Salesloft Best Practices

Salesloft’s Sales Strategist Agent works best when it understands your specific goals. While the Agent provides a standard analysis by default, you can use Instruction Prompts to tell it exactly what to prioritize, what to ignore, and how to deliver feedback.How to use this guide:Find your specific goal or "Purpose" in the left-hand column. Review and copy the corresponding Instruction Example from the right-hand column. Paste that instruction into your Sales Strategist Agent settings to instantly customize its output. Purpose Instruction Examples Specify a tone or personality for the agent to take on when creating your outputs. Take the persona of a quirky expert that uses Star Wars references Use an upbeat, helpful, expert tone Cut to the chase without filler words Specify a framework for the agent to reference when creating the outputs Structure your response using the GROW model for sales coaching Evaluate how well the rep is adherin

Webinars are a powerful tool for engaging prospects and customers, but ensuring high attendance can be challenging. Implementing a well-crafted Pre-Event Cadence can drive more sign-ups and maximize your event's success. Here’s how you can do it:Best Practices:Target prospects you want to meet with, or are in a deal cycle with. If the event is in-person, target geographically. Use Automation Rules to trigger leads directly into your Pre-Event Cadence. Assign leads to the rep who owns the account. This will help inform their overall account strategy. Create Pre-Event Cadences as Team Cadences for every event. Share with Sales to drive usage.Here’s a look at a Pre-Event Cadence:  Have any go-to strategies for boosting event attendance? We want to hear them! Share your pre-event strategies in the comment section. #EventSuccess #SalesloftTips #Strategy Additional ResourcesCheck out our knowledge base to learn how to:Create an Automation Rule Learn more about a Team Cadences Create a Cadenc

The smoothest Cadences are the ones that only surface steps you can actually complete.With a couple of quick automation rules, you can skip over steps when a Person doesn’t have a phone number or email tied to them—saving time and keeping your flow moving. This guide shows you exactly how.Prep Time: 2–3 minutes Creation Time: 5 minutes Serves: SDRs, BDRs, AEs, and Sales Managers Yields: Cadences that skip empty steps automatically 🚀Prerequisites (What You’ll Need)Manage Automation Rules permission. To create Automation Rules, you’ll need the Manage Automation Rules permission. Default admin roles automatically have this permission enabled.  Cadence. A Cadence already in use (or one you’re planning to launch).Create an Automation Rule to Skip Email Steps for People Without an Email AddressGo to your settings.  Select Automation Rules under the Data category. From the Automation Rules page, click Create New Rule.  Name your rule. We suggest something like, “Contact does not have an emai

A clean signature acts as a "Trust Signal" that proves you are a real professional without making your message look like an automated marketing blast.Tip: Most prospects read messages on a mobile device. Check your Salesloft signature settings for extra line breaks; hidden gaps can force a "mobile scroll" and make your short email look unnecessarily long.Workshop: Clean Your SignatureBelow is an example of a cluttered, high-friction signature. We will walk through how to declutter this and turn it into a professional signature inside Salesloft.The "Cluttered" Before ExampleJohn Doe Senior Account Executive | Global Solutions Provider Phone: 555-0199 | Cell: 555-0122 | Fax: 555-0133 [Oversized Company Logo] [LinkedIn Icon] [Twitter Icon] [Facebook Icon] Confidentiality Notice: This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual... (4 more lines of text)1. Remove Oversized Logos and Images Oversized logos or headshots often fail

Data shows that brevity is the strongest predictor of a reply. Keeping your email body under 50 words can boost your response rates by up to 40%. Conversely, once a message exceeds 100 words, response rates begin a steep decline.Tip: The Mobile Test: Most prospects read messages on a mobile device. Before saving a Template, use the Preview button in Salesloft. If you can’t see your Call to Action (CTA) on the phone screen without scrolling, cut at least 20 words. Workshop: Trim the FatApply these three steps to audit and shrink your current templates.1. Delete the "I Hope" Intro Remove filler greetings like "I hope you’re having a great week" or "I’m writing to you because..."Try it: Delete your first sentence. If the email still makes sense, leave it out.2. The One-Idea Rule If you are explaining two different features or solving two different problems, delete one.Try it: Identify every "and" in your email. If it connects two separate value propositions, pick the strongest one and cut

