Before we get into the how to use a Sales Playbook, let’s make sure we’re all on the same page when it comes to answering what is a Sales Playbook.
In its simplest terms, a Sales Playbook is a key piece to a winning sales enablement strategy that outlines your sales process and aligns it with the buyer’s journey. It provides salespeople with a collection of resources like best practices, insights into their buyers, how to approach specific sales scenarios, talk tracks, email templates, ways to handle objections, competitive intel, and more.
Tips on How to Best Use a Sales Playbook
Once you have invested in the development of a Sales Playbook, you need to have a strategy on how to best use it with your team. The goal is to make sure everyone knows and understands the resources within the playbook, and that they use it consistently.
Here are a few tips on how to best use your Sales Playbook.
1. Train Your Salespeople
When you roll out your Sales Playbook, take the time to fully train your sellers on each chapter of the Sales Playbook. This shouldn’t be done in one 60-minute session — walking them through the playbook is not the same as training them on what’s inside and how to use it to maximize their performance.
Look for ways to integrate Sales Playbook chapters in your sales meetings and training sessions. The goal is to increase the retention and usage of the content in your playbook. Have your salespeople study one chapter, then come prepared to discuss and present on that chapter.
2. Practice Makes Perfect
Your Sales Playbook should include a number of sales objections talk tracks as well as different sales plays that provide sellers with the best approach for specific scenarios, talk tracks, and email templates.
Provide your sellers with a safe environment to practice these talk tracks and put them into action. Start by using your sales meetings and Individual Focus Meetings (IFM). When it comes to the objection talk tracks, create scenarios that will help them determine which of the talk tracks is best for that situation and rehearse each track. For the sales plays, have them execute the steps in the play with live prospects and provide feedback.
3. Refer Back to the Sales Playbook Consistently
Keep your Sales Playbook top of mind with your team. There are some chapters your sellers will use frequently, and others they won’t remember. Most sales teams have a large number of resources and different initiatives that will draw their attention, so continually referring to the Sales Playbook will help remind them of its value. You want to make sure they’re putting all of the information in the playbook to use; after all, that’s why you put it in there to start!
4. Update Regularly
Your playbook should be a living document. We recommend having one point person responsible for making the physical updates in your playbook, so there are not too many versions. Additionally, consider having a team that reviews content regularly and makes recommendations on updates and changes needed.
You might even choose to have each member of your playbook team to be responsible for different chapters or content. If you don’t have the resources internally to manage this process, consider hiring outside help that can make updates to your Sales Playbook when needed.
5. Don’t Forget to Train New Sellers on Your Sales Playbook
While a Sales Playbook can help reduce the time to get a new hire up to speed, resist the urge to simply give them a copy of the playbook and tell them to study it. Take the time to make sure they understand and use each of the sections in your Sales Playbook. Walk them through it and follow the same steps as above — discuss chapters in your IFMs, have them execute specific sales plays, provide feedback on what worked and what didn’t, have them present on, and be prepared to ask questions about specific chapters.
Building a Sales Playbook
While a Sales Playbook can be a powerful tool for any sales organization, the rollout of the playbook and ensuring your team uses it consistently is just as important. It’s also important to remember that a Sales Playbook is not a one-and-done project. As teams grow, technology evolves, target audiences change, best practices evolve, and workflows evolve, so should this resource. 
