Ask situation questions — understand their world
Pain
10 min
Ask problem + implication questions — go DEEP on 1-2 pains
Vision
5 min
Ask need-payoff questions — paint the future state
Process
5 min
Map decision process, timeline, stakeholders
Next Steps
3 min
Agree on SPECIFIC next action with date
Golden Rule: Talk <30% of the time. If you're talking more, you're pitching, not discovering.
Phase 4: Demo & Presentation
The Problem-Solution-Proof Framework
Never demo features. Demo outcomes.
Structure:
Mirror their pain (2 min) — "You told me [specific pain from discovery]. Here's what that costs you: [quantified impact]."
Show the solution (15 min) — Walk through their USE CASE, not a generic tour. Use THEIR data, THEIR terminology, THEIR workflow.
Prove it works (5 min) — Case study of similar company. Before/after numbers. "Company X had the same problem. Here's what happened."
Address risks (3 min) — Proactively surface the top concern they haven't raised yet. "Most companies at your stage worry about [X]. Here's how we handle that."
Next step (2 min) — Never end without a committed next action.
Demo Anti-Patterns
❌ Don't
✅ Do Instead
Show every feature
Show only what maps to their pain
Start with "let me share my screen"
Start with "let me recap what you told me"
Say "and we also do..."
Say "you mentioned [pain] — here's exactly how that works"
Demo to the whole committee at once
Demo to champion first, then do joint session
Let the demo run long
End 5 min early — scarcity signals confidence
Send a recording after
Send a 1-page summary with their specific ROI
Mutual Action Plan (MAP)
After demo, create a shared doc with the prospect:
Why MAPs work: Shared accountability. Visible timeline. Champion can use it to drive internal momentum. You can reference specific dates when things stall.
Phase 5: Objection Handling
The LAER Framework
Every objection follows this pattern:
Listen — Let them finish. Don't interrupt. Nod.
Acknowledge — "That's a fair concern" / "I hear you" (NOT "I understand but...")
Explore — "Help me understand — is it [X] specifically, or more about [Y]?" (Diagnose the REAL objection)
Respond — Address the real concern, not the surface one.
Objection Playbook
Price Objections:
Objection
Real Meaning
Response
"Too expensive"
They don't see the value yet
"Compared to what? Help me understand what you're measuring against." Then re-anchor to cost of doing nothing.
"Can you do a discount?"
Testing your confidence
"Our pricing reflects the value we deliver. [Company X] saw [Y result] — the ROI was [Z]x. What specifically feels misaligned?"
"We don't have budget"
Not a priority OR wrong buyer
"Is this a timing issue, or is [problem] not a priority this quarter?" If priority: "When budgets reset, can we plan for that?"
"Competitor is cheaper"
Using you for leverage OR genuinely price-sensitive
"They may be. The question is what [missing capability] costs you over 12 months. Would you like me to map that out?"
Timing Objections:
Objection
Real Meaning
Response
"Not now, maybe next quarter"
No urgency
"What changes next quarter? If [problem] costs you [X/month], that's [3X] by next quarter. What would it take to move this up?"
"We're in the middle of [other project]"
Genuinely busy OR smokescreen
"Totally get it. When does [project] wrap? Let's lock in a date now so it doesn't slip."
"We need to think about it"
Unresolved concern they haven't voiced
"Of course. What specifically do you need to think through? I might be able to address it now."
Authority Objections:
Objection
Real Meaning
Response
"I need to run this by my boss"
You're not talking to the decision-maker
"Absolutely. What's their biggest concern likely to be? Let's prep for that together." Then: "Would it help if I joined that conversation?"
"Our committee decides"
Multi-stakeholder deal
"Who's on the committee? What does each person care about most? Let's make sure the proposal speaks to all of them."
Status Quo Objections:
Objection
Real Meaning
Response
"We're fine with what we have"
Fear of change > desire for improvement
"How long have you had it? What's changed in your business since then? Most companies I talk to outgrow [current solution] when they hit [their growth stage]."
"We built our own"
Pride in internal solution
"That's impressive. What's the maintenance cost? Most teams I talk to find their engineers are spending [X%] of time maintaining instead of building product."
The "Negative Reverse" Technique
When objections keep coming, flip the script:
"It sounds like this might not be the right fit. Should we just call it?"
This does two things:
Takes pressure off — they stop defending
Forces them to either agree (you saved time) or sell THEMSELVES on why it IS a fit
Phase 6: Closing & Negotiation
Closing Signals (When to Ask)
Verbal:
"What would implementation look like?"
"How does pricing work?"
"Can we do a pilot?"
"What's the contract length?"
"When could we start?"
Behavioral:
They introduce you to additional stakeholders
They ask for references
They share internal documents/requirements
Response time gets faster
They start using "we" and "when" instead of "if"
Closing Techniques
1. The Summary Close
"So to recap — [problem] is costing you [X/month], you need a solution
by [date] for [reason], and [your product] addresses [their top 3 criteria].
