# Sales tactics & pipeline generation Human Guide ## What This Is For When the user needs sales tactics, prospecting ideas, or pipeline generation strategies. It gives the agent a clearer input/output frame for go-to-market work: what context to ask for, what decisions to make, and what usable artifact to return. Use this as a human-readable version of the Sales tactics & pipeline generation agent skill. It is meant for marketers, operators, founders, and other non-coders who want the workflow without reading agent-specific implementation instructions. ## When To Use This - Use this when you need a repeatable process for sales tactics & pipeline generation. - Use this when the task needs judgment, examples, constraints, or a clear output format rather than a one-off prompt. - Use this when you want to hand an AI assistant enough context to produce a usable marketing artifact. ## When Not To Use This - Do not use this when you only need a quick factual answer. - Do not use this when the work depends on private data you cannot share with the assistant. - Do not use this as a replacement for legal, compliance, financial, or medical review. ## What You Need Before Starting - The goal or business outcome you want. - The audience, customer segment, or market context. - Any source material the assistant should respect, such as notes, briefs, examples, URLs, or brand guidance. - Constraints such as tone, length, channel, deadline, region, or approval requirements. - A clear definition of what a good final answer should look like. ## Step-By-Step Workflow 1. State the job clearly: "Use the Sales tactics & pipeline generation guide to help me with..." 2. Add context: audience, goal, offer, channel, source material, and constraints. 3. Ask the assistant to identify missing inputs before producing the final output. 4. Have the assistant follow the skill-specific guidance below. 5. Review the result against the final checklist and ask for revisions where needed. ## Skill-Specific Guidance - Ask about their product, target buyer, and current challenges if not clear - Suggest 3-5 most relevant tactics based on their context - Provide details on implementation for chosen tactics - Consider their resources (team size, budget, tools) - Short cycle: Focus on qualification, demo optimization, quick closes - Long cycle: Focus on multi-threading, stakeholder management, deal progression - Enterprise: Focus on procurement navigation, executive engagement, proof of value - Solo: Prioritize high-leverage activities, automate where possible - Small team: Create repeatable playbooks, share learnings - Large team: Specialize roles, optimize handoffs, measure rigorously - Small deals: Efficiency and volume focus - Mid-market: Balance personalization with efficiency ## Decision Points And Nuance The original skill emphasizes: How to Use This Skill, The 100+ Sales Tactics, Prospecting & Lead Generation, Trigger-Based Outreach, LinkedIn Sales Navigator Deep Dive, Intent Data Prospecting, Competitive Intelligence Mining, Job Posting Analysis, Event Attendee Lists, Podcast Guest Mining. Use these questions to steer the work: - What is the intended audience or buyer? - What source material must be preserved? - What should the assistant optimize for: clarity, persuasion, accuracy, speed, creativity, or conversion? - What examples represent the desired quality bar? - What should the assistant avoid? ## Common Mistakes - If you have investors, ask for introductions to their portfolio companies. If you don't, target VC portfolio companies as proven growth-stage buyers. - Don't cold call—ask mutual connections for introductions. Leverage your network systematically. - Don't accept surface answers. Ask "Why?" three times to get to real motivations and pain. - Start with questions, demo to the pain points uncovered, close with more questions. Never just "show and tell." - Use their actual data or scenario in the demo. Generic demos don't convert—personalized demos do. - Don't just show features—quantify value. "This automation saves 2 hours per person per week. With 10 users, that's 1,000 hours per year." - Don't defend price—demonstrate value. "Let's look at the ROI. If this saves [X], the price becomes trivial." - Create genuine urgency with deadlines, limited availability, or business cost of waiting. Never fake urgency. ## Copy-And-Paste Prompt ```text Use the Sales tactics & pipeline generation human guide. My goal: [Describe the business outcome] Audience: [Describe who this is for] Context and source material: [Paste notes, examples, links, or existing copy] Constraints: [Tone, length, channel, timeline, must-include items, must-avoid items] Before producing the final output, ask me for any missing information that would materially improve the result. ``` ## Final Checklist - [ ] The output matches the original goal. - [ ] The audience and context are reflected in the answer. - [ ] Important constraints and source material were preserved. - [ ] The assistant made the relevant decisions explicit. - [ ] The final artifact is ready to use, review, or hand to the next person. ## Source This guide was generated from the louisblythe/sales-skills skill entry for `sales-tactics`. ## Source Skill Notes These notes preserve the nuance from the original skill. Use them as supporting reference when the workflow above feels too generic. # Sales Tactics & Pipeline Generation You are a sales strategist with a library of 100+ proven sales tactics. Your goal is to help users find the right sales strategies for their specific situation, sales cycle, and resources. ## How to Use This Skill When asked for sales tactics: 1. Ask about their product, target buyer, and current challenges if not clear 2. Suggest 3-5 most relevant tactics based on their context 3. Provide details on implementation for chosen tactics 4. Consider their resources (team size, budget, tools) --- ## The 100+ Sales Tactics Organized by category for easy reference. --- ## Prospecting & Lead Generation ### 1. Trigger-Based Outreach Monitor buying signals and reach out when timing is right: funding announcements, leadership changes, job postings, technology changes, office moves, bad reviews of competitors. ### 2. LinkedIn Sales Navigator Deep Dive Use advanced filters to find exact-fit prospects. Save searches, set alerts, track account activity. Build lists of decision-makers at target accounts. ### 3. Intent Data Prospecting Use tools like Bombora, 6sense, or G2 to identify accounts actively researching your category. Prioritize accounts showing buying intent. ### 4. Competitive Intelligence Mining Track competitor customer announcements, case studies, and reviews. Their customers are proven buyers of solutions like yours. ### 5. Job Posting Analysis Companies hiring for roles your product supports signal budget and priority. "Hiring 5 SDRs" = investing in sales. "Looking for data analyst" = need analytics tools. ### 6. Event Attendee Lists Conference attendee lists are pre-qualified prospect lists. Reach out before, during, and after events. ### 7. Podcast Guest Mining Identify executives who appear on industry podcasts. They're thought leaders who value visibility—and take meetings. ### 8. Community Participation Join Slack groups, Discord servers, and forums where your buyers hang out. Add value first, build relationships, earn the right to sell. ### 9. Content Engagement Tracking Monitor who engages with your company's content (downloads, webinars, social engagement). Warm outreach to engaged leads. ### 10. Referral Mining Systematically ask every customer, partner, and contact for introductions. The warmest leads come from trusted referrals. ### 11. Lost Deal Re-Engagement Revisit deals lost 6-12 months ago. Circumstances change: new leadership, budget cycles, competitive frustrations. ### 12. Closed-Lost Competitor Analysis When competitors close deals you lost, track those accounts for dissatisfaction signals. They're proven buyers who may be open to switching. ### 13. Champion Tracking When your champions change jobs, follow them. They already know and trust your product—now with fresh budget. ### 14. Alumni Network Prospecting Target companies where your existing customers' employees have moved. Built-in credibility and potential warm introductions. ### 15. Investor Portfolio Prospecting If you have investors, ask for introductions to their portfolio companies. If you don't, target VC portfolio companies as proven growth-stage buyers. --- ## Cold Outreach ### 16. Personalized Video Messages Stand out with Loom or Vidyard videos showing prospect's website, LinkedIn, or specific challenge. 3x higher response rates than text. ### 17. The Research-First Email Lead with genuine insight about their business. Show you did homework before asking for time. ### 18. The Mutual Connection Approach Reference shared connections, experiences, or backgrounds. "I noticed we both worked at..." or "Saw you're connected to..."