If you’ve ever opened a “sales playbook” and found it full of generic fluff, you’re not alone. Most playbooks get written, skimmed, and then ignored. But if you’re a sales manager, team lead, or even a rep who wants to actually use a playbook that fits your process, there’s a better way. This guide will show you how to use Bricks to create personalized sales playbooks that people might actually read—and, more importantly, use.
Why Most Sales Playbooks Flop (and How Bricks Is Different)
Let’s be blunt: most playbooks fail because they’re too generic. They’re packed with best practices that sound good but don’t match your team’s day-to-day. People end up winging it or building their own docs on the side.
Bricks takes a different approach. Instead of a static PDF, it lets you build modular, customizable content “bricks” (hence the name). You can mix, match, and personalize the building blocks to create playbooks that actually fit your process, your product, and your team.
Is it perfect? Not quite—nothing is. But it’s way closer than a Google Doc template or yet another Notion wiki.
Step 1: Get Clear on What Your Team Actually Needs
Before you open Bricks, pause. What’s the real problem you’re solving? Are new reps lost on call structure? Is everyone misquoting pricing? Are deals stalling at the same stage?
Don’t try to boil the ocean. Pick one or two sales scenarios that matter most right now. For example: - Handling objections for your top product - Walking prospects through demos - Writing follow-up emails after discovery calls
Ask your team what they wish they had at their fingertips. Skip the theory; focus on what’ll save time or help close more deals.
Pro Tip:
If you’re not sure, listen to a few call recordings or lurk in your team’s Slack for a week. Patterns will jump out.
Step 2: Map Out Your Playbook Structure (On Paper First)
It’s tempting to dive straight into Bricks, but you’ll save hours if you sketch out your playbook’s bones first.
Start with: - Stages: What are the key steps in your chosen scenario? (e.g. Qualify → Demo → Proposal) - Situational content: Where do reps get stuck? What do they Google mid-call? - Reusable building blocks: These are your “bricks.” Think of objection responses, call scripts, product one-liners, email templates, and so on.
Jot this down as a mind map or a simple bulleted list. Don’t overthink it—the goal is to break things into small, swappable chunks.
What to Ignore:
- Fluffy mission statements
- Theoretical frameworks nobody has time to read
- Lengthy “About Us” boilerplate
Step 3: Build Your First Bricks
Now, hop into Bricks and start translating your outline into actual “bricks.”
How to Do It:
- Create bricks for each reusable piece: One for a “First Call Agenda,” one for “Top Objection Responses,” one for “Pricing Cheat Sheet,” etc.
- Keep them short and focused: No brick should be more than a screen or two. If it is, break it up.
- Label clearly: If someone has to guess what’s inside, that’s a fail. “Demo Checklist” is better than “Process Overview.”
Honest Take:
You’ll probably make your first bricks too long or too vague. That’s fine—just keep editing. The beauty of Bricks is you can tweak pieces any time without redoing the whole thing.
Step 4: Assemble Your Personalized Playbook
Once you’ve built a handful of bricks, it’s time to snap them together into a playbook your team can actually use.
Here’s how:
- Drag and drop bricks in the order reps need them. (No, really, don’t just copy your old playbook’s order.)
- Personalize for roles or regions: Maybe your European team needs a different pricing explanation. Duplicate the playbook and swap in the right bricks. No more “CTRL+F and pray.”
- Add context, not clutter: Use intro bricks or notes only where they genuinely help. If something’s not actionable, leave it out.
What Works:
- Playbooks that start with quick wins (e.g. “Top 3 objection busters”) get used more.
- Modular bricks make it easy to update just the parts that change (like pricing or messaging).
What Doesn’t:
- Overly rigid “one-size-fits-all” playbooks. If every rep has to scroll past stuff that doesn’t apply, they’ll tune out.
- Drowning people in theory. Bricks work best when they’re practical and direct.
Step 5: Roll It Out and Get Feedback (The Right Way)
The best playbook is useless if nobody opens it. Or if it’s so “personalized” it’s confusing.
Here’s how to avoid a flop: - Pick a small test group: Don’t blast it to the whole org. Try it with a few reps who’ll give honest feedback. - Watch how they use it: Ask what’s missing, what’s confusing, and what’s actually helpful. - Iterate fast: With Bricks, swapping out a brick takes seconds. Don’t wait for “version 2.0”—just keep improving.
Pro Tip:
Bribe your testers with coffee or lunch if you have to. Real feedback is worth it.
Step 6: Keep It Alive—Don’t Set and Forget
This is where most playbooks go to die. You launch them, everyone nods, and then they gather dust.
With Bricks, you can (and should) update playbooks as your process changes: - New objection comes up? Add a brick. - Changed your pricing? Swap that brick in every playbook at once. - Killer cold email template? Drop it in for everyone.
Set a reminder to review your playbooks monthly or after big product updates. If nobody’s making changes, it’s probably not getting used.
Common Mistakes to Dodge
- Trying to make it perfect before launch. You’ll never get there. Get version 1 out, then improve.
- Overcomplicating with too many bricks. Less is more. Only include what people actually need.
- Ignoring feedback. If reps are still building their own cheat sheets, your playbook isn’t working—fix it.
Gotchas and Limitations
Bricks is great for modular content, but: - If your process changes every week, you’ll spend a lot of time updating. - Some integrations (like with CRMs) may be limited or clunky—double-check before promising full automation. - Don’t expect Bricks to magically fix a broken sales process. It’s a tool, not a miracle worker.
Wrapping Up
Personalized sales playbooks shouldn’t be a chore—or a shelf decoration. With Bricks, you can build, test, and tweak playbooks that fit your team and your reality, not some consultant’s idea of “best practice.” Start small, keep it practical, and don’t be afraid to toss out what isn’t working. Sales is already hard enough. Your playbook should make it easier, not add to the noise.