Brainforge Knowledge

rep-engagement-playbook

9 min read

Rep Engagement Playbook: From Cold to Deals

Purpose: How to turn partner sales reps into deal-bringers
Example: Snowflake reps → qualified intros
Date: January 2025

🎯 The Rep Engagement Ladder

Goal: Move reps up the ladder from Cold → Engaged → Bringing Deals

Reps Bringing Deals (Tier 1)
↑ Making intros, bringing us into deals
↑
Reps Engaged (Tier 2)
↑ Responsive, interested, using materials
↑
Cold Reps (Tier 3)
↑ Haven't engaged yet

Tracker columns:

  • REPS BRINGING DEALS: How many are actively introducing us
  • REPS ENGAGED: How many are responsive and interested
  • LEADS GENERATED: Total intros from all reps
  • CLOSED/WON DEALS: Total deals closed

📋 Step-by-Step: The Snowflake Example

Phase 1: Identify Target Reps (Week 1)

Goal: Find 10-15 Snowflake reps who work accounts in your ICP.

How:

  1. Ask partner manager for list

    • “We want to support reps who work Logistics/Manufacturing accounts >$50M”
    • “Can you introduce us to 10-15 reps in [regions]?”

  2. Use LinkedIn

    • Search: “Snowflake Account Executive Logistics”
    • Filter by region, industry
    • Export 10-15 names

  3. Use Slack (if you have partner channel)

    • See who’s active in Snowflake partner channel
    • Note who posts about relevant accounts

Output:

  • List of 10-15 target reps in HubSpot
  • Tagged: “Partner: Snowflake”, “Status: Cold”
  • NEXT ACTION DATE set for each

Add to tracker:

  • Update Snowflake row: REPS ENGAGED = 0, REPS BRINGING DEALS = 0
  • NEXT ACTION NOTES = “Outreach to 10 reps”

Phase 2: Cold Outreach (Week 1-2)

Goal: Get 30-40% response rate (3-4 reps respond out of 10).

Email Template (sent via partner manager or directly):

Subject: Quick win for your [Industry] accounts

Hi [Rep Name],

[Partner Manager Name] suggested I reach out. I'm [Your Name] at Brainforge - we help Snowflake customers accelerate time-to-value on implementations.

I noticed you work with [Industry] accounts. We've helped companies like [Customer Example] go from Snowflake purchase to production dashboards in 6 weeks vs. 6 months.

**What I'm offering:**
- Research 2-3 of your accounts (free)
- Share where Brainforge could accelerate their Snowflake adoption
- No ask - just want to be helpful

Interested? I can send you briefs on [Account 1] and [Account 2] this week.

[Your Name]

Key elements:

  • Specific value (“accelerate time-to-value”)
  • Social proof (customer example)
  • Clear offer (research accounts)
  • No ask (just want to help)
  • Named accounts (shows you did homework)

Follow-up (3 days later if no response):

Subject: Re: Quick win for your [Industry] accounts

[Rep Name],

Following up on this. I went ahead and researched [Account Name] - looks like they're struggling with [specific pain point based on LinkedIn/news].

Here's a quick brief on how Brainforge could help them get value from Snowflake faster: [Link to 1-page brief]

Let me know if this is helpful. Happy to do more.

[Your Name]

Output:

  • 3-4 reps respond (30-40% response rate)
  • Move to “Engaged” in HubSpot
  • NEXT ACTION: Schedule intro call or send account briefs

Update tracker:

  • Snowflake row: REPS ENGAGED = 3-4
  • NEXT ACTION NOTES = “Send account briefs to 4 engaged reps”

Phase 3: Provide Value (Week 2-4)

Goal: Become useful to 2-3 reps (they start using your materials).

