If you're reading this, odds are you’re tired of sales playbooks that look good on paper but gather dust in real life. You want your B2B team to actually use what you build—and get deals across the finish line faster. This guide is for sales leaders, ops folks, and anyone setting up playbooks in Dock who wants less fluff and more practical results.
Let’s cut through the noise and get into what actually works.
1. Know Why You’re Creating a Playbook—And For Whom
Before you start building anything in Dock, get really clear on a couple of things:
- Who’s the playbook for? Are you onboarding new reps? Helping mid-level AEs handle complex deals? Don’t try to make one playbook fit everyone.
- What real-world problems are you solving? Too many playbooks are just “nice to have” docs that check a box. If you can’t tie the playbook to a real sales pain point—like deals stalling after demo or reps missing key steps—don’t bother.
- How will you measure if it’s working? If you can’t track adoption or see an improvement in something (deal velocity, win rates, less hand-holding), you’re shooting in the dark.
Pro tip: Interview a couple of your best reps. Ask what slows them down or what they wish they had when starting out. Steal shamelessly from their process.
2. Map Out Your Sales Process First (Don’t Wing It)
Dock is a tool, not a magic wand. If your sales process is a mess, putting it into Dock won’t fix it. So:
- Whiteboard your real sales stages. Don’t just copy what your CRM says. What actually happens in your deals, step-by-step?
- Identify the biggest “drop-off” points. Where do reps get stuck? Where do prospects go dark?
- Be specific about buyer actions. “Send proposal” isn’t a play—“Get sign-off from legal” is more concrete.
Once you’ve got this mapped, then move to Dock. Otherwise, you’ll just be digitizing chaos.
3. Start Simple—You Can Always Make It Fancier Later
It’s tempting to over-engineer your first playbook. Resist. Here’s why:
- Overly complex playbooks get ignored. Reps are busy; if it’s more than a few screens or feels like homework, they’ll bail.
- Focus on the 20% of steps that drive 80% of results. Don’t list every possible edge case. Capture the key actions, templates, and collateral that move deals forward.
- Use checklists and short snippets. Playbooks work best as “do this, then this” guides—not as textbooks.
What you actually need to include: - Stage-by-stage action steps - Key questions to ask the buyer - Links to templates, decks, and case studies (don’t make people hunt) - Pitfalls to avoid at each stage
4. Build the Playbook in Dock (Step-by-Step)
Dock makes it easy to organize content and workflows for your team, but the setup matters. Here’s how to get the most out of it:
Step 1: Set Up Your Playbook Template
- Use Dock’s template feature to create your playbook structure. Start with your main sales stages: Discovery, Demo, Proposal, Negotiation, Close.
- For each stage, add action items and checklist steps. Keep it punchy—no novels.
Step 2: Add Real-World Content
- Drop in actual email templates, call scripts, objection-handling guides, and pricing calculators.
- Embed your best decks, one-pagers, and case studies. Don’t just link to a shared drive—put the content right in Dock.
Step 3: Make It Interactive (But Not Annoying)
- Use Dock’s “tasks” or “checklists” so reps can mark things done as they go.
- Assign owners where it makes sense, but don’t overdo permissions. Trust your team; micromanagement kills adoption.
- Add short videos if you must, but only if they’re actually useful (e.g., a 2-minute demo of a tricky product feature).
Step 4: Link to CRM, But Don’t Make It a Data Dump
- Integrate with your CRM so deal info is pulled in automatically, but don’t try to make Dock replace your CRM.
- Use Dock for guiding the sale, not tracking every field under the sun.
Step 5: Test with Real Users—Not Just Managers
- Share the draft playbook with a couple frontline reps. Watch them use it.
- Ask what’s confusing, what’s missing, and what they’d skip.
- Iterate right away—don’t wait for a big launch.
5. Roll It Out Without the Eye Rolls
Launching a new playbook can trigger groans. Here’s how to avoid that:
- Don’t make it “mandatory” overnight. Start with a pilot and get quick wins.
- Highlight how it makes reps’ lives easier. Show two or three “wow, that saves time” moments—like a one-click deck or a killer objection response.
- Collect feedback and update fast. If reps see you actually listening, adoption goes up. If it’s set in stone, it’ll be ignored.
Pro tip: Don’t promise it’ll “change everything.” Promise it’ll make a couple headaches go away.
6. Avoid Common Traps (Here’s What Not to Do)
You’ll hear a lot of advice about playbooks. Here’s what you can safely ignore:
- Don’t copy-paste generic playbooks. What works for someone else’s SaaS won’t fit your buyers or team.
- Don’t over-automate. If every play is “click this, then that,” you’ll lose the human touch that actually closes deals.
- Don’t build for edge cases. Solve the 80% first. If something pops up every blue moon, leave it out.
- Don’t make it a knowledge dump. This isn’t a wiki. It’s a sales tool.
7. Keep It Alive—Iterate or Die
A playbook isn’t a one-and-done project. The best teams keep tweaking based on what works in the field.
- Review usage data in Dock. Are reps actually using it? Where do they drop off?
- Update with new tactics, better templates, or lessons learned from lost deals.
- Set a quarterly calendar reminder to review and refresh. Otherwise, it’ll go stale.
Wrap-Up: Simple Wins, Fancy Fails
The best Dock playbooks are the ones your salespeople use without grumbling. Don’t chase perfection—start with a simple, useful guide, and improve as you go. If you’re solving real problems and making the team’s life easier, you’re on the right track. Ignore the hype. Build what actually helps close deals, then iterate.
Now get building—and don’t be afraid to scrap what doesn’t stick.