Which written rules a sales team actually needs

Why write rules down when people already know the job

Rules are there so a new rep reaches results within a few weeks, and so the manager can point at the exact place where somebody stepped off the process.

The second reason is plainer: while the rules live in the owner's head, the team cannot be handed over and cannot be scaled.

Rule set 1. Working in the CRM

• what the rep has to record after every contact, and within what time
• which fields are required before a deal can move to the next stage
• what to do with duplicates and how to mark a repeat enquiry
• who closes a deal as lost, when, and with what reason

Rule set 2. Inbound and outbound leads

• who takes an enquiry in each channel, and within what time
• what happens if the owner cannot get to it in time
• a separate rule for hours outside the working day
• the minimum number of touches before a thread may be closed

Rule set 3. Rules for calls and chat

• how a conversation opens, and what the rep has to establish before talking about the product
• when price gets quoted: on our projects this rule produced the biggest lift
• how bank details are sent: straight after agreement, two messages back to back
• what the rep never does: a list of five to seven items

Rule set 4. The rep's working day

• task priority: new enquiries first, then stalled threads, then the base
• when calls happen and when written threads get worked
• what the rep does in the first thirty minutes of the day and in the last
• the daily report: three or four numbers, no more

How to write them so they get read

1. One page per document. Nobody reads longer.
2. Every item carries a deadline or a number. «Reply quickly» is not an item.
3. An example next to the rule: what right looks like and what wrong looks like.
4. The rules live in your knowledge base. Every new rep goes through them.
5. Once a month, take live conversations and check whether the rules are followed. Otherwise they are dead in six weeks.