Actions: Confirm the primary objective and target segment(s). Run a readiness gate: do you have activation/usage depth + identity/account mapping to create reliable signals? Capture constraints (sales capacity, SLA expectations, privacy/compliance).
Checks: Objective is measurable; segment is explicit; prerequisites and constraints are documented.
2) Map the PLS funnel and decide where sales intervenes
Inputs: Current PLG funnel, user journey, pricing/packaging, sales coverage model.
Actions: Map stages from first value → sustained usage → qualification → sales assist → purchase/expansion → onboarding. Pick intervention points where a human can increase deal size or reduce time-to-value, and define guardrails to keep a low-touch path intact.
Checks: Definition is computable from data, not vibes; includes anti-gaming/false-positive controls.
4) Build the signal spec, scoring, and routing/SLA rules
Inputs: Available events/properties, identity graph, sales capacity, CRM workflow.
Actions: Create a signal catalog (activation/aha, depth, breadth, integrations, invites, admin actions, billing intent). Set thresholds and scoring, define routing (who gets alerted, when), and specify a triage/holdout path for ambiguous signals.
Outputs: Signal spec table + scoring model + routing + SLA + disposition taxonomy.
Checks: Signals map to intent and value potential; routing matches capacity; false positives are addressed.
5) Design the sales workflow and Product↔Sales feedback loop
Actions: Define the operational workflow: alert delivery, assignment rules, what context reps see, required actions, logging, dispositions, and a weekly tuning loop with Product/RevOps to improve signals and messaging.
Checks: Every alert has a next best action; outcomes are measurable and feed back into tuning.
6) Create the usage-triggered outreach kit (helpful, not creepy)
Inputs: Use case narrative, common objections, signal context.
Actions: Write email templates that reference helpful context (“noticed you’re setting up X”) without surveillance language. Provide variants for early vs high intent. Add a call opener + discovery prompts anchored to the user’s likely goal.
Checks: One clear ask per message; tone is respectful/compliant; personalization uses only approved signals.
7) Pilot, measure, iterate, and scale
Inputs: Draft pack; baseline metrics; pilot constraints.
Actions: Propose a pilot (segment + duration + sample size), define success metrics and leading indicators (time-to-first-touch, meeting rate, conversion, expansion, retention). Run references/CHECKLISTS.md and score with references/RUBRIC.md. Finalize with Risks / Open questions / Next steps and a rollout plan.
Outputs: Final Product-Led Sales Motion Pack + pilot/measurement plan.
Checks: Pilot is bounded; dashboards are specified; iteration cadence is scheduled and owned.
Always include: Risks, Open questions, Next steps.
Anti-patterns
Avoid these common failure modes when producing a Product-Led Sales Motion Pack:
Treating every signup as a PQL — Defining product-qualified leads so broadly that sales gets flooded with low-intent users. PQL/PQA definitions must have exclusion criteria and false-positive controls, not just inclusion signals.
”Creepy” outreach — Referencing internal usage data in ways that feel like surveillance (“We noticed you logged in 47 times this week”). Outreach must be helpful and reference only approved, user-facing signals.
Breaking the self-serve path — Forcing all users into a sales conversation. The low-touch conversion funnel must remain intact. PLS is a layer on top, not a replacement for self-serve.
Scoring without instrumentation — Building an elaborate PQL scoring model on data you do not actually collect. The signal spec must be grounded in available events, with an instrumentation plan for gaps.
Shipping without a pilot — Rolling out PLS signals and routing to the full user base without a bounded pilot. Start with one segment, measure, tune thresholds, and only then scale.
Examples
Example 1 (trial to sales assist):
“Use product-led-sales. We’re a B2B analytics tool with a 14-day trial. We get lots of signups but low trial-to-paid. We have usage events and can map users to companies via email domain. Sales: 2 SDRs + 2 AEs. Output: a Product-Led Sales Motion Pack with a PQL definition, routing rules, outreach emails, and a 4-week pilot plan.”
Example 2 (expansion via PQA):
“Use product-led-sales. We’re seat-based SaaS. Teams start self-serve at $20/seat but we want to land-and-expand into 100+ seat contracts. We can detect invites, admin setup, and integration activation. Output: a Motion Pack that defines PQAs, scoring, and a sales workflow + outreach kit for expansion.”
Boundary example (redirect to founder-sales):
“We just launched our product and have 20 signups but no paying customers yet. Help me sell to them.”
Response: With only 20 signups and no paying customers, you are in founder-led sales mode, not product-led sales. Use founder-sales to build an ICP wedge, diagnostic discovery script, and outreach kit for your first customers. Return here once you have meaningful self-serve usage patterns to analyze.
Boundary example (redirect to enterprise-sales):
“We have a $150K deal in flight with a buying committee. The VP of Engineering is our champion but procurement is stalling.”
Response: This is an active enterprise deal execution problem with a buying committee and procurement process. Use enterprise-sales for buying committee mapping, champion enablement, and procurement/security project management. Product-led sales is about designing the motion that creates pipeline, not closing individual enterprise deals.
Anti-pattern example:
“Write a generic cold outbound sequence for any product and send it to 50,000 people.”
Response: This skill is usage-signal-driven and must be targeted and compliant. Request product + ICP + available signals and produce a small, testable sequence and pilot instead.