sales-skills/sales-call-review

Review a Sales Call

Help the user review a sales call — score it against best practices, identify key moments, extract coaching insights, and plan follow-up actions.

Step 1 — Gather context

If references/learnings.md exists, read it first for accumulated knowledge.

Ask the user:

1. What type of call was this?

   • A) Discovery / qualification call
   • B) Demo / product presentation
   • C) Negotiation / pricing discussion
   • D) Follow-up / check-in
   • E) Executive briefing
   • F) Technical deep-dive
   • G) Closing call
   • H) Other — describe it

2. What feedback are you focused on?

   • A) Overall call quality and coaching points
   • B) Specific methodology scoring (MEDDPICC, SPIN, Challenger)
   • C) Talk-to-listen ratio and engagement patterns
   • D) Objection handling moments
   • E) Next steps and commitment quality
   • F) All of the above

3. Do you have a transcript or recording?

   • A) Yes — I'll paste the transcript
   • B) Yes — I'll describe what happened
   • C) No — I want a general call review framework to use
   • D) I have Salesloft Conversations data (scores, topics, etc.)

4. Who is providing/receiving feedback?

   • A) Manager reviewing a rep's call
   • B) Rep self-reviewing their own call
   • C) Peer review / team coaching session
   • D) Preparing feedback for a 1:1

If the user's request already provides most of this context, skip directly to the relevant step. Lead with your best-effort answer using reasonable assumptions (stated explicitly), then ask only the most critical 1-2 clarifying questions at the end — don't gate your response behind gathering complete context.

Step 2 — Call scorecard

Use this scorecard as a framework — adapt the dimensions based on call type and what the user asked to focus on. Not every dimension applies to every call (e.g., objection handling may not come up in a first discovery call).

| Dimension | Score (1-5) | Evidence | Coaching note | |-----------|-------------|----------|---------------| | Opening & rapport | | Did they earn the right to continue in the first 30 seconds? | | | Discovery depth | | Did they uncover real pain, impact, and urgency? Or stayed surface-level? | | | Active listening | | Did they paraphrase, ask follow-ups, and build on what the prospect said? | | | Value articulation | | Did they connect capabilities to the prospect's specific situation? | | | Objection handling | | Did they acknowledge, clarify, and address objections effectively? | | | Next steps | | Did they secure a specific, time-bound commitment? | | | Talk-to-listen ratio | | Target: 40-60% talk for discovery, 60-70% for demos | | | Longest monologue | | Target: under 2 minutes. Long monologues lose prospects. | | | Filler words | | Excessive "um", "like", "you know", "basically" erode credibility | |

Overall score: Average of all dimensions → Rating:

• 4.5-5.0: Exceptional — use as a coaching example
• 3.5-4.4: Strong — one or two areas to sharpen
• 2.5-3.4: Developing — clear coaching priorities
• 1.0-2.4: Needs significant improvement — focus on fundamentals

Methodology-specific scoring layers

MEDDPICC layer (if applicable): | Element | Addressed? | What was uncovered | What's still missing | |---------|-----------|-------------------|---------------------| | Metrics | | | | | Economic Buyer | | | | | Decision Criteria | | | | | Decision Process | | | | | Paper Process | | | | | Implicate the Pain | | | | | Champion | | | | | Competition | | | |

SPIN layer (if applicable): | Question Type | Count | Quality (1-5) | Best example | |--------------|-------|---------------|-------------| | Situation | | | | | Problem | | | | | Implication | | | | | Need-Payoff | | | |

Challenger layer (if applicable):

• Did they teach something the prospect didn't know? (Teach)
• Did they tailor the message to this specific stakeholder? (Tailor)
• Did they maintain control of the conversation and process? (Take Control)

Step 3 — Key moments analysis

Identify and analyze the most important moments:

Best moment

What was the single best thing the rep did on this call? Quote it if possible and explain why it worked.

