> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.m9tz.de/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Sales / Pipeline Department Playbook

> See how the agent blueprint applies to a sales or pipeline department — role definition, SOPs, qualification logic, outbound interfaces, and escalation rules.

# Sales / pipeline department playbook

This playbook illustrates how the agent blueprint applies to a department whose primary job is receiving inbound interest, evaluating it against defined criteria, and moving qualified opportunities forward in a structured way. You might recognise this as a sales development function, a lead qualification desk, or a new business pipeline team.

Use this as a reference when mapping the blueprint to your own equivalent department. Every placeholder ("Department B", "VM-2", "your CRM") stands in for the real names you would substitute during a scoping engagement.

<Note>
  This playbook describes a structural pattern, not a finished implementation. Exact scope, timelines, and fit for your situation are determined during the consulting process. See [Scope & Boundaries](/consulting/scoping) for how scoping works.
</Note>

***

## Department profile

| Dimension                       | Example value                                                                                          |
| ------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Department name**             | Department B (sales / pipeline)                                                                        |
| **Primary role**                | Receive inbound interest, apply qualification logic, and route qualified opportunities to the pipeline |
| **Primary input sources**       | Web enquiry form, shared leads inbox, CRM new-contact webhook                                          |
| **Primary outbound interfaces** | Your CRM (pipeline stage updates), outbound email, internal handoff notification                       |
| **VM designation**              | VM-2                                                                                                   |

***

## Role definition

The agent's role statement for a sales department:

> *VM-2 is responsible for receiving inbound enquiries, applying the defined qualification criteria, logging the result in your CRM, and routing qualified opportunities to the next pipeline stage. It does not negotiate terms, make pricing commitments, or access contract data.*

This boundary is important: the agent's job is to apply a defined SOP, not to sell. Pricing, timelines, and commitments are always handled by a person. For guidance on what falls outside the agent's scope, see [Scope & Boundaries](/consulting/scoping).

***

## Standard operating procedures

<Accordion title="SOP 1: Receive and parse inbound enquiry">
  **Trigger:** A new submission arrives from a connected input source (web form, shared inbox, or CRM webhook).

  **Steps:**

  1. Parse the submission to extract relevant fields: contact name, organisation name, stated need, and any other fields defined in the SOP configuration.
  2. Check whether a record for this contact already exists in your CRM.
  3. If a record exists, link the new enquiry to it. If not, create a new contact record.
  4. Log the raw submission against the contact record with a timestamp.
  5. Pass the parsed data to SOP 2.

  **Escalation rule:** If the submission cannot be parsed or key fields are missing, route to the human review queue flagged as "incomplete submission".
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="SOP 2: Apply qualification criteria">
  **Trigger:** Parsed enquiry data from SOP 1.

  **Steps:**

  1. Evaluate the parsed data against the qualification criteria defined for this deployment (criteria are configured per organisation and may include factors such as organisation size, stated need, geography, or stated timeline).
  2. Assign one of three qualification outcomes: **qualified**, **borderline**, or **not qualified**.
  3. Log the outcome and the criteria scores against the CRM record.
  4. Route to the appropriate next SOP based on outcome.

  **Escalation rule:** Borderline outcomes always route to the human review queue for a person to decide. The agent does not resolve borderline cases autonomously.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="SOP 3: Route a qualified opportunity">
  **Trigger:** Enquiry qualified as "qualified" by SOP 2.

  **Steps:**

  1. Update the CRM record to move the opportunity to the defined next pipeline stage.
  2. Compose a first-touch reply to the contact using the approved outreach template. The reply references the stated need extracted in SOP 1 but does not make any pricing or timeline commitment.
  3. Send the reply from the shared outbound email account.
  4. Create an internal handoff notification for the responsible team member, including the contact record link and a summary of the qualification result.
  5. Log all actions against the CRM record with timestamps.

  **Escalation rule:** If the CRM update fails or the email send fails, route to the human review queue with the full context so no opportunity is lost silently.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="SOP 4: Route a not-qualified enquiry">
  **Trigger:** Enquiry qualified as "not qualified" by SOP 2.

  **Steps:**

  1. Update the CRM record with the not-qualified status and the criteria scores.
  2. Add the contact to the defined nurture sequence in your CRM (if one is configured).
  3. Optionally send an acknowledgement to the contact using the approved not-qualified template (configured per deployment).
  4. Log all actions with timestamps.

