How to use this playbook
This is the single source of truth for booking discovery calls. Your one job this week: start conversations with the right people and book qualified discovery calls for Andy. Work top to bottom — know who we target (Section 2), say it the way we say it (Section 3), run the scripts (Sections 4–5), follow up on cadence (Section 6), and log everything in the Lead Tracker. Copy-paste the gold-bordered boxes directly — just swap the [bracketed] fields.
1. The funnel at a glance
Five stages. A lead moves forward only when it meets the exit criteria — don't skip steps, and don't let stale leads sit.
| Stage | Goal | What the rep does | Move forward when… |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Source | Build the list | Find ICP-fit prospects on LinkedIn / referrals; add to tracker | Contact + company verified |
| 2. Connect | Get on radar | Send LinkedIn connect / first touch | They accept / reply |
| 3. Engage | Start a convo | 2–4 value touches; uncover a data/reporting pain | They show interest |
| 4. Book | Set the call | Offer a 20-min discovery slot; send calendar link | Call is on the calendar |
| 5. Discovery | Qualify & hand off | Run discovery script; score the lead; hand to Andy | Qualified → proposal |
Rule of thumb: a healthy rep keeps ~10–15 active conversations in stages 2–3 to produce 3–5 discovery calls a week.
2. Who we target (ICP)
We help organizations that are drowning in data and manual reporting turn it into clean, automated, real-time dashboards and workflows. Two lanes:
Primary lane — Yardi / affordable-housing operators
- Who: Property management & affordable-housing operators running Yardi Voyager (HUD, NYCHDC, LIHTC/AMI compliance).
- Pain: Rebuilding rent rolls & compliance reports by hand; data trapped in Yardi + a maze of spreadsheets.
- Why us: Hands-on experience across 12,000+ affordable units — we speak their language, not generic consultant-speak.
Second lane — anyone managing data in Excel / Microsoft 365
- Who: Ops / finance / program teams at SMBs, social-services orgs, and back offices living in spreadsheets and M365.
- Pain: Manual data entry, error-prone reports, no real-time view, repetitive tasks ripe for automation.
Titles to target
Director/VP of Operations, Compliance Manager, Property/Asset Manager, Controller/Finance Manager, Program Director, COO, or owner/principal at a 10–250-person firm.
Good fit vs. skip
| Strong fit ✅ | Skip / deprioritize ❌ |
|---|---|
| Uses Yardi or lives in Excel/M365 | No real data volume / tiny team |
| Recurring reports done by hand | Already has a BI team & tooling |
| A clear decision-maker we can reach | Pure tire-kicker, no budget owner |
| Feeling the pain now (deadline/audit) | “Maybe someday”, no urgency |
3. The offer, in one breath
Positioning line (memorize this):
“We turn the data you already have — in Yardi and the spreadsheets around it — into live dashboards and automated workflows your whole team trusts, so reporting stops eating your week.”
The three-tier model
| Tier | What it is | Use it to… |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Roadmap | Paid discovery + a prioritized plan of dashboards/automations | Land low-risk; create the build |
| 2. Build & Dashboard | We build the dashboard(s) & workflows on their data | Deliver the visible win |
| 3. Managed Support | We keep it running, updated & improving (recurring) | Create recurring revenue |
What you're selling on outreach: not the full build — just a 20-minute discovery call. Low commitment, high curiosity. Andy handles scoping and pricing on that call.
Three proof points to drop naturally: (1) 12,000+ affordable units of experience; (2) we work on the data where it already lives — no rip-and-replace; (3) results go live the moment testing is done.
4. LinkedIn outreach sequence
LinkedIn is our primary channel. Goal: go from connection → a 20-minute call in 4–5 touches over ~2 weeks. Keep messages short, specific, and about them, not us. Never pitch in the connection request.
Touch 1 — Connection request (Day 0)
Hi [First name] — I work with [property management / ops] teams to turn Yardi and spreadsheet reporting into live dashboards. Always glad to connect with folks in [their industry/region].
Keep under 300 characters. No ask, no link.
Touch 2 — First message, after they accept (Day 0–1)
Thanks for connecting, [First name]! Quick reason I reached out — I help teams like [Company] cut the time spent rebuilding reports by hand in Yardi/Excel.
Curious: how is [Company] handling its reporting and dashboards today — mostly manual, or automated?
Touch 3 — Value follow-up (Day 3–4, if no reply)
No worries if reporting isn't top of mind, [First name]. Most operators I talk to lose hours every month rebuilding the same rent rolls / compliance reports by hand.
We fix that without replacing any of your systems — we just make the data you already have useful. Happy to share a 2-minute example if helpful.
Touch 4 — The ask (Day 7)
[First name], would it be worth a quick 20-minute call to see if this fits [Company]? No pitch — just a look at where reporting is eating time and whether we can help.
Here's my calendar: [CALENDAR LINK]. Or tell me a couple times that work and I'll send an invite.
Touch 5 — Soft close / breakup (Day 12)
Totally understand if the timing's off, [First name]. I'll leave it here — but if reporting ever becomes a headache (audit season, a new program, growth), reach out anytime and I'll send over a quick example dashboard.
If they reply with interest at any point: stop the sequence and go straight to booking (Touch 4's calendar line).
5. Cold call script
Calls are for warming LinkedIn prospects and net-new lists. Goal of the call is not to sell — it's to earn a 20-minute discovery slot. Smile, slow down, and let them talk.
Opener (the first 10 seconds)
You: Hi [First name], this is [Your name] with The Visionary Consultants — I know I'm calling out of the blue, can I grab 30 seconds and you tell me to buzz off if it's not relevant?
(pause — let them say ok)
Reason for the call
You: We help [property management / operations] teams turn their Yardi and spreadsheet reporting into live dashboards — so nobody's rebuilding the same reports by hand every month. Depending on the team, that's a few hours back every week.