Missed opportunity

What was the biggest moment they could have capitalized on but didn't? What should they have said or done instead?

Objection moments

For each objection that came up: | Objection | How it was handled | Better approach | Rating (1-5) | |-----------|-------------------|-----------------|---------------|

Buying signals

List any positive signals the prospect gave (verbal or behavioral):

• Asking about implementation timeline
• Mentioning other stakeholders who should see this
• Asking about pricing/packaging
• Describing their current process in detail (shows trust)

Risk signals

List any warning signs:

• Vague commitment to next steps
• "We'll get back to you" without a specific date
• Avoiding budget/authority questions
• Comparing to a competitor without being asked

Step 4 — Coaching recommendations

Provide 3-5 specific, actionable coaching recommendations:

For each recommendation:

1. What to improve: Specific skill or behavior
2. Why it matters: Impact on deal outcomes
3. How to practice: Concrete drill or exercise
4. Example: What "great" sounds like for this specific situation

Practice drills

• Discovery depth drill: Take a surface-level answer and practice asking 3 layers deeper. "You mentioned X. Help me understand — what's the impact of that on [metric]? If that continues for another quarter, what happens?"
• Monologue breaker drill: Practice delivering any point in under 60 seconds, then asking a question. Set a timer.
• Objection sparring: Role-play the top 3 objections from this call. Practice acknowledge → clarify → respond → check.
• Next steps drill: Practice ending every conversation with "Based on what we discussed, the logical next step is [specific]. Does [specific date/time] work for you to [specific action]?"

Step 5 — Follow-up action items

Extract concrete action items from the call:

Commitments made

List everything both sides committed to doing, with owners and deadlines.

Unanswered questions

List questions the prospect asked that weren't fully answered, plus questions the rep should have asked but didn't.

Stakeholders to engage

Who was mentioned on the call that needs to be brought into the process? What's the plan to reach them?

Draft follow-up email

Write a follow-up email the rep can send within 24 hours:

• Recap what was discussed (in the prospect's language, not yours)
• Confirm next steps and dates
• Attach anything promised
• Add one piece of value not discussed on the call
• Keep it under 200 words

Next call agenda

If a follow-up call was booked, draft a proposed agenda:

1. Recap and confirm any changes since last call
2. [Topic based on what was left unresolved]
3. [New topic to advance the deal]
4. Confirm next steps and timeline

For platform-specific call review guidance (Revenue.io, Seismic, ZoomInfo Chorus, Outdoo, Jiminny, Enthu.AI, NICE CXone, Sybill, Balto, Weflow), see references/platforms.md.

Related skills

• /sales-sybill — Sybill platform help (CRM Autofill, Deal Workspace, Ask Sybill, Magic Summaries)
• /sales-jiminny — Jiminny platform help (coaching-focused conversation intelligence, revenue intelligence, 8 CRM integrations)
• /sales-gong — Gong platform help (Smart Trackers, coaching scorecards, deal boards, transcript API)
• /sales-note-taker — Picking an AI note-taker (Fathom, Fireflies, Avoma, Gong, etc.) or wiring its API into CRM/warehouse for transcripts and summaries
• /sales-salesloft — Salesloft Conversations settings, coaching playlists, recording configuration
• /sales-deal-inspect — Assess overall deal health beyond just the call
• /sales-cadence — Optimize outbound cadences based on call learnings
• /sales-seismic — Seismic platform help including Meeting Intelligence and content management
• /sales-zoominfo — ZoomInfo platform help (Chorus conversation intelligence, Momentum deal insights)
• /sales-salesask — Sales Ask platform help (field + call center AI coaching, Coach Dean active feedback, home services vertical)
• /sales-outdoo — Outdoo platform help (AI roleplay coaching, conversation intelligence, revenue intelligence, CRM automation, mid-market Gong alternative)
• /sales-enthu — Enthu.AI platform help (contact center QA with auto-scoring, agent coaching, compliance monitoring, affordable Gong alternative)
• /sales-revenue-io — Revenue.io platform help (Salesforce-native conversation intelligence, AI scoring with 400+ criteria, Orchestrate tier)
• /sales-observe-ai — Observe.AI platform help (enterprise contact center QA, 100% auto scoring, Agent Copilot, VoiceAI/ChatAI agents)
• /sales-nice-cxone — NICE CXone platform help (built-in QM with evaluation forms, screen + voice recording, Interaction Analytics)
• /sales-balto — Balto platform help (real-time AI coaching for contact centers, automated QA, compliance monitoring)
• /sales-salesken — Salesken platform help (real-time in-call coaching, QA automation, revenue intelligence, multilingual transcription)
• /sales-clari-copilot — Clari Copilot platform help (real-time battlecards, live coaching, AI call summaries, deal intelligence)
• /sales-weflow — Weflow platform help (Salesforce-native Revenue AI with activity capture, conversation intelligence, deal forecasting)
• /sales-do — Not sure which skill to use? The router matches any sales objective to the right skill. Install: npx skills add sales-skills/sales --skill sales-do

