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    Co-created with Directive Consulting

    The Positive Reply
    Playbook

    What teams that book 50-80% of their positive replies into meetings actually do.

    50-80%
    Booking Rate
    <5 min
    Response Time
    7 Days
    Follow-Up Window
    00

    About This Playbook

    We interviewed our top clients who book 50–80% of all positive replies into actual meetings. So if we get them 100 positive replies, they run 50 to 80 meetings. We put this together with our top client, Directive Consulting, and it's free. It's what's working in the field right now.

    Everything in here comes from the highest performers in our network, and all of it is working for someone today. Adapt it to your situation and your market. What gets one company to 80% might need tweaking for yours.

    The job is getting the people who already raised their hand onto your calendar.

    01

    Foundation

    02

    The Reply System

    03

    The Call System

    Multi-Channel Coordination Tips

    • •Keep the same tone on every channel
    • •Reference your other outreach: "Just texted you..." or "Just left you a VM..."
    • •Keep texts and LinkedIn messages under 3 sentences
    • •Include your calendar link in every message
    • •Give 2-3 specific times plus your booking link
    • •LinkedIn messages can run longer than texts, but keep them scannable
    04

    Meeting Management

    Secret Tactic

    The Hormozi Pull-Forward Strategy

    Alex Hormozi gave us this one when we met him in person a couple months ago. The second someone books a meeting, don't wait for it. Call the lead right away and say:

    Hey [Name], I happen to have an extra 10 minutes right now. 
Would it be crazy if we just talked real quick to get you the information that you need?

    If they say no:

    No worries at all! We'll see you on [day] at [time] as scheduled.

    Hormozi said this one move gave him a 40% uplift on show rates.

    Pull-Forward Strategy

    Meetings booked more than 2–3 days out have a higher no-show risk. For those:

    Pull-Forward Call Script

    Hey I know we were set to chat Friday, I had an opening later today, 
would it be crazy if we met today instead?

    Or simpler:

    A slot just opened in 45 min. Want it?

    05

    The Intro Call Playbook

    Note: We talked to our best client, who books up to 80% of all positive replies into meetings that show up. These are the suggestions we built with them. None of it is gospel. It's here to help your sales process if you need it. This is what works for them, and hopefully some of it works for you.

    Core Philosophy

    • •This is NOT a pitch
    • •Diagnose before you prescribe
    • •Lead with curiosity, not a pitch
    • •Anchor every question in business value
    • •Qualify hard, disqualify fast
    • •You are not a tour guide
    • •Stop selling, start qualifying
    • •Clarity beats enthusiasm
    • •Curiosity > credentials
    • •When you DO need to sell, earn the right by being the most insightful person in the room

    1. RAPPORT PHASE (2–3 minutes)

    • •Quick human connection, then move on
    • •Confirm their role and responsibilities

    2. AGENDA SETTING (1 minute)

    Standard Agenda Script

    Here's what I want to cover today: understand what your team is working toward, 
get a handle on what prompted the call, and if there's alignment, share what a 
Strategy Call could look like with our team. Sound good?

    For Incentivized Leads

    I know you may have seen our offer around the AirPods, and that's totally fair. We're happy to honor that. 
That said, my goal is to make this a valuable use of your time. If this is more of a curiosity call, 
we can keep it light. But if there's something real you're trying to solve, we'll dig in and make 
this worth your while. Fair deal?

    For Outbound Leads Who Need to Be "Sold"

    I get it, this probably wasn't high on your to-do list today. But since we've got a few minutes, 
I'd love to learn what your team's focused on and where you might be feeling stuck. We work with 
a lot of companies in similar spots and usually uncover something worth digging into. Would it be 
alright if I asked a couple questions to see if that's the case here too?

    3. DISCOVERY & QUALIFICATION (15–20 minutes)

    4. POSITIONING NEXT STEPS (3–5 minutes)

    Standard Transition

    Based on what you shared, it sounds like there's alignment worth exploring. 
Our next step is a Strategy Call where we walk through a plan built 
on your priorities. That call typically includes your decision-making team. 
Can we align on who needs to be there?

    If Prospect is NOT the Decision Maker

    Happy to loop in your team. In your experience, who else typically weighs in 
on these kinds of decisions?

    5. CLOSE WITH CLARITY

    • •Confirm Strategy Call date/time
    • •Recap who is joining and what will be discussed
    • •Send follow-up email immediately

    Qualification Signals

    Red Flags: Disqualify Fast

    • ×No clear pain or urgency
    • ×No access to power or unwilling to help navigate
    • ×Vague or misaligned goals
    • ×Only refers to incentive, avoids discussing team, KPIs, or goals
    • ×No sense of urgency or ownership
    • ×"Just seeing what's out there" with no defined problem

    Green Lights: Move Forward

    • +Strong articulation of pain
    • +Clear KPIs tied to pipeline, ROI, or revenue
    • +Active ownership or support from budget holder
    • +Clearly articulates interest in solving a specific challenge
    • +Willing to invite stakeholders to Strategy Call
    • +Treats the incentive as a side benefit, not the reason for the call
    • +Asks smart questions, open to seeing how your model applies
    06

    Post-Call Templates

    Decision Maker Follow-Up

    Subject: Next Steps & Strategy Call Details

Hi [First Name],

Great connecting today! Thanks again for your time and for walking me through what you're working on.

Based on what you shared, it's worth digging into how we can help with 
[insert 1–2 key priorities mentioned, e.g. "driving more qualified pipeline through paid channels" 
or "improving lead quality and conversion rates"].

As mentioned, the next step is a Strategy Call where we'll walk through a tailored plan built 
around your goals and challenges. That session works best when the broader decision-making 
team is in the room, so I'd suggest we loop in [insert titles or names if known].

Strategy Call Details: 
📅 Date: [Insert Date] 
🕒 Time: [Insert Time] 
📍Link: [Insert Meeting Link] 
👥 Suggested Attendees: [Insert as needed]

Let me know if you'd like to adjust anything and we'll make it work. 
Looking forward to it.

Best, 
[Insert Email Signature]

    Non-Decision Maker Follow-Up

    Subject: Getting the right people on the next call

Hi [First Name],

Appreciate your time today. Really helpful to hear where things stand and the initiatives 
your team is focused on.

Sounds like we could help with [insert specific 
problem or priority discussed], and I'd like to get into that with your broader team.

The next step is a Strategy Call where we'll walk through a tailored game plan based on what 
you shared. That session typically includes [insert roles, e.g. the VP of Marketing, your CMO, 
or anyone who owns budget for this area], so everyone who needs to weigh in is in the room.

Strategy Call Proposal:
📅 Date: [Insert Date]
🕒 Time: [Insert Time]
📍Link: [Insert Meeting Link]
👥 Ideal Attendees: [Insert suggested roles]

Would you be open to introducing or inviting [Name/Title] to join? Happy to send a quick note 
you can forward if that helps.

Thanks again,
[Insert Email Signature]