In sales, the biggest challenge isn't a "no”, it’s never being seen at all. To stay out of the "Promotions" tab and earn a click, your subject lines need to look like a one-on-one conversation, not a mass broadcast.Use these two rules for writing email subject lines that actually get opened. Rule 1: The 5-Word MaximumYour subject line has one job: get the email opened. If it’s too long, it looks like a marketing newsletter and gets deleted before the prospect even reads your name. Keeping it under five words ensures the recipient can quickly read it, and that the entire message is visible on a mobile lock screen.  ❌ Avoid (Too Long/Salesy) ✅ Try (Under 5 Words) "Increase your ROI with our new Reporting Dashboard" "Question about [Company]’s goals" "Checking in to see if you have time for a call" "Ideas for [Project Name]" "Helping [Company] scale your engineering team" "Thoughts on [Topic]?"  Rule 2: Prioritize Curiosity Over P

 How do you walk away while leaving the door wide open? This final session covers the art of the Breakup Email and how to integrate LinkedIn and Voicemails into your workflow.What you’ll learn:The Breakup Framework: Acknowledging timing while preserving your brand Why "Profile Views" are a waste of time—and what to do on LinkedIn instead How to leave a "Pointer Voicemail" that drives traffic back to your inbox Final thoughts on grammar, AI proofreading, and long-term pipeline building

 Most sellers turn into "spam" after the fourth attempt. Don't be one of them. In the Nurture Phase, we move from pitching to earning trust. This session teaches you how to stay in a buyer’s orbit by providing value without an "ask."What you’ll learn:Why you should stop asking for meetings in late-stage emails and what you should do instead How to use marketing assets and third-party content to build personal authority How to scale nurture emails across multiple cadences Testing the value of your contentWatch the final video in the series:  Video 8: The Breakup Email & Multi-Channel Touches

 With the heavy lifting of Email 1 done, we move on to  the follow-up, which Sam likes to refer to as the emails “where the meeting is won.” This video covers Emails 2 and 3.What you’ll learn:How and when to send an effective "bump" email  When and how to reframe your value to hit the same bullseye from a different angle How to use a customer story that proves ROI without sounding like a brochureWatch the next video in the series:  Video 7: The Nurture Phase (Emails 5-9)

 Master the most important email in your entire cadence: Email 1. This session deep-dives into the structure of a high-converting initial cold email, from the opening line to the "low-friction" close.What you’ll learn:What NOT to include  in Email 1 The "Dirty Pan" technique: How to engineer your first email How to write a "prebuttal" to address potential objections  Why asking for interest beats asking for timeWatch the next video in the series:  Video 6 — The Active Selling Phase (Emails 2-4)

 If your email isn't opened, the best copy in the world won't save you. This video focuses on the "First Impression" trio: a highly specific Buyer Persona, a curiosity-piquing Subject Line, and strategic Preview Text.What you’ll learn:How to define a persona by their "day-to-day pressure" rather than just a job title The "Hook + Value" formula for subject lines that demand an open Why your "From" line and preview text are your most valuable real estate How to use AI as an "editor" to brainstorm high-impact headlinesWatch the next video in the series: Video 5 — Email 1: The Hook, The Pitch, and The Prebuttal

 Building a cadence is a balancing act between persistence and annoyance. This session outlines the ideal 10-email baseline and explains how to strategically layer in phone and social touches based on your specific buyer persona.What you’ll learn:Why to start with a 10-unique-email baseline How to audit your cold calling data to see if it’s actually worth your time The 3 phases of a cadence: Active Selling, Nurture, and Breakup The "Golden Rule" of timing: How many days to wait between touchesWatch the next video in the series: Video 4 — Personas, Subject Lines, and Preview Text

 What is the actual job of a sales email? Hint: It’s not to sell your product. This video explores the core philosophy of outbound cadences, focusing on selling the meeting and educating the buyer. Sam also dives into the "boring but important" side of sales success: Cadence Hygiene.What you’ll learn:Why you should sell the meeting, not the product The importance of consistent inputs for clean data How to measure success beyond just "meetings booked" 4 key metrics to trackWatch the next video in the series: Video 3 — The Anatomy of a Cadence

 Stop sending emails that get immediately deleted. In this introductory session to our Cadence Masterclass, Sam McKenna, CEO of #samsales Consulting, breaks down why traditional "volume-heavy" sales cadences are failing in today’s noisy inbox. Discover how to earn a buyer's time by proving you understand their specific challenges from the very first line.What you’ll learn:The “voice” you should be using in your emails Why volume is killing your deliverability An introduction to the "Show Me You Know Me" methodology How to earn the right to a meeting through thoughtful researchWatch the next video in the series: Video 2 — Cadence Core Concepts & Hygiene