For each engaged rep:

  1. Send account brief (Week 2)

    • Research 1-2 of their accounts
    • Use Account Brief Template
    • Focus on: Why Brainforge + Snowflake = faster time-to-value

  2. Share co-sell playbook (Week 3)

    • Send Snowflake Co-Sell Playbook
    • Highlight: Talking points, objection handling, success stories
    • Make it easy to forward to customers

  3. Offer deal support (Week 3-4)

    • “I’m here if you need help on any Snowflake deals”
    • “Can join customer calls, answer technical questions, provide proposals”

Rep responses you want:

  • “This account brief is great, can you do [Account Name] next?”
  • “Can you join my call with [Customer] on Friday?”
  • “I forwarded your playbook to my customer, they want to talk”

Output:

  • 2-3 reps actively using materials
  • 1-2 reps invite you to customer calls
  • Move to “Bringing Deals” when first intro happens

Update tracker:

  • Snowflake row: REPS ENGAGED = 3-4, REPS BRINGING DEALS = 0 (not yet)
  • NEXT ACTION NOTES = “Weekly account research for Mike, Sarah”

Phase 4: Get First Intro (Week 4-8)

Goal: One rep brings you into a deal.

How it typically happens:

Scenario 1: Rep invites you to customer call

  • Rep: “Can you join my call with ABC Corp? They’re evaluating Snowflake and worried about implementation timeline.”
  • You: Join call, position Brainforge as implementation partner
  • Customer: “Let’s schedule a follow-up to discuss Brainforge scope”
  • ✅ Qualified intro achieved

Scenario 2: Rep forwards your materials

  • Rep forwards your account brief or playbook to customer
  • Customer: “This Brainforge approach looks interesting, can we talk?”
  • Rep intros you via email
  • ✅ Qualified intro achieved

Scenario 3: You proactively suggest an account

  • You: “I researched your account DEF Co - they just announced Snowflake rollout. Here’s how we could help.”
  • Rep: “Good timing, I’m talking to them next week. Let me introduce you.”
  • ✅ Qualified intro achieved

After first intro:

  • Document what worked (account brief? training call? proactive research?)
  • Update tracker: REPS BRINGING DEALS = 1, LEADS GENERATED = 1
  • Double down on that approach with other reps

Phase 5: Scale (Week 8-12)

Goal: Get intros from 2-3 reps consistently.

What worked with Rep #1?

  • Was it the account brief?
  • Was it joining their customer call?
  • Was it the co-sell playbook?

Replicate with Reps #2 and #3:

  • Do more of what worked
  • Stop doing what didn’t work

Typical pattern:

  • Rep #1 (Mike): Brings 1-2 intros/month (loves account briefs)
  • Rep #2 (Sarah): Brings 1 intro/quarter (only when you join calls)
  • Rep #3 (David): Ghosted - deprioritize

Focus on Mike and Sarah. Forget David.

Update tracker:

  • Snowflake row: REPS BRINGING DEALS = 2, REPS ENGAGED = 3
  • LEADS GENERATED = 3-4, CLOSED/WON DEALS = 0-1 (deals take time)
  • 90D STATUS = “Delivered” (hit goal of 3 qualified convos)

🔄 The Weekly Rep Engagement Routine

Monday Morning (15 min)

Review tracker:

  • Filter Snowflake reps by NEXT ACTION DATE < Today
  • Who needs attention?

For each rep:

  • Cold rep → Send outreach or account brief
  • Engaged rep → Weekly value touch (account research, playbook update)
  • Rep bringing deals → Support active deals, ask for more intros

Wednesday (30 min)

Account research:

  • Pick 2-3 engaged reps
  • Research 1-2 of their accounts
  • Send account brief via email or Slack

Friday (15 min)

Update tracker:

  • Who responded this week? (Cold → Engaged)
  • Who brought an intro? (Engaged → Bringing Deals)
  • Update REPS ENGAGED, REPS BRINGING DEALS, LEADS GENERATED

📊 Rep Segmentation

How to categorize reps in HubSpot:

Cold Reps (Tier 3)

  • Definition: Haven’t engaged yet
  • Count: ~70% of reps
  • Cadence: Monthly outreach
  • Goal: Get response (Cold → Engaged)

Actions:

  • Send cold outreach email
  • Share account brief proactively
  • Tag partner manager for intro

Engaged Reps (Tier 2)