The qualifying question
You: Out of curiosity — how is [Company] handling reporting and dashboards right now? Is most of it pulled together manually, or is it automated?
(listen for: manual work, spreadsheets, “it's a pain”, an upcoming audit/deadline)
The ask
You: That's exactly what we help with. I don't want to take your time now — could we grab 20 minutes later this week so our lead can show you what's possible on your actual data? No obligation. Does [Thu morning / Fri afternoon] work?
Voicemail (keep it under 20 seconds)
Hi [First name], [Your name] with The Visionary Consultants. We help teams like [Company] turn manual Yardi and spreadsheet reporting into live dashboards. I'll follow up by email — or reach me at [phone]. Thanks, [First name].
Objection handling
| They say… | You say… |
|---|---|
| “We're not interested.” | “Totally fair. Most people aren't until reporting bites them at month-end. Mind if I send one example so it's on your radar?” |
| “We already have a system.” | “Perfect — we don't replace it. We sit on top of Yardi/Excel and make that data easier to use. That's usually where the time is lost.” |
| “Send me some info.” | “Happy to. So I send the right thing — is reporting mostly manual today, or automated?” (then book) |
| “I don't have time.” | “Completely understand — that's the whole point. Two times next week, 20 minutes, you pick. Worst case you get a free idea.” |
| “What does it cost?” | “Depends on scope — that's what the 20-minute call figures out. The first step is a low-cost roadmap, not a big build.” |
6. Follow-up cadence
Most replies come after touch 3 — persistence (not pestering) wins. Mix channels. Stop the moment someone books or asks you to.
| Day | Channel | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Connection request (Touch 1) | |
| 0–1 | First message once accepted (Touch 2) | |
| 2 | Phone | Cold call + voicemail if no answer |
| 3–4 | Value follow-up (Touch 3) | |
| 5 | Recap voicemail + 1-line value + calendar link | |
| 7 | The ask + calendar link (Touch 4) | |
| 9 | Phone | Second call attempt |
| 12 | Soft close / breakup (Touch 5) | |
| 30+ | Any | Move to nurture; re-touch quarterly |
7. Discovery call script
Once the call is booked, this is the 20-minute structure. The rep can run it, or hand off to Andy — either way, listen 70%, talk 30%, and capture answers in the tracker / intake form below.
Minute 0–2 — Frame it
“Thanks for the time, [First name]. Goal for the next 20 minutes is simple: I'll ask a few questions about how your team handles data and reporting, and if we can clearly help, we'll talk about a next step. If not, no pressure. Sound good?”
Minute 2–12 — Discover (ask, then shut up)
- Walk me through how reporting works today — who pulls what, and how often?
- Which reports or tasks eat the most time or cause the most headaches?
- What systems hold your data — Yardi, Excel, M365, anything else?
- When something's wrong in a report, how do you catch it today?
- What have you tried before to fix this, and what happened?
- If this were solved, what would that free your team up to do?
- Who else would be involved in a decision like this?
- Is there a deadline or event making this urgent right now?
Minute 12–16 — Connect to the offer
“Based on what you're describing, here's how we'd approach it: we'd start with a short Roadmap — a paid discovery where we map your data and hand you a prioritized plan. From there we build the dashboard/automation, then optionally keep it running. The first step is low-risk and small.”
Minute 16–20 — Close to a next step
“Would it make sense to put the Roadmap together for [Company]? I can send a short proposal with scope and price by [day]. What's the best email for that — and is there anyone else who should see it?”
8. Discovery intake form
Fill this out on every discovery call and save it with the lead. It's what Andy needs to scope a proposal.
| Field | Capture |
|---|---|
| Company & contact | Name, title, email, phone, LinkedIn |
| Industry / lane | Yardi-PM / Excel-M365 / other |
| Systems in use | Yardi, Excel, M365, other tools |
| Top pain (their words) | _____________________________ |
| Time/cost of the pain | Hours per week/month, errors, $ if known |
| What they've tried | Prior tools / consultants & why it failed |
| Desired outcome | What “solved” looks like for them |
| Decision process | Who decides, budget owner, other stakeholders |
| Urgency / trigger | Deadline, audit, growth, new program |
| Qualification score | See Section 9 (0–8) |
| Next step agreed | Roadmap proposal / follow-up / nurture |
9. Qualification scorecard
Score each lead 0–2 on four factors. 6–8 = Hot (send proposal fast), 3–5 = Nurture (stay in touch, re-touch monthly), 0–2 = Disqualify (politely close out).
| Factor | 0 | 1 | 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pain | None / vague | Annoying | Costly & urgent |
| Fit | No real data | Some Excel | Yardi or heavy M365 |
| Authority | No access to DM | Influencer | Talking to decision-maker |
| Timing | “Someday” | This quarter | Now / deadline |
After scoring: update the lead's stage and next action in the Lead Tracker, and notify Andy of every 6+ lead the same day.
10. Weekly targets & KPIs
What good looks like per rep, per week, while we're getting rolling. Adjust once we have real conversion data.
| Metric | Weekly target | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| New prospects sourced | 40–60 | Top of funnel; keeps pipeline full |
| Connection requests sent | 40–60 | Stage 2 volume |
| Conversations started | 10–15 | Real engagement, not just connects |
| Calls dialed | 30–50 | Warms LinkedIn + net-new |
| Discovery calls booked | 3–5 | The number that matters most |
| Qualified leads (6+) to Andy | 2–3 | Pipeline that converts |
Daily rhythm: source in the morning, send connects + messages mid-day, call in the afternoon (best 8–10am & 4–6pm local), update the tracker before you log off. Review numbers with Andy every Friday.