Onboarding new team members can be a challenging process—balancing the need to get them up to speed quickly while ensuring they fully absorb company culture, tools, and processes. Without a structured approach, new hires can feel overwhelmed or unsure of where to focus.  Fortunately, a well-crafted cadence can solve this! A New Hire Onboarding Cadence can help you provide a clear, step-by-step plan that guides new hires through their first days and weeks and sets them up for long-term success. To set you up for success with Salesloft in your new role, here’s a structured onboarding cadence that covers essential features and best practices: 🗓️ Step 1: Day 1 - Welcome to Salesloft!The first day should be all about helping your new hires get their Salesloft Account up and running. Here’s a list of tasks to include on Day 1:Accept Your Invite: Check your email and accept your invitation to Salesloft! Change Your Password: Make it unique and secure! Install the Essentials: Salesloft Connec

In today's fast-paced sales environment, time is your most valuable asset. Sales professionals like AEs and SDRs often find themselves spending significant time crafting personalized email replies and unique one-off messages, pulling them away from core selling activities. The Email AI Assistant enhancements are designed to streamline this process, offering a powerful way to refine your emails quickly and effectively.By following these best practices, you can ensure you're maximizing the benefits of this powerful tool while maintaining your personal touch and achieving optimal results in your email outreach.Key Practices:Practice 1: Experiment with Tone Options for Optimal Resonance The AI Assistant offers a range of tone adjustments to help you tailor your message to different recipients and situations. You can explore options from "More Formal" for executive communications to "Casual" for warm leads, and even options like "Confident" or "Empathetic." Understanding how different tones

At a GlancePrep Time: 3–5 minutesCreation Time: 5–10 minutesServes: SDRs, BDRs, AEs, and Sales ManagersYields: Automated emails that reach leads even on weekends 🌟IntroductionMost Cadence emails don’t send on Saturdays and Sundays since many people are off on the weekends. But, some leads are active outside the typical work week—think inbound leads who fill out a form on a Saturday or contacts with non-standard schedules.This guide shows how to set up automated email steps that reach those leads on Saturdays and Sundays. Step 1: Create an Automation Rule for Inbound LeadsTo get started, you’ll want to create an Automation Rule to add marketing qualified leads to an Inbound Cadence.Follow these steps:Navigate to your settings. Select Automation Rules under the Data category. Click Create New Rule. Name your rule, ex. MQLs to Inbound Cadence Click the Trigger dropdown, then select Person Updates. Select When a lead is converted to a contact from the list that appears. Click the Action d

Hi All!  I wanted to write up a quick guide to help anyone diving into Bionic Chatbots for the first time.  Feel free to post below any questions you might have about them and I’ll be happy to answer whatever I can.   But until then, without further ado…. Welcome to the Exciting World of Drift's Bionic Chatbots!  Think of them as your website's super-smart, always-on assistant, ready to chat with visitors and supercharge your business. This guide will break down how these clever bots work, why they're so beneficial, and how you can make them truly shine.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------🤖 Unveiling Bionic Chatbots: Your Website's Smartest Helper!At its core, a Bionic Chatbot utilizes AI to automate responses to your website visitors, freeing up your team's valuable time and resources. Imagine a highly efficient, tireless employee who can handle a massive volume of inquiries 24/7. That's a Bionic Chatbot!These bots are part of Drift's compr

To truly personalize your sales and close more deals, you need deep, targeted insights. Customizing Account Research Agents let you get exactly that.By adding custom focus areas to your already robust research agents, your team can pull specific, high-value data points for your target accounts, building a comprehensive picture that empowers your sales team. Here are six examples of Account Research Agents you can create to revolutionize your sales intelligence: 1. Key Company Events & MentionsField Name: Key Company Events & MentionsInstructions: Identify recent (last 30-60 days) news articles, press releases, or significant public mentions related to this company that include any of the following keywords: "Merger", "Acquisition", "Recent Funding", "Key talent join", "Key talent leave", "Employee growth", "Technology adoption".Why it matters: Staying on top of a company's major developments gives you immediate talking points and helps you understand their current strategic dir