  • Definition: Responded, using materials, interested
  • Count: ~20% of reps
  • Cadence: Bi-weekly value touch
  • Goal: Get first intro (Engaged → Bringing Deals)

Actions:

  • Weekly account research
  • Join customer calls when invited
  • Share success stories and playbooks

Reps Bringing Deals (Tier 1)

  • Definition: Actively making intros, bringing us into deals
  • Count: ~10% of reps
  • Cadence: Weekly support
  • Goal: Keep them bringing deals, get referrals

Actions:

  • Weekly check-in
  • Priority deal support (proposals, technical questions, join calls)
  • Ask for referrals to other reps

🎯 Success Metrics

Track in your tracker:

Snowflake row:

  • REPS ENGAGED: Target 3-5 (out of 10-15 total reps)
  • REPS BRINGING DEALS: Target 2-3 (out of 3-5 engaged)
  • LEADS GENERATED: Target 3-5 qualified intros per quarter
  • CLOSED/WON DEALS: Target 1-2 deals per quarter

90-Day Goal:

  • Week 1-2: Engage 3-5 reps (30-40% response rate)
  • Week 4-8: Get first intro from 1 rep
  • Week 8-12: Get intros from 2-3 reps

🚧 Common Blockers & Solutions

Blocker 1: Reps don’t respond to outreach

Why:

  • Generic outreach (not specific to their accounts)
  • No clear value (what’s in it for them?)
  • Wrong reps (don’t work your ICP)

Solution:

  • Make outreach specific (name their accounts)
  • Lead with value (free account research)
  • Target better reps (ask partner manager)

Blocker 2: Reps engage but don’t make intros

Why:

  • You’re not valuable enough yet
  • They don’t see the fit
  • They’re waiting for the “right” account

Solution:

  • Provide more value (more account briefs, join calls, answer questions)
  • Make the fit clearer (success stories, case studies)
  • Proactively suggest accounts (“I researched your account XYZ, here’s how we help”)

Blocker 3: One rep brings deals, others don’t

Why:

  • You found one “Jordan” (high-quality rep)
  • Other reps are “time-wasters”

Solution:

  • Double down on the Jordan (give them VIP treatment)
  • Ask Jordan for referrals (“Who else on your team works Logistics accounts?”)
  • Deprioritize time-wasters (focus on performers)

📝 Rep Engagement Checklist

For each partner (e.g., Snowflake):

Week 1: Identify

  • Get list of 10-15 target reps from partner manager
  • Add to HubSpot, tag “Partner: Snowflake”, “Status: Cold”
  • Set NEXT ACTION DATE for each

Week 1-2: Outreach

  • Send cold outreach to 10 reps
  • Follow up after 3 days
  • Target: 3-5 reps respond (30-40% response rate)
  • Update tracker: REPS ENGAGED = 3-5

Week 2-4: Provide Value

  • Send account briefs to engaged reps
  • Share co-sell playbook
  • Offer deal support
  • Target: 2-3 reps actively using materials

Week 4-8: Get First Intro

  • Join customer calls when invited
  • Proactively suggest accounts
  • Support active deals
  • Target: 1 rep brings first intro
  • Update tracker: REPS BRINGING DEALS = 1, LEADS GENERATED = 1

Week 8-12: Scale

  • Replicate what worked with Rep #1
  • Focus on top 2-3 reps
  • Deprioritize non-performers
  • Target: 2-3 reps bringing intros consistently
  • Update tracker: 90D STATUS = “Delivered”

📚 Related Documentation

  • 90-Day Activation Playbook: 90-day-activation-playbook.md - How to plan activation
  • Outreach Templates: templates/outreach-sequences.md - Email templates for reps
  • Account Brief Template: templates/account-brief-template.md - Research accounts for reps
  • Co-Sell Playbook Template: templates/co-sell-playbook-template.md - Create playbooks for reps
  • Partner Playbook: partner-playbook.md - Overall strategy

Last Updated: January 2025
Owner: GTM / Partnerships Lead
Use: Turn cold reps into deal-bringers (Snowflake example)

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