AI Sales Playbook Template
Write down how your team sells, one play per selling moment, then turn it into a Claude skill that shows up in call prep, follow-ups and deal reviews.
What's inside this template
Who it's for
CROs, VPs of Sales, Heads of Sales and Heads of RevOps at B2B tech companies whose bookings target went up while the team didn't, plus the RevOps or enablement lead who builds the playbook with them
When to use
When the playbook is a PDF nobody opens, before hiring the next reps, when new hires take too long to ramp, or when deals enter the forecast that shouldn't
Key benefit
A playbook written once and used in every deal: stages with buyer-based exit criteria, MEDDPICC evidence, the first three plays chosen with ICE, rules for Claude, and measures against one KPI
Sections included
- The number and the KPI
- Who we sell to
- Why they buy
- Stages and exit criteria
- MEDDPICC evidence checklist
- Where deals leak
- ICE scoring for plays
- One-page play
- Objections and competitors
- Rules for Claude
- SKILL.md outline
- Where the playbook shows up
- Measures and change log
Complete template content
To use this template, copy it with the "Copy page" button above or open the Google Doc version. Read the companion guide, How to build an AI sales playbook your reps will actually use, for the thinking behind it.
AI sales playbook
A free playbook template for CROs, VPs of Sales and Heads of RevOps whose bookings target went up while the team didn't. It writes down how your team sells, one play per selling moment, so you can turn it into a Claude skill that shows up in call prep, follow-ups and deal reviews.
How to use it: fill in sections 1 to 6 with two of your best reps and your RevOps lead. Score the plays in section 7, write the top three in section 8, then use sections 10 to 12 to turn the playbook into a skill and decide where it shows up. Review it monthly with section 13.
1. The number and the KPI
| Item | Your answer |
|---|---|
| Bookings target and date | |
| Number of reps carrying it | |
| Gap to target at today's run rate | |
| The KPI this playbook must move (win rate, sales cycle length, rep ramp time, forecast accuracy) | |
| Baseline for that KPI today, and the date taken | |
| Target for that KPI in 12 months | |
| Playbook owner |
If you can't fill in the baseline, take it before you go further. Without it, nothing can be proved later.
2. Who we sell to
| Item | Your answer |
|---|---|
| Ideal customer: size, sector, systems, situation | |
| Buying triggers (funding, new leader, hiring freeze, contract renewal) | |
| Disqualifiers: when we walk away | |
| Economic buyer (title, what they care about) | |
| Champion (title, what they care about) | |
| Evaluators and users | |
| Likely blockers |
3. Why they buy
| Value point | In the buyer's words | Proof we're allowed to use | Source and date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | |||
| 2. | |||
| 3. |
Only list proof that is approved for external use. Claude will use this table as its source, so anything missing here won't be said.
4. How deals move: stages and exit criteria
Write exit criteria the buyer meets, not activities the rep completes. "Pain and budget confirmed by the economic buyer" beats "demo done".
| Stage | Entry criteria | Exit criteria (buyer-based) | Evidence recorded in the CRM | Typical days in stage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discovery | ||||
| Evaluation | ||||
| Proposal | ||||
| Negotiation | ||||
| Closed won or lost |
5. Qualification: MEDDPICC evidence checklist
For each element, write what good evidence looks like in your deals. Swap in your own framework if you use a different one.
| Element | What good evidence looks like | Where it's recorded | Required before stage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metrics: the measurable outcome the buyer wants | |||
| Economic buyer: who signs, and have we met them | |||
| Decision criteria | |||
| Decision process | |||
| Paper process: legal, procurement, signature | |||
| Identified pain | |||
| Champion: who sells for us when we're not there | |||
| Competition |
6. Where deals leak today
| Stage | Conversion to next stage | Most common reason deals stall or are lost | Source (CRM report, win and loss notes) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discovery | |||
| Evaluation | |||
| Proposal | |||
| Negotiation |
7. Pick the first three plays with ICE
Score each play from 1 to 10 on impact (how much it moves the KPI), confidence (do we know what good looks like, can we measure it) and ease (how easy it is to write and use). Multiply the three and write the top three first.
