Looking to get your sales team on the same page, or just tired of winging it every time you get a new lead? Building a sales playbook can save you tons of time and headaches. If your company uses Salesken, you’ve probably heard about their playbook features. They’re useful—but only if you know what you’re doing.
This guide is for sales managers, enablement folks, or anyone who wants a practical, no-nonsense way to set up custom sales playbooks in Salesken. I’ll walk you through every step, point out common traps, and share shortcuts. Let’s get into it.
Why Bother With a Sales Playbook?
If you’ve ever had to answer the same basic sales questions a dozen times, or watched new reps flounder, you already know the pain. A sales playbook gives your team a clear, repeatable process—and if you set it up right in Salesken, it can actually make your life easier.
But let’s be clear: the best playbooks are simple, focused, and based on what actually works for your business, not what some guru says. You don’t need a 50-page document. You need actionable steps, proven talk tracks, and a way to keep things updated.
What You Need Before You Start
Before you dive into Salesken, get these nailed down:
- Your current sales process: Map out the basic stages from lead to closed deal.
- Key messages: What do you want reps to say (or not say) at each stage?
- Common objections: List out the ones you hear the most—and what works to overcome them.
- A little buy-in: Even a basic playbook is useless if your team ignores it. Get feedback from a few trusted reps.
Pro tip: Don’t overthink this. Start small. You can (and should) update your playbook as you learn what works.
Step 1: Log In and Get to the Playbook Module
First things first—fire up Salesken and log in with an account that has admin or manager rights. Not all users can create or edit playbooks, so if you’re stuck, get access from whoever runs Salesken at your company.
- From the dashboard, find the Playbooks section—usually in the main menu or under the “Enablement” tab.
- Click Create New Playbook (the wording might vary, but it’ll be obvious).
If you can’t find the playbook module, check your permissions or ask your admin. No sense banging your head against the wall.
Step 2: Set Up the Basics—Name, Description, and Audience
Here’s where a lot of people get tripped up by trying to be clever. Don’t overcomplicate it.
- Name: Be clear and specific (e.g., “Inbound Demo Process – SMB Team”)
- Description: Spell out what this playbook covers and who it’s for.
- Audience: Pick which teams, roles, or regions this playbook applies to. Don’t broadcast it to everyone unless you want chaos.
Pro tip: If you have more than one sales motion (e.g., inbound vs. outbound, or SMB vs. enterprise), make separate playbooks. Don’t mash everything together.
Step 3: Define Your Sales Stages
This is the backbone of your playbook. Salesken usually lets you map stages to your CRM pipeline, but don’t just copy/paste. Think about what actually happens in your sales process.
- Click Add Stage and enter a clear, brief name (e.g., “Discovery Call,” “Demo Scheduled,” “Negotiation”).
- For each stage, jot down the goal (what should happen before you move to the next stage).
- Keep it as simple as possible. Too many stages = confusion.
What to avoid:
Don’t build your stages around internal processes nobody cares about (“Proposal Sent #2” or “Legal Review—Maybe”). Focus on what the rep is actually doing with the customer.
Step 4: Add Playbook Content for Each Stage
This is where you actually make your reps’ lives easier. For each stage, add:
- Talk tracks or scripts: Not word-for-word, but guidance. “Ask about their current tool. Listen for pain points like X, Y, Z.”
- Key questions: What should reps always ask? What do you not want them to ask?
- Common objections and responses: Be honest—include what actually works, not just what sounds good in training.
- Resources: Link to relevant docs, case studies, or pricing sheets.
You can usually add text, links, and sometimes attach files. If you have battlecards or cheat sheets, now’s the time to plug them in.
What works:
Short, actionable tips. Example:
- “Always confirm the next step before ending the call.”
- “If the customer says price is too high, ask: ‘What budget range did you have in mind?’”
What to ignore:
Don’t copy-paste generic sales tips from the internet. If it doesn’t align with how you actually sell, leave it out.
Step 5: Set Up Triggers and Guidance (Optional, but Powerful)
One of Salesken’s strengths is real-time guidance—like nudging reps if they miss a key question. But this works only if you set up good triggers.
- Add triggers or cues: For example, if the rep hasn’t asked about timeline by Stage 2, Salesken can remind them.
- Define what “good” looks like: Highlight must-have questions or red flags.
- Be careful not to overdo it: Too many pop-ups and reminders will annoy your team and they’ll just tune it out.
Pro tip: Start with 1–2 critical triggers per stage. You can always add more later if they’re actually helpful.
Step 6: Review and Test Your Playbook
Before you roll it out, do a quick check:
- Read through each stage—does it make sense? Are there any steps missing?
- Ask a couple of reps to walk through a mock sales call using the playbook. Watch where they get stuck or confused.
- Fix anything that causes confusion or feels like busywork.
Don’t be precious about your first draft. You’ll find gaps once reps start using it.
Step 7: Publish and Share With Your Team
Once you’re happy with it, hit Publish (or whatever Salesken calls it).
- Let your team know the playbook is live—don’t just hope they’ll find it.
- Walk them through the highlights in a quick meeting or Loom video.
- Explain why you made certain choices. If something is new or different, call it out.
What doesn’t work:
Just dropping the playbook in and expecting instant adoption. Schedule time for questions, and show how it’ll actually help them close deals faster.
Step 8: Iterate Based on Feedback and Real-World Use
This is where most playbooks die—they get launched once and then ignored. Don’t let yours become shelfware.
- Check in with your team after a week or two. What’s working? What’s broken?
- Make small updates based on real feedback, not just your own hunches.
- Use Salesken’s analytics (if available) to see which stages or messages get used (or skipped).
Pro tip: Set a calendar reminder to review and update playbooks every month or quarter. Sales changes, and so should your playbook.
What to Avoid (Common Pitfalls)
- Overcomplicating: More detail isn’t always better. If your reps can’t skim it quickly, it’s too long.
- Ignoring feedback: If your team isn’t using parts of the playbook, find out why. Maybe it’s not helpful—or maybe your process needs tweaking.
- Letting it get stale: Outdated pricing, old messaging, or irrelevant objections will make you look out of touch.
Make It Work for Your Team—Not Just for the Tool
Salesken gives you a solid framework, but no tool can fix a broken process or bad messaging. Your playbook should make your team’s jobs easier, not just check a box for management.
Start small, get feedback, and tweak as you go. The best playbooks are living docs—updated, used, and actually helpful. You’ll get more out of Salesken, your team will close more deals, and you’ll spend less time herding cats. That’s a win all around.