Output

SOPs

Source:Notion·SAMPLE
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New Client Discovery and Proposal SOP
From first-touch to signed engagement letter
approved
Owner
Curtis
Occurred
Jul 20
Type
sop

Purpose

Sales is a system, not a personality trait. This SOP is the repeatable motion Output Systems uses to move a stranger from a LinkedIn touch to a signed engagement letter, in a way that qualifies out bad fits fast and never depends on the founder being in a persuasive mood.

Owner and status

Curtis owns this SOP. Status: approved v2, refined after the Bluewave renewal conversation revealed weaknesses in step 6 (post-discovery follow-up). Reviewed monthly.

Prerequisites

  • Sales Navigator saved search for the ideal customer profile (fractional COOs, business advisors, boutique consultancies with 3-15 employees)
  • Meet Alfred (or equivalent) sequence configured with 4-touch cadence
  • Calendly configured with a 20-minute "intro" and a 45-minute "discovery" event type
  • Written proposal template in Google Docs

Step-by-step

  1. First-touch via LinkedIn connect + note. Connection request always includes a personal note — never bare connect. Note references something specific from their profile (recent post, company milestone, mutual connection). Sequence auto-fires touch #2 (soft value share, 4 days later) and touch #3 (case-study one-liner, 7 days after that) and touch #4 (bow-out message, 14 days after that) if no reply.

  2. Reply arrives. Two paths. Path A: reply is positive/curious — offer 3 specific times via Calendly link, keep the message under 4 sentences. Path B: reply is "not right now" — thank, ask permission to follow up in 90 days, add to the nurture list.

  3. Book discovery. Prefer 45 min over 20 min for real prospects; the 20 min type is for filter conversations. Discovery is over Zoom, video on. Send a calendar invite with three prep bullets: "come with a rough sense of the top 3 things eating your time; a rough sense of your team structure; and any question you want answered about how I work."

  4. Run the discovery call using the 5-question spine. (a) What does a great week look like for you right now, and how often are you having one? (b) What are the three biggest fires burning right now? (c) When one of those fires resolves, what's the actual mechanism — is it your calendar, your team, a system, or luck? (d) If we were talking 12 months from now and things had really improved, what would specifically be different? (e) What have you tried before, and why did it not stick? Do 80% listening, 20% clarifying. Do not pitch. Take notes visibly. End with: "based on what I heard, here are the 3 things I'd work on first — I'll send you a short written recap and, if it makes sense, a proposal within 48 hours."

  5. Same-day written recap. Two-paragraph email within 4 hours of the call. Paragraph 1: what you heard as the three things. Paragraph 2: whether Output Systems is a good fit and why (or why not — be honest). If yes-fit, note that a proposal is coming. If no-fit, name it — refer them to someone else if you can.

  6. Written proposal within 48 hours (if fit). Standard structure: (a) what we heard; (b) what we recommend as the first 6 months; (c) how we work (weekly L10, monthly leadership sync, quarterly Rocks); (d) what's included / not included; (e) pricing (single number, not a range, not an "it depends"); (f) start date and next step. Kept under 4 pages. Attached as a PDF, not a Google Doc — closes better.

  7. Two follow-ups then archive. Follow-up #1 at day 5: "wanted to make sure this landed and offer any clarifying questions." Follow-up #2 at day 12: "if timing isn't right, no problem — should I circle back in a quarter?" No third follow-up. Archive to nurture.

  8. On yes — trigger Client Onboarding SOP. The moment the signed engagement letter comes back, kick off the onboarding SOP. First invoice fires within 24 hours. Do not wait for the kickoff call.

Edge cases

  • Prospect asks for pricing in the first message. Never quote in writing before a real conversation. Reply: "Happy to share — the pricing depends on scope, and I can only give you a real number after we've talked. Do you have 30 minutes this week?"
  • Prospect wants a smaller engagement than the standard. Offer a paid 4-week diagnostic engagement instead. Never do a discount on the full engagement.
  • Prospect is a great person but bad fit. Say it plainly. Refer to a peer if possible. This is the highest-leverage move for referral flow.
  • Prospect wants to bring 3 partners to the discovery call. Fine but tell them the call will get 30% shorter for each — 45 min becomes 25 min of real work. Or offer a follow-up call for the partners after the first.
  • Referral prospect from an existing client / referrer. Skip step 1, go straight to step 3 (book discovery). Reference the referrer by name in the confirmation.

Success criteria

  • 12% first-touch to reply rate over trailing 90 days.
  • 40% reply-to-discovery conversion.
  • 35% discovery-to-proposal conversion.
  • 45% proposal-to-close conversion.
  • Zero engagements signed without a proposal in writing.

Related SOPs

  • Client Onboarding SOP (triggered on close)
  • Financial Operations SOP (invoicing rules)
  • How We Use This System (pipeline is tracked in Command Center)