Incorporating Sales Requests Into Daily Workflow

Feel like you're always fighting with sales? Fielding incoming client requests is the curse of many PMs. You never get to work on your strategic plans. Triaging, prioritising and responding is a pain.  😫 Some thoughts on how to deal with this in a collaborative, non adversarial way: 𝗜𝗧'𝗦 𝗔 𝗝𝗢𝗜𝗡𝗧 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 • Product plans should be flexible • If Sales want something different, that should be an option • It’s not about sticking to the plan, it’s about getting the best results for the company. • That usually means an ongoing discussion, and joint decision with Sales    𝗕𝗔𝗧𝗖𝗛 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗣𝗢𝗡𝗦𝗘𝗦 • That said, responding to incoming requests in real time can be hugely disruptive for everyone. • If you can agree to triage and respond every 1-3 weeks you'll be much more efficient. 𝗦𝗘𝗚𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗖𝗟𝗜𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗦 • To help prioritisation, you want to know how important the requesting customer is • Sales probably already segment customers. • Make sure you see this. • Prioritisation will be much more effective 𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗬 • Create 4-5 ratings for the importance of requests. • Is this a nice idea that popped up on a routine call? • Or is this a must-have-this-now-or-we’ll-churn situation? • Again, make it visible and factor it into prioritisation. 𝗛𝗔𝗩𝗘 𝗔 𝗕𝗨𝗗𝗚𝗘𝗧 • Decide in quarterly planning what % of product time should be spent on Sales requests • Look at what you've done in the past, and what big strategic bets you want to make in the future • This should be a leadership / CEO decision, not a product one 𝗝𝗢𝗜𝗡𝗧 𝗣𝗥𝗜𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗦𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 • Now you can do sensible prioritisation. • Do this with a Sales leader, so they understand the opportunity cost and trade offs you are making. • The roadmap for the "budget" should be co-own between Sales and Product. • Let the Sales leader cascade decisions to their team: it stops them complaining to PMs. 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗡𝗗𝗔𝗥𝗗𝗜𝗦𝗘𝗗 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗣𝗢𝗡𝗦𝗘𝗦 • Streamline customer comms by coming up with ~4 standardised responses: a. we’re already working on this (release date X) b. we’re going to work on this (X timeframe) c. we might work on this, but it’s not planned d. we will probably never do this • Every time you triage a request, assign a response. • Now Sales knows exactly the message to give people, and why. • Time writing explanations should drop, while reduced uncertainty should keep everyone (more or less) happy. 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗧 𝗧𝗢 £££ 𝗔𝗠𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗧𝗦 • £50k a month is often a good rule of thumb for the cost of a product team. • That always you to cost any request. • Telling Sales something costs £50k rather than take 3 weeks helps you stay commercial. Full guide + some awesome templates: https://lnkd.in/e4YTkHBJ Hustle Badger is the best place to accelerate your product career with a wiki, courses and community.

Here is a 3-step daily workflow you can run to consistently build high-quality pipeline: 1. Account Selection (5–10 accounts per day) Do not waste time on every account. Select 3-5 accounts per day (or more depending on your role / segment) Ask: Do they have recent funding, headcount growth, or new executive hires? Why does it make sense to reach out now? Sales Navigator filters to use: -Funding in the last 9 months -Headcount growth in the last 6 months -Recent leadership hires -Hiring in your target persona’s department Spend time where budget and urgency exist. 2. Research the Why (3–5 insights per account) Your outreach is only as strong as the “why now.” Look for signals that indicate a problem or priority exists: -Earnings calls, 10-Ks, or press releases that highlight growth bets and risks -Executive interviews or LinkedIn activity that show current focus areas -Job postings that reveal strategic priorities -New product announcements, funding -G2, Glassdoor and RepVue reviews AI Prompt: "Act like a sales researcher. Summarize 3 current business challenges [Company] is facing based on hiring signals, funding news, and leadership changes. Show where a [your solution] could help." 3. Execute with Unscalable Tactics (reach 3-5 contacts per account) This is where you stand out and break through the noise. Do not rely on templates. Invest in personal touches: -Record a 45-second video showing a relevant observation tied to a problem statement -Send a handwritten note that ties directly to their initiative -Give a thoughtful gift connected to some kind of context (if they announced a new office in Austin, send local coffee with a note saying “Fuel for your growing Austin team”) -Build a one-page mockup showing how your solution addresses the exact problem you uncovered -Comment on their LinkedIn posts and send LinkedIn Video DMs TLDR: Do the unscalable tactics most reps won't. Run this daily with 5–10 accounts.

97% of sales teams do not have a clear daily routine (That's why their performance is inconsistent) As a founder or sales leader, You know how important daily routines, Are to get your team performing at their best. But what if I told you that the right scheduling for your sales team, Could dramatically increase results? Here’s what works for teams of 3-10 salespeople in B2B companies: ☑ Start with CRM hygiene → Ensure your team begins by reviewing the CRM. → Clean up old entries, check for updates, and keep it fresh. ☑ Morning alignment meeting → Quickly align on priorities, goals, and action items. → Make sure everyone is ready to hit the ground running. ☑ Daily outbound campaign review → Ensure each salesperson knows the campaigns for the day. → Revisit targets and goals to stay focused on the right prospects. ☑ Cold call blocks → Set specific times for cold calling with no distractions. → Consistency is the key to success. ☑ Role-play sessions → Practice sales conversations, objections, and refining pitch strategies. → The more prepared your team is, the smoother the calls will go. By establishing a solid morning routine, Your sales team can stay sharp, focused, and aligned every day. Your CRM is the backbone of your sales process. Make sure everyone is actively using it to build their workflow, And close more deals. Focus on consistency, and watch your team’s performance improve. What does your sales team daily routine look like?