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When it comes time to give that final push before year-end, you need to stay on track and focus on the tasks that tangibly drive results.
Reaching out, posing the ask, following up, and closing the sale requires consistency.
And sometimes, that consistency can only be achieved through detailed manuals that consolidate every successful pitch, tactic, email, and call script that has helped your sales team shine. That is your sales playbook.
HubSpot kicks the traditional sales playbook up a gear by delivering customizable and interactive software that unlocks reliable sales data at scale. Using structured notes and standardized multiple-choice options, HubSpot keeps your reps prepared and empowers them to adapt quickly to every situation - whether that's qualifying a lead, negotiating, or tackling new verticals.
To truly maximize the Playbooks tool on HubSpot and speed up your deals, there's a small amount of groundwork needed to set it up properly on your CRM platform. Follow the guide below to accelerate your sales strategy with Playbooks!
What Are HubSpot Playbooks?
Playbooks are interactive content cards that your team can reference during interactions with prospects and customers. They appear in records like Contacts, Companies, Deals, and Tickets, allowing users to standardize notes and conversations. With Playbooks, you can guide your team through important talking points, create consistency across communications, and capture valuable insights.
Access and Permissions
Before you begin creating and using playbooks, you want to understand the access levels at play.
Playbooks are available with Sales Hub and Service Hub Professional or Enterprise subscriptions. However, only users with assigned seats and the appropriate permissions can create, edit, or delete Playbooks. All users on these paid seats can still view and use Playbooks, even without editing permissions.
Creating a Playbook
To get started:
- Navigate to your Library: In your HubSpot account, go to Library > Playbooks.
- Click ‘Create Playbook’: You’ll find this option in the upper-right corner.
- Choose a template or start from scratch: Preview available templates or create your own custom playbook based on your needs.
- Title and structure your Playbook: Enter a relevant title, and start adding content in the Playbook text editor. HubSpot’s AI content writer can help by offering suggestions—just type
/to see available options.
You can format your Playbook with links, images, knowledge base articles, and even snippets of frequently used phrases. For teams using HubSpot's Sales Hub Enterprise, advanced options like List of Answer Options and Automatic Property Updates make Playbooks even more powerful.
Enhancing Your Playbooks with AI
HubSpot’s AI tools make crafting and refining Playbooks easier than ever. In the Playbook editor, you can highlight text and use AI-generated suggestions for smoother, more effective communication. This feature helps ensure that your content is clear, concise, and aligned with your goals.
Customizing Playbooks for Your Team
Your Playbooks should align with different stages of the sales process. Here's how to make sure they cover each step:
- Outline Stages: Identify which stage of the sales funnel the Playbook will support. Is it for prospecting, nurturing leads, or closing deals?
- Segment Your Playbooks: Tailor your messaging to the specific stage. For example, create one Playbook for initial outreach and another for handling objections in later stages.
- Add Personalized Content: The more relevant your Playbooks are to each stage of the process, the more effective they’ll be. Use industry-specific language or solutions that resonate with your buyer personas.
Pro Tip 💡Don’t forget to include important questions your sales reps should ask during each stage.
Linking Playbooks to Deals and Contacts
To make your Playbooks even more seamless, link them directly to your deals and contacts in the CRM:
Go to Deals or Contacts: Head to your deals or contacts section in HubSpot.
Click on a Record: Open the contact or deal record where you want to use a Playbook.
Use the Playbooks Tool: You’ll see a Playbooks tab inside the contact or deal. Simply click it to pull up the relevant Playbook while you’re in conversation with that client.
Teach your sales reps to have the Playbook ready during calls, so they can reference key points or questions.
Tracking Performance & Making Adjustments
The work doesn’t stop at creating Playbooks. You’ll want to monitor how effective they are and refine them regularly:
Use Reporting Features: HubSpot’s Playbooks come with built-in tracking. Head over to the Analytics section to see how often each Playbook is being used and the impact it’s having on closing deals.
Refine Based on Feedback: Gather input from your sales team to see what works and what doesn’t. Continually tweak your Playbooks for even better results.
Keep in mind that Playbooks are living documents—update them whenever you roll out new strategies or tactics.
Organizing and Managing Playbooks
Managing your Playbooks effectively is key to keeping your team on track and ensuring everyone has access to the best resources.
How to Manage Playbooks:
- Access Playbooks: Head back to Library > Playbooks in your HubSpot account.
- Search or Filter: Use the search bar to quickly find specific Playbooks, or filter by owner to see what others are working on.
- Edit or Clone: Hover over the Playbook name to edit, clone, delete, or unpublish it—keep it fresh!
- Keep Track of Changes: Click on Version history to review and restore past versions if needed.
- Organize Your Space: Create folders to categorize your Playbooks, making it easy for everyone to find what they need.
Pro Tip 💡 Regularly check in on how your Playbooks are being used. Gather feedback from your team to keep improving!
Why HubSpot Playbooks Matter
Every year, businesses pour millions of dollars into researching and creating sales playbooks filled with great content. They hold well-attended launch webinars and feel confident they’re on the path to breaking prior sales records.
Fast forward six months, and they’re wondering why their sales reps aren’t referencing the playbook and don’t seem interested in getting updates. At the end of the day, these sales playbooks have to bring direct, measurable value to your reps, but making that value clear isn't always simple.
HubSpot Playbooks have been custom-built to take the hesitation out of your sales process and provide easy access to the content and info your reps need to close the deal. You're able to easily tailor your Playbooks to different buyer personas, stages, regions, and situations, so the right Playbook is presented to the right rep at the right place and time.
Given that sales reps exert a lot of energy in creating effective sales resources, you need a dynamic tool that reflects changing markets, products, and buyers. HubSpot Playbooks help your reps adapt quickly and stop them from relying on outdated materials. Once you update a Playbook in your sales software, your reps immediately have the latest versions available to them.
Optimize Your Sales Playbooks with Flawless Inbound
As a leading HubSpot Solutions Partner, Flawless Inbound can help you set up powerful, personalized Playbooks in HubSpot or optimize your existing ones to refine your sales process. Whether you're looking to create structured, step-by-step guides for your sales reps or refine current Playbooks to drive more consistency and results, our team has the expertise to infuse best practices and insights into your playbooks.
Ready to elevate your sales performance? Schedule a free consultation with us today!