Shall I send the agreement?"
2. The Next Step Close
"Based on everything we've discussed, the next step would be
[specific action — contract review, pilot setup, intro to CS].
Should I kick that off?"
3. The Assumptive Close
"Great — I'll have the proposal over by end of day.
Would you prefer monthly or annual billing?"
4. The Puppy Dog Close (for hesitant buyers)
"Tell you what — let's do a 14-day pilot with [specific use case].
You'll see [expected result] in the first week.
If it doesn't deliver, no hard feelings. Fair?"
Negotiation Rules
Never negotiate against yourself. If they ask for a discount, ask what they'd give in return (longer term, case study, referral, faster signature).
Trade, don't cave. Every concession must get something back.
Anchor high. Start with your full price. The first number sets the range.
Silence is power. After stating your price, STOP TALKING. Let them respond.
Know your walk-away. Before any negotiation, set your floor. Below that = no deal.
Bundle value, don't discount price. Add a month free, add training, add premium support — don't cut the sticker price.
Create deadline. "This pricing is valid through [date]" or "I have 2 onboarding slots left this quarter."
Discount Decision Tree
Prospect asks for discount
├── Do they have budget?
│ ├── YES → Don't discount. Anchor to value.
│ └── NO → Is the deal strategic (logo, case study, expansion potential)?
│ ├── YES → Offer trade: discount for [annual commit / case study / referral]
│ └── NO → Walk away or defer to next quarter
├── Is this a competitive situation?
│ ├── YES → Don't discount on price. Win on value + risk reduction.
│ └── NO → They're testing. Hold firm. "Our pricing reflects..."
└── Final rule: NEVER discount more than 20% on any deal.
Below that, you're training them to negotiate hard every renewal.
Phase 7: Pipeline Management
Pipeline Stages & Exit Criteria
Stage
Definition
Exit Criteria
Probability
Prospecting
Initial outreach, no meeting yet
Meeting booked
5%
Discovery
First meeting held
Pain confirmed, ICP match validated
15%
Evaluation
Active evaluation, demo delivered
Champion identified, decision criteria known
30%
Proposal
Proposal/pricing sent
Budget confirmed, decision process mapped
50%
Negotiation
Terms being discussed
Verbal commit, legal/procurement started
75%
Closed Won
Contract signed
✅ Revenue recognized
100%
Closed Lost
Deal lost
Reason documented, next steps noted
0%
Stage Hygiene Rules:
No deal stays in a stage for more than 2x the average time for that stage
Every deal must have a next step with a date
If a deal has no activity for 14 days → flag for review
Update stages based on BUYER actions, not your actions (you sending a proposal ≠ Proposal stage; them REVIEWING it does)
Weekly Pipeline Review Template
pipeline_review:date:"[YYYY-MM-DD]"summary:total_pipeline:"$[X]"weighted_pipeline:"$[X]"new_this_week: [Xdeals, $Y]
advanced_this_week: [Xdealsmovedforward]
closed_won: [Xdeals, $Y]
closed_lost: [Xdeals, $Y—reasons]
slipped: [Xdealspushedfromthismonth]
deals_to_review:# Top 10 by size-company:"[Name]"value:"$[X]"stage:"[Stage]"age_in_stage:"[X days]"next_step:"[Action]"risk:"[red/yellow/green]"risk_reason:"[Why]"actions:-"[Deal]: [Specific action to take this week]"pipeline_health:coverage_ratio:"[X]x"# Pipeline / Quota — target 3-4xavg_deal_size:"$[X]"avg_sales_cycle:"[X days]"win_rate:"[X%]"stage_conversion:discovery_to_eval:"[X%]"eval_to_proposal:"[X%]"proposal_to_closed:"[X%]"
Forecast Categories
Category
Definition
Rules
Commit
WILL close this period
Verbal yes, contract in legal, no blockers
Best Case
High probability this period
Champion pushing, decision process active, some risk
Pipeline
Could close this period, needs work
In evaluation, not yet at proposal stage
Upside
Unlikely this period but possible
Early stage, right ICP, uncertain timeline
Forecast Accuracy Rule: Your commit number should be within 10% of actual. If it's consistently off, your qualification is broken.
Phase 8: Deal Acceleration Tactics
When Deals Stall — Diagnostic Checklist
Deal is stalled. Ask yourself:
1. [ ] Do I have a champion? (If no → find one or walk away)
2. [ ] Have I talked to the economic buyer? (If no → get access)
3. [ ] Is there a compelling event / deadline? (If no → create urgency)
4. [ ] Do they understand the cost of doing nothing? (If no → quantify it)
5. [ ] Are there unresolved objections? (If yes → LAER them)
6. [ ] Is there a competitor blocking? (If yes → differentiate or reframe)
7. [ ] Is my champion still engaged? (If no → re-engage with new value)
8. [ ] Have I multi-threaded? (If no → engage other stakeholders)
Multi-Threading Strategy
Rule: Never have just one contact in a deal. If your champion leaves, gets sick, or goes on vacation — your deal dies.