To move AI-generated emails (in cadences, one-off messages, and plays) from being generic templates to being dynamically crafted, highly personalized communications, teams must empower the AI with a deep understanding of the recipient and your company's unique voice. The best way to make this happen is to add content to your AI Knowledge Library.When generating an email, the AI will query the Knowledge Library for context about the recipient's persona, industry, and your company's corresponding messaging strategy. It will synthesize this information to produce a draft that is strategically and stylistically aligned.Let’s look at ways you can leverage the Knowledge Library to improve your communications with the following examples. (Note, the examples below include some suggested file names, not actual downloadable templates.)Practice 1: Incorporate Persona-Driven Language & Tone Include Persona documents and messaging standards into your Knowledge Library.This practice ensures that

Salesloft's Account Research leverage web content, activity history, and more by default to synthesize and compile valuable information.  To truly maximize the potential of Salesloft's Account Research, teams can upload additional content to the AI Knowledge Library that will boost agents with a deep, nuanced understanding of your company's solutions, competitive landscape, and ideal customers.  This allows the agents to move beyond generic web research and connect external findings directly to the specific value your company provides, generating highly strategic insights and talking points. Let’s look at some practices to incorporate into your Knowledge Library that will elevate your research agents: Practice 1: Incorporate Competitive Intelligence & Battle Cards This practice helps the Account Research analyze a prospect or account by querying the Knowledge Library to cross-reference its findings with your internal, proprietary content. This transforms raw data into actionable sa

Managing cadence libraries in Salesloft can be tricky. Sometimes it involves a bit of a balancing act where you need to moderate team cadences versus personal cadences, identify what cadence tactics work versus which don’t, and keep cadences fresh and relevant. Over time, many users find their cadence library growing chaotic and messy, rather than clear and helpful.At Salesloft, we run into these same issues. Drawing from my experience as a former Customer Success Manager, I recognized the importance of treating our internal processes with the same rigor as we do for our clients. Last year, when I started as the Tech Stack Enablement Manager, one of the first things I did was work with our Consulting Services team to check how we were using Salesloft using something called the Basic - Assess BundleWhen we checked how we were using Salesloft, one major thing we learned was that our cadence library had grown too much—it had over 6,500 cadences! This was far from manageable or measurable.

 Bionic is a generative AI chatbot designed to educate, qualify, and deflect leads — essentially acting as your AI SDR. Unlike rule-based bots with strict playbook paths and expected answers, Bionic Chatbots are more conversational and probabilistic. That means there’s no single “correct” response, which can make it tricky to know when to give a thumbs up or a thumbs down in your Message Inspector. So the team thought it would be great to form up some best practices for evaluating responses to ensure you're getting the most out of Bionic Chatbots while helping it learn and improve over time.Before we get into it though, it’s a pretty good idea to familiarize yourself with the following help docs available over on the Salesloft knowledge site since all of the retraining starts with the message inspector and this post assumes you know at least the basics of it all:The Bionic Chatbot Message Inspector Testing and Training Bionic Chatbot ResponsesNow with that being said, let’s get some mo

When looking at most metric charts, seeing a hockey stick chart represents an uptick in numbers and an overall positive outcome. Well, the Average Personalization chart found in your Email Analytics acts a little different. The goal of the chart is to make sure the best reply rate and most emails delivered are in the same bucket. This means you are comparing those two bars with each other rather than looking for your averages to skew left or right. You need to interpret the data being shown. Fortunately, we've prepared four types of charts to teach you how to read the data you see.Nada: No PersonalizationFigure 1: No Personalization ExampleWhat this chart says…Based on the bucket, all emails have less than 15% personalization. This means you're seeing low overall personalization. There's also a low reply rate. Conclusion: Need to personalize more than 5% to see improved reply rates.Need Less: Diminishing ReturnsFigure 2: Diminishing Returns ExampleWhat this chart says…The best reply ra

You’re reviewing your latest cadence performance and notice that some emails bounced back. These emails didn’t reach your contacts, meaning valuable communication hit a roadblock. Instead of letting these bounces disrupt your engagement, set up a Data Hygiene Cadence to re-engage bounced contacts, update their information, and keep your pipeline in top shape. Step 1: Build a Data Hygiene Cadence to address Bounced Contacts To begin, create a Data Hygiene Cadence specifically designed to capture and manage contacts with bounced emails. Unlike your usual prospecting cadences, this cadence is geared toward improving the quality and accuracy of your contact data.  In this cadence, start with one "Other" step. This step will prompt you to search for an accurate email address and update the contact’s information so you can get back to engaging them. Your follow up steps will include other methods to contact the Person, like phone, social media, or even old fashioned mail. Step 2: Automate th