Gotchas

• Don't score a call without a transcript or detailed description. Claude will confidently generate scores from thin air if given only "it was a discovery call." Push back and ask for specifics — what was said, how it ended, what objections came up.

• Don't focus only on negatives. Claude tends to generate long lists of improvements. Always lead with the best moment and what went well before coaching points. Reps shut down if feedback feels like a list of failures.

• Don't apply MEDDPICC scoring to a first discovery call. MEDDPICC elements like Paper Process and Competition are rarely uncovered in a first meeting. Score only the elements that were reasonable to address at this deal stage.

• Don't ignore talk-to-listen ratio. This is one of the most objective and actionable metrics. If the user provides a transcript, estimate the ratio. If they describe the call, ask about it directly.

• Don't treat the scorecard as a final verdict. A single call is a snapshot. Frame scores as "on this call" not "this rep is a 2/5 at discovery." Context matters — a rough call with a hostile prospect is different from a rough call with a warm lead.

• Self-improving: If you discover something not covered here, append it to references/learnings.md with today's date.

Examples

Example 1: Manager reviewing rep's discovery call

User says: "Review this discovery call — I talked for 70% of it, asked about their process, showed a quick demo, and ended with 'I'll send you info and we can reconnect next week.'" Skill does:

1. Scores the call on all 9 dimensions (flags high talk ratio, surface discovery, vague next steps)
2. Identifies the missed opportunity to dig deeper when the prospect described their process
3. Provides 3 coaching recommendations with practice drills
4. Drafts a follow-up email and next call agenda Result: Structured coaching feedback the manager can use in their 1:1

Example 2: MEDDPICC scoring

User says: "Score my rep's call using MEDDPICC — they confirmed pain and got metrics, but didn't ask about decision process or economic buyer." Skill does:

1. Creates a MEDDPICC extraction table showing Metrics and Implicate the Pain as partially addressed
2. Flags Decision Process, Economic Buyer, and Champion as critical gaps
3. Provides specific questions for the next call to fill each gap Result: Clear MEDDPICC gap analysis with an actionable next-call plan

Troubleshooting

No transcript available

Solution: Have the rep describe what happened in detail — key moments, objections raised, how the call ended, and what was agreed. The skill can still provide a useful review from a narrative description, though transcript-based reviews are more precise.

Rep is defensive about feedback

Solution: Use the "best moment" analysis first to lead with what went well. Frame coaching points as "opportunities" not "mistakes." Focus on 1-2 highest-impact areas rather than listing every issue. The self-review mode (Step 1, option B) helps reps build self-awareness before receiving external feedback.

Scoring feels subjective

Solution: Ground every score in specific evidence from the call. Use the methodology layers (MEDDPICC, SPIN, Challenger) for more objective, criteria-based assessment. Compare scores across multiple calls to calibrate — a single call review is a snapshot, not a verdict.