"Every month this isn't solved costs you $[X]. That's $[3X] by Q[next]."
When they have no timeline
Capacity constraint
"We're onboarding 3 clients this quarter. After that, next slot is [date]."
When true (never lie)
Price timeline
"Current pricing is locked through [date]."
When price changes are planned
Competitive risk
"Your competitor [name] just signed with us."
When true and relevant
Regulatory deadline
"[Regulation] takes effect [date]. You need [X weeks] to implement."
When compliance is a factor
Phase 9: Post-Sale & Expansion
Handoff to Customer Success
deal_handoff:company:"[Name]"closed_date:"[Date]"contract_value:"$[X] / [term]"key_contacts:-name:"[Champion]"role:"[Title]"communication_preference:"[email/slack/phone]"personality:"[detail-oriented/big picture/hands-on]"-name:"[Executive Sponsor]"role:"[Title]"engagement_level:"[high/medium/low]"success_metrics:"[What they told you success looks like]"context:pain_points_solved:"[List from discovery]"promised_outcomes:"[Specific commitments made during sales]"known_risks:"[Anything that could cause churn]"expansion_opportunity:"[What else they could buy]"competitor_considered:"[Who else they evaluated and why they chose you]"implementation:priority_use_cases:"[What to set up first]"technical_requirements:"[Integrations, SSO, data migration]"timeline_expectations:"[What you committed to]"DO_NOT:-"[Any sensitive topics to avoid]"-"[Things that were contentious during sales]"
Expansion Revenue Playbook
When to upsell (signals):
Usage hits >80% of their current tier/limit
They ask about features in higher tiers
New team/department asks to join
They hit a milestone (growing headcount, new market)
Renewal is 90 days away (bundle expansion with renewal)
Expansion conversation:
"I noticed [specific usage signal]. That usually means [outcome they care about]
is going well.
Other companies at your stage typically [expand to X / add Y] to [benefit].
Would it make sense to explore that?"
Never upsell:
When they have unresolved support issues
During the first 60 days
When they're at risk of churning
Without data showing they'll get value from the expansion
Phase 10: Metrics & Self-Improvement
Activity Metrics (Leading Indicators)
Metric
Target
Why It Matters
Outbound emails/day
30-50
Pipeline generation
Calls/day
15-25
Pipeline generation
Meetings booked/week
8-12
Pipeline conversion
Discovery calls/week
5-8
Qualified pipeline
Demos/week
3-5
Active evaluation
Proposals sent/week
2-3
Close to money
Outcome Metrics (Lagging Indicators)
Metric
Formula
Healthy Range
Win rate
Won / (Won + Lost)
20-35%
Avg deal size
Total revenue / Deals closed
Trending up
Sales cycle
Avg days from first touch to close
Trending down
Pipeline coverage
Open pipeline / Quota
3-4x
Activity-to-meeting ratio
Meetings / (Emails + Calls)
>5%
Meeting-to-opportunity ratio
Opportunities / Meetings
>50%
Forecast accuracy
Actual / Committed
>90%
Win/Loss Analysis Template
deal_analysis:company:"[Name]"outcome:"[Won/Lost]"value:"$[X]"cycle_length:"[X days]"won_because:# or lost_because-"[Primary reason]"-"[Secondary reason]"competitor:"[Who they went with / considered]"what_worked:-"[Specific thing that moved the deal forward]"what_didnt:-"[Specific mistake or gap]"lesson:-"[What to do differently next time]"process_score:# Self-assessmentprospecting: [1-5]
discovery: [1-5]
demo: [1-5]
objection_handling: [1-5]
closing: [1-5]
relationship: [1-5]
Monthly Self-Review Questions
What's my win rate trend? (Improving, flat, declining)
Where do deals die most? (Which stage has the biggest drop-off)
Am I talking to the right people? (Economic buyer access rate)
Are my deals getting bigger or smaller?
What objection am I weakest at handling?
Which outreach channel converts best for me?
Am I spending time on the right deals? (80/20 — are 80% of results from 20% of deals?)
What did I learn from my last 3 losses?
Natural Language Commands
Command
What It Does
"Build my ICP"
Walk through ICP definition template
"Write outreach for [company]"
Generate personalized multi-channel sequence
"Prep me for discovery with [company]"
Build discovery question set based on what you know
"Qualify this deal"
Run MEDDPICC assessment with scoring
"Help me handle [objection]"
Pull relevant playbook + practice response
"Review my pipeline"
Generate weekly pipeline review
"Why am I losing deals?"
Run win/loss analysis on recent losses
"Forecast this quarter"
Categorize deals into commit/best case/pipeline/upside