| Play | Impact (1 to 10) | Confidence (1 to 10) | Ease (1 to 10) | ICE score | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inbound follow-up | |||||
| Discovery call | |||||
| First demo | |||||
| Bringing in the finance buyer | |||||
| Multi-threading | |||||
| Proposal | |||||
| Negotiation | |||||
| Renewal |
8. One-page play (copy for each play)
| Field | Your answer |
|---|---|
| Play name | |
| Trigger: the stage, signal or buyer moment that makes it relevant | |
| Goal: what the buyer agrees to by the end | |
| Questions: two or three discovery questions our best reps ask | |
| Talk track: a short, approved way to make the point | |
| Objections: the top two, with responses and proof | |
| Next step to propose, with an owner and a date | |
| What good looks like | |
| Common mistake to avoid | |
| Assets to send | |
| Owner, version and review date |
Keep each play to one page. If it takes longer to read than the call it prepares for, nobody will read it.
9. Objections and competitors
| Objection | Response | Proof | Approved by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Competitor | Where they win | Where we win | Questions that expose the difference | Last reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
10. Rules for Claude
Write these into the skill before anyone uses it. Start read-only and widen what Claude can do as the team sees it get things right.
| Rule | Our version |
|---|---|
| Sources: use only the approved sources in sections 3, 8 and 9, and flag any claim without one | |
| Pricing, discounts and contract terms always go to a person | |
| Everything sent to a buyer starts as a draft the rep approves | |
| CRM: add evidence-based notes rather than overwrite fields; never delete or merge records; ask when unsure | |
| What Claude may update without asking (start with nothing) | |
| Who to ask when Claude is unsure |
11. Turn it into a Claude skill
A skill is a folder with a SKILL.md file, which starts with a name and a short description, plus any reference files. Claude reads the description to decide when to use the skill. On Team and Enterprise plans, an owner can provision it to the whole organisation.
| Part | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| name | For example: our-sales-playbook |
| description (200 characters at most) | For example: How we sell. Use for call prep, call follow-ups, deal reviews and forecast checks for our sales team. |
| Instructions | How we sell, in a few paragraphs: who we sell to, how deals move, how we qualify, and the rules from section 10 |
| Reference file: plays | Section 8, one file per play or one file for all |
| Reference file: stages and qualification | Sections 4 and 5 |
| Reference file: value, objections and competitors | Sections 3 and 9 |
12. Where the playbook shows up
| Moment | What Claude does with the playbook | Who approves | Starts on (date) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before the call: call prep | A brief on the account, with the play for this stage and the questions to ask | Rep | |
| After the call: follow-up | Drafts the follow-up and lists qualification gaps against the exit criteria | Rep | |
| Before the forecast call: deal review | Checks each deal against the stage it claims, missing evidence first | Sales manager |
13. Measures and change log
| Measure | Baseline | Date taken | This month | Change since baseline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The KPI from section 1 | ||||
| Share of calls with a follow-up sent the same day | ||||
| Share of forecast deals with complete qualification evidence | ||||
| Stage conversion at the leakiest stage |
| Date | Version | What changed and why | Changed by |
|---|---|---|---|
Want help? Bring your bookings target to a free 45-minute working session and leave with a one-page plan: kowalah.com/solutions/chief-revenue-officer
Get started
How to use this template
Start from the number
Write the bookings target, the reps carrying it, the KPI the playbook must move and its baseline today.
Write down how you sell
With two of your best reps and RevOps, fill in who you sell to, why they buy, your stages and your qualification evidence.
Pick three plays with ICE
Score each play on impact, confidence and ease from 1 to 10, multiply, and write the top three first.
Write one page per play
Trigger, goal, questions, talk track, objections, next step and what good looks like, with an owner and a review date.
Set the rules for Claude
Approved sources only, pricing to a person, drafts the rep approves, and CRM notes rather than overwrites.
Turn it into a skill
Use the SKILL.md outline, put it into call prep, follow-ups and deal reviews, and review monthly against the baseline.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about building an AI sales playbook
What is an AI sales playbook?
What should a sales playbook include?
Which plays should we write first?
Do we need Claude to use it?
Will an agent update our CRM?
Is it free?
More templates
Related templates.
Ready when you are
Bring your number. Leave with a plan.
Kowalah is a UK Anthropic Implementation Specialist. In a free 45-minute working session we take your bookings target, map it to your processes and team, and you leave with a one-page plan: the first three processes to change, the agents and skills for each, and how your team changes.