  **Note:** No substantive sales communication is sent to not-qualified contacts by the agent. The nurture sequence, if used, is managed separately.
</Accordion>

***

## Qualification criteria

Qualification criteria are configured per deployment. They are not hard-coded into the blueprint; they are defined with you during the design phase and encoded into SOP 2's decision logic.

A typical criteria structure looks like this:

| Criterion              | Signals a qualified fit                          | Signals a poor fit                           |
| ---------------------- | ------------------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------- |
| Stated need alignment  | Matches defined priority use cases               | Outside defined scope                        |
| Organisation size      | Within the target range                          | Too small or too large for viable engagement |
| Decision-making signal | Contact has stated authority or budget ownership | No signal of decision-making involvement     |
| Timeline               | Has a defined need within a reasonable window    | Exploring with no stated timeline            |

<Note>
  You define and own your qualification criteria. They can be updated between phases as you learn from early results. Changes to criteria are treated as a configuration update, not a rebuild.
</Note>

***

## Input sources

| Input source            | What it delivers                                   | Format                 |
| ----------------------- | -------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------- |
| Web enquiry form        | Submitted interest from website visitors           | Structured JSON fields |
| Shared leads inbox      | Inbound emails to a monitored address              | Unstructured text      |
| CRM new-contact webhook | Automatically created contacts from other channels | Structured JSON        |

***

## Outbound interfaces

| Outbound interface            | What the agent writes                                             | Requires human approval? |
| ----------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------ |
| Your CRM                      | Pipeline stage updates, qualification scores, activity log        | No                       |
| Outbound email account        | First-touch replies (qualified), acknowledgements (not-qualified) | No (template-bound only) |
| Internal handoff notification | Summary for responsible team member                               | N/A (notification only)  |
| Human review queue            | Borderline and incomplete submissions                             | N/A (routing only)       |

***

## Escalation rules

The following situations always route to a human:

* Borderline qualification outcomes
* Any enquiry that cannot be parsed or is missing required fields
* Any enquiry where the contact record cannot be created or updated in your CRM
* Any enquiry that explicitly mentions pricing, contracts, or legal terms — these are flagged and passed to the responsible team member
* Any outbound action that fails (email send failure, CRM write failure)

When escalated, the agent passes the full submission, the parsed fields, the qualification result (if available), and a plain-language summary of why it escalated.

***

## JSON message flow (simplified)

A simplified qualification event record written to your CRM:

```json theme={null}
{
  "event": "inbound_enquiry",
  "source": "web_form",
  "contact_ref": "CONTACT-0042",
  "enquiry_id": "ENQ-20240801-011",
  "parsed_fields": {
    "stated_need": "process automation",
    "organisation_size_signal": "within_range",
    "timeline_signal": "defined"
  },
  "qualification_outcome": "qualified",
  "criteria_scores": {
    "need_alignment": 1,
    "size_signal": 1,
    "decision_signal": 0,
    "timeline_signal": 1
  },
  "pipeline_stage_updated": "new_qualified",
  "first_touch_sent": true,
  "handoff_created": true,
  "escalated": false,
  "timestamp": "2024-08-01T10:42:00Z"
}
```

***

## Staged evolution

| Phase   | What is automated                                                  | What remains manual                       |
| ------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------- |
| Phase 1 | Parse and log inbound enquiries; qualification scoring only        | All outbound contact and pipeline updates |
| Phase 2 | CRM pipeline updates added; internal handoff notifications added   | Outbound contact to prospects             |
| Phase 3 | First-touch replies added (template-bound, no pricing/commitments) | Borderline resolution, all follow-up      |

Phase 1 lets the team validate the qualification SOP against real submissions before any external communication is sent. This is the recommended starting point for any department where the first impression with a potential contact matters.

***

## Cross-references

* [What is an agent?](/what-is-an-agent) — role definitions and the three layers of every agent
* [Agent Structure → Overview](/agent-structure/overview) — inputs, intelligence, and actions
* [Agent Structure → Components](/agent-structure/components) — guardrails, memory, and handoff rules
* [Agent Structure → Integrations](/agent-structure/integrations) — connecting CRM, email, and form inputs
* [Scope & Boundaries](/consulting/scoping) — how qualification criteria and scope are defined and controlled